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Apple announced the next generation of its iPhones at an event in San Francisco early this month, 7 September. Here is how the iPhone 7 compares to the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6. Is it worth the upgrade?

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1. Design
iPhone 7: 138x67x7.1mm, 138g, IP67 certification
iPhone 6: 138x67x6.9mm, 129g

Both smartphones use Apple's proprietary Lightning port. The iPhone 6 used it just for charging and data, but the iPhone 7 also relies on it for audio.

Apple also includes an adaptor in the box so you'll still be able to use your beloved analogue headphones, but bear in mind that whichever solution you choose, audio and charging can't happen at the same time.

Certification:
The iPhone 7 is the first Apple handset with IP67 certification. This isn't the highest rating the iPhone could have been awarded, but still means that the device is protected from dust and can survive in water up to a depth of 1m for 30 minutes. The iPhone 6 is better left in a protective case as it's wholly at the mercy of the elements.

2. Display:
iPhone 7
: 4.7in 1,334x750 resolution at 326ppi
iPhone 6: 4.7in 1,334x750 resolution at 326ppi

Both generations have the same 4.7in 1,334x450 resolution display, but Apple said that the iPhone 7 screen is 25 per cent brighter than even the 6S, so the iPhone 6 lags behind somewhat in this regard.

The iPhone 6 also lacked 3D Touch, a feature that allowed future models to detect varying degrees of pressure instead of relying solely on taps.

3. Operating system:
iPhone 7: iOS 10
iPhone 6: iOS 8

Apple designed iOS 10 with the iPhone 7 in mind. iOS 10 brings new features such as: lock screen widgets, revamped Messaging, Maps, Photos, Apple Music and News apps, and support for Siri in third-party apps.

4. Processor:
iPhone 7: 64-bit A10 (two 2.4GHz cores TBC), 2GB of RAM
iPhone 6: 64-bit A8 chip, 1.4GHz dual core, 1GB of RAM

The iPhone 7 is powered by Apple's new A10 Fusion processor, which is claimed to be the fastest smartphone chip available.

Apple said that the A10 provides 40 per cent faster processing than the A9 chip before it, while a new controller intelligently manages workloads and results in increased efficiency. Similarly, the iPhone 7's new GPU is capable of delivering a performance increase equivalent to 50 per cent.

The A8 is still a capable chip, but Apple has optimised things when it comes to iOS 9 and above to run on devices with 2GB of RAM. iOS 9 (and later 10) will still work, but we suspect that the experience may differ somewhat on technology two generations old.

5. Cameras:
  • iPhone 7 – Rear: 12 megapixel sensor, f/1.8 aperture, Focus Pixels, Optical Image Stabilisation, quad-LED (dual tone) flash, 4K video recording. Front: 7MP sensor, f/2.2 aperture, 1080p recording

  • iPhone 6S – Rear: 12 megapixel sensor, f2.2 aperture, Focus Pixels, Software Image Stabilisation, dual-LED flash, 4K video recording. Front: 5MP Front Camera, f2.2 aperture, 720p video recording
The iPhone 7 improves on the Dual LED (dual-tone) flash found on the iPhone 6. The Quad LED flash is 50 per cent brighter than that seen on the iPhone 6S, and there's a far superior 7MP front-facing camera that offers image stabilization too.

6. Battery
iPhone 7: 1,960mAh
iPhone 6: 1,810mAh

Apple hasn't given exact specifications, but claimed that the iPhone 7 battery provides 14 hours of life.

iphone battery life.PNG

7. Storage
iPhone 7: 32GB/128GB/256GB
iPhone 6: 16GB/64GB/128GB

The iPhone 7 ships with 32GB, 128GB and 256GB storage configurations, which means that iPhone 6 buyers are somewhat limited in their choice.

8. Colours:
And in a final flourish, Apple has expanded the array of colour options for the iPhone 7 and it comes in Rose Gold, Gold, Silver, Black and (for just 128GB and 256GB options) Jet Black, though the Space Gray option has been ditched.

iphone colours.PNG
 
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