iPhone 7
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus[a] are smartphones that were designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the tenth generation of the iPhone. They were announced on September 7, 2016, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco by Apple CEO Tim Cook, and were released on September 16, 2016, succeeding the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus as the flagship devices in the iPhone series. Apple also released the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in numerous countries worldwide throughout September and October 2016. They were succeeded as flagship devices by the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus[17] on September 12, 2017, and were discontinued with the announcement of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro on September 10, 2019.
The iPhone 7's overall design is similar to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S. Changes introduced included new color options (Matte Black and Jet Black), water and dust resistance, a new capacitive, static home button, revised antenna bands, and the controversial removal of the 3.5 mm headphone jack. The device's internal hardware received upgrades, including a heterogeneous quad-core system-on-chip with improved system and graphics performance, upgraded 12 megapixel rear-facing cameras with optical image stabilization on all models, and an additional telephoto lens exclusive to the iPhone 7 Plus to provide enhanced (2x) optical zoom capabilities and portrait mode. The front camera is the first in the series with 1080p (Full HD) video resolution. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were supported from iOS 10 to iOS 15, and they are the third to support six versions of iOS before support was terminated, after the iPhone 5S.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were the last iPhones using quad-core CPU, as well as aluminum unibody design without wireless charge and using 32 GB of internal storage.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were the only iPhones to have jet black color finish.
History[edit]
Prior to its announcement, multiple aspects of the iPhone 7 were heavily rumoured. Apple's plans to remove the 3.5 mm headphone jack received significant media attention.[b] Other rumors included a flush camera, stereo speakers,[22] a 256 gigabyte storage option, and a larger 3,100 mAh battery.[23]
On August 29, 2016, invitations to a press event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California on September 7, 2016, were sent out to members of the media, prompting immediate speculation of the iPhone 7's upcoming announcement.[24][25] The iPhone 7 was officially announced at that event, with pre-orders beginning September 9, and general availability on September 16.[26][27][28]
The iPhone 7 launched in 30 new countries later in September, with further international rollouts throughout October and November 2016.[c] Indonesia was the last country to release the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, with availability starting on March 31, 2017, following Apple's research and development investment in the country.[36]
On March 21, 2017, Apple announced an iPhone 7 with a red color finish (and white front), as part of its partnership with Product Red to highlight its AIDS fundraising campaign. It launched on March 24, 2017,[37][38] but it was later discontinued after the announcement of the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X in September 2017 as well as the 256 GB Variant.[39]
On September 12, 2017, Apple announced the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus as direct successors to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus,[40] alongside the iPhone X.[41]
The iPhone 7 & 7 Plus, as well as the iPhone XS and its Max variant were discontinued and removed from Apple's website after the announcement of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro on September 10, 2019. They are no longer available for sale.
On June 6, 2022, Apple announced on its website that the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will not receive support for iOS 16. Controversially the iPad (5th generation), which has the A9 chip, received iPadOS 16, along with the 6th and 7th generation iPads, which have almost identical hardware to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus respectively.[42]
Back and side detail from a standard iPhone 7 in Rose Gold
Dual cameras on the back of the iPhone 7 Plus
Issues[edit]
Hissing noises[edit]
Some users have reported a strange hissing noise during heavy usage of the phone. CNET reports it as "faint buzzes and hums coming from the backside".[88] The Daily Telegraph speculates that the iPhone 7's new A10 Fusion processor is the source of the noise, linking to tweets that compare the phone's hissing sound to "hearing the fans spin up loudly whenever your Mac's CPU gets used to its actual potential."[89]
Performance differences[edit]
The Guardian reported in October 2016 that storage tests from Unbox Therapy and GSMArena showed that the 32 GB iPhone 7 is "significantly" slower than the 128 and 256 GB versions, measuring data write speeds of 341 MB/s on a 128 GB iPhone 7 model versus 42 MB/s on a 32 GB model.[90] October 2016 network tests by Cellular Insights showed that models A1660 and A1661 with Qualcomm modems had "a significant performance edge" over models A1778 and A1784 with Intel modems. Inspection of the modems also found that the Qualcomm version's ability to use Ultra HD Voice had been turned off, likely to "level the playing field between the Qualcomm, and Intel variants". The report concluded with the statement that "We are not sure what was the main reason behind Apple's decision to source two different modem suppliers for the newest iPhone".[91][92] Bloomberg reported in November 2016 that tests by researchers from Twin Prime and Cellular Insights had shown the two modems to perform similarly on some U.S. cellular networks despite one of the modems being technically capable of faster connectivity. Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told the publication that "Every iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus meets or exceeds all of Apple's wireless performance standards, quality metrics, and reliability testing ... In all of our rigorous lab tests based on wireless industry standards, in thousands of hours of real-world field testing, and in extensive carrier partner testing, the data shows there is no discernible difference in the wireless performance of any of the models". Bloomberg quoted analysts and technology advisers who stated that "[Apple] don't want one version to get the reputation that it is better" and that "This may not impact the fanboys, but it may make other consumers think twice about buying an Apple phone, especially if they think they might be purchasing a sub-standard product".[93]
Perception of slogan in Cantonese-speaking regions[edit]
The iPhone 7's "This is 7" slogan has been misunderstood when translated to certain other languages.[94][95]
The phone's slogan in Mainland China is "7, is here;" (Chinese: 7，在此; pinyin: 7, zài cǐ), while in Hong Kong, its slogan is, "This, is iPhone 7;" (Chinese: 這，就是iPhone 7; Jyutping: ze5, zau6 si6 iPhone 7).
In Cantonese, the local language of Hong Kong, the slogan could be mistakenly interpreted as "This is penis". "Tsat",
(Chinese: 杘; Jyutping: cat6), is a common slang term for an erect penis, and "seven", (Chinese: 七; Jyutping: cat1), which varies only in tone, is often used as a euphemism.
Replacing the home button[edit]
In the iPhone 7, Apple added a software lock that prevents individuals from attempting to replace the home button on their own. Users are now required to go to an Apple Store to have repairs done, with "recalibration" of the button being necessary. This is a step further than Apple went with iPhone 5S, 6 and 6S, where only Touch ID functionality would get disabled but the "return-to-home" functionality still worked.[96][97]
Failure to connect to cellular service[edit]
Some iPhone 7 devices with the model numbers A1660, A1779 and A1780 suffer from a problem where they show a "No service" message even when cellular reception is available. Apple will repair those devices for free within four years of the first retail sale of the unit.[98]
Loop Disease[edit]
Some iPhone 7 devices suffer from a problem that affects audio in the device. Users reported a grayed-out speaker button during calls, grayed-out voice memo icon, and occasional freezing of the device. A few users also complained that lightning EarPods failed to work with the device and that the Wi-Fi button would be grayed out after restarting the iPhone. On May 4, 2018, Apple acknowledged the issue through an internal memo. If an affected iPhone 7 was no longer covered by warranty, Apple said its service providers could request an exception for this particular issue. The exemptions abruptly ended in July 2018 when Apple deleted the internal document. Many customers have complained Apple has charged customers around $350 to fix the issue. Many customers complain the issue first appeared after a software update.