Articles about iPhone 7

Nearly a month after releasing the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, Apple is giving consumers the option of purchasing the unlocked versions of its latest flagships in US. The "SIM-free" models are available in all the color and storage configurations as their carrier counterparts, with prices starting at the same $649 for the iPhone 7 and $769 for the iPhone 7 Plus.

The unlocked iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models carry the designation A1778 and A1784, and support the same LTE bands as the AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon versions. But what are the differences?

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The iPhone 7 is Apple’s most attractive iPhone to date, and it comes in a choice of five colors: Silver, Gold, Rose Gold, Black and Jet Black (RIP Space Gray).

The Jet Black is our personal favorite, although there have been reports of its glossy finish showing up scratches. If you want to protect your iPhone, then a case is a must, but you don’t want just any old cover. This is where Casetify’s cases differ from the competition. With over a million unique designs to choose from, you’re bound to find one that suits your style.

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It may have been one of the worst kept secrets in tech launches, but today Google officially took the wraps off its Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. In terms of hardware it could be argued that there is nothing too spectacular here, but even if you ignore the (still very impressive) hardware side of things there are two features that directly take on Apple: Google Assistant to compete with Siri, and unlimited full-resolution photo backup.

Unlike Google's previous Nexus range, the Pixel handsets carry no other branding -- these are the first phones designed and built inside and out by Google and Google alone. We already knew just about everything about the two handsets -- which neatly compete with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, but now everything, and more, has been confirmed.

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Much has been said about Apple's decision to drop the headphone jack in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, but one thing is clear: there are many folks out there who would like to get it back. Some more than others, going as far as drilling a hole in their new smartphone -- and damaging it in the process -- to be able to plug their old headphones in.

Apple has, of course, provided a dongle which lets you use standard headphones, but a new case offers a more elegant solution. It's called Fuze and it comes with a 3.5mm jack built in, so you can forget about carrying an adaptor or buying new headphones.

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Consumer group Which? has conducted a series of battery life tests on the latest smartphones, and the news is not good for the iPhone 7. Pitted against the Samsung Galaxy S7, HTC 10 and LG G5, Apple's latest handset came in last place... and by some distance.

In terms of call time, the Samsung Galaxy S7 lasted for more than twice as long as the iPhone 7, while the HTC 10 had two and a half times the longevity. Things were not quite as bad for the iPhone 7 in internet usage tests... but it was still found bringing up the rear.

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Apple has historically been very guarded and secretive. While this is still true today, the company has definitely become more open after Steve Job's death. Quite frankly, the fact that there are now public betas for both iOS and macOS is mind-blowing for the Apple faithful. Last month, the company even launched its first bug bounty program! Why did Apple soften its guarded position? It had to. As the technology market advances, and security becomes a bigger focus, it is not possible to catch all bugs and vulnerabilities in house.

While the bug bounty and public betas were very wise moves, the company is apparently taking things a step further. According to Forbes, Apple is enlisting iPhone jailbreakers and other hackers (such as Luca Todesco, Nicholas Allegra and Patrick Wardle) to bolster the security of its products using the aforementioned bug bounty program. In fact, it is rumored to be happening at a secret meeting. If true, is the company smart to trust these people?

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Israeli security firm Cellebrite -- the company said to have helped the FBI access the San Bernadino iPhone -- says that it has the power to break into, and extract data from, just about any phone out there. Speaking with the BBC, the company demonstrated how it can crack the password on a smartphone to access its data.

It said that it was able to extract data from the very latest handsets including Android 7 devices and the iPhone 7. Cellebrite says it works with law enforcement agencies around the world too, and stopped short of saying it refused to work with oppressive regimes. The interview raises some interesting questions.

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As you're probably well aware, with the launch of the iPhone 7 Apple ditched the familiar headphone jack in favour of a wireless audio option. Many people have questioned the sense in this 'courageous' decision which has led some owners to take drastic steps to allow them to use their favorite set of wired headphones.

Some have been spurred on by a YouTube video that reveals a 'secret hack' for returning the headphone jack to the iPhone 7. YouTuber TechRax has created a tutorial for uncovering the hidden jack that Apple left inside the new phone. Except, of course, it is complete nonsense.

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When Apple said that iPhone 7 sales will be determined by supply and not demand it meant it. Earlier this week it issued a statement saying that all iPhone 7 Plus versions and the Jet Black iPhone 7 sold out quickly after going up for pre-order -- and they will not be available to walk-in customers, as a result.

While we do not know how many iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus units Apple had available for the pre-order round, a Slice Intelligence report claims that the bigger model is more popular with early adopters. Last year, it was the iPhone 6s which enjoyed the biggest success during pre-orders.

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The latest iPhones may not be hugely different compared to last year's models, but consumers do not seem to mind it. According to pre-order reports from Sprint and T-Mobile, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are off to a great start, being received extremely well by their customers.

Sprint today announced that, in the first three days, pre-orders for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are more than 375 percent higher compared to last year. The carrier does not say whether that is a new record for the iPhone. Over at T-Mobile, however, the new smartphones did set a new bar.

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Apple's iPhone 7 and 7 Plus smartphones hit stores this Friday, and many people -- including yours truly -- want one. Unfortunately, the phones are not free, meaning those without sufficient funds cannot get in on the party. Not to mention, if your current phone is working fine, it would be wasteful to buy another -- having two smartphones makes no sense, right?

What some folks do in this situation, is sell their current iPhone or Android smartphone, and then put the proceeds of the sale towards the purchase of the newest iPhone. Unfortunately, selling a phone can be stressful and sometimes dangerous. If you meet someone from Craigslist, for instance, they could end up hurting or stealing from you. If you opt for an online 'for cash' service, they could prove to be unreliable or maybe even a scam. Today, eBay launches a service called 'Quick Sale', designed to take the pain out of getting cash for your current phone.

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The iPhone 7 looks to be the best Apple smartphone ever, and later this week (September 16), it will officially go on sale in USA retail stores. If you didn't already pre-order it from Apple directly, don't panic -- you will get your chance to buy it eventually, albeit maybe not on launch day. While getting it on "day one" is possible, it will probably require waiting on a very long line -- maybe even camping out the night before.

If you plan on getting the new iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, you will likely want to buy some new apps for it. Those entirely new to iOS -- maybe switching from Android or the terrible Windows 10 Mobile -- will be pleasantly surprised by an App Store full of high-quality apps. You will actually want to spend money on them! To help you get started, we here at BetaNews are giving away one $15 iTunes gift card. It can be used for apps and games, plus music and movies too. To enter, just complete the form below.

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The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus feature some pretty big improvements over the previous generation, but some folks are not convinced whether it is worth upgrading from an older iPhone or an Android smartphone. The main problem is the removal of the headphone jack, though it seems that the lack of enough (visual) differentiating features compared to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus also play a part in this.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus may end up breaking sales records, but we will not find out until later this year. However, IDC already predicts that Apple's flagships will underperform in the world's largest market -- China. And there is some logic behind that.

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Yesterday, Apple announced that it was removing the 3.5mm audio jack from its upcoming iPhone 7 and 7 Plus smartphones; some people are still comically reeling from the news. Understandably, not everyone can see the benefits of Apple's forward thinking subtraction now, but the world will catch up eventually -- as usual.

While killing the outdated decades-old audio port was the correct choice, understandably, not everyone is ready to invest in Apple's AirPods. Some folks will prefer wired headphones. Luckily, Apple is bundling both a 3.5mm dongle and Lightning audio wired earbuds with the iPhone 7 (and Plus). While that partly solves the dilemma, some folks will hit a roadblock -- they cannot listen to wired headphones while charging their iPhone devices. Today, Belkin creates a solution for that problem with the all new 'Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar' adapter.

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The new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be hugely expensive in Europe when they go on sale later this month. Apple has decided to increase the prices of its new flagships compared to the previous generation, with the bump likely triggered by the US dollar's gains against the Euro and British Pound.

To put things into perspective, it is interesting that the iPhone 7 Plus will also see a $20 price increase over the iPhone 6s Plus in the US, while the iPhone 7 will continue to be sold at the same price as its predecessor. The bigger device now starts at $769, as opposed to $749 for the iPhone 6s Plus, while the iPhone 7 kicks off at $649.

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