Hardware

Photos: First look at the iPhone 7

By // September 8, 2016, 9:51 AM PST // bviglia

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  • ​iPhone 7

    It's here: The iPhone 7 was announced yesterday afternoon, and while it doesn't pack a lot in the way of aesthetic changes there's quite a bit different under the hood.

    Also see

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​Say goodbye to the headphone jack

    Many were fearing the possibility of a headphone jack-less iPhone 7, and those fears have come to pass. The new iPhone will ship with lightning port earbuds.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​You can always use a dongle

    The iPhone 7 will also come bundled with a headphone jack dongle. It's not perfect, but at least you have the option to keep using your old headphones.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​An all-new home button

    Say goodbye to the pressable home button--it's being eliminated in favor of a new force touch "button." The replacement will provide haptic feedback but won't depress at all. It's designed to do all the same stuff, but initial press reviews have been a bit unfavorable.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​The Taptic Engine is new too

    In lieu of the button is a new Taptic Engine. It will reportedly provide different types of feedback to mimic the now-extinct physical home button, along with different taps for messages, calls, and other notifications.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​Redesigned cameras

    The iPhone 7's camera is a completely new design. It boasts six layers of glass, 2-tone flash, and multiple LEDs to increase image quality. Both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will feature image stabilization as well.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​A larger aperture

    The aperture on the iPhone 7's camera is larger too, meaning more light is getting into the camera.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​iPhone 7 Plus: A dual lens device​

    The iPhone 7 Plus is launching with two cameras: A wide angle lense and a telephoto one. The combination of two lenses will improve zooming capabilities and provide a more dynamic depth-of-field.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​Get RAW with those images!

    The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will finally be offering support for the RAW image format. Higher quality images, coming soon!

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​An all new processor

    The iPhone 7 is sporting the A10 Fusion chip, Apple's fastest processor to date. It has four cores, two designed for high-powered use and two high-efficiency ones. The core will scale with need, resulting in greater power efficiency.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​A waterproof iPhone?

    iPhone 7s are rated IP67, but what does that mean? IP codes are two-digit numbers. The first, ranging from zero to six, is a rating of solid particle protection. The iPhone 7's six rating means it's completely dust proof.

    The second digit is for liquid protection, and it goes from zero to nine. The seven rating for the new iPhone means it can be submerged in up to a meter of water. The best part? The seven certification means the iPhone 7 was left submerged for 30 minutes during testing--that's some serious water resistance.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​Storage improvements

    Say goodbye to the 16GB iPhone. The iPhone 7 starts at 32GB and also comes in 128GB and 256GB varieties.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • Improved battery life

    The figures here, listed in hours, show an incremental upgrade over the battery life of the iPhone 6S.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​Apple Watch 2

    The new Apple Watch is here as well, though you might not realize it by looking at the thing.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​New faces

    There are some new--and useful--watch faces for Apple's new wearable, but they aren't unique to the Apple Watch 2. They're features of Watch OS3, which will be launching soon.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​GPS

    The Apple Watch 2 comes with GPS--good news for runners.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​Track your swims

    The Apple Watch 2 is water resistant to 50 meters--good news for swimmers who felt cheated by the first generation of Apple's wearable tech.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​A replacement for the Nike FuelBand

    Development for Nike's FuelBand has ceased, but don't worry: there's a new Nike-branded Apple Watch available.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​AirPods

    Apple obviously passed on AirBuds to avoid confusion with everyone's favorite basketball-playing canine, which is a shame. It might have made them a bit more redeemable.

    AirPods are Apple's response to criticism over removing the headphone jack, but it's a mediocre response. They pack a lot of features, but just look at them. They're still hard plastic earbuds and they look just like regular headphones, minus the cord.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​AirPods should have good battery life

    Apple knows they'll get lost, so they designed a nice case to keep them in. It's also a charger that will supplement the reported 24-hour battery life.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • Adding insult to AirPod injury

    Still interested? You might not be when you see the price.

    AirPods aren't new, they aren't unique, and they aren't that attractive. Apple might have dropped the ball on this one.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

  • ​One last sneaky change

    Apple didn't mention it at all, but the iPad got a storage capacity bump: 16GB models are gone.

    Image: James Martin/CNET

​iPhone 7

It's here: The iPhone 7 was announced yesterday afternoon, and while it doesn't pack a lot in the way of aesthetic changes there's quite a bit different under the hood.

Also see

Image: James Martin/CNET

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By Brandon Vigliarolo

Brandon writes about apps and software for TechRepublic. He's an award-winning feature writer who previously worked as an IT professional and served as an MP in the US Army.