iPhone 7 Release News and Updates: Should Apple Have Done Away With the 3.5mm Headset Jack? Is It Worth the Upgrade? [POLL]
It has been a constant barrage of new smartphones ever since Samsung Galaxy Note 7 came out in August. It was closely trailed by Sony's Xperia XZ and X Compact, Lenovo's Moto Z, LG V20, and Huawei's Mate S. But many looking to upgrade their phones were holding out for Samsung's biggest rival–the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus–to make their final call.
Now the jury's out on whether or not the iPhone 7 (Plus in particular) is a good investment. Of course, upgrading always depends on where you are upgrading from and what you need, so we have rounded up everything you need to know about Apple's newest flagship phone.
On the specs front, hardware, and build
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While the latest flagship phone, the iPhone 7 doesn't really offer any new cutting-edge specs and design, and is not really all that different from the iPhone 6S. A report from iMore suggests that you should definitely upgrade if you are coming from the iPhone 5c or earlier, and possibly if you have a 5S, and maybe if you have an iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.
However, a poll from 9to5MacWorld showed that out of at least 11,000 voters, half wanted to upgrade to the iPhone 7, while a quarter of them wanted the iPhone 7 Plus.
Major changes
The iPhone 7 Plus's act of courage is the absence of the usual 3.5mm headphone jack in order to build a truly water-resistant phone. The AirPods are powered by an infrared sensor, which senses whether they are attached to your ears, and have to be recharged after five hours of usage.
But many fans have been up in arms against this change, primarily because Lightning ports are very expensive. While the AirPods look really cool in your ear without all those wires, they're easy to miss and misplace, which is a bad thing because Lightning ports are proprietary Apple tech.
This sentiment is largely reflected in a poll from 12News, where nearly a third of pollsters voted no against the AirPods as it is something they feel they will lose immediately. Meanwhile, only 13 percent of voters thought wireless AirPods were the greatest tech innovation of late.
Photography lovers, however, will find plenty to love in the iPhone 7 Plus as the first Apple device to sport a dual-lens camera. iPhone cameras are consistently best in terms of cameras, performing well in low-light conditions and even bright light weather. It has a 12-megapixel sensor with a 6-element lens and a wide-angle f/1.8 aperture, and another telephoto lens at f/2.8 for the rear, and a 7-megapixel front shooter with 2x optical zoom.
Will you upgrade?
If you do choose to upgrade, however, here's everything you need to know: its starting price is pegged at $899 and will be available on September 16 on your nearest carriers: AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, among others.
