A dramatic claim from Apple for the newly-announced iPhone 7 is that it is now able to work underwater, thanks to the removal of the headphone jack.
Removing the headphone socket means the phone casing is more water resistant, and Apple boldly states that the phone can be kept under one metre of water for up to 30 minutes.
Because there is no headphone jack, the £600 phone will come with EarPods which are powered by the phone’s lightning connector. Apple is recommending users buy wireless AirPods, costing an additional £159.
Detractors of the new design have complained that the AirPods could easily get lost or be swallowed by small children. They have also commented that the phone won’t be able to charge while the lightning connector is being used to play back music. Owners of expensive jack-based headphones will need to get a new set or use an adaptor.
Apple is not the first company to move away from the headphone socket technology that was popularised by Sony Walkman. Lenovo has also adopted jack-less headphone technology.
AirPods can also detect a user’s voice in order to activate Siri.
Features of the new iPhone 7
As well as no headphone jack, the new iPhone 7, which looks similar to the iPhone 6s, has a pressure-sensitive home button, better camera, faster processor and improved battery life.
Better camera
The smaller 4.7-inch device has a f/1.8 lens that lets 50 per cent more light onto the lens, a new 12MP sensor that’s 60 per cent faster and 30 per cent more energy efficient.
The larger 5.5-inch model (7 Plus) features a dual-lense camera, meaning it can handle zoom much better than before.
The Plus model gives the benefit of wide angle lens and telephoto lens.
The new camera works better in low light, and the 7mp front-facing camera means selfies and Facetime will produce better quality images (compared with 5mp previously).
Dimensions and storage
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are the same thickness as the iPhone 6 predecessors, but they are heavier. At 188g, the 7 Plus is the heaviest iPhone yet.
Both new phones come with a minimum of 32gb storage space apart from the Jet Black model which starts at 128gb.
