Apple unveiled the iPhone 7 on Wednesday at September’s iPhone Event, and those clamoring for new, innovative features might be disappointed with details.
First, let’s start with the good. The iPhone 7 features two all-new 12-megapixel camera lenses with some impressive capabilities, including optical image stabilization, a six-element lens, and quad-LED True Tone flash. iPhone cameras have long been impressive and the company upped the ante when it comes to photography. The iPhone also comes with upgrades to the GPU, which optimizes power consumption.
Here's a rundown on the new camera features in the iPhone 7. pic.twitter.com/oqC36rCYa7
— MacRumorsLive (@macrumorslive) September 7, 2016
Other than that, there’s not much to be excited about. The iPhone 7 comes in a “Jet Black” version. It’s water resistant, so Apple has finally caught up to smartphones from 2013.
As long rumored, Apple’s headphone jack is being replaced with a Lightning port (don’t worry, you can get an adapter to plug in) and earbuds themselves (aka AirPods) will be wireless and connected via a similar software as Bluetooth. Get ready to lose your earbuds.
Apple AirPods announced pic.twitter.com/4vJb1ya405
— Wario64 (@Wario64) September 7, 2016
Also, the price for the AirPods are INSANE.
AirPods are $159 pic.twitter.com/rhkSgjYko1
— Wario64 (@Wario64) September 7, 2016
There are some other features, which you can read here, but don’t expect a significantly upgraded phone from the iPhone 6S. Sure, it possesses some decent features, but a lot of the upgrades are industry standard at this point. Without expandable memory and further user customization, the iPhone 7 is Apple’s latest attempt to reinvent the wheel. It’s a better camera than smartphone.
It’s not all lame news, as Nintendo announced at the iPhone event, they’re bringing Mario to the App Store. Shigeru Miyamoto was on hand to demonstrate Super Mario Run. The mobile game is a fresh spin on the Mario series, introducing the popular character to mobile gaming. In the game, Mario is constantly moving forward and you tap the screen to make him to jumps and tricks until you finish a certain mode or level.
You can find more details here.
Unfortunately, Nintendo announced Super Mario Run is not only a paid app, but includes in-game purchases. It could be fun, but Nintendo is looking to take advantage of the mobile market, following success (and recent failure) with Pokemon Go. The game will be released in late 2016. Kotaku reports it will also be released on Androids, eventually.
I may be a pessimist, but the upgrades are marginal at best. The news will surely entice Apple fanboys, but for those looking for an optimal smartphone, Android’s are still your best bet.
[Image via Tech Crunch]
