Another year, another new iPhone and this time, it’s the iPhone 7 and it’s had a number of upgrades, including an improved camera that now features optical image stabilisation, a bright f/1.8 lens and a 12-megapixel sensor. The front camera has also been upgraded, and is now a 7-megapixel camera, with an f/1.8 lens.
Apple iPhone 7 Features
The lens in the iPhone 7 has seen a big improvement, with a new f/1.8 aperture lens, compared to f/2.2 on the 6s/6s Plus. Optical image stabilisation is also built-in which will further help in low-light. The sensor has been confirmed as being made by Sony (by Chipworks), and is a 12 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, with built-in phase detection focus pixels, for quicker focus speeds. You can also shoot raw images with iOS 10 which comes with the iPhone 7, and the flash system has been updated to include 4 LED lights instead of 2.
There are a number of shooting modes available, including time-lapse, Slo-mo, video, photo, square photo, and panoramic. In the photo mode there are 8 different effects available, and you can switch on the self-timer, HDR (on/off/auto), and flash (on/off/auto). There is also the option to shoot "Live" photos, which records 1.5 seconds of video before and after taking a photo to animate the photo. Live photos can only be shared with other iPhones (or iPads), and you'll need a Mac to view them on a computer, although it is possible to share them to Facebook.
The screen remains the same at 4.7 inches with a resolution of 1334x750 pixels and is now a wide colour gamut display (DCI-P3). The camera also takes wide colour gamut images.
The phone is water-resistant*, has stereo speakers, runs iOS 10, and does not feature a headphone socket instead, providing an adapter for the lightning port, so that you can use standard headphones.
* iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are splash, water and dust resistant, and were tested under controlled laboratory conditions with a rating of IP67 (up to 1m) under IEC standard 60529. Splash, water and dust resistance are not permanent conditions and resistance might decrease as a result of normal wear. Do not attempt to charge a wet iPhone; refer to the user guide for cleaning and drying instructions. Liquid damage not covered under warranty. (from Apple)
The camera records 4K video, and with built-in optical image stabilisation, your video will also benefit from optical image stabilisation, helping keep video steady.
Apple says that the phone has improved battery life, and a new processor to make the phone quicker.
Key Features
- 12mp BSI CMOS sensor with focus pixels (phase-detection)
- f/1.8 aperture, 28mm equivalent, 6 element lens
- Optical Image Stabilisation (3 stops)
- 4.7inch wide colour gamut screen (1334x750, DCI-P3)
- Wide colour gamut / CINE quality photographs, beyond sRGB
- New True Tone Flash (4 LEDs) with flicker sensor
- 4K video recording at 30fps with OIS
- Apple design image signal processor (new)
- Raw image capture
- 7mp f/2.2 FaceTime HD (Selfie) BSI CMOS sensor with wide colour capture and auto image stabilisation
- Aluminium body - Black, Gold, Silver, Rose Gold or Jet Black
- Water and dust resistant (IP67)
- Improved battery life
- Basic model comes with 32GB
Apple iPhone 7 Handling
You can press the home button or lock button when the phone is locked, and swipe the screen left to quickly access the camera. The home button isn't actually a button, but now uses “haptic feedback” and doesn’t actually press down, but certainly feels like you are pressing something due to the vibration of the phone. The home button can be used for a number of things, including unlocking your phone with the fingerprint sensor built into it, press it once to get to the home screen and press it twice to get to different apps that are running. You can use the volume buttons on the side of the phone to take photos if you don’t want to use the touch-screen.
To shoot raw images you’ll need a 3rd party app, and Adobe Lightroom mobile lets you shoot Adobe DNG raw files, as well as adjust additional settings such as white balance, but not ISO. You can use VSCO Cam for free which lets you manually adjust the shutter speed, ISO and white balance. Camera+ is another app that will let you shoot raw, and change more settings, but is £2.29 at current prices.
The screen looks very good, and although the resolution may seem low, at 1334x750 pixels, compared to Android phones FullHD and QuadHD displays, it still looks good. Although whites don’t look as pure white as some phones and screens, for the most part, you won’t really notice unless you’re comparing one phone next to another. Visibility is very good both indoors and outside, and there’s a night mode designed to make the screen less likely to keep you awake at night.
The back of the phone is very slippery, and a case is definitely recommended to give additional grip, as well as additional protection to the phone, particularly as you'll want to protect your investment.
The phone is extremely well-built, and we were hard pressed to find another phone built as well as the iPhone 7. The water resistant rating of the phone is also particularly useful to give extra protection for accidentally dropping the phone in water, or alternatively to let you use it for some underwater photography.
The menus and options are easy to use, and the whole operating system is easy to pick up, whether you're used to an Android or other smartphones. The four icons on the bottom of the screen can be customised, so you could replace one of them with the Camera app, as we have done.
Battery life - Battery life is improved compared to previous versions of the iPhone, and we were able to get a full day's use out of the phone, over 17 hours in total before we needed to charge the phone again. This is reasonably good, although the battery life will change depending on what you're doing with the phone, and a separate battery charger is recommended as you can't change the battery in this phone.
Speed - Getting to the camera from the phone being locked or on standby is reasonably quick at under 4 seconds, and focus is quick at under 0.3 seconds (including shutter response). The phone performs quickly and is Apple's fastest smartphone to date, so shouldn't have any problems running any of the latest games or apps. The phone takes less than 30 seconds to switch on from being off. If you hold the shutter release button, the camera can shoot at up to 12fps.
Apple iPhone 7 Performance
The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
Apple iPhone 7 Lens test images
Camera Performance - Exposure is generally reliable, and by using the HDR mode you can avoid blown highlights, although it can make the image a little darker overall.
You are going to get more detailed photos from a smartphone camera with a 16 or 20-megapixel sensor, however, detail is reasonably good. If you shoot in raw using an app like Lightroom Mobile, then you can get sharper photos, as the camera's own app has quite strong noise reduction, reducing detail in images.
We occasionally noticed some lens flare, but it was difficult to capture, as a slight change in framing was able to get rid of it. Some purple fringing was noticeable in photos of trees, with bright sky behind them.
The camera can focus on subjects around 9cm away from the camera lens, which means you can take reasonable close-up photos, but not the best macro photos.
With optical image stabilisation, it's possible to take sharp photos at shutter speeds of 1/10s or slower, depending on how steady you can hold the phone.
The 4 LED flash is bright, but sometimes too bright, being painful for subjects having their photo taken. It also gives the image or subject a slight yellow colour cast. The Selfie flash using the smartphone's screen did a better job of keeping subject colours looking natural.
Apple iPhone 7 ISO test images
ISO Noise Performance - Noise is low at ISO50 (or lower) and starts to become slightly visible at ISO200. Noise is more noticeable at ISO400, but still reasonable. Noise increases again at ISO800, but images should be usable. At ISO1600, noise becomes much strong, and it's probably best avoiding this setting.
Apple iPhone 7 White-balance test images
White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance (AWB) performs well under a variety of lighting conditions, leaving a slight yellow cast to images. This is likely to be pleasing to most people. These shots were taken with Adobe Lightroom Mobile as Adobe DNG files, and then saved straight to the Camera Roll without applying any adjustments or noise reduction.
Apple iPhone 7 Digital filters
Digital Filters - There are 8 different filters built-in to the default camera app on the phone, and hundreds available by using third party apps such as Instagram, Prisma, VSCO, Lightroom Mobile and more.
Panoramic | 1/855 sec | f/1.8 | 4.0 mm | ISO 80
The panoramic mode produces a high-resolution image, particularly when the phone is held in vertical orientation, with this image an impressive 41 megapixels.
Video - The camera records 4K video, and results are good thanks to the camera's built-in optical image stabilisation. You can also take 8 megapixel still photos while recording 4K video. You can use the bright 4 LED lights while recording videos. If you switch to FullHD or 720p video, then the camera has "Cinematic video stabilisation" which is a combination of electronic and optical image stabilisation. Slo-mo video can be recorded at 1080p at 120fps and 720p at 240fps. You can't change the video resolution settings in the camera app instead, you have to go to Settings > Photos and Camera and there you can find more advanced camera settings.
Apple iPhone 7 Review - Verdict
Value For Money
The iPhone 7 is available for around £599 sim free for the 32GB version (£699 for 128GB or £799 for 256GB). This makes it more expensive than most smartphones. We show the main competitors in the comparison table below:
| Sensor | Lens | OIS | Screen | WP | GB | Price | |
| Samsung Galaxy S7 | 12mp | f/1.7 | Y | 5.1 | Y | 32 | £569 |
| HTC 10 | 12mp | f/1.8 | Y | 5.2 | N | 32 | £495 |
| OnePlus 3 | 16mp | f/2.0 | Y | 5.5 | N | 64 | £330 |
| LG G5 | 16mp | f/1.8 + | Y | 5.3 | N | 32 | £420 |
| Sony Xperia Z5 | 23mp | f/2.0 | N | 5.2 | Y | 32 | £399 |
| Sony Xperia Z5 Compact | 23mp | f/2.0 | N | 4.6 | Y | 32 | £430 |
| Moto Z | 13mp | f/1.8 | Y | 5.5 | N** | 32 | £499 |
| iPhone 7 Plus | 12mp | f/1.8 ++ | Y* | 5.5 | Y | 32 | £719 |
| iPhone 7 | 12mp | f/1.8 | Y | 4.7 | Y | 32 | £599 |
+ LG G5 - has two (rear) camera, a standard 16mp, and an ultra wide-angle (8mp) camera.
++ iPhone 7 Plus - has two (rear) cameras, a wide-angle (28mm equivalent with OIS) and a telephoto (56mm equivalent without OIS) lens
** Moto Z features a "water repellent coating" but is not classed as waterproof
Have a look at more smartphones in our Top 10 Best Smartphones. You'll also need to buy a case or bag to keep your phone safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to bags.
Apple iPhone 7 Verdict
The iPhone 7 is an exquisitely built smartphone, with excellent build quality and design. The screen is clear with very good colour, and one of the most marketed features of the phone is the new camera. In this area, the iPhone 7 performs very well, images are bright and colourful, and with an f/1.8 aperture, and optical image stabilisation images can be taken in low-light whilst keeping the ISO speeds low. You can also shoot raw and apps like Lightroom Mobile give you more control over photos.
Whilst other smartphones have a higher resolution sensor, and therefore more detail in photos, the iPhone 7 is an appealing all-around phone with excellent build quality and a good amount of storage. For those that want something extra, the larger iPhone 7 Plus, with two cameras and 2x optical zoom would be well worth looking at. However, in a world where most smartphones have grown in size, the iPhone 7 is refreshingly compact with a 4.7inch screen, and with the phone being waterproof it should appeal to many. The biggest stumbling block, is the high price compared to other smartphones.
| The iPhone 7 is an exquisitely built smartphone, with a very good 12mp camera. |