Let's break down the "10 Major Features"

[bbates123]

congratulations for wasting your money!!

I'm not sure who that comment was directed towards. I don't feel like I wasted my money...if I did I would return it, I have plenty of time. I like the phone I just feel like it could have/should have been more, especially after that keynote. I have said that many times now. Sheesh, tough crowd!

 

[Pez555]

I'm not sure who that comment was directed towards. I don't feel like I wasted my money...if I did I would return it, I have plenty of time. I like the phone I just feel like it could have/should have been more, especially after that keynote. I have said that many times now. Sheesh, tough crowd!

you could have fooled me with your original post!

 

[bbates123]

Perhaps you missed this snippet from my first post:

"Despite all this I do agree that the new iPhones are the best phones Apple has made to date"

Or this from my 3rd post:

"I think people are misunderstanding my post. I never said I don't like the phone...I do like it a little more than my 6S overall and I did say it's the best phone they have made so far. What I mainly like about it is the water resistance since I spend a lot of time on or near the water. If it wasn't for this I would return it. Everything else is a varying degree of disappointment. Perhaps I will find the battery to be much better after several days so I'm remaining optimistic for that."

Like I said, tough crowd.

 

[waitandwait]

How many times do I have to explain this? I don't want to return the phone, I don't hate the phone! In some respects it's better than my 6S. Now I get water resistance which is great. I just feel disappointed with Apple in their lackluster upgrade and their marketing machine that seemed to imply that I was getting more than I actually got. Glad you see better improvement in games. That's good to know now that gaming is the only place I would see an improvement. I don't play games, oh well.

As to your photo links none of them compare the 6S to the 7. That's where I'm telling you there is barely any difference even in low light. In plenty of light there is absolutely zero difference. I'm still waiting for somebody to prove me wrong, other than anecdotal opinions without any backing proof. The iPhone 7 IS great...it's just barely better than the 6S.

How many times do I have to explain that IT'S YOU who don't require such a great phone because of your usage habits and NOT APPLE's marketing that is misleading?

Apple did not cheat or lie or mislead to make you buy a phone. It's your own usage habits which Apple cannot control or dictate.

See the bokeh upgrades in other posts today. No difference in photos?

 

[cinger0439]

I stand by my sentiment that the marketing hype was misleading...perhaps not false. Where do you see that the 7 is professionally proven to take better low light photos? I would like to see side by side comparisons from a professional. If there is any improvement it is marginal at best and not something your average person could distinguish. And I'm talking testing where the exposure is set the same for both cameras. I have seen people post photos where the iPhone 7 exposure was higher in low light therefore they assumed it was a better camera. As to the A10 chip I'm sure geekbench would show it to be 40% faster but where does the average person see that in daily usage. I take my most resource intensive apps and they load exactly the same on both phones. I don't want a different phone...I like my iPhone. I'm just disappointed by Apple this year...I wasn't expecting an iPhone 6SS which is what I got.

Wow, you are like a dog with a bone. Return the phone and go back to your 6s.

 

[greytmom]

Remember when you wanted a Red Ryder air rifle for Christmas but received a pink bunny costume instead?

This isn't really about a phone.

 

[daviddth]

Coming from a 6 to a 7+ I'm happy enough, but I think the water resistance and battery life. along with the faster processor and maybe a brighter screen is about the only main difference I will see. I don't really see any of these as a huge thing and do remind me of the S additions in previous phones, but I'm happy enough with the upgrade. If next years phone is a fully redesigned phone with even more features I might get it, but I'm more likely to just swing from getting the 5/6/7 as I have done for the last 3 phones, and change to getting the S release instead

The 10 items were more like minor points than major winners, but they all add up I guess.
[doublepost=1474508760][/doublepost]

People confuse it with "new form factor." It's a "new design" in the sense that they got rid of the distracting antenna lines, but we finally got a version in the 6/6+ series form factor that isn't an eyesore.

I never considered the antenna bands an eyesore, even when I had the phone with no case. I found the protruding camera more of an eyesore than anything

 

[JacksonCraig94]

Going from a 6 plus to a 7 plus has been big for me. Much of it though is iOS 9 to iOS 10. But together I'm very happy. Upgrading every year you'll never see much difference. That's why after the 5s I decided not to do "s" years anymore. I'm not saying I wouldn't if there was something substantial that I really wanted.

I'm the same as you... I never buy the S models as I would rather wait for the big upgrade.

 

[Teeceman]

The missing feature from the IP7 is the dual camera with the 'Tele Lens', this would have probably made the IP7 more of a major upgrade from the IP6s. IMHO I really think that Apple missed an opportunity to sell more IP7's in trying to position the 'plus' as the more premier device.

When the IP4 came out I just had to have that iconic design, but I now try and go with the "s" models as I appreciate the subtle refinements/advancements in these models.

 

[bbates123]

How many times do I have to explain that IT'S YOU who don't require such a great phone because of your usage habits and NOT APPLE's marketing that is misleading?

Apple did not cheat or lie or mislead to make you buy a phone. It's your own usage habits which Apple cannot control or dictate.

See the bokeh upgrades in other posts today. No difference in photos?

The bokeh feature is great if you have a 7+ which I don't. It's too big for me unfortunately. I do love the camera features on the 7+ and I think the 7 could have been a great phone if they had this as well. And to your comment that it is my usage habits I do think you're partially correct there. With my usage habits I'm not seeing the speed increase. However, I would venture to guess that the majority of people buying this phone coming from a 6S use the phone similarly to me and therefore won't see that speed increase. For gamers or people coming from older phones then yes, to varying degrees. For other things like the minimal improvements with the 7 camera (not 7+) you can't say it's my usage, that's just the way it is (or isn't in this case) and other reviews (including from respected organizations) bear this out.

I'm glad you think it's a great phone. I think it's a great phone too...just disappointing for me because I was expecting more
[doublepost=1474547601][/doublepost]

Wow, you are like a dog with a bone. Return the phone and go back to your 6s.

I've already stated (probably like 5 times now) that I like the phone and I don't want to return it because it gives me features I don't have with the 6S, like waterproofing. This thread wasn't supposed to be about my keeping the 7 or not, it was supposed to be an observation about the keynote...which I felt was much ado about not much. At least for the iPhone 7. 10 "features" announced...several of them have little to nothing to do with the phone itself (Apple Pay, Airpods)...one of them I'm not sure how it qualifies as a feature at all (lightning earpods), one of them seems really borderline in calling it a feature (design). Several of the new features seem really minimal in functionality (home button, retina HD display, stereo speakers). The rest have varying degrees of usefulness for people depending on how they use the phone and if they got the 7 or 7+. For me the only real gotta have it feature is the waterproofing.
[doublepost=1474547643][/doublepost]

The missing feature from the IP7 is the dual camera with the 'Tele Lens', this would have probably made the IP7 more of a major upgrade from the IP6s. IMHO I really think that Apple missed an opportunity to sell more IP7's in trying to position the 'plus' as the more premier device.

I couldn't agree more.

 

[karmamule]

As far as the airpods, that is highlighting a new feature of the iPhone 7/7+: the W1 chip. I got beats solo3 headphones and it works great. For me in the past, bluetooth has sometimes worked fine, and sometimes been a major PITA. With the W1 chip it was turn on / paired / start listening. And so far no connection drops or weirdness, and the distance you can be away from the phone and maintain connection seems better as well.

True, you need to have headphones that also have the W1 chip but they'll be more common (and cheaper) over time. So far it's been living up to the hype.

Other than that, I'm really happy with the new home 'button', taptic engine, screen, speakers, and camera so overall I'm feeling good about my purchase.

 

[mr1581]

It's not hard to be annoyed when you feel super let down by Apple. We all knew that the 7 was going to be an incremental upgrade, what we didn't know what how much of a letdown the new features would turn out to be. To me it's deceptive marketing and as a longtime fan of Apple that is a big disappointment. I still think it's overall a great phone and the best that Apple has ever made, just nothing like they made it out to be at the event.
[doublepost=1474425717][/doublepost]

I posted a bunch of sample pics in another thread. I see practically zero difference and for me that was the biggest letdown because I was really looking forward to the new low light improvements.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/disappointed-with-the-camera.1997789/

Was pretty happy with this low light pic that I took last night.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

...as presented by Phil Schiller

Otherwise known as Phil Shill-er. Can't blame him, it's his job to shine the s..t as best he can. I think your assessment is spot on. There isn't a whole lot of new with the 7 -- doesn't make it a bad upgrade, just not a fresh one. But he had to fill up his time with something, so there is the list. He was probably rolling his eyes with us as he went down the list.

Hopfully the rumors are corrent and next year's phone will be a barn burner and glossy black won't be the most an exciting new feature. Phil needs an easy sell for a change.

 

[cmanbrazil]

Op, I fully understand your point of view. However, I think Apple has been pretty consistent about overstating the greatness of their products - my view. I also think Apple, like other vendors are stuck in a cycle of upgrades that don't always work with tech advancements. Vendors can't deliver a keynote they states there product is an incremental upgrade. I also think that app developers are more concerned with backwards compatibility than they are with making apps that fully utilize the current phones resources. This is also a problem with pc's. I have a 2011 MacBook pro with 8 gigs of ram, and there is little a newer MacBook pro will do for the vast majority of users, because app developers won't take advantage of the new resources. I also confess it is visual let down when the phone mostly looks like the one you already have, especially since for most of us it will be in a case. I have a 6 plus, and I have to keep telling myself the upgrades are on the inside, because I can't see them on the outside.

Many of us on message boards, well informed or not, love tech, and if we are bought into an ecosystem, and the next best thing doesn't look that great to us, it is bigger deal than skipping an upgrade. And if you can't come here and complain, where else can you go?

I am looking forward to safari tabs reloading less, 256 gb so that I have easy access to movies i bought or videos my company makes - big deal for me. I hope game makers take use of the new resources because a quick action game is a good adrenaline rush for those of us with sleep disorders. The camera IS a substantial upgrade to the 6 plus.

I'm still waiting for my pre-order to arrive, although I am very excited. I'm currently upgrading from an iPhone 6 (64GB) to the iPhone 7 Plus (128 GB), so there will be plenty of new features. Earlier this year I dropped and shattered my iPhone 6 screen, so I had to get a 3rd party replacement since the frame of my iPhone was bent and Apple could not simply replace the screen, therefore my screen is kind of buckling and has light leaks and other weird issues. Here are the features I'm looking forward to in the new phone:

- jump from 64 GB to 128 GB of storage
- A8 to A10 Fusion chip (mine lags sometimes)
- 1GB to 3GB of RAM
- 4.7" to 5.5" Screen
- Wide Color Screen
- 326 ppi to 401 ppi
- 3D Touch
- Cool new home button
- 2nd Gen Taptic Engine
- Live photos
- jump from 8 MP to 12 MP Primary lens
- jump from 1.2 MP to 7 MP FaceTime HD Camera
- Image stabalization for front lens
- Retina Flash for Selfies
- Wide color capture on front and back lenses
- Quad-LED True Tone Flash
- jump from f/2.2 to f/1.8 on primary lens for Low light photos
- Telephoto lens for 2x zoom
- Double lenses for future depth mapping applications
- Bokeh effect coming later
- 4K Video recording
- Optical image stabilization
- "stereo" speakers
- Water resistance
- New black color
- 3x Stronger Aluminum compared to iPhone 6
- 1810 mAh to 2,900 mAh battery
- Better bluetooth, much faster LTE speeds
- 2nd generation Touch-ID
- support for W1 chip enabled devices

This to me seems to be a very large feature set. I understand that many people on the 6s may not see much improvements, but that's typically the case if you upgrade every year.

Thank you for exiting me about the phone I hope to receive on or before 10/5!

 

[karmamule]

Was pretty happy with this low light pic that I took last night.

Wow, that did come out very well, nice pic!

 

[bufffilm]

The bokeh feature is great if you have a 7+ which I don't. It's too big for me unfortunately. I do love the camera features on the 7+ and I think the 7 could have been a great phone if they had this as well. And to your comment that it is my usage habits I do think you're partially correct there. With my usage habits I'm not seeing the speed increase. However, I would venture to guess that the majority of people buying this phone coming from a 6S use the phone similarly to me and therefore won't see that speed increase. For gamers or people coming from older phones then yes, to varying degrees. For other things like the minimal improvements with the 7 camera (not 7+) you can't say it's my usage, that's just the way it is (or isn't in this case) and other reviews (including from respected organizations) bear this out.

I'm glad you think it's a great phone. I think it's a great phone too...just disappointing for me because I was expecting more
[doublepost=1474547601][/doublepost]

I've already stated (probably like 5 times now) that I like the phone and I don't want to return it because it gives me features I don't have with the 6S, like waterproofing. This thread wasn't supposed to be about my keeping the 7 or not, it was supposed to be an observation about the keynote...which I felt was much ado about not much. At least for the iPhone 7. 10 "features" announced...several of them have little to nothing to do with the phone itself (Apple Pay, Airpods)...one of them I'm not sure how it qualifies as a feature at all (lightning earpods), one of them seems really borderline in calling it a feature (design). Several of the new features seem really minimal in functionality (home button, retina HD display, stereo speakers). The rest have varying degrees of usefulness for people depending on how they use the phone and if they got the 7 or 7+. For me the only real gotta have it feature is the waterproofing.
[doublepost=1474547643][/doublepost]

I couldn't agree more.

Return the phone...do it while you still can.

They're expensive devices...if some things are disappointing now, it's going to be the same a month from now and 3 months from now.

 

[ct2k7]

Telephoto camera is not an iPhone 7 new feature.. it's specific to the iPhone Plus.

 

[P0stalTek]

I stand by my sentiment that the marketing hype was misleading...perhaps not false. Where do you see that the 7 is professionally proven to take better low light photos? I would like to see side by side comparisons from a professional. If there is any improvement it is marginal at best and not something your average person could distinguish. And I'm talking testing where the exposure is set the same for both cameras. I have seen people post photos where the iPhone 7 exposure was higher in low light therefore they assumed it was a better camera. As to the A10 chip I'm sure geekbench would show it to be 40% faster but where does the average person see that in daily usage. I take my most resource intensive apps and they load exactly the same on both phones. I don't want a different phone...I like my iPhone. I'm just disappointed by Apple this year...I wasn't expecting an iPhone 6SS which is what I got.

None of this disproves his statement. Apple did not lie, and it is not really their job to anticipate how each different user will perceive the improvements. Benchmarks are the correct way to interpret speed advantages/disadvantages. I guess they could have broken it down by use case but that is a slippery slope because you are pigeon-holding users into "this" or "that" category when they may be a bit of both.

When Nvidia puts out a new graphics card, they state how much faster it is. In the real world, these improvements rarely make a visible difference to the user if they are going up only one upgrade. My main point is that "hype" is what marketing is, and all companies "hype" their products. Apple Keynotes have always been this way..

 

[Pez555]

Perhaps you missed this snippet from my first post:

"Despite all this I do agree that the new iPhones are the best phones Apple has made to date"

Or this from my 3rd post:

"I think people are misunderstanding my post. I never said I don't like the phone...I do like it a little more than my 6S overall and I did say it's the best phone they have made so far. What I mainly like about it is the water resistance since I spend a lot of time on or near the water. If it wasn't for this I would return it. Everything else is a varying degree of disappointment. Perhaps I will find the battery to be much better after several days so I'm remaining optimistic for that."

Like I said, tough crowd.

you like it a little more yet it is still a disappointment. LOL.

 

[bbates123]

Return the phone...do it while you still can.

They're expensive devices...if some things are disappointing now, it's going to be the same a month from now and 3 months from now.

Sometimes I wonder why I bother replying to these posts. For the rest of you who understand...thank you!
[doublepost=1474567291][/doublepost]

you like it a little more yet it is still a disappointment. LOL.

Um yeah, is that hard to understand? Have you never liked something but wished it could be more or expected it to be more based on how it was advertised?
[doublepost=1474567360][/doublepost]

Telephoto camera is not an iPhone 7 new feature.. it's specific to the iPhone Plus.

Right, I think what we're saying is we wish it was an iPhone 7 feature as well.

 

[ct2k7]

Sometimes I wonder why I bother replying to these posts. For the rest of you who understand...thank you!
[doublepost=1474567291][/doublepost]

Um yeah, is that hard to understand? Have you never liked something but wished it could be more or expected it to be more based on how it was advertised?
[doublepost=1474567360][/doublepost]

Right, I think what we're saying is we wish it was an iPhone 7 feature as well.

Indeed, I am just concerned that he featureset will be sufficient large enough that they risk diluting the customer base.

It's something like that, that would not make me impressed (not that I particularly am with this iPhone)

 

[Pez555]

Sometimes I wonder why I bother replying to these posts. For the rest of you who understand...thank you!
[doublepost=1474567291][/doublepost]

Um yeah, is that hard to understand? Have you never liked something but wished it could be more or expected it to be more based on how it was advertised?
[doublepost=1474567360][/doublepost]

Right, I think what we're saying is we wish it was an iPhone 7 feature as well.

I have never bought something that is disappointing and then kept it, I don't understand why anyone would to be honest. Why spend so much money on something that you aren't entirely happy with? Just not in my mindset, maybe it is yours.

 

[Gathomblipoob]

what we didn't know what how much of a letdown the new features would turn out to be to me

FTFY

 

[bbates123]

I have never bought something that is disappointing and then kept it, I don't understand why anyone would to be honest. Why spend so much money on something that you aren't entirely happy with? Just not in my mindset, maybe it is yours.

Because it is better than my 6S. Because it gives me water resistance features that my 6S doesn't have. It's the best iPhone available right now. It's a letdown in other respects.
[doublepost=1474586597][/doublepost]

FTFY

Um thanks but I think you FTF(Yourself)

 

[iTom17]

1. Design: because the (matte) black basically covers the antenna bands the design as a whole looks very slick. I think it's a good improvement over the iPhone 6s.

2. Home button: honestly I don't understand why reviews have been so negative (or at least 'less positive') about the new home button. The moment I tried it it immediately felt pretty great to me. And that was without even setting the level of feedback. After that it felt kinda like the 'old' home button, but more satisfying. I really like the new home button. The improved Taptic Engine is also nice, because of the little feedback at system level (turning on/off switches, opening Control Center/Notification Center etc.). Almost feels like with those Android phones, but more subtle. Like it!

3. Water and dust resistant: haven't tried this as I just got the iPhone 7, but I do think this is a pretty major thing. Looking forward to see what it will actually mean to me to have it.

4. Camera: haven't really tried this yet, but I did make a low-light picture this morning and saw the difference right away. Gonna do some more testing later today.

5. Retina HD display: haven't seen a huge difference, but the display looks just incredible. Loved the iPhone 6s' display, this one is even slightly better thanks to the improved colors. But still the difference isn't very big.

6. Speakers: same thing as with the camera: haven't really tried it so far, but do think this is a very, very nice feature which I'm definitely gonna be using a lot.

7. A10 Fusion: blazing fast processor, but no major difference compared to the A9-chip in the iPhone 6s. But I have yet to push it to its limits, so can't really make any conclusions at this time.

Overall the iPhone 7 is a great device. Didn't expect any different, but it's great to experience true improvements over a one year old device which is still incredible.