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iPhone X: user experience. We share our impressions of a two-month work with a smartphone

It's been a whole month since the new generation burst into our lives. Apple tried to improve the previous generation of “apple” smartphones as much as possible, equipping both versions of the flagships with several new features at once, without forgetting to “upgrade” the design component of the device. It's time to evaluate the diligence of the company. And who, if not the owners of new products, will be able to help us with this? In this article, we have collected reviews of the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7, the opinions of "mobile users" a month after the official launch.

“It's a shame the iPhone 7 Plus wasn't bigger than its predecessor, but I still love it. I have almost never dropped it, and I admit: the feeling is a million times cooler than from the iPhone 6s!

Waterproof

The same girl noted that she had a chance to test the waterproofness of her purchase. One day she was walking in the rain and cursing everything in the world when someone called her. However, she then calmed down, remembering the water resistance of her iPhone 7 Plus. By the way, you can read other iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 reviews regarding water resistance.

Design

Another fan of the Apple industry called the new iPhone very beautiful, but a bit expected, expressing the hope that something even more beautiful is being created in the company's laboratories:

“I'm sure that Apple has some interesting developments, but I'm happy with my glass-aluminum iPhone. And this time I decided to buy a rose gold smartphone, so the iPhone 7 is a real change for me personally!

No 3.5mm jack

But the most interesting moment was the comments about the lack of a standard 3.5 mm port. How has the life of music lovers changed after buying the iPhone 7?

“I have never had a problem with the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack. I take the Lightning adapter with me everywhere, so I haven’t felt any special problems yet. True, I'm sure that one day I will accidentally leave the adapter somewhere, but I hope by then I will be listening to music through AirPods.

stereo speakers

What about stereo speakers? How did their appearance affect the playback of music and movies on the iPhone 7?

"Absolutely. I started using them more often, especially when watching clips.”

By the way, the rest of the respondents also admitted that they began to watch movies on the iPhone more often and listen to music without connecting headphones.

Camera

The upgraded camera of the flagships was not ignored either. The owners call it "an incredible tool for mobile photographers." If you have pets at home, you should definitely get an iPhone 7 Plus, because the portrait mode on your smartphone allows you to take simply amazing pictures. Although there were users who in no time criticized the new feature on a 5.5-inch smartphone: “the depth of field does not reach a digital SLR camera.” In any case, from such cool photos you will “start to drool”.

Another “user” notes that the high quality of photos taken in low light conditions is already a big advantage of the camera compared to previous models. That's enough to justify buying an iPhone 7. But the second lens in the iPhone 7 Plus is the most valuable, thanks to which you can take great portrait and landscape shots. All modern smartphones can take beautiful photos in broad daylight, but not everyone can do it in low light.

Display

Both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus received a display with an extended color gamut. Most users may not notice this nuance the first time, but if you put the new version of the smartphone and its predecessor side by side, the difference will be noticeable. Colors appear brighter on the screen. It sounds trite, but some say that "the world around has become more colorful."

Battery

The most pressing issue for all iOS owners is always the battery life of the iPhone. Reviews of the iPhone 7 Plus make it clear that the older version is discharged quite quickly, but this is provided that you constantly take a huge amount of photos, for example. This feature was noticed by one of the owners. In Settings, in the Battery section, he saw that the camera had taken its 30% battery.

Compared to the iPhone SE, the difference in battery life of the iPhone 7 Plus is significant, subject to regular photos during the day, playing Pokemon Go, Google Maps. Someone did not notice much difference between the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6s: as before, at the end of the day, about 20% of the charge remains.

New HOME Button

Another change to get used to. On the one hand, users claim that it takes a few days to get used to haptic feedback. On the other hand, this is a completely new experience of using the home button, attractive in its own way. For many, the new feature has become the most beloved innovation.

Summing up, it is impossible not to praise Apple! The product turned out to be very high quality, beautiful and at the same time functional. For some, the new-generation flagship has been a mixed bag, as compared to past models that are outdated, we see a major hardware upgrade here. But when compared with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, users did not feel a significant difference, with the exception of some functions.

In Russia, new Apple smartphones will officially appear only on September 23 (unofficially, most likely, with the first flights on September 16 from Hong Kong or Tokyo), but all the details about the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: specifications, functions, prices, have already been announced. last Wednesday when . Want the shortest review of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus? Please:

iPhone 7 in Onyx Black. Animation (c) Apple

New items are almost indistinguishable from the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus released two years ago. Exceptions: two different black colors instead of one grey, no 3.5 mm audio jack (an adapter for it is included), the camera lens is designed differently, plastic antenna caps are left only at the very ends of the case. The iPhone 7 Plus has two lenses, one of which allows you to zoom in twice without losing quality. Cameras have higher light sensitivity and a range of fixed colors (). The front cameras are now 7 megapixels. The processor is slightly faster, but more economical, the older model has 3 GB of RAM instead of the previous 2, the built-in memory is 32, 128 or 256 GB. The iPhone 7 can officially be dropped in the bath or bathed in the shower: smartphones are IP67 certified (but the warranty does not cover moisture damage). The mechanical "Home" button was replaced with a touch-sensitive one that simulates pressing a tactile feedback by the motor. The screen has been improved: more color gamut, especially in the warm part of the spectrum. Work on . Prices in the US have not changed. All.

The paragraph above consists of exactly 150 words and fully describes the tenth generation iPhone. But with smartphones - devices with which modern people establish the closest, almost intimate connection - it is not so much dry facts that are important as sensations. That's why long author reviews are written, that's why Apple every year on the day of the presentation distributes samples of devices to journalists from leading American publications, so that a week later, as if on command, detailed texts about new products appear on the network. Even if you are fluent in English, reading at least 5-7 of them is a task for the most notorious fans. But we've done it for you by bringing together some of the most compelling impressions from leading independent journalists about the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. For those who are curious and comparing, . Now the "review of reviews" about "iPhones", let's go!

"Black Onyx": slippery or not, does it get dirty and scratched? Or just "black"?

Battery: does it last longer than the iPhone 6s?

Camera: how noticeable are the differences compared to the iPhone 6s?

Wireless AirPods: How about sound quality? How many pieces can you lose in a week?

Water protection: does it really work?

Touch button: terrible or not so?

And most importantly: is there life without an audio jack?

Here's what reviewers have to say about them:

1. Black and very black

"If you buy an iPhone in black onyx, you should immediately put it in a case - my test device in this color was almost instantly covered with scratches and chips. And it remained clean from fingerprints only when we literally held it in gloves while taking photos and videos,” writes Nilay Patel, editor-in-chief of The Verge.

The Onyx Black smartphone is really beautiful as long as you don't take off your gloves. Photo (c) The Verge

David Pierce, in his review for Wired, jokes that he would call the two new "masculine" iPhone colors "Glossy I Already Scratched It Black" and "Matte Awesome Secret Agent Black". Mashable's Lance Ulanoff also notes that, if you look closely, his "onyx black" test iPhone shows dozens of small scratches. And Matthew Pancarino from TechCrunch just took a visual photo, explaining that he wore a smartphone for a week without a case in his pocket, including with foreign objects like an AirPods case and wallet:

"The surface is as hard as other anodized Apple products, but it can show some minor scratches with use. If that's a concern, we recommend getting a case to protect your iPhone," Apple's website says.

On the other hand, many journalists note that it is much more difficult to accidentally drop a "black onyx" polished to a shine than matte models. In addition, they write that the new "smooth" bump around the camera lens looks more organic, and the plastic caps of the antennas have become less noticeable only on two black models. On the rest, they are still boring grayish shades.

"Apple's competitors are getting better at beautiful smartphones, and nothing beats the rest of the industry in the design of the iPhone 7," Patel sums up. "The magic hasn't disappeared. It's just that when it's everywhere, it's harder to notice," Pierce disagrees.

2. If I increase the batteries

“If you don’t really play games or watch high-definition videos, autonomy will be extraordinary,” writes a Wired reviewer about the effect of introducing a 4-core processor in new products with two high-performance and two energy-efficient cores. “When I used the iPhone 7 only for simple things, it lasted over 24 hours, while the 7 Plus lasted almost 48. But as soon as I started Riptide GP: Renegade and streamed Halt and Catch Fire, the smartphone had to be recharged once during the day, or it ran out of power by 9 pm.

The editor-in-chief of The Verge, apparently, uses the smartphone more actively - Patel writes about 10 hours of battery life (namely work) for the iPhone 7 and about 12 for the iPhone 7 Plus and notes that Apple's words about the increase of two and one hours of battery life, respectively, in general are confirmed. At the same time, he laments that the speed of the smartphone in applications like Twitter, Facebook, Gmail or Safari has not changed much, apparently due to the fact that the device uses energy-efficient A10 Fusion processor cores for undemanding tasks.

Processor A10 Fusion. Photo (c) Apple

Benchmarking by Ars Technica columnist Andrew Cunningham gives a clearer answer, and one that doesn't exactly match Apple's promise: +47 minutes (12 hours and 6 minutes total) of Wi-Fi surfing on the iPhone 7 compared to the iPhone 6s. and +122 minutes (total 13 hours 23 minutes) for the iPhone 7 Plus compared to the iPhone 6s Plus.

Nicole Nguyen, who wrote a review of the new iPhones for Buzzfeed, drew attention to the phenomenal iPhone 7 charging speed: from 9 to 96% in just over an hour. In its testing after 15 hours of active use (several hours of streaming music, 1.5 hours of background GPS activity on the Strava fitness app, watching videos with sound through the new stereo speakers, regularly checking in on Facebook/Snapchat/Twitter) the iPhone 7 had 15 % battery.

In general, the truth with autonomy has become better, but each user will have his own result.

3. Looks both ways

"When there's enough light in the frame, test shots from the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus cameras don't look noticeably better than their predecessors," says Cunningham. The detailing of the pictures has not changed either, and the author of Ars Technica could not find the declared extended color gamut, since he uses relatively old "poppies" 3-4 years ago with "backward" displays for work. "However, the cameras on the new iPhones really shine in low light," he writes, clearly capturing more light and producing sharper images. This is facilitated by optical stabilization, which is now present not only in the Plus model, but also in the compact iPhone 7.

Dual camera in iPhone 7 Plus. Photo (c) Mashable

"When I compared images from 6s and 7, it was Very it's hard to tell the differences with the naked eye," complains Nguyen. However, when zooming in on the iPhone 7, Buzzfeed was able to see more color variation, more texture detail, and more natural skin tone:

Comparison of the photo capabilities of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6s. Photo (c) Buzzfeed

Veteran tech journalist Walt Mossberg, in a column on his website Recode, praises the iPhone 7 Plus' interface for switching between a regular camera and a "telephoto lens" by tapping a virtual on-screen button just above the capture button. “For me, and I suspect for many other regular people, real zoom is a very important thing. In fact, this is the first feature that can attract me to a large-screen iPhone,” admits Mossberg, who has traditionally been committed to compact iPhone models.

Mashable's Lance Ulanoff also points out that the new six-element wide-angle lenses (previously had 5) at f/1.8 versus f/2.2 on predecessor models allow the camera to focus faster than before. The reviewer emphasizes that while the images taken by Samsung's flagship smartphones may look more saturated, the photos from the iPhone 7 are much more realistic. "Apple does just as much, if not more, calculations with each photo, but the result is closer to the truth," Ulanoff writes. At the same time, he admits that the Galaxy S7's camera focuses in dim light and takes a picture faster.

4. Plugs with and without wires

- a separate product with a price tag of 13,000 rubles, they are not sold with the iPhone 7. However, most of the reviewers included in their texts about the new Apple and the story of the new, completely devoid of wires "earbuds".

“Nothing fits better with the controversial decision to remove the audio jack from the most popular consumer product in history than the release of an equally controversial accessory to work with this product,” Business Insider columnist Steve Kovacs opens his AirPods story with these words.

AirPods in a charging case: photo by The Verge

The special W1 chip in the headphones makes them more functional than conventional wireless Bluetooth stereo headsets: the pairing process takes place instantly and without user intervention, just open the charging case next to the turned on iPhone. But, says Kovacs, "a lot about AirPods makes it obvious that this is the very first version of the product." Most of all, the browser is dissatisfied with the lack of physical playback controls: adjust the volume, switch tracks, etc. You will either have to use your iPhone or Siri. "If you're listening to music and want to turn it up, double-tap the earpiece to invoke Siri. The voice assistant is activated (the music stops) and you can say 'Volume up'. Compare this to simply pressing the volume button on the EarPods remote." , the journalist writes.

The main conclusion of the observer regarding the sound quality: Apple decided that, but the sound quality can be left at the level of regular "ears". "AirPods sound exactly like EarPods," says Nilay Patel, "so for $159 you get nothing but convenience and tech-savvy status."

“From my point of view, they impose [on the user] restrictions that are not present with conventional, wired headphones,” Mossberg criticizes the new product. “Plus, you have to regularly recharge their case with a built-in battery. They also look like a pair of plastic earrings - when buying, you must be sure that it is really in your style.

Photo (c) Scott Stein, CNET

On the other hand, AirPods are very convenient to connect - just open the case next to the iPhone. Moreover, they will then automatically connect with your other i-devices. Journalists also note that with AirPods (or other wireless headphones), you will not encounter a situation where you cannot charge your smartphone while listening to music or podcasts (and vice versa). This problem will be discussed below.

And the Buzzfeed reviewer also really liked that the EarPods do not fly out of the ears during a dashing descent on a bike down a hill, or even if you just shake your head very hard. The journalist suspects that Apple still used some kind of magic.

Included with the smartphone are EarBuds, which look exactly the same as before, but are equipped with a Lightning connector. Photo (c) TechCrunch

5. Dry out of water

“The truth is that the very killer feature of the iPhone 7 — the ability to check mail IN THE SOUL, God, IN THE SOUL — is hidden from the superficial observer,” Nguyen wonders. Indeed, a waterproof iPhone opens up many new use cases (or at least allows you to stick it in a container of water and take cool photos).

Photo (c) Apple

Walt Mossberg limited himself to a 20-minute water treatment in a large bowl and stated that nothing happened to the smartphone. Well, almost nothing - the speakers sounded muffled for about five minutes, and I had to refrain from charging the device for another five hours.

You can bathe the iPhone 7, but the guarantee does not cover damage from water that has penetrated into the case for some reason. Photo (c) Mashable

"Apple declined to tell us how the water resistance will survive opening the case for service - for example, if you change the screen or battery. Do you deprive the iPhone of moisture resistance in this case? It's worth waiting for the reports of the opening of new products to know for sure," warns Cunningham.

6. Button that is not

The advanced vibration motor Taptic Engine, which appeared in the iPhone 6s, in the "sevens" is also responsible for simulating pressing the "home" button, which is no longer mechanical, but touch. "The vibration is crisp and noticeable, a result of the design of the Taptic Engine," notes Matthew Pancarino of TechCrunch. "It's the first time Apple is using it to replace a button, and it's the first time Apple is making it available to developers... I think we have a bunch of cool Taptic Engine use cases on the horizon." all the way to new, never-before-seen patterns of interaction with the iPhone."

Photo (c) Mashable

At the same time, the implementation of tactile feedback, which replaces the click of a mechanical button, was considered by some to be imperfect in the new iPhones. “Those who tried to use it say that it seems as if the entire bottom of the smartphone, and not just the button, clicks in response to pressing. But personally, this does not bother me - but there is one less mechanical (and therefore risking to break) component,” notes editor-in-chief of Recode.net Mossberg.

Cunningham noticed that the touch becomes the most similar to a mechanical button if you set the tactile feedback to the maximum of the three available vibration levels. Nilay Patel from The Verge also liked how the Taptic Engine works in conjunction with iOS 10: for example, the smartphone flinches slightly when you bring up the notification center with a swipe down. “It seems as if the programs on the screen have their own weight and inertia, and I liked it,” the journalist writes.

7. Hopelessness or hopelessness?

A significant part of each of the reviews, unsurprisingly, is devoted to the disappearance of the 3.5mm audio jack. Patel recalls that Apple is far from one “murder” of this kind on its conscience: the company had a hand in dumping the history of floppy drives and CD-ROMs, its own 30-pin connector, and in recent years has been actively helping to bury Adobe Flash and the traditional connector USB.

“I am confident that a wireless headphone revolution is imminent and that their battery life will double or triple in the coming years. But for now, Apple’s decision to drop a standard component adds to the hassle for users whether they use wired or wireless headphones. This is annoying and a disadvantage,” — Mossberg pronounces judgment.

The main problem, in his opinion, is the inability to simultaneously charge a smartphone and listen to music in wired headphones without using a bulky docking station or ugly Lightning splitters. "If you're listening to music, white noise, AMSR video or whatever to get to sleep and want to charge your phone overnight, things get complicated," agrees Ars Technica's Cunningham.

Nicole Nguyen is optimistic about one important plus of the Lightning EarPods that come with the new iPhones: if the smartphone slips out of your hands when the headphones are in your ears or in your hands, it remains hanging on the wire. The 3.5 mm jack cannot hold the device in such a situation: it falls to the ground.

At the same time, many other journalists agree with Apple: there is no problem in the absence of an audio jack, owners of wired headphones receive an adapter in the kit, and wireless technologies are the future anyway.

Here are the conclusions from testing the iPhone 7 makes Nilai Patel:

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus rightfully rank among the most interesting, established, powerful phones Apple has ever released, and among the most confident embodiments of the company's vision in a long time. iOS 10 is excellent, the cameras are better, and the performance is phenomenal. And the batteries last longer. These are amazing phones.

But they remain unfinished. The iPhone 7's most interesting dual camera feature, which allows you to emulate the effect of blurring the background when shooting portraits, is not available at the time of the release of new products ... The applications have not yet been updated to use the Taptic Engine or an updated display with a wide color gamut. The whole ecosystem of new headphones and adapters needed to use Lightning and wireless audio is just getting started. The best wireless audio experience so far is only offered by Apple or Beats headphones, but you might not like their sound or the way they fit.

The whole time I used the iPhone 7, I felt like I was holding a prototype iPhone from the future (there are a lot of rumors about a major redesign) disguised as an iPhone 6. All these bold bets on the future look exciting, but here in the present you have to use an iPhone 7 in a case - and it seems like it's just an iPhone 6s with a strange home button and extra adapters.

This iPhone will leave a mark on the history of technology, and will serve as the basis for many important changes in how phones work and fit into our lives. We will remember the iPhone 7. But a truly useful future will be built on this foundation by the next iPhones.

Every September, Apple says it's made the best iPhone ever. And every year this statement more and more resembles a ritual spell, rather than a statement of fact. Is the time when improvements were obvious to everyone over? Banki observer Sergey Vilyanov believes that this is not so, because the new Apple flagship, while retaining the features and some of the characteristics of the iPhone 6/6s, has changed at the level of user experience. And returning from the "seven" to the previous generation, you sharply feel the difference.

Remember, after the first acquaintance with the iPhone 3GS, picking up “just 3G” was not very pleasant. A similar story was with the iPhone 4, the screen quality and design stood out from all analogues on the market so much that even problems with the design of the antenna did not affect demand.

And then, when the improvements from year to year were no longer so obvious, dissatisfied ones appeared. A very significant part of users are still sure that there is nothing sweeter than the iPhone 5s, and the explosive demand for the iPhone SE released in the spring is a great confirmation of this. I was in San Francisco on the first day of SE sales. I managed to buy a copy for my daughter in the morning, and when I was going to take another one in the evening, they were no longer in San Francisco itself, or in the vicinity. Americans and numerous guests of California voted with a dollar for a tuned version of a two-year-old smartphone.

The list of differences between the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s is quite long, but at the level of user experience, both models were almost the same. And against the background of rather sluggish progress in the smartphone market as a whole, there was a feeling that the iPhone 7 would turn out to be just another iPhone. No worse, but generally no better. And it will be possible to write a soothing note at the end of the story about him: “owners of 6s and even 6 can take their time and calmly wait for 7s.”

But I won't write it. Because the "seven", while retaining the features and some of the characteristics of the iPhone 6/6s, has changed precisely at the level of user experience. And, as in the old and in its own way good times, returning from it to the previous generation, you sharply feel the difference.

Firstly, the smartphone has become simply amazingly fast. It's strange to say this about an already pretty fast iOS, but with the new A10 Fusion processor, launching applications and switching between them has been reduced to completely imperceptible fractions of a second. You press the button - you get the result. The acceleration is especially noticeable on the iPhone 7 Plus, where, in addition to a faster processor, a gigabyte of RAM was also added. When you start using the iPhone 6s again after this lightning speed, the device seems slow.

Secondly, the fixed Home button pretends to be mechanical thanks to the Taptic Engine so cleverly that you just don’t understand - why do we need real mechanical buttons in 2016? Pressing them takes extra time, they mercilessly break girls' long nails - what's the point? The iPhone 7 emulates pressing better than the original. And back to the mechanics does not pull at all. Like a good machine in a car.

Thirdly, the moisture resistance that has officially appeared has finally turned the iPhone 7 into a full-fledged companion gadget. I'm not talking about fun with a gadget in the bath or a selfie in the shower (although - why not?). It's just that he himself more than once or twice fell under downpours, when you get wet through in just a minute. A smartphone in your pocket is exposed to about the same amount of moisture as when dropped into a sink. And that usually includes clockwork corrosion, leading to costly and out-of-warranty repairs. Now this problem is in the past. Of course, there were gadgets protected from water before, but in this case we are talking about the iPhone, right?

Speed, moisture resistance and the Home button. This is basic. Even the big iPhone 7 Plus has a dual camera with optical zoom and bokeh effect, expected after the next software update. Better screens. Slightly improved battery life. The mini headphone jack has been removed (don't worry, an adapter is included), offering to listen to music through an all-digital Lightning interface. Added a second speaker for a stereo effect (off the shelves, compact boomboxes).

It was possible to talk about small and pleasant improvements for quite some time, but the main thing has already been said. Then decide for yourself.

One cannot but agree that the iPhone 7 is the best of the iPhone. For a long time there has not been such a tangible and ... useful progress in the transition from generation to generation. Fancy smartphones are quite easy to make, it is difficult to make harmonious smartphones. Apple this time managed to combine power and harmony, for which it will undoubtedly be rewarded financially.

If you love the Apple platform and various crises have not put bony paws on the budget, you can safely take it. This time, the collective Akella from Cupertino hit exactly the top ten.

28.02.2017

Since I am now the owner of an iPhone, it would be logical now to go against logic and start right away with brief conclusions ☺.

So - as a result of using the nickname to "iLazex" I'm not going to change and I don't want to start building an apple ecosystem at home. Nevertheless, I consider the iPhone 7 Plus to be a very, very good, well-made modern smartphone. The iOS operating system is not devoid of many pleasant little things that delight when used, the interface is fast and smooth. And yet I would not be in a hurry to declare it unconditionally superior to Android OS, both of these systems are basically equal and good in their own way, there are pluses and minuses on both sides. Just like the iPhone itself as a piece of iron - it corresponds, by and large, to the modern flagships of Samsung and other top-tier manufacturers.

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For many years in a row, I used only flagships, the best in the mobile world, changing them, it happened, a few pieces a year. At first it was Symbian and Windows Mobile, then I got hooked on Android. All this time, Apple has existed in a parallel world with what you know, it interested me, but did not attract me.

I will not hide, I tried on an iPhone for myself more than once, but every time I was stopped by the traditional oddities of iOS features, they have already been said and discussed, this is the closed system, and difficulties with file sharing, and other unpleasant moments, lately it has been customary to reproachfully point a finger at unfashionably wide bezels on the sides of the screen and the lack of fast / wireless charging.

I have come across Apple technology in various forms before, it was an iPhone 5, it was a couple of iPads, it was a MacBook. The devices were purchased both for the wife and just out of curiosity. I tried to figure out the jungle of iTunes, blew up the Internet in search of a solution to the simplest task of "putting my ringtone on the ringtone", stared dumbfounded at the wild hodgepodge of tracks and albums that iTunes turned my music collection into, and grimly wondered how to still throw it into damn apple piece of iron video file downloaded from the tracker. And every time I knew what to use this I won't be able to do it on a permanent basis, I won't have enough nerves...

And how did I get to this life

Nothing foreshadowed trouble, but in the fall of last year, the well-known story happened to the fires of the freshly released flagship from Samsung, and the divine blue prepaid Note 7 peacefully expected by me from England suddenly turned into a pumpkin.

Without my phone, I looked around in puzzlement. None of the Android manufacturers at that time offered anything close to the Note 7 in terms of level. I was excited on the LG V20, but I had the sense of self-preservation to gently roll back to the original ones without loss.

It remained to step on the throat of their principles and buy the only smartphone that was equal to Note 7 both in positioning and in terms of characteristics.

Purchase history

The time of the events described is October 2016, about a month after the presentation of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. To be honest, I did not even expect what I would have to face. Earlier, when buying the next Samsung flagship (as a rule, it was Note), I just calmly waited for the announced start of sales and went to pick up my brand new phone from the branded retail store.

It never occurred to me that in our time there is a shortage of something, and this something needs to be looked for, and either overpay a lot or wait a long time. However, in the case of the iPhone 7 (and especially the iPhone 7 Plus), the situation turned out to be just that.

And a completely different picture when playing the same movie, but converted for iOS, and at the same time with a regular player. Continuous playback - 11.5 hours (!), a result comparable to recent flagship models from Samsung, and the phone does not heat up at all.

Communication quality and operation of wireless interfaces. I am not upset with voice communication - very high-quality earpiece and microphone, a good volume margin, the interlocutor is clearly audible on the noisiest streets, I also did not observe any problems with signal stability.

Wi-Fi speed is absolutely unlimited and fully consistent with the promises of the Internet provider. The mobile Internet (LTE) works just as well, the speed depends only on the capabilities of the operator.

As a big fan of listening to music in a wireless stereo headset, I would like to note the exceptionally stable operation of Bluetooth, no other device has provided such a stable connection between devices before, for months of active use I can only remember a couple of stutters in music playback.

And now the most interesting - about the battery and autonomy of the iPhone 7 Plus.

On the very first day of operation, I frantically began to look for how I could measure the hours and minutes of the screen, which all android users are seriously concerned about, and I am one of them. Threw a call on Twitter. "Uzbagoyza," they replied phlegmatically, "this is not necessary here, just use it and enjoy it."

And yes - in practice it turned out that it is impossible to discharge the iPhone 7 Plus in a day, it is quite calmly enough for two days without any exaggeration. I rarely come home with a charge of less than 50%, although I drive the device during the day without hesitation - this is music, this is twitter, this is surfing, this is 4 push boxes, several popular instant messengers, tethering, reading books. Wi-Fi, mobile Internet (LTE) and Bluetooth are constantly active.

During the night with all this active goodness, the iPhone is discharged by 2% -3%, a wonderful result. There is never a situation with a sudden "zhor", the consumption is linear and even (with a one-time exception with the iBouquiniste reader), with modest use, the iPhone 7 Plus can work 3-4 days on a single charge.

I won't tell you the exact time of the screen, but, according to my estimates, it is about 6-7 hours. For my usage pattern, this is very, very much, since previous flagships from Samsung showed me an average screen time of 3.5-4 hours. Thus, I can confidently say that the iPhone 7 Plus works about one and a half to two times longer than the flagships from Samsung, how Apple was able to achieve this with, I note, a smaller battery capacity is a mystery to me.

It is all the more surprising that I cannot confirm such autonomy with my favorite test "Yandex.Maps + GPS + 4G on the windowsill", for some reason the result was only 5 hours 14 minutes and the device got pretty hot.

The disadvantages include the lack of fast charging (and the full cycle from standard to 100% - about 4 hours) and the absence of wireless charging, this is somehow out of date, given today's realities. It turns out that the wireless charger built into the console of Lexus cars is designed for Samsung? ☺

However, users somehow find a way out by using 2-amp chargers from the iPad.

About the camera(cameras?) By right, iPhone cameras have always been considered among the best, and they really are. However, there are a number of strange features that cause bewilderment.

First, it's the lack of 16:9 photo format. This is at least strange, given that the screens of almost all modern devices have an aspect ratio of exactly 16:9 - these are TVs, and computer monitors, and, finally, the phones themselves. But... for some reason, the user is offered only the outdated 4:3 format.

I wasn't surprised for a second that 16:9 on an iPhone is still possible, but, of course, for money - by buying a third-party camera application, in my case it's Camera +. The application is not the best and not the most convenient, but there is traditionally no choice.

Secondly, and this is no less surprising - when recording video, only monophonic sound is recorded. In our time of home theaters, this is ... incomprehensible. The iPhone also brightens night shots, but very slightly, only minimal adjustment is required.

In this model, as everyone knows, a double block of cameras is installed. The second camera is designed to provide some kind of optical zoom - the lens has 2 times the focal length. It's useful, you don't always need only wide-angle shots, and the second camera instantly brings the object closer and provides less distortion.

Examples of such photos:

An interesting mode, which first appeared in phone cameras, is "Portrait", which imitates in software ways a similar mode of SLR cameras. The main subject is defined and highlighted, and the background behind it is beautifully blurred. It really works, and I enjoy using "Portrait".

☺ . But here you somehow condescendingly do not pay attention to this, you know that you have the best phone, and all the attacks of your opponents are shattered by this knowledge and self-confidence.

The self-confidence of iPhone owners is so great that haters and trolls try not to meddle in their threads on the forums, fearing an organized rebuff. When Samsung presented its Note 7 last fall, the corresponding section on the w3bsit3-dns.com forum was filled with strange people who would never have the money to buy new items, but who love to chat online. These people shook their "premium" and not very Chinese phones and yelled at the whole forum that they would never buy a new flagship, and vied with each other to convince each other how they saved money wisely by buying a phone from another manufacturer from China .. .

And at the same time, peace and quiet reigned in the Apple novelty branch, users calmly communicated, discussing the intricacies of buying an iPhone 7 in the USA, and not one - not one! - a user of Chinese (and even non-Chinese) phones did not have the courage to appear in the Apple thread and try to convince potential iPhone buyers that they are wasting money by overpaying for an apple on the back, while there are wonderful almost the same Chinese phones...

Conclusion

I have an interesting situation now - I myself do not know which phone I will buy in the fall, when Apple and Samsung will shoot back with new products.

iPhone 7 Plus, I will not hide, I really liked it, and more than two months of experience did not spoil this impression. This is a very, very nice phone, well-made, albeit with a faceless design, but not repulsive. Its ergonomics are good, it is very comfortable in everyday use, and the pleasant little things of iOS please the owner. It's fast, it's finally the most powerful phone to date. The iPhone has a wonderful camera, one of the best, it shoots video perfectly. And all these charms against the background of excellent autonomy, the battery holds a charge for a very, very long time.

Of course, the iPhone 7 Plus has drawbacks, but they all lie in the plane of the iOS operating system and are already familiar and traditional to some extent. All of them are known, and the buyer is invited to decide for himself whether he can live with them or not. In my opinion, these shortcomings are not critical, and you can live with them without depriving yourself of mobile pleasures. Can. But it’s not necessary, so in the fall, along with the new iPhone, I will definitely look at Note 8.

And the main drawback of the iPhone 7 Plus, I would generally call, oddly enough, its shape and body materials, well, it is very slippery, how many times I caught it in the air. Everything is solved with covers and bumpers, but not all users accept this path.

I rate the phone itself at 9 points, the score is lowered for the slippery case and its rounded shape. All other shortcomings are related to the operating system.

Thanks to everyone who read my story to the end.

Sincerely,

With security in desktop macOS. Maybe it's time for Android? We spent a year with the iPhone 7 and are ready to tell the whole truth about it. Although the smartphone was introduced in the fall of 2016, it is still a current model. In addition, Apple recently announced the release of "refs" - devices using used components, but in new cases and with an official warranty. This means that the price will become even more pleasant, especially against the backdrop of expensive iPhone 8 and iPhone X.

Specifically, the iPhone 7 has been in my use for a year, but in general I have not parted with iPhones for nine years now. Although Apple technology is considered reliable, something happened to every smartphone in 2-2.5 years: in 3G the case at the bottom near the connector cracked, in 4S the charge level indicator stuck (it was decided by itself in a few days), in 5S twice the power button sank and the glass in the corner came off a little. "Seven" also causes trouble, but of a completely different kind.

Design and usability

It took Apple a few years to make a normal back cover design. Until now, disgusting stripes on the iPhone 6 and cut the eye. It's funny, but this was one of the reasons for not buying 6S - after all, the device should be aesthetically pleasing. The iPhone 7 is in order in this regard, besides, a full-fledged black color has appeared. Before buying, I almost chose iPhone 7 Plus, realizing at the last moment that changing my wardrobe for the sake of a smartphone is too much. A 5.5-inch behemoth will not fit in any pocket of jeans, but a man's clutch is an unnecessarily outrageous accessory, after all, they can ask for it in the alley.

In any case, the decision was definitely the right one: several times I caught the iPhone 7 literally in flight, and the Plus version would definitely crash on asphalt, tiles or parquet on the very first day. The body is incredibly slippery. This is especially unusual in the first month and a half. Of course, there was no such problem with the 5S: firstly, a 4-inch smartphone can be confidently taken with one hand, and secondly, its edges are straight, not rounded.

For some reason, Apple has not yet introduced an iPhone with two SIM cards. When traveling, you either have to take a paper clip or improvise

However, even despite the careful attitude, scratches, chips and scuffs appear on the smartphone. The logical decision would be to buy a cover and a film, but it's like walking down the street in shoe covers so that the sole of the shoe does not get dirty. The origin of some chips remained a mystery: the smartphone did not fall on hard surfaces, it was not slammed on a table with grains of sand.

In terms of ergonomics, there is only one miscalculation, and it has remained since the days of the iPhone 6 (having successfully passed to the iPhone 8) - the case is practically the same. When the smartphone is on the table, when you press the lock button, you often touch the volume up key - they are located on opposite sides at the same height.

And how much criticism was there for the rejection of the 3.5 mm jack! In fact, there is no tragedy: the cables cling to clothes, break, get tangled. The problem is solved by buying Bluetooth headphones - freedom from wires is difficult to overestimate. Well, in extreme cases, there is a minijack-Lightning adapter right in the box.

What pleased

This is Apple's first waterproof smartphone. The IP67 standard allows a smartphone to stay at a meter depth for thirty minutes - you will have time to catch a little from the bottom of the paddling pool. Water protection came in handy: once I passed my smartphone across the table, and the iPhone fell (he said that it was slippery) right into a glass of soda. There was nothing to lose: I had to rinse it in running water. The smartphone showed no signs of anxiety. The main thing is not to put the iPhone on charge until it is completely dry.

The device has lost the physical Home button, but if you don’t know, you won’t understand it right away. The Taptic Engine works wonders: the tactile feedback is just perfect - it gives the impression that the key is pressed under the finger. The same applies to vibration feedback: the smartphone seems to be pushing. This is in no way comparable to the vibration in other devices. Plus, small chips like the activation of the Taptic Engine when setting an alarm: it’s like winding up a mechanical watch.

There are rumors that one of the future iPhones will lose 3D Touch. The attitude to technology is twofold: it is convenient, but it is not at all obligatory. Functionality takes some getting used to. At first you want to open applications as usual, and only over time you accustom yourself to using a strong pressure on the display for quick access to functions. But then it is already difficult to refuse 3D Touch.

Another thing that's fantastically handy is turning on the screen when you pick up your phone. There is no need to activate and extinguish the display with the button: you raise the device to a natural angle at which you look at the screen, and it lights up by itself. You put it on the table - it goes out almost immediately. The feature works almost flawlessly.

the main problem

I expect a lot of ridicule, but slowing down the iPhone is good. The smartphone turned off even at near-zero temperatures: this usually happened when 15-20% of the charge remained. As soon as the device warmed up, it could be turned on again. The gadget banally froze, which was pretty annoying. After installing an iOS update with the function of forced slowdown of the smartphone, this problem disappeared: the iPhone honestly works up to 1% in any weather. Although in severe frost, the battery sits down very quickly.

The battery is generally the main trouble of the iPhone 7. The charge lasts from morning until late at night, no more. Wi-Fi and GPS, notifications of instant messengers, social networks, mail and a number of applications are constantly on. Of course, you can deactivate everything, but then what is the point of a smartphone?

Calls are made rarely, 90% of use is instant messengers, mail and reading news feeds. There were situations when the iPhone asked for charging by one in the afternoon. But the scenarios were also gluttonous: mapping services, YouTube videos, video calls.

Sample photo on iPhone 7

Worst of all, the "seven" does not support fast charging - it takes about two hours to replenish the battery (with a miserable 1960 mAh capacity) from 0 to 100%. Android smartphones are much more advanced in this regard.

The quad-core processor and 2 GB of RAM are naturally enough for GTA and other demanding games, but the iPhone gets hot.

operating system

A year ago, I could not even imagine that I would scold the operating system. But Apple leaves no choice: iOS 11 is very bad. The company hasn’t fixed some obvious bugs for half a year, but new emojis are constantly appearing in updates, damn them.

So, the first point: in iMessage, the chronology of incoming and outgoing messages is periodically violated. The message you just received appears above the one you sent before. It comes to absurdity: the answer is higher than the question itself. After some time, the messages are arranged in the correct order. And this is not an isolated problem.

Go ahead. For some reason, the volume jumps when playing songs from Apple Music. This does not depend on the headphones, the volume up key does not touch, but sometimes an arbitrary track starts playing at very high tones, and the next one at normal volume. Also, sometimes the music is suddenly paused - so far it has only been 2-3 times, but it's still unpleasant.

The Handoff function is completely out of hand. It used to work at least somehow, but now it's a complete mess. The smartphone and laptop are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth is activated, but the icon of the open application is simply not displayed on the other device. Sometimes, on major holidays, it still occurs.

At the same time, there are no questions about the speed and smoothness of iOS: nice animation, lightning-fast opening of applications, quick switching between them.

Despite all this disgrace, there is nowhere to go with iOS. Android is not considered for a lot of reasons, besides, switching to another platform will destroy the ecosystem, which you don’t want to do at all because of the convenient synchronization (thanks, although it hasn’t been broken yet) between devices.

Is the iPhone 7 relevant in 2018? Definitely, especially with the advent of "refs" - they will cost adequate money. The current iPhone 8, whatever one may say, is expensive (although it immediately has 64 GB of memory), and the price of the iPhone X is generally beyond reasonable. In such a situation, the iPhone 7 becomes quite an interesting purchase, especially since it will support new iOS for another three years.