iPhone 7

[slayer202]

no subsidy from carriers? that's fucking awful. Phone basically costs an extra $450 now?

 

[ControlD]

no subsidy from carriers? that's fucking awful. Phone basically costs an extra $450 now?

It doesn't cost an extra $450 over subsidized pricing. You are simply seeing the actual price you will be paying over the next two years (assuming you are doing the monthly payment deal) rather than having that cost hidden somewhere in your two-year contract.

 

[slayer202]

where does verizon hide that cost? I thought they only did that when you use that plan where you pay off your phone monthly

 

[ControlD]

Back when you got the subsidized phone pricing, Verizon simply hid the extra cost of the phone inside your contract. The downside of this was that once your two-year contract was complete, you still got charged the same monthly rate. Basically you were throwing money down the drain if you didn't go for a quick upgrade.

With the new plans you basically take the price of the phone and divide it by 24. That amount is added to your (cheaper base) plan. After your phone is paid off, your monthly bill will decrease by that payment amount. It actually is in your best interest to keep a phone for more than two years in this case.

You can always just buy the phone outright and skip the monthly payments as well. It is a big check, but still not more than you would have paid for the phone with an old plan.

 

[Eug]

At this point, AMOLED is brighter and more accurate than LCD with similar to better power draw depending on the content. The only real issue is image retention after a couple years depending on the usage patterns.

So I just looked this up.

As of 2014, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were said to have the best smartphone screens in the world regardless of technology (OLED or LCD).

However, as of 2016, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is supposed to be the best. Better brightness, and good accuracy.

I do wonder though if display component volume is an issue here. The iPhone 6s + Plus is the highest volume smartphone in the world. And the best AMOLED is made by Samsung, for the also very high volume Galaxy S series.

Reading the various acquisition articles, it seems that OLED adoption by Apple may be largely dependent on non-Samsung manufacturers. For example, Foxconn purchased Sharp in order to make OLEDs, and they aren't slated to ship OLED in volume until 2017.

Back when you got the subsidized phone pricing, Verizon simply hid the extra cost of the phone inside your contract. The downside of this was that once your two-year contract was complete, you still got charged the same monthly rate. Basically you were throwing money down the drain if you didn't go for a quick upgrade.

With the new plans you basically take the price of the phone and divide it by 24. That amount is added to your (cheaper base) plan. After your phone is paid off, your monthly bill will decrease by that payment amount. It actually is in your best interest to keep a phone for more than two years in this case.

You can always just buy the phone outright and skip the monthly payments as well. It is a big check, but still not more than you would have paid for the phone with an old plan.

Don't forget to add in the cost to unlock your phone, as phones from Apple come factory unlocked.

 

[Sushisamurai]

I'm okay without wireless charging. There's a few iPhone cases that add that functionality, but the efficiency of wireless charging prevents me from actually wanting to use it. Say, at 1A input, and a 5 hour charge cycle would take 6 hours on wireless if there's a 20% efficiency loss. Some days I don't even sleep that much and rely on my car charger for my morning drive to charge the phone

 

[darkswordsman17]

Yes, it makes perfect sense to me that the second speaker is the earpiece. It's logical, and practical.


I'm fine with the screen, and this will be an improvement apparently. It's not a primary concern for me. My bigger concern has been the brightness in sunlight and the overall default colour balance. This in the past has been a big issue with Android AMOLED phones, although I'm told they've vastly improved since then.


I think more that they are losing focus to a certain extent, and don't have quite the creativeness they once had.


??? There is nothing about blocking headphone output. It comes with an adapter in the box, and if you lose it, they're $9 each.

They've been doing this for like a decade on the Mac..

Whoops somehow didn't include I meant when charging the phone. That is a major faux pas and shows how either greedy or shortsighted Apple can be at times.

So I just looked this up.

As of 2014, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were said to have the best smartphone screens in the world regardless of technology (OLED or LCD).

However, as of 2016, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is supposed to be the best. Better brightness, and good accuracy.

I do wonder though if display component volume is an issue here. The iPhone 6s + Plus is the highest volume smartphone in the world. And the best AMOLED is made by Samsung, for the also very high volume Galaxy S series.

Reading the various acquisition articles, it seems that OLED adoption by Apple may be largely dependent on non-Samsung manufacturers. For example, Foxconn purchased Sharp in order to make OLEDs, and they aren't slated to ship OLED in volume until 2017.


Don't forget to add in the cost to unlock your phone, as phones from Apple come factory unlocked.

I don't think production is an issue (pretty sure all the cheap phones with AMOLED are using Samsung produced displays), as Samsung has created an entire division in their display group to woo Apple. Samsung likely would make more money from making displays for Apple than for their own phones.

I really don't think display testing even takes into account certain aspects that are difficult to measure. For instance, displays with anti-glare coatings have tended to do better in testing than glossy displays. And while glare can be an issue, it is also an issue with anti-glare displays (it still causes light blooms, its just diffused so you're not seeing a harder reflection), and those also show a bit of sparkle and grain from the coating, which to me is far more of an issue and yet doesn't seem to show up on measurements. With AMOLED vs LCD, they might be able to test similarly, but just look at them and AMOLED just makes things pop (it seriously adds an almost 3D like dimensionality) in a way that LCD rarely does (it generally takes a well calibrated display with little to no anti glare coating and a high resolution; and anything with motion causes that to go to hell).

However, I think the troubling thing is that I could absolutely see the next iPhone still have LCD other than a 3rd higher end model that has AMOLED, and it only does that so they can make it curved like Samsung S7 Edge/Note 7. And it simply comes down to Apple being so focused on profit margins that they're letting one of the major improvements they can make (that has been available for years now) not happen because it'd cost too much extra (while charging $650-1000; when other companies are offering that in sub $500 phones).

 

[bradly1101]

The dual pixels of the S7 means that every pixel on the sensor doubles as both a light sensor and focus detector. This allows much faster auto focus on fast moving scenes and generally better focus in low light situations. Most cameras have less than 10% of their pixels devoted to focus.

Thanks!

 

[bradly1101]

I'm not talking about just smartphones. I'm talking about their products in general. The Apple Watch gets a big meh from me.

Also, when they released the 12" MacBook my response was not really "Cool!" but more "Finally!", since I had been pining for something like that ever since the MacBook Airs were released... but then they screwed up its keyboard and trackpad for the sake of thinness.

Then there's iTunes and Music. They went from being clean and intuitive interfaces to bloated messes.

BTW, looking at your list, despite the fact that people consider the 7 very iterative, it actually looks the most significant update after my 5S' fingerprint scanner (if we're excluding size changes here). The camera upgrade with real optical zoom has been something I'd wished for years. However, I thought that'd be harder to do than a 12" MacBook, so I expected the latter way, way earlier.


True optical zoom, pleasing bokeh for portrait shots, among other things.

Thank you!

 

[luv2liv]

it looks like Apple is way ahead of Google's Aria! and i didnt even see it coming.
just look at all the ways companies add things on to compensate for iphone's incompetence:

-add a case because apple took away any layer of protection
-add battery case like Morphie cause iphones dont have enough juice
-add wifi hard drive cause iphones dont have enough storage
-add a waterproof case cause iphones are not waterproof
-now add a dongle if you want 3.5mm jack
-now add a belkin dongle if you want to listen to music while charging iphones

it's brilliant! and iphone users cant get enough of Apple's innovation.
i've moved on since the days of itunes. that was a nightmare to use just to move files in and out of an idevice.
good luck to those defending apple products. still love it how people said apple idevices dont need more than 1gb of ram and how 3.5inches is the perfect size.

 

[Sushisamurai]

I don't think production is an issue (pretty sure all the cheap phones with AMOLED are using Samsung produced displays), as Samsung has created an entire division in their display group to woo Apple. Samsung likely would make more money from making displays for Apple than for their own phones.

I really don't think display testing even takes into account certain aspects that are difficult to measure. For instance, displays with anti-glare coatings have tended to do better in testing than glossy displays. And while glare can be an issue, it is also an issue with anti-glare displays (it still causes light blooms, its just diffused so you're not seeing a harder reflection), and those also show a bit of sparkle and grain from the coating, which to me is far more of an issue and yet doesn't seem to show up on measurements. With AMOLED vs LCD, they might be able to test similarly, but just look at them and AMOLED just makes things pop (it seriously adds an almost 3D like dimensionality) in a way that LCD rarely does (it generally takes a well calibrated display with little to no anti glare coating and a high resolution; and anything with motion causes that to go to hell).

However, I think the troubling thing is that I could absolutely see the next iPhone still have LCD other than a 3rd higher end model that has AMOLED, and it only does that so they can make it curved like Samsung S7 Edge/Note 7. And it simply comes down to Apple being so focused on profit margins that they're letting one of the major improvements they can make (that has been available for years now) not happen because it'd cost too much extra (while charging $650-1000; when other companies are offering that in sub $500 phones).

It could also be a design choice in regards to AMOLED vs LCD. LCD's generally retain brightness and color accuracy throughout a products life cycle, where as AMOLED's lose brightness and accuracy over ~2-3 years (some better, some worse).

Sure, you get better battery life, thinner display panel, and "popping" colors, and can have static info pushed on the screen for low power, but I'd rather keep the color accuracy TBH (comparing my sisters older Samsung S5 and S6 edge)

Edit: I still think it's a design decision, as Apple isn't afraid of using AMOLED (Apple Watch), but for their larger displays I think the degradation would be too noticeable. An example http://allaboutwindowsphone.com/features/item/20372_Do_AMOLED_phone_screens_degrad.php

 

[Sushisamurai]

-add a case because apple took away any layer of protection
-add battery case like Morphie cause iphones dont have enough juice
-add wifi hard drive cause iphones dont have enough storage
-add a waterproof case cause iphones are not waterproof
-now add a dongle if you want 3.5mm jack
-now add a belkin dongle if you want to listen to music while charging iphones

it's brilliant! and iphone users cant get enough of Apple's innovation.
i've moved on since the days of itunes. that was a nightmare to use just to move files in and out of an idevice.
good luck to those defending apple products. still love it how people said apple idevices dont need more than 1gb of ram and how 3.5inches is the perfect size.

Good sir, I think you are thread crapping, but, from your above messages, the only point I would agree on is the new 3.5mm dongle, which, for $9, isn't that bad (the design could be better). I don't see how your other points relate specifically to iPhones, as iphone users have an option to:

-use their phone naked, but I think that's a silly way to "protect an investment" (I'd say average price of an iPhone is ~$950USD, that's with upgraded storage (1 tier), screen protector, no case)
-add a Mophie case, similar to how some android phones now have to use power packs due to the lack of swappable battery (I think the Mophie case is a more elegant solution compared to the latter)
-add a wifi drive - I would do a wifi drive because the transfer speed of iPhones storage medium is generally faster than a microSD card, more reliable, and more storage. When you have to do 50 GB of data transfers, I'd rather FTP my iPad/iPhone, and do it wireless instead of being tethered while using the device. I can see the convenience of swapping microSD cards, but the convenience of a singular 1TB hard drive vs multiple cards just seems easier. To note, most android phones only have one band for their wifi.
-the water proof casing adds greater depth protection than a water resistant build. However, passive water resistance would be nice. Then again, I've never had an issue with water with my iDevices.

I feel that while android offers more options on the base device, add-ons for Apple devices seem to integrate better and offer more than what the base android phone offers. Lack/loss of UTG is a huge bummer for iPhones though.

As a final note, I really hope someone gets to analyze that chip scheduler for the big.little implementation. I'm a little wary of it being a cost saving measure instead of having a bigger CPU chip with better core/power gating.

 

[Commodus]

Well, I'll be the guinea pig: ordered an iPhone 7 128GB in matte black.

I was seriously considering the Plus model, particularly for the dual cameras and 1080p display, but realized that I probably wouldn't make enough use of the camera and can live with 750p for another year. That and the size is better for when I go running with my phone.

 

[Kazukian]

I ordered a 7 and a 7+, both 32GB in matte black . Did the "free" trade in through TMobile, out of pocket 2 iPhones for the trade and $90 for the 7 Plus (both traded in phones worth about $400 each) and I switched to the TMobile One plan for my 6 lines on the free 4th line promo, brings my monthly to $160 before taxes and fees, with the "unlimited" plan, supposedly they throttle after 26GB or so.

Will have multiple lines to trade with when the next iPhone comes out, I cover the kid's plans(they're adults) and let them deal with getting their own phones, and I take the upgrades for the plan.

Shipping dates are already slipping into November for the black iPhones.

 

[antihelten]

The real question is what will be the problem for the new iPhone. What will bloggers attach the -gate suffix to this year?

Some obvious possibilites would be 3.5mm gate or home button gate, but since neither of those changes have really been hidden and thus wont come as a surprise, they don't really qualify for the -gate suffix imho.

As such my guess will be micro abrasion-gate:

1. The high-gloss finish of the jet black iPhone 7 is achieved through a precision nine-step anodization and polishing process. Its surface is equally as hard as other anodized Apple products; however, its high shine may show fine micro-abrasions with use. If you are concerned about this, we suggest you use one of the many cases available to protect your iPhone.

From the iPhone 7 page, footnote number 2.

 

[Kazukian]

Some obvious possibilites would be 3.5mm gate or home button gate, but since neither of those changes have really been hidden and thus wont come as a surprise, they don't really qualify for the -gate suffix imho.

As such my guess will be micro abrasion-gate:



From the iPhone 7 page, footnote number 2.

Yep, the jet black will be giving OCD iPhone owners fits, LOL.

 

[antihelten]

Yep, the jet black will be giving OCD iPhone owners fits, LOL.

On the bright side the matte black version looks quite nice (the black/slate iPhone 5 was always my favourite iPhone design), and they seem to have managed to blend the antenna lines in fairly decently on this one as well.

 

[darkswordsman17]

It could also be a design choice in regards to AMOLED vs LCD. LCD's generally retain brightness and color accuracy throughout a products life cycle, where as AMOLED's lose brightness and accuracy over ~2-3 years (some better, some worse).

Sure, you get better battery life, thinner display panel, and "popping" colors, and can have static info pushed on the screen for low power, but I'd rather keep the color accuracy TBH (comparing my sisters older Samsung S5 and S6 edge)

Edit: I still think it's a design decision, as Apple isn't afraid of using AMOLED (Apple Watch), but for their larger displays I think the degradation would be too noticeable. An example http://allaboutwindowsphone.com/features/item/20372_Do_AMOLED_phone_screens_degrad.php

I still think it is all about profit margins. I don't think Apple is concerned with degradation (they could always push people to Apple Care or offer a display replacement deal like they do for the battery), and it really boils down to Samsung not offering it at the price Apple wants yet. If they were concerned with degradation they'd make tougher phones as people getting cheap replacement displays (I'm not sure if I know someone in real life that hasn't cracked the display on at least one, and often times every iPhone they've had; that's not to say Apple is prone to cracking more than others, but people just drop and crack their screens a lot) is going to fubar their color accuracy desires. Actually that perfectly shows what I'm talking about. Remember the failed deal with that sapphire glass maker? That was all about the money and margins, the company couldn't produce at the margins Apple demanded and it put them out of business.

Apple used AMOLED on the watch because they basically had to.

 

[Kazukian]

I still think it is all about profit margins. I don't think Apple is concerned with degradation (they could always push people to Apple Care or offer a display replacement deal like they do for the battery), and it really boils down to Samsung not offering it at the price Apple wants yet. If they were concerned with degradation they'd make tougher phones as people getting cheap replacement displays (I'm not sure if I know someone in real life that hasn't cracked the display on at least one, and often times every iPhone they've had; that's not to say Apple is prone to cracking more than others, but people just drop and crack their screens a lot) is going to fubar their color accuracy desires. Actually that perfectly shows what I'm talking about. Remember the failed deal with that sapphire glass maker? That was all about the money and margins, the company couldn't produce at the margins Apple demanded and it put them out of business.

Apple used AMOLED on the watch because they basically had to.

I've had at least 30 phones/iPhones, and never broken a screen, still shocked I haven't. Dropped a couple on concrete floors and dinged them up, but never broken one.

 

[Eug]

My Silver 128 GB Plus is due to arrive Sept. 16.

 

[dawheat]

I'm still on the fence to upgrade for my wife, but why the heck is AT&T the only carrier not to do the same promo every other carrier is doing? It's not a terrible deal- trade in basically a $300 phone and get $650 bill credits over 2 years so basically half price. I actually prefer it over the BOGO deals that make you open a new line and keep it open for 2 years.

 

[Red Storm]

Is the T-Mobile deal legit? You can trade in a good condition 6s and get a 7, and whatever the monthly charge is you would get bill credits for, so after two years you now own an iPhone 7? Is the only "cost" remaining a T-Mobile customer for the next two years?

 

[Kazukian]

Is the T-Mobile deal legit? You can trade in a good condition 6s and get a 7, and whatever the monthly charge is you would get bill credits for, so after two years you now own an iPhone 7? Is the only "cost" remaining a T-Mobile customer for the next two years?

Yep, here's the #'s: https://newsroom.t-mobile.com/content/1020/files/iPhone7TradeInPricing.jpg

You could grab a used phone on Swappa, have the seller send you the IMEI after purchase, use it to set up the trade now with TMobile, you should get the trade in from swappa in plenty of time to mail to TMobile. Shipping dates are getting back to November on some models already, and there's no mention of how long the promotion will last, previous promotions were good for less than a week...

I traded in a 16GB 6+ and a 16GB 6

 

[dawheat]

Is the T-Mobile deal legit? You can trade in a good condition 6s and get a 7, and whatever the monthly charge is you would get bill credits for, so after two years you now own an iPhone 7? Is the only "cost" remaining a T-Mobile customer for the next two years?

Ugh I wouldn't trade in a 6S as they accept the 6 for the promo.

 

[Kazukian]

Ugh I wouldn't trade in a 6S as they accept the 6 for the promo.

Used 6s 16GB's are going for around $400