The iPhone 7 is officially here, but the big question on everyone's lips is how does it compare to the iPhone 6S? While we haven't had the iPhone 7 in for testing yet, here's a quick glance at all the key features and how they roughly shape up against its iPhone 6S sibling.
I'll be comparing everything from the design, display and performance figures right through to the battery life, camera specifications and storage options available on both phones, helping you decide which one you should buy, and whether it's worth putting in an iPhone 7 pre-order when they open on 9 September.
I'll update this article again once I've got some proper benchmark figures and camera samples from the iPhone 7 to bring you our definitive head-to-head guide, but in the mean-time, here's a preliminary rundown of how the iPhone 7 shapes up against the iPhone 6S.
Design
Apple was keen to show off the iPhone 7's new design at its official launch event, but at first glance, it doesn't really seem like much has changed since the iPhone 6S. Both phones are exactly the same size (138 x 67 x 7.1mm), and they each use a 4.7in display as well as an aluminium unibody. The iPhone 7's is a fraction lighter at 138g, but when the iPhone 6S weighed just 143g, it's not exactly the kind of difference you're going to notice on a daily basis.
Instead, the biggest difference lies beneath the surface, as the iPhone 7 is IP67 water and dust resistant, offering much greater protection against spills and splashes (and accidental toilet dunkings) than the iPhone 6S.
The iPhone 7 also has a few new finishes, namely Apple's mirror-like Jet Black as well as a simpler, matt black in addition to the usual silver, gold and rose gold colour options, and the antenna lines no longer go across the back of the phone. Instead, they're positioned around the edge of the rear chassis,
The home button's changed, too, as this now supports Force Touch, giving you the same kind of Taptic feedback as the Macbook Pro's Force Touch Trackpad. Touch ID isn't any quicker on the iPhone 7, though, so it will still unlock your phone and authorise contactless payment transactions in the same amount of time as the iPhone 6S.
Display
Again, at first glance, the display on both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6S look almost identical. They're both 4.7in across the diagonal and they both share the same 1,134 x 750 resolution. Apple is also quoting the same 1,300:1 contrast ratio figure for each handset.
However, the iPhone 7's screen is meant to be much brighter than the iPhone 6S, with Apple claiming a peak brightness of 625cd/m2 compared to the iPhone 6S's 500cd/m2. The iPhone 7 also supports the DCI-P3 colour gamut rather than standard sRGB, so colours should appear richer and more vibrant onscreen. DCI-P3 is the colour gamut used by digital film projectors, and it's also used by UHD TVs to meet the UHD Alliance's UHD Premium standards, as a UHD Premium TV must be able to display at least 90% of the DCI-P3 colour space.
Of course, we'll have to wait and see how the iPhone 7's display holds up under our calibration tests, but it should, theoretically, produce a more dazzling, eye-pleasing picture compared to the iPhone 6S.
Performance
Here's where you'll feel the biggest difference, as the iPhone 7 is powered by Apple's brand-new quad-core A10 Fusion chip. The iPhone 6S, on the other hand, only has a dual-core A9 chip. Again, we don't have any concrete benchmark figures just yet, but Apple's claiming the iPhone 7's CPU performance will be 40% faster than the 6S. It also said its GPU will be up to 50% faster than the iPhone 6S, allowing it to display more advanced graphical effects such as weather and additional lighting.
Despite its boost in power, Apple's A10 Fusion chip should also provide longer battery life than the iPhone 6S, with Apple claiming up to 13 hours of wireless video playback compared to the iPhone 6S's 11 hours.
However, with the iPhone 7 losing its 3.5mm audio jack, its reliance on Lightning-powered headphones or wireless listening means its audio playback battery life figures are actually worse than the 6S. For instance, Apple quote up to 40 hours of wireless audio playback for the iPhone 7, but up to 50 hours of wired audio playback for the iPhone 6S. Of course, we'll putting all these figures to the test once review samples are available, but it's worth bearing in mind if you're an avid audiophile.
Camera
Both phones use a 12-megapixel sensor, but the iPhone 7's camera introduces a number of improvements, including a wider f/1.8 aperture lens, optical image stabilisation, a six-element lens and a quad-LED True Tone flash.
The iPhone 6S, on the other hand, only has an f/2.2 aperture, a five-element lens and a standard dual-LED True Tone flash. It doesn't have any OIS, either.
What this means in theory is that the iPhone 7 should perform better in low-light, as its wider lens will be able to capture more light, and its optical image stabilisation will help negate the effect of any unintended hand shake. The quad-LED True Tone flash should also be able to produce up to 50% more light, giving you more to work with when shooting at night.
Storage
With the launch of the iPhone 7, Apple has finally ditched its 16GB entry-level model. Now, the cheapest version comes with 32GB of storage, but you can also get one with 128GB or 256GB of storage if you want to pay extra. It's also worth noting that the Jet Black iPhone 7 is only available in 128GB and 256GB, so you'll have to pay extra if you want this particular model.
The iPhone 6S originally launched with 16GB, 64GB and 128GB options, but all new iPhone 6S handsets will now come with either 32GB or 128GB of storage. Sadly, Apple isn't carrying over the 256GB option for the iPhone 6S, but it's a welcome change nonetheless, as we've been complaining about the lack of a 32GB option for several years now.
Price
Of course, with new storage options comes new pricing, and this year the iPhone 7 is more expensive than ever. With prices starting at £599 for the 32GB version, they quickly rise to £699 for the 128GB version and £799 for the 256GB model.
The iPhone 6S, however, is now cheaper, costing either £499 for the 32GB version or £599 for the 128GB version. Admittedly, that's only £40 less than its original entry-level price of £539, but at least you're getting double the amount of storage this time.
The real test will be when contract prices start coming through, and I'll update this article with more information as soon as it's available.
Verdict
Right now, the iPhone 7 looks like it will offer a decent number of improvements over the iPhone 6S, including a brighter, better-looking display, an improved camera and faster performance. However, whether it's worth upgrading to is another matter entirely. If you're an iPhone 6 user coming to the end of your contract, then it's almost definitely worth putting in a pre-order, as the iPhone 7 improves on all the new features added in the 6S while introducing a handful of brand-new ones.
However, if you bought an iPhone 6S last year, then there's probably not much here that will tempt you away from your current handset, especially since prices are now so much higher. Of course, the proof will come when we've got benchmark results and camera samples to compare, so check back soon to see our final verdict on whether the iPhone 7 or 6S should be the phone occupying your pocket.
