iPhone 7 Hardware & Software Specs

Each year when Apple introduces a new iPhone, critics and users hold their breaths for a major breakthrough to be included in the new model. With the iPhone 7, there's no major breakthrough, but there are two fairly big changes—one good, one maybe not so good.

The positive major change introduced with the phone is the new dual-camera system available on the iPhone 7 Plus. With two 12-megapixel cameras, a telephoto lens, and the ability to capture DSLR-quality depth of field effects, the 7 Plus' camera is a big step forward and could lay the ground work for even more advanced features later (think 3D). On the downside, the features don't ship out of the box; they'll be delivered via software later.

The negative change is the removal of the traditional headphone jack. The iPhone 7 will now include only a Lightning port for connecting wired headphones. Apple put the removal in terms of "courage," and it certainly fits with the company's other controversial-at-the-time feature removals (DVD, Ethernet, floppy discs), but whether the included adapter dongle is enough to satisfy users remains to be seen.

Removal of the headphone jack—Bound to be the most controversial iPhone change in years, the iPhone 7 removes the traditional headphone jack entirely. Instead, users are expected to use headphones that connect to the phone's Lightning port or AirPods, a new set of wireless headphones introduced by Apple at the same time.
The dual-camera system on the iPhone 7 Plus—The camera system on the iPhone 7 Plus is a major upgrade. It includes two 12-megapixel cameras on the back of the device, with the second camera offering a telephoto lens. This enables new image effects using depth of field (the foreground of the image in focus, the back blurred), live previews of depth of field effects, and up to 10x zoom. The camera flash also includes four bulbs (up from 2) for better color accuracy.
Higher top-end Storage—The highest capacity storage on the iPhone 7 is now 256 GB, up from 128 GB in the iPhone 6S.
Better color fidelity in screen—Both Phone 7 models have technology built into their screens that allows them to display a greater range of colors, delivering better-looking images. This technology was introduced previously on the iPad Pro.
New color options—In addition to silver, gold, and rose gold, the iPhone 7 offers two new color choices: Black and a high-polish "Jet Black." Jet Black is only available in the 128 GB and 256 GB models.
iPhone 7 Hardware Features

In addition to the changes noted above, new elements of the iPhone 7 also include:

The new A10 Fusion processor
W1 wireless audio chip to support AirPods and new wireless Beats headphones
Redesigned, solid state Home button with new force feedback engine
Improved user-facing camera
25% brighter screen
The ability to edit and add effects to Live Photos
Improved battery life
IP67 water and dust resistance
Support for Felica NFC standard used in Japan.
Screen
iPhone 7: 4.7 inches, at 1334 x 750 pixels
iPhone 7 Plus: 5.5 inches, at 1920 x 1080 pixels

Cameras
iPhone 7
Back camera: 12 megapixel, digital zoom up 5x
User-facing camera: 7 megapixel

iPhone 7 Plus
Back camera: Two 12-megapixel cameras, one with telephoto lens, optical zoom to 2x, digital zoom to 10x
User-facing camera: 7 megapixel

Panoramic photos: up to 63 megapixel
Video: 4K HD at 30 frames/second; 1080p at 120 frames/second slo-mo; 720p at 240 frames/second super slow-mo

Battery Life
iPhone 7
14 hours talk
14 hours Internet use (Wi-Fi)/12 hours 4G LTE
30 hours audio
13 hours video
10 days standby

iPhone 7 Plus
21 hours talk
15 hours Internet use (Wi-Fi)/13 hours 4G LTE
40 hours audio
14 hours video
16 days standby

Sensors
Accelerometer
Gyroscope
Barometer
Touch ID
Ambient light sensor
Proximity sensor
3D Touch
Taptic Engine for feedback

iPhone 7 & 7 Plus Software Features

The improved camera features of the iPhone 7 Plus don't ship with it. Instead, they'll be delivered as a free software update later in 2016
Editable Live Photos
iOS 10 support
Support for all existing iPhone features like FaceTime, Siri, GPS, AirPlay, App Store, Apple Pay, etc.
Colors
Silver
Gold
Rose Gold
Black
Jet Black

US Phone Carriers
AT&T
Sprint
T-Mobile
Verizon

Size and Weight
iPhone 7: 4.87 ounces
iPhone 7 Plus: 6.63 ounces

iPhone 7: 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.28 inches
iPhone 7 Plus: 6.23 x 3.07 x 0.29 inches

Capacity and Price

iPhone 7
32 GB - US$649
128 GB - $749
256 GB - $849

iPhone 7 Plus
32 GB - $769
128 GB - $869
256 GB - $969

Availability
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus go on sale Sept. 16, 2016. Customers can pre-order them starting on Sept. 9, 2016.

Previous Models
When Apple releases new iPhones, it also keeps previous models around to sell at lower prices. With the introduction of the iPhone 7, Apple's line up of other iPhone models is now:

The iPhone 6S & 6S Plus will be available in 32 GB and 128 GB models for $549 and $649, and $649 and $749, respectively
The iPhone SE remains in its current 16 GB and 64 GB configurations and at its current pricing
The iPhone 6 & 6 Plus will be discontinued.

How to Multitask on an iPad

The update to iOS 9 includes three new forms of multitasking: Slide Over, Split View and Picture in Picture. However, you will need a newer iPad to enjoy these new features. Slide Over multitasking requires at least an iPad Air or an iPad Mini 2, and if you want to use Split View to essentially split your screen in two or use the Picture in a Picture feature, you will need at least an iPad Air 2.
As you might expect, Apple has made multitasking very simple. In fact, they may have made it too simple.
Slide Over View. Multitasking starts with the Slide Over View. You can open an app in Slide Over View by sliding your finger from the far right edge of the screen towards the middle of the screen. A new column of app icons will slide into place on the right side of the screen. You can flick up and down to scroll through the list of apps and simply tap the one you want to launch. Remember: you will need to be inside of an app for this to work. If you are on the Home Screen, sliding your finger from the right side of the screen will just take you to a new page of apps.
Split View. As its name suggests, Split View carves the screen in half and dedicates an app to each half of the screen. But both apps must be enabled for Split View, so it won't always be available. Also, your must have at least an iPad Air 2 to run apps in Split View.
The iPad must be in landscape mode for Split View multitasking. If the apps are capable of running in Split View, you will see a small line between the right-side column and the app. You can enter Split View by touching this line and sliding your finger to the middle of the screen without lifting it from the screen. Be careful not to slide your finger all the way to the left side of the screen, otherwise the app in the column will launch in full-screen mode.
Learn about Multitasking Gestures
Picture in Picture. This is definitely the coolest way to multitask on the iPad. You can launch Picture in Picture any time you are watching a video in a supported app. In the Videos app, the button is located in the bottom-right corner of the screen and it looks like a square with an arrow pointing to a smaller square. As you might surmise, tapping the button puts the iPad in a mode similar to your TV's Picture in a Picture mode, with the video running in a small area on top of any other app you choose to launch.
While in Picture in Picture mode, you can resize the video by pinching in or out with your fingers (similar to zooming in and out of a webpage or photo), you can move it to any of the four corners of the screen by simply tapping and dragging, and you can launch back into full screen by tapping the video and then tapping the full-screen button, which looks similar to the button that launched into Picture in Picture mode. You can also pause or exit the video from this menu, and depending the app, you may have other app-specific features available.
The Best iPad Apps for Streaming Movies
Is Multitasking Too Simple? Many of us have become quite skilled at flipping through pages in a book or photos in an album by flicking our finger from right to left on the screen, but with these new multitasking features working by sliding our finger from the far right edge of the screen, we may accidentally enable them when we are just hoping to see the next picture or read the next page. No doubt, this will be a little annoying at first, but eventually, we'll correct the way we swipe through pages. Until then, we'll wish for a quick-and-easy way to turn multitasking off while we read.
Confused? It may take a little practice getting used to the new multitasking capabilities of the iPad, but soon enough, we'll wonder how we ever did without it. Before that day comes, we'll take a look at some of the most frequently asked questions about multitasking in iOS 9.

Why aren't all of my apps in the list? While Slide Over multitasking works in almost any app, you can only launch apps that have enabled the feature into the right column.

Apple introduced a new way of allowing apps to adjust to different screen and window sizes, and this feature must be adopted by the app for it to work with the new split-screen multitasking features.

I've launched an app. How do I get back to the list of apps? If you look at the very top of the column where the Slide Over app is running, you will notice a small gray line right at the edge of the screen. You can get back to the list of apps by touching this line and sliding your finger down without lifting it from the screen.
OK, now I'm multitasking, how do I stop it? You can end Split View and Slide Over View by tapping your finger at the intersection of where both apps meet and then sliding your finger to the right edge of the screen.

I can launch an app in Slide Over mode, but now my main app is disabled...? Slide Over mode does just what the name implies: your new app slides over the old app, allowing you to work with the new app. If you need to do something in your original app, you can slide the app back off the screen as explained in the previous question.

When you are ready to work inside the app again, just slide your finger from the right edge of the screen towards the middle and the app will reappear.

If both apps support Split View multitasking (and your iPad is capable of it!), you can enable a mode where Slide Over allows you to work with both apps independently of each other by entering Split View and then moving back into Slide Over View by tapping the middle of the screen, sliding your finger to the right and lifting it before it reaches the edge. In this mode, you can operate both the main window and the app in the right-side column at the same time.