Apple has unveiled its long-awaited iPhone 7, featuring waterproofing, a dual-lens camera and wireless AirPod headphones
Apple has finally unveiled its long-awaited iPhone 7, and almost all of the rumours and leaks ahead of the launch have turned out to be true.
The new device is indeed waterproof, and the larger model comes with an impressive dual-lens camera capable of of all kinds of photographic wizardry.
Controversially, Apple has removed the headphone socket from the bottom of the device, meaning you may have to rethink your headphone choices.
Apple has also ditched the 16GB and 64GB models, and introduced a new 256GB model - which has the same amount of storage as Apple's top-of-the-range iPad Pro.
Release date
Apple unveiled the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus at an event in San Francisco on September 7.
Customers in the UK will be able to pre-order the new phones from Friday, September 9, and the new devices will be available in shops from Friday, September 16.
Price
In the UK, the iPhone 7 will be available from a starting price of £599 for the cheapest 32GB option. The 128GB version costs £699 and the 256GB version will set you back a whopping £799.
The larger iPhone 7 Plus will be even more of a wallet buster than it's smaller sibling.
The cheapest (32GB) iPhone 7 Plus costs £719, followed by a 128GB model at £819, and then a 256GB variant costing an astonishing £919 in the UK.
All of the UK mobile operators will of course be offering contract deals, so we'll update this article once we know more.
Design
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are almost identical in appearance to their predecessors, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
The smaller iPhone 7 has a 4.7-inch Retina HD display, while its larger sibling has a 5.5-inch display.
The bodies of the phones are made from aluminium and come in five colours - silver, gold, rose gold, black, (which has a matte appearance), and "jet black". (which has a high-gloss look).
The new jet black finish will be offered exclusively on the 128GB and 256GB models.
The rumour that Apple was planning to launch a blue iPhone 7 appears to have been false - although there's always next year.
No more antenna lines
One noticeable design change is that Apple has removed the plastic antenna lines from the back of the device.
In previous models, these lines have allowed radio signals to pass through the metal casing and reach the antennas. However, it looks like Apple has redesigned the case to get around this restriction.
Apple has redesigned the Home button on the iPhone 7 - presumably in order to make the device waterproof.
The new "solid-state" Home button is designed to be durable and responsive, and work in tandem with Apple's Taptic Engine to provide "more precise and customisable tactile feedback".
In other words, even though the button doesn't "click" in the same way as it did on the old handset, it provides haptic feedback when you touch it.
No more headphone socket
Perhaps the most controversial thing about the new iPhone is that it doesn't have a headphone socket.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will ship with a pair of wired headphones that plug into the charging port on the bottom of the device, as well as an adaptor for people who want to hang onto their old headphones.
Apple has also launched a pair of wireless headphones, called AirPods, which are available to buy for an additional £159.
These can connect to both the iPhone 7 and Apple Watch 2 with just a tap, according to Apple, and switch "seamlessly" between entertainment and calls.
In place of the old headphone jack, Apple has added a second speaker, so sound is two times louder than iPhone 6s, and you will be able to listen to your music in stereo with increased dynamic range.
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