The new iPhone from Apple has the number 7 in its name. Experience has shown that the previous models are cheaper with a new iPhone, so comparing the individual models is very worthwhile. inside-digital.de put the iPhone 6, 6s and 7 in a direct comparison and reveals where the three models differ from each other.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 optics
2 It’s the inner values that count
3 camera
4th Battery power
5 Bye bye, latch – hello, water
6th the display
7th More space for data
8th Mechanical home button was yesterday
OPTICS
While the iPhone 6 and 6s did not differ optically from each other, the new iPhone 7 literally shines with a new look. In addition to two new colors for the iPhone 7, the antenna lines have also been moved up a little. The camera on the back is not completely on the housing, as was the case with the previous models, but is slightly enclosed by it and unites the two components.
As with the two iPhone 6 models, the iPhone 7 is made of aluminum, the color of which will be given a new coat of paint with the new iPhone 7. There are only three colors to choose from on the iPhone 6, there are already five on the new iPhone 7. The customer loses a choice: Space Gray has been banned from the color range. Instead, the new smartphone from Apple shines in the two new colors black and diamond black. The latter variant is reminiscent of the early iPhones of the first generation. The diamond black comes in a striking high gloss, which Apple warns of in one breath on its website. The high-gloss housing is more prone to “tiny signs of wear” than the other, matt models. The colorful rose gold variant, which was only introduced with the iPhone 6s was introduced, is available in addition to gold and silver for the iPhone 7.
The only visual feature that finally distinguishes the new iPhone 7 from the two previous models is the shifting of the antenna lines to the upper edge of the velvety aluminum housing. In the darker models, these are hardly noticeable, whereas the iPhone 6 and 6s are conspicuously equipped with white lines, especially in light nuances. In terms of weight, the iPhone has not yet overcome the yo-yo effect: While the iPhone 6 was the lightweight of the first curvy Apple phones at 129 g, the direct successor was a bit more pound at 143 g. On the way back to the narrower line, the weight of the new iPhone 7 now stagnates at 138 g.
IT’S THE INNER VALUES THAT COUNT
A look inside the three iPhones is more exciting. A clear development can be observed in the built-in 64-bit chipsets that have run through three generations. While the iPhone 6 is powered by an A8 chipset that clocks on two cores with 1.4 GHz each, the direct successor model has a dual-core A9 chip that does marginally more work at 1.85 GHz. A new Apple chipset was also installed in the new iPhone 7. For generations, the processor has 10 in its name and for the first time has four cores. Although there are no measured values yet, a benchmark test that preceded the publication indicated a clock frequency of around 2.37 GHz. This makes the iPhone 7 the best iPhone of all time in terms of processor, as marketed by the manufacturer.
CAMERA
When it comes to image recording, a lot has changed with the new iPhone 7, which sets the current flagship apart from its older siblings. The freshly made model has a FaceTime HD camera on the front, which resolves selfies in 7 megapixels and even stores videos in 1080 p on the internal memory. For comparison: The iPhone 6 has a 1.2 megapixel front camera that records videos in 720 p. The better iPhone 6s model has a resolution of 5 megapixels at the front, but visualizes in the same video resolution as the previous model. The integrated main camera delivers far better performance in all three generations. However, not much has happened here, at least in terms of the values of the last two generations. Iphone 6s and 7 have a 12 megapixel camera, that captures HD videos in 1080p at 30 or 60 frames per second. Only in the color scheme should the iPhone 7 stand out from its predecessor. In the official data sheet, Apple specifies a large color gamut that the iPhone 6s lacks. In the camera comparison, the iPhone 6 lags behind its younger family members. The main camera has 8 megapixels; In addition, one looks in vain for an image stabilizer in the specifications of the sixth generation. This feature is reserved for the new iPhone. The exact comparison values will be shown in the detailed iPhone 7 test by the inside- digital.de editorial team. In the camera comparison, the iPhone 6 lags behind its younger family members. The main camera has 8 megapixels; In addition, one looks in vain for an image stabilizer in the specifications of the sixth generation. This feature is reserved for the new iPhone. The exact comparison values will be shown in the detailed iPhone 7 test by the inside- digital.de editorial team. In the camera comparison, the iPhone 6 lags behind its younger family members. The main camera has 8 megapixels; In addition, one looks in vain for an image stabilizer in the specifications of the sixth generation. This feature is reserved for the new iPhone. The exact comparison values will be shown in the detailed iPhone 7 test by the inside- digital.de editorial team.
BATTERY POWER
All three Apple smartphones use lithium-ion batteries to store electricity. In each generation, the electricity supplier recorded more electricity hours. The iPhone 6 is not at the bottom of the podium in this comparison. With a battery capacity of 1,810 mAh, it belongs to the golden mean of the three devices. The iPhone 6s consumes up to 1,715 mAh of electricity, while its direct successor stores a whopping 1,960 mAh. In everyday life, these values mean that the iPhone 7’s standby time is up to two hours longer than that of its predecessor. Here, too, extensive battery tests in the inside-digital.de test center have to compare these manufacturer information.
BYE BYE, LATCH – HELLO, WATER
As speculated in advance, Apple for the first time dispensed with the jack plug connection that controls the frequencies with its latest smartphonecan convert into sound through headphones. Nevertheless, Apple did not complete the step into a smartphone without a tangle of cables. Instead, in addition to Lightning EarPods, the iPhone 7 now also comes with a very bulky Lightning to jack adapter, with which the usual headphones can still be connected to the device. The new wireless Apple headphones did not find their way into the iPhone packaging. Instead, the earplugs can be purchased for an additional 189 euros. They should be compatible with all Apple products at the push of a button. This change is entirely new; iPhone 6 and 6s still have the jack connector that has prevented Apple from making its phones splash-proof. By saying goodbye to the jack connector on the iPhone 7, the company welcomes water resistance.
THE DISPLAY
The values of the display differ for all three devices in two categories, brightness and handling. The display of the iPhone 7 should be two times brighter than the screens of the two predecessors. The actual value of the light intensity proves this: While the displays of the 6th generation illuminate with 500 cd / m², the iPhone 7 manages a light intensity of 625 cd / m². With the iPhone 6s, Apple introduced the so-called 3D touch technology, which allows various commands to be executed based on the intensity of the finger pressure. The iPhone 6 remains in one and the same version with different pressure levels.
MORE SPACE FOR DATA
A major change that many iPhone fans wanted a long time ago is the reallocation of internal storage capacity. With the iPhone 7, Apple has abolished the small 16 GB ROM variant. Users complained more and more about the futility of the capacity, especially in view of the non-existent micro SD slot. A look at the current data sheets of the last iPhone generations also reveals that Apple only offers the small capacities in the iPhone SE . The iPhone 6s should be available from now on in the sizes 32 GB and 128 GB, the iPhone 7 comes in an even larger 256 GB version. The only exception is the shiny diamond black iPhone 7; this is only available in the two storage sizes with the largest capacity.
MECHANICAL HOME BUTTON WAS YESTERDAY
It was also clear to Apple that mechanical parts on devices always mean increased wear and tear and thus customer dissatisfaction. A satisfactory solution to the problem has apparently not been found so far. With the introduction of the iPhone 7, the world’s most valuable corporation has now found a way to simply omit the part of the iPhone that is most at risk of damage. The new home button can no longer be pressed in, but is based on a technology that Apple has already built into the trackpads of the newer MacBook generations: ForceTouch. There is no longer any need to press to click, just tap. Visually, however, the home button looks unchanged. Surrounded by a shiny metal ring in the matching housing color is the button, which is actually no longer in the lower center of the device. All three iPhone generations offer a fingerprint sensor for unlocking.
