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iPhone 7

Apple's iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were announced on 7th September 2016

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Apple revealed the iPhone 7 on 7th September 2016.

There were few surprises. As expected, the phone was an iteration on the previous iPhone 6/6s, though with tidier antenna lines and camera bump. The only significant design change was two new colors, in the form of a high-gloss Jet Black and a matte black simply known as … Black.

Also as expected, Apple removed the 3.5mm headphone socket in favor of Lightning and wireless headphones – though with an adapter in the box for existing 3.5mm headphones. The company justified the move on the basis that it had better uses for the space, notably the haptic motor for a new touch-sensitive Home key to aid waterproofing, and a better camera, especially in the iPhone 7 Plus. More notably, it announced a new W1 wireless chip for instant, painless pairing with compatible headphones, the pairing propagating across all your devices via iCloud.

The headline new feature was, as predicted, reserved for the iPhone 7 Plus. The dual-camera system provides 2x optical zoom, and uses a combination of parallax effect and machine-learning to separate the foreground from the background to simulate shallow depth of field.

Key links can be found here, then scroll down for the latest stories.

The FBI wants Apple to break encryption for iPhone models that third-party companies can already unlock

iPhone 7 in black

There’s a lot of publicity right now about the FBI’s request for Apple to help them unlock two iPhones owned by a murder suspect who opened fire at a Florida navy base.

However, what has gone underreported is the fact that the two iPhones in question are actually old models, an iPhone 5 and an iPhone 7.

As noted by the Wall Street Journal today, these devices are so old that their security has already been compromised. Plenty of security firms on the gray/black market are available to unlock older iPhone models, so why does the FBI need Apple?


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Did the iPhone 7 break legal radiation levels? FCC disputes recent test

iPhone 7

Back in August, a Chicago Tribune report claimed that the iPhone 7 was operating at illegal radiation levels after commissioning tests for that model, the iPhone 8, and some Android smartphones. Now it looks like the FCC has run more tests and says that the iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy phones don’t exceed the legal RF radiation exposure levels (via Bloomberg).


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iPhone 7 radiation safety tests find device over legal limit; Apple disputes

iPhone 7 radiation safety questioned

Independent iPhone 7 radiation safety tests have found that the model exceeded the legal limit for radio-frequency energy absorbed by human tissue.

The independently commissioned tests were reportedly carried out according to federal guidelines at an accredited lab, and were replicated with three further brand-new phones to guard against the possibility of a single faulty product…


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iPhone X trade-in value at record 68% of new price a week before new iPhones revealed

Liquidation specialist B-Stock reported back in July that the average resale value of an iPhone X was 85% of the full retail price, a record for any iPhone at that point in the sales cycle.

Note: You can quickly and easily get cash for your desk full of iPhones here with our highly rated service.

A tech trade-in site says that today’s trade-in value is still 68% of the original sales price even a week before this year’s models are revealed, in strong contrast to one of Samsung’s flagship phones …


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iPhone 7 Plus was 2nd best-selling phone in China in 2017, Apple only foreign brand in top 10

A new research note from Counterpoint shows that whilst Apple’s dominance in China is not as high as its peak, it is the only foreign smartphone brand that matters in the region. iPhone 7 Plus was the no.2 best selling handset across all of 2017, and the smaller iPhone 7 took fifth place (via CNBC).

China’s propensity towards larger-screened phones is shown by the Plus’ popularity compared to the regular iPhone 7. Apple was the only foreign brand to feature in the top 10 phone models, with 5.2% total market share from both iPhone 7 models.


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Geekbench developer links iPhone performance issues to battery age and iOS updates

[Update: Developer Guilherme Rambo has discovered the software system, powerd (short for power daemon), that Apple put in place in iOS 10.2.1. powerd controls CPU/GPU speed and power. It also responds to thermal pressure and helps iPhones from catching fire.

Since powerd was first released in 10.2.1, this looks to be separate from the Low Power Mode feature and directly related to the performance and battery age issues.]

Last week we reported on the news that a new battery could solve performance issues with older iPhone models like the 6s. Today, Geekbench founder, John Poole, published an article describing his findings after diving deeper into the relationship between iPhone performance and battery age.


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iPhone 7 is outselling the iPhone 8, claims analyst, citing carrier store surveys

Surveys of sales through carrier stores suggest that last year’s iPhone 7/Plus is outselling the new iPhone 8/Plus in the U.S. and UK. The claim is made by KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst John Vinh in a client note.

iPhone 8 sales will be limited by those waiting instead for the iPhone X, but KeyBanc says that two other factors are at play …


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How to get the most cash for old iPhones and Apples Watches

With the Series 3 Apple Watches and iPhone 8 and 8 Plus already arrived and the iPhone X launch less than a month away, we wanted to let you know that our trade in partner, MyPhones Unlimited is currently paying more than almost anyone else for your used or broken iPhones. We’ve compared the largest companies that offer cash for your devices (Gazelle, Buyback World, Nextworth, uSell etc.) and we almost always offer more for iPhones, Apple Watches, iPads and other tech gadgets…


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Report: iPhone 8 wireless charging to use slower 7.5W Qi standard as new L-shaped PCB surfaces

Macotakara is the latest publication to report on the inclusion of wireless charging in the iPhone 8, set to be announced next month. The Japanese site notes that Apple has opted to use the slower standard charging profile, which means the inductive charging will run at 7.5W, about half the speed of the latest Qi 1.2 standards.

The unnamed sources also note that Apple may require MFI licenses for third-party charging pads, which would mean existing Qi charging accessories would be unsupported …


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Apple to price iPhone 8 ‘around $999’, according to NYT

We are still waiting for Apple’s invites for the September iPhone event to go out, which is expected sometime in the first half of the month.

Until the official unveiling happens, there’s still time for iPhone 8 rumors. The price of the premium OLED iPhone has been the subject of much debate, and now The New York Times has chimed in. It reports that the iPhone 8 will be priced ‘around $999’ …


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Chinese report suggests Apple to sell iPhone 8 with 64 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB storage options

As Apple’s September event draws closer, the iPhone 8 rumors continue to circulate. Today, Chinese poster GeekBar (which has a decent track record of iPhone leaks, although by no means infallible) has reported that the new high-end OLED iPhone will be offered in three storage capacities.

The source says that the iPhone 8 base model is 64 GB, a welcomed doubling of the entry model 32 GB iPhone 7. The mid tier model would be 256 GB and — brand new to the iPhone line — a high-end 512 GB storage option would also be offered.


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iPhone 8 display assembly, flex cables and more pictured in latest component leak

iPhone 8 parts continue to appear on Chinese social media as the official unveiling September Apple event draws closer. Whilst a timeframe has yet to leak out, historical patterns point to September 6th as a likely date.

In this latest leaks (via Slashleaks), various purported components for the iPhone 8 are on show, including the flex cables for power transfer, part of the internal components for the Lightning cable and the display assembly (with the notch, as expected). More photos below …


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Glass back design corroborated by latest iPhone 7s, 7s Plus and iPhone 8 dummy units

Following on from our Saturday post, these latest dummy models (which we believe to accurately represent the design of the real devices) give a sense of what the glass back design will look like for the whole lineup, spanning the 7s, 7s Plus and radically-redesigned OLED model (marketing names unknown). Thanks to Sonny Dickson for passing these along.

It also rebuts some of the rumors we’ve seen circulating that the ‘7s’ phones would have a rear Touch ID sensor; these dummies clearly show that the devices largely resemble the existing iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, albeit with some tweaks like the glass material (which means no antenna bands in sight!). More pictures below …


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