It has been almost 5 years that this smartphone has been on the market and is still the target of many people. Actually, what are the things that make this iPhone 7 still exist and is the iPhone 7 still worthy for you to have in 2021? Come see the full review below.
The advantages of the iPhone 7
Compact Form
Although many smartphones circulating today have large sizes above 6 inches, there are still many people who want a smartphone with a compact form that fits in their hand. This iPhone 7 can be an option if you are looking for a smartphone with a compact size.
The iPhone 7 has a size of 4.7 inches with a screen-to-body ratio of ~ 65.6%, a size identical to its predecessor iPhone 6s but the weight of the iPhone 7 is slightly lighter than the iPhone 6s.
Still Supports the Latest iOS Version
Even though it was released almost 4 years ago, the iPhone 7 still supports the latest version of iOS, namely iOS 13. iOS 13 was released along with the iPhone 11 line-up in September 2019. Some of the newest features of iOS 13 include dark mode, which allows the iPhone's display to darken. and more comfortable when used at night.
Apple also claims iOS 13 improves the performance of the iPhone and increases the efficiency of app downloads and app updates so that it saves more storage usage.
The iPhone 6s is the last generation of iPhones to get iOS 13 support and likely won't get support for the next iOS version. However, the iPhone 7 has the possibility to get iOS support for the next 2-3 years.
Chipset Performance
The iPhone 7 is equipped with the Apple A10 Fusion (16nm) chipset which is claimed to be 40% faster than the Apple A9 chipset found on the iPhone 6s. This claim is true, until now in 2020, the iPhone 7, which uses the latest iOS version 13.3.1, is able to run all essential applications smoothly.
Multitasking on the iPhone 7 is also no problem, several applications can be opened simultaneously without a decrease in performance even though it only has 2GB of RAM.
Not surprisingly, the Apple A10 Fusion chipset is still used on the latest Apple devices such as the iPad 9.7 (2018) and iPad 10.2 (2019). Based on the benchmarking application that we use, the performance of the iPhone 7 has a score of 218,122 with the device rating number 19 among all iOS devices recorded in the benchmarking application.
Has Waterproof Certification
IPhone devices with waterproof capabilities are an exciting new thing and this waterproof capability was first introduced in the iPhone 7 line-up. The waterproof certification that this smartphone has is IP67 dust / water resistant to a depth of 1 meter for 30 minutes.
Although most smartphones from other brands released at the same time have better IP68 certification, this is still one of Apple's good innovations.
Even though it has waterproof certification, it is not recommended to use the iPhone 7 when swimming activities, especially swimming in the sea. The salt content in seawater can be harmful to your iPhone. Another reason is that the waterproof ability will decrease with time of use.
Superior Camera Quality for Social Media
One of the reasons people have moved the ecosystem from Android smartphone devices to iOS smartphone devices is that they want to get maximum results when uploading photos and videos on social media such as Instagram stories, WhatsApp stories and others. Due to the fact, the results of video and photo uploads on social media applications using the iPhone are indeed better than Android devices.
This is because the iPhone has full support from the social media application, because it has a smaller number of devices than Android which has thousands of types and brands, making it difficult to optimize applications in the Android ecosystem.
Of course, the iPhone 7 has superior quality for social media compared to Android smartphones. Apart from the use of social media, the iPhone 7 which is equipped with a main camera of 12 MP, f / 1.8, 28mm (wide), 1/3 ″ with PDAF and OIS and a selfie camera 7 MP, f / 2.2, 32mm has a pretty good camera quality, still sufficient for light shooting use.
In terms of features, the iPhone 7 camera has HDR features and records up to 4K @ 30fps and slow motion @ 240fps.
Disadvantages of iPhone 7
Small Battery Capacity
Compared to the latest Android smartphones and iPhones, the iPhone 7 battery capacity is too far. The latest smartphones have an average battery capacity of over 3,000 mAh, while the iPhone 7 only has a battery capacity of 1960 mAh. This causes the iPhone 7 battery to run out faster.
In testing for continuous use for social media while streaming music, the iPhone 7 was able to last for approximately 3-4 hours. Meanwhile, to play popular games like Mobile Legends or PUBG the iPhone 7 battery is drained by 20-30% for one round of play.
For the record, testing was carried out with an iPhone 7 device that has 83% battery health, of course the test results will be different when the battery health has maximum capacity.
Therefore, if you want to use the iPhone 7 as a daily driver, it is highly recommended to always bring a power bank and iPhone charger when traveling. So that your iPhone can still be used throughout the day.
Old Design
When launching the iPhone X, Apple made a new "breakthrough" by eliminating the fingerprint sensor and introducing Face ID as a security protection for the new iPhone. As a result, the iPhone X comes with a full screen but has a notch at the top.
Although initially received unfavorable comments, gradually designs like this were understood and were maintained until the iPhone 11. In fact, many brands followed Apple's steps by applying a similar design to its smartphone releases.
This causes most smartphones on the market today to have a full screen design, so the design of the iPhone 7 seems out of date.
No Audio Jack
Yes, the loss of the audio jack is one of Apple's surprising decisions that have reaped many negative comments in cyberspace. This is not without reason, Apple removed the audio jack in order to maximize its water resistant features.
Although in the sales package there are lightning port earpods and a 3.5mm jack adapter, for some people this is difficult because they cannot use headphones while charging. As an alternative, you can use a dual lightning adapter or other AirPods or other Bluetooth headsets that are currently popular.
Less Suitable for Gaming
Apart from the battery factor which has a small capacity, the thing that makes the mobile gaming experience less than the iPhone 7 is the screen size. Even though it is able to run popular mobile games well, the 4.7-inch screen size is considered unsatisfactory for playing mobile games, especially mobile games that are very intense with lots of fast action.
For those of you who want to buy this 7th generation iPhone and use it as a mobile gaming device, it is recommended to choose the plus version with a 5.5-inch screen and a larger battery capacity.
Based on the review of the advantages and disadvantages of the iPhone 7 mentioned above, the answer to the question "Is the iPhone 7 still worth owning in 2021?" is still worth having.
The iPhone 7 is suitable for new users who want to try the Apple product ecosystem and for older versions of iPhone users such as the iPhone 5s or iPhone 6 who want to upgrade their devices on a minimal budget. Its shortcomings are also understandable and can be overcome by using additional accessories.