With the recent unveiling of the iPhone

7 and 7 Plus, we expected the same news that

we’ve been hearing for every iPhone unveiling:

“New screen” and “Updated iOS.” The most

shocking feature was that the upcoming phone

would lose its beloved audio jack in favor for

wireless earbuds dubbed as “Air Pods.” This was

met with mixed reviews and controversy.

To see the effect of the “Air Pods,” we

asked the students and faculty of Falls Church

High School for their honest opinions of the

iPhone 7. We asked Jacob Legallais (11), and

he said, “Apart from the removal of the headphone

jack, the phone itself is stronger than

the last generation iPhones because of the A10

Fusion chip. The decision to remove the headphone

jack was a bold one and I’m not sure if it

is going to work out for Apple.” We also asked

Jacob about the dust and water resistance, and

he said, “The water- and dust-resistant capabilities

are a neat upgrade which will keep people’s

phones lasting longer.”

Adding to the color assortment of the

iPhone is the Jet Black colorway which replaced

the Space Gray scheme. The iPhone 7 is the

same size as the iPhone 6s, yielding a 4.7 inch

display; the iPhone 7 Plus boasts a 5.5 inch display.

Both screens are 25% brighter than the

iPhone 6S, and display a wide color spectrum.

The new iPhones will now not feature antenna

bands on the top and bottom of the phone. Instead,

they will be barely visible on the bottom

and top edges of the phone.

Also added was a dual camera, on the

rear of the phone. The new iPhones sport a

12-megapixel camera and a 28mm wide-angle

lens, while the 7 Plus has another 12-megapixel

camera behind a telephoto lens. Don’t worry

if your hands are shaky when taking a picture

with the new phones, because modules on the

optics have been implemented, which minimize

the blurriness of the photo.

Battery has been a problem for some

iPhones in the past, but that won’t be the case

with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. According to Apple,

the iPhone 7 will have two extra hours of battery

compared to the iPhone 6S. The iPhone 7 Plus

will have one more hour of battery compared to

the IPhone 6S Plus.

Another new feature that has been added

to the iPhones is that they are water and dust resistant,

not waterproof. They are also not permanent

upgrades, and the quality of the resistance

will wear with normal use. Be sure not to attempt

to charge a wet iPhone. The iPhone 7 can withstand

immersion in one meter of pure water for

up to 30 minutes. Coming along with the phone

is the highly anticipated iOS 10 which will be

pre-installed. This software update will improve

everything, from the lock screen to the notification

center. Siri can now work with third-party

applications, allowing you, for example, to call an

Uber driver.

We asked the students and faculty of Falls

Church High School their general consensus of

iOS 10. Andrew Nguyen (9) believes that “Apple

is taking 10 steps backwards with iOS 10,” and

while he thinks the concept is a good idea, he

thinks that Apple is copying some of Android’s

features. On the other hand, new PE/Health

teacher Ms. Kassem says that she is excited for

both the iPhone 7 and iOS 10. However, she admits

to being skeptical about Apple’s Bluetooth

features. We don’t know that the new software

will be compatible with and even with the slightest

change of it not being compatible will most

likely be a dealbreaker with people who would

rather stay back on iOS 9. Another faculty mem-

member

at Falls Church High School, Mr. Simon, says

that in his opinion, “The new iOS looks like fun”.

The iPhone 7 will receive a huge increase

to its storage by adding a 128 gigabyte model and a

256 gigabyte model. One other feature that will be

changed besides the audio jack is the home button,

which will be replaced by a touch sensitive button

while the 3D Touch Button from the iPhone 6S

will appear on the iPhone 7. Apple is adding a new

chip for the iPhone 7 called the Apple A10 Fusion,

Apple claims that it has 40% better CPU performance

and 50% greater graphics performance

compared to the Apple A9 chip. The iPhone 7 and

iPhone 7 Plus is now available at T-Mobile, AT&T,

Verizon, and Sprint.