It’s that time of year when the kids are back to school, the leaves get ready to fall, and Apple releases a new iPhone. Last night the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were announced, causing excitement, surprise, and a little bit of worry amongst Apple lovers across the world.

Wave goodbye to the headphone socket and hello to losing wireless earphones on a regular basis…

The most controversial change is the loss of the classic 3.5mm jack. The traditional headphone port has been abandoned in favour of the lightning port, which has left some customers concerned. Apple has created two sets of headphones to work alongside the new phones, and they’ll also be providing iPhone 7 and 7 Plus users with an adapter so they can continue to use their current headphones. How considerate!

The two headphones are called Lightning EarPods and Apple AirPods. The former uses a cable and connects through the lightning port which is traditionally used for charging (yes, that does mean that you can’t listen to music through EarPods and charge your phone at the same time). The latter connects wirelessly to the phone and is powered by a WI chip. They also have fancy infrared sensors which detect when they’re in your ears, and motion sensors allow listeners to use Siri. They certainly look cool, but we can’t help but think we’d lose them within a matter of minutes.

Another musical change is the introduction of stereo speakers. There are now speakers at the top and bottom of the phone, meaning that annoying youths on public transport can play their music even louder. Perfect.

The camera is getting better, as will your selfies…

In an age of selfies, Apple knew that it was time to up the camera quality. The new lens enhances the low light capabilities of the camera, and allows 50% more light on the lens. Finally, we can take selfies in poor lighting and share them with the world, it’ll be revolutionary (said with a tinge of sarcasm). The front camera has been increased from 5MP to 7MP, and if you listen really carefully you can hear Snapchat fans rejoicing from behind their dog ears and nose.

A 12MP sensor will be on both phones, as well as image stabilisation (thank god, it’s hard to take non-blurry selfies after a few gins) and a new camera flash. Flashy.

For the big spenders who go for the 7 Plus, a dual-lens camera is provided. This will give far better zoom quality, an issue that Apple has been battling for years. The 7 Plus also comes with two 12MP cameras, one of which has a wide angle lens, and the other has a telephoto lens (that’s a lens with a longer focal length than most). Fancy or what?

But it isn’t all about still images, oh no. Apple have also said that there will be 4K video recording capability on both phones. Now our Facebook timelines will be filled with old school friends’ videos of their kids eating their dinner in super high definition – what a time to be alive.

Other bits and bobs

Another attempt at boosting battery life…

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus have the longest battery life in the history of Apple’s phones (is that really hard to beat though?), with the 7 lasting 14 hours on Wifi and the 7 Plus lasting 15 hours on Wifi. Don’t forget that you can’t charge your phone if you’re listening with Lightning EarPods though!

They’re now water resistant for those that struggle to keep beverages inside a glass…

The phones are also water resistant. The key word being resistant, not proof. Undoubtedly we’ll be seeing videos of people who think they can throw their iPhone 7 in a swimming pool for a day and expect it to be fine (before trying to put them in a Tupperware tub of rice in the hope of magical redemption), but hopefully the majority of those who buy the phone will understand that it can survive being submerged in up to 1 metre of water for a maximum of 30 minutes, which let’s be honest is a long time for a phone!

Home button feedback…

Another cool little extra is the addition of vibration feedback on the home button. Now you’ll always know that you have definitely pressed the button properly because a little buzz will emit from under your thumb.

They’ve stayed the same size, but they’re carrying some seasonal weight…

In terms of size, the 7 and 7 Plus are the same as the 6 and 6 Plus. However, they are a bit heavier. The 7 weighs 138g, 9g more than the 6, whilst the 7 Plus weighs 188g which is 16g more than the 6 Plus. That’s still a lot less weight than we’ve gained in the past year.

Cost

So here’s the really important part. The cost. iPhones have never been cheap, and we doubt they ever will be, but the 256gGB 7 Plus wins the award for most expensive at £919. The cheapest option is the 32GB 7, which is priced at £599. Average for an iPhone, but expensive for a phone.