SpecEagle
SpecEagle review · Apple

iPhone 7 review: The 2016 compact iPhone — water resistance in, headphone jack out.

SpecEagle Editorial·Sep 2016·$649
Overall
57/100
Class rank
#3 of 4
Tier
Premium
Buy?
Look elsewhere
The verdict, up front

A 2016 compact iPhone — now firmly a museum piece.

The iPhone 7 brought water resistance and stereo speakers while dropping the headphone jack. Its tiny battery and end-of-life software make it history, not a recommendation.

01Display

58/100

58/100 trails the 60-point cohort average for premium phones of 2016.

TypeRetina HD IPS LCD, 60 Hz
Size4.7 inches
Resolution1,334 × 750 px (326 ppi)
ProtectionIon-strengthened glass

02Camera

60/100

60/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2016.

Main12 MP, f/1.8, OIS
Selfie7 MP, f/2.2
Video4K @ 30 fps
FeaturesQuad-LED flash

03Performance

58/100

58/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2016.

ChipsetApple A10 Fusion (16 nm)
CPUQuad-core
GPUPowerVR (6-core)
RAM2 GB
Storage32 GB / 128 GB / 256 GB

04Battery

54/100

54/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2016.

Capacity1,960 mAh
WiredUp to ~15 W (Lightning)
WirelessNo

05Build

74/100

74/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2016.

06Value

56/100

56/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2016.

What works
  • First iPhone with IP67 water resistance.
  • Compact and very light at 138 g.
  • Stereo speakers arrived here.
  • A10 Fusion was fast for 2016.
What doesn't
  • Tiny 1,960 mAh battery.
  • Low-resolution 4.7" LCD; thick bezels.
  • No 5G; stuck on iOS 15.
  • Discontinued — a vintage device.
Cross-shop it against
Nokia 8
€599 · score 60/100

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 4-phone cohort of premium devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .