IPHONE 7

IPHONE 7: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are coming in 2016. Here's everything we know about Apple's next flagship smartphone.

iPhone 7 FAQ:

When will the iPhone 7 be released: September 2016 is highly likely

How much will the iPhone 7 cost: It should cost the same as the iPhone 6S so prices should start at £539/$649

What's new about the iPhone 7: If rumours are to be believed then the iPhone 7 will make more waves because of what it's missing than what it comes with. It's very likely that we've seen the last of the 3.5mm headphone jack. There are also plenty of analysts that believe the Home button will disappear, and that the phone will feature a dual-camera setup. Otherwise expect the usual processor and screen improvements.

^{Credit: Jermaine Smit}

IPHONE 7 NEWS AND RUMOURS IN BRIEF

One analyst believes that a future iPhone is likely to feature an 'all-glass design'. But that same analyst – KGI Securities' Ming-Chu Kuo – says the iPhone 7 won't have "many attractive selling points".

We're even starting to see schematics, renders and dummy units leaking online, which gels with Apple's estimated development timeline. Some of these are pretty terrible and most should be taken with a fistful of salt – you can find the worst offenders further down the page.

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will succeed to two well-received devices – the iPhone 6Sand iPhone 6S Plus – arguably Apple's best 'S' version phones yet. The pressure is on to get the formula right again. The biggest rumour is that Apple will abandon the headphone jack with the iPhone 7, although the jury is still out on that one.

^{Credit: Jermaine Smit}

Will there be two iPhones launching in September, just like previous years? We’d say probably. The size split has been successful in the past, so we’re expecting to see a 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and a 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus. However, if rumours that the Home button will be removed are to be believed we may be in for more compact handsets. The previous design didn't make the most of cramming a big screen in a small body.

Apple has also ticked the 4-inch box this year with the launch of the iPhone SE.

The iPhone 7 is already facing stiff competition, and it hasn’t even launched yet. Rival handsets like the Google Nexus 6P, Samsung Galaxy S7, HTC 10 and LG G5 will put the hurt to Apple in a big way, so the iPhone 7 needs to be innovative.

Watch – Trusted Explains: Buying a new smartphone

IPHONE 7 RELEASE DATE UK & US – WHEN WILL THE NEW IPHONE 7 COME OUT?

Apple, more so than many of its rivals, is a creature of habit, which makes it very simple to predict the iPhone 7 release date.

The best strategy is to look at previous iPhone launches, which we’ve outlined below:

• iPhone 6S – Wednesday, September 9 (reveal), Saturday, September 19 (release date)
• iPhone 6 – Tuesday, September 9 (reveal), Friday, September 19 (release date)
• iPhone 5S – Tuesday, September 10 (reveal), Friday, September 20 (release date)
• iPhone 5 – Wednesday, September 12 (reveal), Friday, September 21 (release date)

Based on those dates, we’d expect the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus reveal to take place on either:

• Tuesday, September 6
• Wednesday, September 7
• Tuesday, September 13
• Wednesday, September 14

And we’d expect the iPhone 7 release date to fall on either Friday, September 16, or Friday, September 23.

If we were forced to mark our calendars, we’d probably place our bets on September 14 and September 23 for reveal and release, but we can’t say for sure until Apple starts sending out invites.

Related: WWDC – What to expect

IPHONE 7 FEATURES – WHAT’S NEW ABOUT THE IPHONE 7?

One of the most obvious upgrades we’re sure to see with the iPhone 7 is the introduction of a new processor. It’s generally accepted that Apple’s A10 system-on-a-chip will feature in the new device, bringing with it assured improvements to processing and graphics.

It’s also looking very likely that Apple is going to abandon the 3.5mm headphone jack that you use to connect your headphones. Instead, users will be forced to plug in via the Lightning port, which will mean purchasing an expensive adapter for many, or using Bluetooth headphones. This is just a rumour, albeit one mounting in evidence, so don’t start flogging your lug-huggers just yet.

Camera upgrades are also a dead cert. There’s potential to finally get optical image stabilisation on the smaller iPhone 7, something reserved for Plus models only until now. We’re also likely to see improved low-light performance on both the iPhone 7 cameras.

And finally, it seems almost certain that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will both feature Apple’s upcoming – but not yet announced – iOS 10 software. It’s expected that the new software version will be revealed at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference, which will likely be held in June.

Related: Android vs iOS vs Windows 10 Mobile

SHOULD I WAIT FOR THE IPHONE 7?

If the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus aren’t hugely popular, we’ll eat our keyboards. Apple devices always command hype like no other, and so we don’t need to do much convincing for fans of the brand.

That said, Android is now a slick, powerful operating system that most will find as easy to use as iOS. And with formidable rivals like the Samsung Galaxy S7, LG G5 and Nexus 6P already available, the iPhone 7 is very much up against it.

What’s more, the iPhone 7 will be launching at a similar time to other expected handsets like the Samsung Galaxy Note 6 and Google’s Nexus 2016 handset(s).

^{The new Samsung Galaxy S7}

And if you’re a fan of iOS but hate the large 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch frames of flagship iPhones, you might want to consider the iPhone SE, Apple's new 4-inch smartphone. The iPhone SE was unveiled on March 21, 2016, and released to the public on March 31. It boasts a near-identical design to the iPhone 5S, and comes in 16GB and 64GB storage variants.

It’s worth a mention that the iPhone 7 doesn’t yet sound like it will offer significant upgrades over the iPhone 6S. So if you’ve got last year’s handset, you might want to wait for the inevitable “S” version next year. That said, it’s still early days, and attractive features are sure to leak out in the coming months. as well as sneak peaks at the new design.

Related: iPhone 7 Storage

IPHONE 7 VIDEOS AND IMAGES:

Though it’s still early days, we’ve already seen a handful of iPhone 7 video and image leaks.

First up is this iPhone 7 case video by prolific tech leak YouTube channel Unbox Therapy, in partnership with the reputable leaker Sonny Dickson:

We’ve also seen a couple of images rumoured to show off early versions of the iPhone 7 – and cases – as you’ll see below:

^{Via OnLeaks}

Via MacRumors

That last snap is particularly interesting. While we're unable to verify the image's legitimacy, MacRumors claims that it could be a pre-production dummy version of Apple's next iPhone. The shot reveals a number of possible iPhone 7 features:

• Three drill holes on the bottom – an iPad Pro-style Smart Connector?
• No antenna bands on the back
• A camera lens that is flush with the chassis
• No headphone jack on the bottom of the phone – has it been scrapped for good?
• Proportionally similar to the iPhone 6S, perhaps identical

Due to the nature of this leak, however, we should be cautious about drawing too many conclusions from it. Nonetheless, it's a solid depiction of all the iPhone 7 rumours to date, and is a likely representation of what the actual iPhone 7 will look like.

OnLeaks – which partnered with mobile comparison site uSwitch – recently leaked this schematic:

And another recent leak, this time from Chinese media social site Weibo, gives us a look at a claimed rose gold iPhone 7 prototype. We're not convinced of its legitimacy, but they're worth a look:

Thanks to all of these leaks, Dutch designer and animator Jermaine Smit was able to create a design concept video for the iPhone 7 Plus. Smit said: "It's a fast-made concept so it won't be my best. Sorry for that, but this is all I could manage in the time I had." Check it out:

IPHONE 7 SPECS

Details on iPhone 7 specs are still light at this point, but we’ve heard some early rumours nonetheless.

First up is the probable introduction of the A10 system-on-a-chip, the next generation of Apple’s custom-built processors. While it’s not clear what improvements will be in store, we’ll likely see power efficiency savings, increased performance, and a boost to graphical processing.

It’s also widely rumoured that Intel is courting Apple to supply the modems for the iPhone 7. Until now, Qualcomm has been the lead supplier for modems in Apple’s mobile devices, but Intel is said to have a 1,000-strong team of employees on the case. However, it’s worth noting that Qualcomm isn’t being entirely shut out; apparently, it will still make a significant share of the modems.

Related: Apple Watch review

The rumour is mostly interesting because of the suggestion that Apple is keen to reduce its reliance on Qualcomm. That’s a similar sentiment that’s reportedly held by senior Samsung officials, which explains the company’s recent push with its own Exynos processors. It’s said that Apple is looking to wean itself off third-party suppliers in the future too.

As far as other specs go, we’re not quite sure. The most recent round of iPhones featured 2GB of RAM, so we’d expect the same with the iPhone 7. After all, Apple has historically been very cautious and considered when it comes to arbitrary hardware upgrades.

You can read more about the prospects for iPhone 7 storage here.

IPHONE 7 DESIGN:

Apple is planning a major rethink of the iPhone design, at least according to top industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, of KGI Securities.

On April 18, Kuo issued guidance that Apple is hoping to differentiate the iPhone from rivals by adopting an "all-glass" design with an AMOLED screen.

This could mean that we'll soon see an end to the aluminium chassis that has featured on previous iPhones, as Kuo notes:

"If iPhone 7 still uses an aluminium casing in 2016, it will be the fifth year in a row that iPhone has done so, which means there is no longer a feeling of freshness to appeal to consumers. Also, a lot of Apple's (US) competitors are also adopting aluminium casings, which means iPhone no longer has a clear edge due to a lack of differentiation. On expectations that iPhone shipments will decline in 2016, we believe Apple will be more strongly motivated to use non-aluminium casings in 2017 in a bid to enhance the competitiveness of iPhone by offering an all-new form-factor design."

Unfortunately, Kuo expects that the all-glass iPhone won't actually arrive until 2017, which means this big change is more likely to appear in the expected iPhone 7S or iPhone 8.

Kuo also recently revealed that he believes the iPhone 7 won't have "many attractive selling points", putting a damper on prospects for this year's Apple flagship.

IPHONE 7 BATTERY LIFE:

The iPhone 6S uses a 1,715 mAh lithium ion battery, which Apple said offered 14 hours of talk time, 11 hours of video playback, and 10 days of standby time.

As the iPhone 7 isn’t expected to differ hugely from the iPhone 6S, it seems probable that a similar battery capacity will feature again.

However, we could see improvements to battery life, even if the battery capacity doesn’t change. That’s because it’s likely Apple will make some efficiency improvements with its A10 processor.

Still the Galaxy S7 has significantly increased the size of its battery so Apple may have to do something similar or risk being left behind in the battery life stakes.

IPHONE 7 SCREEN AND FEATURES

The most contentious rumour about the iPhone 7 is that Apple will remove the headphone jack. Several leaks seem to suggest that Apple will drop the 3.5mm audio jack on the next iPhone, forcing users to instead connect their headphones via the Lightning port. That means, of course, that you won't be able to use your existing headphones, unless they either support a Lightning connection, or you're willing to pay for an adapter.

One of the more compelling leaks came courtesy of Japanese magazine Mac Fan. The publication revealed supposed schematics for the iPhone 7, with no headphone jack in sight. Of course, it's impossible to verify such an image this early, so take it with due caution:

However, the death knell isn't necessarily sounding for the headphone jack. French tech site Nowhereelse – known for its regular mobile industry leaks – has published an image that seems to depict a Lightning cable assembly for the iPhone 7. The assembly is clearly different than the one built into the current iPhone 6S. But what's notable about the image is that a headphone jack features on the iPhone 7 assembly.

Nowhereelse claims to have acquired the image from an anonymous source posting to Chinese social media site Weibo. Unfortunately, we can't verify this image either. That's important, because the assembly pictured could quite easily be faked.

On the matter of connectors, a recently leaked image that depicted a never-before-seen iPhone showed a device with three dots near the base. Many speculated that this could be a Smart Connector.

But a more recent report suggests this image is false. According to Japanese Apple-centric news site Mac Otakara, Apple has "shelved" plans for a Smart Connector on the iPhone 7.

To date, the Smart Connector has only appeared on the ipad Pro. It's used to let the tablet connect to Apple's custom-built Smart Keyboard accessory. If Apple's next iPhone did feature a smart connector, it would likely serve a similar (if not identical) function.

Another rumour doing the rounds is that the iPhone 7 will come bundled with wireless Beats in-ear headphones. If this does happen we’d expect them to be Apt-Xcompatible so that audio quality isn’t significantly compromised by being compressed over Bluetooth.

Several leaks also appear to show the inclusion of dual-speakers on the bottom of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. However, as this rumour is based on early case renders, it’s tough to speak to the legitimacy of the claim.

In terms of sensors, we’re not expecting any huge departures from previous Apple handsets. For reference, the iPhone 6S featured a Touch ID fingerprint scanner, a barometer, a three-axis gyro, an accelerometer, a proximity sensor, and an ambient light sensor.

IPHONE 7 SOFTWARE: IOS 9 OR IOS 10?

The latest version of Apple’s iOS mobile software is iOS 9, which was released midway through 2015.

The OS update brought with it a number of improvements, including better multitasking for the iPad, and boosted Siri intelligence. It also introduced the Apple News platform.

^{Credit: Jermaine Smit}

But the iPhone 7 is unlikely to ship with iOS 9 on board. Instead, we’re expecting to see the upcoming iOS 10 debut on the iPhone 7.

Apple is expected to show off iOS 10 at its WWDC 2016. Unfortunately, we still don’t have a date for the event just yet, although it’s likely to fall in June.

We don’t really have many clues as to what changes Apple will introduce with iOS 10, but here’s what we’d like to see.

Related: Apple Watch 2 release date

IPHONE 7 PRICE:

As with the release date, the iPhone 7 price isn’t too tough to guess. After all, Apple tends to stick with similar mark-ups year in, year out.

Here are the UK launch prices for the most recent Apple handsets:

• iPhone 5 – £529
• iPhone 5S – £549
• iPhone 6 – £539
• iPhone 6S – £539

Based on those figures, we’d expect to see the iPhone 7 price fall around £539 for the base model.

However, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a slight price hike – perhaps £549? After all, the rival Samsung Galaxy S7 launched at £569, and Apple would be remiss to appear less premium than its South Korean competitor.

iPhone 6S Plus review

LIVING WITH THE IPHONE 6S PLUS

I’ve been using the iPhone 6S Plus since its release in September and my opinion of Apple’s most expensive phone has changed very little. This is the best ‘S’ version phone the company’s ever made.

Let’s start with everything it’s great at…

Related: iPhone 7 – Everything we know so far

The camera is a joy. It’s perfect for taking quick snaps and provides excellent photos with a realistic palette. I like my photos to have a colour tone that matches what I can see, but the camera app comes with plenty of filters if you like to pimp your pics.

Other phones are better in low light – in particular the Samsung Galaxy S7 which is a truly superb phone too.

The iPhone 6S Plus is also as snappy now as it was the first day I took it out of the box, even though I’ve loaded it with more apps than I’ll ever have time to use. This is a great phone for gaming – not least because the 5.5-inch screen provides plenty of pixel-packed real estate.

I’ve also come to love Live Photos. Initially I thought adding a little movement to images was a bit of a gimmick, but iOS updates have improved them and now you can upload to most social media apps. Movement also brings your gallery to life.

And while the IPS screen may not reach the heights of the OLED displays on the LG G5 and S7, it’s still plenty sharp and bright. I can happily read websites and emails even in the brightest sunlight. I also regularly find myself watching my favourite shows on the go.

The iPhone 6S Plus’s battery life is also solid. It’s definitely dropped from when it was brand new, when I’d regularly get home after a day at the TrustedReviews offices with more than 50% left. Now it’s more like 30%.

This may have to do with the battery losing some of its prowess after a few hundred recharges, but it’s more likely the fact that I use more apps with background services and that I game more (Top tip: Clash Royale is highly addictive). Regardless, this is still the iPhone to get if you value stamina, although surprisingly the diminutive iPhone SE also does a solid job. The 4.7-inch iPhone 6S is the weakest in this regard.

Related: How to improve iPhone battery life

There’s very little I don’t like about the iPhone 6S Plus, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect.

The design is still a little wanting. It’s sleek and easy to handle, but it doesn’t make a bold statement like the HTC 10, and neither does it manage to cram a big screen into a small body like many of its Android competitors.

There are also a few software issues that bug me. The main culprit is Spotlight search which often decides it doesn’t want to find an app I’m looking for, but the iPhone 6S Plus occasionally freezes when someone is calling me. Thankfully these annoying issues are rare.

Lastly, 3D Touch, a feature I used a lot at first, has fallen by the wayside. By pressing the screen harder you can get more menu items to appear which is useful, but for some reason I’ve ended up using it less and less as time’s gone on. It’s the exact opposite of Live Photos, which I now don’t want to live without.

IPHONE 6S LONG-TERM VERDICT

I’m still very happy with the iPhone 6S Plus. I’ve used a number of phones at the same time as conducting this long-term test and I still find myself reaching for the 6S Plus, mainly because of its ease of use and app library. It does everything you want it to with a minimum of fuss – important if you live a busy lifestyle and don’t particularly care about tinkering with your smartphone.

If you can handle its size and price then the 6S Plus is the iPhone I recommend. Go for the 64GB model, though – 16GB just isn’t enough. It's also worth remembering that the iPhone 7 is only a few months away.

Read on for the original iPhone 6S Plus review

Related: iPhone 8

WHAT IS THE IPHONE 6S PLUS?

The iPhone 6S Plus is Apple's second phablet, and like last year's model it's properly big.

The 5.5-inch screen is the biggest you can get on an iPhone and a massive step up if you're used to an iPhone 5S. It takes some getting used to.

Usually 'S' models of the iPhone tend to have a few small additions over the previous phone. This year, though, Apple has made some serious improvements to the iPhone 6S Plus that make it more interesting compared to what we've become accustomed to.

The 4S and 5S introduced useful additions, the first with Siri and the second with Touch ID. A few other performance improvements were thrown in for good measure.

These were good phones, but they didn’t particularly excite the imagination.

Related: iOS 10 release date

The iPhone 6S Plus looks to have gone down the same road, at first glance that is. It looks almost identical to last year’s phone barring a new Rose Gold colour.

Spend a little time with it, though, and you quickly realise that the iPhone 6S Plus comes with significant improvements in all the areas you’d expect and some you wouldn’t. So aside from a boost in performance, plus a better camera and build quality, we’ve also been treated to a potentially ground-breaking innovation – 3D Touch.

Just like the iPhone 6S this is a very good phone.

IPHONE 6S PLUS – DESIGN

158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm, 192g, Nano-SIM, aluminium 7000

If there's one are the iPhone 6S Plus could be stronger it's design.

Don’t get me wrong: This is a very well-made phone. Every part of it fits together beautifully, and Apple has ensured that there will be no more "bendy iPhone" complaints by using a new, much tougher aluminium for the body.

The lightly textured and slim handset is grippy, and surprisingly comfortable to hold for such a big phone. There are no awkward edges; just smooth, flowing curves that fit nicely in your palm.

The problem with the iPhone 6S Plus is the size of its top and bottom bezels. Where the LG G4 manages to cram a 5.5-inch screen in a body that's more phone-like rather than a phablet, the 6S Plus feels unwieldy.

The 6S Plus has a screen-to-body ratio of 68%, whereas the curved-screened 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ – the 6S’s closest competitor – has a ratio of almost 76%. That means more screen for its size.

It’s height takes a little getting used to as well. It took me around a week to get comfortable with the original Plus; others may find it just too big in hand and in pocket.

Apple is aware of this and so has included a feature that lets you drop what’s on screen closer to your thumb. Gently tap the home button twice and out-of-reach icons become instantly accessible.

It doesn’t solve everything – I still struggle to reach the bottom left corner of the screen with my right thumb – but it's a useful feature.

The 6S Plus is also heavy, 20g more so than the iPhone 6 Plus before it. The extra weight is due to the new Taptic Engine used with 3D Touch – and it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I like weighty phones – they feel more substantial; others might find it a little too cumbersome, however.

IPHONE 6S PLUS – 3D TOUCH AND SCREEN

1,920 x 1,080 pixels, 5.5-inch LCD IPS screen, Ion-X toughened glass, 3D Touch

The 6S Plus uses the same display as last year’s phone, and very good it is too.

The Full HD 5.5in screen is both bright (if a little dimmer than the last model at full brightness) and well balanced, with colours looking natural and contrast levels solid for an LCD.

Compare it with Samsung’s latest offerings and it pales in comparison, though. The Super AMOLED displays on handsets such as the Galaxy Note 5 are a class above when it comes to vibrancy, sharpness and black levels.

Even though the iPhone 6S Plus doesn’t have the best screen, it remains great. Besides, I'm increasingly seeing diminishing returns on phones display improvements. For example, having a higher-resolution QHD screen doesn’t equate to a huge difference in the user experience.

Apple’s latest innovation does, however.

I’m excited about 3D Touch, even though it’s currently limited to a handful of features. Let’s get started with what it is and what it can do.

The original iPhone was the first to feature a multi-touch screen and it revolutionised the way we interact with our phones. Pinching, zooming and swiping were all made possible, and it was one of the most intuitive interfaces ever – even toddlers could use it.

3D Touch takes it to the next level, bringing a whole new experience to the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus by cutting out swathes of extra presses. It gets you where you want to be in iOS 9 far more quickly.

3D Touch brings three levels of pressure sensitivity to the iPhone 6S Plus user interface, so if you press harder on the screen more options appear. At first the experience is a little odd.

I’m used to lightly touching a smartphone screen, so applying significant pressure feels wrong. Give it a day or two, though, and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

It works by using a pressure-sensitive display with a stronger, and more refined, Taptic Engine – the feature that makes your phone vibrate.

At the moment, 3D Touch is mostly limited to Apple apps. Touch the Camera app icon from the homescreen and, as you’d expect, the app opens. Press a little harder on the icon, though, and a host of new options appear. Want to go straight to the selfie mode? Or what about shooting slo-mo right away? They all spring to life with a heavier touch.

The Clock app lets you immediately create a new alarm or start the stopwatch, while the Maps app provides a quick setting to get you home, mark your location (so you don’t forget where you’ve parked) or send your location to a mate.

Hard press the spacebar when writing an email and the keyboard transforms to a touchpad, so you can easily move the cursor to a specific part of the message to sort out a typo.

It all sounds simple, and it is, but it's also a huge step forward in how you interact with apps. It’s a bit like having a right mouse button at your fingertips and it opens up a host of new possibilities.

Few third-party apps support 3D Touch at the moment, but don’t let that concern you. App developers now have access to 3D Touch, so you can expect a whole host of new features to soon appear on all your favourites.

There are a few that have taken advantage of the new feature already, and one of the best examples is the futuristic racer AG Drive.

It shows just how clever 3D Touch is. Controls aren't limited to just slow/fast – it’s actually analogue, so when it comes to accelerating your hovership, the harder you press, the faster you'll go.

It’s worth mentioning the curved-screened Galaxy S6 Edge+ here – after all, it’s the 6S Plus’ main competitor. The edges of the Samsung do make it achingly pretty, but they serve very little function. By contrast, 3D Touch provides zero visual excitement but plenty of great uses.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ has curved sides

Apple has improved the connectivity on the iPhone 6S Plus so that Wi-Fi is more reliable and faster than ever before. It also comes with 4G and the latest Bluetooth 4.2 standard. As always with iPhones, however, it lacks a microSD slot.

This means you'll need to carefully consider which version of the iPhone 6S Plus you'll opt for. The 16GB version (£619) really won’t stretch far at all – some photos, a few games and a bit of music and you’ll be clamouring for the delete key.

The 64GB version (£699) should be ample for most, with the 128GB 6S Plus (£789) perfect for those who like carrying a large movie or music library with them.

WHAT IS THE IPHONE 6S PLUS?

The iPhone 6S Plus (not to be confused with the upcoming iPhone 7) is Apple's second phablet, and like last year's model it's properly big.

The 5.5-inch screen is the biggest you can get on an iPhone and a massive step up if you're used to an iPhone 5S. It takes some getting used to.

Usually 'S' models of the iPhone tend to have a few small additions over the previous phone. This year, though, Apple has made some serious improvements to the iPhone 6S Plus that make it more interesting compared to what we've become accustomed to.

The 4S and 5S introduced useful additions, the first with Siri and the second with Touch ID. A few other performance improvements were thrown in for good measure.

These were good phones, but they didn’t particularly excite the imagination.

Related: iOS 10 release date

The iPhone 6S Plus looks to have gone down the same road, at first glance that is. It looks almost identical to last year’s phone barring a new Rose Gold colour.

Spend a little time with it, though, and you quickly realise that the iPhone 6S Plus comes with significant improvements in all the areas you’d expect and some you wouldn’t. So aside from a boost in performance, plus a better camera and build quality, we’ve also been treated to a potentially ground-breaking innovation – 3D Touch.

Just like the iPhone 6S this is a very good phone.

IPHONE 6S PLUS – DESIGN

158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm, 192g, Nano-SIM, aluminium 7000

If there's one are the iPhone 6S Plus could be stronger it's design.

Don’t get me wrong: This is a very well-made phone. Every part of it fits together beautifully, and Apple has ensured that there will be no more "bendy iPhone" complaints by using a new, much tougher aluminium for the body.

The lightly textured and slim handset is grippy, and surprisingly comfortable to hold for such a big phone. There are no awkward edges; just smooth, flowing curves that fit nicely in your palm.

The problem with the iPhone 6S Plus is the size of its top and bottom bezels. Where the LG G4 manages to cram a 5.5-inch screen in a body that's more phone-like rather than a phablet, the 6S Plus feels unwieldy.

The 6S Plus has a screen-to-body ratio of 68%, whereas the curved-screened 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ – the 6S’s closest competitor – has a ratio of almost 76%. That means more screen for its size.

It’s height takes a little getting used to as well. It took me around a week to get comfortable with the original Plus; others may find it just too big in hand and in pocket.

Apple is aware of this and so has included a feature that lets you drop what’s on screen closer to your thumb. Gently tap the home button twice and out-of-reach icons become instantly accessible.

It doesn’t solve everything – I still struggle to reach the bottom left corner of the screen with my right thumb – but it's a useful feature.

The 6S Plus is also heavy, 20g more so than the iPhone 6 Plus before it. The extra weight is due to the new Taptic Engine used with 3D Touch – and it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I like weighty phones – they feel more substantial; others might find it a little too cumbersome, however.

IPHONE 6S PLUS – 3D TOUCH AND SCREEN

1,920 x 1,080 pixels, 5.5-inch LCD IPS screen, Ion-X toughened glass, 3D Touch

The 6S Plus uses the same display as last year’s phone, and very good it is too.

The Full HD 5.5in screen is both bright (if a little dimmer than the last model at full brightness) and well balanced, with colours looking natural and contrast levels solid for an LCD.

Compare it with Samsung’s latest offerings and it pales in comparison, though. The Super AMOLED displays on handsets such as the Galaxy Note 5 are a class above when it comes to vibrancy, sharpness and black levels.

Even though the iPhone 6S Plus doesn’t have the best screen, it remains great. Besides, I'm increasingly seeing diminishing returns on phones display improvements. For example, having a higher-resolution QHD screen doesn’t equate to a huge difference in the user experience.

Apple’s latest innovation does, however.

I’m excited about 3D Touch, even though it’s currently limited to a handful of features. Let’s get started with what it is and what it can do.

The original iPhone was the first to feature a multi-touch screen and it revolutionised the way we interact with our phones. Pinching, zooming and swiping were all made possible, and it was one of the most intuitive interfaces ever – even toddlers could use it.

3D Touch takes it to the next level, bringing a whole new experience to the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus by cutting out swathes of extra presses. It gets you where you want to be in iOS 9 far more quickly.

3D Touch brings three levels of pressure sensitivity to the iPhone 6S Plus user interface, so if you press harder on the screen more options appear. At first the experience is a little odd.

I’m used to lightly touching a smartphone screen, so applying significant pressure feels wrong. Give it a day or two, though, and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

It works by using a pressure-sensitive display with a stronger, and more refined, Taptic Engine – the feature that makes your phone vibrate.

At the moment, 3D Touch is mostly limited to Apple apps. Touch the Camera app icon from the homescreen and, as you’d expect, the app opens. Press a little harder on the icon, though, and a host of new options appear. Want to go straight to the selfie mode? Or what about shooting slo-mo right away? They all spring to life with a heavier touch.

The Clock app lets you immediately create a new alarm or start the stopwatch, while the Maps app provides a quick setting to get you home, mark your location (so you don’t forget where you’ve parked) or send your location to a mate.

Hard press the spacebar when writing an email and the keyboard transforms to a touchpad, so you can easily move the cursor to a specific part of the message to sort out a typo.

It all sounds simple, and it is, but it's also a huge step forward in how you interact with apps. It’s a bit like having a right mouse button at your fingertips and it opens up a host of new possibilities.

Few third-party apps support 3D Touch at the moment, but don’t let that concern you. App developers now have access to 3D Touch, so you can expect a whole host of new features to soon appear on all your favourites.

There are a few that have taken advantage of the new feature already, and one of the best examples is the futuristic racer AG Drive.

It shows just how clever 3D Touch is. Controls aren't limited to just slow/fast – it’s actually analogue, so when it comes to accelerating your hovership, the harder you press, the faster you'll go.

It’s worth mentioning the curved-screened Galaxy S6 Edge+ here – after all, it’s the 6S Plus’ main competitor. The edges of the Samsung do make it achingly pretty, but they serve very little function. By contrast, 3D Touch provides zero visual excitement but plenty of great uses.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ has curved sides

Apple has improved the connectivity on the iPhone 6S Plus so that Wi-Fi is more reliable and faster than ever before. It also comes with 4G and the latest Bluetooth 4.2 standard. As always with iPhones, however, it lacks a microSD slot.

This means you'll need to carefully consider which version of the iPhone 6S Plus you'll opt for. The 16GB version (£619) really won’t stretch far at all – some photos, a few games and a bit of music and you’ll be clamouring for the delete key.

The 64GB version (£699) should be ample for most, with the 128GB 6S Plus (£789) perfect for those who like carrying a large movie or music library with them.

Samsung Galaxy S7 review

WHAT IS THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S7?

When I first picked up the Samsung Galaxy S7 I was underwhelmed. Was it simply going to be a minor update to the S6? After a few hours of use though I was won over. And even weeks later I’m still so impressed at how Samsung has made loads of minor changes that add up to create a fantastic phone.

HTC might have made wholesale changes with the HTC 10 and LG went all modular for the LG G5, but the Galaxy S7 stands atop the Android pile.

It looks sleeker than the iPhone 6S, has a better camera than the Nexus 6P and boasts a screen that leaves all the competition in the dust. It’s the most complete phone I’ve ever used.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S7 – DESIGN

After the massive, and much needed, change in design direction Samsung took with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge in 2015, all rumours pointed to things staying pretty much the same for the Galaxy S7.

Well, it’s not like Apple, HTC or Sony make drastic changes to their industrial design every year.

And that’s exactly the case here. Place the Galaxy S7 next to the S6 and you’d be hard pushed to instantly pick which one is which. Frankly, this doesn’t bother me in the slightest. The S6 was already one of the best-looking phones around, and the Galaxy S7 follows suit.

Both the front and back are covered in Gorilla Glass 4, while a metal rim snakes in between. Two volume buttons sit on one side, with a lock/standby switch on the other. It’s a clean look, with the back free from any markings aside from a Samsung logo.

The camera lens now sits just about flush with the glass body too. This might seem a small change, but it makes a big difference. I can now tap out an email with the phone flat on my desk without it jumping and rocking from side to side.

There is one notable design change on the back – the sides now curve ever so slightly, just like they did on the larger Galaxy Note 5, and it makes a huge change to how the Galaxy S7 feels. While the S6 felt harsh and rigid, the Galaxy S7 slips softly into my palm. It’s so much more ergonomic and makes picking it up off a flat surface much easier.

And the way the sides almost melt into the glass just looks damn cool. Good job, Samsung.

It’s an absolute fingerprint magnet, though. After a few minutes of use, the entire back becomes a grubby mess that needs wiping down with a microfibre cloth.

Along the top is the Nano SIM tray, which now holds a microSD slot, plus a microphone. The bottom houses the headphone socket, another microphone, a speaker and a micro USB port for charging.

That speaker is one of the few missteps on this phone. It’s downward-facing, gets easily blocked by my hands when playing a game and it sounds tinny and distorted at high volume. I guess front-facing speakers weren’t included so the screen surround could be kept minimal, but it’s still a disappointment when a speaker sounds this bad.

It had been suggested that Samsung would make a big switch to the new, reversible USB-C connector that’s already being used on the Nexus 6P, OnePlus 2 and LG G5, but it hasn’t.

To be honest, USB–C is more of a hindrance than a help at the minute. You can’t use any of the cables you’ve picked up over the years and it doesn’t necessarily mean faster charging. It does mean the S7 isn’t quite so future proof, though.

The front again has a clean look about it. The elongated home button still sits under the display, and it still juts out ever so slightly, rather than being concave like the iPhone’s. For me, this is a plus – it feels better pressing the Galaxy S7’s home button than the iPhone 6S’s – but a couple of the TrustedReviews team think otherwise. They’re wrong, of course, but it’s interesting how such a small design choice can split people.

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Housed inside the home button is a really fast and accurate fingerprint sensor that matches the iPhone 6S’s for speed, but it’s marginally slower than the Nexus 6P’s. That difference is minimal, though, and something you would only notice if you had the two side by side.

It’s clear from the Galaxy S7 that Samsung is listening to customer feedback and bringing back favoured features from the Galaxy back catalogue. MicroSD expansion is one, and IP68 water resistance is another.

The latter is by no means a vital feature, yet it’s impressive that it’s been added without any forced changes to the design. There are no flaps, there’s no added thickness and no extra space between the display and glass.

What does an IP68 rating mean? Well, you’ll be able to dunk the Galaxy S7 into 1m of water for up to 30 minutes without damaging the phone. Or, if you’re like Lil’ Wayne, you can douse it in multiple bottles of champagne. Obviously.

It’s become a cliche that phones get thinner and thinner each year, but that isn’t the case with the S7. It’s marginally thicker than its predecessor and has a nice weight to it. It feels dense and expensive, though not as delicate as you’d expect from a phone with glass on the front and back. I dropped it about four foot onto a hard floor and it survived without any problems.

Samsung has stuck with the same 5.1-inch display, there’s the Galaxy S7 Edge if you want something bigger, and it’s refreshing to have a flagship phone that feels this compact and easy to hold. It’s roughly the same size as the iPhone 6S, which only has a 4.7-inch screen, and much smaller than top-end devices from LG, Huawei and Google.

Coming from using the S7 Edge, I was initially a little underwhelmed by the Galaxy S7. It didn’t quite have that wow factor its curvier sibling does. But after a while it became my favourite phone to use on a daily basis. It feels great, is the perfect size and doesn’t make any sacrifices – aside from maybe the speakers – to get there.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S7 – DISPLAY

Close to perfection. That’s the best way to describe the display on Samsung’s Galaxy S7.

Not much has really changed from the outgoing S6, but this still holds up as the best screen on a smartphone.

It’s still a 5.1-inch QHD panel with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, and just like every Galaxy flagship so far, it uses Samsung’s Super AMOLED tech, rather than the more common LCD.

AMOLED displays are a lot better at showing off blacks than LCDs. Instead of looking slightly grey and washed out, the blacks here are inky deep. Some say AMOLED screens produce colours that are too oversaturated, so reds will look way brighter than they should, but that isn’t much of an issue here. And if you really prefer things toned down, there’s a picture setting for that.

Having so many pixels jammed into a relatively small space means you can’t really spot one pixel from another, and that sharpness makes everything from gaming to watching YouTube an absolute pleasure. Play a round of Alto’s Adventure or Monument Valley on this display and you’ll instantly be drawn in by the crisp details and vivid colour reproduction.

I wouldn’t normally watch a film on a screen this size, but the panel here is so gorgeous that I can’t help getting lost in it.

The one thing that has changed this time around is the addition of a new ‘Always-on’ display.

Due to the way AMOLED screens work, they don’t need to light up the whole display all of the time. They can select individual pixels and just show them, keeping everything else off. So, when the Galaxy S7 is locked it can still show the time, date and a couple of bits of other information on the screen without eating through too much battery.

It’s a nice touch, and great for quickly checking the time when the phone is resting on your desk or a bedside table. But it’s a good software update or two short of being really useful.

First off, it’ll only show notifications from a few apps – it’s currently limited to Samsung’s own Messages, Email and Phone. If you, like me, regularly use WhatsApp, Gmail and Facebook Messenger, none of these will appear. That’s a shame, and makes the notification side of things a lot less useful.

I’d also like a lot more control over the mode. There’s no setting to alter the brightness, which causes some problems when you’re in a darker room, and aside from choosing whether or not you want a calendar showing, there’s no customisation allowed.

It uses extra battery too. About 1-2% per hour, so 15% or so per day. It’s just about worth it, but it could be so much better.

My only gripe with the display on the Samsung Galaxy S7 is that, in sunny conditions, it can be quite hard to read – certainly more so than the LCD panel on the iPhone 6S. Even with the brightness jacked all the way up, you’ll have to tilt the screen or find some shade to stop yourself squinting at it.

Thankfully, unlike the Galaxy S7 Edge, it has great viewing angles and doesn’t suffer from white backgrounds getting tinged with blue.