Can we do the same time twice?Last year, Apple presented the iPhone 6s, a smartphone with a very pronounced iPhone 6.But to justify this, Apple deployed an effective marketing message: "Only one thing to change: everything!This meant that the technical platform was very different and that many additions were made: better chipset, twice as much RAM, a best Isight sensor, a better facetime camera, an extended connection, a 3D touch screenand a new version of iOS.A "S" version in the purest of the traditions of the Cupertino firm, but also its habits with a biennual renewal.

An iPhone 7 very close to the iPhone 6S

This year, all rumors claimed that the iPhone 2017 would be very close to the 2016 iPhone, at least apparently.Hence some speculations on the name of this smartphone: iPhone 6ss, iPhone 7, iPhone 6se?It will ultimately be iPhone 7, Apple believing that the changes made, even if they are not aesthetic, deserve the change of generation.For our part, we doubt a little of that, as the technical specifications of the smartphone really correspond to a "S" version of the iPhone 6S.Not to mention the fact that the 2016 and 2017 iPhone dirts are very similar...Let's see the technical sheet:

There would be a lot to say about this technical sheet.Just remember that the GPU is logically an imagination technologies model (certainly Powervr 8XT).You will notice that great work has been done in the photo (front and back), with impressive results, as we will see.All storage levels have been doubled.RAM remains unchanged on the 4.7 -inch model.The screen too, even if colored calibration has been (theoretically) improved.The battery gains 14 % capacity.There are now two speakers.And the dimensions of the mobile do not change an iota.

A feeling of deja

Let's start this test with an owner's turn.As their dimensions suggest, the two smartphones are very close.Almost like two drops of water.We put side by side the iPhone 7 (in black) alongside its predecessor (here in sidereal gray version).And it emerges a strange impression of deja vu.First of all because the two phones look alike.But also because other phones released this year (we think for example of the Meizu Pro 6) adopted this chassis.As much therefore admit: the iPhone 7 is far from offering an unprecedented aesthetic.

At the front, we find a 4.7 -inch slab from an oleophobic mineral glass 2.5D.Under the screen is the new Touchid "button", even if this word no longer really corresponds to it.You will also notice Apple's care to create the visual illusion that nothing has changed by adopting precisely how to integrate Touch ID.While this is where one of the biggest changes is to be noted.Above the screen is always the telephone earphone, flanked on its left of the webcam facetime.A sensor that does not give the impression of having changed.And yet...

At the rear, the biggest change is the disappearance of the horizontal bands where the antennas are housed.From now on, the bands follow the back of the back of the phone, but always cut the side slices in the same places.Another visible change: the photo sensor.It is always protruding (which is generally fun), but it is wider (offering a greater opening) and its outline is now protected by the case of the phone (a bit like a volcano).To its right, the microphone for active noise reduction is always present, as well as the flash, which no longer has two, but four LEDs.Logos and markings have not moved.

3.5 mm adapter supplied

Let's go to the slices.The one on the right is identical to that of the iPhone 6S, while the one on the left is similar to a small detail: the space between the two volume control buttons is now full and no longer dug in the aluminum shell.To the touch, the pimples hang very slightly less when you pass your finger from one to the other.But this is a detail that will only interest the owners of an iPhone 6s.

The upper edge is virgin, like last year.Finally, let's observe the one at the bottom.As announced, the iPhone 7 no longer has 3.5 mm jack and a second loudspeaker.The earpods helmet supplied with is compatible with lightning.And if you have a traditional helmet, an adapter is provided in the box.Behind this second grid hides the microphone and not the second speaker indicated above.The latter is located under the aluminum shell, to the left of the LED flash.

The handling of the smartphone is very similar to that of the last two iPhone, as much to be honest.A note that we are making ourselves more and more often lately: iPhone se similar to the iPhone 5S, iPhone 7 similar to the iPhone 6S, which was already very close to the iPhone 6.It has been a long time since Apple has not renewed the design of these products.And when you know that the Cupertino firm only comes out two or three per year, the impression of deja vu is really tenacious.

A truly revolutionary touch button

However, there are two small remarks on this subject.The first concerns the Touch ID button.As we have pointed out, this element is visually identical, but technically very different.It is not a mechanical button, but a touch surface with pressure sensor that imitates its behavior.If you are currently owning an iPhone and you unlock your phone with Touch ID (not the ignition button on the edge), you will quickly see the difference: it's faster.

Second remark, always about the start -up, Apple configured by default the awakening of the mobile in the event of a mobile enclosure in the hand.Take the phone and it lights up on its own.No need to press Touch ID to consult the new gadgets on the iOS 10 lock screen which we will talk about very quickly.

Before that, let's talk about the screen.This is an IPS slab whose size and definition have not changed for two years.Better yet, the resolution has not changed from the iPhone 4: 326 pixels per inch, which corresponds more or less to a 720p screen in competitors.We would tend to think that it is high time that a real revolution occurs in this area, even if the IPS panel offers very good characteristics here: vision angles, contrast, light in full light, etc..Compared to the iPhone 6s, the colors of the iPhone 7 seem to be drawn to yellow.This sometimes lacks a little bit of competition with competition which offers resolutions greater than 400 pixels per inch (not to mention Samsung and 577 pixels per inch of the Galaxy S7).On the other hand, we note that the colors are actually more vibrant than last year, the result of the improvement in colorimetric management.

iOS 10: widgets, widgets and widgets

Once on, we arrive in iOS 10.An improved version of iOS 9 that you may have learned to know about the previous smartphones, but which here fully benefits from all the technological advances integrated into the iPhone 7.In practice, all the menus and all the windows present in the previous version of iOS are back here.The interface reception is always placed in the same place (on the left left screen, except that dedicated to Siri).The panels are created one after the other as the panels are filled.

Unlike Android, it is not possible to freely choose the location of icons.By sliding a finger down from the middle of the screen, the overall search appears.Its use is identical that of iOS 9.By sliding a finger down from the top of the screen, you open the notifications panel.In the latter, there are now the enriched notifications of iOS 10.By sliding to the left or right, you access the two panels of the notifications shutter: those past (right), with missed messages and calls for example, and those present and future (left), with your nextappointment, news, weather, stock market, etc..Visually, this panel is richer and more complete.

By sliding your finger from the bottom of the screen up, you open as always the quick configuration shutter.The latter has also evolved since the controls of the musical application were deported to a second panel (right), leaving more space to Night Shift, Airdrop and Airplay.By finally sliding your finger from the left edge to the center, you have access to the Siri pane, deployed in iOS since 2015.This panel corresponds to the tab today of the notice of notifications that we have just seen.Other widgets are accessible there, as well as the overall search engine.

Uninstallable system applications

Two changes in iOS 10 drew our attention.First, some application shortcuts accessible with 3D Touch (forced support on the screen) are now dynamic.It is no longer just a shortcut to access a function.Press weather to display the city forecasts where you are, without opening the application.Same thing with scholarship, note, plans, etc..Second change, widely mentioned at the last WWDC conference: widgets on the lock screen.Thanks to these widgets, dynamic and interactive, it is no longer necessary to unlock mobile to quickly access a lot of information.Which does not mean that it is possible to respond to a message without unlocking the mobile...Obviously, the developers were invited to take advantage of this functionality.

A last point on the interface, which has not changed much, but has grown considerably: preinstalled applications.Their number has not dropped.On the contrary, there is even one news: "house".This is the central hub where you can control all the compatible Homekit domotic devices.There are already a few in the trade, but their number will certainly increase considerably in the future.Also note that old applications have also been improved: photos, plans, music, etc..We have inserted an anthology of some of them.

If the number of preinstalled applications has not dropped, Apple, however, completed a share of the promise made last spring: finding a solution to lower the imprint of unused applications in the internal memory (which is not expandable).Now a very large part of these applications can be deleted.Those who will not move are: photos, camera, clock, wallet (for Apple Pay), app store, health, settings, telephone, message and safari.All the others can disappear, even Apple Music, Facetime, Apple Plans, iTunes Store, etc..

Even more fluid, even more powerful

In use, the iPhone 7 offers fluidity and ease similar to those of the previous iPhone.No surprise: there is no slowdown, no forgotten tapping, no calls for Siri without response (even if sometimes the answer does not correspond to the one you expect).In short, no bad surprises.For those who currently have an iPhone, you will certainly need a few minutes of adaptation to master the new "Home" button, but hardly more.Especially since, this "home" button, you will tend to use it less than before, since the iPhone lights up itself if you take it in your hand...

Behind this fluidity hides the most powerful current mobile platform, without the shadow of a doubt.As a reminder, the iPhone 7 is based on an A10 fusion chipset, with two Hurricane dual-core clocked at 2.34 GHz and an unknown graphics processor, but certainly from Imagination Technologies.The whole is supported by 2 GB of RAM and optimized by Apple which once again shows a good mastery of the entire value chain: components, platform, operating system.The result is final: on Antutu, the smartphone reaches 177869 points, 35 points better than the best of smartphones under Snapdragon 820.

On Basemark OS II, he obtained 3439.This is the first smartphone to exceed 3000 points since we started technical tests with this tool.And only the OnePlus 3 exceeds 2500 points.That is to say the difference in level.Finally, on 3dmark, we obtained scores between 20 % better on Icetorm Unlimited than those of OnePlus 3 and Xperia XZ.On Slingshot is, the advantage of the iPhone 7 is less obvious, since it is overtaken by these same two smartphones.If the GPU Adreno holds therefore supports the comparison with the GPUs of Imagination Technologies, those of Arm, the Mali, are far from equaling them, even with high -end configurations at 12 hearts, as in the exynos 8890 of the GalaxyS7.

Similar fun and multimedia experience

Of control therefore and performance.This is a perfect combination to offer a smartphone capable of everything, with an increase up compared to the iPhone 6s, thanks to better battery and powerful components, but less delicious.A triple good news therefore, which is felt almost in all uses, be it those of everyday life or in multimedia.Which obviously brings us to video games.And at Dead Trigger 2, our standard application.We were obviously charmed by the fluidity of the game, the iPhone 7 delivering here an experience very close to that of the iPhone 6s, to a detail: the sound.

Because, the iPhone 7 is provided with two speakers and no longer a single.The telephone earphone caches a second, while the haptic engine seems to take the role of a bass box.Or a system emulation 2.1 rather powerful and coherent, offering a qualitative sound atmosphere not only for player (at Dead Trigger 2 or Final Fantasy IX, for example...), or to watch a film or a series without having to put on a helmet.A very good news.Especially since in the absence of a 3.5 mm jack port, the use of a wired helmet is not always practical.A dongle that is lost.An unoccupied Lightning port because the smartphone is in charge.Etc.

Same video impression: the sound provided by the two speakers is powerful and clear, even if it is not particularly "enveloping".Watching a movie or a series without headphones is no longer hearing torture.It is obviously necessary to transmit your videos on the iPhone 7...Itunes may evolve over time (clearer, simpler, more complete), it remains the main multimedia barrier of Apple smartphones.A defect that has not lost its radiance over time, on the contrary, especially since content has become a present and future growth lever for the Cupertino firm.No question therefore to make life easier for those who download films, legally or not.

Always very balanced in photo

Finally finish with photography.As a reminder, the iPhone 7 uses an Isight 12 megapixel sensor, as with the iPhone 6S.However, there are many improvements.Indeed, it is associated with three new elements: an optical stabilizer, previously reserved for the phablet version, a True-Tone flash with four LEDs (and no longer two) and a new lens whose opening goes from F/2.2 to f/1.7.This is always protected by a synthetic sapphire glass.The positioning of Apple vis-à-vis the photo is therefore similar to that of Samsung: not necessarily more megapixels on the clock, but more brightness, more contrast and less blurs due to the trembling of the user of the user.Results ?

First the positive points.The result is excellent, without being better than that of the Galaxy S7 or the iPhone 6s.The colors are respected and the brightness is good, even in the darkest corners.The photo is balanced, without any false note: the alley is lit and the clouds well drawn.We notice less waste in our photographs: the optical stabilizer finally offers what to compensate for the uncontrollable movements of the arms or the body.So much so that there is less need to start each photo again.On the other hand, we also notice two small faults.First, there is grain that forms when you zoom zoom.Then it lacks a bit of contrast.Of course, this very rainy scene does not help to reveal the real qualities of the sensor.Especially since we are tatillons.So see the beautiful result in the middle of the night below...

The iPhone remains the iPhone...

In conclusion, the iPhone 7 is an excellent smartphone from competition.Widely above technically, with an ideal grip, the iPhone 7 offers an unparalleled balance between hardware and software.Optimized to excess, this smartphone manages to offer more with an apparently less good technical sheet.But Apple chose each component to ensure power and autonomy, learning on the one hand from Qualcomm for the composition of the chipset and Samsung for the photo or the memory.We are also charmed by the choice of the false touch button ID tactile, more solid than the mechanical button for previous years.The iPhone therefore remains the iPhone.There is no doubt about it.

However, we have three regrets vis-à-vis this phone, and none concerns the 3.5 mm jack port.First, it is more and more expensive, which is less and less justified.The value for money is less and less good, especially when it is placed against the OnePlus 3T, a credible competitor and 300 euros less expensive.Then we regret that the first storage level, marketed 769 euros, offers only 32 GB of memory.Faced with competition which offers two or four times more at the same price, Apple demonstrates that mercantilism has become its first priority (and not customer satisfaction).Especially since the "free" package of iCloud does not counterbalance at all.

...Maybe even a little too much?

Finally, let's face that the iPhone 7 is clearly an "iPhone 6ss".There are, at best, as much new features in the iPhone 7 vis-à-vis the iPhone 6s, as innovations between the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6.We would have liked a new proposal that is seen and that is felt in hand.If you have an iPhone 6s, we do not recommend changing your mobile.And if you have an iPhone 6, this is not necessarily justified either...And this is the first time that it happens to think that.