We’re getting close to the launch of the iPhone 7, which is due on 7th September, so I thought I’d give you five reasons why I don’t want to buy an iPhone 7.
I think the latest range of iPhones will be desirable when we learn what they actually are like, which is why I published five reasons why I would want to but an iPhone 7 when they become available in the UK.
From what we know about these phones from the many rumours that have been swirling around over the last few months, it seems that Apple are only making small improvements to their existing phones, rather than leaping ahead with ground breaking technological enhancements.
This is why I have the following doubts about selling my Android phone and becoming an iPhone 7 owner in the near future.
Price and Value
We don’t yet know what the price of the new iPhones will be, but as there is always a premium to pay for Apple products you can bet that they will be priced at the top end of the market.
Well done Apple for conditioning consumers into paying top dollar for entry into their ownership club!
I doubt that Appe will be reducing their prices for the new iPhones, so it is probably safe to assume that an iPhone 7 will be priced around the cost of an iPhone 6S (£539 on the Apple store for the 16Gb version). The iPhone 7 Plus will probably be listed at £619, which is how much the entry level 6S Plus currently costs.
To me, if true, these prices look expensive when compared with the competition. A Samsung S7 can be bought for £546 on Amazon.co.uk.
Don’t forget that the Samsung has 32GB, an AMOLED display and a whole heap more technical advances than the 6S, but hopefully the iPhone 7 will creep beyond the S7 with features.
So it is undeniable that iPhones are expensive, and represent poor value, compared to other flagship phones. Of course iPhones hold their value well when sold secondhand, so that can reduce their cost of ownership.
Screen
For some reason, and if the rumours are true, Apple seems to be clinging onto its backlit LCD displays rather than switching to AMOLED display technology. The iPhone 6S doesn’t even have a 1080P display, although it is expected that the iPhone 7 will be endowed with this resolution – there will be howls of pain, anguish and dispair throughout the internet if 1080P screens are not implemented in the new iPhones!
The problem for iPhone lovers is that 1080P screen resolutions, particularly in LCD displays, are starting to look dated. Technology has marched on so just as Apple releases its new products, Samsung and others will be launching their new ranges soon and they are already equipped with 1440 x 2560 displays!
Wireless Charging
Most of the flagship phones have wireless charging, which is a great feature. I haven’t come across any rumours about this charging method being built into the iPhone 7 range, though.
Let’s hope that Apple have grasped the nettle and have equipped the iPhone 7 phones with wireless charging. It will emphasise how far Apple are lagging behind the competition if this feature is omitted.
Having to buy new earphones
It is well documented that the new iPhones almost certainly use wireless headphones. I think this is a step forward because it will make listening through earphones far more convenient and comfortable as you won’t have the wires to worry about.
As an aside, I hope that there is some sort of encryption so that you don’t suddently start listening to the obscure musical tastes of your fellow passengers during the morning commute!
As good as wireless earphones are (hopefully), it is causing consternation, because current iPhone owners will have to bin their wired earphones and headphones and fork out for wireless ones. More money for Apple, and yet more costs for iPhone 7 adopters.
Memory
Why does Apple insist on supplying their smartphones without micro SD slots? As we all become more dependent on our hand held devices for everyday computing, apps are gettinng more powerful and data hungry and data storage is becoming more important.
Rumours indicate that the basic iPhone 7 will now be equiped with 32GB, which is a big improvement over the entry level 6 series, however most Android flagships have 32GB already with the ability to extend that up to 128GB and beyond with low cost micro SD cards.
It doesn’t take many 4K video recordings to munch through gigabytes of data so if smartphones are to be used for high resolution video, then large storage capabilities are vital. Extensible memory seen in even low cost Android phones still trumps the fixed memory offerings in iPhones.
I feel more comfortable buying a phone that will not run out of storage, no matter how many videos I shoot with it. The iPhone 7 is not that phone, even with a base of 32GB!
So what do you think?
We don’t have long to wait until rumours turn into facts (or not). I am convinced that the iPhone 7 range will be a big hit for Apple and there will be huge levels of interest in the announcements on September 7th.
But iPhone sales are falling – probably because of many of the concerns expressed in this article – and the competition, particularly from Samsung, is getting stronger. The iPhone 7 will have to be very good to halt the decline, and it will have to be very good to convince me to switch back to Apple smartphones.
At the moment, I’m not convinced, but what do you think? Are you ready to ditch your phone and buy an iPhone 7, maybe because you want the latest tech, or because its time to upgrade an ageing iPhone 5? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
