CREDIT: APPLE.COM
The new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are a tad similar to the iPhone 6, is the extra number truly worth the extra money?

Now that the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are out, we ask the biggest question: is the upgrade worth it?

It is no secret that the new iPhone is not a significant game changer in the cell phone world like the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, which was a complete rehaul of a phone compared to the S5 series.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has mentioned this multiple times and the phone shows that the differences between the 7 series and 6 are pretty minimal.

The design has been altered slightly with the antenna strips being moved to the top of the phone, and the camera bump on the rear increasing in size. The home button has also been slightly redesigned. The space grey color has been replaced by a jet black option, with the gold and rose gold colour still an available option.

The iPhone 7 has finally introduced IP 67 certified waterproofing, meaning you will be able to go swimming and take underwater pictures.

The retina display has not changed at all, still sporting an unimpressive 326 PPI screen. In contrast, Sony’s Z5 Premium almost triples that of the iPhone 7 for screen pixel sharpness. Like past models, Apple has been secretive with their hardware specs. It is easy to compare LG, Samsung and Sony phones as they all carry similar processors, however Apple uses their own.

The new A10 Fusion processor is said to be 40 per cent faster than the iPhone 6 and the GPU is said to be 50 per cent better than last years’ model. The battery life has also been extended by two hours.

These subtle changes would not convince me to upgrade, but Apple took one bold leap this year that will either help dramatically increase the sales or ruin its reputation for good. The headphone jack has been completely removed, a decision made in order to slim down the phone and to make waterproofing a realistic possibility.

Unfortunately for Apple, Sony has been waterproofing their phones for almost five years now and they have kept the headphone jack, only requiring a waterproof flap to cover the 3.5 millimetre hole when in water.

The phone has only been out for a few weeks now and the reception has been polarized with many praising the change and many ridiculing it.

Many fans found that the first iPhone 7 accessory after the wireless headphones, being a wired headphone adapter, to be extremely hypocritical and a red flag for Apple’s money grabbing intentions.

Only time will tell if this change will pave the way for the future of smartphones; for now, I would wait for the iPhone 8.