One of Apple's most advanced phone to date, the iPhone 7 Plus, has now been opened and dissected. Consumer electronics repair company, iFixit, began tearing the device down as of this writing and is methodically posting its discoveries during the entire process. The following are the best bits so far.
The iPhone 7 Plus has a significantly bigger battery, which could partly explain why the headphone jack was eliminated. It purportedly is 5 percent larger than the one found in the iPhone 6s Plus. The new model has 2,900 mAh capacity as opposed to the older 2,750 mAh found in its predecessor. These figures are significant as they support Apple's claim that the iPhone 7 Plus has 1 hour longer battery life. The folks at iFixit noted that it has 3.82 V rating.
Going back to the headphone jack: a bigger Taptic Engine has been installed in its place. This is the module that produces the vibration within the device and the increase in its dimension could indicate Apple's intention to enhance feedback. This is also behind the haptic feedback system in the current Home button, which simulates push movement in a real button. An early hands-on review show that there are several haptic feedback modes, ranging from the really light to a highly responsive vibration.
There is also a faux speaker port, which is situated near the Lightning connector. This is still part of the components that occupy the space of the old headphone jack.
The camera module also proved interesting as it confirmed the inclusion of the two separate sensors (one for the wide angle, the other for telephoto), with the two optical image stabilizers and, as expected, a pair of new lenses. The imaging sensors have excited fans because Apple is claiming that it has 60 percent faster performance while managing 30 percent better energy efficiency. During the teardown, iFixit speculated that the optical image stabilization is induced by the four magnets located around one camera.
More details about the logic board were also discovered. These include the embedded Apple A10 Fusion processor, the 3 GB Samsung RAM, an LTE module from Qualcomm and other connectivity components.
All in all, the process did not yield any earth-shaking discovery. iFixit did found that Apple reinforced the device with stickier adhesives and built additional screws to keep everything together, which naturally did not deter the technicians one whit.
iFixit will also tear down the iPhone 7 and the Apple Watch Series 2, thereafter.
The iPhone 7 Plus appears to be the most popular of three latest Apple devices. Apple's supply was immediately depleted after it went on sale last Sept. 9.
Photo: iPhone Digital | Flickr
