I know, blah blah blah the new iPhone 7 is out. We sat around at work and watched the familiar old spiel as Apple played super cool, well-lit videos of their latest digital love child. I have to admit that as I watched, there were a few things I found to be noteworthy. Let’s jump right into the iPhone 7 features that I like as an outdoor enthusiast.
1. IP67 water resistance.
I hate taking pictures on the dock. It makes me crazy because I’m pretty sure it’s going in the drink. I don’t have to worry about that any more because now it’s waterproof for up to 30 minutes in 1 m of water. Awesome.
2. It has two 12 megapixel cameras – one for wide angle and one for telephoto.
Are you kidding me? This is awesome for snapping pics all day outside. Well, awesome for everyone but people who make clip-ons that give you those advanced types of shots.
3. A longer battery life.
Yes, I like shooting video and pictures on my phone, and longer battery life will be nice for that. But the most crucial thing I use my phone for in the outdoors is navigation. Two more hours of battery life than my iPhone 6 means less stress when I’m exploring five miles away from the campsite.
4. Bluetooth ear buds are a better fit for an active lifestyle.
Listen, I’m just as crabby as everyone else about the loss of the 1/8th inch headphone jack. It means that I’ll have to find some stupid adaptor to use my beloved Bose noise cancelling headphones on the plane. That said, I’m ok with being nudged into the bluetooth world. They’re nicer for hiking and exploring anyway. No more reaching to get something and popping the cord out of your phone.
5. Two speakers for twice the volume.
Of all the new iPhone 7 features, this one was lowest on the list. Still, it will be nice for spinning a track here and there or for watching stupid videos with my buddies in the back seat on road trips. The iPhone 6 speaker does happen to be pretty quiet. I’ll take it.
