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iPhone 7: Better camera, no headphone jack, for sale next week

Also: More battery life.

The Verge

Apple just unveiled the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus at an event in San Francisco. Some big changes, but no major surprises:

It has a better camera, including more color capabilities and better zoom. And the larger iPhone 7 Plus has a dual-lens system that makes nicer portraits with fancy-looking background blur.

It is, indeed, missing a headphone jack. Apple introduced a few new sets of wireless earphones, including new $159 wireless earbuds called “AirPods,” which charge in their case.

Apple’s standard EarPods that ship with each phone will now connect via the Lightning port. Everyone will also get a free adapter to work with other headphones.

Why ditch the age-old port? “The reason to move on” comes down to one word, Apple executive Phil Schiller said: “Courage.” Apple wants to move on and use that space for other things, so it is. “We believe in a wireless future,” design boss Jony Ive said in a promo video.

It’s now water resistant. Good news for you, good news for the Genius Bar.

It has better battery life. The most yet, Apple says. Specifically, the iPhone 7 has about 2 more hours of life per day than last year’s iPhone 6S. And the Plus has about an hour more than last year’s.

It has a brighter screen that shows more color. And a new home button. And a new, shiny “jet black” color. And more speed — it’s now 120 times faster than the original iPhone.

It costs the same as last year’s, with double the storage capacity. That’s starting at $649 for the iPhone 7 and $769 for the iPhone 7 Plus. Jet Black is only available in higher-capacity sizes.

The iPhone ships on Sept. 16 in 28 countries. Pre-orders start this Friday, Sept. 9.


Apple introduces the iPhone 7

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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