Hands-on with the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus

This year’s new iPhones are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. They look and feel similar, but they also boast some interesting new features. Our news piece about the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus covers the basics, so that’s a good place to start if you are reading about the new iPhones for the first time.

In terms of design, the big news is that there’ll be new colors, otherwise the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus look and feel very similar to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 Plus. Gone is Space Gray as Apple is finally bringing back “proper” black. The two new colors are Jet Black and Black. Jet Black is essentially black but with a high gloss finish that is really nice, but also extremely susceptible to finger prints. Black, on the other hand, is just the matte equivalent of Jet Black. Of the two, Jet Black is easily the more attractive, but if you want something less “bling” and more low-key, Black isn’t a bad option either. The other three colors are Silver, Gold and Rose Gold, which are also available on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. And in terms of actual dimensions and w

The other major design changes is the Home button. It’s now a Force Touch button like the Force Touch trackpads on newer Mac notebooks. It doesn’t actually move, but vibrants to trick users into thinking that it’s clicking like a button. Apple says this improves reliability and durability.