Lock maker Schlage recently updated its iOS app to introduce compatibility between the company's Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt and Apple's new Home app in iOS 10. Once users update the Schlage Sense app in the iOS App Store, the smart deadbolt can be added into Home, and subsequently controlled via Control Center and voice commands through Siri.
The update also brings push notifications whenever the deadbolt is locked or unlocked, and ultimately makes "it easier for users to keep an even closer eye when their lock is used," according to Schlage. Within the Schlage Sense app, users can manage access codes, change lock settings, view the last 100 times the lock was used, receive installation help, and contact customer service.
An update to the Schlage Sense app is now available in the App Store which allows the Schlage Sense lock to work in tandem with iOS 10’s new Home app. This integration provides users with a centralized platform to access their favorite HomeKit-connected devices alongside their Schlage Sense deadbolt. Through this update, all iOS users (9.3 and above) will also receive push notifications when their deadbolt is locked and unlocked. These updates make it easier for users to keep an even closer eye when their lock is used.
The Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt also has a touch keypad so anyone with an access code -- with up to 30 storable codes available at a time -- can gain entry into a home without the Schlage or Home app. The system is available on Schlage's website for $229.00, and the Schlage Sense app can be downloaded for free from the App Store. [Direct Link]
A few shows on The CW have beguntweeting out a confirmation that the network's Apple TV app will arrive sometime "next week," along with apps on Roku, Chromecast, Xbox, and Amazon Fire TV (via iDigitalTimes). The hint of an incoming Apple TV app was discovered last week, but an official Apple TV app for The CW -- and not just the clip-based "Seed" platform -- has been in the works for over three years. The Apple TV app will also support AirPlay.
"Every show on The CW" will be available to watch on the app, which will also be free and require no login or cable subscription to access its content. Previously, The CW shows premiered on Hulu the day after they aired, but a new deal with Netflix will have entire seasons available to stream a few days after season finales air. That still left viewers without a cable subscription, who prefer to keep up with a show weekly, out to dry.
The new app should help alleviate that problem, since all of its biggest shows will be available to watch, including Supergirl, The Flash, Jane The Virgin, Arrow, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, iZombie, Supernatural, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, The 100 and The Originals. Catching up on previous seasons won't be the focus of The CW's app, however, as it appears only the "latest episodes" will be showcased.
Users interested can opt in to be notified when the Apple TV app becomes available to download through a form on The CW's website.
Vietnamese website Tinhte has shared a teardown of Apple's new Lightning EarPods and Lightning-to-3.5mm headphone jack adapter included in the box with iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The video confirms that, as expected, each accessory is equipped with a small digital-to-analog converter.
The chip in the adapter, labeled 338S00140 / A0MU1621 / TW, does not have branding for any particular manufacturer, but Apple typically sources its audio-related chips from Cirrus Logic, which produces digital-to-analog converters. The chip in the EarPods is nearly identical, with a label of 338S00140 / A0QK1623 / TW.
The inclusion of a digital-to-analog converter, or DAC for short, enables both the new EarPods and traditional analog headphones with 3.5mm jacks to function over the Lightning connector, which delivers digital audio. The tiny chip is protected by a metal shield and two layers of plastic.
Apple controversially removed the 3.5mm headphone jack on iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, forcing customers to use a growing selection of Lightning-equipped headphones like Apple's own EarPods, wireless Bluetooth headphones, or traditional headphones connected via the Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter.
Apple has announced its all-new store in Birmingham, England, located at 128 New Street, opens on Saturday, September 24 at 9:00 a.m. local time. Apple's nearby Bullring Shopping Centre store will permanently close on Friday, just one week after customers lined up for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
Apple Birmingham under renovations via MacRumors reader Barry Rimmer
Apple has taken over a six-story building recently vacated by British bookstore Waterstones, and originally built in 1879 for Midland Bank.
Major planning documents for the inside of the 20,000-square-foot former banking hall were submitted to the Birmingham City Council last year, and renovations have been in progress for the past several months. Apple's logo and the grand opening date were added to a construction barrier outside of the building last week.
Apple Store at nearby Bullring Shopping Centre
Apple Bullring opened in April 2005, and like many of its earlier locations, it is now too small and narrow to accommodate for increased foot traffic. Apple is in the process of relocating several of its retail stores to larger spaces, based on the company's next-generation retail design language inspired by Jony Ive.
Apple has hired Toronto healthcare doctor Mike Evans "to help chart the future of family medicine" at the company, although the specifics of his role have not been disclosed (via CBC).
Evans was said to catch Apple's attention through a series of videos he's posted on his YouTube channel, called DocMikeEvans, where he narrates discussions about health and mindfulness topics over cartoon characters.
Evans previously held a position as a staff physician at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, and is said to already have started his "digital health care work" at Apple. For the time being, he plans to communicate between his home of Toronto and Cupertino, while his son finishes high school. Apple had already approached Evans about a position at the company, which he turned down the first time, but said he eventually was won over by the company's messaging.
"I think why they are engaging me is the messaging," Evans told Matt Galloway on CBC's Metro Morning on Monday. "We're searching for consistency, not perfection."
"It's exciting. It's a bit nauseating and anxiety-provoking. We love Toronto but it's a chance to live another chapter of our lives somewhere else. I'm super-excited."
Evans' hiring also aligns with Apple's recent push into healthcare initiatives, especially with the doctor's beliefs on how technology can help with the treatment of sick individuals. Eventually, he sees a future where apps are "prescribed" to help guide patients through their prescription routine, diagnosis, and even diet, so as to balance out how little doctors see each patient throughout the year.
"What happens now is I see you. Let's say you have high blood pressure. I prescribe you a pill for that. I see you two or three times a year," he said.
"In future, I'll prescribe you an app. One of our whiteboards will drop in and explain what high blood pressure is. The phone will be bluetoothed to the cap of your pills. I'll nudge you towards a low salt diet. All of these things will all happen in your phone. I see you two or three days a year. The phone sees you everyday."
It's easy to see how his ideas could potentially fit into Apple's HealthKit platform, bolstered by apps on both the iPhone and even Apple Watch. Apple is continually trying to push itself to help customers live healthier lives, which it's begun to do through company acquisitions, new advertisements, and the announcement of the fitness-focused Apple Watch Series 2. Earlier in the year, CEO Tim Cook discussed Apple's push into the "next frontiers," including health initiatives, on Mad Money.
Google has announced it is updating its Photos app to make sharing photos and videos faster, with a new movie-making feature based on creative concepts also on the way.
Usually, Google Photos users who want to share photos in the app have to call up the iOS Share Sheet and select which app to share through. Photos now offers an arguably faster alternative to that, with a new option that lets users select individual people they want to share media with instead.
If the people selected are on Google Photos they get a notification. If the user opts to share by phone number, people get a link to the photos and video via SMS, while email addresses get sent a link from Google Photos.
In addition, Google is bringing movie 'creative concepts' to the app that are similar to the Memories feature found in Apple's Photos app on iOS 10.
Photos already features automatically generated movies made from users' recently uploaded photos, but the update is introducing new themed movie concepts, such as watching kids grow up, capturing good times during the summer, and for formal events like weddings.
Google says it's rolling out the updates today, with the first movie 'creative concepts' coming this week, and more on the way.
HTC today announced two new mid-range Android smartphones, a budget-oriented model called the Desire 10 Lifestyle and a more capable, more expensive handset called the Desire 10 Pro.
The Lifestyle model is a 5.5-inch device with a 720p Gorilla Glass display, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 2GB or 3GB RAM, 16GB or 32GB expandable storage, a 13-megapixel f/2.2 rear camera, 5-megapixel f.2.8 front-facing camera, and 24-bit Hi-Res sound certified by Dolby Audio.
The Pro handset is the same size and has the same storage capacity options and audio features, but comes with a 1080p display, 64-bit Octa-core MediaTek Helio P10 processor, 3GB or 4GB RAM, a 20-megapixel f/2.2 camera with laser autofocus, a 13-megapixel f.2.2 front-facing camera with selfie panorama, and a fingerprint reader.
The two "Art Deco" inspired phones – which include a headphone jack – are matte plastic with a metal trim, and take design cues from the HTC 10, the company's flagship smartphone for 2016, coming on the heels of last year's HTC One M9 device. Both phones will be available in black, white, light blue, and dark blue.
HTC's new Desire 10 range represents the company's attempt to compete below Samsung's and Apple's flagship high-end smartphones, in a cheaper market segment populated by devices like the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus.
HTC says the handsets will be released exclusively in Europe to begin with, with the Lifestyle available from today and the Pro model coming in November. Prices are as yet unconfirmed for the latter model, but the Lifestyle costs £249, which converts to around $325.
Some MacRumors readers may remember HTC was forced to deny claims last year that the company's flagship One A9 copied the iPhone. Apple declined to comment on the claims, but has taken legal action against Samsung for perceived copying in the past.
iPhone 7 Plus models in select storage capacities and colors, sans Jet Black models, are available for reservation at select Apple retail stores in California, Florida, New York, and some other states as of the time this article was published. iPhone 7 models continue to be more widely available.
Apple Century City in Los Angeles, for example, currently has 128GB iPhone 7 Plus models for AT&T and Verizon in Rose Gold available for reservation at 4:00 p.m. local time. Similarly, Apple Williamsburg in Brooklyn has 128GB iPhone 7 Plus models for AT&T and Verizon in Black, Gold, Rose Gold, and Silver.
iPhone 7 Plus reservations are available at six other Apple stores in New York City, including its Grand Central, SoHo, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, West 14th Street, and World Trade Center locations. Each location has iPhone 7 Plus models for all four major U.S. carriers, aside from T-Mobile models at Apple SoHo.
iPhone 7 Plus reservations in Florida are available at Aventura Mall in Aventura, St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville, and International Plaza in Tampa Bay.
Elsewhere, customers can reserve the 5.5-inch model at Highland Village in Houston, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Pasadena, Irvine Spectrum Center in Irvine, West County Center in St. Louis, Woodland in Grand Rapids, Fayette Mall in Lexington, Jordan Creek in West Des Moines, and some other stores.
iPhone 7 Plus stock both in stores and online has been limited compared to iPhone 7 since last Friday's launch. New data suggests the 5.5-inch model has outsold the 4.7-inch version for the first time ever, likely fueled by exclusive features such as dual cameras, longer battery life, and 3GB of RAM.
Norway-based company Opera Software has brought its VPN feature to the masses with the release of Opera 40 desktop browser for Mac.
For those unfamiliar with the technology, a VPN creates an encrypted tunnel from the user's computer to the VPN server, which hides browsing activity from other users on the local network and enhances security and privacy online. It shields a user's real IP address, allowing them to bypass firewalls, block tracking cookies, and access geo-restricted content regardless of their true location.
"If people knew how the internet truly works, I believe they all would use a VPN," said Krystian Kolondra, SVP of Opera browser for desktops, in a blog post. "By making our browser VPN free and easy to use, we hope to make it an essential tool, just as the lock and key is to your house."
We know that people are concerned about their privacy online and that the interest for VPN is increasing. However, two major obstacles are blocking people from using it: VPNs are too complicated to use, and they require a monthly subscription. Opera resolves both issues by introducing its free and easy-to-use service right into the browser.
Opera's VPN supports AES-256 encryption and auto-selects the best server to route users' traffic through, based on speed, latency, and traffic congestion. Currently the service has server locations in the U.S., Canada, Germany, Singapore, and the Netherlands.
VPNs typically come in the form of separate plug-ins or client apps, making Opera one the first major browsers to include one as standard. The feature comes after the company's acquisition of U.S. VPN company SurfEasy last March. Opera has been testing the VPN in developer betas since April, and says that neither it nor SurfEasy logs any information about a user's browsing history.
Opera 40 also includes an automatic battery saving feature, Chromecast support, video pop-outs, a newsreader with RSS support, built-in ad-blocking, and an overhauled browser engine.
The Norwegian firm is on the verge of a $600 million deal with a Chinese consortium which will transfer ownership of its apps to a group that includes anti-virus company Qihoo 360.
Following last week's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus launch, Apple has added the iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus to its trade-up program in the United States, offering estimated trade-in values of $160, $275, and $315 respectively towards the purchase of a new iPhone.
Apple has also lowered its estimated trade-in values for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus by $25 each to $200 and $225 respectively, while the iPhone 5s now scores $90 instead of $125. iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c trade-in values are now $50 and $40 respectively, down from $75 each, and the iPhone 4s is no longer eligible for trade in.
The iPhone trade-up program, not to be confused with the iPhone Upgrade Program, allows customers to trade in their old iPhone to Apple in exchange for credit to lower the full cost of a new iPhone, or to reduce the monthly payments of a carrier financing plan. Trade-in values, managed by third-party vendor Brightstar Corporation, may vary based on the condition of the iPhone traded in. Select Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone devices are also eligible for trade in.
iPhone owners looking to get the best value for their old smartphone should consider selling privately through websites like eBay or Craigslist, but Apple's trade-up program does provide a convenient and safe resale option.
Apple is working on a fix for an issue that can cause the new Lightning EarPods designed for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus to stop working properly, the company said in a statement given to Business Insider.
When using the EarPods, there's an occasional bug that can cause the remote portion of the accessory to become unresponsive. While audio will continue to play, the remote does not work, so there's no way to control the volume, access Siri, or answer a phone call.
The glitch doesn't happen every time. It's seemingly intermittent and random. (I thought I was going crazy until I saw some people with similar issues complaining on Twitter.) If you experience the problem, you can just unplug your EarPods and plug them in again to temporarily fix it.
An Apple spokesperson told me the problem will be fixed in a future software update.
Apple plans to issue a fix in an upcoming software update, but there's no word on when it might be released. Business Insider is not sure if third-party Lightning-based headphones are affected, but there have been reports of similar bugs with the Lightning adapter. Some headphones, such as Beats headphones with a 3.5mm connector, appear to have a non-functional remote when plugged into an iPhone with the Lightning adapter.
Because the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus do not have a headphone jack, Apple shipped the devices with a set of EarPods that feature a Lightning connector instead of a 3.5mm headphone jack. The EarPods plug into the Lightning port, making it more difficult to charge and listen to music at the same time. Apple has also included a 3.5mm to Lightning adapter for customers who want to use their own headphones.
Apple's vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson today announced that Apple has joined global renewable energy initiative RE100, a campaign that's dedicated to getting the world's most influential companies committed to 100 percent renewable power.
Jackson shared the news at Climate Week in New York City, where she also shared some details on Apple's recent environmental progress. In 2015, 93 percent of Apple's worldwide operations were powered with renewable energy, and in the U.S., China, and 21 other countries, Apple uses renewable energy for 100 percent of its operations.
According to Jackson, Apple just completed work on its 50-megawatt solar farm in Arizona, which will power Apple's global data command center in Mesa, Arizona, the former location of Apple sapphire partner GT Advanced.
Jackson also gave an update on Apple's commitment to helping its suppliers use renewable energy, announcing that Apple supplier Solvay Specialty Polymers, which makes the antenna bands used in the iPhone, has pledged to use 100 percent renewable energy for all Apple production.
Catcher Technology, a supplier that provides aluminum enclosures for iOS and Mac devices, is also aiming to reach 100 percent renewable energy by the end of 2018.
"Apple is committed to running on 100 percent renewable energy, and we're happy to stand beside other companies that are working toward the same effort," said Jackson. "We're excited to share the industry-leading work we've been doing to drive renewable energy into the manufacturing supply chain, and look forward to partnering with RE100 to advocate for clean-energy policies around the world."
Other major companies who are members of RE100 include IKEA, Adobe, BMW, Coca Cola, GM, Google, HP, Microsoft, Nike, Philips, Starbucks, and Walmart.
iOS 10 has now been available for just under a week, and its adoption rate has been growing at a steady pace over the course of the last few days. According to data gathered by Mixpanel, iOS 10 is now installed on nearly 34 percent of devices.
iOS 9 is still the most popular operating system, installed on 62 percent of devices, while just under 5 percent of devices continue to use iOS 8 or older.
24 hours after iOS 10 was released, it was installed on 14.45 percent of devices, slightly outpacing iOS 9 adoption rates in the year prior. iOS 10 includes many appealing features that encouraged people to upgrade immediately, like a revamped Messages app with stickers and a full App Store, a Siri API for developers, a redesigned Lock screen experience, a new Music app, new facial and object recognition capabilities in Photos, and more.
iOS 10 did, however, see some installation issues early on that may have made people wary of downloading the update, but those problems are now resolved and customers should see no problems downloading the new operating system.
Given iOS 10's steady growth, it could potentially overtake iOS 9 as the operating system with the fastest adoption rates. Last year, less than two weeks after it was released, Apple said iOS 9 was installed on more than 50 percent of active devices, the quickest adoption rates it had seen for an iOS update.
If iOS 10 adoption grows by another 16 percent over the next week, it should take the title of fastest adopted software update ever.
With the controversial absence of a headphone jack on the iPhone 7 now a reality, accessory companies are busily churning out wireless alternatives, and that's as true of Bose as it is of other big audio brands.
Its latest QuietComfort 35 over-the-ear headphones ($350) are a wireless version of the company's flagship premium QC25 cans ($300), seen by some as offering the best active noise-canceling in the business.
The QC35's retain the same established design and patented ANC smarts, so as an owner of a pair of original QuietComfort 25 headphones, I was interested to see how the new Bluetooth model compared.
Design and Features
The box that the QC35's come in is reminiscent of the QC25's, and the included compact travel case that the cans fold up into boasts the same assured sturdiness. You get a thinner 1.2 meter lead for wired connections, a micro-USB to USB-A charging cable, and the same airline adapter is also included.
Taking the QC35 cans out though and weighing them against the wired model, it's clear the transition to Bluetooth meant the QC35's had to put on a little weight - 115 grams' worth, to be exact, for a total of 309g. So what brings the added heft?
Twitter today announced that its long-awaited changes to the Tweet character limit have been implemented, giving Twitter users more room for text when sharing media.
Photos, videos, GIFs, polls, and Quote Tweets no longer count towards the 140-character limit, freeing up character space. Previously, media content took up approximately 24 of the 140 available characters.
Twitter originally said that all @names, such as @MacRumors, would also no longer count towards the 140-character limit, but that change does not appear to have been implemented. There is no mention of it in Twitter's announcement and @names are still counting in the character limit.
Say more about what's happening! Rolling out now: photos, videos, GIFs, polls, and Quote Tweets no longer count toward your 140 characters. pic.twitter.com/I9pUC0NdZC
— Twitter (@twitter) September 19, 2016
It is not clear if Twitter plans to eliminate @names from character count in the future, but the company has said it is exploring additional ways to allow people to better express themselves, so more changes could be in the works.
Many customers who pre-ordered a Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus received shipping estimates ranging into October and November, but it appears Apple is working hard to overcome supply constraints and get shipments out earlier than expected.
Starting this morning, MacRumors began hearing reports from customers who originally had deliveries scheduled for a month or two out but will now be receiving their devices over the course of the next few days.
MacRumors reader Daniel was told to expect his Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus in November, but will be receiving it tomorrow, while another customer had a delivery scheduled for October 4 to 10, but will instead receive his iPhone on Wednesday. There are also multiple reports on Twitter from customers who have had similar good news, including some improved delivery estimates from carriers.
@MacRumors just got a shipment notification on my Jet Black 7+. Way ahead of schedule.
— Daniel (@drwebber) September 19, 2016
The new Jet Black iPhone offers both a unique mirror-like finish and a new deep black color, which has made it one of the most popular choices with customers. It uses a different anodization process than the other iPhones to achieve the shine, perhaps explaining why it is in shorter supply.
Reports of improved shipping estimates are encouraging for customers who are expecting to wait until November to receive a new iPhone. When pre-orders for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus took place on September 9, shipping estimates for Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus models slipped to weeks and then months within a matter of minutes, leaving customers who wanted the new color waiting. If Apple can continue ramping up supply, orders may be going out much earlier. Orders placed today on Apple's website for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus continue to have November delivery estimates.
For those who have ordered a Jet Black iPhone or plan to, Apple warns that the device is prone to significant scratching because of its finish, something that has indeed been seen in early reviews and in the wild already.
The Apple Watch Series 2 didn't change much visually from the original version of the device that launched in 2015, but Apple did introduce one new version of Series 2 that could be immediately distinguished from earlier iterations: the Ceramic Apple Watch Edition. The Ceramic model comes packed in with a Magnetic Apple Watch Charging Dock and a Cloud Sport Band, so many users were curious about what the color would look like with other Apple bands, and one Redditor has posted an extensive collection of photos to showcase just that.
Sold for $1,250 (38mm) and $1,300 (42mm), the high-end model of Series 2 is definitely expensive, but still far below the first generation's $10,000+ "Edition" models that were made in pure gold. In vvedge's Imgur album, the Ceramic Edition is paired with a few Woven Nylon bands, including Gold/Red, Gold/Blue, Yellow/Light Gray, Space Orange/Anthracite, and Black.
Higher-priced bands also got paired with Ceramic, in a variety of colors. Vvedge showed off the Space Black and Silver Link Bracelet, the Space Black and Silver Milanese Loop, and the Marine Blue and Saddle Brown Classic Buckle. Because the stainless steel of the lugs and bands are visually in opposition to Ceramic's smooth white surface, some users might not like the look of the more costly bands paired with Ceramic.
The Stone and Storm Gray Leather Loop pair better with the device, as do a few of the basic Sport Bands Apple offers. Sport Bands in White, Black, Turquoise, Light Pink, Midnight Blue, Lavender, and Red are all displayed in the album. Apple's intended paired band with Ceramic -- dubbed "Cloud" -- caps vvedge's image collection, and remains the only Sport Band with matching white pin.
Apart from the Ceramic Edition, Apple introduced a number of new collections for the Apple Watch Series 2 and Series 1, as well as a few new colors of the Sport Bands, Woven Nylon, and Classic Buckle. Most users began receiving their Series 2 models on Friday, but a few late pre-order customers still have a few weeks to wait until their Apple Watch comes in the mail.
Check out vvedge's full Imgur album to see all of the Ceramic Apple Watch Edition band combos.
DisplayMate Technologies has declared iPhone 7 has the "best LCD display" it has ever tested, calling it "truly impressive" and a "major upgrade" over the iPhone 6 based on a series of advanced viewing tests and measurements.
iPhone 7 achieved the highest color accuracy, peak brightness, and contrast rating in bright light of any smartphone display, the highest contrast ratio of any IPS LCD display, and the lowest screen reflectance of any smartphone display.
Apple's latest flagship smartphone also has image contrast and intensity described as "visually indistinguishable from perfect," and the smallest color variation when viewing the screen at an angle of any smartphone display.
Color Accuracy and Power Efficiency
iPhone 7 has two color gamuts, including a new 26% larger DCI-P3 Wide Color Gamut, as found in 4K TVs, and a traditional, smaller sRGB / Rec.709 gamut. DisplayMate said both gamuts have been implemented with absolute color accuracy that is "visually indistinguishable from perfect," which is "truly impressive" and a "major competitive advantage" over other smartphones.
DisplayMate said the iPhone 7 has "the most color accurate display" that it has ever measured, adding that the smartphone's display is "very likely considerably better than any mobile display, monitor, TV, or UHD TV" that consumers have. In technical terms, the iPhone 7 has a "Just Noticeable Color Difference" (JNCD) rating of 1.1, which is the best result of any smartphone it has ever tested.
Despite having a much wider color gamut, the iPhone 7's display is 7% more power efficient than the iPhone 6's display.
Wide Color Gamut LCDs like the iPhone 7 instead use specially tuned Red and Green phosphors to optimally transform the light for the chosen saturated Red and Green primaries, which improves their light and power efficiency.
Brightness
The measured peak brightness for the iPhone 7 is 602 cd/m2 (nits), the highest of any smartphone DisplayMate has ever tested.
The measurement increases up to a record 705 nits when Automatic Brightness is turned on under brightly lit conditions.
On the iPhone 7 the Maximum Screen Brightness can go much higher when Automatic Brightness is turned on, so that users can't permanently park the Manual Brightness slider to very high values, which would run down the battery quickly. High Screen Brightness is only needed for High Ambient Light, so turning Automatic Brightness On will provide better high ambient light screen visibility and also longer battery running time.
Contrast Ratio
DisplayMate said the iPhone 7 has a record-breaking contrast ratio among IPS LCD smartphone displays.
The iPhone 7 has a measured Contrast Ratio of 1,762, which is Very Good for a mobile display, and the highest we have measured for any IPS LCD display. It is also 26 percent larger than the 1,400 that Apple lists as Typical. However, Contrast Ratio is only meaningful in low ambient light, which is seldom the case for mobile displays.
iPhone 7 also has the highest contrast rating (137 to 160) in high ambient light of any smartphone.
Reflectance
DisplayMate said iPhone 7 has 4.4% screen reflectance, which is a record low among smartphones it has ever tested.
However, the iPhone 7 doesn't come close to the record low 1.7% screen reflectance of the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, which has a special anti-reflective coating.
Unfortunately, AR coatings still can't be used with smartphones, which have much higher abrasion and scratch issues than tablets and other touch screen displays because they are small enough to be carried in pockets and bags that have all sorts of scratchy things inside. A number of companies are working on technologies that can produce both low screen reflectance and high abrasion and scratch resistance […] but it's challenging and also has to be cost effective. Since peak brightness can't keep increasing due to battery power limitations and thermal issues, developing a low reflectance screen will be the key to improving display performance in high ambient light.
Viewing Angle
DisplayMate said the iPhone 7 has "excellent viewing angle performance" with no visually noticeable color shifts. The display had the smallest color variation when viewed at an angle, earning a JNCD rating of 2.1 or less.
With its Dual-Domain Pixels, the iPhone 7 Contrast Ratio remained close to 1,000 at 30 degrees for both the Portrait and Landscape modes, which is the highest we have measured for LCDs. However, all LCDs do have a strong decrease in Brightness (Luminance) with Viewing Angle, and the iPhone 7 showed (as expected) a 55 percent decrease in Brightness at a modest 30 degree Viewing Angle.
Apple has hired Toronto healthcare doctor Mike Evans "to help chart the future of family medicine" at the company, although the specifics of his role have not been disclosed (via 
Following last week's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus launch, Apple has added the iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus to its 
Twitter today 
DisplayMate Technologies has declared iPhone 7 has the 
