The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus Review: Iterating on a Flagship
by Joshua Ho & Brandon Chester on October 10, 2016 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Apple
- Mobile
- iOS
- iOS 10
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
Video Performance
While still images probably constitute a significant portion of what a smartphone camera is used for, video performance still remains important as anything moving or with a notable sound requires video or something that is but quite isn’t a video. In order to test video performance, we use direct comparison with two devices recording simultaneously on the same rig.
| iPhone 7 Video Encode Settings | ||||
| Video | Audio | |||
| 1080p30 | 16 Mbps H.264 High Profile | 86 Kbps, 44.1 KHz AAC | ||
| 1080p60 | 25 Mbps H.264 High Profile | 86 Kbps, 44.1 KHz AAC | ||
| 4kP30 | 48 Mbps H.264 High Profile | 86 Kbps, 44.1 KHz AAC | ||
| 1080p120 | 38 Mbps H.264 High Profile | 86 Kbps, 44.1 KHz AAC | ||
| 720p240 | 38 Mbps H.264 High Profile | 86 Kbps, 44.1 KHz AAC | ||
Before we get into the actual results I want to discuss the video encode settings. It's kind of interesting to see how the iPhone only records mono audio, which I suspect is a function of not having enough microphones to do noise cancellation and useful stereo recording. It's also interesting to see how Apple can actually encode AVC High Profile for all video – including 4kP30 at 48 Mbps – which is more than I can say for a number of high-end flagships this year. This suggests that the encode blocks are capable of keeping up without any strange problems.
| 1080p30 Video |
Looking at 1080p30 video I'm just profoundly disappointed by how high-end Android devices perform in comparison. The state of affairs here is so depressing there's really no reason to compare 1080p60, 4K, or slow motion capture because it's clear to me that something is just fundamentally broken (or consistently misconfigured) with Snapdragon 820's encode blocks. Even casual examination reveals massive macroblocking any time the sky comes into view, which is something we've consistently seen with the HTC 10, Galaxy S7, LG G5, and OnePlus 3. Other than this, the LG G5 and Galaxy S7 both have extremely oversaturated color rendition which just doesn't represent reality. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus clearly have better output than any other Android device. The iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 with the 28mm focal length camera perform quite similarly to the iPhone 6s Plus other than some improvements in dynamic range and noise reduction, so I'd refer back to the iPhone 6s review for those interested in learning about how the iPhone 7 stacks up because the state of the art in Android has not progressed since then.
| OIS Video |
In the interest of trying for completeness anyways, I also tested image stabilization performance. Relative to the Galaxy S7 we continue to see how the lack of software stabilization to go with the hardware stabilization leads to really shaky and jerky footage when recording while walking. The iPhone 7 still shows large motions, but it's much smoother and also handles wind noise better. The HTC 10 is much more competitive with the iPhone 7 here but I would say that Apple's software stabilization appears to be slightly better and the lack of PDAF on the HTC 10 camera is definitely noticeable in the focus transition testing but it's important to keep in mind that the HTC 10 has no software stabilization if you enable 4K video. The LG G5 has basically all of the same traits as the Galaxy S7 in this test and needs improvement in all of the same areas as a result. If you're upgrading from either the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, or 6s you're going to also see a major improvement as the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus both have OIS which works with the software stabilization to maximize the reduction in hand shake when capturing video.
I also went ahead and tested the iPhone 7 Plus with some quick footage to see what difference it provides when capturing video, and it's fairly obvious that the secondary camera lacks OIS but also dramatically increases captured detail which makes it useful for static shots where you can avoid inducing hand shake but its utility rapidly decreases in low light or high hand shake conditions.
Overall, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus remain the best phones on the market for video capture. Strange issues with Snapdragon 820 video encode blocks mean that all Snapdragon 820 devices are just barely passable for video capture. Considering how OEMs have had almost a decade to get this right, it is truly incredible that phones costing 600 US dollars still have these obvious problems, and that Apple remains among the few to get it right.
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solipsism - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link
The 3" adapter has a very firm fit on your 3.5mm headphones; more so than your typical headphone jack on a smartphone. I'm sure this is intentional to help keep it in place.As mentioned in the article, wireless is the future, and while I've been using BT headphones for years now, my current ones (Bluez Aftershockz 2) finally broke so I'm using wired headphones until I the other headphones with Apple's W1 chip hit the market. I'm leaning toward the BeatsX as I prefer in-ear, and the connected cable, but I'm willing to give the AirPods a chance since so many are saying they are more comfortable than their included EarPods, which I find to be uncomfortable.
I've noticed that my wired headphone cable doesn't get tangled as easily and is easier to plug into my iPhone. I attribute this to both the slightly extra weight and thickness of the connector. I'd rather not be wired at all, but the adapter certainly hasn't been an issue. Since I only charge my phone once a day or every other day, this repeated claim that everyone needs to charge and listen to wired headphones as the same time escapes me. I'm guessing it's one of those invented problems only a few people actually need
greyhulk - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link
I hope you address thermal throttling in the deep dive. That's what I'm most interested in with the new A10.SydneyBlue120d - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link
While I really hope to see AV1 2160p60 with multichannel audio encoding with iPhone 8, I'd like to read a test comparison between Intel and Qualcomm modem, especially with Europe networks :) Thanks a lot.i4mt3hwin - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link
"Overall, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus remain the best phones on the market for video capture. Strange issues with Snapdragon 820 video encode blocks mean that all Snapdragon 820 devices are just barely passable for video capture."I don't recall seeing this anywhere? I Know the OP3 article mentioned that the video was blocky - but I don't remember it linking that to the 820 - just a OP3 implementation issue? Does this mean the Pixel is going to experience similar issues?
grayson_carr - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link
I can confirm that my S7 Edge has this issue, and it's bad. When I first got it, I recorded a couple 4k videos while hiking along an oceanside trail and the blocky artifacts in the water and sky looked so crappy that I just never recorded videos with it again. It was technically 4k video, but it looked more like a 360p YouTube stream with the amount of blockiness, especially when panning up and down.lolipopman - Tuesday, October 11, 2016 - link
Why was this issue not explored by Samsung? I'm pretty sure it's not common or else it would've been known.lilmoe - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link
You do realize that the shutter speed on the iPhone's night images is twice as long as the others using lower ISO values, right?You call this "impressive"? I highly recommend a primer in photography.
JoshHo - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link
The exposure time of 1/4s is not indicative of all exposures. I would reference the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus reviews to better understand how Apple handles low light to avoid motion blur despite long exposures.lilmoe - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link
Yea, I've seen that review.Might I also suggest a primer in videography. Here's how a the video review portion should look like, and what it should include/test:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YCvLW2ySr0
Listen, I don't mean to insult you or anything, but you need to know that your criteria is fundamentally flawed. In addition to the objective truth that Samsung, and others, have the superior video (and audio), their image processing is what PEOPLE WANT. You give customers what they want, not what you think is best, especially for a mainstream product (ie: non-professional). If you want to compare sensor/lens quality, you compare RAW images using the same settings (but you didn't, for reasons).
Smartphone photography is about USABLE images/footage. You just don't apply the same criteria you do when reviewing a DSLR/DSLM.
Stop marketing "true colors" (which aren't exactly true, btw) for a crowd of users that apply filters to everything they post online.
Admit, correct and move on.
grayson_carr - Tuesday, October 11, 2016 - link
Samsung? Superior video? LMAO. Go home. You're drunk. I almost took you seriously until you said that out loud. -Galaxy S7 Edge owner