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Continuing my long-running buying guide, I've picked through the details of the iPhone 7, studied the specs and found the five best reasons to buy one. Check out my run-down below and, for more info, Ian Morris' hands-on here.

If you're not convinced, check out my five reasons for the and Samsung Galaxy Note 7, too.
Increased battery size
Apple dropped the battery from the iPhone 6 to the iPhone 6S in favour of introducing the Taptic Engine, which powers 3D Touch. But, as Apple gives with one hand and flips-a-bird with the other, the axing of the headphone jack means more space for battery. 14% more space to be exact, upping the overall size to 1955mAh.

Apple has a knack for eking out as much battery life as possible from its phones, claiming that the new iPhone adds another two hours usage. Whilst the Plus models, for the last two years, have had some of the best battery life on the market, the 4.7-inch models have been lacking. So the size improvement is welcome. iOS 10 and the new A10 Fusion chip also promises to deliver some efficiency improvements, saving yet more power.

But, BUT, there are some concerns. Specifically, the fact that Apple didn't mention anything about quick charging, which is fairly ubiquitous amongst Android rivals. And, the iPhone 6S ran into a bit of trouble last year as battery performance varied depending which manufacturer had made the A9 chip - TSMC or Samsung. Reports suggest that TSMC will be solely responsible for the iPhone 8's A11 chip, but for the A10, we don't know if last year's problems will be repeated.
Camera
Whilst sticking with 12MP, the new, wider F/1.8 aperture means the iPhone 7 can take brighter pictures, as the larger sensor lets more light in: 50% more according to Apple. That's the headline improvement on the iPhone 7, the more eye-catching changes are on the iPhone 7 Plus.

There are some other interesting additions like a faster shutter speed (the 6S was already painfully quick), improved color reproduction and optical image stabilization (previously only reserved for Plus models). What's particularly interesting is the AI powered image signal processor, which can detect objects and scenes in a picture and adjust the camera settings accordingly. For example, automatically improving white balance, focus and exposure.

This sort of deep machine learning is becoming standard in smartphones, with Qualcomm's 820 chip performing similar tasks in countless Android devices. It's one of those features that reveals itself six months into owning the device - a nice reminder for why you bought it in the first place.
IP67 water resistance
A word of advice for long-standing iPhone users looking to upgrade to the iPhone 7: yes, it's water resistant, no that doesn't mean . Taking your phone into the sea for some underwater shots is a surprisingly common mistake owners of 'waterproof' phones make. The saltwater will corrode the sealing that's protecting those precious innards.

Advice aside, Apple finally getting an official (the 6 and 6S were unofficially water resistant) IP rating is very welcome. What does the rating mean? The iPhone 7 will withstand submersion in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. The rating also means "protection from contact with harmful dust." This is one step down from the S7's IP68 rating, which means it's fully protected from dust and other particles.

As ever, these ratings should not be tested (unless you're a reviewer) because water damage will void your warranty, so you won't get a replacement from Apple. Whilst a splash will be fine, I'd avoid fully submerging your iPhone 7 in any liquid.
Check out Ian Morris' first-look hands-on with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus Higher basic storage options
The basic storage option has doubled to 32GB. Why Apple persisted with the feeble 16GB storage option for so long, when OS updates were eating up to half of your storage , is beyond me. But, bowing to public pressure, the new, increased storage option better reflects how large media is in 2016. The improved camera will almost certainly mean larger file sizes, as will some of the games that make full use of the iPhone 7's new graphics capabilities. The best bit? The price hasn't changed from last year: it's still $649. So upgraders are effectively getting an extra 16GB of storage for free (unless you live in the UK, where the price has jumped £60).
Gaming Cons
Whilst the loss of the headphone jack means more space for a bigger battery, the loss of a stalwart feature is - at least initially - a negative. For those of you with expensive headphones, there's a lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack connector that comes with the iPhone 7, but accessories are notoriously flimsy and easy to lose. If you're in the market for new headphones, you'll be limited to wireless and lightning compatible products, wiping out a whole raft of options. If you want to charge your iPhone whilst using wired headphones, however, you'll have to fork out for a $49 lightning dock . The additional costs of removing the headphone jack keep racking up.

Next year is also the 10th year of the iPhone. So if you're close to upgrade time, it might be a good idea to wait. The iPhone 7 is very much a small upgrade on the 6S, whereas next year's promises something more special to commemorate a decade of Apple smartphones.

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Continuing my long-running buying guide, I've picked through the details of the iPhone 7, studied the specs and found the five best reasons to buy one. Check out my run-down below and, for more info, Ian Morris' hands-on here. If you're not convinced, check out my five reasons for the and Samsung Galaxy Note 7, too.

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Mark Spoonauer is the editor in chief of Tom's Guide and has been covering technology for more than 15 years. When he's not obsessing over the latest gadgets or appearing on TV, you'll find him running with his smartwatch. Follow him on at @mspoonauer.

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7 Reasons to Buy the iPhone X, and 4 Reasons to Skip

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Mark Spoonauer is the editor in chief of Tom's Guide and has been covering technology for more than 15 years. When he's not obsessing over the latest gadgets or appearing on TV, you'll find him running with his smartwatch. Follow him on at @mspoonauer.

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Marques Brownlee/YouTube

The iPhone X is an incredible smartphone.

I upgraded to the iPhone X last year via the iPhone Upgrade Program, and it's one of my favorite iPhone designs ever. It's got a gorgeous OLED screen, it's fast, and I like the potential for Face ID (although I agree with my colleague Tony - it needs some work).

Still, I upgraded to the iPhone X from an iPhone 7 Plus, and I have very fond memories of that older phone. In many ways, the iPhone 7 and the larger iPhone 7 Plus are both an incredible value, if you're deciding between iPhones.

Here are 9 reasons you should consider buying an iPhone 7 instead of the iPhone X right now:

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9 reasons you should buy an iPhone 7 instead of the iPhone X

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The iPhone X is an incredible smartphone. I upgraded to the iPhone X last year via the iPhone Upgrade Program, and it's one of my favorite iPhone designs ever. It's got a gorgeous OLED screen, it's fast, and I like the potential for Face ID (although I agree with my colleague Tony - it needs some work).

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Is the iPhone X worth it? This is the big question facing iPhone upgraders. After all new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are already on sale and share many of the same features for a lot less money . And what if you own the iPhone 7 which is only one year old? Is the iPhone X really that much better?

Let's break it down...
Displays - Eye Popping
While there's much to discuss in the design differences between the iPhone X and iPhone 7, it is the display which will catch your attention first:

iPhone X - 5.8-inch 18.5:9 True Tone OLED, 2436 x 1125 pixels (458 ppi), 82.9% screen-to-body ratio

iPhone 7 - 4.7-inch 16:9 True Tone LCD, 1334 x 750 pixels (326 ppi), 65.6% screen-to-body ratio

While the elongated aspect ratio means the 1.1-inch difference between these phones isn't quite as big as it might seem, the iPhone X remains a dramatic step up and one that is only amplified by the technological differences between the panels.

The headline change is OLED which delivers a massively improved contrast ratio over the LCD panel in the iPhone 7 (1,000,000:1 vs 1,400:1) and this opens the door for support on services like iTunes, Netflix and Amazon.

The iPhone X display is also sharper (thanks to its increased pixel density) and more accurate as it integrates Apples' True Tone technology (which colour balances the screen against ambient light) and was first introduced with the iPad Pro range.

It is worth noting Apple is playing catch up to Android rivals who have used OLED for years (and at higher 2K - 2960 x 1440 - resolutions) but the iPhone X display is nevertheless a major step up from the iPhone 7.
Design - Bye Bye Bezels
While the iPhone X's display catches the eye, what you will notice soon after is how compact it remains compared to the iPhone 7:

iPhone X - 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm (5.65 x 2.79 x 0.30 in) and 174g ( 6.14 oz)

iPhone 7 - 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm (5.44 x 2.64 x 0.28 in) and 138g (4.87 oz)

Yes, there's a notable weight difference, but this is no iPhone 8 Plus (202g/7.13 oz). The obvious reason for this is the iPhone X has all but removed the large top and bottom bezels which have characterised iPhones for the last 10 years - and it looks fantastic. But it isn't all good news.

The huge iPhone X display means you lose the iconic home button and Touch ID altogether, while the love it/hate it 'notch' gives away its love it/hate it replacement (more about this in the Performance section). Apple is embracing the notch too which means photos and full screen videos can look a little odd with a chunk out of them.

There's another contentious point too. The iPhone X swaps the aluminium back for glass which has not been used since the iPhone 4S in 2011. Glass's conductivity enables wireless charging (more in the Battery Life section) but it is glass so there's a risk of it cracking, it costs more to repair and it adds weight.

Still the rest of the iPhone X is just as tough as the iPhone 7. There's iP67 water and dust resistance (enabling full submersion in up to 1 metre of water for 30 minutes) and r igid Series 7000 Aluminium in its chassis. The iPhone X also has 25% louder dual speakers, though the headphone jack has not returned (it was never going to).
Read More - iPhone 8 Vs iPhone 8 Plus: What's The Difference? Performance - A Game Changer
Quite remarkably the 2016 iPhone 7 remained the fastest smartphone in the world right up until the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were launched (they all use the same chipset). But these new iPhones change the game.

iPhone X and iPhone 8 - Apple A11 'Bionic' chipset: Six Core CPU, Six Core GPU, M11 motion coprocessor, 3GB RAM (iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus), 2GB RAM (iPhone 8)

Apple claims you'll get 25% and 30% more CPU and GPU (graphics) performance from the iPhone X compared to the iPhone 7. But more importantly you'll also get 70% greater performance while multitasking (what you do all day when jumping between apps) and a further 70% more speed when the A11 chipset is idle. No Android rival is catching the A11 until maybe 2019.

You'll spot the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus also have an extra gigabyte of RAM, but don't get too excited. This is spent driving the extra pixels of their higher resolution displays and their dual cameras (more in the section). Real world performance of the iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8 will be almost identical.

But the A11 chipset also has another trick up its sleeve: powering the most advanced facial recognition system ever seen in the smartphone. Key to it is the Neural engine in the A11 which can handle up to 600 billion operations per second to "learn" your face and still identify you when wearing a hat or having grown a beard. None of this information is sent to Apple.

The flipside is the bar currently set by facial recognition on smartphones and you can fool it if you have a malicious identical twin (iris recognition would be more secure and fingerprints are unique). Meanwhile it's more hassle having to move your phone to your face, than your thumb to a fingerprint sensor - there's simply no escaping that. The iPhone X really should've included both.
Cameras - Double Trouble
If you're lamenting the loss of Touch ID, however, the iPhone X's cameras may win you back.

On paper the core 12 megapixel, f/1.8 aperture wide-angle rear camera and 7MP, f/2.2 front camera seem unchanged but they in fact feature entirely new lens arrays and leverage Apple's first ISP (image signal processor) which delivers dramatically better end results - particularly in low light.

In short, after slipping behind in recent years, the iPhone X puts Apple right back in the game.

And this is without touching upon the most obvious iPhone X camera advantage: the 12MP telephoto lens on the back. Like the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus, this brings 2x optical zoom but it has a faster aperture (f/2.4 vs f/2.8) and optical image stabilisation (OIS) which set it apart from any dual camera iPhone Apple has ever made.

Since it launched Portrait Mode has been a big hit for Apple and the iPhone X dual OIS rear cameras will take it to new levels. Furthermore Apple has also added Portrait Mode compatibility to the iPhone X's front camera as well for stellar selfies.
Battery Life And Charging - Longer, Faster, Cable-Free
The iPhone X delivers battery life improvements over the iPhone 7 too. They aren't as dramatic as you might expect, but the iPhone X essentially sits halfway between the stamina of the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus.

And yet battery life is the least interesting part of the iPhone X. Instead what is more noteworthy is where Apple has caught up with rivals by finally adding quick charging and wireless charging (that glass back) - though both bring good and bad news.

The good news is the wired fast charging is competitive (it delivers up to 50% charge from flat after just 30 minutes) and the wireless charging is compatible with Qi, the world's most popular wireless charging standard, which you will find in many coffee shops, planes, etc. Adoption of Qi in public places should skyrocket after this.

As for the bad news, it comes down to two famous Apple bugbears: price and the company's obsession with proprietary technology.

The price problem is Apple doesn't include a fast charger with the iPhone X or even a fast charge compatible cable - the former will cost you , the latter $25 (one metre) or $35 (two metres). This is scandalous considering the price of the iPhone X (we're getting there next).

As for the proprietary issues, Apple's support of Qi charging is heart-hearted at best. It only operates at 5W (despite Qi having 7.5W and 15W standards) and Apple will reserve faster wireless charging for its own 'AirPower' wireless charging standard which won't launch until 2018. Apple really didn't need to do this.
Storage And Price - X Rated
And now the part you have been fearing: price. So let's get it out the way:

That's right, you'll be paying almost twice the price of an iPhone 7 (Apple knocked $100 off its price after launching the iPhone 8) for an iPhone X. You will get double the storage for this significant additional outlay, but it is still going to be a step too far for many.

More significantly for iPhone owners the iPhone 8 (64GB - $699, 256GB - $849) offers an upgraded experience for $300 less at each storage tier and a familiar form factor (with Touch ID) while even the iPhone 8 Plus (64GB - $799, 256GB - $949) suddenly seems reasonable by comparison.

Signing a new two year carrier contract will soften the blow, but at this stage I'm surprised carriers have not come up with three year contracts specifically for the iPhone X.
Note: iPhone X stock will also be Bottom Line extremely limited throughout 2017 and shortages will extend well into 2018. So at least there is time to save up.
On the surface there's no doubt the iPhone X is Apple's most exciting new iPhone in years and the temptation to upgrade will be high. It also improves upon the iPhone 7 in almost every way other than its loss of Touch ID and that polarising glass back.
More On Forbes iPhone X Vs iPhone 8: What's The Difference? iPhone 8 Vs iPhone 8 Plus: What's The Difference? iPhone 8 Vs iPhone 7: What's The Difference? iPhone 8 Plus Vs iPhone 7 Plus: What's The Difference? iPhone 8 Vs iPhone 6S: What's The Difference?
The flipside is the iPhone 7 remains a superb phone and you'll get the iPhone X's performance and front and wide-angle photography from the $300 cheaper iPhone 8 suggesting it is the smarter buy. But does the iPhone 8 set the pulse racing like the iPhone X? Of course not.

Logic suggests iPhone 7 owners wait until the second generation iPhone X in 2018 or non-owners save themselves roughly $500 by buying the iPhone 7 at its newly lowered price. But logic isn't exciting and the iPhone X most certainly is...

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iPhone X Vs iPhone 7: What's The Difference?

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Is the iPhone X worth it? This is the big question facing iPhone upgraders. After all new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are already on sale and share many of the same features for a lot less money . And what if you own the iPhone 7 which is only one year old?