Honest Reviews of the iPhone 7 Plus + Apple Watch Series 2 - Augustman
Augustman Logo
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
E-Magazine
Most Trending
Honest Reviews of the iPhone 7 Plus + Apple Watch Series 2
Most Recent
Honest Reviews of the iPhone 7 Plus + Apple Watch Series 2
Most Trending
New Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Quadriptyque is a Cosmos on The Wrist
Most Recent
New Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 is Edward Cullen, In a Good Way
  • Fashion
  • Watches
  • Grooming
Most Trending
The Lego NASA Space Shuttle Set Is Just What Space Exploration Fans Wanted
Most Recent
Yung Raja Is Rapping His Way To The Top Of Hip-Hop
  • Design
  • Events
  • Art
  • Music
  • Film & TV
Most Trending
Finally, A Tool To Help Us Escape Boring Zoom Meetings
Most Recent
Porsche Goes From Four Wheels To Two With The Porsche EBike Sport And EBike Cross
  • Tech
  • Motoring
Most Trending
These 10 Essential Cookbooks Are What Every Avid Home Cook Needs
Most Recent
Lady Gaga And Dom Pérignon Collaborate On New Limited Edition Bottles
  • Dining
  • Drinks
Most Trending
Check Out These Lavish European Castles Available For Rent
Most Recent
Are “Health Passports” The Key To Restarting Global Travel?
  • Travel Guides
  • Hotels & Resorts
Most Trending
These Famous Athletes Also Run Successful Lifestyle Brands
Most Recent
Can’t Sleep? Try These Effective White Noise Devices
  • Fitness
  • Health
Most Trending
Technopreneur Ryan Chew On Using Blockchain To Solve Global Issues
Most Recent
A Tribute To Britain’s Prince Philip. The A To Z Of The Duke Of Edinburgh
  • Men of the Year
  • MVMT
  • August Mentors
  • A-Listers
  • Hit List
  • sg
    • MY
    • SG
  • Search
Honest Reviews of the iPhone 7 Plus + Apple Watch Series 2
Sort & Filter
Close Filter
Sort By
Date
Relevance
Filter By Category
All Categories
All
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
Apply
Filter By Location
singapore
All Countries
Gear
Porsche Goes From Four Wheels To Two With The Porsche EBike Sport And EBike Cross
Gear
Finally, A Tool To Help Us Escape Boring Zoom Meetings
Gear
Riding Into History: Vespa Celebrates 75 Years
Augustman Logo
sg
Honest Reviews of the iPhone 7 Plus + Apple Watch Series 2
Back
All  Style
  • Fashion
  • Watches
  • Grooming
Back
All  Culture
  • Design
  • Events
  • Art
  • Music
  • Film & TV
Back
All  Gear
  • Tech
  • Motoring
Back
All  Food & Drink
  • Dining
  • Drinks
Back
All  Travel
  • Travel Guides
  • Hotels & Resorts
Back
All  Wellness
  • Fitness
  • Health
Back
All  AM Select
  • Men of the Year
  • MVMT
  • August Mentors
  • A-Listers
  • Hit List
E-Magazine
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Sort & Filter
Close Filter
Sort By
Date
Relevance
Filter By Category
All Categories
All
Style
Culture
Gear
Food & Drink
Travel
Wellness
AM Select
Apply
Filter By Location
singapore
All Countries
Gear

Honest Reviews of the iPhone 7 Plus + Apple Watch Series 2

Farhan Shah
28 Sep 2016
Article Hero Image
Trending Now
Porsche Goes From Four Wheels To Two With The Porsche EBike Sport And EBike Cross
GearRead More
A Tribute To Britain’s Prince Philip. The A To Z Of The Duke Of Edinburgh
AM SelectRead More
New Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 is Edward Cullen, In a Good Way
StyleRead More
Yung Raja Is Rapping His Way To The Top Of Hip-Hop
CultureRead More
Want the low-down on the latest rides and gadgets? We have it all. Sign up to receive it.

Apple Watch Series 2

Complete range of Apple Watch Series 2

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first iteration of the Apple Watch. Apparently I was not the only one. Sales of the Apple Watch plunged dramatically after the initial hype was over. Some analysts estimated the drop to be as high as 55 per cent. To Apple’s credit, the firm doubled down on the product. The marketers and engineers took down the criticism, went back to the drawing board and have finally released the sequel, which it dubbed Apple Watch Series 2. I’ve been wearing the new smartwatch for two weeks now and without trying to be too hyperbolic, it is the best smartwatch in the market right now. Battery life has improved dramatically to the point that you can actually wear it for two days straight (even three, if you’re a light user) with regular usage and the workout function has massively expanded to include lesser-known physical activities such as boxing and rock climbing.

During the keynote, there was quite a lot of hullabaloo regarding the Apple Watch Series 2’s waterproof capabilities. I am happy to report that it works as advertised. I took it for numerous strenuous water activities, which included a long bath sans candles and a far-too-cold shower early in the morning, and the smartwatch continued functioning.

But perhaps the most significant improvement is the fact that you can now accomplish a couple of activities on the Apple Watch Series 2 on its own without requiring the iPhone. One of the biggest problems that plagued the first edition of the Apple Watch was that it was rather useless without the iPhone. Now you can walk your dog or go for a jog without your iPhone and get a fairly detailed route map as well as all the information you need. All you need to do is to activate the GPS function on the Watch. You can even map your swim routes but since the jacuzzi I was in was fairly stationary, the map showed me staying in one spot.

Apple has also released a lot more bands for the Watch Series 2 in a variety of materials and colours. You can easily pair your Apple Watch with your outfit of the day. I’m partial to the woven nylon strap, which is surprisingly comfortable, and the handsome Milanese and Venezia leather loops.

For those who have been holding off buying an Apple Watch due to its niggling faults, I highly recommend the Series 2. For those who are looking to enter the smartwatch eco-system, there’s no better place to start than here.

–

iPhone 7 Plus

This year, Apple changed its business strategy, making the iPhone 7 Plus markedly different from the iPhone 7 with the addition of the dual lens (wide angle and telephoto) camera system for the former. In earlier numbered iterations, the Plus version just had a better processor and screen. The dual lens camera system is the cornerstone of Apple’s marketing for the 7 Plus, especially since the much-vaunted Portrait Mode will be officially released in iOS 10.1, coming out sometime in October. However you can get your hands (and camera) on the updated iOS in the public beta by signing up here.

While the camera is undeniably great, as is always the case with an iPhone, I thought the new A10 Fusion chip was a revelation. There are four cores and while it isn’t the first in the market to create a chip with quad cores for a mobile phone, the A10 Fusion is different because it comes with two high-performance cores and two high-efficiency cores. Essentially the iPhone 7 Plus taps on different cores depending on your activity. If you’re just sending a message, it uses the high-efficiency one. If you’re doing something graphically intensive, the high-performance cores come into play. What this means is a longer battery life. I easily went through a normal day’s usage on the iPhone 7 Plus without needing a charge.

Of course, you can’t talk about the iPhone 7 Plus without discussing the removal of the headphone jack. Apple included a relatively tiny Lightning-to-3.5mm-Headphone-Jack adapter in your kit, which is permanently connected to my earphones now lest I lose it. There is also a selection of Lightning earphones and headphones out there on the market if you’re not looking to go down the wireless route. While the first few days were a tad frustrating, HeadphoneJackGate didn’t bother as much as I thought it would after a week. We are, after all, creatures of habit and I am certain Apple thought the same way, believing that after the initial furor, the public would settle down.

Now, the all-new Home button is a much-welcomed redesign. One of the drawbacks of the previous iPhones was that the Home button could potentially be spoiled, especially if you received a bad batch. The new solid-state Home button solves that problem simply by not being an actual button. Instead it gives you tactile haptic feedback every time you unlock your phone (which is amazingly quick, by the way). It’s quite a subtle but smart touch from Apple.

I’m also really liking the new leather cases that Apple has released for the 7 Plus, which you can see below. They look and feel great.

With everything said and done, the iPhone 7 Plus is not a significant upgrade from the iPhone 6S Plus. If you’re using the latter, I suggest holding off until 2017. That’s when the 10th anniversary iPhone is coming out, and it’s rumoured to come with a boatload of new features. However, if you’re holding on to an iPhone 6 and below, I strongly recommend the iPhone 7 Plus. It’s a legitimately great smartphone.

apple
apple watch
iPhone 7
Farhan Shah
Talk to Me About:

Up Next For You

Electrifying Road Trip: Southeast Asia’s First Cross-Country EV Charging Network Is Here
Richard Augustin
Gear
1933 To 2021: Charting The Evolution Of The BMW Kidney Grille
Richard Augustin
Gear
New Wireless Speakers You Need In Your Home This Year
Annabel Tan
Gear
Got A Bitcoin? Here's What You Can Buy With It
AFP Relaxnews
Gear
Want the low-down on the latest rides and gadgets? We have it all. Sign up to receive it.
×
Where are you?
Tell us so we can display what you want to see.
  • Malaysia
  • Singapore
Malaysia Singapore
Advertise About Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions
© 2021 Copyright Augustman