MacRumors

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.

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.

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.

DisplayMate shared more in-depth analysis in its iPhone 7 vs. iPhone 6 display shootout.

Apple is aware of and investigating an iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus issue that can result in the loss of cellular service after turning off Airplane Mode on the devices, according to internal documents obtained by MacRumors.

In the meantime, Apple has advised authorized service providers to instruct customers to restart the affected iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus. If no service persists, Apple advises customers to remove and re-insert the device's SIM card.

In a video shared with MacRumors by reader Yasser El-Haggan, an iPhone 7 can be seen with no service alongside an iPhone 6s with two bars of LTE after Airplane Mode is toggled off on both devices. Both of the iPhones are said to be AT&T models, which means the iPhone 7 has an Intel modem rather than a Qualcomm modem used for Verizon and Sprint models.

All of a sudden today my iPhone 7 Jet Black model started not getting internet service -- can’t make outbound calls or receive calls -- even though it showed 4 bars. I then put it in Airplane Mode, and back off, then it showed no service. It got pretty warm in the top right hand corner.

I then took a video of my wife's iPhone 6s right next to my iPhone 7, put them both in Airplane Mode, and then switched Airplane Mode off and you can see immediately that the iPhone 6s gets signal instantly, and the iPhone 7 just sits there searching. I then took her SIM and put it in my iPhone 7, no luck, put my SIM in her phone, and it got signal right away.

El-Haggan said he took his iPhone 7 to an Apple Store, where the Genius Bar swapped out the device with a new one. The employee had allegedly seen the issue on a few previous handsets, and he immediately replaced the device per Apple's instructions in lieu of running a basic diagnostic test. Apple appears to have replacement iPhone 7 models reserved for these scenarios per standard policy.

After the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus began arriving to the first round of pre-order customers on Friday, a few users noticed what's become known as a "hissing" sound emanating from the back of the device, where the Apple logo is located. The first reports began on Friday, but the occurrence gained ground when 512 Pixels' Stephen Hackett tweeted about it, posting a video with the "terrible noises" produced by his iPhone clearly audible, which he determined to be caused by heavy performance at the time.

When he brought the issue to AppleCare, Hackett was told to bring the iPhone into an Apple retail location to swap it out, but given the low stock of nearly all iPhone 7 models, that solution isn't particularly helpful at the moment. Friday night, a member of the MacRumors forums, liorgr, confirmed the somewhat "common" issue facing the iPhone 7, although it's still unknown as to whether the noise could come from all versions of the device, or if it's just "a faulty batch."

I just came back from the Apple Store.

They had no idea what it is and what could it be (not surprising as this phones just came out today), so they ordered a replacement phone for me /:

They could reproduce the issue easily. Also I noticed that when turning on the phone you can hear it very well, I guess because of the extra processing that is being done while booting the device.

Kind of disappointed they don't have a few in stock for cases like this, but on the other hand it sounds like an issue more common than 1 damaged phone. so I hope that if it is a faulty batch or something like that so the wait my pay off and by the time I get my replacement phone it will be fixed.

Since his tweet, more and more iPhone 7 users have come forward about the issue and corroborated Hackett's story. On the MacRumors forums, mentions of a "buzzing" and "static" sound coming from the back of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus began on Friday afternoon. Specifically, forum member maxlind noted that the noise happened on his 128GB iPhone 7 Plus under load, without charging or restoring from an iCloud backup.

My new iPhone 7 Plus (128GB, Black) has an odd buzzing / static sound coming from it. Specifically, if I put my ear up to the back of the phone where the apple logo is, I can hear the battery or processor or something “working”… note the sound file attached.

Nope, not charging. I thought maybe at first it was just the phone overworking itself during an iCloud restore (it got pretty hot too)... but the noise is still there.

One Redditor who got his iPhone 7 Plus replaced at an Apple store noticed immediately that his new iPhone was making a similar sound, so the issue could potentially be affecting a large number of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models due to the high-capacity performance abilities of the A10 chip. Since there are no actual moving components on the chip, it's still unclear what could be making the noise.

As pointed out by The Verge, the consensus of the noise's origin online is that it's caused by a phenomenon known as "coil noise."

What’s going on here? Potentially nothing major, and Apple declined to comment on this story. So we can’t say for sure what the cause is yet, nor how widespread it is — though to the latter point, it doesn’t seem to be affecting a large number of users.

The consensus around the web right now is that this is some form of “coil noise” or “coil whine” — the sort of sound a high powered processor or virtually any electronic part can make, especially when it’s not properly dampened. It can crop up when the chip is under heavy load, and you might be able to hear it on any recent phone if you put it under load and listen very closely. I can, for example, hear some high-pitched noises on my Galaxy S7 Edge if I hold it up to my ear in a quiet room.

Still, despite the problem slowly becoming infamous over the weekend, some sites tried to replicate the issue and failed. Using performance benchmark software 3D Mark "Ice Storm Extreme," Engadget ended up hearing "no hissing at all" on the 4.7-inch iPhone 7. As many users have theorized, the sound issue could "stem from a manufacturing issue instead of an inherent design quirk." Until Apple addresses the problem, that still leaves affected users to either deal with the noise, or attempt to get a replacement that could potentially face the same sound.

YouTube channel EverythingApplePro posted a video over the weekend demonstrating how the iPhone 7 fares in an extreme deep water test. The video, titled "How Deep Before it Dies?", shows an iPhone 7 and a Samsung Galaxy S7 being lowered into the ocean at increasingly lower depths.

Apple's iPhone 7 series is certified to IP67 standard water resistance, which means the handsets are built to withstand being submerged in up to 1 meter (about 3.28 feet) of water for half an hour at most. Samsung's handset carries the higher IP68 certification, indicating it can withstand continuous immersion in over 1 meter (3.28 feet) depths, or up to five feet, according to Samsung.

The first test drops the devices down 5 feet, exceeding the 3.28 feet rating that IP67 standard promises. Both devices emerge from the water undamaged. Then the devices are dropped at increasingly deeper intervals in 5 feet increments.

At 20 feet, with no signs of damage, the tester adds another 10 feet. The first signs of damage become evident at 30 feet of water for five minutes. The Galaxy begins sporadically rebooting, while the iPhone's Taptic Engine-based capacitive home button begins malfunctioning.

After 35 feet water immersion, the Galaxy's display refuses to come on, but the iPhone 7 continues to power up and the touchscreen still responds to touches, despite obvious water damage under the bottom half of the display.

Notwithstanding the highly unconventional and extreme nature of the test, it does serve to underline Apple's continuing strategy of being conservative in its waterproofing claims. The first Apple Watch for example was only rated for up to 1 meter of water depth, but regularly survived dives down to 40 meters in swimming tests.

Apple debuted a new Apple Music ad tonight during the 2016 Emmy Awards, featuring "Late Late Show" host James Corden pitching commercial ideas to Apple Music executives Jimmy Iovine, Eddy Cue and Bozoma Saint John.

Iovine, Cue and Saint John task Corden with pitching commercial ideas that can easily get across some Apple Music features, like offline listening, hand-picked playlists and over 40 million songs. Instead, Corden pitches a series of ads where he dresses up like iconic music acts.

After he's rejected, Corden pitches more specific commercials where he hands a thirsty boy in a desert an iPhone with Apple Music and where he dives in a body of water filled with 40 million apples. After a few more desperate pitches, the commercial cuts to black with white lettering mentioning that Apple Music has offline listening, hand-picked playlists and over 40 million songs.

The commercial is the latest collaboration between Apple and Corden. The late night host helped open Apple's September 2016 special event by "driving" Tim Cook to the event while singing karaoke. Corden and Apple are also working on a Carpool Karaoke TV show exclusively for Apple Music, though Corden will only be producing the series.

Earlier today, Apple also debuted three other commercials: Two iPhone 7 commercials focused on its water resistance and low-light camera and an Apple Watch Series 2 commercial.

Apple has posted a new ad to its YouTube channel to show off the versatility and sporting smarts of the Apple Watch Series 2.

The one-minute ad is titled "Go Time" and principally showcases the new wristwatch's built-in GPS and water resistance up to 50 meters, using a montage of scenes that suggest fitness, fun, motivation, and time-keeping.

Watch owners are seen measuring swimming time, their activity and heart-rate on the court, on the road, and in the gym, having fun on the dance floor, and taking time out to breathe with the new mindfulness app, as well as benefiting from the messaging capabilities of the watch.

The commercial keeps to the same dimly lit, high contrast style as Apple's iPhone 7 commercials, despite this ad not being limited to nighttime activities.

Apple has posted two new iPhone 7 ads to its YouTube channel showcasing the phones' water-resistance and camera performance in low light conditions.

The first ad, titled "Midnight" and about a minute long, follows the impromptu twilight journey of a skateboarder around suburban streets as he utilizes the camera's photo and video capture capabilities in various solitary encounters.

The iPhone 7 Plus is seen being used to record video through a mist of lawn sprayers, take a photo of moths dancing around a dim light bulb, and capture the moment a young deer wanders into a gas station forecourt.

Later, the skateboarder alights to venture into a forest wood, where he eventually discovers a tantalizing moonlit cityscape. The ad concludes with the tagline, "low-light camera on iPhone 7 – practically magic".

The second ad is a 30-second spot called "Morning Ride" and depicts a man going into his garage and preparing himself and his bike for a pre-dawn ride while a violent lightning storm passes overhead.

He is seen using an iPhone 7 to check the weather forecast, and then fixes the handset to a handlebar mount while he dresses for the outdoors. He checks his route on a cycling app, before raising the garage door to reveal thundering rain and stormcloud-capped mountains in the distance. The same tagline as the first ad appears in conclusion.

The two ads offer a lot more substance than Apple's previous, more abstract iPhone 7 teaser commercial, but continue with the same darkened theme to portray the phone's flagship upgrades and black handset color options. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus boast IP67 standard splash, water, and dust resistance, while the new 12-megapixel cameras (dual-lens in the Plus) feature Quad-LED True Tone flash, auto-image stabilization, and exposure control.

It was a busy week here at MacRumors, with the release of iOS 10, watchOS 3, and tvOS 10, along with the official launch of the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and Apple Watch Series 2. We did a lot of coverage of the new software updates and the new devices, so we thought we'd do a quick recap for those of our readers looking for something to read over the weekend.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.

Below, you'll find all of our iOS 10, watchOS 3, and tvOS 10 coverage, including how tos, hidden tidbits, launch features, and more. We've also rounded up all of our iPhone 7 and Apple Watch coverage, which includes teardowns with previously unknown information, launch day info, order delays, and more.

iOS 10, tvOS 10, and watchOS 3 Release

- Apple Releases iOS 10 with Redesigned Lockscreen, New Messages Features
- iOS 10 Tidbits: Hide Stock Apps, Use Two Safari Windows on iPad, Access Voicemail Transcription and More
- Apple Releases watchOS 3 With App Dock, Instant Launching, New Watch Faces, and Breathe
- Apple Releases tvOS 10 With New Siri Features, Improved Search, Dark Mode and More
- Apple Releases Swift Playgrounds Coding App for iPad
- Apple Releases iTunes 12.5.1 wth Revamped Apple Music Design
- Apple's iWork for iOS Apps Updated With Real-Time Collaboration
- Must-have Sticker Packs for Messages in iOS 10
- iOS 10 Messages Apps and Games Worth Checking Out
- iOS 10 Now Installed on 14.5% of Devices, Early Adoption Rates Outpacing iOS 9 Adoption
- Apple Pay on the Web Starts Rolling Out Following iOS 10 Release

iOS 10 How Tos

- How to use iOS 10's Redesigned Lock Screen
- How to use Sticker Packs in Messages in iOS 10
- How to Use Image Markup in Photos and Messages in iOS 10
- How to Use Messages' Tapback, Screen Effects and Bubble Effects in iOS 10
- How to use Emoji Replacement and Prediction in Messages in iOS 10
- Hate Clicking the Home Button to Unlock in iOS 10? Try This
- How to Use Native 3D Touch Actions in iOS 10
- How to Use the New Control Center in iOS 10
- How to Use Digital Touch in Messages in iOS 10
- How to Edit Memories in Photos in iOS 10
- How to Use Apple Music Lyrics in iOS 10
- How to Send Handwritten Notes in Messages in iOS 10
- How to Customize Favorite Contacts in iOS 10

iPhone 7 and 7 Plus

- All iPhone 7 Plus and Jet Black iPhone 7 Models Sold Out for Launch Day
- Best Buy Delays Some iPhone 7 Plus Orders, Offers $100 Promo Code as Compensation
- First iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Pre-Order Customers in New Zealand Begin Receiving Shipments
- Apple's First Walk-In Customers Leave With iPhone 7 and Free $100 Gift Cards Instead of iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2 Launch Around the World
- Launch Day Reaction Mixed as iPhone 7 Shipping Estimates Improve but Some Reservations Turned Away
- iPhone 7 Reviews: 'Terrific Phones' That Offer a 'Foundation' for the Future, But Not an Essential Upgrade
- iPhone 7 Plus Teardown Confirms Longer-Lasting 2,900 mAh Battery
- iPhone 7 Teardown Reveals 'Incredibly Thin' A10 Chip With 2GB RAM, Intel Modem
- iPhone 7 Plus Camera 'Ideal for Shooting Outdoor Adventures'
- iPhone 7 Series is Faster Than Any MacBook Air Ever Made
- iPhone 7-Optimized Game 'Oz: Broken Kingdom' Launches in App Store
- Apple's iPhone 7 Smart Battery Case Offers 26% More Charge Than iPhone 6s Version
- iPhone 7 Plus, 128GB, and Black Models Prove Most Popular With Pre-Order Customers
- iPhone 7 Undergoes Extreme Durability Test in New Video
- iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Survive Hot Coffee, Soda, and the Ocean in New Videos
- How to Reset an iPhone 7 or Enter DFU Mode for Last-Ditch Recovery

Apple Watch Series 2

- Apple Watch Series 2 Reviews: 'The First Real Apple Watch' Thanks to Fitness and Processor Upgrades
- Best Buy Delays Apple Watch Series 2 Shipments, Offers $50 Promo Code as Compensation
- Target Says Apple Watch Series 2 Orders Will be Delayed, Offers $50 Gift Card to Affected Customers
- Apple Watch Series 2 Teardown Shows Larger Battery and Swimproof Design
- Best Buy Delaying Some Apple Watch Series 1 Pre-Orders to Mid-October

For more information on the new software and new devices Apple released this week, make sure to check out our roundups: iOS 10, tvOS 10, watchOS 3, iPhone 7, and Apple Watch.