On this day 10 years ago, Apple unveiled the iPhone 7 and removed the headphone jack

Ten years ago today, Apple took the wraps off the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, introducing a generation of iPhone that would become particularly memorable for what it left behind.

Announced on September 7, 2016 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, the iPhone 7 lineup marked Apple’s controversial decision to remove the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack. Instead, Apple shipped EarPods with a Lightning connector and included a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter in the box, while also unveiling the original wireless AirPods alongside the new phones.

The changes went well beyond audio. According to Apple’s original announcement, the iPhone 7 became the first iPhone designed with water and dust resistance, while both models gained stereo speakers, a brighter wide-color Retina HD display and a new solid-state Home button that used the Taptic Engine to simulate a physical click.

Apple also introduced two new black finishes. The standard black model used a matte anodized appearance, while the striking Jet Black version featured a highly polished glossy finish created through a multi-step anodization and polishing process. Silver, gold and rose gold completed the lineup.

The iPhone 7 Plus also helped establish a camera formula that remains central to the iPhone today. It was the first iPhone to feature a dual-camera system, pairing wide-angle and telephoto cameras to offer optical zoom and enable the then-new Portrait mode. The smaller iPhone 7 retained a single rear camera but gained optical image stabilization.

Inside, both devices were powered by Apple’s A10 Fusion chip. Storage started at 32GB, replacing the much-criticized 16GB entry point of previous generations, with 128GB and 256GB configurations also available.

In the UK, the iPhone 7 started at £599. Pre-orders opened on September 9, 2016 before the devices went on sale on September 16.

The September event also saw Apple unveil Apple Watch Series 2 and preview the original AirPods. The Apple Post covered everything announced during Apple’s 2016 keynote at the time.

A decade later, several ideas introduced with the iPhone 7 generation have become standard across Apple’s lineup, including water resistance, stereo speakers and multi-camera systems, while the removal of the headphone jack helped accelerate Apple’s push toward wireless audio.