As a big Apple fan, I watched the company's iPhone 7 launch with a degree of apprehension, and for several reasons. New features and the lack of others meant that the launch is probably one of the most controversial ever for an iPhone.
The headphone jack being removed is still a disadvantage for me. In addition, the fact that charging the device while listening to music now requires an adaptor (not least of all using Bluetooth will likely impact on battery life too compared to the 3.5mm jack) plus the lack of wireless charging and a still less than stellar battery life mean that I won't be upgrading from my old iPhone 6...yet.
Thankfully, iPhone 7 case manufacturers could well come to the rescue - in fact, I'm counting on it. I predicted at the original launch last month that cases with built-in 3.5mm adaptors would likely appear and sure enough, they have.
Image Courtesy of Indiegogo/Fuze Cases
The Fuze Case, which is currently doing the rounds on the crowd funding site Indiegogo, not only solves the issue of average battery life with the iPhone 7 by including a built-in 2400mAh battery (probably enough to charge the iPhone 7's 1,960mAh battery to between 80-100% once you factor in the power loss in the charging process), but it has a built-in splitter for the Lighting Port and 3.5mm headphone jack.
Image Courtesy of Indiegogo/Fuze Cases
This allows you to not only use your trusty 3.5mm earphones with the iPhone 7, but also to use them and connect a Lighting Cable to your iPhone at the same time without the need for an adaptor.
Never have third-party iPhone cases been so important as they have now. The cases could well include wireless charging ability in future too - something that many popular iPhone 6 cases did as well. Of course, you could opt for an Android device instead, but if you're tied into the Apple ecosystem, enjoy the excellent App Store or just prefer the simplicity and streamlined nature of iOS, then that might not be possible. In that case, battery cases like the Fuze are your best bet if you want to retain 3.5mm earphone compatibility and get better battery life with your iPhone 7.
