With two rear cameras that can blend images into one, the iPhone 7 Plus can take shots that other phones can't. iOS 10.1 will unlock the so-called depth-of-field feature that allows the phone to blur the background while keeping the foreground subject in focus. It's not unlike the "bokeh" effect found on higher-end mirrorless cameras. (We used the 10.1 public beta for these photos; quality on the final version may differ.)
The depth effect takes photos from looking like a simple snapshot, to a portrait. This one would look good on the wall or the desk at work.
Makeda, from Atlanta, on a bright San Francisco street. Note that you can neither read the sign on the left, nor see the face of the man on the right.
Another good one for the family album.
In capturing fellow CNET photographer Josh Miller here, we see that the blurred background depth effect works best in optimal lighting conditions.
In dimly lit environments, depth effect doesn't work, but this portrait shot on an Oakland, California, street at night lit by only a marquee, came out just fine.
The background here is far brighter than the subject in the foreground, but you still get a usable shot.
'Portrait' looks great shooting at the beach in Alameda, where the busyness of the beach fades away and we can focus on the person.
Back outside -- but out of direct sunlight -- but the blur effect dovetails nicely with the "vanishing point" perspective of the street.
We'll continue to test this effect on the iPhone 7 Plus as it moves from the beta to the final version available to all iOS users later this year.
Again in dim evening light, this portrait of musician Keith Kanoff is really set off with the blur of the background lights.
Busy backgrounds can be distracting, but with the blurred background depth effect, distracting background elements fade away and we can focus on the person.