Inside the iPhone 7: This is what has replaced the 3.5mm headphone jack

One of the significant changes Apple has introduced in its latest iPhone lineup — iPhone 7 and 7 Plus — is the removal of the industry-standard 3.5 mm headphone jack. There has been so much hue and cry over it. Even thousands of people signed a petition urging Apple to retain it.

But what now takes the space of the deceased port? Just hours after the new handsets went on sale, renowned gadget repair website iFixIt cracked open its toolbox and took apart the new iPhone. Inside, it found the updated Taptic Engine takes up much of the space freed up by the headphone socket.

The Taptic Engine in the 7 and 7 Plus is larger than the one inside their predecessor, which is a fair reason why Apple removed the headphone jack. Those who have a Retina MacBook will be familiar with the clicking sensation produced by the engine, which replaces that laptop's track pad click.

For the iPhone 7 the Taptic Engine has been upgraded to work with the home button, which no longer moves but instead gives the sensation of a click when pressed. Early reviews claim pressing the fixed button now feels like the whole lower half of the phone is clicking.

It also appears that making the iPhone 7 water resistant also led to the headphone jack's demise. As iFixIt explains: "The Taptic Engine is taking up the majority of the space where the connection was housed, but interestingly there's a simple plastic bumper where the actual cutout used to be. This suggests that, while the Taptic Engine was part of the reason for Apple to remove the headphone jack, the ability to make the iPhone water resistant was likely equally important."

Do you think Apple was right to remove the headphone jack? Let us know in the poll below:

iFixit also found the adhesive strip around the iPhone 7 Plus is stronger than the one on the iPhone 6s Plus. What is more interesting is the iPhone 7 Plus opens at the side, instead of clips at the top found in the previous models. These clips help to align the display. Opening the 7 Plus shows a lot of black and white adhesives running around the perimeter of the device.

The 7 Plus's battery is rated at 3.82 V or 2,900mAh, which stores slightly more power than the 2,750mAh unit used in the iPhone 6s Plus. Apple claims the 7 Plus lasts for up to one hour longer than the 6s Plus during a regular day; the company also states it is good for 21 hours of talk time over 3G, or 15 hours of WiFi use.

There are two 12 megapixel cameras on the back of the 7 Plus, one wide angle and a telephoto lens allowing for 2x optical zoom. Both cameras feature a new image sensor which according to Apple is 60% faster and 30% more energy efficient than the previous phone.

The handset along with its 4.7in sibling are now on sale in the UK, US and across Europe. Click here for our iPhone 7 buying guide to know where you can get the best deals in the UK.