Apple iPhone 7 Plus, with the bigger screen and better specifications as compared to the iPhone 7, is the most powerful smartphone in the iPhone range and it looks like it is getting most of the attention of the Apple lovers contrary to the belief of Steve Jobs about the bigger screen phones.
When the iPhone 6/6S Plus models were released mostly the appeal was the smartphone’s size. They were made larger and included optical image stabilization. But this year the iPhone 7 Plus has a lot more to offer than just size compared to its smaller version.
The biggest feature of the iPhone 7 Plus that the iPhone 7 lacks is undoubtedly the dual camera. Overall the new flagships bring new color configurations, more space to throw in your media and apps, and changes to the hardware. However, the new Plus model comes at quite a cost. The iPhone 7 Plus is the most expensive iPhone to date but it still doesn’t have any significant new upgrades compared to the iPhone 6S Plus apart from the dual camera. So the main question is, that is the iPhone 7 Plus worth the money you spend.
New iPhone 7 Plus features at a glance:
In the past, the standard iPhone models have been more popular than their advanced counterparts. However, for the first time, iPhone 7 Plus demand has exceeded iPhone 7 demand. This is because the iPhone 7 Plus has a lot more to offer than the iPhone 7. Additionally, the dual camera is the biggest selling point of the iPhone 7 Plus. Below is a list of all the main new things that the company has introduced in the latest iPhone 7 Plus.
- New dual camera with optical image stabilization and better aperture to capture better photos in low light.
- IP67 Water resistance and dust proof protection.
- Significantly longer battery life.
- Faster processor, the improved speed is highly noticeable in intensive games and high-level photo editing apps.
- No headphone jack.
- Better Storage capacity.
Price & Release Date:
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus launched officially on September 16, 2016. However, the preorders were rapid because of the popularity. Because of this the Apple stores quickly ran out of stock.
If you’re not in a hurry then you can probably buy the iPhone 7 Plus model in the next few months from Apple store. The availability is expected to improve over the next few months.
The iPhone 7 Plus price starts at $769 (£719, AU$1,229) for the entry-level 32GB model. Apple has eliminated the 16GB storage model this year. Apple has also gotten rid of the 64GB model in favor of a new 256GB option at the top of the range, with 128GB now becoming the middle storage option. The 128GB iPhone 7 Plus price is $869 (£819, AU$1,419), while the 256GB model for powers users is priced at a whopping $969 (£919, AU$1,569).
However, it is not as much as much compared to those living in the UK. Due to the Brexit the pound has taken a downfall and the Apple iPhone prices are subsequently up. So iPhone lovers in the UK will have to dish out a little extra cash for the latest iPhone compared to the US and Australia.
Apple iPhone 7 Plus Design:
Compared to its predecessors the iPhone 7 Plus is easy to tell apart because of its most notable upgrade and that is the rear dual camera. The other notable difference and perhaps unwelcome one is the removal of the headphone jack. Apart from that the iPhone 7 Plus’s design is pretty much the same and there aren’t any interesting design modifications. The new smartphone resembles the iPhone 6 Plus and 6S Plus in design and in functionality.
One aesthetic change that Apple has made is the availability of the new Jet black iPhone. However, so far the reviews of the jet black version have been negative with users claiming that it gets scratched too easily. Apart from that Apple has maintained the rounded corners, aluminum frame and minimalist styling means the iPhone 7 Plus retains its premium status.
The headphone jack removal decision has been met with skepticism. However, Apple does include an adapter in the iPhone 7 Plus box, allowing you to plug in your standard 3.5mm headphone connection. It is a compromise but at least this way you can still use your old headphones.
Then there is the iP67 rating. Unlike the headphone jack removal the water resistant and dust proofing is highly welcomed by users. It’s not fully waterproof but it is still a great step forward. The iPhone 7 Plus is the exactly same size as the iPhone 6S Plus. However, the iPhone 7 Plus is slightly lighter. The home button is another major design modification in the iPhone 7 Plus. The physical home button has been removed and it has been replaced by a haptic button with Force Touch technology.
iPhone 7 Plus Display:
The iPhone 7 Plus features a 5.5-inch full HD display with the same 1080 x 1920 resolution and 401 ppi pixel density. Despite the lofty price tag, the iPhone 7 Plus isn’t equipped with QHD resolution, unlike its competitors. In the Display sector, the main change that the iPhone 7 Plus brings is the brightness and color modification. Otherwise, the device is pretty much identical to its predecessor.
Apple has added a cinema-standard wide color gamut into the mix for richer, more realistic visuals on screen. The smartphone is also 25% brighter, although it’s not particularly noticeable. It is a subtle change that makes the screen easier to look at the brightest setting. Apple has also made the white balance of the display a little bit warmer to make it easy on the eyes. However, the auto brightness setting still needs adjustment.
Ultimately, the iPhone 7 Plus display screen isn’t that much of an upgrade compared to the iPhone 6S Plus. Place the smartphones side by side and you will only see a minor change.
iPhone 7 Plus Performance:
The iPhone 7 Plus is equipped with a more powerful and new A10 chip which offers super-slick performance. One of the biggest selling points of Apple devices is their ease of use. Apple has made the iPhone 7 Plus even more user-friendly with its new iOS 10 operating system, along with some hardware upgrades under the hood. It is also quite fast. Compared to its predecessor the iPhone 7 Plus is significantly faster while running apps and high-level apps.
Apple has also improved the microprocessor design as well. With the new A10 chip, the manufacturer has taken a significant leap forward by boosting the number of cores from two to four and coupling this with a meaty 3GB of RAM. Furthermore, the iPhone 7 Plus manages to better even the iPhone 7, which comes with the same chip but only 2GB of RAM. So if you upgrade from any predecessor iPhone, you will notice the performance jump on the iPhone 7 Plus.
For this year’s flagship devices Apple has also made an upgrade to the speakers. The speakers on iPhone 7 Plus are stereo. The device has one speaker situated on top and one at the bottom. The result of the upgrade is noticeable and now the speakers sound a lot better than its predecessors. It is louder and clearer with twice the volume of the iPhone 6S for room-filling sound.
The iPhone 7 Plus’s playback is great for music as well. Moreover, the iPhone also takes into account the orientation of the iPhone and adjusts the speakers’ output accordingly.
iOS 10:
The operating system of the iPhone 7 Plus is Apple’s latest iOS 10. The OS has a lot to offer this year. It also comes with a built-in Home app for your HomeKit enabled devices. The lock screen has been modified quite a bit as well. It now has 3D Touch notifications, which enable you to reply to important messages and accept calendar invites without having to unlock the device.
Swiping right from the left side of the screen also takes you to a panel filled with various widgets. You can customize what is displayed here to a limited extent. The customizable panel is also accessible from the home screen by the same gesture. The iPhone 7 Plus also features the new raise-to-awake feature which switches on the screen when you pick up the smartphone.
Apple has also added a few more features to the 3D Touch pop-up bubbles that appear when you hard press on an app icon. These bubbles now display information from the applications they are associated with. This makes 3D Touch far more useful than it previously was. Aside from these few modification, everything else is pretty much the same. Ultimately, if you are upgrading from a recent predecessor you might not feel that much of a difference.
iPhone 7 Plus Battery Life:
Apple has worked on improving the battery life of the iPhone 7 Plus and it has succeeded but the increase is nothing drastic. The battery life has been increased through improvements to the smartphone and the A10 fusion chip. Albeit the increase is small, but it is still significant.
The new processor chip plays the major part in the battery life improvement. It is designed to separate into two task machines: on the one hand, two cores can run the harder stuff, such as video editing, multiple background processes, photo manipulation etc.
The charging speed of the iPhone 7 Plus is decent enough. A neat trick is that if you connect your smartphone to a faster 2.1A iPad charging block it will power up the smartphone faster. The battery is now also charging at an increased speed when it is dead. However, topping it up takes slightly longer. The battery life increase and charging boost are not dramatic but it is still highly practical.Unfortunately, Apple still hasn’t dabbled into the realm of wireless charging yet. We are hoping that the next iteration of the smartphone will feature the technology.
iPhone 7 Plus Camera:
The iPhone 7 Plus camera is one of the major new features on the device. It is Apple’s only smartphone that is equipped with a rear dial camera. The smaller version of this the iPhone 7 only has a single lens camera with slight improvements. If you are looking for an upgrade because you want a better camera then you should go for the iPhone 7 Plus instead of the iPhone 7 if you can afford it. The dual lens camera shoots crisp and high-quality images. Apple has especially improved the low light camera performance greatly.
The rear dual cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus are both 12 MP. One camera is a wide angle lens while the other is a telephoto lens. The camera setup gives you a 2x optical zoom, which means you don’t lose image quality while getting closer to your subject. Currently, the dual-cameras are working independently so their full potential is not realized yet but it is still a significant step forward.
Ultimately, the iPhone 7 Plus camera’s performance is sublime. Cameras in iDevices have always been designed to capture a more natural image that isn’t saturated. While this results in a more muted image it is also more realistic and true to life and the iPhone 7’s camera is the same.
Conclusion:
The Apple iPhone 7 Plus isn’t a significant upgrade to its predecessor. There are a lot of similarities between the iPhone 6S Plus and the iPhone 7 Plus. Apart from the dual-camera, IP67 water resistance rating, and the not so welcome removal of the headphone jack there aren’t any new notable upgrades. The iPhone 7 Plus is a very expensive device and the main question on everyone’s mind is that is it worth the hefty cost.
Ultimately,the answer is yes but there are conditions. While the iPhone 7 Plus is a high-quality device with plentiful features and a few notable upgrades if you are upgrading from a recent iPhone like the iPhone 6S Plus then you are better off saving your money for the next year’s model. The design is pretty much the same as it’s predecessors and it lacks innovative features like wireless charging and curved edge design that competitors are already offering.
However, there are still notable features in the iPhone 7 Plus that make it worthy of upgrading. The camera is highly improved and the water and dust resistance is a big design upgrade. Ultimately, there are various factors that you need to keep in mind before deciding to buy the iPhone 7 Plus. But, one thing is for sure, it is an amazing smartphone.