iPhone 7 Vs iPhone 7 Plus: The Differences Decide Your Purchase

The Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have been officially unveiled this morning. But the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are not like any previous Apple iPhone ‘number change’. This update is not simply about adding 2 new phone colors compared to iPhone 6 and 6S. Even the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are different in features and design. These 2 new iPhone models look identical to each other. Except the appearance, there are also some other significant differences.

People who plan to upgrade to iPhone 7 might wonder which iPhone 7 model is more worth buying. Here is a comparison between iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The comparison is straightforward, covering design, display, performance, camera, battery life, storage and price.

Design & Size - More Durable, More Controversial

In the new iPhone models, Apple has made great change in design, but stayed the same in size like that of iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. Several changes in design include: remove the 3.5mm EarPod port, IP67 dust and water resistance, antenna bands, and Home key improvement.

 Apple has fitted both the new iPhones with just a single Lightning port for both music listening and charging. They add IP67 dust and water resistance (good for full submersion in up to 1 metre of water for 30 minutes) for the first time while still retaining the rigid Series 7000 Aluminium introduced last year.

The Home button on iPhone 7 is an advanced solid-state button designed to be durable, responsive, and pressure sensitive. Working in tandem with the new Taptic Engine, it gives you precise tactile feedback as you press. And it’s even customizable.

Apple has also tidied up the antenna bands, removing them from the back of the phone so they only now appear at the top and bottom edges.

As to the size of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, Apple still provides 2 sizes: 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch. There are 5 colors of new iPhone models: Rose Gold, Gold, Silver, Black and (for just 128GB and 256GB options) Jet Black.

Displays – Upgraded But Still Showing Their Age

 The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus look identical with OLED panels missing yet again and native resolutions moored far behind their flagship 2K (2560 x 1440) Android counterparts:

• ·         iPhone 7 – 4.7-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD, 1334 x 750 pixels (326 ppi), 65.6% screen-to-body ratio
• ·         iPhone 7 Plus – 5.5-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD, 1920 x 1080 pixels (401 ppi), 67.7% screen-to-body ratio

That said, Apple is loudly proclaiming improvements to the quality of both displays highlighting a 25% brighter “cinema standard” Retina HD display. There is also a wider (P3) color gamut and improved color management.

Performance – Major Speed Upgrades

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus come with Apple A10 Fusion chipset (Quad Core CPU, 2GB of RAM), the first iPhones to be equipped with quad core processors. Apple claims they will deliver 40% faster CPU performance and up to 50% faster graphics performance than the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus.

Some will bemoan that the iPhone 7 Plus hasn’t got the 3GB of RAM many had predicted, but new iPhones will still deliver performance that even 2017 Android flagships may struggle to live with.

Cameras – The Big Differentiator And Main Selling Points

There’s no denying Samsung has taken the photography crown from Apple in recent years, but the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus may steal it back:

• ·         iPhone 7 – Rear: 12 megapixel sensor, f/1.8 aperture, Focus Pixels, Optical Image Stabilisation, quad-LED (dual tone) flash, 4K video recording. Front: 7MP sensor, f/2.2 aperture, 1080p recording
• ·         iPhone 7 Plus – Rear: Dual 12MP sensors (f/1.8, 28mm & f/2.8, 56mm), Focus Pixels, OIS, 2x optical zoom, quad-LED (dual tone) flash, 4K video recording. Front: 7MP sensor, f/2.2 aperture, 1080p recording.

Battery Life And Charging – Minimal Improvements

Apple failed to disclose the exact capacities of the batteries in either of its new iPhones, but it did say iPhone 7 owners could expect up to two additional hours of usage compared to the iPhone 6S while iPhone 7 Plus owners will get one additional hour compared to the iPhone 6S Plus. The full breakdown is as follows:

Storage And Price – Starting from 32GB

In fact the company has double storage capacities at every tier so 16GB, 64GB and 128GB have been replaced with 32GB, 128GB and 256GB.

Consequently while prices are unchanged from last year this look better value for money:

• ·         iPhone 7 – 32GB ($649), 128GB ($749), 256GB ($849)
• ·         iPhone 7 Plus – 32GB ($749), 128GB ($849), 256GB ($949)

Needless to say that hardcore iPhone fans will grab the 256GB model, but I suspect many buyers of the previous 128GB flagship may now be happy to save $100 and opt for the same storage as a mid tier option.