When you look at the iPhone 7 and the 7 Plus, they look almost the same as the previous generation of iPhones. One is simply larger than the other. But there are actually several features that set the 7 apart from the 7 Plus. Let’s dive in with a closer look at both of them.
The features that the 7 and 7 Plus have in common
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus both lack a headphone jack, but both include an adapter in the box. The adapter lets you plug in your headphones into the Lightning port at the bottom of the phones. If you like to charge and listen to music at the same time, it might be time to upgrade to cordless Bluetooth headphones. At least the 7 and 7 Plus now have better dual speakers for louder external audio.
Both of these new iPhones are the toughest models Apple has made up to this point. They meet the IP67 standard for resisting water and dust. You can actually submerge them in up to 3 feet of water for 30 minutes.
Their frames are built with the rugged Series 7000 Aluminium alloy that house the 6S and 6S Plus. And instead of a movable home button, there is a touchpad that “clicks” for you. But both still have 3D Touch like the 6s and 6s Plus.
The front cameras also got an upgrade because both now have a 7MP front-facing camera that can record 1080p video. Selfies just went to a new level. The new 4-tone LED flash on the back of the phones makes for much better low-light shots, too.
With the better photo-taking capabilities on these two phones comes a higher storage capacity. There are no more 16GB iPhones, just 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB.
The differences between the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
Since the Plus is larger, it has a bigger screen. Its LED-backlit IPS LCD measures 5.5 inches diagonally and contains 401ppi for a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.The 7 has a 4.7-inch screen with a resolution of 1334 x 750 pixels at 326ppi. They both have a brighter Retina HD display but they aren’t quite True Tone like the iPad Pro.
Both the 7 and 7 Plus have quad-core processors with the Apple A10 Fusion chipset, but the 7 Plus has 3GB of RAM opposed to the 7’s 2GB. And that extra memory is handy because the 7 Plus also has the most advanced cameras to date on any iPhone.
Did we say “cameras”? Yes, because the 7 Plus has two 12MP cameras on the back. One has the wide angle lens seen on the 7, and the second is a telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom and excellent depth of field.
Finally, while both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus have better batteries than earlier iPhones, the 7 Plus beats out the 7. You can expect about 14 hours of talk time on a 7, but a whopping 21 hours on a 7 Plus. For browsing, expect about 14 hours for a 7 and 15 hours on a 7 Plus if you’re using Wi-Fi. If you listen to music or audio books, plan on about 40 hours with a 7 and up to 60 hours with a 7 Plus. This is due to the different capacities—the 7 has a 1960mAh battery while the Plus has about half again as much with 2900mAh.
Recommendation
It’s not hard to choose between the 7 and the 7 Plus once you see how they are different. It’s also hard to resist the lure of either one when you look at their features compared to other iPhones.
If you want a large phone screen, the fastest iPhone on the market with the best cameras, and the longest battery life, get the 7 Plus. The only tradeoff is size—you’ll need to carry around a larger device.
If you prefer a more compact phone, and especially if you’re upgrading from an earlier model, consider getting the iPhone 7. It has some significant improvements over earlier iPhone models with regards to being water-resistant, rugged, and faster. It also has a better camera, better flash, and better battery than previous iPhones.