iPhone 7 Plus Full Review

The iPhone 7 Plus is now the cheapest large-screen iPhone that Apple still sells, so it remains a popular choice despite being replaced twice-over by the iPhone 8 Plus and then the even bigger display of the iPhone XS Max. Moreover, it’s guaranteed to get the iOS 13 update, currently runs  iOS 12.4, and the changes Apple introduced with the iPhone 7 Plus marked a big shift for the iPhone, more positive than negative, as we’ll explain in our review. Even though its traditional iPhone design won’t wow you in 2019, the 7 Plus did bring about a new Touch ID home button pad with no moving parts and a water-resistant design that will give you peace of mind. It’s less breakable and previous iPhones. But it’s missing something significant: a 3.5mm headphone jack. The iPhone 7 series was the first without this standard way of plugging in headphones. Apple AirPods did come along to help alleviate this problem, at least to some degree.

Why do we recommend the iPhone 7 Plus over the standard iPhone 7? Two reasons other than the bigger screen size: improved battery life and an innovative camera. Battery is always going to be better on a bigger phone, given the larger capacity, but the camera was a surprise at launch. Apple added a dual-lens camera, a conscious effort to make the iPhone 7 Plus a distinctly different choice. The 7 Plus is the better of the two 2016 iPhones, even if it hasn’t moved in leaps and bounds from the overall iPhone 6S Plus look, and it’s cheaper than the iPhone XR if you’re on a budget.

Duplicate design

• Water resistance is genuinely useful
• Lack of a headphone jack is initially frustrating
• More of the same design, with the same look as predecessors

All-new home button

• No longer a physical button – and feels strange
• Force Touch tech leaves more room inside the phone

Same display, only slightly different

• Still 5.5 inches with full HD resolution
• There are more colors, so things look even better

Performance

• Faster, more powerful chip offers super-slick performance
• Updated to iOS 12, the latest software from Apple

iOS 10, iOS 11, iOS 12

• More 3D Touch options in pop ups
• Now with iOS 12

Battery life

• Comfortably lasts a full day on a single charge
• Still requires a nightly charge to see you through a second day

Camera

• Excellent point-and-shoot dual cameras
• Much improved low-light performance
• Depth-of-field feature coming later this year