iPhone 7 Plus review
Dual camera, more storage, and larger battery make this the
ultimate iPhone
FOR
- Great
design and dual camera
- Improved
battery
- Water
resistance
- It’s massive
AGAINST
- It’s
massive
- Iterative
design
- Screen resolution
This is the big
one, both literally and figuratively - say hello to the iPhone 7 Plus.
We're still in the process of reviewing
our iPhone 7 Plus and we'll be updating this article over the next few days
once we've spent more time with the handset. We've also got the standard iPhone 7 too, which we're reviewing separately, make sure you check that out.
So why is this the big one? Well, it has a large 5.5-inch
screen, for a start.
It's also the first iPhone to bear the “7” moniker, this isn't
just an “S” update, and while new numbers usually bring new designs, the iPhone
7 appears to be laying the groundwork for something much more important (which
we'll get onto in due course).
Both iPhone 7 models are now waterproof, have more storage, and
don't feature a headphone jack, but the iPhone 7 Plus differentiates itself
with a dual camera.
Should you get the iPhone 7 Plus? Read on to find out...
Design
The iPhone 7 measures 158.2 x 77.9 x
7.3 mm. That really is massive. The Samsung Galaxy Note7, for comparison, is 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9 mm, despite featuring a
screen which is 0.2-inches larger than the iPhone (5.7 vs 5.5-inches).
This is down to the large bezels around the 5.5-inch screen. But
hey, at least the iPhone 7 Plus doesn't explode, right?
As we've already mentioned, the iPhone 7's design isn't a
massive departure from the iPhone 6 aesthetic. You can see this two different
ways:
1. The iPhone 6 was the best-looking smartphone around and has
been for years. It's essentially peak Apple design. Jony Ive can retire, and
Apple should never change the iPhone again.
2. The iPhone 6 looked great, but reusing the same design for
three years feels stagnant. The iPhone 7 looks overly familiar, and tired as a
result.
We can see the argument for both points of view, but really, the
design would not put us off buying this smartphone - we think it looks great.
There are a few, small changes which become apparent when you
flip the device over.
The antenna lines are now less prominent - instead of dissecting
the rear panel, the lines now flow around the edge. They're almost non-existent
on the Jet Black model.
The camera lens still protrudes from the rear casing, but the
aluminium is moulded around it. This makes it appear more organic and
harmonious with the rest of the phone, less like an afterthought.
On the bottom of the iPhone, there's no headphone jack (but you
already knew that, didn't you?). Instead, it's been replaced by a faux speaker
grill - for symmetry, we're guessing.
It is worth noting that
the iPhone 7 Plus now feature stereo speakers for music and audio - one on the
top of the screen and one underneath. They're both certainly very loud, big
improvements over previous iPhones, but lack bass for proper music listening. They do create a
pleasingly wide soundstage.
What can we say about the loss of the 3.5mm headphone jack?
You've probably already made up your mind whether this is a dealbreaker for
you.
It didn't affect us, we've been using Bluetooth headphones for
the last year, there are some excellent wireless cans around now, but if you
have a wired pair which you won't give up there is the adapter free in the box.
That's obviously not ideal, as you can't charge and listen to music at the same
time. If you think that's going to be a major problem, this phone probably
isn't for you.
The front of the phone is dominated by the large 5.5-inch screen
and Touch ID home button.
While it looks identical, the classic home button has received a
small redesign as well. It's now capacitive touch, rather than a mechanical
button.
This transition feels completely
natural - behind the button is a “Taptic Engine”, similar to the subtle
vibration motor found in the Apple Watch. This creates a clicking sensation, but crucially, nothing moves. The
Taptic Engine works incredibly well, it's like physical skeuomorphism - try
pressing the button with paper in between it and your finger, you'll soon
realise how effective it is.
Why change the Home button? Well for starters, there are now
fewer parts to go wrong. But people are suggesting this is a stepping stone -
eventually Apple will remove the home button completely.
It's been a long time coming, but the iPhone 7 Plus is finally
water resistant. Officially rated at IP67, that means it should survive in 1
metre of water for up to 30 minutes. Obviously, Apple is catching up here, but
it's great to see an iPhone officially certified.
And finally on design - there are new colours available. The
iPhone 7 Plus now comes in Silver, Gold, Rose Gold, Black and Jet Black. Jet
Black is really shiny, it also looks really easy to scratch, but we can't verify
that.
Screen
The iPhone 7 Plus features a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS LCD display
which has a pixel density of 401 PPI.
That's the same number of pixels as the iPhone 6S Plus, and
quite surprising, as we were expecting a bump in resolution considering the Note
7, and some other rivals, now pack QHD screens (518 PPI for the Note).
If you hold them together side by
side the difference is noticeable, but in reality, you won't be
disappointed by the iPhone 7 Plus's resolution - it's plenty sharp enough.
What Apple has focused on improving is the brightness and colour
representation.
The iPhone 7's display is now 25-percent brighter, with a
'cinema-standard' colour gamut. Obviously, they're not massive changes, but
these small updates make the screen easier on the eyes (especially when it's
sunny).
3D Touch is back - where the display senses the amount of
pressure you're exerting on it. This opens up contextual menus and shortcuts.
Quite a few third party apps make use of this feature, but we didn't really find
ourselves using it often. It's very cool for Live Photos, however.
Performance and Battery Life
The iPhone 7 comes packing Apple's new and speedy A10 Fusion
quad-core processor. Apple claims it's 120x times faster than the original
iPhone, and gives a 40-percent performance boost over the A9 chip in the
previous iPhone.
The A10 Fusion features two high-performance cores, and two
low-performance cores, with the ability to switch between them in order to
achieve an optimum balance of performance and battery life.
In reality, this equals a blindingly fast smartphone. Tearing
through different apps, playing music, watching video, and checking emails are
all uninterrupted by the hardware. What's super impressive is how instantly
apps are ready when multitasking between numerous jobs.
Apple also upgraded the storage, now the iPhone 7 Plus comes
with 32GB, 128GB and 256GB options. That's a big bonus, as 16GB was simply not
enough.
Did the battery also manage last a magical three days?
Unfortunately not.
One of the benefits to owning such a large smartphone is that
there's more space for a larger battery. The iPhone 7 Plus features a 2,900 mAh
unit.
Apple claims the iPhone 7 Plus will last an extra one hours over
the iPhone 6S Plus.
We found you're going to need to charge it every day, just like
most other smartphones - but you won't need to worry if you decide to have a
few drinks after work - the iPhone 7 Plus will see you through even the longest
days (depending on usage, obviously).
iOS 10
iOS 10 is a great software update, it's simple, it's slick, key
apps such as iMessage, Music and Photos have received an overhaul. We're
finding it a pleasure to use.
Camera
Ah, the camera - now this is where it gets interesting.
The iPhone 7 Plus sets itself apart from the standard iPhone 7
with three things - larger screen, bigger battery, and more advanced camera
technology.
Apple has put a brand new dual camera in the iPhone 7 Plus. The
system uses two 12-megapixel sensors, one with a wide-angle 28mm f/1.8 lens,
the other a telephoto 56mm f/2.8 lens. Both feature optical image
stabilisation.
There are several reasons for this. The most important is that
it allows for true, optical, 2x optical zoom (rather than digital zoom, which
should never be used). We found ourselves using 2x zoom quite often, with
mostly pleasing results. Although, it would appear that images taken with the
wide angle lens are sharper.
The dual camera system can also be used to create a shallow
depth of field effect, blurring the background of images to make the subject
'pop'. We've tested this feature out in Beta mode, and it does a pretty good
job. It does currently look a little artificial (because it is), but we expect
this to improve with software updates down the line.
Both lenses have a redesigned six-element structure, and the
wide angle module has a f/1.8 aperture. This allows more light onto the sensor,
and creates better lower light photos.
This works really well, whereas the iPhone has always been weak
in this area, the iPhone 7 Plus is excellent in the dark.
When it's really dark, you can make use of the True
Tone flash, which adds warmth to the image rather than turning you into a
pallid spectre.
Apple hasn't made a massive leap in camera quality, but the key
improvements are noticeable. The iPhone's image processor always tends to keep
colours neutral, rather than oversaturating them like most other smartphones
do. As a result, they're slightly less impressive but ultimately more
realistic. It's personal taste which you prefer.
Oh, and the front-facing camera has been upgraded as well, the
selfie cam now features 7-megapixels. Looks fine to us, and doesn't do any of
that silly 'beauty mode' nonsense.
Verdict
The iPhone 7 Plus probably isn't the smartphone you were waiting
for, but it is the phone we were expecting. Don't be put off by the unchanged
design, we think it's still the most attractive smartphone on the market, as
well as being the easiest to use.
Your expensive smartphone will now survive a splash, and the
battery can stand up to a whole day's use. Pair that with the faster-than-light
A10 Fusion processor, dual camera, and more storage, and you've got a
smartphone worthy of the new number in its name.
Of course, it's not perfect. The screen resolution lags behind
its competitors, and despite having a smaller screen than the Note 7, overall
dimensions are larger.
If you're looking for a new iPhone, you should buy the iPhone 7
Plus.
Specs
Dimensions: 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3
mm
Display: 5.5 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels
Processor: Apple A10 Fusion / 2GB RAM
Storage: 32 / 128 / 256GB
Battery: 2900 mAh
Camera: Dual 12MP sensor, f/1.8 and f/2.8, OIS, quad-LED (dual tone) flash
Display: 5.5 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels
Processor: Apple A10 Fusion / 2GB RAM
Storage: 32 / 128 / 256GB
Battery: 2900 mAh
Camera: Dual 12MP sensor, f/1.8 and f/2.8, OIS, quad-LED (dual tone) flash
