iPhone 7 Plus Reviews

Brilliant battery life is almost worth the money alone.

A BIGGER SCREEN REALLY IS BETTER

Specification:

• A10 Fusion processor with 3GB RAM
• Taptic Engine and 3D Touch functionality
• 5.5-inch Full HD display with wide color gamut
• IP67 water resistance
• 12-megapixel dual-camera
• 7-megapixel selfie camera
• 256GB maximum storage
• Large 2,900mAh battery
• Wireless headphones.

Design:

The iPhone 7 Plus is largely the same in overall design to the iPhone 6 Plus and 6s Plus before it: the dimensions are almost identical to the 6s Plus. And the camera still sticks out at the back, which is mildly irritating.Try placing the iPhone 7 Plus face-up on a table and it won't lie down flat: the back lens will prop it up very slightly. It's particularly galling given that the iPhone SE, released back in spring, has a design in which the camera is completely flushThe iPhone 7 Plus (like the iPhone 7) hasn't got a 3.5mm headphone jack. You'll need to use Lightning headphones (a pair of Lightning-based EarPods are included with the phone), or go wireless, or use an adaptor.But like the design, this bump in performance just sort of fades into the background. For most consumers it is not a standout feature, as the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 before it were also pretty exceptional in this regard as well. In fact, for the last three generations of iPhones I don’t recall anyone saying they weren’t potent enough in the performance department.

The edges are 7.3mm thick and it weighs around 188 grams. While the thickness is the same as its predecessor, it is around 4 grams lighter. In terms of overall feel of the phone and sturdiness, there isn’t much different from the iPhone 6s Plus. And the complaint we had with the 6s Plus remains. The iPhone 7 Plus offers a terrible body to screen ratio as compared to some of its Android flagships such as the Galaxy S7 edge or the newly launched Google Pixel XL, which offers 5.5-inch display in a more compact body.

The A10 is more power-efficient as well but in my experience the battery life of the iPhone 7 Plus, in the long term, is pretty similar to what I experienced on the iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 6 Plus before that. It’s good, solid and will see you through a full day with heavy usage but compared to what I’m regularly getting on my Pixel XL it’s nothing to right home about.

Display:

A BIGGER SCREEN REALLY IS BETTER

The 5.5-inch screen is amazing to look at, after coming from using Android screens with plenty of colour saturation. However, the 7 Plus screen has never been dull to look at, at any point. In fact, the display is 25 percent brighter than the previous iPhone which helps in using the phone outdoors.

The iPhone 7 Plus is the size of the screen. From watching videos to reading news, I appreciate the added screen real estate. Due to the increased screen size, I've found myself using my iPhone in landscape mode more often. When Apple first announced the larger "Plus" model iPhone 6 in 2014, the company also revealed developers could create custom interfaces to take advantage of the bigger screen, even in landscape orientation.

For example, when using an app like Safari in landscape orientation, you can view and manage tabs in the same manner as on an iPad or Mac.

Other than when watching a video, I don't recall ever using the standard iPhone 6S in landscape mode. Now, it's a common occurrence. After using countless Android phones with screens larger than 4.7-inches, I knew the added screen size would be useful. I just didn't imagine it being this useful on an iOS device.

Camera:

Aside from the screen, this is one of the key areas where the 7 Plus differs from the normal iPhone 7. It has the same 12 megapixel lens as its smaller stablemate, which boasts an aperture of f/1.8 and OIS, allowing for really effective low-light shooting. However, the 7 Plus is packing a second 12 megapixel, f/2.8 telephoto lens which gives x2 optical zoom and works in conjunction with the other camera to create some impressive depth-of-field effects.The photo was taken using Portrait Mode, an exclusive iPhone 7 Plus feature that takes advantage of the iPhone’s dual-lens camera, which blurs out the background of images, giving them a more professional feel.

The image was also edited before being published on the magazine’s front cover. But this does show just how good Apple’s imaging technology is and if imaging is important to you, then the iPhone 7 Plus, while expensive, is definitely one of the best options on the planet right now.

Performance:

The iPhone series uses the A10 Fusion chip processor with 3GB RAM from Apple. For those who take benchmarks seriously, this phone can have any Android phone on the mat when it comes to scores. However, it all boils down to user experience and the iPhone 7 Plus can really awe with the processing power. I could feel a significant difference having moved to this review unit from a iPhone 6s Plus.Apps open faster, switching between running apps is also swifter. There is a significant boost when you play resource intensive games, and the graphics also shine through much better and are richer with more detail. Also, the Taptic Engine is bringing in some good value by adding a new dimension to games and apps in form of physical feedback across the phone. With some games like Zombie Gunship you feel this more and gradually get addicted to it too.

Running on iOS 10, the nicest iOS update, it has the new A10 Fusion chip with four corestwo high performance cores and two low-power cores. The latter uses less battery power during everyday activity. The iPhone 7 Plus is definitely faster and offers great performance with better battery life over the predecessor iPhone 6S Plus. But more benefits of this faster processor can be enjoyed when more apps that have been designed targeting the A10 Fusion chipset. The iPhone 7 Plus handled daily tasks such as browsing on Safari, Facebook, Twitter, fetching emails with ease. Siri works well and responds to the queries. It has been opened to third party developers and going forward will be able to do more than it usually does. For instance, Siri was able to book an Uber ride. Gaming has been the forte of iPhone and even on the iPhone 7 Plus there wasn't as single loss of frame or any lag. Even after long duration of usage (be it calls, imaging or gaming), the iPhone 7 Plus didn't heat up. The sound from the lighting earpods is pretty decent. The sound output of the stereo speakers has dramatically improved and has enhanced movie watching experience as well. Also, the new iPhones are available in 32GB, 128GB and 256GB storage options instead of the 16, 64 and 128GB, for the same price for which the iPhone 6s Plus was launched last year.

Water resistance:

The iPhone 7 Plus offers IP67 water resistance, which is an almost requisite inclusion, but notably inferior to the levels delivered by Samsung handsets. The iPhone 7 deals capably with being submerged, but fans of Android devices will dismiss the capabilities of the iPhone 7 Plus.

Battery:

When it comes to the iPhone 7 Plus, on the other hand, most users don’t ever have to think about battery life. Unless you’re spending the day navigating all over your city and tethering with your laptop at the same time, the battery in the 7 Plus can easily carry you through a full, busy day. There’s no need to worry about battery cases, portable chargers or disabling iOS 10 features. With the iPhone 7 Plus, you can just use the phone.A larger QHD display on the G5 impacts on battery life but the results certainly show that Apple’s control over hardware and software allows it to manage the maximum out of a smaller battery capacity.

Verdict

The iPhone 7 Plus does feel massive in our hands and isn’t comfortable to use one handed, but watching videos on the larger display is great and once  used the larger handset for more than a couple of days, it’s extremely difficult to drop back down to the 4.7-inch model. In fact, it makes the latter feel like a toy phone. This extra size does add a weight increase compared to the iPhone 6S and our wrists ached, and still occasionally ache, after a long period of use; around 20-30 minutes.

In the box:

• Apple iPhone 7 Plus
• EarPods with Lightning plug
• Lightning to 3.5mm analog headphone adapter
• AC adapter
• USB to Lightning cable
• Introductory card
• Safety notice
• Yet more stickers

There is enough about the iPhone 7 Plus to warrant an upgrade, even from the iPhone 6S. The extra size allows for a larger battery and this is the standout feature of this handset.

We are not sure the boost in battery is proportionate with the amount pay for the device, but couple it with the improved camera and overall sturdiness of the device and it comes increasingly close.