HIGHLIGHTS 

Apple's iPhone 7 Plus offers a familiar 5.5-inch display and marked design changes, both good and bad. It launched a new home button pad, a waterproof design, and no headphone jack. Its portrait photos are a big selling points, as is its price next to the newer iPhone XS and iPhone 8.


MERITS 

Powerful for its price

Excellent camera

Solid battery life


DEMERITS 

No headphone jack

Screen still only Full HD


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 modern Apple flagships, culminating in the latest iPhone 12 Max.


Moreover, it's updated with all the perks of iOS 14, including widgets, Dark Mode, and a host of app upgrades, giving it all the software in the priciest flagship iPhones.


Even though its traditional iPhone design won't wow you in 2020, 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.


IPhone 7 Plus Specs 


Weight: 188g

Dimensions: 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3mm

OS: iOS 12 (or iOS 13 beta)

Screen size: 5.5-inch

Resolution: 1080 x 1920

CPU: Apple A10 Fusion

RAM: 3GB

Storage: 32/128/256GB

Battery: 2,900mAh

Rear camera: 12MP

Front camera: 7MP 

It's also been heavily discounted since it launched, making the iPhone 7 Plus one of the most affordable Apple phones to run the latest iOS 14. It's even cheaper during the Black Friday season, 


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. Make sure to compare prices with the new iPhone SE 2020, which is physically identical but has a far more current chipset (and thus will get iOS updates for years longer).


iPhone 7 Plus price and availability


iPhone 7 Plus price (32GB): $569 (£569, AU$929)

iPhone 7 Plus price (128GB): $669 (£669, AU$1,099)

Launch price: from $769 (£719, AU$1,229)

iPhone 7 Plus release date: September 2016

At launch, the iPhone 7 Plus price started at $769 (£719, AU$1,229) for the entry-level 32GB model and $869 (£819, AU$1,419) for the 128GB variant. Apple also offered a 256GB iPhone 7 Plus, but this particular model has now been discontinued.


With the arrival of newer generations of iPhone, the iPhone 7 Plus price has dropped, and it can now be picked up for $569 (£569, AU$929) in its 32GB guise.


Meanwhile, the 128GB iPhone 7 Plus price is down to $669 (£669, AU$1,099).


The iPhone 7 Plus is still widely available from Apple directly and from major retailers and carriers around the world.


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

It's easy to tell the iPhone 7 Plus apart from its predecessors, as it's the only iPhone to sport two cameras on its rear.



Aside from the bulkier camera block, lack of a headphone port (more on that in a minute) and a couple of new colors though, Apple's stuck with exactly the same design that's served it well for its previous two iPhone iterations.


If you've owned, or are familiar with, the iPhone 6 Plus or 6S Plus then you'll know exactly what the iPhone 7 Plus looks like.


The rounded corners, aluminum frame and minimalist styling means the iPhone 7 Plus retains its premium status, and with the introduction of new black and 'jet black' colors, fans have two new ways to show their dark side.