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Apple iPhone 7 Plus review

8.5/10
8.5/10



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By the looks of things, Apple is planning to capture every segment in the smartphone market. Earlier this year, we saw them bring back the portable iPhone 5S design with new hardware, in the form of the iPhone SE. Apple ventured into the large-screen device segment way back, with the iPhone 6 Plus. It was a bold move but overall, it was well received. However, it’s important for Apple to continue the segments. The all-new iPhone 7 Plus seems to be doing that. It stands out distinctively from its smaller cousin, all thanks to the new Dual Camera and bigger battery life. Of course that also makes the iPhone 7 Plus, the most expensive phone in their assortment. The 32GB variant is priced at Rs. 72,000. So the important question to ask is, if the new design and the camera are compelling enough to upgrade to the iPhone 7 Plus, especially when you don’t get the conventional 3.5mm headphone jack. Let’s find out.

Design and Build

The new iPhone 7 features few design changes. It carries the same dimensions and weight as last year’s iPhone 6S Plus. The construction is almost the same too. You get an Aluminium 7000 Series chassis and a glass coating at the front. However, the new phone features an Ingress Rating of IP67. That makes the phone both water and dust resistant. So you can use the phone on rainy days without worrying about it getting spoilt. Submerging it in water is not recommended. Looking at the competition, it’s a feature we were expecting the phone to have, considering its hefty price tag.

 

Apple has even added two new colour variants to its existing line-up. Both the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus are available in two new variants, Black and Jet Black. The standard Black phone features a matte finish, while the Jet Black features a glossy back panel. We had the Jet Black variant and we didn’t quite like it, mainly because it is a fingerprint magnet. Getting a hold of it is also a little difficult because of its smooth finish. It slips out of the hand very easily. In a way, it also reminds us of the iPhone 5C, which was cheaper take on the iPhone 5S. Taking this into account, we think people would like the matte finish more. It would provide a better grip and fingerprint smudges won’t be an issue. Of course, this is a matter of personal choice.

 

The phone is also available in the standard Silver, Gold and Rose Gold variants, but these phone looks quite identical to their predecessors. The only difference you’ll spot is the placement of the antenna strips that have been moved to the top and the bottom edges. This accentuates the back panel to look seamless, but then again, it has a better visual impact on the two black variants. For most though, it won’t matter, as most users would probably be using a case with the phone.

 

The biggest design change definitely has to be Home Button. It’s no longer a mechanical button. In fact, it’s solid-state touch. It doesn’t move but uses haptic feedback to create the illusion of a click. We have to be honest, we weren’t sure how well it would perform. After using the phone for a while, we fell in love with the new Home button. The haptic feedback does take time getting used to, but it feels natural. You can even adjust the intensity of the feedback through the phone settings. Without any physical moving parts, the chances of the Home button failing reduce considerably too.


8.5/10

Features

As always, with the new iPhone, Apple has also introduced its latest processor called the A10 Fusion chip. Apple claims it’s their most powerful mobile processor yet. The chip is equipped with four cores, which seems less compared to what other flagships carry, but Apple claims that the trick really lies in the chip’s design. Of the four cores, two are these are low powered cores that are designed to run basic applications smoothly, without consuming a lot of battery. This is what makes the phone more battery efficient and it also helps avoid unnecessary overheating.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus_ A10 chip

Tagged alongside is 3GB of RAM, which also looks good for multi-tasking. Going with the times, Apple has finally decided to put its 16GB variants to rest. Besides the 32GB variants, the phone is also available in 128GB and 256GB variants. It’s perfect if you plan on installing massive apps and games on the device.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus_ homebutton

The efficient processor should help in enhancing battery life, something Apple has focused on. The new iPhone 7 Plus features a slightly larger battery compared to its predecessor. The iPhone 7 Plus carries a 2,900mAH battery. According to Apple, the bigger battery can last almost two hours more than the iPhone 6S Plus. However, it depends completely on the use and the kind of apps that you run on the phone.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus_ garage band 2

Removing the headphone jack has probably been one of the biggest talks around the new iPhone variants. Apple says that removing the headphone jack has helped them make plenty of enhancements to the new range of iPhones. Besides battery, the other one is clearly the inclusion of an additional speaker grill at the bottom. Not just that, Apple has also designed the earpiece to work as a speaker now, so you get proper stereo sound. This should be really good when watching YouTube videos or listening to music.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus_ earpods

Apple has tackled the absence of the headphone jack with the help of their new Earpods that come with a lightning connector on one end. There’s also a 3.5mm adaptor included, which lets you connect other headphones to the phone. The problem still remains that you can’t charge the phone and listen to music through headphones at the same time. It might be a minor issue, but it’s still a hindrance for many users. Of course, you can also solve that problem by getting Apple’s new wireless Airpods that will be launching very soon.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus_ widgets

Not a lot of changes have been made to the 5.5-inch Retina HD screen though. It’s surprising to find that it still sports a full HD resolution. Sticking to a lower resolution might make sense with the smaller iPhone 7, but with bigger 5.5-inch screen, we were at least expecting a QHD resolution (2560 x 1440). It has pretty much become the new standard for most flagship phones. Nonetheless, Apple still claims that it displays more colours and is 25 per cent brighter than the older variant. 3D Touch is also supported to give you the quick shortcuts based on the pressure of your touch.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus_ 3D touch2

The phone comes with iOS 10 out of the box. Apple has added a few more tricks to it. The one we like the most is the introduction of the new sleek panel that scrolls from the bottom. It’s been split into three parts now. You can slide through these panels. This though, feels more like an aesthetic change. The number of shortcuts present here, still remain the same. The third panel is for the new Home app, which is Apple’s attempt at home automation. This at present, feels like a feature reserved for the future mostly because we don’t have those devices available in India just yet.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus_ iOS 10

Another change we like is the introduction of the new widgets drawer. This looks like a forcible addition to the Spotlight search tab. Now, you don’t just see your recent apps, but can also add widgets for certain apps to give you quick shortcuts. It’s also good to see most of the other third parties support the feature, rather than just the basic iOS apps.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus_ dual camera

The place where the iPhone 7 Plus stands out from its smaller counterpart is the dual rear camera. The iPhone 7 Plus features two 12MP cameras, out of which one has a wide-angle lens, while the other carries a telephoto lens. This allows the camera to have a 2X optical zoom. You can simply switch between the lenses with the help of a simple button in the camera app. Optical image stabilisation has also been added, which means you get sharper images under shaky situations.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus_ camera interface

The added advantage of the dual camera is the ability to get better depth of field. This allows you to take exceptional portrait photos with the person in the frame well focused on, but with the background blurred. Besides that, the Camera app looks pretty much the same, with similar features like Slo-Mo video recording, Timelapse, Colour modes and others. The rear camera can also shoot videos in 4K, which is good to see. The FaceTime camera has been bumped up to 7MP. It looks good for taking selfies and video calling. There is no front facing flash, but the screen produces a flash of light to act like one, when needed.


8.5/10

Performance

It’s hard not to notice how smooth the interface feels on the new iPhone 7 Plus. Apps open instantly. That’s not a problem even when you’re multi-tasking on the phone. Switching between heavy apps like Garage Band, Photoshop Fixer, Pixelmator and a few games was also handled well. The boot time on the iPhone 7 Plus was around 33 seconds. Apple iPhone 7 Plus_ performance2 The processor lives up to the expectations with games also. Playing games such as Traffic Rider, Breakneck and Alto was fun. The performance was smooth and games looked stunning on the screen. However, we did notice the phone heated up when we kept switching between games continuously. We noticed the temperature to go up within five minutes of playing games or running other graphically demanding apps.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus_ display

Even with a lower resolution, the 5.5-inch screen does justice to games and videos. We simply loved watching YouTube videos on it. Screen glare is minimal with indoor lighting, so everything on it always looks vibrant and sharp. Viewing angles are also very good. Photos look lively on the phone, all thanks to the natural colour reproduction. The sharp text and the size of the screen come together really well for providing a good reading experience and web surfing experience. We’re happy with the dual speaker system too. Naturally, the output is much louder. It’s no longer a struggle to listen to audio when playing a random YouTube video. Not just that, the output is also sharp. That’s something we realised when trying to play instruments in the Garage Band app. At the highest volume, the speakers don’t distort. This makes the media experience very immersive. The rear camera at the back takes stunning portrait shots. The new iOS 10.1 update comes with the added Portrait mode, which helps add depth-of-field to photos. The dual cameras here work like a charm. It’s not just good at distinguishing the person from the background, but is pretty consistent all around. We noticed it to work better with more light around.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus_ CAMERA APP

The ability to switch between the wide angle and telephoto lens makes the camera quite versatile. It proves great for outdoor photography. We constantly found ourselves switching the lens while going from landscape to macro photography. The telephoto lens helps a lot, because it can take detailed close-up shots. Adding to that, the optical image stabilisation helps in getting sharper images. However, we noticed it to have a much better impact while shooting videos. Most of the images we clicked looked vibrant with the right tone of colours. Images looked a bit dull with noticeable noise. Skin tones though look good. It’s quick at its feet in changing exposure when the light around changes. The modes are also quite fun to play with. The Live mode gives you a small preview of the moment before the image is clicked.


9.0/10

Verdict

There is no doubt that the iPhone 7 Plus is a really good phone. It’s hands down the most powerful phone in Apple’s assortment right now. Granted, there are not a lot of changes compared to the older variant, but if you’re looking to invest in a new flagship phone, it’s certainly worth considering. However, we doubt how much difference it would make to people who want to upgrade from last year’s iPhones. All the additional money is only getting you a better camera, slightly more power and a minor bump in the battery performance. For that reason, we don’t recommend switching just yet. In some ways, it also feels like the iPhone 7 Plus is incomplete and is prepping up for the future. The fact that the most important feature of the dual camera was only launched recently, proves it.

There are many more features in the pipeline. The Home app also signifies the same thing. If you’re planning on the getting the new iPhone 7 Plus, then you might want to consider the new offer at Reliance Digital Stores. By purchasing a new iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, with a Jio SIM, you get multiple benefits in the year, 2017. Offer includes free calling, free SMS and free 20GB of data a month, with unlimited downloading at night. There are countless other benefits too. Hop over to the official website or visit the closest Reliance Digital store for more information. *The offer mentioned above is only available for a limited period of time. Please refer to the product page for the latest information.


8.5/10