Apple unveiled the next generation of iPhone models less than a month ago, making many users disappointed with their decision to remove the headphone jack from the both iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. In addition to this controversial move, the new iPhone 7 Plus brought many new features such as dual camera setup, water resistance, stereo speakers, better battery, and the new Home button. But, did the new iPhone Plus model brought enough upgrades to pick it over the one-year-old iPhone 6s Plus? Find out here.
Dimensions, Design
As is the case with the new iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus looks and measures exactly the same as the model from a previous year, except for the different camera look and few antenna lines on the back. Two models have the same dimensions (158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm) making them pretty thin, but still very large for 5.5-inch devices.
Design stayed the same, incorporating all metal body, soft lines and relatively thick bezels (at least for 2016 where many models look like their screens take almost all the space on the front). We can argue about the design (and mention how 5/5s/SE models have more attractive looks), but the iPhone 7 Plus looks good enough, without any major flaws.
Hardware, Display
The first quad-core chip ever to be used in iPhone, Apple A10 Fusion (with two performance cores said to be running at 2.23 GHz, and two power efficient cores) is up to forty percent faster than the A9 used in the iPhone 6s Plus (which is still a very powerful chipset), and the new GPU (six-core graphics chip) offers up to 50 percent more performance while running games. Add 3 gigs of RAM into the formula and you got yourself one hell of a processing beast. The phone scores more than 178,000 points on AnTuTu, making it, along with the iPhone 7, the fastest smartphone at the moment. You can choose between 32/128/256GB of internal storage.
The iPhone 6s Plus features Apple A9 chip (Dual-core 1.84 GHz Twister along with PowerVR GT7600), capable of scoring up to 132,000 points in AnTuTu. The SoC is still capable of processing anything you throw at it, making the move to iPhone 7 Plus a bit unnecessary. The phone comes with 2 GB of RAM (plenty for the highly optimized iOS) and a choice between 16/64/128 GB of internal storage. If looking just at real world performance, not at the benchmark numbers, the iPhone 6s plus has a hardware strong enough to offer top of the line user experience, the phone is as fast as the iPhone 7 Plus when it comes to day-to-day use.
Both models are equipped with a 5.5-inch IPS LCD 1080p (401 ppi pixel density) display featuring high sharpness and naturally looking colors. No matter if you play games, watch movies or read books, the iPhone 6s/7 Plus screen is a joy to look at.
Camera
The iPhone 7 Plus comes with a dual camera setup, offering two 12 MP sensors (f/1.8 OIS, phase detection autofocus, quad-LED flash) that should make excellent photos, especially in low-light conditions. The main camera is capable of recording 2160p (4K)@30fps video as well as 1080p@30/60/120fps video. The selfie camera is equipped with a 7 MP (f/2.2) sensor and can record videos in 1080p resolution.
The iPhone 6s Plus comes with a 12 MP main camera (f/2.2, no dual camera setup here) supporting OIS, phase detection autofocus, and dual-LED flash. The main camera can record 2160p@30fps as well as 1080p@60/120fps videos. Front facing camera counts 5 MP (f/2.2) and can record 1080p videos.
Battery, Software
The iPhone 6s Plus comes equipped with a 2750 mAh battery, while the iPhone 7 Plus features a solid 2900 mAh battery. The iPhone 7 Plus comes with iOS 10 out of the box, with iOS 10 being available for the iPhone 6s Plus too.
Conclusion
Both phones feature a fingerprint sensor, with the iPhone 7 Plus being water resistant and having stereo speakers as well as lacking a 3.5 mm audio jack. At the moment, the iPhone 7 Plus could be a right choice only if you’re a photography fan or keep tens of full HD movies on your device since all other new features are just not enough to make a switch. If not being a photo maniac, the iPhone 6s Plus offers great performance, nice screen plenty of storage space, and can be found for a lot less than the iPhone 7.