Ever since Apple fragmented (shock, horror!) the iPhone world by offering two sizes of the iPhone 6, i.e. 4.7″ and 5.5″, we’ve faced a dilemma every Autumn. Which new iPhone is right for each person? It’s not just about size though – that would have been easy to decide on just by holding the two form factors in a phone shop. However, there are other aspects which may swing the deal, and usually in favour of the larger iPhone. I explain below – if you’re still on the fence then I hope to persuade you to dip into your wallet just that little bit further.
I should also mention, somewhat in passing, that there are also the choices of colour/finish and capacity, but the former is very subjective (you’ll already have your favourite marked out) and the latter something of a no-brainer (the 32GB will do as a bare minimum, but take it from me in a household of iPhone owners that you’ll be hitting the buffers within a few months – cached music, media and games all make a huge dent in capacity, so go for the 128GB iPhone 7 variants).
And so to what makes a ‘Plus’ worth heading for, over and above the vanilla 4.7″ iPhone:
#1. Screen real estate and resolution (4.7″ 750p on the smaller iPhone versus 5.5” 1080p on the iPhone 7 Plus)
This is somewhat obvious, but you’ll fit more of whatever you like doing on the screen or, if your eyesight isn’t perfect, you can make everything larger while keeping the content the same. Whether it’s browsing a web page or showing off a photo or watching Netflix, everything’s bigger, better and sharper.
#2. RAM – smoother, faster operation (2GB on the smaller iPhone versus 3GB on the iPhone 7 Plus)
It’s true that the Apple iPhone is very fast these days. Blindingly fast in most cases. But when it comes to doing really complex things, like the upcoming ‘Portrait‘ depth effect, like playing full 1080p 3D games or manipulating 4K video, then the more RAM the better. Even in an iPhone.
#3. Use it in landscape mode
This is something which most people forget, but you can use the ‘Plus’ models fully in landscape. Why would you want to? Well, even leaving aside professional uses (e.g. with a Bluetooth keyboard and stand, to gain a mini-iPad Pro!), think about how you use an iPhone when relaxing. Chances are that you’re forever rotating the thing, switching between watching media, music, messaging applications, games, and so on. On the 4.7″ iPhone, the home (‘SpringBoard’) UI only works in portrait mode, as do many of the built-in applications. On the 5.5″ screened Plus models, the home interface works just fine in landscape, so you can do almost everything you want to do on an iPhone without rotating it through 90 degrees every time.
There are some (app) exceptions to this, but to counter this caveat, there are also some lovely unexpected bonuses. For example, in landscape mode, Mail, Calendar, and Settings all switch to a two-pane arrangement, just as on the iPad, making for a much faster and more productive experience.
#4. Zoomed, more intimate photos
You’ll have read in my iPhone 7 Plus review that I was very impressed by the second camera lens on 2016’s ‘Plus’ hardware, set for 2x zoom. Two times zoom doesn’t sound like much, but it’s the difference between photos that were obviously shot on a phone and photos that look semi-professional, much closer with your subject. Not every photo will need this narrower field of view and you can’t use the 2x zoom lens in really poor light (since it’s not stabilised), but the rest of the time it’s an invaluable extra photographic tool and, as you’d expect, Apple have made it incredibly easy to use – just tap an icon.
As a bonus, the 2x lens works in video mode too – and in all light conditions (though without OIS when zoomed, obviously), meaning that footage shot at, for example, a gig, will take on a different dimension:
At the gig, from only five deep from the stage, shooting video with the standard iPhone camera lens
And (roughly) the field of view when shooting video with the 2x lens on the iPhone 7 Plus!
And remember that this 2x zooming is optical, so there’s no digital zoom going on. In fact, as long as your hand is steady enough and you’re happy with 1080p resolution, you can use another 2x digital zoom without any ‘loss’ because of the resolution of the iPhone’s sensors. So for the first time you’ll have 4x lossless zoom for video footage… on an iPhone. As long as go for the iPhone 7 Plus, that is….!
#5. Longer battery life (1960mAh for the 4.7″ iPhone vs 2910mAh for the 5.5″ iPhone 7 Plus)
It’s true that there’s a larger and higher resolution screen to power, but the extra 50% capacity in the ‘Plus’ model isn’t really phased by this extra requirement. Gathering data from friends and family, I’ve yet to find any ‘Plus’ owner (whether 6 Plus, 6s Plus or 7 Plus) who had issues with running out of power before the end of the day. Contrast this to the swathes of users of the regular 4.7″ iPhone for whom power can be a nightmare (my daughter can only survive with the aid of a battery case), and the ‘Plus’ is the obvious way to go.
#6. Be even more future proof
You must have noticed the trend for phones to get larger? Now, while the iPhone 7 Plus is probably near the limit (the human hand isn’t getting any bigger!), there’s definitely a movement towards more content, i.e. more on screen, bigger and more ambitious games needing the larger resolution, higher resolution videos on streaming services, and so on. While the 4.7″ iPhone may have seemed sufficient in 2014, it’s looking a little small and limited in 2016, I contend. And that feeling is only going to grow stronger for 2017 and beyond. Whereas the 5.5″-screened iPhone 7 Plus will be the ‘norm’ and fully capable for years to come.
#7. Better stereo separation for the new speakers
Clutching at straws to make up the magic ‘7 reasons’ perhaps(!), but I’m sticking to my guns here. I’m a big fan of decent speakers on a phone – whether you’re showing off video to a friend or simply enjoying some ‘me’ time curled up with Netflix in a corner, having a quality stereo soundtrack coming at you is a big leap forwards for the iPhone 7 range. The stereo separation is a little tenuous on the smaller iPhone (though you can hear it), but it’s more impressive on the iPhone 7 Plus, with that extra 20mm in length making a surprising difference.
Of course, you might want to reject the iPhone 7 Plus on size and weight grounds – it measures 158 x 78 x 7mm and hits the scales at 188g, while the smaller iPhone is just 138 x 67 x 7mm and weighing 138g. I appreciate that this is a significant difference, but with the seven reasons above, I believe that the extra size and weight is more than justified.
You heard it here first – the iPhone 7 Plus should outsell the vanilla ‘7’ – it deserves to.
