PERFORMANCE, BATTERY LIFE, AND CHARGING

Both devices are powered by Apple’s A10 Fusion chip, a 64-bit architecture the company says is 40 percent faster than the A9 in the iPhone 6S and the 6S Plus. Apple says it’s 120 times faster than the original iPhone. Both have a quad-core processor, which was a first for iPhone when these phones came out. Two cores are for high-performance actions, and the other two are designed for tasks where efficiency is more important. An Apple-designed performance controller determines which actions make use of either set of cores. Checking your email, for example, will most likely be powered by the high-efficiency cores, which saves battery life.

Graphics performance is up to 50 percent faster than the A9, according to Apple. Performance is a tie between the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and the same goes for internal storage options — both devices come with 32, 128, and 256GB options. The pair also have stereo speakers, making them equals in audio output as well.

The iPhone 7 has 2GB of RAM, but the Plus model has 3GB. That gives the Plus a slight edge over the regular 7.

Battery life is better on the iPhone 7 Plus because its larger size can accommodate a slightly larger battery. You get an additional hour of internet use on LTE on the Plus model. Both are charged via the Lightning cable and sadly there’s no support for wireless charging.

DESIGN AND DURABILITY

The overall design of both is similar to that introduced with the iPhone 6. Apple hit home the “seamless” design that blends the glass on the front and the rear case, and that’s partly due to a relocation of the antenna bands — they’re now on the top and bottom edges of the devices.

The buttons are in the same place, but the home button is no longer a button. The new Force Touch home button acts like the Force Touch trackpad on the MacBook Pro— you’ll feel a Taptic vibration whenever you push down on it.

The camera, which still juts out a bit, is where you’ll find the main design difference between the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus (aside from size). The 7 Plus has a new dual-camera system, whereas the 7 only has a single rear camera.

Both models come in rose gold, gold, silver, black, and a high-gloss jet black variant.

The jet black model brings us to durability. Due to its high-gloss nature, it’s the only color option that Apple recommended you get a case for, because it’s prone to scratches. That’s right — the company showcased and praised the jet black finish, but wanted you to cover it up with a case. Go figure. Apple has now discontinued this jet black color option.

Still, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are IP67 rated, meaning they’re water- and dust-resistant. You can take them underwater up to 1 meter for 30 minutes, though the rating’s intent is to protect the device from accidental water damage.

DISPLAY

The 4.7-inch iPhone 7 has a resolution of 1,334 x 750 pixels (326 ppi) — that’s the same as the iPhone 6S. The 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus gets a bump to Full HD with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (401 ppi), also the same on the 6S Plus.

But the Retina HD LED screens are better than ever before — Apple says the displays on both devices are 25 percent brighter and display a wider color gamut. So the comparison here really comes down to size. If you want a larger screen, go for the iPhone 7 Plus. If you want a smaller screen, the iPhone 7 is the smartphone for you. Although, it’s worth noting that the iPhone 7 Plus screen is also significantly sharper.

Winner: iPhone 7 Plus

CAMERA

This is the meat of the comparison between the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, and the bigger variant wins it easily. The iPhone 7 Plus is the phone you should get if you want a better camera experience, and that’s because of its dual-camera system.

That’s not to say the iPhone 7’s camera isn’t good — far from it. The 12-megapixel rear camera features a 28-mm wide-angle lens with an f/1.8 aperture. It’s 60 percent faster than the camera on the 6S, while also 30 percent more energy efficient. Even the True Tone flash has gotten an upgrade that offers up to 50 percent more light.

The cameras can identify faces and bodies, and they also offer wide color capture. There’s even support for RAW image format, allowing for more control when editing photographs.

The front camera has a f/2.2 aperture and is packed with 7 megapixels. It has automatic image stabilization, whereas the rear is optically stabilized.

Take all of that and add it to the iPhone 7 Plus, except add another 12-megapixel rear camera. The second camera on the rear is a 56mm telephoto lens with a f/2.8 aperture. It essentially lets you zoom in on images, up to 10 times, with spectacular clarity and quality. Still, optical zoom is utilized until the 2x mark. Anything higher than that is a digital zoom.

There’s also an exciting blur feature, or bokeh, coming via a software update. It uses the dual-lens and some software tinkering to recognize the subject in a photo and blur out the background, like on DSLRs with wide apertures. It offers more depth to images, but you can turn this feature on or off. You’re also able to see a live preview before you take a shot.

The iPhone 7’s camera is great. But if you’re looking to choose one over the other, and photography is a top factor, get the iPhone 7 Plus.

SOFTWARE AND UPDATES

Both these iPhones were released with iOS 10, but have since been updated to iOS 12, and we expect them to continue getting updates for a while longer. The software experience is identical, aside from the larger screen in the iPhone 7 Plus and some extra options in the camera app.

PRICE

The iPhone 7 starts at $449 for the 32GB model and costs $549 for the 128GB model. Apple doesn’t offer the 256GB model anymore.

The iPhone 7 Plus costs $569 and also has the same color and storage options — the 128GB model costs $669.

You’ll also be able to find both devices at a wide range of carriers and retailers and it’s worth hunting around for a bargai