The iPhone 7 Plus has been largely forgotten since the more recent release of the similarly priced iPhone 8. However, this older phone has several advantages over the iPhone 8. From a sturdier design to a lower starting price, you’ll find several excellent reasons to reach for the iPhone 7 Plus over the iPhone 8 when you’re shopping for a smartphone.
Price
If starting cost is a priority, the 7 Plus is a better choice. The 7 Plus starts at $669 for the 32GB model and $769 for the 128GB model. The 8 is a bit pricier, but it offers double the storage space. The 64GB model is available for $699, and you can get the 256GB model for $849.
Better Battery Life
The 7 Plus has a 2,900 mAh battery compared to the 8’s 1,822 mAh battery. Both are Li-ion batteries, but the 7 Plus offers up to 384 hours of standby time and 21 hours of 3G talk time than the 8’s 14 hours of 3G talk time. The iPhone 8, however, has wireless charging capabilities. It’s also fast-charge capable, which is a feature absent from the 7 Plus.
Camera Zoom
Image via Flickr by Janitors
The 7 Plus and 8 cameras are nearly identical, but the former has double the digital zoom abilities compared to the 8 and a 2X optical zoom feature, which the iPhone 8 lacks. Both cameras boast the same image resolution, the same shooting modes (continuous shooting, high dynamic range mode, and burst mode), and the same retina flash feature. Both phones also have the same video recording resolution: 1920 X 1080 at 30 frames per second.
Wider Screen
If you want to work with a wider screen, go with the 7 Plus. It has a 5.5-inch screen compared to the 8’s 4.7-inch screen. The 7 Plus screen also has more pixels per inch (401 versus 326) and a better screen resolution (1,080 X 1,920 pixels vs. 750 X 1,334 pixels).
Sturdier Design
Image via Flickr by Janitors
In addition to having a wider screen, the 7 Plus is a bit sturdier than the iPhone 8. The 7 Plus weighs 40 grams more than its counterpart (188 grams compared to the 8’s 148 grams), but the 8 is actually the more fragile phone because of its build material. Apple has gone back to a glass design with the iPhone 8. The 7 Plus, however, is built with a metal back case. Though the 8’s aluminum back with mineral glass allows for wireless capabilities, it’s also more susceptible to damage.
More Color Choices
The metal build of the 7 Plus is fantastic for accident-prone users, but it’s not the only benefit in terms of design features compared to the iPhone 8. The 7 Plus has a choice of five colors: black, gold, silver, rose gold, and jet black. iPhone 8 customers can only pick between gold, silver, and space gray.
Identical Special Features and Network Capabilities
One advantage of the 7 Plus is that even though it’s older, it has the same special features and nearly identical network connectivity abilities as the 8. Both phones have a fingerprint sensor, light sensor, proximity sensor, accelerometer, barometer, compass, and gyroscope. Both have a 3D touchscreen, and both have multi-touch technology.
The iPhone 7 Plus, running on a reliable carrier like T-Mobile (which now boasts the fastest network, even over Verizon and AT&T), is also as functional as the 8. Both use Wi-Fi 802.11, a/ac/b/g/n/n 5GHz, double as a mobile hotspot, and run on 4G, 3G, and 2G networks. The only connectivity difference is that the 7 Plus uses Bluetooth version 4.2, and the 8 runs on Bluetooth version 5.0.
An Extra Gig of RAM
The 7 Plus has 3GB of RAM versus the 8’s 2GB. This helps make up for the performance difference since the 8 runs on a notably faster A11 Bionic chipset and Hexa Core processor. However, the 7 Plus’s A10 chipset is still a quality processor that runs faster than other comparable smartphones available today.
Though the 7 Plus is roughly one year older than the iPhone 8, it’s a quality device. Especially if you don’t mind wired charging and working with less storage space, the 7 Plus is a fantastic, sturdy device worth a second look.
