Apple iPhone 7 Plus
Phone Scoop Review
Sep 21, 2016 by Eric M. Zeman
The Apple iPhone 7 Plus offers a few tricks that the smaller iPhone 7 doesn't. I particularly like how the dual cameras work together and how the larger power cell pushes battery life past a single day. Together with iOS 10, the iPhone 7 Plus is a formidable smartphone, even if it's hard to distinguish from its predecessors. Here is Phonescoop's full review. read review ›
User Reviews
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The 6se+
Carrier: Verizon
Pros:
-Jet Black feels amazing
-Screen is gorgeous and great color
-Battery life is great
-Excellent ecosystem
-Attention to detail in hardware and software.
Cons
-Camera is not a huge upgrade over 6+/6s+
-Home Button is horrendous
-Lack of 3.5mm headset is a pain
-iOS is becoming a buggy mess.
Summary:
I purchased the iPhone 7 Plus Jet Black 256GB as an upgrade to my 6s Plus Space Grey 128GB. My impetus for upgrading was largely due to the camera. Unfortunately, I found this upgrade to be largely a 6se+ and the camera was honestly the biggest let down. I find photos to lack detail (just like the 6s) where it was just slightly blurry on the edges. Not sure why, but the phone seems to take even longer than the 6 and 6s in focusing; which if you are chasing a 4 year old for a photo is a major pain.
The color and outdoor photo quality were pretty good, but I noticed a major downgrade when selecting the optical zoom (not going beyond 2X). Photos lacked substantial detail.
I really love the feel of the Jet Black finish; it just seems and feels like a new phone. I highly recommend the jet black finish over any of the other options if you are coming from a 6 or 6s and want to have a "new feel".
The lack of a headphone jack is a pain, no doubt, but after about a week it becomes a non-issue. I definitely wouldn't consider that a reason to hold off on the upgrade.
Probably the biggest surprise for me was the speed of the phone. I find the speed and performance to be much stronger. I notice apps open quicker and when switching from landscape to portrait in apps and on the home screen it really shows the A10 Fusion's power.
I hate the home button. It feels awkward and lacks consistency; sometimes its responsive, other times its not. Definite downgrade.
Overall, the iPhone 7 Plus is a good upgrade over the 6+ and 6s+, but so long as you are not expecting huge changes in the camera. If you are, I think you like me will be disappointed.
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An exceptional let down.
Carrier: Verizon
I understand that the new iPhone comes out and there are minor increases but the overall phone has improved. This though is a huge decrease to the iPhone 6s Plus. I have had my iPhone 7 since September, beyond just glitchy the phone almost never works properly with any app. If one app is working fine, then another app isn't working. If the music app is working, YouTube isn't. The battery life on this phone is exceptionally low quality in comparison to the iPhone 6s Plus. My iPhone 6s Plus would usually get me a whole day of usuage. I would be considered an extreme phone user. With the iPhone 7 plus I am able to get about 12 hours and sometimes less before I have to Plus it in. Water resistance is a nice touch but with all due respect I wouldn't take it in exchange for the headphone jack. I told myself that I wouldn't be bothered by it but I'm sorry I wish I had it back. This adapter is just not the same. Not to mention that it only works with very specific sets of headphones. I have a cheaper pair that I wear to the gym and those don't work at all but my expensive apple pair works fine. I'm sorry but overall this phone is glitchy and honestly I just wish I had my iPhone 6s Plus back.
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It's an iPhone
Carrier: AT&T
Got the iPhone 7 Plus 256 GB in Matte Black on AT&T.
I've had it about 3 months and I can say, Im mostly happy with this phone. Although I hate the file sharing limits on iOS, the software otherwise is leaps and bounds over Android..
Pros:
1.Love the size
2.I prefer the Retina display. More true toned and life like colors verses the over saturated on some AMOLED panels.
3.Almost unlimited accessories.
4.Battery Life is excellent on this phone.
5. Software, simply put, it's an iphone. fast, efficient.
6. This thing just works well.
Cons:
1.I have run into some minor glitches,
2. File sharing(mp3) needs to improve for a phone that i s nearly $1,000!
3. No Headphone jack, although yes I have a few wireless objects, this should not have been something to leave behind. There are plenty of devices out there that still use it. And there was plenty of room to put it somewhere. Apple you all can use your brains to figure this one out.
4. Camera is so so. Don't see the hype.
Overall. for me, Apple has yet to disappoint. This, in my opinion, is simply the King and Standard in phones.
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Great upgrade from iPhone 6 to iPhone 7 Plus
Carrier: AT&T
I come from the iPhone 6, and find the iPhone 7 Plus to be simply amazing.
The speed is wonderful, and the colors and display (individually calibrated/manufactured from what I understand) is bright and colorful. This is to my knowledge the only phone out there which is color managed, so colors from non DCI-P3 sources also display as they should.
I was already digital (iHome alarm clock, Honda Civic 2009 EX so I don't miss the analog jack at all.
Haptic feed back is a joy and adds to the precision of drum controls and side alpha indexes, and I've already appreciated the water resistance while updating quick release garden hose attachments.
iOS 10.1 has fixed all my bluetooth issues and brought portrait mode to the phone, and I've been reshooting contact pictures with depth effect.
I'm a sysadmin and find the large screen excellent for VNC, RDP, and ssh sessions using third party apps.
My wife came from a 5s to the 7, and she's similarly thrilled.
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iPhone 7 Plus 256 GB Matte Black - Verizon
Carrier: Verizon
The points in this review are based on my experience comparing the the iPhone 7 Plus with the iPhone 5s, 6, 6s Plus all running IOS 10.0.2.
iPhone 7 Plus Pros
Excellent hardware quality
Voice calls using the earpiece are clear, loud and without distortion on both ends of the conversation. Voice calls using he speakerphone equal and even exceed the quality of calls from the earpiece. WIFI and HD calling exhibit less quality than calls over Verizon cellular network. Area tested - Brooklyn NY.
Good battery life - tests lasted a day and one half with heavy application usage and streaming
Excellent vibrate - much improved over previous iPhone series
Display quality is brighter, clearer and more vivid than previous iPhone series
Improved speakerphone audio volume and clarity with new stereo speakers for music, video, alerts, ring tones, navigation apps and voice calls
Excellent camera features and upgrades from previous iPhones
A10 Fusion processor and 3GB of RAM for exceptional performance off APPS, Internet and Operating System Tasks
IOS 10 Improves the usage experience
iPhone 7 Plus Cons
No 3.5 head set Jack
Artificial home button
Bezels are too large around screen
Stereo speakers although very good are not balanced and generate different volume levels
Summary
From an iPhone hardware, software and usability perspective, the iPhone 7 Plus is without question the best and most advanced iPhone I have ever used.
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iPhone 7 plus on verizon
Carrier: Verizon
I have had this phone for 3 1/2 weeks. I must say that there are incremental improvements in many aspects including the screen, camera, processor, speakers, memory, ram, water resistant and battery size/battery life. iOS 10 runs buttery smooth and I love the new home button. What I don't like is the same design, loss of 3.5 mm jack, lack of wireless charging and the price. I would say that the pros far outweigh the cons and if you like the latest greatest like I do then the upgrade is a no brainer.
I tried the note 7 also and liked it but not as much as the 7 plus. Android still has serious issues to overcome like battery life and force-closes/bugginess. I keep trying to go back to android (user for 10 years) but after a year on iOS I like the stability and ease of use. imessage is a HUGE draw as well as how iOS manages things like location services and touch ID. The display is the easiest to see in daylight and the read from.
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Boring
Carrier: AT&T
The iPhone 7 Plus doesn't seperate itself fron the previous model. If I am paying anymore then $300 for this phone I'd rather stick with the 6. The new features of the A10 processor, water ressistance, and 12 mega pixel camera are boring. The iPhone 7 is basically only made for customers who have no in depth knowledge of phones. I grade this model 6/10 overall. It's an above average phone but the sticker price makes it extremely difficult to jusitfy purchasing.
