iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus review: The best iPhones Apple has made

's tough meeting expectations years after year. And yet, Apple keeps doing it, although no longer as effortlessly as it would do earlier in this decade. The company launched the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus on October 7 in the Indian market, a month after the global announcement of the two phones. These are the phones that look like incremental update to the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6S Plus. But looks can be deceiving. And they surely are in this case.

Of late, the iPhone is facing tough challenge from others in the market. The Galaxy S7 arguably has a better design. The Samsung phone also has better screen and, in most cases, better camera. Google's Nexus phones have better software. The HTC offers better sound in its high-end phones. The Sony phones are waterproof. All of this puts the iPhone at a back-foot. The good thing is that Apple knows these challenges and is meeting them head-on with the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus. Compared to the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6S Plus, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus raise the bar high enough to inch ahead of the competition. More or less. 

Design and build quality

The iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus are THE premium phones and as such have the build quality that is top notch. The attention to detail, the whole manufacturing and the assembly of the phones, from the exquisite metal body to finely cut buttons, is fantastic. And yet, there are a couple of things that could have been better. 

In terms of design, the iPhone 7 is a better phone. Its small size -- 4.7 inches screen -- ensures that it fits very well in hands. Also the rounded edges and the curved glass, which melds into the metal frame, on the screen ensures that the whole phone looks completely seamless. This impression is accentuated by a couple of design changes that Apple has made in the new iPhones. Both the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus use redesigned antenna lines -- yes, those ugly horizontal rubber lines across the back cover -- and they have been now moved towards the edges, where they are almost invisible. The camera module, which still protrudes, has been redesigned to blend seamlessly into the frame of the phone. This is more true for the iPhone 7, whereas on the iPhone 7 Plus the camera module is distinct because of its two lenses. 

Overall, it is clear the iPhone 7 is Apple's best-designed iPhone ever. Although the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5S were iconic in their own unique ways, the iPhone 7 is an evolution of the three year old design introduced with the iPhone 6 and it is almost flawless. The iPhone 7, particularly in the Jet Black colour, is like a shiny big jewel. It is gorgeous and it is compact enough to be a phone that is going to be liked by everyone else. That said, I still don't recommend the Jet Black colour in India. It's just too shiny -- the metal has been polished to give it a mirror finish -- for its own good in a country like ours where dust is going to scratch its surface within days. 

 The iPhone 7 Plus has a better screen. It's not only sharper but its size advantage also means that it is more fun to use, compared to the iPhone 7, which has a 4.7-inch screen 

Sadly, the iPhone 7 Plus doesn't get the design right in the same way. Although, the iPhone 7 Plus has unique looks due to its dual-camera module, it continues to be unnecessarily big and bulky. At a time when Samsung is making a very compact 5.7-inch phone (Galaxy Note 5 and the ill-fated Note 7) and OnePlus has shown great design pedigree with OnePlus 3, which too has a 5.5-inch display, the iPhone 7 Plus feels too big with bezels that are too thick. Also the size, combined with the round edges, make it a bit slippery. What works in the iPhone 7, doesn't work with iPhone 7 Plus. The iPhone 7 Plus design is one area where Apple still has a lot of room to improve, something may happen in  2017. 

Other than some of the overt changes, Apple has also made a few other design changes in the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus that are not apparent. The two phones are now waterproof, or rather water resistant. Don't go into a pool or sea with these phones. But if they get really dirty with dust, you can safely wash them. And you can use them in shower, if you are into that sort of thing. Also, the iconic home button has been changed. Unlike the button that would move when pressed, the home button in the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus is touch sensitive. But there is a haptic engine -- in other words a tiny vibrator -- that creates an impression that the button is moving when you touch it. It's not the real thing though, and it takes a couple of days to get used to it. Although, the benefits of removing the moving button are easy to see. The parts that don't move have less chances of failure.

Screen

If in the design, the iPhone 7 beats the iPhone 7 Plus, here the roles reverse. The iPhone 7 Plus has a better screen. It's not only sharper but its size advantage also means that it is more fun to use, compared to the iPhone 7, which has a 4.7-inch screen.
Compared to the screen in the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6S Plus, the screens on the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus are "paler". They have this warm hue to them. This is likely because Apple has moved the white point closer to 6600K. Apple is also using the DCI-P3 colour profile for the new iPhones, which gives the new iPhones ability to show a wider colour gamut -- read more colour shades -- than what other phones can show. 

Technically, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus screens are fantastic. They show deep and pleasant colours, are extremely bright and have good viewing angles. Also, the colours are very accurate. 

But the screens on these phones aren't as much fun as the AMOLED screens in the Galaxy S7 or the Galaxy S7 Edge. The colours don't pop out that well and the sharpness, although adequate, is not as pixel perfect as it is on phones that have 1440P resolutions. This is particularly visible on the iPhone 7, which has a 750P screen, whereas the iPhone 7 Plus with its 1080P screen looks better. Yet, from a consumer's point of view these are mere technical details. The experience is all that matters and on that account iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus are among the best. 

Software

The iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus use iOS 10 operating system. This is the latest mobile OS from Apple and is one of the biggest reasons to buy the iPhone 7 or the iPhone 7 Plus. And it is also the biggest reason to not buy the new iPhones. Yes, it works both ways. 

Compared to Android, the iOS works differently. But I am sure you already know that. This difference, when it comes to user experience, manifests in both nice and not so nice manners. The good bit about the iOS is how seamless it is as an OS. All the first party apps follow a particularly pattern, the animations, even in the third party apps, are gorgeous, there are no lags when you open an app or two. 

But even as the cohesiveness and gorgeous animations delight users, there are parts of the iOS that are frustrating to use, particularly if you are not used to the iPhone ways. The notification system, although improved, is still a mess and so is the overall navigation. Given the fact that iOS lacks the back button, different apps use different ways to deal with navigation and that has led to an unintended mess. For example, in the YouTube app there is no way to figure out how you go back to the search page just because Google, in all its wisdom, believes users will magically know that to go back they have to swipe on the video. 

 I used the iPhone 7 Plus with a Jio network and network performance was fantastic, or rather as good as Jio would allow it to be. The call quality too was great, although calls were all made using VoLTE 

The way apps talk to each other in the IOS is also a little more constrained and that shows when you use the device. Here is an example: On Android I click a photo, go to the gallery app, open a photo in Snapseed, edit it, share it on Instagram. In iOS 10, I can't open a photo directly from the photo gallery. Then there are the first-party apps. Safari is not as good as Chrome on Android. The Google keyboard on Android is better, although the iOS keyboard feels smoother and has no input lag. Google Maps is better than Apple Maps. Siri isn't all that smart compared to Google Now. Thankfully, as a user you can install third-party apps, such as Google Maps, on the iPhone and get almost the same experience that you will get on Android. 

Yet, the whole user experience doesn't feel as flowing and flexible as it does in Android, although that is something only power users, or users who already are familiar with Android, will notice. 

For most consumers, though, the iOS is good enough. In fact, in some cases it is even better than Android. It's all about the trade-offs. The iOS 10 gives users slicker animations and a more cohesive looking phone. You can't customise your phone as much as you would on Android but then you also don't have to deal with severe lags and lack of software updates. Anyone familiar with the iOS will find the iOS 10 on the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus experience almost flawless. Anyone used to an Android phone will face a bit of tough time adjusting to it but it is possible to adjust if you are willing to relearn a few things.  

Camera

I am going to keep this short and will let the images speak for themselves. But just to summarise: the 12-megapixel rear camera in the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus is brilliant. It is always spot on in terms of white balance and although it tends to over-sharpen the images, only purists will mind that. Most users will love the fact how easy it is to create great images with the iPhone 7 or the iPhone 7 Plus. At the same time, the cameras in these phones are fast. They are fast in getting focus, and fast in clicking images. 

Although in still image quality, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus face some challenge from the likes of the Galaxy S7 and HTC 10, in video recording they are miles ahead of others. Both the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus capture fantastic video footage, including the slow-mo clips that are almost magical. 

The iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus also come with 7-megapixel front camera. This one is a big improvement over the front camera in the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6S Plus. In good light, it shoots gorgeous selfies. 

One more bit here: The second camera in the iPhone 7 Plus is a revelation. It's the real deal and allows users to click great candid photos, particularly for a phone.

Performance

This is one area where the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus are flawless. The iOS 10 is well-optimised -- although it does have some bugs -- for the hardware inside the new iPhones and it all works wonderfully well. Talking of the hardware inside the new iPhones, these phones are powered by Apple A10 Fusion processor that, theoretically, is blazing fast. Although this speed won't be noticeable if you already use a recent iPhone -- iPhone 6S  for example -- the fact that the new iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus have powerful hardware ensures that they are future proof. Apple has a tendency to support the iPhone for 4 years after its launch, which is 2 years more than what other phone makers promise. One of the reasons why Apple can do so is because of the powerful hardware inside the iPhone. 

In day-to-day use, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus are fast enough. From web browsing to gaming with demanding titles, it is all smooth-sailing for the new iPhones. One great bit about the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus is that they don't heat up, at least not alarmingly irrespective of whatever you are doing with them. I can't overstate how amazing this is. 

These devices also improve in areas where the earlier iPhones were weaker. The stereo speakers in the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus are fantastic. They sound full and loud. The missing headphone jack is, more or less, a non-issue. The iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 come with an adapter that you can leave attached to your existing set of earphones and headphones. Or you can use the earphones that Apple bundles with the phone. Although, for some users, who use multiple pair of earphones for different tasks, this could be an issue. 

Similarly, there are benefits of a water and dustproof design. It takes away a lot of stress that otherwise users suffer. A little bit of rain? You don't have to hide the phone deep inside your backpack. A bit of water-splash? Just wipe it away. 

I used the iPhone 7 Plus with a Jio network and network performance was fantastic, or rather as good as Jio would allow it to be. The call quality too was great, although calls were all made using VoLTE.

In terms of battery life, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus are mixed bag. The iPhone 7, which has 1960 mAh battery, rarely lasts beyond a day. This means, it will HAVE TO BE charged every day. The iPhone 7 Plus, with its 2900 mAh battery, fares better.

Depending on the use, you may make the iPhone 7 Plus last around a day and half but usually this too is a phone you will have to charge at least once a day. 

Should you buy them

Absolutely! That is if you are going to spend Rs 60,000 or Rs 70,000 on a phone. For most consumers, the iPhone 7 will be sufficient. It is a fantastic little phone, and although it has some areas that could have been better in the grand scheme of things, there is no other phone out there in which all key areas -- performance, design, camera, software and, most importantly, aftersales and future software updates -- come together so well. 

The iPhone 7 Plus, meanwhile, is an even better deal if you don't mind the bulk and size. It is also a phone that will give you better battery life compared to the iPhone 7 and will let you click better images, and more up-close, images with its second camera. 

Compared to an Android phone, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus are a better deal for most consumers. For some power users Android is surely better but the whole iPhone experience, and not just in the week after you buy the phone, but for all the 2 or 3 years of the phone's life is mostly fuss-free. That ought to amount for something.