What's the difference between iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus?

We compare the new iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus to help you decide which to buy.

In what has quickly become tradition, Apple has just launched two new versions of the iPhone. Called the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, they have screen sizes of 4.7in and 5.5in respectively and will go on sale on 16 September. Pre-orders open on 9 September.

Although the two handsets look very similar, there are more differences than just the size of their screen. First, let's compare the specs:

iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: The specifications

	iPhone 7	iPhone 7 Plus
Screen size	4.7in	5.5in
Screen resolution and pixel density	750 x 1334, 326 per inch	1080 x 1920, 401 per inch
Size	138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1mm	158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3mm
Weight	138g	188
Storage options	32, 128, 256GB	32, 128, 256GB
Cameras	7MP front, 12MP rear	7MP, 12MP dual-lens
Processor	Apple A10 Fusion quad-core	Apple A10 Fusion quad-core
Battery	Up to 21 hours 3G talk time	Up to 14 hours 3G talk time
Ports	Lightning	Lightning
Colour options	Black, Jet Black, Silver, Gold, Rose Gold	Black, Jet Black, Silver, Gold, Rose Gold
Price from	£599	£719

iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Display

The differences here should be familiar to anyone who has owned an iPhone in the last two years, and even the differences in resolution and pixel density are the same as before. It would seem Apple isn't interested in upping the resolution to make its smartphones play nice with virtual reality just yet.

iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus: Cameras

Here is where we find the most significant difference between the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Where before the Plus had the advantage of optical image stabilisation, Apple has moved the game on this year.

The iPhone 7 has an all-new 12-megapixel rear camera with a wider lens which captures 50% more light than the iPhone 6S, is 60% faster and 30% more energy efficient. It also has optical image stabilisation and a new quad-LED flash.

iPhone 7 camera — The iPhone 7 has an all-new rear camera with optical image stabilisation, a six-element lens and a sensor which is 60% faster Reuters

The iPhone 7 Plus gets all of these features, along with an additional 12MP rear sensor. One sensor sits behind a wide angle lens while the other shoots through a telephoto lens. The two work together to create a 2X optical zoom and the ability to shoot images with 'bokeh', where the background or foreground can be blurred, like with a digital SLR camera.

iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus : Processor and storage and colour options

Apple claims the new quad-core A10 Fusion processor is 40% faster than the A9 used to power the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, while battery life has been increased by around two hours over the course of an average day.

With the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus it is time to say goodbye to the Space Grey colour option. Instead, there are now two versions of black (one called Jet Black and the other simply Black) to go alongside Silver, Gold and Rose Gold.

Finally, it is worth noting that the new 'hero' colour, Jet Black, is not available on the 32GB version of either the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus.