Smart Choice: iPhone 7 VS iPhone 6

If you own an iPhone 5/5SE then you are probably ready for a change. Whether you bought one a couple of years ago when it first came out, or later on, the gadget world has moved on. Is iPhone 7 big enough to deserve your hard-earned cash or are there are other great options for lesser money.

Design

• iPhone 7 – 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm  and 138 g
• iPhone 6 – 138.1 x 67 x 6.9 mm  and 129 g

No judgment, but sometimes we all want something shiny and new. That’s fine.  iPhone 7 does not have antenna lines on the back. What’s 100% new is the new color Jet Black, which has a slick, almost ceramic feel to it. Oddly, all other colors do not have the same grippy texture as the jet black one, and they all a bit slippery. So the iPhone 7 doesn’t look that different from the iPhone 6.  The main area of improvement is inside. The speakers became twice the volume of the iPhone 6. Now, instead of the usual 3.5 headphone jack, you have to use the Lightning port or go wireless. Unfortunately, if you own a pair of premium wired headphones, you will have to carry around a Lightning adapter, which might be inconvenient. The lightning port is now used for both charging and wired headphones.

Display

• Phone 6 – 4.7-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD, 1334 x 750 pixels (326 ppi), 65.6% screen-to-body ratio
• iPhone 7 – 4.7-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD, 1334 x 750 pixels (326 ppi), 65.6% screen-to-body ratio. 3D Touch

The iPhone 7 continues to use the same IPS LCD screen technology as the iPhone 6. The new iPhone color gamut is richer making viewing videos a better experience. However, many people use their phones mostly for work, so it is a matter of preference. Another improvement falls on the home button. The new solid-state button with haptic feedback standing in for a physical click, contributes to IP67 rating, meaning that the iPhone 7 can survive a swim in the water for up to 30 mins. And it is dust resistant too.

Performance and software

• iPhone 6 – Apple A8: Dual Core CPU, Quad-core GPU, 1GB RAM
• iPhone 7 – Apple A10 Fusion: Quad-Core CPU, Six Core GPU, 2GB RAM

Every year the company brings performance improvements. It is important if you use video, photo editors, or demanding games. Do you need a 50% faster phone to check your email? Probably not. the iPhone 6 runs the same iOS 10 operating system as the iPhone 7. Finally, the iPhone 7 wins in the speed of its modem. It hits 450 Mbit compared to 150Mbit of the iPhone 6.

Cameras

• iPhone 6 – Rear: 8-megapixel sensor, f2.4 aperture, Focus Pixels, EIS, dual-LED flash, 4K video recording. Front: 1.2MP Front Camera, f2.4 aperture, 720p video recording
• iPhone 7 – Rear: 12-megapixel wide-angle sensor, f/1.8 aperture, Focus Pixels, Optical Image Stabilisation, quad-LED (dual tone) flash, 4K video recording. Front: 7MP sensor, f/2.2 aperture, 1080p recording

Cameras have improved and became more color accurate. Photos taken with iPhone 7 are sharper and brighter.

Battery

• iPhone 6 – 1810 mAh
• iPhone 7 – 1960 mAh

In terms of battery life, there is little improvement. You still will struggle to get through one working day on a single charge.