OK some early first impressions then. Bear in mind everything is compared to a 6S (non-plus) so YMMV.
Pros :
Screen : The size and expansiveness is fantastic compared to the 6s, especially on forums like this one which i use a lot. Its nice and sharp and bright as can be expected. I am also happy that the screen is not fully edge to edge because i like to use a case with raised edges around the side to protect from drops.
Battery : Ace. Literally been on it all day since 5am when the baby woke up and currently at 42% battery. My 6S needed charging halfway through the day with even half that same useage.
Interface : In general, the new gestures to replace the home button work fantastically and i am now whizzing about as if i never had a home button save for one thing (see cons), and the new Face ID related stuff is quality (see non-issues)
CPU / Processing : SOwhizzy compared to my 6S. Apps which were painful to use like marvel unlimited are now so fast in comparison. Maybe the RAM helps as well.
Camera : Played about with a lot of the stuff today and its great, and 2x zoom too which i didn't realise. The portrait stuff is quality for taking pics of the kids, shame they are both snotty today. Haven't played with Animoji yet but doubt i'll get much use out of that.
Wireless Charging: OK so this is old technology, but as i'm comparing it to my 6S which didn't have it, i love this. Already had a QI compatible matt and it works great. No more scrabbling with cables at 2am in the morning.
Cons :
Screen : Truetone, what is this nonsense. Makes the screen tinted yellow. Followed some instructions on here to adjust the calibration but i really shouldn't have to do this and i'm close to just turning it off. Also screen colours do change for different viewing angles if that bothers you.
One-Handed Use : It's not as useable as my 6S in one hand. Also reachability is turned OFF by default (wtf) and it isn't as easy to invoke reliably as the double-tap of the home button. Even with it on, certain things are impossible one handed, which used to be possible on the 6S. Note i have tiny Asian hands 🙂
Case : I have the official Apple Red leather case and because of the way you interact with the bottom of the screen (swiping up and down) there is no "lip" covering the phone at the bottom. If i drop it on the bottom the glass is going to smash. Not sure how i feel about this, i have ordered a 3rd party case from Amazon that goes all the way round and will see how that affects the usability. My house is mainly hard floors FYI.
Non-Issues :
Face ID - after the initial wtf period I've got it down now and its absolutely spot on. In some instances its even better than Touch ID - you look at your notifications, and your phone unlocks automatically and you can go straight to e.g. email or football scores or whatever app the notification came from unlike Touch ID where you have to unlock your phone manually first. Opening e.g. the Natwest banking app now logs in straight away without pressing touch ID, notifications are quieter if you are looking at the phone, stuff like this is fantastic.
Note - i switched off the setting which requires you to directly look at the phone to unlock.
Apps - A lot of apps have not been updated to the X screen size yet. I'm going to put this down to early adopter tax, but in 3-6 months time if this is still the case then it becomes a definite Con.
Notch - whatever, if you really want to complain about this then suit yourself.
"Plus" - this isn't a replacement for the Plus sized phones. Display is not as wide. You probably wont be happy if you need that width. Non issue for me coming from a 6S.
Overall
I am way pleased with it. It's not without its faults but its a quality upgrade from my 6S and the best normal sized iPhone you can get. I can't speak to the Plus sized phones having never owned one. I'd give it 8/10 at this stage, i love it but it's probably not worth £1000 if you need that money for food, kids, holidays or whatever instead.
Any questions do ask!
Pros :
Screen : The size and expansiveness is fantastic compared to the 6s, especially on forums like this one which i use a lot. Its nice and sharp and bright as can be expected. I am also happy that the screen is not fully edge to edge because i like to use a case with raised edges around the side to protect from drops.
Battery : Ace. Literally been on it all day since 5am when the baby woke up and currently at 42% battery. My 6S needed charging halfway through the day with even half that same useage.
Interface : In general, the new gestures to replace the home button work fantastically and i am now whizzing about as if i never had a home button save for one thing (see cons), and the new Face ID related stuff is quality (see non-issues)
CPU / Processing : SOwhizzy compared to my 6S. Apps which were painful to use like marvel unlimited are now so fast in comparison. Maybe the RAM helps as well.
Camera : Played about with a lot of the stuff today and its great, and 2x zoom too which i didn't realise. The portrait stuff is quality for taking pics of the kids, shame they are both snotty today. Haven't played with Animoji yet but doubt i'll get much use out of that.
Wireless Charging: OK so this is old technology, but as i'm comparing it to my 6S which didn't have it, i love this. Already had a QI compatible matt and it works great. No more scrabbling with cables at 2am in the morning.
Cons :
Screen : Truetone, what is this nonsense. Makes the screen tinted yellow. Followed some instructions on here to adjust the calibration but i really shouldn't have to do this and i'm close to just turning it off. Also screen colours do change for different viewing angles if that bothers you.
One-Handed Use : It's not as useable as my 6S in one hand. Also reachability is turned OFF by default (wtf) and it isn't as easy to invoke reliably as the double-tap of the home button. Even with it on, certain things are impossible one handed, which used to be possible on the 6S. Note i have tiny Asian hands 🙂
Case : I have the official Apple Red leather case and because of the way you interact with the bottom of the screen (swiping up and down) there is no "lip" covering the phone at the bottom. If i drop it on the bottom the glass is going to smash. Not sure how i feel about this, i have ordered a 3rd party case from Amazon that goes all the way round and will see how that affects the usability. My house is mainly hard floors FYI.
Non-Issues :
Face ID - after the initial wtf period I've got it down now and its absolutely spot on. In some instances its even better than Touch ID - you look at your notifications, and your phone unlocks automatically and you can go straight to e.g. email or football scores or whatever app the notification came from unlike Touch ID where you have to unlock your phone manually first. Opening e.g. the Natwest banking app now logs in straight away without pressing touch ID, notifications are quieter if you are looking at the phone, stuff like this is fantastic.
Note - i switched off the setting which requires you to directly look at the phone to unlock.
Apps - A lot of apps have not been updated to the X screen size yet. I'm going to put this down to early adopter tax, but in 3-6 months time if this is still the case then it becomes a definite Con.
Notch - whatever, if you really want to complain about this then suit yourself.
"Plus" - this isn't a replacement for the Plus sized phones. Display is not as wide. You probably wont be happy if you need that width. Non issue for me coming from a 6S.
Overall
I am way pleased with it. It's not without its faults but its a quality upgrade from my 6S and the best normal sized iPhone you can get. I can't speak to the Plus sized phones having never owned one. I'd give it 8/10 at this stage, i love it but it's probably not worth £1000 if you need that money for food, kids, holidays or whatever instead.
Any questions do ask!