Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 7/Plus iPhone 6s Plus or 7 ?
- Thread starter venomx999
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Neither. Save up and get a 7 Plus.
The iPhone 7 Plus gets the 2X camera lens with portrait mode, and 3 GB RAM, as well as A10 SoC. The iPhone 7 has the A10 SoC, but does not get the 2X lens or the 3 GB RAM. Plus the screen on the Plus models is way bigger of course, if a big screen is what you want.
IMO, you shouldn't get an iDevice with less than 3 GB RAM and A10 in 2020, if you plan on keeping the device a long time. A10 offers roughly a 35% performance boost over A9 (iPhone 6s Plus), and the 3 GB RAM represents a 50% memory increase over 2 GB RAM (iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 7).
Recommended features in bold:
iPhone 6s Plus: Big screen, 1X lens, A9, 2 GB RAM
iPhone 7: Small screen, 1X lens, A10, 2 GB RAM
iPhone 7 Plus: Big screen, 1X + 2X lenses, A10, 3 GB RAM
The iPhone 7 Plus gets the 2X camera lens with portrait mode, and 3 GB RAM, as well as A10 SoC. The iPhone 7 has the A10 SoC, but does not get the 2X lens or the 3 GB RAM. Plus the screen on the Plus models is way bigger of course, if a big screen is what you want.
IMO, you shouldn't get an iDevice with less than 3 GB RAM and A10 in 2020, if you plan on keeping the device a long time. A10 offers roughly a 35% performance boost over A9 (iPhone 6s Plus), and the 3 GB RAM represents a 50% memory increase over 2 GB RAM (iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 7).
Recommended features in bold:
iPhone 6s Plus: Big screen, 1X lens, A9, 2 GB RAM
iPhone 7: Small screen, 1X lens, A10, 2 GB RAM
iPhone 7 Plus: Big screen, 1X + 2X lenses, A10, 3 GB RAM
Last edited:
How much do you need the bigger screen? I’d go for the 7 because the specs are far newer and it’ll last longer..
though if it’s only a short term device you don’t plan on keeping for more than 2 years and the larger screen is important to you I’d go with the 6s plus.
though if it’s only a short term device you don’t plan on keeping for more than 2 years and the larger screen is important to you I’d go with the 6s plus.
that’s what I’m thinking in regards to the 7.Huge screen is not essential as I don’t play games or watch videos on it and I have small hands . I had a 6inch huawei and the screen was too big to hold in one hand and use
Depends on how much longer the 6s plus will be support for
Yeah, but unfortunately the 7 only has 2 GB RAM. As mentioned, I wouldn't recommend any 2 GB RAM iPhone in 2020, if longevity is a concern. It should be noted that all new iDevices released since 2019 have at least 3 GB RAM, even sub-$300 entry level models (iPad 7).
It's also expected that the new low budget iPhone SE which is to be released likely next week will have 3 GB RAM.
Many people aren’t heavy users and don’t necessarily need the extra RAM. It’s very subjective.
[automerge]1586623963[/automerge]
Than I’d suggest the 7 in that case, but it’s really up to you.
It’s probably going to be around $399 (don’t know how UK pricing goes in comparison) but I’d definitely say the extra $99 is worth it since it’s basically the 8 form factor with up to date 11 internals that would last you a good few years.
Even if you aren’t willing to spend extra wait for it to release and the 8 with get a significant discount, it’s likely it’ll end up in your budget and I’d recommend that instead of the 7.
iPhone 7 camera offers better low light pictures than 6s camera.
However, only the 7 Plus includes the 2X telephoto lens and portrait mode.
Back in 2016, portrait mode didn't always work perfectly, but this feature has been improved over time, and now usually works very well in 2020 on the 7 Plus.
This is portrait mode from a 2016 article:
The 6s and 7 can only take a picture like on the left (soft of, albeit only with a 1X lens, since there is no 2X lens).
The 7 Plus can take the picture on the left in regular mode, and the picture on the right in portrait mode.
You mentioned longevity. Historically, the number 1 determinant of Apple iDevice longevity has been amount of RAM. The reason for this is that as iOS matures, it also tends to use up more RAM. Websites and apps also tend to use more RAM as time goes on.
While 2 GB is passable in 2020, all bets are off by 2022.
I just think it's foolish to spend hundreds of pounds on an iPhone in 2020 and be stuck with just 2 GB RAM, something that even Apple itself thinks won't be enough on a US$299 iPad it sells to schools for kids to use.
Last edited:
I’d wait a bit and see if there’s an iPhone 9. That’ll have a better camera AND the A13 chip. Likely 3GB of RAM.
I'd wait and see what happens to the iPhone 7 and 8 after the release of the iPhone SE/9 for between £429-479 (in my opinion).
I think the 8 and 7 will get a price cut at the third party retailers that have handled the 6s and 7 since the iPhone 11 came out. This might not happen immediately but I think prices of the older phones will soften as Apple allow approved retailers to cut prices.
For example, look at Giff Gaff. A UK phone operator who sells unlocked iPhones at decent prices as long as you buy a SIM card from them.
The key point as mentioned in this thread is the 3Gb of RAM. For information the 8 Plus has 3Gb of RAM whereas the 8 just had 2Gb. It might be worth sitting back for a month or two to see how third party retailers handle the pricing of the 7 and 8 after the SE/9 come out.
I think the 8 and 7 will get a price cut at the third party retailers that have handled the 6s and 7 since the iPhone 11 came out. This might not happen immediately but I think prices of the older phones will soften as Apple allow approved retailers to cut prices.
For example, look at Giff Gaff. A UK phone operator who sells unlocked iPhones at decent prices as long as you buy a SIM card from them.
The key point as mentioned in this thread is the 3Gb of RAM. For information the 8 Plus has 3Gb of RAM whereas the 8 just had 2Gb. It might be worth sitting back for a month or two to see how third party retailers handle the pricing of the 7 and 8 after the SE/9 come out.
Yeah, that's my guess for the price too for the new iPhone SE.
Unfortunately, the OP has a max budget of £300.
Truthfully, even after the new iPhone SE comes out, I suspect it's going to be difficult to find an iPhone 7 Plus 128 GB or iPhone 8 Plus 64 GB for that £300 price, unless it's refurbished. iPhone 7 Plus 32 GB may be within reach if he stretches that budget a bit, but 32 GB can be rather limiting for many people.
Either way though, it does make a lot of sense to wait for the new iPhone SE release before making any decisions, to take advantage of the expected price drops on older models. I'm expecting the new iPhone SE to be announced this coming week or else next week.
With a budget of £300 it’s quiet somehow spending the extra on the upcoming device.
Right now I wouldn’t bother with a 6S. Still a good device if you have one, but not really worth buying or you’ll find yourself a year or two later with a device that can’t be updated. It will still work perfectly well though after support is dropped but you need to future proof your investment.
A 7 would be a much better option if you can’t stretch to a new SE.
But you’ve waited this long, New phone is coming out middle of this week.
Right now I wouldn’t bother with a 6S. Still a good device if you have one, but not really worth buying or you’ll find yourself a year or two later with a device that can’t be updated. It will still work perfectly well though after support is dropped but you need to future proof your investment.
A 7 would be a much better option if you can’t stretch to a new SE.
But you’ve waited this long, New phone is coming out middle of this week.
I wasn't making the SE/9 an option to buy but it's fairly obvious that the release of that phone will affect the third party retailer price points who currently stock the phones that Apple discard. Apple will probably quietly allow them to sell for a price that will degrade over the coming year in normal circumstances - we don't really know what will happen to demand this year though.
You can assume that iPhones 7 and 8 will continue to get manufactured to quietly fill the gaps that Apple won't officially fill on their website though and I expect the 6s models to quietly disappear as a brand new product.
I bought my 4" SE brand new for £219 a couple of years ago, and prices continued to fall after that, with even a 128Gb variant becoming available for something like £249 before it finally disappeared as a brand new to buy product at certain third party retailers. This will have been a little under 2 years ago now.
For the sake of example I would not be surprised to see an iPhone 8 for as little as £279-299 within 12 months time. It could well re-appear for as little as £349 at third party retailers from next week in my opinion.
I keep an eye on third party retailers in the UK - my 4" SE 32Gb is the most advanced iPhone I have ever bought, and I got it nearly a year after they doubled the base storage from 16G to 32Gb as the price slid at third party retailers - rather than buying it list price from Apple. The OP hasn't mentioned how much storage he's after but obviously at the lower budgets the increased storage SKUs make less sense as they take up a higher percentage of unit cost.
For under £300 post iPhone SE/9 I'd be looking for a 32Gb iPhone 7 Plus (which like the 8 Plus comes with 3Gb of RAM) at some point later this year. It's currently £389 at Giffgaff.
Remember these are street prices so individual retailers will vary:
Assuming the SE/9 is £429 with 64Gb I'd estimate the base 8 (64Gb) to be £349 with the 7 (32Gb) dropping to £249.
The 7 and 8 plus models would be £100 uplift on those, and anyone wanting 128Gb would pay an additional £50-70.
From that point on UK retail typically makes shallow prices cuts every few months (eg £10-20) for the next year until the next phone comes out.
The 6s plus has a lot more to it than just a bigger screen it also has a bigger battery thus giving you longer phone usage which is very convenient
the 7 is newer So I would say if you like newer products before battery life then that would be great
also the spec jump between the two would not really make a difference so keep that in mind
(my 6s still runs smoothly no hiccups at all, apps open fast)
the 7 is newer So I would say if you like newer products before battery life then that would be great
also the spec jump between the two would not really make a difference so keep that in mind
(my 6s still runs smoothly no hiccups at all, apps open fast)
I wouldn't worry about the 6s - it's going to get sunset within the year - going the same way as the SE. At the A9 CPU is very venerable now and the 2Gb of RAM is going to be insufficient for running future iOS versions.
Yes, the 7 is waterproof, the 6s has the headphone socket but time moves on in the end and we'll soon be comparing the 7 with the 8 at the low end.
I’m late here, but my question would be, why wouldn’t you just opt for the 7. It literally capitalized on all the things the 6s is missing, i.e.-water resistance/stereo speakers/haptic home button.
Can someone show me a screen size comparison of the SE ( my current phone ) and the 7 ( not the 7 plus )
Ok I saw a YouTube video comparing the two,
I’ll go for the 7 providing Apple continues support for it . thanks
Ok I saw a YouTube video comparing the two,
I’ll go for the 7 providing Apple continues support for it . thanks
Last edited:
This is a pic of my SE and 7 from when I was prepping the SE for sale. I still love the size of the SE, although I find the 7 just as easy to handle.
You will love it! i had the Se before this and at first was good easy to handle but the screen was too small in videos even in chat the keyboard took half screen and is was not confortable to read a conversation, the iphone 7 i have it now and i love it it’s great to use it with one hand and is also a good for videos chats and browsing
I have small hands too and i love the small size but also a nice decent screen and water resistant go for it my personal experience