Questions about 7+ (Mainly battery life)

[FeliApple]

Well, I am deciding whether to get the 7 or the 7+ and have a few concerns.
First, size adjustment. I have read a lot on here that you 'adjust well' to the size after a while, it is just getting over that first 'it's huge' impression, but I am not sure if I will be able to, although I think I will be able to adjust, on first impression.

Second: Battery life: I think that battery life on my 6s in awesome, with my usage, which is fairly light and therefore, I am getting 8/8.5-10 hours on my 6s consistently. (mainly Wi-Fi and low brightness). I think that's really good, and I wanted to know how much longer does the plus last considering that kind of light usage (I would expect, reading here, 11-14 hours) but I have read many that were not happy with the plus' battery life and getting 8-10 (which is what I am getting with my 6s, so I would like to get more) Can I expect 11-14 with light usage? (15-20% brightness, Wi-Fi) -usage: Calls, Twitter and a bit of browsing, and texts-
For example and for reference, now on my 6s on iOS 9.3.3 I am at 70% with 3 hours of usage and 19 hours of standby.
Last concern is pocketability. Can you carry it somewhat comfortably on standard jeans pockets for example?

 

[sawah]

I easily had 8 plus hours of screen on time and 45 hours standby yesterday on my 7 plus if not more. And I plugged it in at 40%. It's a beast.

 

[AlliFlowers]

I went from the 6s to the 7+, and I'm probably going a third more battery on the latter. I've been very happy with that. Didn't take me too long to get used to the size either.

 

[Ca_lvn]

7+ best battery ever on any phone I have owned

 

[44267547]

7+ best battery every on any phone I have owned

To Be more specific, the 7 Plus has an additional two hours over the 6S plus with the deleted 3.5 mm Jack.

 

[FeliApple]

Thanks everyone. So you think that the trade-off for battery life is worth a bit less pocketability in the end?

 

[Apple_Robert]

Thanks everyone. So you think that the trade-off for battery life is worth a bit less pocketability in the end?

For me it is. I use a Otterbox Defender Holster when I am out and about and not at work.

 

[decafjava]

Easily the best battery life (even taking into account differences in screen size and power usage) of any iPhone I've ever had. I've had the 4, 5 and 6 previously.

 

[44267547]

Thanks everyone. So you think that the trade-off for battery life is worth a bit less pocketability in the end?

The extended battery life is probably one of the biggest selling features. If you can the manage the portability side of it, then yes, I would say it's worth it, especially when you need it the most.

 

[FeliApple]

The extended battery life is probably one of the biggest selling features. If you can the manage the portability side of it, then yes, I would say it's worth it, especially when you need it the most.

Thanks. Ever since I had the 5s (with fairly worse battery life than my current 6s) I thought about how awesome to have a phone with iPad-like battery life would be. I guess I am willing to try the plus and then -after being able to have an informed opinion- eventually decide whether it's worth it or not. But, for that, I need to try it out, so I guess that's what I will do.

 

[iStiggy]

I hope this answers your question on battery life. Brightness is around 50% with auto brightness on. Feel free to ask me any questions.

 

[FeliApple]

I hope this answers your question on battery life. Brightness is around 50% with auto brightness on. Feel free to ask me any questions.

Well, over 11 hours on LTE and 50% brightness is definitely far higher than my 6s and what I would like the plus -If I get it, which I think will be the case in the end- to last. For reference too, previous charge I stated on the OP ended at 8.5 hours, 90% Wi-Fi and brightness at 20%.
So you're still getting three hours more than me and with a bit more battery-draining use (I don't use Facebook for example, which is a battery hog, AFAIK, and as far as I've read here, I don't use it)
One question though, (hope it doesn't bother you) have you ever used it as lightly as I used this charge on the 6s (meaning, lower brightness and mostly Wi-Fi?) if so, how much did it last?

 

[iStiggy]

One question though, (hope it doesn't bother you) have you ever used it as lightly as I used this charge on the 6s (meaning, lower brightness and mostly Wi-Fi?) if so, how much did it last?

Yes. There has been multiple times where I would have low usage weekends. I would charge it at work, leave at 3pm. I wouldn't charge it again until 6pm Sunday in normal mode. Low power mode, wifi, and barely using the phone, it will take an honest 3 days until you need to charge it. I'm on my phone a lot and I've recently mostly turned off wifi as I have the Verizon unlimited plan now. With how my schedule works, I usually only charge my phone at work. I work from 7-3 pm, I may charge it in my car as needed, like if I know I'll be using it a lot.

I came from a 6 (128gb space gray) and I love the increase in battery life. It's definitely worth the trade-off of increased size. I upgraded mainly for waterproofing (yes I know resistance), white/silver color (space gray phone liked to overheat when I'm in the boat and taking video) and a little bit for the cameras. I was going to wait until fall of 2017.

 

[deano1972]

Well, over 11 hours on LTE and 50% brightness is definitely far higher than my 6s and what I would like the plus -If I get it, which I think will be the case in the end- to last. For reference too, previous charge I stated on the OP ended at 8.5 hours, 90% Wi-Fi and brightness at 20%.
So you're still getting three hours more than me and with a bit more battery-draining use (I don't use Facebook for example, which is a battery hog, AFAIK, and as far as I've read here, I don't use it)
One question though, (hope it doesn't bother you) have you ever used it as lightly as I used this charge on the 6s (meaning, lower brightness and mostly Wi-Fi?) if so, how much did it last?

If your still considering the regular 7 and prefer the size that too seems to have improved battery life over the 6s and is closer to the 6s+ according to apples specs and my own experience.

Mine can do up to 12 hours usage with a combined mixture of 4G/LTE and wifi with around 30% brightness set manually.

This is with 50% battery left on my regular 7

 

[FeliApple]

If your still considering the regular 7 and prefer the size that too seems to have improved battery life over the 6s and is closer to the 6s+ according to apples specs and my own experience.

Mine can do up to 12 hours usage with a combined mixture of 4G/LTE and wifi with around 30% brightness set manually.

This is with 50% battery left on my regular 7

View attachment 692071

I have a friend who has the regular 7, and per the screenshots of battery usage he shared with me, it's almost equal to my 6s. That's rare.
Anyway -and again, I do not know it if is his phone-. We made a YouTube test with him once. Both (my 6s and his 7) at half brightness or higher IIRC, playing the same video, in the same YouTube quality (I think it was 480P) and with the same settings (we configured them together), were played for 54 minutes starting from 100% and -after the aforementioned 54 minutes- both had 87%. The battery life was mirrored, that's why I initially -and after reading Apple's claims- thought, well, there is no battery life improvements, and started to consider the plus.
That's where I thought ok, maybe it isn't as uncomfortable as I thought initially, and I can consider it. I don't know, maybe it is his phone, as I don't have one, I cannot make any conclusive and true statements.
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Yes. There has been multiple times where I would have low usage weekends. I would charge it at work, leave at 3pm. I wouldn't charge it again until 6pm Sunday in normal mode. Low power mode, wifi, and barely using the phone, it will take an honest 3 days until you need to charge it. I'm on my phone a lot and I've recently mostly turned off wifi as I have the Verizon unlimited plan now. With how my schedule works, I usually only charge my phone at work. I work from 7-3 pm, I may charge it in my car as needed, like if I know I'll be using it a lot.

I came from a 6 (128gb space gray) and I love the increase in battery life. It's definitely worth the trade-off of increased size. I upgraded mainly for waterproofing (yes I know resistance), white/silver color (space gray phone liked to overheat when I'm in the boat and taking video) and a little bit for the cameras. I was going to wait until fall of 2017.

Thanks. That is far higher than I expected, and if that includes minimal background use (music for example) is on par with the device I was most impressed with regarding battery life: my previous iPad 4 back when it was on iOS 6. That, also, is higher by a bit under an hour than my iPad Pro with light use, and I would be really happy with that on my iPhone. (That would be like 4-5 more hours than my current 6s, that reached 10 hours of usage only once.)

 

[HEK]

It is difficult to actually compare battery life between users because the phones are not in the same environment. Radios, consume the largest amount of power next to the screen. When people share/compare use times it is not "apples to apples", no pun intended.....well maybe a little.

My location/reception conditions may allow my radios to be drawing far less power than your locations. I have experienced this myself using my own phone in same location and setting. I am in a poor LTE reception area at home. If i use LTE radio I have much shorter battery life, than if i turn off cellular and use only wi-fi. With wi-fi calling through my airport extreme home network i get all my calls, and even faster than using LTE. Many times i connect without even hearing one ring.

With that said, in varied locations, varied day to day use, my 7 Plus has pretty much gotten me through entire day, 12 hours, of use. If i am near my power adapter, I may top off with say 15 minutes of charging. Because I use 12 watt or 29 watt ipad power adapters, I get a one percent increase for every minute i am plugged in.

I drive a great deal and I do have several of the system features turned off, like wi-fi location services. This prevents my phone from reporting every wi-fi location I pass to Apple. Reduces GPS and LTE reports that would otherwise occur, even without my knowledge. Also have traffic reporting, the sending of traffic condition to Apple from my phone turned off. These are all hidden uses of radios that may really impact battery duration. Also turn off notifications on apps if you don't need that feature on that app. Why have a game report location. Your phone makes a lot of calls you are not even aware of, as it is setup with default settings, reporting things about your life.

If you really want to drain your battery fast, use facebook app. That will call every minute of day and night in the background.

 

[FeliApple]

It is difficult to actually compare battery life between users because the phones are not in the same environment. Radios, consume the largest amount of power next to the screen. When people share/compare use times it is not "apples to apples", no pun intended.....well maybe a little.

My location/reception conditions may allow my radios to be drawing far less power than your locations. I have experienced this myself using my own phone in same location and setting. I am in a poor LTE reception area at home. If i use LTE radio I have much shorter battery life, than if i turn off cellular and use only wi-fi. With wi-fi calling through my airport extreme home network i get all my calls, and even faster than using LTE. Many times i connect without even hearing one ring.

With that said, in varied locations, varied day to day use, my 7 Plus has pretty much gotten me through entire day, 12 hours, of use. If i am near my power adapter, I may top off with say 15 minutes of charging. Because I use 12 watt or 29 watt ipad power adapters, I get a one percent increase for every minute i am plugged in.

I drive a great deal and I do have several of the system features turned off, like wi-fi location services. This prevents my phone from reporting every wi-fi location I pass to Apple. Reduces GPS and LTE reports that would otherwise occur, even without my knowledge. Also have traffic reporting, the sending of traffic condition to Apple from my phone. These are all hidden uses of radios that may really impact battery duration.

It is indeed difficult or even impossible to accurately compare battery life between users, but I think that gives you, at least, a general idea of what to expect with my use. What I mean with this is, that if I use the phone as I am using it now, I can expect a certain battery life. This one, plus the rest of the threads on battery life with hundreds of screenshots being shared can give me -as I said- a general idea of what to expect.

Also, on those threads they're sharing all kinds of usage (more and less intensive) and I can more or less gauge how much they will last. Although it isn't apples to apples -it never is- it can give me a somewhat accurate battery life if I take into account how I use it and how the ones that are sharing the screenshots use it.

 

[jetsam]

It's tough to compare between users, but what about within one user? I've had the 3g, 4, 5, 6 Plus, and 7 Plus. The 7 Plus is the first one that I only need to charge every other day. All previous iPhones have had to be charged nightly.

I do nothing special to conserve battery life. I have "Hey Siri" and "Raise to wake" enabled. The battery settings recommends I "reduce brightness" to increase battery life. Wi-Fi and GPS are on at all times.

Last night I charged my 7 Plus. It was at 19% battery left, 39+ hours of standby, and 9+ hours of use.

 

[iStiggy]

Here's a mostly non Facebook day. Facebook was 49 minutes on screen, 18% of battery. Last charge was last (Sunday) night.

I feel like you would be fine with a 7 (non plus). It sounds like you're light on your phone usage. Also paying $120 more for better battery life is a lot, but then again, Mophoe battery cases are ~$100.

 

[Septembersrain]

I didn't get used to the size. I honestly feel the 7 plus is a bit awkward and cumbersome for me. The increase in RAM is nice but I don't see much use for it except for a few intensive apps like Goat simulator (Don't ask).

The improved camera hasn't really been used much by me.

I really cared a lot about battery life. That is the biggest benefit to me over the 6s. However, with the Apple battery case, I got similar results to the 7 plus on my 6s. So a battery case is always an option.

The 7 plus barely fits in my jeans. Sometimes it doesn't when the jeans have a shallow pocket (Like on my Hydraulic jeans for example). It fits fine in my Levi jeans though.

Overall you can't go wrong with the 7 plus. It's been a really great phone. If you adjust to the size, it's really worth it.

 

[FeliApple]

I didn't get used to the size. I honestly feel the 7 plus is a bit awkward and cumbersome for me. The increase in RAM is nice but I don't see much use for it except for a few intensive apps like Goat simulator (Don't ask).

The improved camera hasn't really been used much by me.

I really cared a lot about battery life. That is the biggest benefit to me over the 6s. However, with the Apple battery case, I got similar results to the 7 plus on my 6s. So a battery case is always an option.

The 7 plus barely fits in my jeans. Sometimes it doesn't when the jeans have a shallow pocket (Like on my Hydraulic jeans for example). It fits fine in my Levi jeans though.

Overall you can't go wrong with the 7 plus. It's been a really great phone. If you adjust to the size, it's really worth it.

That's my fear. 1: That it will not fit in my pockets, and two, that the size will be too cumbersome and I would have been able to use the standard 7 perfectly. I cannot change my decision after making it and that's the difficult part of it.
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Here's a mostly non Facebook day. Facebook was 49 minutes on screen, 18% of battery. Last charge was last (Sunday) night.

I feel like you would be fine with a 7 (non plus). It sounds like you're light on your phone usage. Also paying $120 more for better battery life is a lot, but then again, Mophoe battery cases are ~$100.

I had a bad experience with Mophie, but yes, I can be considered fairly light on my usage, though it has been increasing lately. That's why I considered the plus. I said well, maybe I can forget about battery life and if I can manage the size it's a win-win. As I cannot change my decision, though, I fear that if I get the plus and don't like it I will be stuck with it, whereas if I get the standard it's a safer bet, but I won't be able to see what is it like to have both the battery and the camera of the plus.

In my situation, where I cannot change my decision, what would you do? Give the plus a try, with the possible annoyances that come with it (size constraints), though also with the advantages, or get just the standard 7, with the main drawback of not being able to see what having the plus and its battery life is like?

 

[decafjava]

That's my fear. 1: That it will not fit in my pockets, and two, that the size will be too cumbersome and I would have been able to use the standard 7 perfectly. I cannot change my decision after making it and that's the difficult part of it.
[doublepost=1489460454][/doublepost]

I had a bad experience with Mophie, but yes, I can be considered fairly light on my usage, though it has been increasing lately. That's why I considered the plus. I said well, maybe I can forget about battery life and if I can manage the size it's a win-win. As I cannot change my decision, though, I fear that if I get the plus and don't like it I will be stuck with it, whereas if I get the standard it's a safer bet, but I won't be able to see what is it like to have both the battery and the camera of the plus.

In my situation, where I cannot change my decision, what would you do? Give the plus a try, with the possible annoyances that come with it (size constraints), though also with the advantages, or get just the standard 7, with the main drawback of not being able to see what having the plus and its battery life is like?

Forgive me for asking, but why would you not be able to change your decision? Is there not a period you can return the phone if you don't like it? 14 days I think. Is that not enough time or are there other constraints?

 

[FeliApple]

Forgive me for asking, but why would you not be able to change your decision? Is there not a period you can return the phone if you don't like it? 14 days I think. Is that not enough time or are there other constraints?

Not from the US. Buying and traveling immediately after. No Apple Stores in my country.

 

[Septembersrain]

Not from the US. Buying and traveling immediately after. No Apple Stores in my country.

I'd really recommend asking someone at the Apple store to let you try to put one in your pocket. Spend a little time playing with each phone. It won't give you a 100% confirmation as it can take a little time to either adapt or develop a dislike for a device. However, it'll give you an indication of what the device will be like in your daily life. Good luck!

Edit: I'm also sure you already know but just in case, make sure you get the right model. The Qualcomm version.

 

[FeliApple]

I'd really recommend asking someone at the Apple store to let you try to put one in your pocket. Spend a little time playing with each phone. It won't give you a 100% confirmation as it can take a little time to either adapt or develop a dislike for a device. However, it'll give you an indication of what the device will be like in your daily life. Good luck!

Edit: I'm also sure you already know but just in case, make sure you get the right model. The Qualcomm version.

Yes I should do that, also I could ask someone I know that has a plus to let me play around with it a while. I didn't put it in my pocket but I tried it for 5 minutes and it seemed manageable (maybe it is because I just want it, so my opinion might be flawed) but I should do that the next time I see someone with a plus.

What do you mean by the Qualcomm version? I was going to buy the unlocked (aka Sim Free) Is there any difference?