Comparison: Here’s how the iPhone 7 compares to the rest of the iPhone lineup

Apple officially unveiled the oft-rumored iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus earlier this week. Preorders are set to kick off early tomorrow and naturally, potential customers are in the midst of research both devices to figure out which one works best them. As it usually does, Apple is also keeping the last generation iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus around at a more affordable price point, while the iPhone SE is also still available.

Gone are the days of there being one iPhone model to choose from, so a little research is required before pulling the trigger. Read on as we compare every iPhone model you can buy right now…

Speed (Processor + RAM)

All five iPhones on the market right now offer variations in the performance thanks to different processors and RAM amounts. For pure speed, the iPhone 7 Plus is the best option available. As we detailed earlier today, the iPhone 7 Plus does in fact feature 3GB of RAM versus the 2GB found in the 4.7-inch iPhone 7. Nevertheless, both models are powered by the same four-core A10 Fusion chip and feature an embedded M10 motion coprocessor.

Apple has done some work to give the A10 Fusion chip the best performance and battery life combination. The A10 Fusion is a four-core processor that features two high-performance cores that run 40% faster than the A9, and two high-efficiency cores that run at 1/5 the power for longer battery life. There’s also a new performance controller that ensures in real-time that the correct processors are running, again ensuring the best combination of battery life and performance.

For the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, both models feature 2GB of RAM paired with an A9 chip and M9 motion coprocessor.

As noted in several hands-on videos we covered yesterday, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus definitely feature notable performance improvements over the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, but the latter two have never been accused of lagging in that department either.

• iPhone SE
  • Processor: Apple A9, dual-core 1.84GHz
  • RAM: 2GB
• iPhone 6s
  • Processor: Apple A9, dual-cire @ 1.84GHz
  • RAM: 2GB
• iPhone 6s Plus
  • Processor: Apple A9, dual-core @1.84GHz
  • RAM: 2GB
• iPhone 7
  • Processor: Apple A10 Fusion, quad-core
    • Two cores @ 2.23GHz
  • RAM: 2GB
  • Apple-designed performance controller
• iPhone 7 Plus
  • Processor: Apple A10 Fusion, quad-core
    • Two cores @ 2.23GHz
  • RAM: 3GB
  • Apple-designed performance controller

Size

Though the overall dimensions are the same between the iPhone 6s/iPhone 7 and iPhone 6s Plus/iPhone 7s Plus, the new models are ever-so-slightly lighter. While the difference will likely not even be noticeable, it’s worth noting nonetheless.

• iPhone SE
  • 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm
  • 113g
• iPhone 6s
  • 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm
  • 143g
• iPhone 6s Plus
  • 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm
  • 188g
• iPhone 7
  • 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm
  • 138g
• iPhone 7 Plus
  • 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm
  • 188g

Battery

With the iPhone 7, Apple had the opportunity to beef up the battery life of both the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models. While the exact mAh statistics have not yet emerged for the new iPhones, Apple is touting that the iPhone 7 lasts up to “2 hours longer” than the iPhone 6s, while the iPhone 7 Plus lasts “up to 1 hour longer” than the iPhone 6s Plus.

Interestingly, a closer look at Apple’s tech specs page for the iPhone show that Apple may be reaching a bit when it comes to that claim. For instance, the rated talk time has actually gone down from 24 hours with the iPhone 6s Plus to 21 hours with the iPhone 7 Plus.

On the other hand, video playback has increased from 11 hours to 13 hours with the iPhone 7, though the iPhone 7 Plus stays at 14 hours.

• iPhone SE
  • Talk time:
    • Up to 14 hours on 3G
  • Internet use:
    • Up to 12 hours on 3G
    • Up to 13 hours
    • Up to 13 hours on WiFi
  • Video playback:
    • Up to 13 hours
  • Audio playback
    • Up to 50 hours
  • Standby time:
    • Up to 10 days

• iPhone 6s
  • Talk time:
    • Up to 14 hours on 3G
  • Internet use:
    • Up to 10 hours on 3G
    • Up to 10 hours on LTE
    • Up to 11 hours on Wi‑Fi
  • HD video playback:
    • Up to 11 hours
  • Audio playback:
    • Up to 50 hours
  • Standby time:
    • Up to 10 days

• iPhone 6s Plus
  • Talk time:
    • Up to 24 hours on 3G
  • Internet use:
    • Up to 12 hours on 3G
    • Up to 12 hours on LTE
    • Up to 12 hours on Wi‑Fi
  • HD video playback:
    • Up to 14 hours
  • Audio playback:
    • Up to 80 hours
  • Standby time:
    • Up to 16 days
• iPhone 7
  • Talk time (wireless):
    • Up to 14 hours on 3G
  • Standby:
    • Up to 10 days
  • Internet use:
    • Up to 12 hours on 3G
    • Up to 12 hours on LTE
    • Up to 14 hours on Wi-Fi
  • Wireless video playback:
    • Up to 13 hours
  • Wireless audio playback:
    • Up to 40 hours

• iPhone 7 Plus
  • Talk time (wireless)
    • Up to 21 hours on 3G
  • Standby: Up to 16 days
  • Internet use:
    • Up to 13 hours on 3G
    • Up to 13 hours on LTE
    • Up to 15 hours on WiFi
  • Wireless video playback:
    • Up to 14 hours
  • Wireless audio playback:
    • Up to 60 hours

Design

Though the overall design of the iPhone 7 is the same as the iPhone 6s, there are a few differences worth noting. The biggest difference, of course, is the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack, though Apple will be including Lightning EarPods with every device and a variety of wireless options exist, including my personal favorites the Bose QuietComfort 35s.

Apart from the headphone jack, the cameras on both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are larger than previous generations (more on that later). The antenna lines are also redesigned to blend better into the overall appearance of the device, while the new models are also IP67 water-resistant and dust resistant. Finally, the Home button has been refreshed to feature a Taptic Engine similar to that of the trackpad on recent MacBooks.

In terms of color options, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus come in a pair of new colors:

• iPhone SE
  • Silver
  • Gold
  • Space Gray
  • Rose Gold
• iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus
  • Rose Gold
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Space Gray
• iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
  • Rose Gold
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Black
  • Jet Black (128GB and 256GB models only)

Display

Though the iPhone 7 didn’t adopt a True Tone display like many had hoped it would, Apple has still made some improvements. The max brightness of the display on both the 7 and 7 Plus has been increased, while the displays’ resolutions remain the same this time around. The max brightness has been increased from 500 cd/m2 max brightness on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to 625 cd/m2 on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Rear Camera

The real star of the iPhone 7 show, however, is the camera. Or, in the case of the iPhone 7 Plus, the cameras. While the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were always praised for their respective camera qualities and features, Apple has taken it a step further with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

For the iPhone 7, there’s a 12MP camera on the back with a f/1.8 aperture and digital zoom up to 5x. For the first time, however, the 4.7-inch iPhone features optical image stabilization. In the past, this has always been a feature exclusive to the 5.5-inch model.

On the iPhone 7 Plus, there are now two 12MP cameras on the back. One is a wide-angle lens, while the other is telephoto. The former has an f/1.8 aperture, while the latter has an f/2.8 aperture. Because of the two cameras, the iPhone 7 Plus offers high-res optical zoom at 2x, which is a first for the iPhone lineup.

For both models, there’s a new high-speed sensor and a redesigned quad-LED True Tone flash. All of the camera features iPhone users have come to expect are there, as well, including 4K video recording, slo-mo video support, time-lapse support, and more.

Apple will also be making a handful of improvements to the Camera app on iOS to take advantage of the new cameras found on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. For instance, there’s a new bokah effect for giving images an improved depth of field appearance.

iPhone 6s & iPhone 6s Plus

• 12MP wide-angle and telephoto cameras
• Wide-angle: f/1.8 aperture
• Telephoto: f/2.8 aperture
• Optical zoom at 2x, digital zoom up to 10x

Both models

Front Camera

In addition to the rear camera improvements, Apple has also made a variety of improvements to the front-facing FaceTime camera on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Whereas the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus featured a 5MP FaceTime HD camera with support for 720p video recording, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus both feature a 7MP front-facing camera and support for 1080p video recording. The front camera also now supports Live Photos.

Wrap-up

After seeing all of the differences between models, what do you think of Apple’s current iPhone lineup? Do you miss the days of a 1 model lineup? Let us know what you think down in the comments and let us know if you have any more questions.