Buy Now...
click image to enlarge
The Apple iPhone 7 Plus measures 15.6x7.8x.8cm and weighs 186grams. The viewable screen is 12.2x6.8cm which gives the notional diagonal imperial measurement of 5½ inches whereas the standard iPhone 7 is 4.7inches. On the iPhone 7 Plus the screen resolution is 1080x1920 (portrait) the same as most computer screens.
The left side has the two volume buttons near the top and even closer to the top is the small volume off slider button. On the right side is the on/off button, the top has nothing and the base has the USB 3.1 charge port and either side of this the two quite decent speakers.
No 3.5mm socket but an adapter is supplied that fits into the USB 3.1 socket to allow you to connect headphones or earbuds but of course this increases the size and if kept in a pocket you would need to place the phone head down.
The back has its dual lens 12MP camera top right with the LED flash mounted beside it towards the centre. The front Selfie 7MP camera is hardly visible but is in the centre of the area above the screen. The screen is – like a lot of other phones – very reflective so stay out of strong sunlight. No space here to go into the camera but it is rather good and I certainly have no complaint about the images and videos I took.
There is a 1.7cm strip above and below the screen and .4cm clear either side. Under the screen is the single button that Apple favours. As always it takes a confirmed Android user a few days to get used to this feature.
It also takes a while to get used to the unit waking immediately when turned slightly but you will still need to touch the button and enter your six digit pin to do anything. Be aware that too firm a push wakes ‘Siri’ the Apple equivalent to Cortana the difference is that ‘Siri’ works. However if you do not want to have conversations with Siri it can be turned off in settings.
Boot Up time to the sign on screen is less than 14 seconds while shut down is only 1.5 seconds after a four second press on the on/off button to bring up the shutdown option.
A useful App is Apple Pay and on the same front screen are your loyalty cards once you have scanned them in and this should save time at the checkout or check in as it can also store tickets. Another that may be helpful is the Health App something that on most Android phones is an extra.
Vodafone were one of the first with reliable 4G coverage and Apple give you 4G LTE which is even faster. Certainly the calls I made and received during my review unit were clear and easy to follow even when in less than quiet areas.
The one thing I found difficult to get used to was the 3D touch – but I am old – and maybe this takes time.
The Apple iPhone 7 Plus is available from the first link below on various terms according to the amount of data etc. but the one that stood out to me is highlighted in the link £47 a month (£50 upfront) on a 24 month contract 6GB of data, unlimited calls, unlimited texts and 500MB roaming data.
http://www.vodafone.co.uk/brands/apple/iphone-7/#Black/32
http://www.apple.com/uk/iphone-7/
!!
