Is the iPhone 7 Still Worth Buying in 2019?

The iPhone 7, released on September 16th 2016, has now entered its third year of existence. Some ordinary smartphones would already be obsolete by this point. However, the iPhone 7 is anything but ordinary. In 2016, the year Apple released the iPhone 7, it captured 80% of the smartphone market profits. What’s more, the iPhone 7 continued to be the best selling device well into 2017.

And there’s undoubtedly a reason for the iPhone 7’s success. The iPhone 7 is an incredibly well-designed smartphone that continues to live up to the hype even three years later. We already concluded that the iPhone 7 was still worth it in 2018. But, is the iPhone 7 still a viable option in 2019? Absolutely!

Let’s take a closer look.

Looking back at the iPhone 7’s design

The iPhone 7 includes many of the iPhone 6s’ charms, but with a few alterations. With iPhone 7, Apple made its landmark decision to remove the headphone jack and made some other design changes.

The first change – removing the headphone jack – was met with some controversy. And the “courage” comment made by marketing chief Phil Schiller at an Apple event was met with plenty of memes. Here’s the thing, though: Apple was kind of right. The core group of smartphones on the market have now also started to remove their headphone jacks. In fact, Samsung is quietly removing ads that poked fun at Apple now that it too has decided to remove the headphone jack from the Galaxy S10.

Not having a headphone jack may seem like an inconvenience. But with the rise of wireless headphones, the popularity of Apple’s EarPods and the option of the relatively cheap dongle, not having a headphone jack turned out not to be such a big deal. Sure, for some users, having to plug that short dongle into the lightning port may feel unnecessary. But is it really enough reason to count out the iPhone 7?

We don’t think so.

The design itself is gorgeous. The home button – which has been completely removed from the iPhone X – no longer mechanically clicks on the iPhone 7. Instead of a mechanical click, the iPhone vibrates in a way that feels like a click. For those upgrading from previous iPhone models, this may feel a bit strange at first. But if you’ve been using a relatively modern Android device, you may be used to it.

We quite liked the old click. But after a few hours of using the iPhone 7, we had completely forgotten that it doesn’t click how it used to, and actually wouldn’t go back if we could.

Overall, the iPhone looks and feels a lot like the iPhone 6s. But with its new waterproofing and sturdier body, it definitely has enough new design qualities to make it worth the upgrade.

What about the display, then?

How does the iPhone 7 display hold up in 2019?

To start with, the iPhone 7 has the exact same display size and pixels as the 6s. This means it has a 1334 x 750 resolution and a pixel density of 326ppi (called “Retina” by the Apple marketing team). But don’t let the display size and pixels fool you, this display is definitely an upgrade. There are two key things the iPhone 7’s display has going for it. Firstly, it’s brighter and secondly, it has richer colour.

The iPhone 7 now supports DCI-P3 Wide Color Gamut, which is used in 4K TVs and the latest iPad models. This makes the display look extremely vibrant, especially when binge watching that latest Netflix show or rewatching Game of Thrones for the 40th time on HBO Go.

The display is also around 25 % brighter than the iPhone 6s’ display, which is immediately noticeable. Its rich colours and brightness make it stand out, and it’s a clear upgrade from the 6s. That being said, it’s definitely not as beautiful as the iPhone X’s 5.8-inch OLED display that packs a whopping 1,125 x 2,436 resolution.

Final Thoughts

So, this screen is good, but not perfect. If you have any model below the iPhone 7, you’ll notice the upgrade immediately. But if you just broke your iPhone X, it may look a little dull in comparison. However, at half the price, the iPhone 7 screen is a real bargain.

How good is the iPhone 7’s camera in 2019?

With the iPhone Xs arriving on the market sporting dual 12MP wide-angle (ƒ/1.8 aperture) and telephoto (ƒ/2.4 aperture) cameras, it can be hard for any other cameras on the market to compete with it. But the iPhone 7 camera is still incredible, and real value for money. Not only did Apple keep some of the great aspects of the 6s, but they piled on optical image stabilization (OIS) and made the aperture wider (ƒ/1.8 aperture).

We could say plenty about the iPhone 7’s camera. It looks good when the sun is out. The OIS works incredibly well for on-the-move shots. And the images look simply fantastic on the colour-rich screen. But, it’s the low light that takes the cake. Gizmodo called the iPhone 7 “The Best Smartphone For Photos” back in 2016. And most of that was due to its low light photos.

In summary, not only does the iPhone take some killer photos that look impressive on the colour-rich display, it also takes wonderfully crisp low-light photos. And it shares the same low-light capabilities with some of its predecessors, possibly giving you the most value for money when it comes to smartphone cameras.

The iPhone 7’s performance in 2019

In terms of performance, the leap from the iPhone 6s to the iPhone 7 was massive. Benchmarks have each Apple device outperforming the last (with the unusual case of the iPhone SE sitting right in the middle). However, the single-core and multi-core capabilities of the iPhone 7 are far better than those of the iPhone 6s.

The Apple A10 Fusion chip was a game changer for the smartphone industry. And it was the top dog until the iPhone 8 decided to bust out the A11 Bionic chip. There’s really not much that the iPhone 7 can’t do in terms of performance. Whether you feel like playing a mobile game or editing a photo Photoshop mobile, the iPhone 7 has your back.

From browsing and gaming to photo editing and music, the iPhone 7 lets you say goodbye to slow interfaces and laggy screens. It’s hard to really get across how fast the iPhone 7 was for its time. No other phone came close to it.

Despite the myths surrounding Android’s performance dominance, the iPhone 7’s performance beat every other device when it was launched. AnTuTu’s performance benchmark put the iPhone 7 at a whopping 174,301 — while the Galaxy S7 Edge scored 158,313. In fact, the iPhone 7 still outperforms many recently launched devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy A70 and the Xiaomi Mi 8.

In conclusion, the iPhone 7 still packs a serious punch with its Apple A10 Fusion chipset. It outperforms many of the smartphones currently on the market, and that’s not all – it also has an incredible battery.

How good is the iPhone 7’s battery life?

Good performance means poor battery life, right? Not necessarily! The iPhone 7 has a few tricks up its sleeve. For starters, it has four cores. But it separates them based on what you’re doing. So, two cores are reserved for intensive activities, and the other two are reserved for simple things like checking emails and texting. This helps conserve energy when you’re conducting simple tasks.

The iPhone 7 also simply has a larger battery than the 6s – giving it more power. Predictably, the iPhone 7’s battery isn’t up to par with the 8 or X series. However, it still lasts plenty long.

Finally, according to Apple, the iPhone 7’s battery lasts 2 hours longer than the iPhone 6. This isn’t quite the case, though. Upgrades to the A10 Fusion chip and the larger battery give the iPhone 7 more oomph than its predecessor. But, more raw power and a better screen can drain the battery just as quickly. In most tests, the iPhone 7 performs around 10% better than the iPhone 6s. Given the power boost, that’s a great deal.

Is the iPhone 7 worth buying in 2019?

The answer: Yes! The iPhone 7 is an incredible phone whose current price is mind-bogglingly low. At almost a third of the price of the 8 series, the iPhone 7 is a great smartphone and offers real value for money. If you always want to have the newest and best smartphone, the iPhone 7 may not be for you. But if you’re looking for a great budget device that lets you do what you need, the iPhone 7 is a safe choice. You’ll get even better value for your money if you shop refurbished!

CHOOSE THE IPHONE 7, IF:

• You want a great device at an extremely low price
• You’re looking for an iPhone with the best value for money
• You need power and battery life, but the screen resolution isn’t your main concern
• You love taking photos, but you’re not a photographer

DON’T CHOOSE THE IPHONE 7, IF:

• You need the newest and best device on the market
• You want to take the best possible photos
• You really need the highest screen resolution