- Oct 9, 2004
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Even if I were coming from an older phone and wanted to buy a new 4.7" iPhone, I would likely not get the 7. I would probably get the 6s. And that's for me, a phone geek. For the wife, I'd definitely get the 6s. The A10 Fusion SoC is quite nice, but not critical. iOS 9 on the 6s lagged occasionally here and there, nothing bad but it seems even less noticeable on iOS 10, particularly in Safari surfing. The main things of true relevance in the 7 line IMO are the new wide gamut screen, the 3 GB RAM, and the dual lens camera. However, the 7 is missing both the 3 GB RAM and the dual lens camera. So the only thing it really gains is the new wide gamut screen, which IMO isn't worth the price difference. And of course, the 7 loses the headphone jack. Not a deal killer, but an annoyance. I guess water resistance is another factor, but it's never been an issue for us, and the 6s already has very good water resistance even if it was never advertised. Furthermore, the price difference is based on models with the same 32 GB or 128 GB storage. Even better for many people would be to get a closeout 64 GB 6s model at a lower price than the 128 GB 7, making the price difference vs. the 7 even larger.
I went from the 6 to the 7 and found that there were plenty of reasons to make the move.
The cameras are the big deal. You don't have 2X zoom, but it's still leagues better in terms of low-light performance and depth of field for macros. And I haven't used the FaceTime cam much, but 7MP and 1080p video beats the hell out of what you got before.
The A10 is nice, but the bigger deal if you're not coming from a 6s is the 2GB of RAM. You have to go out of your way to make it refresh most typical apps.
Other functional improvements that I appreciate day in and day out: the much brighter screen (it's really usable in bright sunlight), 128GB of storage on a mid-tier model and the stereo speakers. I enjoy the enhanced haptic feedback, as it makes the phone feel 'alive,' but that's clearly not essential.
I wouldn't upgrade from a 6s to a 7, that's for sure. But most people won't, I imagine! This is for those of us with a 6 or earlier who see the math adding up to an upgrade. If you're using a 6s, hold out for the 8... you'll be much happier.