If it’s time to start looking for a new iPhone but you aren’t concerned about having all the latest bells and whistles, then looking at older models can be a great option — and a little more cost-friendly. But where do you even start? This article will do a side-by-side comparison of iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus, going over the similarities and differences between the two devices.
What’s the difference between iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus?
Usually, when an iPhone gets a number bump, there are quite a few notable upgrades. But in the case of iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus, most of those upgrades are internal, meaning that the casing and design of these phones are nearly identical. Telling them apart in the wild might prove difficult. That being said, some of the more prominent differences that set the iPhone 8 Plus apart include:
- Improved camera features
- Fast-charging enabled
- Qi-compatible wireless charging
- Overall performance bump
iPhone 7 Plus vs. iPhone 8 Plus: The camera
The good news is that the camera on iPhone 8 Plus is identical to the one that comes with iPhone 7 Plus. It’s a dual-lens 12-megapixel camera that offers a wide-angle and telephoto lens. But the iPhone 8 Plus does edge out the camera on the iPhone 7 Plus thanks to additional features and settings that simply aren’t available on the older phone.
For photography, iPhone 8 Plus comes with Portrait Lighting. At its core, Portrait Lighting is an improved version of Portrait Mode, allowing you to adjust the lighting on your pictures to give them more of a studio feel. Another upgrade to the camera allows you to shoot 4K videos at 60 frames per second for some high-res slow-mo fun (iPhone 7 Plus was only able to shoot 4k at 30fps).
iPhone 7 Plus vs. iPhone 8 Plus: Battery life and charging
When it comes to the battery on iPhone 8 Plus, it’s actually a little smaller than the one on iPhone 7 Plus. But thankfully, the new processors inside iPhone 8 Plus require less energy, so the battery lasts about the same amount of time. Both models boast a talk time of over 21 hours and more than 13 hours of video playback.
Where the two phones differ, however, is in their charging capabilities. iPhone 8 Plus is Qi-enabled, meaning it’s able to wirelessly charge with any Qi-charger. It is also fast-charging enabled, so you can use one of Apple’s 18w fast chargers and get up to 50% in about 30 minutes.
iPhone 7 Plus vs. iPhone 8 Plus: Performance
Perhaps the most significant difference between the two iPhones is in their CPUs or processors. iPhone 8 Plus has Apple’s more recent A11 Bionic chip, which runs about 25% faster than the A10 chip in iPhone 7 Plus. This means that switching between apps will be faster, and you’ll be able to run more intensive apps on iPhone 8 Plus.
Which is better, iPhone 8 Plus or iPhone 7 Plus?
It’s no surprise that based on sheer specs, iPhone 8 Plus is the better phone. But iPhone 7 Plus isn’t exactly a dud, either. iPhone 7 Plus was a great phone when it was released and is still an incredible phone at its current price point.
Another thing to keep in mind with iPhone 7 Plus is its storage capacity. It comes in 32 GB, 128 GB, or 256 GB. The latter two are more than manageable; it’s the 32 GB baseline option that you’ll want to be aware of. You may need to utilize some cloud storage like Google Drive or iCloud Drive to help you out. Meanwhile, iPhone 8 Plus drops the 32 GB size in favor of 64 GB and 256 GB options.
While iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus have their share of differences, they have even more similarities — much like iPhone 7 and iPhone 8. After all, iPhone 8 Plus was more of a performance increase than a genuinely new model. Both are still excellent phones and can run the latest iOS 13. Either one would be a great upgrade!
