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Fabulous Phablets: The Best Large-Screen Smartphones

Our tests confirmed that the iPhone 7 Plus is the best of Apple's large-screen models yet, though not by much.

One welcome advance for many butterfingered iPhone users: This model can survive a dunk in 3 feet of water for 30 minutes.

Also new are the dual cameras on the back, one of them with a unique 2x optical zoom. The optical zoom is a step up from the digital zoom on the old model's camera.

The front-facing selfie camera received an upgrade, as well. The higher-resolution sensor (7.2 megapixels vs. 5 megapixels on the 6s) allows you to record videos at full 1080p resolution. On the 6s, video recording is limited to 720P.

As with all late-model iPhones, the 7s Plus' display earned high marks for color accuracy and contrast, and it's also easy to see in bright light.

The phone's stereo speakers, a first for iPhones, sound a bit louder than the single speaker on the iPhone 6s Plus, though according to our engineers, the audio is somewhat thin and tinny.

Apple got a lot of attention—and some flack—for removing the headphone jack from its new iPhones. Our testers found that it did not harm the audio performance. The sound quality of the new Lightning EarPods appears to be no better or worse than that of the headphones that came with the 6s phones.

One thing to keep in mind: There are apparently two versions of the iPhone 7 Plus sold in the U.S., and one of them gives you broader options if you ever want to switch cell-phone providers.

The one sold by Verizon and Sprint (Model A1661) offers the most cell-provider choices. It has the hardware needed to work with both GSM and CDMA networks, so it will work on any of the four major carriers: Verizon and Sprint (CDMA), as well as AT&T and T-Mobile (GSM). It will also work with the many smaller cell providers, such as Consumer Cellular, that piggyback on carrier networks.

The iPhone 7 Plus sold to AT&T and T-Mobile customers (Model A1784), however, is a slightly stripped-down version, at least regarding network compatibility. It works only on GSM networks, so customers will be out of luck should they want later to switch their carrier and use the same iPhone with Verizon or Sprint, or Credo, or NetZero, or Boost, or any of the many other carriers that use CDMA networks.

Our advice: Customers of GSM providers such as AT&T and T-Mobile should consider going online or into an Apple store and just buying the unlocked version of this phone, then take it to any carrier.


Source: Fabulous Phablets: The Best Large-Screen Smartphones

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