The iPhone 7S Plus may not change very much, but Apple’s biggest is still getting upgraded today.
The iPhone 7S Plus is being announced today at Apple’s ‚Special Event‘ and, whatever its final name ends up being, it’s going to be exactly like you’d expect: an upgrade to the company’s jumbo-sized smartphone.
If you’re eagerly awaiting a new iPhone and don’t want to pay a lot of money for the undoubtedly expensive iPhone 8 or iPhone X, this one is for you.
And you’ll be able to watch all the action unfold live with our Apple event livestream and blog.
This ‚S‘ upgrade will be one of three new iPhones for 2017, according to the new rumors that indicate we’re looking at a lower-cost iPhone with new features.
And by ‚lower-cost‘, we mean to say the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus will likely be the same price as previous iPhones – but cheap next premium model.
That’s okay, because we’re still expecting Apple’s iPhone 7S Plus to be a serious upgrade, one that’s faster, has a better screen and a superior dual-lens camera.
While Apple could give this phone the name iPhone 8 Plus in the end, Here’s are all of the iPhone 7S Plus rumors we’ve heard.
Cut to the chase
What is iPhone 7S Plus? The next phablet iPhone
The next phablet iPhone When is the iPhone 7S Plus release date? Probably late September 2017
Probably late September 2017 What will iPhone 7S Plus cost? Likely the same as 7 Plus at launch
The iPhone 7S will be announced in a few hours, with the official Apple launch event happening today, September at September 12 at 10am Pacific Time (1pm EST, 6pm BST) .
September has become iPhone launch month. Apple has released a new iPhone this month every year since the iPhone 5S. We’ll see the same again this year.
When is the actual iPhone 7S Plus release date? We suspect it’ll be on Friday, September 22, a few weeks ahead of the iPhone 8 launch.
While the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus will likely go on sale a short time after this event, the iPhone 8 is said to be suffering delays due to complications with OLED display production and the fingerprint scanner – which may mean it doesn’t appear at the same time as the 7S Plus, if it exists at all.
TechRadar’s take: The iPhone 7 Plus will launch today, and it would make sense for it to go on sale a week or two later. That means Friday, September 22 or Friday September 29, since Apple likes releasing phones on Fridays. Just don’t expect the best iPhone to be there.
Pre-register for iPhone 7S Plus
UK: Carphone Warehouse
iPhone 7S Plus screen
Hottest leaks:
Display likely to stay the same size and resolution
May feature a brighter, more colorful OLED screen
It terms of the size and resolution of the iPhone 7S Plus display, we expect things to stay the same in this iterative update, with the iPhone 8 more likely to see a bump in quality.
You’ll still get a big 5.5-inch screen with a 1080 x 1920 resolution on the 7S Plus, generating a more-than-acceptable pixel density of 401ppi.
Rumor has it Apple wants to upgrade the screen technology to OLED on all of its iPhone models, but demand for the tech is apparently too high, forcing Apple to stick with an LCD panel for the iPhone 7S Plus. Maybe next year for all models.
TechRadar’s take: It makes sense for Apple to stick to the same size and resolution for the iterative 7S Plus. While having all models jump to OLED in 2017 would give Apple a VR and AR advantage, we don’t expect all three models to switch to LCD right away due to supply constraints.
iPhone 7S Plus design
Hottest leaks:
A new glass back
An iterative update usually means a similar look
One of the biggest iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus criticisms that neither had a new design, but don’t expect any big changes from the iPhone 7S Plus.
Apple handsets from the iPhone 6 Plus onward look largely the same, and while big design changes look set to come with the 10th anniversary iPhone 8, the iPhone 7S Plus probably won’t get the same treatment.
However, the materials used for it could change, as leaked images supposedly show a dummy unit with a glass back, rather than an aluminum one.
They also show that there might not be any antenna bands, which makes sense, as they wouldn’t be needed with a glass back, but that the overall shape, along with the ports and buttons, seem much the same as the iPhone 7 Plus.
Image 1 of 3 The iPhone 7S Plus is pictured here with a glass back. Image credit: Sonny Dickson Image 2 of 3 The dual-lens camera looks the same as ever. Image credit: Sonny Dickson Image 3 of 3 The glass back of the iPhone 7S Plus looks shiny and reflective. Image credit: Sonny Dickson
Indeed, the diagram below supposedly shows the phone, and the design is similar to its predecessor, but with slightly different dimensions of 158.38 x 78.1mm, where the iPhone 7 Plus was 158.2 x 77.9mm. Oddly, that would actually make the iPhone 7S Plus marginally larger.
And don’t read too much into the all-screen front, as it seems that’s just not had the details filled in, as the source claims the design is the same as the iPhone 7 Plus.
It’s possible that there will be a new color scheme launched for the iPhone 7S Plus though. Apple added red to the mix for the iPhone 7 and it’s rumored that a mirror-like finish or a gold blush color is in the works for the iPhone 8.
It could be that this shade will be exclusive to the top-end model (for now known as the iPhone 8) , but it’s also possible that the iPhone 7S Plus and iPhone 7S will get it as well.
TechRadar’s take: Don’t expect too much to change on the design front for the iPhone 7S Plus. Apple could give it a glass back and make it a hair thicker due to new features like wireless charging, but on the whole we’re expecting an almost identical device.
iPhone 7S Plus camera
Hottest leaks:
Dual-cameras tipped to remain
Optical image stabilization looks almost certain
The new dual-camera was arguably the biggest upgrade for the iPhone 7 Plus, and it set it apart from the single-camera iPhone 7, so we’ d expect to see the same photo smarts on the iPhone 7S Plus.
Respected Chinese analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested the dual-lens camera will remain limited to the Plus model, and that both lenses will benefit from optical image stabilization, where currently only the wide-angle lens features OIS on the iPhone 7 Plus.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 just added OIS to both camera in its dual-lens camera array, so Apple will want to step up its camera feature-set this year.
TechRadar’s take: Dual-cameras remain popular in 2017 with the LG G6, Huawei P10, P10 Plus and OnePlus 5 all donning double snappers on the rear and we see no reason why Apple would move away from this on the iPhone 7S Plus.
iPhone 7S Plus battery
Hottest leaks:
Likely to be the same size, 2,900mAh battery
Battery life could be improved with newer chipset and software
Moving onto the iPhone 7S Plus battery size, there’s currently little word on what to expect.
However, with the design of the 7S Plus likely to be very similar to its predecessor we wouldn’t be surprised if Apple stuck with the same 2,900mAh offering and improved efficiency with a newer chipset and software integration.
There have been suggestions that Apple could introduce wireless charging to its iPhones this year, most notably from the CEO of one of Apple’s suppliers, who mentioned the tech was coming, and from the presence of a sound hinting at it in the iOS 11 beta, but this is something which it may save for the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus – or not all.
