iPhone 7 vs. iPhone 7 Plus camera: Is it worth the pricey upgrade?

Love it or hate it, Apple has been the face of new technology for decades. Case in point: The iPhone. The idea of a smartphone wasn’t anything new in 2007, but Apple made it mainstream by offering a phone that was powerful, revolutionary — and most importantly — friendly to use.

The iPhone has changed how we communicate with one another and later models turned any average Joe into a decent photographer, thanks to the phone’s impressive megapixel count, fast shutter speed, and clever software. Apple continues the trend of putting powerful cameras into phones and we have no doubt the forthcoming models, especially the iPhone 8, will impress, but the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are both still packing great cameras that won’t disappoint.

The question is — when you pin the iPhone 7 vs. iPhone 7 Plus camera against each other — do you choose the cheaper option, or pay extra for one awesome feature?

More similarities than you think

On the numbers sheet, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are tied. They both have a 12-megapixel rear camera with a 28mm wide-angle lens and f/1.8 aperture, as well as a 7-megapixel front-facing camera.

Both cameras have an easy time identifying and focusing on bodies and faces, and the rear camera is equipped with optical image stabilization (OIS) while the front camera has automatic image stabilization. According to Apple, the photos you take will also look better on your 7 and 7 Plus than they would on a Samsung or LG phone thanks to Apple’s pretty cool Wide Color technology.

Along with the panorama feature and True Tone flash, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus both have fantastic cameras, but where the iPhone 7’s impressive features tap out is where the 7 Plus just gets started.

Two lenses are better than one

The biggest pro for getting an iPhone 7 Plus over an iPhone 7 is the dual 12-megapixel rear cameras. Whereas the 7 just has the one 28mm wide-angle lens, the 7 Plus has that and a 56mm telephoto lens with a f/2.8 aperture. What that means for you is that you are finally able to zoom in without having to sacrifice clarity. The zoom, unfortunately, is only really good up to the 2x mark, but still, if this leads us to a future of not having to deal with pixelated, low-quality, zoomed in photos, then it is a solid starting place.

The 7 Plus camera also takes a cue from DSLRs by offering a cool bokeh feature that utilizes the dual lenses to let you focus on the subject of the photo and blur out the background.

Winner: iPhone 7 Plus

The iPhone 7’s camera is pretty sweet and for some people, it is more than enough to snap vacation pics and keep your Instagram feed full. But for the aspiring or professional photographer who notices little details and doesn’t want to sacrifice quality when they feel inspired to spontaneously take shots, the 7 Plus does enough to justify that extra price tag.