iPhone 7 Vs iPhone 11: Should You Upgrade?
iPhone 7 Vs iPhone 11 - Wondering if you should upgrade to the iPhone 11 or not from your iPhone 7? Read our decision calculator to find out.
Author:Daniel BarrettMay 30, 2022149707 Shares2303185 Views
When the iPhone 7 first came out, it was easily among the best smartphonesin the market. Fast forward to 2019, the phone is three years old and its time you replace it. Wondering if you should upgrade to the iPhone 11 or not from your iPhone 7? Read our decision calculator to find out.
I don’t know off-hand how much the increased speed and dexterity of my iPhone 11 has to do with new hardwareor with the just-released iOS 13 — and considering my benchmark is a three-year old phone that was losing battery power exponentially and also randomly rebooting, I couldn’t tell you how the 11 compares to a brand new 7 Plus with an updated operating system.
If you have the budget, you should ideally look to upgrade to the iPhone 11 Proor iPhone 11 Pro Max. However, not everyone can afford a $1,000+ smartphone and the $699 iPhone 11 is more than good enough for most consumers out there.
iPhone 7 Vs iPhone 11 – Display
Apple is using a display in the iPhone 7 that’s 25 percent brighter than the display in the iPhone 6s, so it’s going to look brighter and clearer outdoors, especially in full sunlight. The display is also using a cinema-standard wide color gamut and end-to-end color management, for more vivid, saturated colors.
The iPhone 11 features an LCD “Liquid Retina” display with a 1792×828 resolution.
The Liquid Retina display on the iPhone 11 is better than the one found on the iPhone 7 series in every way barring one. While the iPhone 7 Plus features a Full HD resolution, the iPhone 11 despite coming with a bigger 6.1-inch display features an HD+ resolution (1792 x 828). However, for daily use, most users will not be able to tell the difference in resolution between the two devices.
iPhone 7 Vs iPhone 11 – Design
The iPhone 7 features a unibody aluminum design, Touch ID, while the iPhone 11 features a design that’s toned down from the more expensive iPhone 11 Pro. While it misses out on the stainless steel chassis, it comes with an aluminum frame sandwiched by the world’s most durable glass at the front and back. And since the iPhone 11 features Face ID, it has a notch and minimal bezels.
The smaller bezels and the lack of Touch ID mean the iPhone 11 packs a bigger 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display in a body that’s no bigger than the iPhone 7 Plus.
The glass body of the iPhone 11 also means that it supports wireless charging which the iPhone 7 lacks. As for Touch ID vs Face ID, while many people will prefer Touch ID, the latter is definitely more convenient to use.
Also read:Samsung Galaxy S9 Vs. iPhone 8
Performance
The A10 Fusion chip inside the iPhone 7 was a monster when it first debuted. While it is still holding up pretty well, the A13 Bionic chip inside the iPhone 11 is in a different league altogether. Not only is it substantially more powerful, but it is also more power-efficient. It is, in fact, the fastest CPU and GPU you will find inside a smartphone right now.
iPhone 7 Vs iPhone 11 – Camera
The iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus feature a huge jump forward in camera technology, for photographs that are clearer, brighter, and crisper, even in low-light conditions.
Optical image stabilization, once a feature limited to the 5.5-inch iPhone, is built into the iPhone 7, compensating for small movements and hand shakiness when snapping a photo to allow for longer exposure times
If you use your iPhone’s camera a lot, just upgrade to the iPhone 7. The jump in image quality is massive and will be immediately noticeable, especially in low-light scenarios.
Don’t be fooled by looking at the spec sheet of the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 11 and thinking they come with the same camera setup. While the iPhone 11 comes with a 12MP primary shooter as well, its sensor and image quality is vastly superior to the iPhone 7.
Compared to the iPhone 7 Plus, the iPhone 11 does miss out on a 2x telephoto sensor. Instead, it comes with a 12MP ultra-wide angle sensor which in my opinion is going to be more useful in daily life. Plus, apart from Portrait photos, the telephoto sensor on the iPhone 7 Plus was not really that useful.
iPhone 7 Vs iPhone 11
iPhone 7 video taking capabilities includes 4K video recording at 30fps and 1080p video recording at 30 or 60fps. 1080p Slo-mo video support is available at 120fps and 240fps at 720p.
The video recording capabilities of the iPhone 11 is also noticeably better than the iPhone 7. While both phones can record 4K videos, the quality of videos shot on the iPhone 11 is better with higher dynamic range and better stabilization.
The front camera on the iPhone 11 is also a notable step up from the iPhone 7’s 7MP FaceTime HD camera. Not only does it have a higher 12MP resolution, but it also has a slightly wider field of view. The latter will allow you to fit a wee bit more people in your selfies. The iPhone 11’s front camera can also record 4K videos as well as ‘slofies’ a.k.a slow-mo videos. If you are a content creator or just use the camera on your iPhone 7 a lot, the improved camera system is going to be a key reason to upgrade to the iPhone 11.
Connectivity
Another area where the iPhone 11 brings so many new things to the table and makes the iPhone 7 looks awfully dated. The iPhone 11 features Gigabit LTE modem along with 2×2 MIMO. It might not pack 4×4 MIMO like its more expensive iPhone 11 Pro sibling, but you are still going to notice better network reception and data speeds on the device.
The iPhone 11 also has Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC with Reader mode, and Apple’s new Ultra Wideband chip that offers a unique AirDrop experience, and more.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus support 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi with MIMO. The technology is the same as the Wi-Fi technology in the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, with connection speeds that can reach up to a theoretical maximum of 866Mb/s.
Battery Life
Back when the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were announced, most people who wanted better battery life ended up going for the latter. Three years later, the iPhone 11 changes the game completely with its amazing battery life. The phone can easily last for 24 hours on a single charge with moderate to heavy use. Last year’s iPhone XR was already known for its all-day battery life and Apple has managed to improve it by an hour on the iPhone 11.
The only disappointing thing here is that the iPhone 11 continues to feature the same 5W charger as the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. It does come with 18W fast charging support but one will have to buy the charger separately. The iPhone 11 also supports wireless charging which means topping the phone’s battery is very convenient if you get around to placing a wireless charger on your desk.
Price
Despite offering more than what the iPhone 7/Plus offers, the iPhone 11 is actually cheaper than it. The iPhone 7 Plus carried an MSRP of $769 when it first launched. In comparison, the iPhone 11 starts from $699. If your iPhone 7 is in mint condition, you can easily sell it for around $150 which would mean you will only have to pay around $550 for the iPhone 11 from your pocket.
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