7 Smart Reasons to Buy an iPhone 7 Plus Instead of the XR

The iPhone XR is a mid-range device that packs many of the features Apple introduced on its other high-end OLED models — but at a cheaper price point. However, the XR hasn't spurred the upgrade supercycle Apple thought it would. In fact, many people are opting for Apple's older devices, like the iPhone 7 Plus because they're even more affordable, pack similar features, and have ultimately continued to stand the test of time. There are several reasons why you may want to skip getting the iPhone XR and pick up and iPhone 7 Plus instead. Continue reading to learn 7 Smart Reasons to Buy an iPhone 7 Plus Instead of the XR!

7 The iPhone 7 Plus Is More Affordable!

This is probably the biggest reason why you may want to avoid picking up a new iPhone XR. It may be the cheapest of the 2018 handsets, but it still costs $749 plus tax for the base model. You can save a pretty penny by picking up an iPhone 7 Plus instead. Better yet, you'll gain a few great features that Apple nixed in the iPhone XR, which we'll discuss throughout the rest of this article.

6 iPhone 7 Plus Has a Higher Display Pixel Density

Both the iPhone XR and the iPhone 7 Plus pack Apple’s traditionally excellent LCD display technology. But while the iPhone XR packs a more prominent display than the iPhone 7 Plus, the XR has a lower pixel density than the iPhone 7 Plus.

Sure, we’ve previously made the argument that pixel density doesn’t matter as much as some people think. But if you pass up an iPhone 7 Plus for an iPhone XR, you’re downgrading as far as display resolution — and you’d lose the ability to stream 1080p video.

5 iPhone 7 Plus Has a Dual-Lens Camera, XR Doesn't

Arguably, one of the biggest compromises that the iPhone XR makes is its retention of a single-lens camera system. That may not be a deal breaker for every user, but it does come with several tradeoffs in picture quality.

Despite advances in computational photography, the iPhone 7 Plus will still take higher-resolution pictures. Not only that, but the iPhone 7 Plus has a 2x optical zoom lens — which results in objectively better picture quality when zoomed-in. The iPhone XR, by contrast, only has digital zoom which distorts zoomed image quality right off-the-bat.

4 Some People Prefer Touch ID (And It Might Be Faster)

As great as Face ID is, a lot of people may prefer Touch ID. That’s particularly true to lovers of older iPhones or Android users migrating over to iOS. And there’s also an argument to be made that getting into your iPhone with Touch ID is just a tad faster than Face ID, all things considered. The iPhone 7 Plus features Apple's renown Touch ID system, the XR does not.

3 The iPhone 7 Plus Has 3D Touch!

The iPhone XR is the first Apple handset to kill off 3D Touch since the feature was introduced. Ostensibly, the XR lacks it due to cost-savings. There are many ways to benefit from 3D Touch, a feature that the iPhone 7 Plus fortunately has. Learn 19 awesome things you can do with 3D Touch here.

2 The iPhone 7 Plus Can Still Keep Up

The iPhone 7 Plus runs on Apple’s A10 Bionic chip. While it’s not as cutting edge like the new A12 Bionic, it can certainly still keep up with today’s standards. That’s because the iPhone 7 Plus is still, at its core, a modern iPhone. And Apple’s handsets have always been top-performers. This is especially true in the era of iOS 12, a software update that was tailor-made to make older iPhones faster. When it comes to benchmark stats, the iPhone XR will look better. But unless you have both devices side-by-side, you may be hard pressed to notice any real-world difference in your daily life while using Facebook, Mail, Safari, iMessage, taking photos or using most applications.

1 Many Features Are the Same!

With the iPhone XR, you’re paying for an edge-to-edge design, Face ID, and Apple’s startlingly fast A12 Bionic. But other than that, many of the features that the iPhone XR introduces to the mid-range Apple lineup just feel a bit incremental.

Both devices pack 3GB of RAM and the same IP67 dust- and water-resistance rating and even Portrait Mode! While the iPhone XR has dual SIM and wireless charging, there are many people who don’t plan on using those features. Not to mention both devices run iOS 12 and up.

You have to weigh your options and decide which features you'd like to keep, lose or gain; and ultimately at what cost. The iPhone 7 Plus is a great phone that will stand the test of time for years to come. It keeps features that the iPhone XR killed off and will ultimately save you money. Order the black iPhone 7 Plus here, or the rose gold iPhone 7 Plus here.