Review:Introducing the photographer, phone iphone7 plus

If you're a hardcore photographer, go for the iPhone 7 Plus.
In the mobile phone Olympics between Apple and Samsung, the two have been playing ping-pong lately. Apple had the best camera; Samsung had the best camera. The game evens up, then one pulls ahead for a few months.


When Apple first made the larger Plus phones back in 2014, the appeal was always about screen size, battery life, and to a small extent camera. Really, all the larger 5.5-inch model had that the standard 4.7-incher didn't was optical image stabilization (OIS). This year, the iPhone 7 finally gets OIS -- great for smoothing out shaky-handed pics and videos.

But the 7 Plus, reviewed here, leaps ahead with a new first for an Apple phone: dual rear cameras. (Apple is following in the footsteps of LG and Huawei, both of which already offer dual camera models.) One is identical to the wide-angle model on the 7, but the second one adds telephoto, including true 2x optical zoom. And the phone's software deftly fuses the two, so you can effortlessly jump between them, or have them stitch together a single image.
 
Put another way: Everything we like -- and dislike -- about the smaller iPhone 7 applies to the 7 Plus model, too. (Read the iPhone 7 review here.) Just know that you're paying a premium of $120, £120 or AU$190 when you step up to the 7 Plus at each storage capacity. (Yes, the price has creeped up a bit from last year.)
I've bounced back and forth between the 4.7-inch iPhone and the 5.5-inch version over the past few years. I used to hate the idea of the Plus. Then I preferred it. Then I shifted back to the smaller iPhone and used a battery case. The smaller one feels better to hold. The larger one has the superior display, but feels awkward in my hand.


Samsung and other manufacturers are doing a far better job folding identical 5.5-inch or larger displays into bodies like the S7 Edge that feel smaller and better in your hand. But now with cameras that can truly differentiate it from its smaller sibling, the 7 Plus finally has an easy justification for that jumbo size. It's finally the step-up experience the larger phone needed.

I'm not a pro photographer, but I'm trying to get better. James Martin, a senior photographer at CNET, is. He shot with the 7 Plus in the Bay Area, while I took it around and used it for everyday life in New York and New Jersey.
Compare and contrast James' photos from the 7 Plus to 6S Plus to the Samsung Galaxy S7 here.
Editors' note: We're still testing the battery and the camera performance of the iPhone 7 Plus. Consider the ratings to be tentative until finalized.
 It takes better low-lighting photos than the iPhone 6S.