iPhone 7S Plus release date, news and rumors

iPhone 7S Plus release date, news and rumors

2017 marks another fallow year for Apple, as it looks to update its previous generation of devices with an "S" upgrade, rather than giving us a new numeral.

With this in mind, rumors of the iPhone 7S Plus aren't exactly getting our pulses racing, and along with the iPhone 7S, we'd be surprised if it didn't show up in September. 

There is one thing though… this year also marks the tenth anniversary of the original iPhone and Apple is tipped to celebrate this milestone with major upgrades in the form of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus alongside the the 7S duo.

The iPhone 7 Plus was better than the iPhone 7, so we have high hopes for the iPhone 7S Plus.

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The next phablet iPhone
  • When is it out? Probably September 2017
  • What will it cost? Likely the same as 7 Plus at launch

iPhone 7S Plus release date

For the last few years Apple has announced new iPhones at the start of September and released the phone later in the month, and that’s exactly when we expect the iPhone 7S Plus to launch in 2017.

This is not to be confused with the rumored iPhone 8 Plus which, along with the iPhone 8, is said to be suffering delays due to complications with OLED display production – which may mean it doesn't appear at the same time as the 7S Plus.

TechRadar’s take: We're pretty confident that the iPhone 7S Plus will launch in September, and it would make sense for it to go on sale a couple of weeks later.

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 Plus more likely to see a bump in quality.

That would mean we're looking at a 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 high which may force Apple to stick with a LCD panel for the iPhone 7S Plus.

All hope is not lost, with more recent rumors suggesting Apple has secured 160 million OLED panels, which could be enough to cater for all planned new iPhone models.

TechRadar's take: It makes sense for Apple to stick to the same size and resolution for the iterative 7S Plus, while the OLED rumor is less certain.

iPhone 7S Plus design

Hottest leaks:

  • An iterative update usually means a similar look

One of the biggest criticisms of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus was the fact 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, but big design changes look set to come with the 10th anniversary iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.

If Apple does keep the same blueprint for the iPhone 7S Plus then we're looking at a premium metal body finish and bezel-heavy front, with the iconic home button with Touch ID sitting pride of place below the display.

TechRadar's take: Don't expect too much to change on the design front for the iPhone 7S Plus. Apple could make it a hair thinner, or reduce the camera bump on the back a bit, 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 photos 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.

TechRadar's take: Dual-cameras remain popular in 2017 with the LG G6, Huawei P10 and P10 Plus 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 is Apple stuck with the same 2,900mAh offering and improved efficient with a newer chipset and software integration.

There have been suggestions that Apple could introduce wireless charging to its iPhones this year, but this is something which it may save for the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus – or not all.

TechRadar's take: Looking at Apple's previous iPhones, it makes sense for the 7S Plus to sport a similar size battery to the iPhone 7 Plus, with improvements in battery life made on a chipset and software level.

iPhone 7S Plus OS and power 

Hottest leaks:

  • A new iOS 11 operating system
  • More powerful chipset, possibly more RAM too

We’d expect iOS 11 to be running on the iPhone 7S Plus, and we should learn more about the next version of Apple's mobile operating system at WWDC 2017 in June.

In recent years new iPhone launches coincided with the release of the new version of iOS, and there's no reason to believe things will change in 2017.

The iPhone 7 Plus launched with A10 Fusion chipsets, so we’d expect a new quad-core chip on the iPhone 7S Plus and it's likely to be called the A11 Fusion, or just A11.

The iPhone 7S Plus could pack either 3GB or 4GB of RAM. The 7 Plus has 3GB, while the iPad Pro has 4GB, so there's a change Apple may up things here.

TechRadar's take: A new A11 chipset is almost certain, while a minimum of 3GB of RAM is also highly likely.

iPhone 7S Plus other features

Hottest leaks:

  • A Smart Connector for accessories
  • Iris scanner and facial recognition tech

There’s a chance the Smart Connector from the iPad Pro could launch on the iPhone 7S Plus. 

The long rumored iPhone 7 Pro was meant to feature the Smart Connector, for accessories such as small keyboards, but Apple may be waiting to launch it on the iPhone 7S Plus instead.

Other rumors for the iPhone 7S Plus point towards the addition of an iris scanner and facial recognition as ways to further secure your phone.

It’s a technology Samsung has included on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, and we wouldn't be surprised if Apple followed suit with on the iPhone 7S Plus (and iPhone 7S).

TechRadar's take: With Samsung adding more biometrics to its S8 handsets this year, Apple could well offer the same security features with the 7S Plus.

iPhone 7S Plus price

We’d expect a similar price for the iPhone 7S Plus as there was for the iPhone 7 Plus. 

The 32GB model costs $769 (£719, AU$1,229), while the 128GB version costs $869 (£819, AU$1,419). If you want an even bigger 256GB version you have to spend $969 (£919, AU$1,569).

TechRadar's take: The iPhone 7S Plus is sure to cost at least as much as the iPhone 7 Plus.

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