Apple iPhone 6S Plus vs Apple iPhone 7 Plus
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone 6S Plus and the Apple iPhone 7 Plus, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
VS
Head to head
| Apple iPhone 6S Plus | Apple iPhone 7 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $50 | $65 |
| Our rating | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Battery | 2,750 mAh | 2,900 mAh |
| Storage (max) | 128 GB | 256 GB |
| Screen size | 5.5 in | 5.5 in |
| Main camera | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 192 g | 188 g |
| Released | Sep 2015 | Sep 2016 |
Summary: Apple iPhone 7 Plus is ahead on our rating, battery, storage (max), weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Apple iPhone 7 Plus is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs. If budget matters more than the extra capability, Apple iPhone 6S Plus is the cheaper option.
Display
| Apple iPhone 6S Plus | Apple iPhone 7 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Retina HD IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, with 3D Touch | Retina HD IPS LCD, 16M colors |
| Size | 5.5 inches, 83.4 cm2 (~67.7% screen-to-body ratio) | 5.5 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 1920 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~401 ppi density) | 1920 x 1080 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~401 ppi density) |
| Protection | Ion-strengthened glass, oleophobic coating | — |
| Features | 500 cd/m2 max brightness (typical), Full sRGB standard, Dual-domain pixels for wide viewing angles, Display Zoom, Reachability | Wide color gamut (P3), 3D Touch, Display Zoom, Dual-domain pixels |
| Brightness | — | 625 nits (typical) |
Platform
| Apple iPhone 6S Plus | Apple iPhone 7 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOS 9, upgradable to iOS 15.8.5 | — |
| Chipset | Apple A9 (14/16 nm) | Apple A10 Fusion (16 nm) |
| CPU | Dual-core 1.84 GHz Twister | Quad-core 2.34 GHz (2x Hurricane + 2x Zephyr) |
| GPU | PowerVR GT7600 (six-core graphics) | PowerVR Series7XT Plus (six-core graphics) |
Memory
| Apple iPhone 6S Plus | Apple iPhone 7 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 2GB | 3GB |
| Internal Storage | 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB NVMe | 32GB, 128GB, 256GB |
| Card slot | No | — |
| Card Slot | — | No |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone 6S Plus | Apple iPhone 7 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.2, 29mm (standard), 1/3.0", 1.22µm, PDAF, OIS | — |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, Live Photos with stabilization, Autofocus with Focus Pixels, Panorama (up to 63 megapixels), Exposure control, Burst mode, Timer mode, Five-element lens, 5x digital zoom, Hybrid IR filter, Backside illumination sensor, Sapphire crystal lens cover, Auto image stabilization, Local tone mapping, Noise reduction, Face detection, Photo geotagging | Quad-LED dual-tone flash, HDR |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 1080p@120fps, 720p@240fps, OIS for video, Slo-mo, Time-lapse with stabilization, Cinematic video stabilization, Continuous autofocus, Noise reduction, 8MP still photos while recording 4K video, Playback zoom, 3x digital zoom, Face detection, Video geotagging | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@240fps |
| Modules | — | Dual 12 MP: Wide (f/1.8, 28mm, 1/3.0", PDAF, OIS) + Telephoto (f/2.8, 56mm, 1/3.6", AF, 2x optical zoom) |
Selfie Camera
| Apple iPhone 6S Plus | Apple iPhone 7 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 5 MP, f/2.2, 31mm (standard) | — |
| Features | Face detection, HDR, panorama, Retina Flash | Face detection, HDR, Panorama, Retina Flash |
| Video | 720p@30fps | 1080p@30fps |
| Modules | — | 7 MP, f/2.2, 32mm (standard) |
Battery
| Apple iPhone 6S Plus | Apple iPhone 7 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Non-removable Li-Ion 2750 mAh (10.45 Wh) | Non-removable Li-Ion 2900 mAh |
| Talk time | Up to 24 h (3G) | — |
| Internet use | Up to 12 h (3G / LTE / Wi-Fi) | — |
| Video playback | Up to 14 h | — |
| Audio playback | Up to 80 h | — |
| Standby time | Up to 16 days | — |
| Talk Time | — | Up to 21 h (3G) |
Body
| Apple iPhone 6S Plus | Apple iPhone 7 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm (6.23 x 3.07 x 0.29 in) | 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm (6.23 x 3.07 x 0.29 in) |
| Weight | 192 g (6.77 oz) | 188 g (6.63 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Ion-strengthened glass), aluminum back, aluminum frame (7000 series aluminum) | Glass front, aluminum back, aluminum frame |
| SIM | Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM |
| Durability | — | IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Apple iPhone 6S Plus | Apple iPhone 7 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 4.2, A2DP, LE | 4.2, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| NFC | Yes (Apple Pay only) | Yes (Apple Pay only) |
| USB | Lightning, USB 2.0 | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
Launch
| Apple iPhone 6S Plus | Apple iPhone 7 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | September 9, 2015 | September 7, 2016 |
| Released | September 25, 2015 | — |
| Discontinued | September 12, 2018 | — |
| Status | — | Released September 16, 2016 |
| OS at Launch | — | iOS 10.0.1, upgradable to iOS 15.8.5 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone 6S Plus or Apple iPhone 7 Plus?
Apple iPhone 7 Plus — 2,750 mAh for the Apple iPhone 6S Plus versus 2,900 mAh for the Apple iPhone 7 Plus.
Which is lighter, Apple iPhone 6S Plus or Apple iPhone 7 Plus?
Apple iPhone 7 Plus — 192 g for the Apple iPhone 6S Plus versus 188 g for the Apple iPhone 7 Plus.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone 6S Plus or Apple iPhone 7 Plus?
Apple iPhone 7 Plus — Sep 2015 for the Apple iPhone 6S Plus versus Sep 2016 for the Apple iPhone 7 Plus.
Is the Apple iPhone 6S Plus or the Apple iPhone 7 Plus rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone 6S Plus 4/10 and the Apple iPhone 7 Plus 7/10.