Somewhat akin to Intel, Apple has trained consumers on its "tick-tock" cadence of releasing a newly designed iPhone and following it up a year later with an optimized "s" variant. That's been the formula since the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS were released in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

Blazing fast A10 Fusion SoC; higher-capacity storage options; IP67 dust and liquid protection; improved camera system; Taptic Engine is very convincing at simulating a physical button press; slightly larger battery

Poor quality secondary (stereo) speaker; third year with the same design; no headphone jack -- which didn't bother me but is a point of contention for some

Apple's iPhone 7 Plus brings a solid hardware upgrade over its predecessor but fails to impress with substantial improvements in design or looks. Is that an issue? It depends on how you look at it.

iPhone 7 Plus is a great device and I would not miss my iPhone 6s. If you love taking photos, then you'll love the iPhone 7 Plus dual lens camera. It gives you flexibilities and more power in taking shots.

Battery capacity is up with both the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, with a 1960 mAh battery in the iPhone 7 (up from 1715 mAh with the 6s) and a 2900 mAh battery in the iPhone 7 Plus (up from 2750 mAh with the 6s Plus).

Although this initial review is supposed to be just the basics, over the course of the review we've learned quite a bit about the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. These findings aren't necessarily going to excite those that are interested in the deep-dive aspects that we've come to expect from a review – and...

Apple made a nice phone here. The two key features that may entice you to upgrade are the Taptic Engine experience and the Dual Lens camera... otherwise, if you're happy with your iPhone 6 or 6s Plus then keep them.

Taptic Engine provides a new level of user experience than ever before on an iPhone; Portrait Mode and the dual camera are probably the things that should tempt you to upgrade

Design is nice but dated; iOS 10 picks up a ton of new features but the UI needs more user customization

The iPhone 7 Plus is the best iPhone money can buy, hands down. Like the iPhone 7, it's not an essential upgrade if you have an iPhone 6s Plus that you're happy with, or you want to hold out for the 2017 iPhone, which will be the 10th anniversary and, rumor has it, the big switch to OLED .

The iPhone 7 Plus is the best iPhone money can buy, hands down. Like the iPhone 7, it's not an essential upgrade if you have an iPhone 6s Plus that you're happy with, or you want to hold out for the 2017 iPhone, which will be the 10th anniversary and, rumor has it, the big switch to OLED .

Dual-lens camera takes great photos; Longest battery life of any iPhone; Water-resistant

No headphone jack; can't charge and listen to wired headphones at the same time

The iPhone 7 Plus's dual-lens camera and long battery life give it the edge over the iPhone 7.

Dual camera, more storage, and larger battery make this the ultimate iPhone

Great design and dual camera; Improved battery; Water resistance

It's massive; Iterative design; Screen resolution