Updated: Apple iPhone 7 Plus Camera test

Please note: In September 2019, we updated the DXOMARK Mobile test protocol to cover ultra-wide-angle performance and renamed the protocol DXOMARK Camera. We also expanded our low-light testing and created the new Night sub-score, which incorporates the previous Flash score. We have retested this device using the new Wide and Night test protocols and updated the scores in this review, but we have not changed the text from the original review. For more information, please see the articles about our new Wide and Night test protocols. 

Outdoor images have good color rendering and saturation, although usually with a visible yellow cast. There were some exposure failures, such as overexposed highlights, in very tricky or high-contrast scenes, but the instances of these were minimal. In general, HDR-mode exposures displayed excellent detail across the entire tonal range, with well-defined skies and clouds in the highlights, and visible details in the shadows. With our new test protocol, we have added more challenging scenes, and were able to detect some high-dynamic-range (HDR) limitations compared to the Google Pixel, as shown in this image:

The iPhone 7 Plus main camera achieves good detail when shooting outdoors, with only the very finest details lost and only a fine luminance noise visible in areas of plain color. One result of the improved 6-element lens design, and perhaps its improved image processor, is excellent corner-to-corner sharpness. This isn’t always easy to see in natural images, but comes across clearly in our lab tests. You can see it here by the sharpness (acutance) in the field of view chart. 

Accurate color representation is only possible when the camera correctly estimates the color of light falling on the scene – typically called the white balance. Part of the job of the camera’s image processing chip is to analyze the scene as it is captured and select a white balance, ranging from warm to cool, that recreates the scene the way the human eye sees it. The new ISP in the iPhone delivers on this test very well.

In general, the iPhone 7 Plus has good white balance, but in some cases both indoors and outdoors, a green cast can appear.

Low light: Good exposure, even in very low light

With its fast-aperture f/1.8 optical image stabilized lens, the iPhone 7 Plus main camera delivers good photos in low light. Images shot under extreme low-light conditions (5 Lux) still record bright images with good exposure. However, images display visible luminance noise that causes a loss of detail. This is typical for a smartphone in these conditions, but the iPhone 7 Plus is not as good as the Google Pixel nor the HTC U11, as you can see in the examples below.

At 5 lux, the iPhone 7 Plus suffers from a loss of detail compared to some other flagship phones.

Exposures at 10 and 20 Lux show reduced levels of noise and good detail preservation, and at 100 and 500 Lux, handheld images are significantly sharper than before, due to OIS, the faster shutter speeds made possible by the fast lens and advanced multi-frame noise reduction. Overall, indoor images display a pleasant color rendering. In some specific cases, such as images shot under tungsten light sources, we observed a slight yellow colorcast. In low light, images show some motion blur, but that is fairly typical of even high-end smartphones.

Color rendering also suffers slightly in low light, with under-saturation when compared with the HTC U11 and the Google Pixel.

Autofocus: Fast, but not always repeatable

The iPhone 7 Plus autofocus uses phase detection pixels (PDAF) and is very fast in bright light and pretty stable. With our new protocol and test suite, we noticed a variance in autofocus speed, however. This was worse in low light, as evidenced by the chart below, but was true even in bright light.

Flash: Great color, but suffers from dark corners

Apple was one of the first to innovate with multiple different-colored flash LEDs that let them balance the light from the flash with the ambient light, for optimal color reproduction. Further, Apple upgraded the dual-tone flash in the iPhone 7 family from two to four LEDs for brighter flash output. The resulting flash system achieves very good color rendering, especially for skin tones, although it does suffer from strong non-uniformity because of luminance fall-off (corner shading) and slight irregularities in the Autofocus.

Video: Remarkable stabilization

At 84 points, the iPhone 7 Plus achieves a very good video score. If you’re looking for a good all-round multimedia smartphone, it is an excellent choice, with top-quality video recording that rivals its still photography performance. Video exposures are very good overall, and particularly so in outdoor or bright light conditions, where movies display nice dynamic range with vivid and bold colors. In low light, video dynamic range is a little more limited and some slight steps in exposure adaption are noticeable as the lighting changes, but overall the results remain very good.

Video Autofocus is fast and accurate in bright light, and just a little slower in low light. Stabilization is excellent in bright light, allowing you to capture smooth and stable videos most of the time. In low light, some minor frame shifts and motion blur are noticeable with walking movement.

Overall, artifacts are well-controlled without significant aliasing. Color rendering is also very good, without visible color shading on videos. White balance is generally accurate, particularly outdoors, with pleasant color. We did find that some videos in bright light displayed colors that were a little oversaturated, and white balance on videos shot under tungsten light sources had a slight pink colorcast, but neither issue was of much concern. Video shot under fluorescent light also often displayed a strong color cast. Texture preservation on outdoor videos is very good, too, capturing well-defined details. But in low light, the visible luminance noise results in weaker performance than that of other top video smartphone cameras.

Conclusion: Portrait and macro shooters will benefit from the dual camera

Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus improves on the image quality of the previous generation, with advances in dynamic range and detail preservation, significantly reduced artifacts, as well as very good video stabilization. These all make the 7 Plus a great smartphone camera for outdoor enthusiasts shooting landscapes, street scenes, and architecture. Mobile photographers who shoot portraits, macro, or sports will find the added capabilities of the new dual-camera a significant benefit, as demonstrated by zoom and bokeh sub-scores that are substantially better than those of the iPhone 7 with its single-lens camera.

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