Have you ever been caught between buying an old flagship and a recent midranger? This is one of such posts. We are going to be looking at the iPhone 7 Plus vs Redmi Note 10S.

The iPhone 7 Plus was released alongside the iPhone 7 by Apple in September 2016. It would be replaced by the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus in 2017. Despite being 6 years old, the iPhone 7 Plus can trade tackles with a lot of modern midrange.

Read: The History of iOS

The Redmi Note 10S on the other hand is a modest upper midrange device from Xiaomi. It is not a flagship but offers a very decent performance for its price tag.
This Apple iPhone 7 Plus vs Redmi Note 10S comparison was suggested by a reader. So if you have any comparison that you would like me to do, please leave it in the comments or join our telegram conversation.

Even though the iPhone 7 Plus was released as a flagship, in 2022, it is no better than an average midranger. This is because 6 years is a very long time in technology. Technology tends to move fast these days.

iPhone 7 Plus vs Redmi Note 10S

SpecsiPhone 7+Redmi Note 10
BodyAluminum frame, aluminum body, 188g, IP67Plastic frame, glass body (GG3), IP53
SoCApple A10 FusionHelio G95
GPUPowerVR 7XT+Mali G76 MC4
SoftwareiOS 10
(Up to iOS 15)		MIUI 12.5
Android 11
MemoryLPDDR4x
NVMe
No SD card slot		LPDDR4x
UFS 2.2
SD card slot
Display5.5" FHD IPS-LCD (Retina), 401ppi, 625nit, 60/120Hz, screen protection6.43" FHD+ AMOLED, 409ppi, 1100nit, 60/120Hz, Gorilla glass 3
Cameras12MP Main f/1.8
12MP Tele f/2.8 (2x optical zoom)




4K@30fps OIS		64MP main f/1.8
8MP ultra-w f/2.2
2MP macro f/2.4
2MP depth f/2.4

4K@30fps EIS
Selfie7MP f/2.213MP f/2.5
Battery2900mAh
11.1W		5000mAh
33W
ConnectivitySingle SIM, 4G, BT 4.2, WiFi 5, NFC, lightning cable, GPSDual sims, 4G, BT 5.2, WiFi 6, NFC, 3.5mm, OTG, Infrared, GPS
SensorsAccelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light, gyroscope, compass, front fingerprintAccelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light, gyroscope, compass, side mounted fingerprint
Price3/128GB - N170,0006/64GB - N115,000
6/128GB - N128,600
8/128GB - N137,600

Body

The iPhone 7+ has a far superior body. Perks of being an ex-flagship. Its aluminum frame and body are far stronger and more durable than the plastic and glass on the RN10S. The iPhone 7+ also comes with better water and dust resistance (IP67) especially when compared to the IP53 on the RN10S.

Body – iPhone 7+

Performance

The RN10S has the better SoC here. It uses a Helio G95 which is a lot more modern and powerful than the older A10 Fusion which lags. The A10 Fusion is starting to show its age.

Both devices use the same LPDDR4x RAM but the iPhone 7+ has a much better NVMe internal storage. The RN10S is not that far behind with a UFS 2.2 storage.

The iPhone 7+ ships with iOS 10 but it is upgradeable to iOS 15. The RN10S operates MIUI 12.5 on Android 11 although it should get MIUI 13 and Android 12 later this year.

Performance – RN10S

Display

Without question, the RN10S has a better and brighter display. RN10S’ AMOLED display delivers brighter and punchier images with more contrast when compared to the dull display of the iPhone 7+.

Display – RN10S

Cameras

The iPhone 7+ may only have two cameras but it still performs very well. Putting pictures shot by both cameras side by side, the images from the iPhone 7+’s 12MP main camera are brighter and have better HDR and color rendition. The iPhone 7+ also has a decent 12MP telephoto camera.

The RN10S, although not a photography champ, holds its own against the iPhone 7+ and takes quite decent photos. It has a very nice 64MP Samsung GW3 camera but it is let down by MediaTek’s image processing. It also seems to take better selfies than the iPhone 7+.

In terms of videography, the iPhone 7+ is better. When you add in OIS stability, it is a no contest.

Cameras – iPhone 7

Battery

Do I need to explain this one too? 5,000mAh for the RN10S compared to the 2,900mAh on the iPhone 7+. Throw in the 33W charge on the RN10S and this is a closed case.

Battery – RN10S

Read: Fast Charge Technology For Smartphones

Connectivity

in terms of connectivity options, the options on the RN10S are much newer and mostly better. The Bluetooth 4.2 and the WiFi 5 on the iPhone 7+ are now obsolete and cannot be found on most modern phones. Plus I don’t even like lightning. USB C is the future!

RN10S takes this one.

Sensors

Both phones are evenly matched for sensors.

Price and availability

You can find the iPhone 7+ on Jumia or AliExpress between N150,000 ($360) to N170,000 ($408) for the 3/128GB variant. The RN10S costs N115,000 (6/64GB), N128,600 (6/128GB) and N137,600 (8/128GB).

Note that there are no new iPhone 7+. Any unit you can find on the market is either refurbished or may very well be a clone. So be extremely vigilant.

Summary

Whilst the iPhone 7+ does have better build quality and better cameras, the RN10S is the better phone. Unless you are on a tight budget, it would be best if you could look higher for at least an iPhone 8+ or an iPhone X.

The RN10S has better SoC performance, better display, better battery, and newer connection options. It is a winner in my book.

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