Apple iPhone 7 Plus

So everything is quite hunky dory with the iPhone 7 Plus then. Not quite… I haven't really finished yet. You see, there are a few areas where it needs improvement I think. And no, I'm not referring to the pricing. Sure, the new iPhones cost an arm and a leg and a kidney, but value for money is different for different individuals. In fact, the cost of the new iPhones may not be too high considering you're getting so many new features, waterproofing and minimum 32GB storage for sticker prices that match the launch prices of their predecessors from last year.One of the main gripes I have is with the design – it just feels a little dated, if you know what I mean. The thing about us Indians (a large majority anyway) is that we like to flaunt our premium phones, especially if we've spent upwards of half a lakh rupees on acquiring them. In fact, I believe there are many who buy iPhones primarily because they want to flaunt them, without caring about the features or functionality on offer. A lot of them tend to buy iPhones because their peers are using them, and this trend could probably be generalised to a large extend. Bollywood, for example, is one industry which I believe that has a lot of iPhone users… and so does fashion and advertising. Shah Rukh Khan famously hosted Apple CEO Tim Cook for dinner during the latter's maiden trip to India, and I'd say most, if not all, attendees at the do sported iPhones. Amitabh Bachchan, who now uses a Galaxy S7 after Samsung replaced his Note7, could just be one of the few exceptions among stars not using iPhones. On a side note, the senior Bachchan was heard waxing lyrical about the virtues of the LG G4 just last year on a particularly rainy day in Mumbai, and about the LG G3 a year before that. I'm not complaining though – he's the original Don as far as I'm concerned and he can use whatever phone he wants.But I'm digressing. Shah Rukh Khan uses an iPhone 7 too, and while I don't really have any reason not to believe him (no question he can't afford one, is there?), he might as well be using the iPhone 6 or 6s and no one would be able to make it out. The same thing holds true for the iPhone 7 Plus too – and the new black and jet black colours, and the dual cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus don't really count as far as flaunt value is concerned. The point I'm trying to make is that a new design for the new iPhones would have really sweetened the deal for a whole lot of people. And as far as those new colours are concerned, I've seen paint chipping off the black one after a couple of drops and micro abrasions on the jet black within an hour of unboxing it – so these hues are probably best avoided. And while I'm on the topic of design, worth mentioning that the 7 Plus feels a little too big for a 5.5-inch screen phone – I've seen phones with bigger screens that are about the same overall size.The other big gripe I have is with the camera quality. Don't get me wrong – as I mentioned earlier, the iPhone 7 Plus can shoot superb stills and videos, and the dual camera capabilities are quite awesome. That said, the iPhone 7 Plus camera doesn't really seem to be the best, and that's a biggie for me. Over the years, the iPhones represented the best in smartphone photography, but that throne has now been toppled over it seems. The Google Pixel and Pixel XL, arguably offer better image quality, but I'm surprised that the eight month old Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge can match, and possibly trump the iPhone 7 Plus's shooter. The latest and the greatest from Cupertino needs to do better in the camera department then, and that's not an ideal scenario. Design and camera quality are the two main niggles as far as I'm concerned, but while I'm at it, how about a dual-SIM iPhone, especially considering India is now said to be an important market for Apple? Blasphemy you think? Come on, it's not as if I've asked for an FM radio feature to be included.In the end, everything boils down to this. If you want an iPhone to flaunt, you might as well save some money and get yourself one from last year or the year before, and you should easily be able to con others into thinking you have the latest one. If you're an iPhone loyalist and want to experience all the new goodies for yourself, the new pair, especially the 7 Plus, is well worth a buy (except if you have the 6s or 6s Plus… in which case all you'd be missing is the waterproofing and the 7 Plus' dual camera). And if you're migrating from some other platform to the new iPhone, you'll be getting hold of a stylish, loyal partner that won't let you down in almost any way. It's that ‘almost' I have a bit of problem with. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, I feel, can be compared to a comfortable undergarment that you can enjoy but can't really flaunt, and not the chic tuxedo that was expected from Apple. All I want though, is a comfortable tuxedo… and I'm wondering if that's too much to ask for. Editor's rating: 4 / 5 ProsSmooth performance and good battery lifeiOS 10 featuresWater resistanceCapable dual cameras ConsSame design as beforeLacks a 3.5mm headset socketJet black model is prone to scratches Photos by Raj Rout