The iPhone XS Max was introduced as Apple’s upgrade to the iPhone 7 Plus, but is it very different? Do you need to spend the extra money for the XS Max, or does the iPhone 7 Plus do everything you want and more?

With its sleek design and stunning new edge-to-edge screen, the Phone XS Max really is a thing of beauty. With no home button and no bevels, there’s more available space, giving the iPhone XS Max a 6.5-inch screen. That’s a whole inch more than the iPhone 7 Plus! This is even more impressive when you consider these phones are barely one mm apart in size and the iPhone XS Max is just 20 g heavier. The screen itself also has an update with OLED technology – better colors, sharper images – simply gorgeous. The iPhone 7 Plus has the older-style LCD Apple screen. When it comes to storage the iPhone XS wins again with 4 RAM and up to 512 Gb compared to 3 RAM and up to 256 Gb.

The iPhone 7 Plus has great battery life and should pretty much last you the day, much like the iPhone XS Max.  Camera-wise, both these phones have a dual-lens 12 MP rear camera, including portrait mode, although the iPhone XS Max does better in poor lighting. The front camera on both is 7 MP, but the TrueDepth technology improves shots on the iPhone XS Max. Speed-wise, again the iPhone XS has the newer A12 processor compared to the A10 in the iPhone 7 Plus. Both cameras have tough Corning glass fronts, the iPhone 7 Plus has an aluminum shell and the iPhone XS Max is made from stainless steel.

It’s clear that the iPhone XS Max is indeed an upgrade from the iPhone 7 Plus, but that doesn’t mean the iPhone 7 Plus isn’t a great phone. If you’re looking for a great phone on a budget and you aren’t so concerned about the screen, then the iPhone 7 Plus is an ideal buy, it’s certainly cheaper than the iPhone XS Max. If you’re trying to stretch your budget, a refurbished phone could be just the thing!