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Ten Things To Love, Or Not, About The New Apple iPhone 7 Plus (PRODUCT)RED: Hands-On

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David Phelan

Announced a few days ago, Apple’s first ever (PRODUCT)RED iPhone is already instore and online. It’s priced the same as the other colours of iPhone but, like the Jet Black iPhone 7 variants, it’s not available in the lowest-capacity (32GB) model, only the 128GB and 256GB phones. So you can buy a cheaper iPhone 7, just not in this colour.

By the way, this is not a review of the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus – for that you need to turn to Gordon Kelly’s expertly analysed coverage. And that’s because, colour apart, this is literally identical to the iPhone 7 Plus revealed last September.

Here are seven pluses (and three minuses) about the new phone.

David Phelan

1 This is the first (PRODUCT)RED iPhone

Apple has made plenty of (PRODUCT)RED items before, from cases, to Watch bands and other accessories. Or there have been times when the App Store has had a PRODUCT(RED) branding with special purchases and even extra characters in popular games. This was most evident last year on World AIDS Day, December 1.

As a result of actions like these, Apple is the biggest single contributor to the Global Fund which supports HIV/AIDS programs – it’s contributed $130 million out of the $465 million the Fund has raised. Money that’s used to try and create an AIDS-free generation.

David Phelan

2 Buying this iPhone saves lives

When I spoke to Apple CEO Tim Cook last year, he spoke passionately about the company’s support for (PRODUCT)RED, saying: "Ten years ago there were 1,200 babies being born a day with HIV, and that’s now dropped to 400. So there’s been a lot of progress but we still have work to do to get to an AIDS-free generation by 2020, though we are on target, it’s within our sights.”

David Phelan

3 Helping raise money for charity is cost-free

It’s unquestionably a highly laudable cause, and Apple is doing an impressive job raising money for it. So if you’re eager to help the charity, and providing you want a 128GB or 256GB iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, it’s a cost-free way to show that support. Beyond that, it really comes down to whether you like the look of it. Spoiler: I do.

David Phelan

4 Oh, boy, is it red?

Until I saw it in the flesh, I thought the red was a little washed out. In fact, it’s very striking and photos, even those taken by Apple, don’t do it justice. Bear that in mind when you look at my attempts at shooting it.

Let’s start with the back. The red is bright and unmissable, but because it’s a matte finish, it’s still a shade which has a subtle effect.

David Phelan

5 The red back changes colour

It’s a finish which really seems to change depending on the light that falls on it. Under bright, warm light, it almost glows, with the curved edges catching the light especially.

Put it in the shade and whichever edge is pointing towards some light still gleams.

David Phelan

6 Detailing is superb, even down to the antenna

The antenna lines at top and bottom of the phone, almost matching the body of the phone when out of direct light, show up much more clearly when the phone is more brightly lit.

The raised area around the dual cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus also offer slightly different look where the light falls at a different angle. In other words, there’s a slightly chameleon property to this anodised aluminum case.

David Phelan

7 The Apple logo

One more thing about the back, and you really can’t miss it: unlike the other iPhone 7 handsets, the Apple logo has not been colour-matched to the hue around it. This is a stainless steel logo and, oh my, it really pops out at you. There's another logo here, too, the PRODUCT(RED) one, which is a mite subtler.

David Phelan

8 But the phone’s front will divide opinion

Turn the phone face up and you’ll see the same white glass front found on all the latest iPhones apart from the black and jet black variants. This has proved controversial, with some saying they’d have preferred a black front and others hoping for a red finish.

9 No red face for (PRODUCT)RED

That could have been spectacular, with a real purity of colour to it. though no current iPhone has a front that matches the back colour, again apart from the black models so it may not be right for Apple's rigorous design process.

David Phelan

10 No red ring around the Home button

Instead, and you just know it’s a detail that was gone into in great depth before a decision was made, Apple has plumped for a white front and a silver ring around the home button. Not the red detail you might have been expecting.

VERDICT

I find that iPhones with white faces seem to lift the colour palette on the screen, though that’s an optical illusion. The only downside is that the screen, when off, is very noticeable on the white face where it disappears on the black variants.

Ultimately, the choice between this iPhone and the regular version will simply come down to personal taste. I’d add that for me, red is normally not a colour I’d consider. Here, it looks pretty special.

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