It feels like a lifetime ago. September 2016. Phil Schiller stood on stage and told us the headphone jack was "courageous" to remove. People lost their minds. But amidst the chaos of dongles and the birth of AirPods, we sort of glossed over the fact that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus screen size represented the absolute peak of Apple’s classic design philosophy. These weren't just random numbers. They were the culmination of a decade spent figuring out how a slab of glass should actually feel in a human hand.
You might think screen specs are boring. They aren't. Not really.
The iPhone 7 came in at 4.7 inches. The Plus was 5.5 inches.
By 2026 standards, these sound tiny. My current phone feels like a tablet compared to the standard 7. But back then, these two sizes created a massive divide in how people used their tech. You were either a "one-handed casual" or a "two-handed power user." There was no middle ground.
The 4.7-inch iPhone 7: A ghost of portability
Let’s talk about the smaller sibling. The standard iPhone 7 featured a 4.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Retina HD display. It had a resolution of 1334-by-750 pixels. That gave us 326 pixels per inch (ppi).
Honestly? It was perfect.
I miss being able to reach the top left corner of the screen with my thumb without doing a weird hand-shuffle that risks dropping a $700 device on the pavement. The 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus screen size debate usually starts here—with ergonomics. Apple stayed at 326 ppi because of the "Retina" logic. Steve Jobs originally argued that at 10 or 12 inches from your face, the human eye can't distinguish individual pixels at that density. It held up. The screen looked sharp, even if it wasn't the 4K overkill we see today.
The contrast ratio was 1400:1. It used the P3 wide color gamut. This was actually a big deal at the time. It meant the reds were redder and the greens were deeper than the iPhone 6s. If you put them side-by-side, the 7 looked "saturated" in a way that felt expensive.
But it wasn't just about the glass. The bezels were huge. Huge! You had that massive chin for the solid-state Home button and the forehead for the camera and earpiece. This made the physical footprint of the phone much larger than the screen size suggests. If you took a modern iPhone 13 mini, it actually has a bigger screen (5.4 inches) than the standard iPhone 7, despite the phone itself being smaller. That’s the magic of losing the bezels.
Stepping up to the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus
Then there was the big boy. The iPhone 7 Plus.
Its 5.5-inch screen was the beast of its day. The resolution jumped to 1920-by-1080 pixels (Full HD). Because of the larger canvas, the pixel density hit 401 ppi. It was noticeably crisper than the smaller model. If you were watching Netflix on the bus, this was the one you wanted.
The contrast ratio was slightly lower at 1300:1, though most users never noticed. What they did notice was the weight. The 7 Plus was a heavy device. It felt substantial. It felt like a tool.
Why did people choose the bigger iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus screen size? It wasn't just about more real estate for emails. The Plus gave you more software features. Landscape mode on the home screen was a thing back then. You could turn the phone sideways and the apps would rotate, almost like an iPad Mini. You also got the dual-camera system, which was exclusive to the Plus. That meant Portrait Mode—the "bokeh" effect that everyone takes for granted now—was originally a "big phone" luxury.
Comparison of physical footprints
It's easy to get confused by the diagonal inches. Let's look at the actual dimensions because that’s what determines if it fits in your jeans.
The iPhone 7 measured 5.44 inches tall and 2.64 inches wide. It was thin, too. Just 7.1 mm.
The iPhone 7 Plus was a different animal. It was 6.23 inches tall and 3.07 inches wide. That extra half-inch of width is what makes it feel "wide" in the hand. Most people can't wrap their fingers all the way around a Plus model. You basically have to cradle it.
Display Technology: IPS vs the Future
Both of these phones used IPS (In-Plane Switching) LCD technology.
Today, we are spoiled by OLED. On an OLED screen, the blacks are "true" because the pixels actually turn off. On the iPhone 7, the "black" was just a very dark grey because the backlight was always on. However, Apple was the king of LCD. They used "dual-domain pixels" for wide viewing angles. You could tilt the phone almost flat and still see the colors accurately.
Another weird quirk? 3D Touch. Remember that?
The screen was pressure-sensitive. You could press hard on an app icon to get a shortcut menu. It was a mechanical-feeling "click" provided by the Taptic Engine. It’s gone now, replaced by Haptic Touch (just a long press). But on the iPhone 7, it felt like the screen was actually moving. It gave the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus screen size a depth that modern phones lack.
Why we still talk about these sizes in 2026
You'd be surprised how many of these are still in drawers or being used as "first phones" for kids. They were built like tanks. Well, except for the "Jet Black" version that scratched if you even looked at it wrong.
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The reason the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus screen size matters today is that it set the standard for "Small" and "Large." Even as Apple moved to the "All-Screen" design with the iPhone X and beyond, they kept the physical widths of the phones similar to these models so they would still feel familiar in your hand.
Misconceptions about the "Plus" size
A lot of people think the Plus was just a bigger screen.
It wasn't. It was a bigger battery.
Because the body was larger to accommodate that 5.5-inch panel, Apple could shove a 2900 mAh battery in there. The standard 7 only had a 1960 mAh battery. In real-world use, that was the difference between charging at 4 PM or making it until bedtime. The screen size was the "draw," but the battery life was the "stay."
Real-world usage: Then vs. Now
If you picked up an iPhone 7 today, you’d probably feel claustrophobic.
Instagram is designed for tall displays now. Websites have more padding. Back in 2016, apps were denser. You felt like you saw more on the 4.7-inch screen than you might expect.
Is the iPhone 7 screen still "good"?
Technically, yes. It has a max brightness of 625 nits. That’s plenty for indoors. In direct July sunlight? Good luck. You’ll be squinting. Modern screens go up to 2000 nits or more. It’s a literal night-and-day difference. But for a device that’s a decade old, the color accuracy is still better than many budget Android phones sold today.
What you should do if you’re looking at these today
Maybe you're buying a refurbished one. Maybe you're just curious. Here is the reality check on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus screen size and overall value.
First, check the screen for "yellowing." Old LCDs tend to get a warm tint around the edges over time. It’s a sign the adhesive or the backlight is failing.
Second, remember that these phones don't support the latest iOS versions. This means the "software" on the screen won't look like the modern iPhones. You won't have the fancy lock screen widgets or the same level of customization.
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Third, if you have a choice, go for the Plus. Not just for the screen size, but for the 3GB of RAM. The smaller iPhone 7 only had 2GB. In 2026, that extra gigabyte is the difference between an app opening or the whole phone crashing.
Practical Steps for iPhone 7 Owners:
- Maximize the display: Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > View and set it to "Zoomed" if the 4.7-inch text feels too small. It makes the icons and buttons much easier to hit.
- Protect the glass: These used Ion-strengthened glass. It’s tough, but it’s not Gorilla Glass Victus. A tempered glass screen protector is mandatory if you want to avoid scratches.
- Battery Calibration: If your screen brightness is flickering, it’s often a battery issue, not a screen issue. Check your Battery Health in settings. If it's below 80%, the phone might be throttling the screen’s power.
- True Tone: Neither of these phones has True Tone (the feature that adjusts color temperature based on ambient light). You’ll have to manually use Night Shift to save your eyes at night.
The iPhone 7 era was a transition. It was the last time we had a truly "small" flagship that didn't feel like a compromise. Whether you prefer the pocketability of the 4.7-inch model or the cinematic (for the time) 5.5-inch Plus, these screens paved the way for the massive, bezel-less displays we carry today. They were the bridge between the old world of home buttons and the new world of gestures. Even now, holding a 7 Plus, there’s a sense of balance that modern "Pro Max" phones sometimes lose in their quest for sheer size.