The iPhone 7 and the iPhone XS are several generations old at this point, but might still be worth comparing as low-cost iPhone options to consider. However, since the iPhone XS was released in 2018 compared to the iPhone 7 two years prior in 2016, most of the specs are going to be in favour of the iPhone XS. Let's see just how much better this phone might perform and if it's worth the extra money.

Camera

When it comes to camera quality, both phones have a 7 MP front camera, 12 MP rear camera, and 2160px main camera video resolution. The iPhone XS, however, takes the edge with multiple lenses for more dynamic photos and better zoom capabilities, leaving you with sharper and more vibrant photo and video.

Battery Life

The iPhone XS also comes out on top when it comes to battery capacity in a big way. The XS has 35% more battery capacity compared to the iPhone 7 with 2658 mAh compared to just 1960 mAh. This will likely get you up to 7 more hours out of a full charge on the iPhone XS compared to the iPhone 7 depending on your usage.

Display

The display size and resolution is also different between these two phones; The iPhone 7 is very small compared to more recent Apple models, measuring just 4.7 inches diagonally with a resolution of 750 x 1334 px. The iPhone XS will give you a lot more screen, but still feel small compared to other smartphones, measuring at 5.8 inches with a much better resolution of 1125 x 2436 px. Of course, since the iPhone 7 is much smaller, you'll also find that it weighs less at 138g compared to 177g for the iPhone XS.

Storage

In terms of storage capacity, the iPhone 7 offers up to 256 GB, while the iPhone XS has an option to double up on storage with 512 GB. However, 256 GB is plenty of storage even for users who love to download music, movies and shows. So unless you specifically need higher amounts of storage, you're better off choosing the iPhone 7 to save some money.

Processor and RAM

Both devices run on iOS 12 but differ in RAM capacity. The iPhone XS has double the RAM of the iPhone 7 at 4 GB compared to just 2 GB. You'll also find a more advanced processor on the iPhone XS with an A12 bionic chip compared to the A10 fusion chip on the iPhone 7. While the A10 was impressive in 2016, the A12 on the iPhone XS is almost twice as fast as its predecessor from 2 generations ago.

Overall, you'll find that the newer iPhone XS model is a bigger and better option that has improved battery life, processing speed, screen display and camera capability than the iPhone 7. Surprisingly though, the iPhone 7 does still hold up well after all these years, so if you're looking for more simplicity with an iPhone that gets the job done, you can feel good about saving some extra money with the iPhone 7.