The iPhone 7 is the latest phone from the Apple brand that has taken over. Is it the best iPhone on the market or should you wait for the next one to emerge? Let’s take a look:

Overview

The Apple iPhone 7 has a 4.7-inch 326ppi wide-color-gamut display, 32, 128, or 256 GB storage options, an A10 Fusion chip, and a 12MP camera.

Pros: Excellent camera, water resistance, great performance, sound quality in speakers

Cons: Poor battery life, no headphone jack, expensive, not enough has changed

The Design

iPhones have really always looked like iPhones, so you won’t see much difference in the way they are designed. The same simple design is there: a home button, a screen, and side panel buttons. There are small changes in the placement of some things, which means you’ll have to buy a new case.

As for the color, you have the newest red, then the usual black, space grey, white, rose gold, silver, and gold.

Of course, the biggest change to the design is the lack of a 3.5 mm headphone jack. You can either use the Airpods or you can use the charging port as a headphone jack. Of course, this makes it impossible to charge your phone and listen to music at the same time.

For those not willing to give up their older headphones, you can get an adapter (one is included with the phone) that will turn your charging port into a 3.5 mm option. There are other adapters on the market as well from third party sources.

A somewhat smaller change comes from the home button. You now don’t get the “click” and instead there is a haptic engine that makes it feel like it does.

Screen

The screen is the same as it has been, 4.7 inches without any more pixels and a resolution of 1334x750. It is sharp enough but isn’t the sharpest phone on the market. Nothing looks fake and it is quite rich, which means that you will be able to get more out of it when watching YouTube or Netflix.

When it comes to durability of the glass the iPhone 7 is no better than its predecessors. Luckily, there are plenty of places that can fix that if you ever have the need for it. In Austin, we can replace a cracked iPhone screen in about an hour. And for those not located in Austin, try our mail in iPhone repair service.

Speakers

The iPhone 7 gets extremely loud, which is great for people who like to use their speakers and can’t get around the lack of a headphone jack. There are two speakers now, one at the bottom and one at the earphone slot. You’ll get some separation at times, but it makes for a louder, clearer tone on your phone.

There is still tinny quality about the sound because the iPhone is just too small to really give you that full quality sounds that you need. Don’t put the volume at the top level to avoid some of the worst of it.

Water Resistance

One of the biggest foes of a phone has been water. Now that the Home button has been changed, the phone is now water resistant as well. Now, you can drop your phone into 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes and it should still be okay.

You can now use your phone in the shower without having to worry.

Performance

This is certainly the most powerful iPhone on the market, and the most powerful phone as well. You can do quite a bit on this phone and keep as many apps open as you want. You can play some great games and never really have to worry about it lagging.

For reference, this phone is 30% faster than the iPhone 6S and 12% more powerful than the Galaxy S7.

Camera

Most people who want the new iPhone want it because of the upgraded camera. This has been a major focus on Apple’s publicity. The iPhone 7 has different optic lenses (6 in total) and better editing functionality than any other iPhone.

The front facing camera, for Snapchat addicts, is also much improved.

One major complain is that the phone still has trouble with red coloring. Another complaint is that the flash still isn’t as great as it could be. If you tend to take pictures in darker spaces, you may want to avoid this or get a separate flash mechanism.

Battery Life

One of the main reasons people start looking at new phones it because their batteries are dying. Apple won’t necessarily be an improvement here because it still doesn’t have the power.

Even though the phone has a slightly larger battery than its predecessors, the battery really hasn’t improved at all. In fact, some complain that because of the new apps and iOS 10, it is worse. Turning down the screen brightness, not keeping your phone on at all times, and even turning your phone onto airplane mode can help – but it isn’t something that you should have to do to enjoy your phone. Add that to the fact that the phone doesn’t charge all that quickly either, and you have some serious problems.

For people who rarely make it through the day without charging, you won’t love this aspect of the phone. You’ll have to charge at some point.

Should I buy the iPhone 7?

Everyone has their own choice to make here, but the iPhone 7 is a fantastic phone. It is something that works almost everywhere and many people design specifically for Apple phones. Still, the battery life is something that you need to take into consideration. Other things to look at include storage size, cost, and the lack of a headphone port.

Still, an iPhone is an iPhone, and it says something when you have the latest model.

When having the latest model is not all important to you, buying a used iPhone that is 1 or 2 generations back will get the job done. This can literally save you hundreds for an iPhone that is not much different that the iPhone 7.

When the time comes to get reconnected with the world, whether you want to or not, visit us for either a repair or replacement. We will get you back on your feet the same day. You can also do baby steps by starting out with a flip phone first.

You may come across a problem and need a replacement phone. If you don’t want to learn how to work a phone that wasn't your last you have options. With Verizon wireless, there are tons of options when it comes to buying a pre owned for Verizon.

They keep making it so that it seems that you need to get the latest phone and upgrade. Why? Your old phone worked fine before it broke. One alternative is to buy your old model phone or one just like it that is a pre owned phone from Verizon.

This enables you to keep the cell phone you love, save some cash, and still have a phone that will work with your Verizon plan that your familiar with.

​Where Can you get a Pre Owned phone for Verizon?

​The internet. More specially from our brick and mortar store in Austin called The Austin Cell Phone. If you are not in Austin you can log onto our eCommerce site @ Best Used Cell Phones.

There are also other sites like ours and you can also find used Verizon phones on eBay. You want to make sure that the phone you buy is clear to activate on your account. Sometimes it refereed as having a clean ESN.  All of our phones have been verified clean & clear to activate on any Verizon account.

​We are an excellent option because we have a lot of pre owned Verizon phones. We have phone that are hard to find and are not sold in stores anymore. Probably the one you are looking for.

​Here are a few things to consider when looking for a pre owned Verizon phone. All of these are standard when it comes to what we sell and should be for all other pre owned phones.

• The ESN is clean & clear to activate
• The phone has been fully tested to work
• The phone comes with a battery and home wall charger
• A warranty is included in case it doesn't work out

​A common misconception is that these phones are too old to activate. This is true for some of the very old phones which run of the 2G network. Phones that run off of the 3G network can still activate and work just fine without any issues.

Its easy to come to that conclusion when you walk into the Verizon store and see nothing but shiny smart phones that come with expensive data plans. The newer smartphones are now leased or purchased through a payment plan. If you do the math you are paying full price and can be expensive.

Also, when people hear the words "Pre Owned Verizon Phones" they tend to think about old flip phones, this is not the case. There are plenty of used smartphones ready to activate on your Verizon account that doesn't require a contract, payment plan or lease option.  This is great for the person who just lost or broke their shiny new Galaxy or iPhone but can't go back to a flip.

Whether you buy from us or not, understand that you have options. I invite you to comment below or give us a call if you have any questions or want to know more about getting a pre owned Verizon phone.

When you lose or break your phone you have to buy a new one. Or do you? Buying a cell phone that is used is one of the best ways to save money and still get a quality replacement.

But how do you know if the used phone you are buying will be worth it? There are a few tips we share on where the best places are to buy a used phone.

Where is the best Place to Buy A Used Phone?

The best place to purchase a used cell phone is on-line!

There are sites like our eCommerce site BestUsedCellPhones.com where you can find phones not available anywhere else. It is because they gather only the best phones from all over, permitting them to be picky with what they want to sell and providing you with the greatest collection.

There you will find smartphones and basic flip phones side by side that are ready to activate on your account. What makes us different is that every phone we sell is manually hand tested, inspected, ESN checked and cleaned for resale.

With any item sold, and this is especially true for a used item, things don't always work as they should. Because of this we include a 30 day warranty on every phone we sell. Not all sites that sell used phones are the same so pay attention to their quality assurance and return policy.

When you buy a phone from a place that has a great reputation there is a lower risk compared to the other places mentioned below.

Buying a phone off Craigslist

This is probably the riskiest option as there are no warranties or guarantees.

Unless you are an expert on all things that could go wrong we would not recommend it. However if you are willing to accept the risk, including personal risk, then there are definitely deals to be had.

If you plan to go this route we recommend you set the meeting at the carrier store so that you can have a representative check the phone and make sure it is clear to activate on your service. If the seller is unwilling to do this then chances are that there is something shady going on there.

You can buy a replacement phone on our eCommerce site but if you are in Austin Texas then you can come into our store to buy the same phones. We will even help get your phone activate while you are in our store if we can. Sometimes you will have to go to your carrier store.

How about buying a phone on ebay?

Buying a phone on eBay is a better solution than on a local classified site. eBay protects their buyers and wants to make sure that they have a good experience on eBay.

We are also sellers on eBay so we know first hand how the culture is at eBay when it comes to making sure their customers are happy.

We suggest you look through and only consider sellers with a proven track record. Stick to sellers with a high feedback count with a positive feedback rating of 95% and up.

This means that the seller has been around for a while, knows how to provide a quality item and provide support when issues arise.

When things go horribly wrong contact eBay. There are there to help and will work with you and the seller to get things right. The sellers on eBay have an incentive to solve any pending issues with their buyers. Sellers on eBay are graded on how well they can handle their business on eBay. If they fail to work with you then they get a lower score and limits are imposed on their selling abilities.

I don't recommend you use this knowledge to manipulate the sellers to do what you want if you are responsible for the grievance. Most sellers on eBay are small business owners that could potentially go out of business if their eBay seller accounts gets banned or limited.

Go with what fits your need the best

What it all comes down to is, what is best for you. Figure out what you need, versus what you want. Determine how much risk you are willing to take and do your research. Also, if the reason you are looking for a replacement cell phone is because your old one is broke, you should consider repairing it. Check with a local cell phone repair store to see how much it costs to get fixed. Sometimes it is cheaper to repair it than replacing it.

Leave us a comment below and let us know your thoughts.