With the new iPhones being similar to their predecessors, I wondered if cases for both newer and older models would fit each-other, or whether the slight differences in speaker or cameras would cause a problem. I bet I'm not the only one who wondered this, so I decided to share my little experiment with you...
Naturally as the iPhone 7 Plus only came out yesterday, I don't have the new device yet (so that part of the experiment I will have to add to later). But I do have an iPhone 6S Plus, and the iPhone 7 Plus Case I bought to test it with has arrived this morning, so the first half of this experiment is completely doable.
Here is what I found, Point by point...
1) Overall Fitting. As expected, the case fit great in terms of height, width, and depth. This part wasn't exactly a surprise though, as we know these two phones are virtually the same size anyway, but at least I know this now for sure.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_K5v0gSValMT0dXR2JSQzRkRkE
2) Power Button. Looking good so far. Everything lined up as it should, and at this point it's impossible to even tell that the case was for a different model whatsoever.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_K5v0gSValMT0ljWWRoektUY0U
3) Volume Rocker Buttons, and Silent Mode Switch. Again, 100% success! Perfect alignment on this side of the phone. The case does cover the sim card slot (but that's fairly normal on most cases, and not something that needs continual access anyway, so all good there).
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_K5v0gSValMNGkzQmczdVpoOE0
4) Speaker, Headphone, and Lightning Port. This was the side that was bound to get tricky due to the changes. The lightning Port and the right-hand speaker slots lined up fantastically, but what was interesting about this is that even though there would be a speaker on the left-hand side instead of the headphone socket, the speaker hole will allow you to plug in a headphone jack anyway, providing that the case you use is flexible enough. (The case I used to test it on was an Orzly Transparent FlexiCase, which is plenty flexible enough to do this, but any case that was rigid in nature would not allow us to cheat like that).
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_K5v0gSValMWFdYMWF4akZ0cmc
(please forgive the picture, as I'm holding it upside down to show you the access hole line-up).
Anyways, the verdict so far is that you could probably get away with using the 7 plus case on a 6 plus or 6S plus but right now it's looking doubtful that you'd be able to do it the other way round, because the headphone jack would partially cover the second speaker. (which is probably liveable, but not ideal).
5) Rear Camera Hole. Ooops, here comes the first problem that doesn't even have a workaround. The camera hole on the case is not just a different shape, but the positioning is different aswell. (notice how part of the camera is obscured)
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_K5v0gSValMT21xc3JkRzNqNHc
So now the results are in, this experiment shows that if any of you has bought the new iPhone 7, and was hoping that your old case will still fit, think again. (and if any manufacturer tries to claim they are inter-compatible, you know it is a claim that cannot be trusted). So moral of the story here, chose the proper case.
The case I tested this on, is the Transparent FlexiCase from Orzly, as it is probably the best I have ever found for 100% transparency that shows off the beautiful design of the iPhone (for those of us that like to see the color of iPhone we bought). But if you try one yourself, make sure to select the right size.
I will provide links below to help you to do that...
For the smaller 4.7 inch models-
This one fits the iPhone 6 and 6S Models (but not the iPhone 7):
www.amazon.com/product/dp/B015SY3JE6
These ones fit only the new iPhone 7:
www.amazon.com/product/dp/B015SY3F4K
For the larger 5.5 inch models-
This one fits both the 6 Plus and 6S Plus models (but not iPhone 7 Plus):
www.amazon.com/product/dp/B015SY3LYO
And finally, these ones fit only the new iPhone 7 Plus Model:
www.amazon.com/product/dp/B015SY3J00
Disclaimer: I am not an affiliate of this company, so regular links have been provided and I don't receive any commission either way, but I have bought from this company often, and can vouch for them being extremely good. But my main aim for this article is that you don't run into any mishaps on the sizing if you have an iPhone on pre-order and want to test the water before it gets here.
Hope you have found this helpful.
Naturally as the iPhone 7 Plus only came out yesterday, I don't have the new device yet (so that part of the experiment I will have to add to later). But I do have an iPhone 6S Plus, and the iPhone 7 Plus Case I bought to test it with has arrived this morning, so the first half of this experiment is completely doable.
Here is what I found, Point by point...
1) Overall Fitting. As expected, the case fit great in terms of height, width, and depth. This part wasn't exactly a surprise though, as we know these two phones are virtually the same size anyway, but at least I know this now for sure.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_K5v0gSValMT0dXR2JSQzRkRkE
2) Power Button. Looking good so far. Everything lined up as it should, and at this point it's impossible to even tell that the case was for a different model whatsoever.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_K5v0gSValMT0ljWWRoektUY0U
3) Volume Rocker Buttons, and Silent Mode Switch. Again, 100% success! Perfect alignment on this side of the phone. The case does cover the sim card slot (but that's fairly normal on most cases, and not something that needs continual access anyway, so all good there).
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_K5v0gSValMNGkzQmczdVpoOE0
4) Speaker, Headphone, and Lightning Port. This was the side that was bound to get tricky due to the changes. The lightning Port and the right-hand speaker slots lined up fantastically, but what was interesting about this is that even though there would be a speaker on the left-hand side instead of the headphone socket, the speaker hole will allow you to plug in a headphone jack anyway, providing that the case you use is flexible enough. (The case I used to test it on was an Orzly Transparent FlexiCase, which is plenty flexible enough to do this, but any case that was rigid in nature would not allow us to cheat like that).
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_K5v0gSValMWFdYMWF4akZ0cmc
(please forgive the picture, as I'm holding it upside down to show you the access hole line-up).
Anyways, the verdict so far is that you could probably get away with using the 7 plus case on a 6 plus or 6S plus but right now it's looking doubtful that you'd be able to do it the other way round, because the headphone jack would partially cover the second speaker. (which is probably liveable, but not ideal).
5) Rear Camera Hole. Ooops, here comes the first problem that doesn't even have a workaround. The camera hole on the case is not just a different shape, but the positioning is different aswell. (notice how part of the camera is obscured)
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_K5v0gSValMT21xc3JkRzNqNHc
So now the results are in, this experiment shows that if any of you has bought the new iPhone 7, and was hoping that your old case will still fit, think again. (and if any manufacturer tries to claim they are inter-compatible, you know it is a claim that cannot be trusted). So moral of the story here, chose the proper case.
The case I tested this on, is the Transparent FlexiCase from Orzly, as it is probably the best I have ever found for 100% transparency that shows off the beautiful design of the iPhone (for those of us that like to see the color of iPhone we bought). But if you try one yourself, make sure to select the right size.
I will provide links below to help you to do that...
For the smaller 4.7 inch models-
This one fits the iPhone 6 and 6S Models (but not the iPhone 7):
www.amazon.com/product/dp/B015SY3JE6
These ones fit only the new iPhone 7:
www.amazon.com/product/dp/B015SY3F4K
For the larger 5.5 inch models-
This one fits both the 6 Plus and 6S Plus models (but not iPhone 7 Plus):
www.amazon.com/product/dp/B015SY3LYO
And finally, these ones fit only the new iPhone 7 Plus Model:
www.amazon.com/product/dp/B015SY3J00
Disclaimer: I am not an affiliate of this company, so regular links have been provided and I don't receive any commission either way, but I have bought from this company often, and can vouch for them being extremely good. But my main aim for this article is that you don't run into any mishaps on the sizing if you have an iPhone on pre-order and want to test the water before it gets here.
Hope you have found this helpful.
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.