iPhone 7
Shares rank 31 of 46 smartphones by recommenders
People recommend it for its long life and small, slim body; the common caveat is a battery that wears out and needs replacing.
7 people recommended iPhone 7 in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
Summary written by Claude from 12 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 10 of those comments still count.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- mixed feelings
- 1
- warn against or regret it
- 3
The record
Recommended in 7 of 12 months
In 7 different threads.
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 2.3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
- Recommended in 7 threadsNeeds 5 or more, met.
- The biggest thread supplies 29% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 10 of the 12 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Lasts seven years or more
“My iPhone 7 which I used for 7 years straight”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Apple’s head of user interface design, Alan Dye, will join Meta” “Hard disagree, I'm still rocking an iphone 7.”
Comment from 26 Aug 2026 in “Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra” “The 7 just kept on trucking for a long time”
Comment from 16 Nov 2025 in “Report: Tim Cook could step down as Apple CEO 'as soon as next year'” Small with minimal camera bump
“which feels tiny in 2026, but felt gigantic back then”
Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “Grandparents are glued to their phones, families are worried [video]”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Battery needs replacing or bulges
“I also had to replace the battery on that iPhone 7, which was an unbelievable PITA.”
Comment from 21 Feb 2026 in “EU mandates replaceable batteries by 2027 (2023)”
Other smartphones people recommend
The four most recommended other smartphones, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPhone | 438 | 190 | 789 | 36% | 12 | 7 yrs97 people | — |
| Fairphone | 110 | 42 | 94 | 54% | 12 | 3 yrs14 people | — |
| iPhone 13 mini | 105 | 32 | 44 | 70% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Apple iPhone Pro | 90 | 45 | 138 | 39% | 12 | 4 yrs24 people | — |
| iPhone 7This page | 7 | 1 | 3 | 70% | 7 | — | — |
Also compared with iPhone SE, Jolla Phone, Nokia N900 and Apple iPhone 12 mini.
What people said
10 of the 12 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I attribute my iPhone 7's camera failing with mounting it on my bike.”
“Hard disagree, I'm still rocking an iphone 7.”
“This was a phone I used daily without a case.”
“My perceived value peaked around the iPhone 7 era, everything after is pointless.”
“it feels so slick and fast”
“what we can conclude is that the iPhone 7 is mighty”
“which feels tiny in 2026, but felt gigantic back then”
“I also had to replace the battery on that iPhone 7, which was an unbelievable PITA.”
“My iPhone 7 which I used for 7 years straight”
“The 7 just kept on trucking for a long time”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.