Update: RED versions of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are in stock online!
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are already two of the best phones on the planet, but Apple has just made them a little bit better – or at least a little bit more eye catching – by launching a new special edition model in a rich red shade.
The model, which is being launched in partnership with AIDS fundraising charity (RED), will also be coming to Three, with both the red iPhone 7 and the red iPhone 7 Plus set to be stocked in selected Three stores from Friday March 24th – that’s tomorrow at time of writing, and the exact same day as the phone launches on Apple’s site, so you won’t have to wait any longer to get it on contract.
If you don’t have a Three store near you, you’ll be able to buy the red iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus from Three’s website starting on Wednesday March 29th.
And if that date sounds familiar it’s because the Samsung Galaxy S8 is being announced then. It’s probably no accident that Apple refreshed its iPhone 7 range just before that, giving potential buyers a temptingly red alternative to Samsung’s flagship.
And it really is an alternative. The iPhone 7 in its standard form might be a 2016 handset, but there are few other phones that can match up to it, with its combination of a premium metal build, a high-quality 750 x 1334 screen, a brilliant 12MP camera, a speedy Touch ID fingerprint scanner, a hugely powerful Apple A10 Fusion processor, and of course iOS 10, which arguably has an even better selection of apps than Android.
You’ll also get access to Apple’s talkative AI assistant, Siri, along with a water-resistant build and software updates for years to come.
Or, if you want something bigger than the compact 4.7-inch iPhone 7, the iPhone 7 Plus in red (or any other shade) comes with a sharp 1080 x 1920 5.5-inch screen, along with a bigger battery and a clever dual-lens camera, which lets you adjust the depth of field to create a bokeh effect, with striking DSLR-like results.
You’ll also be doing good by buying a red iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, as Apple’s partnership with the (RED) AIDS charity is more than just in name, with purchases of each iPhone adding to the charity’s global fund, which helps to provide access to life-saving ARV medication in sub-Saharan Africa.
Three hasn’t confirmed what the red iPhone 7 and red iPhone 7 Plus will cost on its network yet, so keep an eye out for that tomorrow, but we’d expect to see both phones available on a wide range of contracts with different allowances, just like the standard iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus handsets are.
And prices on Apple’s store are exactly the same as for the standard models, with the red iPhone 7 coming in at £699 for a 128GB version and £799 for a 256GB model, and the iPhone 7 Plus in red costing £819 for a 128GB version and £919 for a 256GB handset. The only difference is that you can’t get a 32GB version of the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus in red, so if you don’t need that much storage – or don’t want to spend that much – consider a different colour.
Given that the prices are identical on Apple’s website it’s likely that they’ll be the same on Three as for current models, meaning you’d be able to get the 128GB version of the red iPhone 7 from £31 per month with £149 upfront, and the equivalent model of the red iPhone 7 Plus from £44 per month with £149 upfront – but again, we’ll have to wait until Three confirms its pricing to be certain.
It’s not clear whether this special edition red model will only be available for a limited time or in limited numbers, so we’d suggest grabbing it fast if you don’t want to miss out.
And if red’s not your thing Three is still selling the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in the original range of colours, including black, gold, rose gold, silver and the crowd-pleasing jet black.
Whatever colour you opt for, you’ll also benefit from being on the Three network, with extras like tethering and free roaming in dozens of international destinations included on Three’s Advanced plans.
