Samsung and Apple are two competing companies when it comes to the smartphone world. This year is going to get even better, with Samsung Galaxy S7 already turning out to be a major success for the Korean company.
While this is happening in the Korean company’s camp, Apple is slowly shaping up the release of this year’s iPhone 7 – a device that many are eagerly waiting to see whether Apple will come in with massive changes or not. But before this, we have some time to find out what really are the core differences between Samsung Galaxy S7 and Apple’s iPhone 6S, which is Cupertino’s 2015 flagship.
Design and display
In terms of design, Samsung has bene accused of copy-pasting Apple with the shift it made with the Galaxy S6. However, things are now even better with the Galaxy S7, although the iPhone 6S is still slimmer and lighter. The top and bottom bezels are also smaller, which hands it a larger display size despite the fact that the height and width are almost the same as the iPhone 6S.
There are some key features you’ll find on the Galaxy S7 that are missing on the iPhone 6S. These include IP68 water and dust resistance certification, microSD card storage as well as wireless charging. While this might seem like a Samsung win, the fact that it has a glass rear makes it more fragile than the aluminum back plate you find on the iPhone 6S. In addition, the glass is more slippery and can also become sticky at times – but for this, Galaxy S7 get fast wireless charging.
As far as the display is concerned, Samsung Galaxy S7 is far ahead of the iPhone 6S. Where the former packs a roomy 5.1-inch display size, the latter has a 4.7 inch. In addition, you get a brighter and sharper Super AMOLED panel with QHD resolution on the S7 – a screen that promises more vivid colors, easy to read even in broad daylight as well as deeper blacks that also help with effective battery management.
The LCD panel on the iPhone 6S has a 750p resolution, but it beats the QHD panel on the Galaxy S7 thanks to the 3D Touch technology it comes with. The screen is sensitive to pressures of touch, with the result being handy peak and pop shortcuts, however, this technology is far from maturity.
Performance specs
On paper, the Galaxy S7 has it all when it comes to specs. However, this is not all as far as performance is concerned. There is a 64-bit quad-core Snapdragon 820 SoC under the hood. It has a speed of 2.15GHz and is paired with an Adreno 530 GPU, 4GB RAM and 32GB of expandable onboard storage. There is another variant that keeps the same amount of RAM and storage specs, but it packs an octa-core Exynos 8890 SoC that is clocked at 2.3GHz and is paired with a Mali-T880 MP12 GPU.
On the other hand, the iPhone 6S has an Apple A9 SoC, which is a dual-core processor with a clock speed of 1.84GHz. This is paired with a hexacore PowerVR GT7600 graphics processor and a RAM of 2GB. You get three storage options of 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB, but there is no room for a microSD card slot. In terms of optimization, the iPhone 6S has the best, making it a faster performer than the Galaxy S7. But this doesn’t mean the S7 is any slower, however, the flagship might tend to stutter and lag after a period of usage, something the iPhone 6S is not familiar with.
Both devices have a fingerprint scanner, however, those who have tried both handsets will agree that Apple’s Touch ID is better and faster than what Samsung Galaxy S7 offers, although the latter has been made even faster and more accurate than last year’s S6.
Camera and battery life
Samsung Galaxy S7 has been praised by many for its great photography, with some already naming it the best in 2016. This is despite the fact that the resolution changed from last year’s 16MP to 12MP. The company went for a Sony IMX260 sensor with f/1.7 aperture, LED flash, OIS, 4K video and DualPixel technology. The front part has a 5MP sensor that keeps the same aperture.
As for the iPhone 6S, there is a 12MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture, EIS, Focus Pixels and dual-LED flash. You also get a 5MP selfie sensor and the same f/2.0 aperture. The difference in aperture size means Samsung Galaxy S7 is better at capturing low-light shots as compared to the 6S. The DualPixel technology also helps with faster focusing on images.
The addition of OIS on the Galaxy S7 means that the phone is also better at capturing images in motion as opposed to the iPhone 6S, which only comes with EIS.
As for the battery life, Samsung Galaxy S7 gets even better with its huge 3000mAh battery capacity. This is contrary to Apple’s iPhone 6S, which has 1715mAh, a downgrade from the previous year’s 1810mAh. The result of this is that where the Galaxy S7 can last an entire day with heavy use, an iPhone 6S might need a second charge somewhere in the evening.
The fact that the Galaxy S7 comes with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 technology means that it can get from 0-50% in about half an hour, something the iPhone 6S can’t. As noted earlier, the S7 also comes with wireless charging.
At the moment, an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S7 (32GB) can be bought for no less than $670. On the other hand, the iPhone 6S base model is valued at $650 whereas the high-end variant will cost you about $850.
Consumer reports spanks Samsung for its inconsistency in both advertising its supposed waterproofness and actual tests in which it consistently failed.
You forgot the one thing that makes makes the Samsung a winner by a long shot -Samsung gear VR. Their Oculus VR is second only to the PC Oculus and HTC Vive units. In addition, Samsung is handing out their VR free with new phones. Over-the-top awesomeness!