The 2 major flagship smartphone models for the year 2016 would no doubt be the iPhone 7 from Apple and the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge to represent the Android platform. If you have been a long time user of either one platform, there is no doubt that you might want to continue your loyalty in a certain direction. However, if pragmatism is your middle name and you wish to maximize every penny spent for the best bang for your buck, then this iPhone 7 vs Galaxy S7 edge comparison might come in handy.
Operating System
Of course, the operating system does play a very important role in making one’s choice. If you are more or less happy and secure with what iOS offers, then continue with it. Upgrading to a new iPhone would be seamless in terms of transferring your contacts and files via the cloud. If there is one major advantage that the iOS platform has over Android, it would be the sheer number of apps on the Apple App Store as opposed to the Google Play Store. You also need not worry about incompatibility issues, and everything simply works.
No doubt security would also be something else that folks might want to look into, and the security of Apple’s platform is clearly more robust compared to Android. Still, the lack of customizability in iOS compared to Android might be the tipping point in helping folks tilt toward Android, as they feel that they have more control over how their smartphone’s screen will look like, among the ilk.
Design and Display
Pit the iPhone 7’s IP67 certification versus the Galaxy S7 edge’s IP68 certification, and you know who would have won out in terms of hardiness while it is splashed or even dunked into a pool of water of up to 1.5m deep compared to the iPhone 7’s 1m limit. Of course, a 5.5-inch display on the Galaxy S7 edge also provides a far greater amount of viewing real estate, while maintaining the 3.5mm audio jack means you can continue using your well loved headphones without having to go through the hassle of an adaptor as with Apple’s Lightning port replacement.
The iPhone 7’s 4.7-inch display at 1,334 x 750 resolution at 326ppi, when compared to the Galaxy S7 edge’s 5.5-inch 2,560 x 1,440 resolution at 534ppi, clearly showcases the latter as the winner. Blacks are really black on the Galaxy S7 edge, and colors look absolutely gorgeous. Still, the Retina HD display on the iPhone 7 should not be discounted, as it is 25% brighter compared to before.
Processor and RAM
The iPhone 7 will run on Apple’s very own efficient A10 Fusion chip which carries four cores clocked at 2.23GHz alongside 2GB of RAM, while the Galaxy S7 Edge will have a Samsung Exynos 8890 quad-core processor at 2.3GHz and four 1.6GHz cores, alongside 4GB of RAM. Apple’s A10 processor simply tops out the numbers in benchmark performances, but this is not to discount the Exynos chipset as a slouch, either.
Camera Performance
The iPhone 7 comes with a 12MP rear-facing shooter with f/1.8, OIS and a 7MP selfie camera. It will be accompanied by a quad-LED flash with optical image stabilization thrown into the mix.
The Samsung S7 edge use of a similar 12MP sensor at the back that is found in the Galaxy S7, as it has a pretty quick focus and as advertised, works well in low light conditions courtesy of the f/1.7 aperture. You should be able to obtain some pretty decent bokeh effects with the Galaxy S7 edge, capturing most shots in great detail. In front lies a 5MP selfie shooter.
This is more or less a personal preference thing, but Apple might just edge out (pardon the pun) due to their sheer marketing efforts with billboards everywhere showcasing the image quality of their camera shots.
Battery Life
With the iPhone 7 packing a 1,960mAh battery while the Galaxy S7 Edge has a 3,600mAh battery (which thankfully, does not explode), it is a no-brainer as to which device is the better performer. While the iPhone 7 is capable of touching the 14-hour mark thanks to the highly efficient A10 Fusion processor, the Galaxy S7 edge will be able to last till the next day. Throw in Quick-Charge 2.0 and wireless charging capability, and the Galaxy S7 edge emerges as the clear winner in this department.
Storage Space
The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge wins hands down in the long term for sure. It might arrive in just 32GB and 64GB variants, but at least there is a microSD memory card slot that lets you bump it up by another 256GB. As for Apple’s iPhone 7, it will arrive in 32GB, 128GB and 256GB configurations. Purchasing a 256GB microSD card is not a big deal in this day and age, and think about it: you will have the flexibility of swapping out different microSD cards for various entertainment needs: music, movies, and even large work files.
Conclusion
This is not a perfect world, so there is always a price to pay for every decision. At the end of the day, it really boils down to what you want and how you would like to make use of your smartphone. Either way, the iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 edge are at the top of their respective game, and you should not walk away with regret if you decide on either one.
