iPhone 7 vs Galaxy S7

Samsung and Apple both have their flagship models available for inspection now and both hold the hopes of Android and iOS within their sleek shells. Although you'll need to wait a little while longer to get your hands on the iPhone 7, now seems a good time to see how they matchup and which one is right for you.

DESIGN

The Samsung Galaxy S7 is a tremendously good-looking handset, boasting a slender 142 x 70 x 8mm chassis and a weight of just 152g. But make sure you don't drop it! As well as the fact that it is super easy to crack the screen, it also scores very low in terms of reparability, with Samsung opting to use adhesive rather than screws. That means if something needs to be replaced, something else needs to come out with the faulty component. The iPhone 7 is also very alluring and lightweight, with a slim 7.1mm chassis and weighing in at just 138g. For the color conscious the S7 is available in Black, White, Gold, Silver, and Pink Gold, while the iPhone 7 can be Gold, Silver, Rose Gold, Black, and Jet Black.

Both phones are resistant to dust and water, but The Galaxy S7 has the edge here, as it is IP68-certified, meaning it can be dunked in the water.

It's hard to pick which phone is more attractive and both will require casing of some kind which will make them less aesthetically-pleasing but it could help avoid an expensive repair in the long run.

"Android Firewall" (CC BY 2.0) by Uncalno

DISPLAY

The Galaxy S7 features a rich, colorful 5.1 inch Super AMOLED display and has a high-resolution 1,440 x 2,560 pixel screen with 577 ppi pixel density. The iPhone 7 has a 4.7 inch Retina HD display with a lower resolution of 1,334 x 750 pixels which, spread over a smaller area, means the disparity between the two won't be as conspicuous. Both are great, but Samsung takes the point here, as bigger is always better in the display round. Another plus for the Samsung camp is the 'always-on' display setting, which turns on a small piece of the display to show the time, date, and notifications at a cost of just over 1% battery life per hour.


GAMING


The S7 comes packing the latest Snapdragon 820 processor, while the iPhone 7 is equipped with the new A10 Fusion. Although the A10 Fusion is a significant improvement on the iPhone 6's processor, it's a case of Apple catching up with Android capabilities rather than surpassing them. Both phones possess the required processing power to cope with the most demanding games available, from Oz: Broken Kingdom and live blackjack at a bitcoin online casino to Modern Combat 6 or the latest Fifa. The ability both phones have to give menial jobs to low-power cores and demanding tasks to high-power cores means that everything should run that little bit smoother, so playing MMOs or online poker with will be as easy the game developers intended, even if you're running a number of other programs in the background.

SOFTWARE

The Samsung Galaxy S7 runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and this should be followed by a Nougat update in early 2017. The iPhone 7 runs on Apple's custom-built iOS-10 software, which should give it the edge, as it's been custom built for the iPhone 7, as opposed to Marshmallow, which Google developed for a range of devices. There really isn't the time or space here to go into an iOS VS Android debate and really it comes down to personal preference, as Android has worked hard to currently be on an equal pegging with iOS. This one's a tie, as those using many Google services will be content to remain with Android and those comfortable in the Apple environment will be equally fulfilled.

"Embossed Apple logo" (CC BY 2.0) by Marcin Wichary

Samsung and Apple have both made big statements with their new devices and there's no doubt they're the elite in this highly competitive market. There are other considerations such as the battery-life and the camera, which are important, but very similar for both models. One chief area of consideration is the price and this is where the Samsung takes the victory because it is considerably cheaper than the iPhone 7. With the top-end iPhone 7 a whopping £919, compared to the high-end Galaxy at £799, you get a great phone with both Apple and Samsung, but you'll keep a little more cash in your pocket with the Android.