The battle has begun and two of the best warriors from the world's largest smartphone companies, Apple and Samsung, have stepped onto the battlefield. Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and Apple iPhone 7 are facing off each other in a cut throat competition to win consumers willing to write a generous cheque.
The war between Samsung and Apple has been going on for years, and its not just in the courts. While Samsung was declared as the world's largest smartphone manufacturer, Apple holds a high position in the flagship race, thanks to its faithful fan-following. During the launch of the all-new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, we witnessed immense joy and excitement as Apple unfolded the new iPhones' mysteries.
Samsung, on the other hand, had a setback with its Galaxy Note 7. The Korean tech titan had to recall about 2.5 million units after several reports of the flagship catching fire due to faulty batteries made headlines. Samsung stopped the sales of the Galaxy Note 7 while it fixed the issue, which opened a window of opportunity for Apple.
Besides these technicalities, it all comes down to which flagship impresses the consumer with its specs, design and unique features. In terms of pricing, the Galaxy Note 7 costs $850 in the U.S. and Rs. 59,900 in India, while the iPhone 7 Plus costs $769 for the 32GB variant. The iPhone's price in India is yet to be announced, but the availability date has been confirmed as Oct. 7.
Moving on to the specs, neither phone is backing down without a strong fight. Let's take a look at what the iPhone 7 Plus has to offer before checking out its chief rival. In addition to that, we will be highlighting the shortcomings of both flagships to help consumers take the final call.
Apple iPhone 7: Key specifications
- Display: 5.5-inch LED-backlit Retina HD display with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution, oleophobic coating, and wide viewing angle.
- Processor: 64-bit architecture-based A10 Fusion chip with M10 motion coprocessor.
- Storage: 32GB/128GB/256GB.
- Main camera: Dual 12MP sensor with f/1.8 aperture, wide-angle field of view, OIS, 6-element lens, quad-LED true tone flash and Sapphire crystal lens for protection.
- FaceTime camera: 7MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture, auto image stabilization, wide colour capture and 1080p HD video recording.
- Battery life: Up to 21 hours on 3G talk time, 13 hours on 3G internet.
- Sensors: Fingerprint Touch ID, barometer, 3-axis gyro, accelerometer, proximity, ambient light.
- Software: iOS 10.
- Design: 7000 series aluminium unibody and IP67 certified for water and dust resistance.
- Colours: Jet black, silver, gold, rose gold and black.
Cons
- No 3.5mm headphone jack.
- Wireless Earpods do not look comfortable.
- Jet black variant, the star of the show, doesn't come in 32GB.
- Jet black variant is prone to scratches, Apple warns.
- No major design changes when compared to predecessor.
Moving on to Samsung Galaxy Note 7, here are all the specs and its setbacks.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7: Key specifications
- Display: 5.7-inch Quad HD display with dual edge screen.
- Processor: 2.15GHz+1.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon 820 CPU/Exynos for select markets.
- Storage: 64GB, expandable up to 200GB.
- RAM: 4GB.
- Main camera: 12MP dual pixel sensor, f/1.7 aperture, Smart OIS, PDAF and dual tone LED flash.
- Selfie camera: 5MP sensor with f/1.7 aperture, 85-degree field of view, auto HDR and LED flash.
- Battery: 3,500mAh with wireless+wired fast charging.
- Sensors: Iris scanner, fingerprint scanner, barometer, gyro, HR, proximity, RGB.
- Software: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.
- Design: Unibody with IP68 dust and water resistance, USB Type-C port and advanced S-Pen.
- Colours: Blue Coral, Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium and Black Onyx.
Cons
- Base variant costlier than iPhone 7 (32GB).
- Flawed batteries causing explosions (as of this writing).
- Currently recalled and not on sale (as of this writing.
- Hybrid SIM.
- Selfie camera at 5-megapixels despite its high-tech configuration.
- No dual camera.
