Samsung and Apple fans are constantly comparing phones from the two tech giants to see which one is a better choice. Both companies have established a faithful fan base around the world. Samsung is expected to launch the 2016 flagship, Galaxy S7, in February while Apple will stick to its standard timetable and launch the iPhone 7 in September. Rumours are rife about the details of these upcoming phones, so here's a quick look at what to expect.
Apple and Samsung haven't officially confirmed the existence of their upcoming flagships. The spec-comparison is based on the ongoing rumours from various sources.
Headphone jack
Apple is widely expected to ditch the standard 3.5mm headphone jack in its iPhone 7, a move that has triggered massive discontent among fans. Apple's decision to remove the headphone jack and include Bluetooth earphones comes as a way to make the iPhone 7 thinner. It is uncertain if Apple will implement such a massive change, but an online group have launched a petition against the removal of the headphone jack. The petition has received more than 210,000 digital signatures.
This could be a winning bet for Samsung, which has all the intentions to offer the headphone jack in its Galaxy S7.
Will Apple fans ditch iPhones in favour of Samsung smartphones following the removal of the 3.5mm jack? Only time will tell.
Camera
There has been a lot of reports about improving camera in both Samsung Galaxy S7 and Apple iPhone 7.
According to Venture Beat, Samsung will cut down the megapixel count in its Galaxy S7 to 12MP and improve the lens setup for better results. Samsung Galaxy S7 will reportedly have an f/1.7 aperture, which will allow more light to enter the lens and capture fast-moving objects and shoot in low-light conditions with much better results. Currently, Samsung Galaxy S6 has the lowest aperture of f/1.9 while Apple uses the f/2.2 aperture in its latest iPhone 6s series.
Another noteworthy mention is the Galaxy S7 will not feature a protruding camera like the Galaxy S6. Apple, however, might continue to the same design for its camera lens.
A recent report revealed that Apple is considering a dual-camera zoom lens for the iPhone 7, which will allow the user to zoom in a particular object in the scene without losing the quality. Other details about the iPhone 7 camera are unknown at the moment.
Water resistance
Samsung Galaxy S7 is expected to get IP67 water and dust resistance certifications, just like the Galaxy S5. Rumours indicate Apple might also bring a water resistant or waterproof build to the upcoming iPhone 7.
Since both phones are expected to withstand water and dust, it will be a great add-on for fans upgrading to a new phone this year.
Battery
Samsung is expected to upgrade the battery pack in its Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge to 3,000mAh and 3,600mAh, respectively, according to Forbes. Comparatively, the Galaxy S6 features a 2,550mAh and the Edge variant packs 2,600mAh unit. Earlier reports also suggested the new phones would get fast-charging technology for convenience.
As for the iPhone 7, Apple's flagships will also reportedly have bigger batteries. Earlier this month, a report suggested the iPhone 7 Plus would feature a 3,100mAh battery. There was no indication whether the 4.7-inch variant of the iPhone would also get a bigger battery, but it is still too soon to predict.
Storage and MicroSD card
The source that talked of a bigger battery in the iPhone 7 Plus also revealed there would be a 256GB variant of the iPhone 7 Plus. It would make more sense if Apple could increase the storage on its 16GB variant. We'll just have to wait to find out.
Rumours about Samsung Galaxy S7 have pointed to the return of the microSD card slot several times. If true, fans will be happy to upgrade. The expandable memory option was removed in the Galaxy S6 series.
