The battle of the flagships is one once again now that Apple has announced the iPhone 7 . The Cupertino, Calif. company showcased a standard and Plus model of its latest smartphone Wednesday with a host of features, which some critics debate cannot truly be considered as new, but still appeared to wow the crowd. Many feel Apple’s upgrade of the iPhone remains incremental, with no major changes to how the device has looked for the last three generations.
Pundits, consumers and fans now wonder whether Samsung will be at a disadvantage , since it has now had to pull the Galaxy Note 7 off store shelves due to a battery issue that required a recall of the entire smartphone fleet. It is likely the iPhone 7 will go on sale before the Galaxy Note 7 is back on sale once more, costing Samsung valuable revenue. Reports indicate Samsung has already lost $1 billion on the Galaxy Note 7, which could also hurt the company’s push to rebound from its 2014-2016 sales slump, during which Apple overtook the Korean company as the top smartphone manufacturer in the U.S.
Business and design faux pas aside, the iPhone 7/Plus and Galaxy Note 7 are two tours de force in terms of hardware. Loyalists are sure to remain in their respective corners, but will Samsung fans be pulled to the dark side with Apple’s new jet black color option, water resistant and dual-lens camera?
Take a look at a specs and features comparison between the iPhone 7/Plus and Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
Display
iPhone 7
The iPhone 7 features a 4.7-inch Retina HD (1334x750) display and the iPhone 7 Plus features a 5.5-inch Retina HD (1920x1080) display. While the size and resolution of both devices remain the same as the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, Apple claims the displays are 25 percent brighter than previous models. Apple has introduced a wide color gamut to allow for better color saturation and management on the display, giving the devices a cinema-quality screen.
The smartphones also include Apple's 3D Touch feature, introduced on the iPhone 6s/Plus, which allows users to execute different touch functions with different levels of pressure on the screen.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
The Galaxy Note 7 features a 5.7-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1440 resolution) display with dual-edge curves similar to the Galaxy S7 Edge. DisplayMate voted the Galaxy Note 7 screen the bets on the market. Outside of its curvature, it is near identical to the display on the prior Galaxy Note 5; however, Samsung introduced on the Note 7, Corning's Gorilla Glass 5 case, which is said to be able to withstand damage from a shoulder-height drop.
Hardware
iPhone 7
Apple has introduced the A10 Fusion chip for the iPhone 7/Plus, the manufacturer’s first quad-core system on a chip. The 64-bit processor includes two high performance chips and two high efficiency chips, which will switch between high and low power functions, as well as a six-core graphics chip. Apple claims the A10 Fusion is its most high-performance chip to date, adding two hours of power to the iPhone 7 and one hour of power to the 7 Plus, compared to the iPhone 6s.
Apple has done away with its 16GB base internal storage and now offers 32GB, 128GB and 256GB storage options for iPhone 7/Plus. The manufacturer has not indicated how much RAM is in the devices; however, the iPhone 7 is expected to have 2GB of RAM and the 7 Plus 3GB. Details on iPhone 7/Plus battery capacity are also not yet available; however, the iPhone 7 is said to have a 14-hour battery life on WiFi and 12 hours on 4G; the iPhone 7 is said to have a 15-hour battery life on Wi-Fi and and 4G.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
There are two models of the Galaxy Note 7, one with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chip and one with the Exynos 8890 chip. The device includes 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage with microSD support up to 256GB, as well as a 3,500mAh battery. Trusted Reviews rated the Galaxy Note 7 battery life at a 9 out of 10.
Design
iPhone 7
The iPhone 7/Plus maintains the same standard design seen on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s with black, gold, silver and rose gold color options with a more matte finish. Apple has also introduced a jet black color option with an anodized polish finish. BGR claims the jet black model is prone to scratches.
The iPhone 7 features an aluminum body and is expected to sport Gorilla Glass 5 for its display cover. Apple has also moved the device’s antenna, embedding it within the enclosure between the front and back of the device, giving it a more seamless look.
Most striking is Apple’s removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7/Plus. Now the smartphones have only one port, the lightning connector, which will serve as both a charging port and a plug for lightning supported accessories, such as headphones.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
The Galaxy Note 7 sports an all-glass exterior, coated in Gorilla Glass 5. A striking feature on the Note 7 is its curved display coupled with its S-Pen stylus. In older models, such as the Galaxy S6 Egde+, which released in 2015, Samsung said it would have been too costly for consumers to put a dual-edge display and a stylus in the same device. Samsung Galaxy Note 7 color options include Black Onyx, Silver Titanium and Blue Coral and Gold Platinum.
Samsung also introduced on the Galaxy Note 7, a USB Type-C port, though the smartphone retains its headphone jack. Because of this, Samsung also updated its Gear VR headset to include USB Type-C support as well as backwards compatibility with Micro USB ports.
Camera
iPhone 7
The iPhone 7 features a 12-megapixel camera with f/1.8 aperture and a true told LED flash, which Apple claims is 60 percent faster and 30 percent more color efficient than the iPhones 6s camera. The iPhone 7 Plus features a dual-camera setup with two 12-megapixel lenses, one wide angle and one telephoto, which provides up to 10-times zoom. The cameras include optical image stabilization, live photos, raw imaging and wide color capturing among its features.
The iPhone 7/Plus includes a 7-megapixel FaceTime HD camera for it’s front lens, an upgrade from the 5-megapixel front camera in the iPhone 6s
Apple plans to add bokeh effect features as a software update, which allows for shallow depth of field photography. A bokeh effect allows for a blurred background and sharp foreground in an image, and is considered an advanced skill for many professional photographers. The dual cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus work together to create a depth map of a photo to allow users to create this effect.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 includes a 2-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front camera, both featuring f/1.7 aperture. Stand out features on the main camera include HDR video and 4K video.
Software
iPhone 7
The iPhone 7/Plus runs iOS 10. New features include a pick up to wake mechanism, updates to Siri, such as voicemail transcription, a Maps redesign, Home Kit integration and fun effects and stickers added to Messages.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
The Galaxy Note 7 runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, with Samsung’s TouchWiz interface. New features to Touchwiz include uniformly rounded icons and motion wallpaper, new camera shortcuts and a Secure Folder. New S-Pen features for the Galaxy Note include an animated GIF creator, and an always-on display that allows users to pin notes.
Special Features
iPhone 7
The iPhone 7 introduces IP67 water and dust resistance to Apple's smartphone line, which means the devices can withstand submersion in up to one meter (three feet) of water for up to 30 minutes. The new antenna enclosure allows for this water resistance rating.
The iPhone 7 also includes force sensitive capabilities in its home button, allowing users to perform different functions with the button by applying different levels of pressure.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
The Galaxy Note 7 introduces an iris scanner, which lets users unlock and authenticate their device with their eyes. The iris scanner was particularly designed to work with Secure Folder.
The Galaxy Note 7 and its S-Pen stylus features IP68 water, wind and dust resistance, meaning the devices can survive in up to 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Users will be able to take both the handset and stylus underwater and use them normally.
Other special features include the edge shortcuts software and always-on display.
Price And Availability
iPhone 7
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will go on sale Sept. 16 , starting at $649 and $769 respectively, and will be available for preorder Sept. 9. The smartphones will sell at carriers including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, as well as at many third party retailers.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 launched globally Aug. 19 , selling for around $849 depending on the carrier. The smartphone is currently off the market due to a battery recall that forced the manufacturer to halt sales.
