Samsung has finally delivered the Galaxy S7, and the Korean manufacturer will be hoping that it is an iPhone beater. But with the next generation iPhone 7 in due to launch later this year, the Korean corporation will certainly face a challenge to its flagship smartphone before 2016 is out. The iPhone has been the leading mobile for some years, and even though Apple has already admitted that iPhone sales will decline slightly over the calendar year, it still boasts profitability that any consumer electronics company would kill for.
Galaxy S7 Or iPhone 7? – Micro SD
In its attempts to ensure that the Galaxy S7 is a massive success, Samsung has included several new features in the makeup of its device. The first interesting decision taken by the Korean corporation is the reintroduction of micro SD expansion. It was never entirely clear why this was removed from the Galaxy S range in the first place, and it was certainly not a popular decision with Android fans. The reinstatement of micro SD was possibly the most widely requested aspect of the Galaxy S7, and thankfully Samsung has paid attention to this clamoring.
It seems unlikely that the iPhone 7 will respond directly to micro SD, as it is not a form of technology that has been particularly linked with the iPhone range. However, it has been widely reported that Apple will double the storage quotient in the iPhone 7 to 256GB, responding to the 200GB storage boost of micro SD in the Galaxy S7 neatly.
Battery battle
Samsung has also ensured that the Galaxy S7 delivers excellent battery life, an area in which Apple has been lacking over the last few iterations of the iPhone series. It is a frequent criticism of the iPhone that it delivers insufficient battery lifecycle, and if Samsung already had an edge in this department, the company has ensured that this is now increased with the Galaxy S7.
The Galaxy S7 thus features a 20 percent larger battery, with the Galaxy S7 Edge featuring a unit 40 percent larger than the cell included last year. Considering that Android Marshmallow is also reported to include power saving functionality, then the life cycle of both devices should be greatly increased over the Galaxy S6, particularly as Samsung has chosen not to increase the resolution of the handset.
Apple must surely respond to this larger battery by improving the lifecycle of the iPhone 7 when it is released, although whether it can eliminate the gap completely is doubtful. One thing that is notable in relation to the battery, though, is that it has resulted in a 4 percent thicker Galaxy S7 and 9 percent thicker Galaxy S7 Edge. Apple is known for the sleekness of its devices, and is probably working behind the scenes now to ensure that the iPhone 7 does not need to make any such physical compromises.
Water resistance
Another feature which Samsung has restored with the Galaxy S7 is the inclusion of water resistance; something that the corporation had previously removed from the Galaxy S units in the past. Thus, the Galaxy S7 has been granted an IP68 ingress rating, meaning that it is completely dustproof and water-resistant for half an hour in up to five feet of water.
It is already widely rumored that Apple will respond to this decision directly, and that the iPhone 7 will be both significantly waterproof and dustproof. Apple is expected to place a greater emphasis on the health-tracking functionality of its product range in 2016, and waterproofing and dustproofing can play a major role in this process.
Camera technology
Another central aspect of the smartphone battleground in 2016 will be camera technology, and thus Samsung has predictably improved the Galaxy S7 camera significantly. However, in order to do this it has also downgraded the megapixel rating of the Galaxy S7, and this could even see Apple considering upgrading the iPhone 7 in this department once more, ensuring that it outranks its Galaxy S7 arrival. This would be a rather bizarre situation considering that not that long ago the Galaxy S range had double the megapixel rating of its Apple rival.
However, the reason that Samsung has pared down the megapixel rating in the Galaxy S7 snapper is that the corporation has also included a new form of technology that enables the camera to take superior photographs in darker conditions. This is quite a big deal, as the inability of mobile technology to capture decent photographs in low-light shooting conditions has been a major bugbear until now.
Apple could choose to respond directly into this with its own proprietary technology, but numerous other innovations have also been linked with the iPhone 7. In particular, it is suggested that the next generation Apple smartphone could benefit from a professional standard DSLR unit, and even a unique periscope design was linked with the smartphone at one time. What is clear is that there will be a serious response to the BRITECELL-like technology included in the Galaxy S7.
Mobile gaming
Finally, another interesting aspect of the Galaxy S7 is that it has been significantly optimized for gaming, as smartphones become an increasingly important platform for video gamers. Hardly a commercial break passes on television without video gaming adverts nowadays, particularly on those channels aimed at young people and millennials.
Samsung has attempted to cash in on this trend with the brand new Vulkan APIs included, which improve upon the existing Open GL and OpenGL ES. What this ultimately means in layman’s terms is that the graphics performance of the Galaxy S7 is massively improved owing to its new ability to utilize multiple calls simultaneously.
Analysts believe that the Galaxy S7 is now better equipped than any other smartphone to handle demanding games, with the corporation also cashing in on this capability by including gaming optimization settings in the handset. Apple has made gaming a key aspect of its strategy over the last couple of years, and at the Apple TV was notable for its gaming emphasis, so it will be expected to follow suit with the iPhone 7 later this year.
So the Galaxy S7 does have some unique features in its portfolio that the iPhone 7 will struggle to match. Apple will rely on the slickness and design brilliance of the iPhone range, but may also have the opportunity to close the gap on specs in 2016. The choice for consumers will depend on whether they desire the spec-packed Galaxy S7 or the super-cool iPhone 7.
