With the release of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, Apple is attempting to outdo the existing Samsung Galaxy series. These two companies have dominated the smartphone marketplace for some years now, with the two competitors now squabbling over both the smartphone and phablet niches.
The iPhone 7 is viewed as a direct competitor to the Galaxy S7 Edge, while the iPhone 7 Plus competes with the Galaxy Note 7. So how do these smartphones compare with one another in terms of specifications? Here is a rundown of all the relevant information related to the four dominant handsets currently available.
iPhone 7 vs iPhone 7 Plus vs Galaxy S7 Edge vs Galaxy Note 7 – Size
The Galaxy S7 Edge is significantly larger than its iPhone 7 rival, with the latter featuring dimensions of 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7 mm, compared to the 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm of the iPhone 7. The iPhone 7 Plus and Galaxy Note 7 are almost identical in size, with the Apple unit measuring 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm compared to the 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9 mm of the Note 7.
Weight
It is interesting that there is significant disparity between the weights of the iPhone units, which is not shared by the Samsung Galaxy range; of course, this is due to the difference in size between the two iPhone variants.
Thus, the iPhone 7 is significantly lighter than the Galaxy S7 Edge, with the former weighing just 138g. The Galaxy S7 Edge is around 15 percent heavier, with the weight of the handset being 157g.
However, the Galaxy Note 7 is somewhat lighter than the iPhone 7 Plus, with the Samsung device weighing in at 169g. The larger Apple unit weighs 188g, meaning it is the heaviest of the four smartphones.
Display
Both of the Samsung devices feature significantly superior screen resolutions in comparison to their Apple counterparts. The iPhone 7 Plus is armed with full HD resolution, while the iPhone 7 does not even possess HD; the Apple smartphone being capable of displaying 750 x 1,334 pixels.
Both the Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy S7 Edge have resolutions of 1,440 x 2560 pixels, meaning that the smaller S7 Edge smartphone offers by far the best pixel density of the four devices.
Camera
Considering that Samsung has traditionally been associated with significantly better cameras than the devices produced by Apple, it is interesting to note that the gap has closed in recent years. There is little to choose between the iPhone range and Galaxy handsets in this department now, with each of the four devices all offering 12-megapixel resolution.
There are minor differences between the two ranges, though. Firstly, both of the Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy Note 7 cameras feature dual pixel technology. This enables superior shooting in darker conditions. By contrast, only the larger iPhone 7 Plus has a dual camera, with the iPhone 7 still features a more conventional unit.
There is also another extremely minor difference between the Samsung shooters and Apple snappers, with both of the iPhone 7 cameras featuring f/1.8 aperture, compared to the slightly superior f/1.7 that Samsung has delivered with both the Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy Note 7.
Processor
The iPhone range arguably now features superior processors to the Samsung Galaxy series. This is open to debate, as Samsung will claim that both the Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy Note 7 are based on octa-core technology.
But in reality both handsets are based on two bundles of quad-core processors, clocked at 2.3 GHz and 1.6 GHz respectively. This arguably means that the quad-core 2.23 GHz processor included in both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is more than the equal of the Samsung range.
Battery
Both of the Samsung devices feature larger batteries than their Apple equivalents, and in the case of the smartphone-sized models the gap between the two is quite a chasm.
The 1,960 mAh cell in the iPhone 7 is the smallest of the four units by some distance, with the Galaxy S7, somewhat perversely, being the largest of the four batteries at 3,600 mAh. The difference between the two phablet devices is significantly smaller, with the iPhone 7 Plus featuring a 2,900 mAh cell, while the Galaxy Note 7 boasts a 3,500 mAh battery.
Memory
Samsung clearly has the edge in this department, with its phablets featuring 4GB of memory, and the smartphone of having 3GB worth of RAM. This is 1GB more than Apple’s offerings in both cases, with the iPhone 7 fitted with 2GB and the iPhone 7 Plus featuring 3GB.
Storage
Apple certainly offers more storage quantity and choices with the iPhone 7 than Samsung currently provides with its flagship smartphones. Both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus offering users the choice between 32, 128 and 256GB variants. The largest storage version of both the Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy S7 Edge is 64GB, with the former also offering a 32GB version.
Colors
Both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are available in Jet Black, Black, Silver, Gold, Rose Gold, while the S7 Edge can be purchased in Black, White, Gold, Silver, Pink Gold. However, the Galaxy Note 7 offers only four color choices, namely Blue Coral, Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium, Black Onyx.
Price
There are a huge amount of purchasing options available for each of these devices, at present one should expect to pay a little more for the iPhone 7 than the Galaxy S7. The Galaxy Note 7 is retailing at a similar price point to the Apple phablet.
Conclusion
Although Apple has narrowed the gap between the iPhone range and Galaxy series, there is no doubt that in pure spec terms Samsung’s handsets remain in the ascendancy. Apple always relies on its combination of proprietary hardware and software to close the gap, but the Californian consumer electronics giant would be well advised to up the ante when it releases the iPhone 8 next year.
