Samsung Galaxy S7 vs iPhone 6S: Which phone is best for you?
 |
| Galaxy S7 VS iPhone7 |
It's a battle of Professor X vs Magneto proportions. Like the Starks vs the Baratheons, or Kanye West vs his ego, Samsung Galaxy S7 vs iPhone 6S is a head-to-head that's set to rage on until the iPhone 7 drops later this year. Both devices are iterative updates on their predecessors, and neither has completely revolutionised the smartphone space.
Undoubtedly two of the best smartphones currently doing the rounds, they have much in common despite a broad array of contrasting capabilities. But which is better? And more importantly, which is better for you? Read on to find it out.
Samsung Galaxy S7 vs iPhone 6S Design: Battle of the beauties
With HTC in a bit of a funk, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and iPhone 6S are arguably the two best-looking smartphones currently available in all of tech-land. By some way as well. But which is better? Well, that's going to depend largely on your sense of style and whether you covet slim, sleek metallic lines, or a high-end blend of the tough stuff and glass.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 is a stunning bit of kit. It's a solid 9. The iPhone though is a pure 10. No, unlike the S7, the iPhone isn't waterproof, but if you drop it to concrete, you've only got to worry about one of its sides shattering. The iPhone feels nicer to hold too. Its soft, subtle curves are seriously classy, and although the S7 has added a soft slope to its rear edges, it's just not quite as comfortable.
Neither phone is a porker - there's barely anything between them when it comes to thickness and weight. These are both smartphone designs of the highest order, the iPhone just has that little extra spark.
Winner: iPhone 6S
Samsung Galaxy S7 vs iPhone 6S Screen: Apple's stuck in the past
Size isn't everything, or at least that's what we've been repeatedly reassured. Here though, Samsung's ability to squeeze a 5.1-inch display into a body barely any bigger than the 4.7-inch iPhone, shows that size has its benefits - a stunning, more immersive visual experience.
The iPhone 6S isn't a bad device to look at. Colours are immense and video is largely a visual joy. Stare harder at web pages and bodies of text however, and the phone's 1334 x 750 pixel resolution starts to look a little long in the tooth, albeit fractionally.
The Galaxy S7 has no such visual foibles. It's not just big, it's beautiful too. The 2560 x 1440 pixel, QHD resolution is painfully sharp, while the Super AMOLED panel ensures bright, vibrant colours and deep, immersive blacks. Samsung has sorted its historical light bleed and over-saturation issues too, creating a phone that's almost without visual rival.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S7
Samsung Galaxy S7 vs iPhone 6S Features: Power vs precision
On paper, the Galaxy S7 dumps all over the iPhone, but the paperwork doesn't tell the whole story. Yes, the heavyweight Galaxy S7 might have a processor with more grunt than a wild boar, but iPhone's A9 chip can hold its own, despite being a couple of weight classes below. That's because Apple's iOS software is far less demanding.
None of that really matters too much unless you're using your phone for unnaturally heavy tasks though. Both will breeze through everything you can throw at them without breaking a sweat, including a serious 3D gaming session - trust us, we've tried. For hours. What's key to these contrasting feature sets, however, are the less glamorous, but far more vital features, like battery power.
Neither are going to be spectacular - you'll need to fish your old Nokia 3310 out of the draw for anything more than a couple of days between charges - but both will easily see you through a single day's steady usage without hitting the red. We need more time with the Galaxy S7 to fully assess its staying power, but with the ability to watch an entire series of Game of Thrones before needing to return to the mains, it's got the essentials covered.
Winner: Draw
Samsung Galaxy S7 vs iPhone 6S Software: It's iOS vs Android all over again
The Android vs iOS debate is one that will rage long into the night, and the iPhone 6S and Samsung Galaxy S7 are the epitome of this battle. One platform is all about customisation, personalisation and being open. The other… well, let's just say Apple likes things to be done its way.
Apple's way has its benefits, though. iOS is cleaner and smoother than Android, but without the widgets and skins, it's hard to make your device feel like anything other than just another iPhone. Samsung has fine-tuned its Android skin, TouchWiz, in recent years too. Gone is the mass of bloatware, in is a far sleeker, less-cluttered design, that has a distinctly iPhone-inspired feel.
Like design, OS choice will come down to personal preference. Both have their ups and downs and in recent years have grown closer together.
Winner: Draw
Samsung Galaxy S7 vs iPhone 6S Camera: Two of the happiest snappers
