iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are now on sale, and Apple will be hoping that they’ll be able to halt and even reverse falling demand for its smartphone lineup. The new models have better cameras, faster processors, stereo speakers, and water-resistant designs.
But are those improvements enough? Without sharper displays and features like wireless charging — which are now commonplace on rival smartphones — does the iPhone 7 series deliver enough to fend off increased competition from its rivals?
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over whether Apple’s latest devices can compete with the rest.
Killian Bell: Apple’s new iPhone lineup delivers everything we expected from this year’s refresh — and a little bit more. Features like stereo speakers and water-resistance are nice surprises that not many fans expected to see from iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. But I can’t help but feel Apple still has some catching up to do.
I’m not your typical iPhone fan. I’m not blindly loyal to the Apple brand, and I don’t use iOS exclusively. Therefore, I’m familiar with the competition, and I’m more than happy to use Android if it means I get a better smartphone that delivers a greater user experience. Believe it or not, there are a lot of smartphone users like me.
And for us, I’m not sure the iPhone 7 series does enough to compete with some of its rivals — particularly the likes of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy Note 7. It’s still missing exciting features like wireless charging, and although Apple has made some improvements to its Retina HD displays, they’re still nowhere near as sharp as Samsung’s Quad HD panels.
I’m not exactly surprised that we didn’t get wireless charging, sharper displays, or iris scanners. But I am a little concerned that the iPhone 7 won’t be enough to stop falling iPhone demand as the gap between rival smartphones gets wider.
I presume you disagree?
Image: Apple
Luke Dormehl: Well, I definitely think the iPhone 7 is missing some of the Note 7’s hottest new features. That whole “exploding battery” feature is one that Apple really should have copied from Samsung to stay a part of the smartphone conversation.
I’m well aware that you’re not a typical iPhone fan. The fact that you spend many of these Friday Night Fights praising the ground Android devices walk on kind of told me that already. But, explosions aside, does the iPhone 7 match up to the latest wonders wafting over from the Android side of the tracks?
I’d say there’s no competition, frankly. Yes, Samsung’s top phones have superior displays to the iPhone. The OLED displays are gorgeous, and I have no doubt that it’s going to be a big selling point when it arrives next year for the iPhone 8 (or 7s, depending on what they call it.) With that said, Apple has increased the screen brightness of the iPhone 7 by 25 percent, while the display is beautifully calibrated to support a wide color gamut. Put it this way: no-one’s going to be complaining about the iPhone’s display.
We won’t know who wins the processor war until we see them go head-to-head, but the iPhone 7 is likely to be blindingly fast. In fact, the A10 is reportedly 240x faster than the original iPhone chip.
But that’s where the advantages end. The iPhone’s dual-lens camera setup looks astonishingly gorgeous, and when you add in the back-end machine learning software Apple’s created to help give your photos an added shine, I don’t see how Samsung can compete.
Of course, the biggest advantage the iPhone has is its software. Unlike Samsung’s Galaxy, which runs the Android operating system, the iPhone 7 runs the far more intuitive, far more secure iOS 10.
I can’t help noticing that our conversations about Android vs. iOS always come down to you defending Android handsets for their gimmicks (I mean, wireless charging is nice to have, but I certainly wouldn’t give up iOS for it), while giving the least possible praise to whatever Apple’s released. I just think you’re 100 percent wrong in this case.
Oh, and did I mention the fact that a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 reportedly just blew up a family’s car? Because the iPhone 7 probably isn’t going to do that.
Killian: I disagree about the whole display thing. I think people who are considering switching from a Galaxy S6 or a Galaxy Note 5 — or any other Android with a Quad HD display — will complain about the iPhone 7’s screen, because it’s nowhere near as sharp. Yes, it’s brighter this year, but the Galaxy Note 7 reaches the same 1,000 nits.
As for software, that’s all subjective. iOS is better for you because you’re used to it, but Android is the preferred choice for hundreds of millions of others.
According to the latest figures from IDC, Google’s platform currently accounts for 85.7 percent of the smartphone market, while Apple’s accounts for just 14.2 percent. If users were that concerned about Android’s security, I doubt it would be quite so popular. What’s more, recent studies have revealed that Android is now much more stable than iOS.
The A10 Fusion chip will be one of the iPhone 7’s few advantages. Apple’s chips always look disappointing on paper, but when combined with iOS in real-world tests, they’re great at matching and even beating competing chips with more cores and faster clock speeds.
I think iPhone 7 Plus’ dual-lens camera could be a big advantage for some, too — one that’s well worth the sacrifice of wireless charging, an iris scanner, expandable storage, and more. But until the device goes on sale next week and we find out what that camera’s really like in users’ hands (not Apple’s), we don’t know for certain.
You can keep mocking the Galaxy Note 7’s battery flaw because it’s clearly the only joke you have, but the tech press is calling Samsung’s latest phablet the best smartphone you can buy right now. That will still be the case when it goes on sale again without that flaw.
And there have been reports of exploding iPhones before, don’t forget. And bending ones. And ones with dodgy antennas that can’t make calls. And ones with faulty touchscreens that stop working after a while.
Photo: Apple
Luke: I know we joke about in Friday Night Fights, but, honestly, it’s pretty shameful to compare a smartphone which exploded and set a family’s jeep on fire with an iPhone that bends when you exert undue pressure on it. It’s crazy when you look at the tech press and, because of Apple’s superior presence, there are tenfold more articles talking about how it got rid of the headphone jack than Samsung putting out a phone which literally ignites.
And unlike many of those iPhones you referred to, we’re not talking about a dodgy third-party charger being used, or the phone itself going through some kind of extreme stress. I don’t want to darken the mood too much, but there’s a point at which defending Samsung just turns into blind Apple-bashing with no sense of perspective.
So what are the advantages you acknowledge that the iPhone 7 has? Superior processor, better camera setup, and software which appeals to a greater number of purchasers with the means to choose what smartphone they own. Because, let’s face it, the majority of those 85.7 percent of the smartphone market aren’t buying Android devices because they don’t like what Apple’s offering; it’s because they can’t afford it. If you actually look within the U.S. at the top-selling smartphone in a place where most people can afford to pick and choose with their phones, what do you find? That the iPhone 6s (and soon to be the 7, I suspect) is the top-selling handset.
Given that fact, what catching up has Apple got to do exactly? Because from where I sit it looks like it’s doing pretty darn well.
Killian: Ugh. Get over it, Luke. Samsung is addressing the problem and everyone’s happy. The reason there are more articles about Apple’s decision to remove the headphone jack from iPhone 7 is because the Note 7 story is old news now, and everyone’s over it. You just can’t let it go.
I’m not bashing Apple here; I’m just trying to balance things out a bit. You seem to believe Apple is perfect, and that every product it puts out is perfect. But that’s not quite the case. It has its own mishaps, too — and there have been plenty of them throughout the years.
The potential advantages (we don’t know for certain yet) of the iPhone 7 could be its A10 Fusion processor. That’s probably it. Yes, Apple has made improvements to its camera, but it’s probably only going to catch up to Samsung’s, which already has the f/1.8 aperture the iPhone 7 has. Samsung’s cameras have been way ahead for a couple of years now.
The potential advantages of the iPhone 7 Plus could be its A10 Fusion chip and its camera — if that secondary sensor delivers on Apple’s promises.
I’m not counting iOS as an advantage because, again, millions of people prefer Android. They’re not forced into using it; they prefer it. High-end smartphones like the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy Note 7 wouldn’t sell so well if the “majority” only used Android because it’s cheaper.
If Apple was doing that well iPhone sales wouldn’t be falling. The device is getting boring now, and it’s not catching up quickly enough. I’ve already mentioned a few of the things it lacks, but there are others. Apple seems to have a massive focus on gaming these days, but where’s the iPhone’s virtual reality platform? Samsung has one. LG has one. Android has one. Where’s Apple’s?
Luke: When it comes to VR, I’d suggest Apple’s doing the same thing it did with portable music players and the same thing it did with tablets: waiting until the moment’s right. Right now, VR is an interesting gimmick, but we’re pretty far from it being a mass-market technology, and it’s certainly not yet a game changer. Whether it will be is a debate for another day, but I don’t think it’s something Apple needs to be concerned about right now.
But I don’t think we’re going to agree on this, so let’s turn it over to readers. Do you feel disappointed by this year’s iPhone refresh? Did Samsung outdo Apple months before the iPhone 7 was unveiled on stage by Tim Cook? Let us know your thoughts and opinions below. And have a great weekend.
Friday Night Fights is a series of weekly death matches between two no-mercy brawlers who will fight to the death — or at least agree to disagree — about which is better: Apple or Google, iOS or Android?
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
22 responses to “Is iPhone 7 enough to beat the competition? [Friday Night Fights]”
“Is iPhone 7 enough to beat the competition?”
It already did… a long time ago.
You meant to say that Apple has already been beating its competitors with every iPhone line up it released..
iPhone 7 will definitely beat its estimate. A lot of people have already been doing preorders.
It’s as if people never remember history. This “war” that tech sites claim exist, perhaps to drive clicks, is about software NOT hardware.
All of this ballyhoo hearkens back to the Mac vs PC battles back in the day. Back then it was always the same thing from media outlets, magazines back then: they would all tour the awesome hardware that makers like Sony and Gateway would include. But Apple was always considered lagging behind in terms of hardware features. But what Made Apple, Apple, was the software, and the ecosystem Jobs tried so desperately to protect., No one got that. Not the media and not CEOs.
Today the same thing exists, the supposed pundits have it wrong: it’s the OS not the whiz bang hardware features that Samsung and Google are including to mask their weak ecosystem and fractured hardware/software compatibility.
There is no battle beyond what popular media would like you to believe: a war is good for business. Good for Apple. Good for Google. Good for web site clicks. Bad for consumers.
It’s also how well is new technology implemented. Apple typically does a better job. But a feature doesn’t make an ecosystem/platform.
Android phones are still much slower when it comes to application launching. Heck last year’s 6S/S+ wipes the floor with EVERY single 820 based Android phone.
Dear Killian, if you think that the battery issues of the Note 7 are old news, go look at Samsung Mobile’s Facebook page, because all those customers don’t seem to be over it.
Fanboyism does nothing to further a cause for one OS over another. It just looks more like a pissing match than true debate. Perhaps if you two stopped trading jabs at one another and kept on topic, you might reach a few people.
I don’t know someone would switch PLATFORMS over a simple feature. When I was looking for a smartphone, I had to think about what are the pros and cons to each PLATFORM, rather than just looking at specs of every product on the market.
Specs are specs, and most of them are superficial and aren’t deal breakers for a computer platform. First thing first, choose the platform, once you chose the platform stick with it, until another PLATFORM is better or the platform you have ceases to have the benefits you chose in the first place.
Oh, has anyone tested a well used Galaxy phone’s screen from how it performed on Day 1 to 2, 3 years later by performing measurements? Do they STILL have the burn in problem? I’ve read they still do, some have said NO. What’s the truth about AMOLED?? Anyone care to explain that’s not going to BS me? Measurements to back up the claim either way? I’ve seen older gen OLED and AMOLED screens that SUCKED after a year or so of heavy use. If they still have the screen burn in problem, then I’m in no hurry.
For those Galaxy fanboys. There is a FAA ban on the Note 7, and they won’t allow them on a plane or in the luggage compartment. Don’t put other people’s lives at risk over a fanboy love for Samsung. They aren’t watching out for my safety and they need to PROVE to the FAA that all Note 7’s are safe.
This is serious people. A fire in the luggage compartment is a SERIOUS risk to everyone on that plane and those around it should one blow up and cause a serious fire and the plane explodes.
Did anyone see the Jeep that caught on fire from a Note 7? A plane is far more serious because of jet fuel. Heck, if I was the FAA, I’d ban from airports completely. Samsung needs to pull EVERYONE from the market and simply ditch the Note 7 altogether and try again next year, and maybe the FAA won’t have a problem.
Killian talks about wireless charging as if it’s a significant, innovative and groundbreaking feature, but is it something I couldn’t live without? It’s of no slightest interest to me. It adds so little value to a phone as to be completely pointless. Here’s the difference: 1) Plug in your phone via a lightning/USB cable anywhere there’s a wall outlet to charge it, versus 2) wait until you get to wherever you’ve left your wireless charging cable. Is there much difference between laying your phone on a wireless charger and plugging it into a cable? No, it’s a bell/whistle, and completely insignificant.
The Samsung “sharper OLED screen” is higher resolution than the iPhone’s screen: Well, seeing as the current iPhone screen is so sharp that I can’t see any of the pixels, even up close, how much sharper does it have to be? Is this significant, a must-have feature, or a dealbreaker that dramatically affects the user experience? Not in the slightest.
I’m absolutely amazed at what Killian insists are the “way-ahead” advantages of Samsumg Android phones over the iPhone. What I’d really be amazed at is if one of the Android phone manufacturers actually DID come out with a major and significant feature that was truly innovative and must have. “Innovation” is not simply tacking on bits of fluff and features that either aren’t used or make so significant difference to the user experience.
Question: Why is iris scanning so essential? OK, it would be useful if you’ve lost all your fingers or had your fingerprints removed, but otherwise, meh. What practical use is it? It’s apparently MUCH slower than fingerprint recognition, so I see no practical advantage to it over fingerprint scanning (except for those without prints).
I agree. Wireless charging is a nice thing to have but it takes about .006 seconds longer to plug in the phone. I am not that lazy.
I don’t know why people are getting so hot and bothered with VR. VR right now isn’t there. There have been reports of people getting nauseous with VR after only a short period of time, so at this point in time, I don’t care if Apple doesn’t do VR. I have enough problems keeping my food down just by reading Fandroid comments.
I was thinking of buying a Note 7, returning it and getting my money back after I opened the box…. I wonder what Samsung is going to do since the FAA is banning Note 7’s from air flight. They probably have to ship them via a slow boat from China/South Korea to the US and abroad. That’ll leave a mark.
My friend, Adam Berger (look him up, he’s legit) is a reliability technician at Apple and he specifically tested the iPhone 7. He said that the “water resistance” is kind of an “advisory” and the exploding battery thing may actually be a real thing. Like as in if its a light drizzle maybe and definitely don’t takt it into the shower or else you want to “blow you f*cking balls off.” He said the lead for the iPhone 7 is an idiot and better to wait for the 8. Just saying from my friend.
Iris scanners are a dumb gimmick for paranoid people who are probably at zero risk of being maliciously hacked, and while the quad HD screen looks great, it’s over saturated garbage considering Apple is using ancient LCD screens, and still kicking Samsungs ass in build quality. Lastly, for people who like design, nothing beats the iPhones uninterrupted aesthetic (go figure, some people don’t like an ugly logo staring back at them).
I could probably unlock my iPhone and start writing an email to a client in the time it takes an Android user to bulge their eyes out of their head so their phone will accept the iris scan. You know iris scanning, the innovative technology that was developed more than 20 years ago.
I have seen the iris scanning in action. It takes longer and is a gimmick. I hope apple doesn’t do it in the n4xt iPhone.
Yes. Only because Android is a mess.
Iphone 7 is without a doubt the most beautiful smartphone ever created. Apple is not in a race to beat anyone at anything. It’s only race is to make the most beautiful devices the most useful devices we have ever used. Built of quality and precision. If you love apple and appreciate the hard work they do to make this come to life you would defend them. They are the only company on this planet that truley cares about this. Apple has changed the very future we live in everyday. Today they are doing it again.
Hahaha, what a first wold discussion. And that first world is limited to under 1/7th the world population.
My 2 cents, most of the world does not want to, care to, or can afford to spend $700-$900 on a phone. I have traveled extensively across south east Asia (not a tourist). I am constantly running into people who have very large Android based handsets, most of them in the $100-$150 range. They just want a large phablet that’ll do calls, whatsapp, Facebook and let them read on it. And that’s precisely why Android’s the by and far dominant player in the world. But give any of them an iPhone for a few minutes and they will lust for it… like we all lust for things out of reach in all walks of life. Nothing wrong with that… the very basis of being ‘living’ is greed and desire. In my opinion, iPhones and Android markets have diverged and few people care to go back and forth. To me, there are four kinds of Android consumers: (a) those smart enough to keep their money in a bank instead of some corporation’s pocket, (b) those that just don’t have the ability to spend that kind of money on what is essentially a modern must have, but at the very core is just a luxury, (c) those who are serious tinkerers and want to have that flexibility and (d) the last bunch who just want to believe they are smart, techie, but are really just wannabes, and too stupid to know it. (Unnecessary disclaimer: I’ve been an iOS consumer for a pretty long time. I think most Android users fall in category (d) above…. hahaha, I’m so exposing my self to burn now!)
Better screen- Galaxy
Better camera – Apple
Better processor – Apple (but who cares, they are all fast)
Better OS – Apple (but it’s really the one you like more than anything else)
Better Battery – Galaxy (ok one little problem)
Price – Tie, Top end prices are equal
Wireless charging – Gimmick, who cares
Ever so slight advantage on the top end of phones – Apple. Now if you’re talking about a 5S or 6 vs some of the crap that Google lets run their OS definitely Apple.
As for the android vs Apple that’s a stupid comparison when you are talking hardware. Only applicable when you talk OS.
I’m an Apple guy, and I gotta admit that I’m getting bored with the iPhone. My iPhone 6s Plus is a great phone… nothing wrong with it. However, battery life is not what it should be for as big as it is. Phone reception is not amazing… Screen could be brighter, especially in direct sunlight. Not gonna throw it away or anything, but I’m sure not looking to “upgrade” to the new 7 plus. Too much expense for not much improvement. Glossy black just looks like a magnet for fingerprints and scratches. Not sold on the “new” camera, either. My friends that have newer Samsung phones take much better photos/video than my iPhone. Not that my iPhone pics are terrible… theirs are just sharper, and better focused.
Apple is not the company it once was. They are releasing products that are not ready for the market, and not fully tested. Apple watch is a perfect example. SLOW speeds with any application, apps that do NOTHING, and zero variety, unless you just want to change the watch band. iOS is nice, but has become much more buggy than it used to be. And seriously, why is the process for connecting to a wifi network such a hassle on iOS? I’ve owned both Android and Apple phones. Both have their merits. Yes, Apple makes great hardware… and the difference in price used to be worth it in the long run. However, in the phone world, I’m not sure that’s the case anymore.