iPhone 7 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

How does the latest and greatest iPhone stack up against the more analogous flagship of its biggest Android competitor? Let's weigh it

iPhone 7Plus

related to

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

, one specification at a time.

Cut

The new iPhone 7 Plus is nearly 5% taller and 7% wider than the S7 edge. It's also thinner than the S7 edge by about half a millimeter.

Weight

The larger, denser iPhone is almost 18% heavier than the S7 edge. A difference of 31 grams is certainly a noticeable weight.

To build

Smartphones these days tend not to stray too far from the build. These two are about as different as the main flagships seem to be. The iPhone has its characteristic aluminum unibody; the S7 Edge has a curved glass front and back that earned it big points in our

review

Water resistance

water resistance

Water resistance has finally arrived on the iPhone, but its protection doesn't match Samsung's. The iPhone has an IP67 water resistance rating, which means it will withstand submersion up to one meter deep. The S7 edge's IP68 rating means it can withstand depths in excess of one meter. Samsung further clarified that the phone is protected in up to 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. In any case, there is no need to sound the death knell if your phone is accidentally splashed or plunged quickly.

Headphone jack

Apple ditched the headphone jack in favor of stereo speakers and a capacitive home button, but the iPhone 7 Plus comes with Lightning-port headphones and an AUX-to-Lightning adapter. The S7 edge hooks into the headphone jack, so you can continue to use your favorite headphones without the hassle of more cables.

Stereo speakers

One of the benefits of ditching the headphone jack is that the iPhone 7 Plus has an additional speaker, which should make amplification "hacks" like cutting the speaker obsolete. speaker. Apple said stereo speakers will make the iPhone twice as loud, and we can't wait to put that claim to the test.

Colors

Black, white and metallics are the palette of choice these days. The matte black and glossy jet black iPhones are also black on the front; metallic colors sport the white faceplates we're used to seeing from Apple. Samsung keeps it simple with monochrome phones and three different color options.

Screen size

Although bigger and heavier, the iPhone has the same screen size as the S7 edge. Presumably, that extra header and footer space is used for speaker, camera, and home button hardware. Meanwhile, the S7 edge has a higher screen-to-surface ratio.

Display resolution

No question here - the S7 edge is the clear winner in this department. Its pixel density is 28% higher than the iPhone, for truly superior display sharpness.

Display type

Both manufacturers have been faithful to the same

screen technologies

for years.

Curved display

Headphone jack

True to its name, the screen of the S7 edge hugs the curves of its glass front. The iPhone screen is a typical flat rectangle.

Permanent display

Headphone jack

The S7 edge's always-on setting puts key notifications, like the time and message count, on the phone's screen at all times. You still need to "wake up" the iPhone 7 to see your notifications.

Pressure sensitive display

This unique Apple feature is better known by its proprietary name, 3D Touch. The pressure-sensitive screen launches iOS shortcuts based on how hard you touch the screen.

Fingerprint sensor

This biometrics-based security measure isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It's built into the capacitive home button on the iPhone (read more) and the physical home button on the S7 edge.

Capacitive home button

Pressure sensitive display

Not only does the iPhone home button contain its fingerprint sensor, but it also gives haptic vibration feedback for a touch-based and shortcut-based experience.

The Galaxy has a capacitive menu and recent apps keys flanking its home button, but they lack the nifty Force Click back of the iPhone that makes it physical.

VR compatibility

Permanent display

The S7's pixel density can be put to good use with a

Gear VR headset

. Apple talked about the game several times during this year's iPhone reveal event, but if virtual reality is on the horizon, the company hasn't shown it.

Camera megapixels

The rear cameras are neck and neck, but the 7-megapixel front camera on the iPhone translates to sharper selfies.

Dual lens camera

Pressure sensitive screen

iPhone 7 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

Although dual-lens cameras can be used to accomplish different things (for example, the

Honor 8

uses one lens to capture monochrome and the other for color capture), the iPhone 7 Plus combines a traditional lens and a telephoto lens. The result? 2x optical zoom, for sharper shooting at a distance. It's not the first smartphone to offer optical zoom - the Asus Zenfone

did it last year and Samsung

tried it with a new phone

Three years ago, but the S7 edge is still limited to digital zoom only.

Camera opening (rear)

Both flagships opted for

larger lens apertures

This year. That's a good thing: larger apertures allow for better low-light shooting and (sometimes) more DSLR-like depth-of-field manipulation. The edge of the S7 comes out on top here - the lower the diaphragm, the larger the aperture.

Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)

Fingerprint sensor

Both phones have

OIS

, which minimizes unwanted camera blur. This hardware feature keeps the phone's imaging sensor steady, even if your hands are shaking.

Battery

Apple hasn't released a specific mAh spec for the iPhone 7 battery, but we'll be able to confirm that shortly after the phones start shipping. Apple gave battery life estimates: up to 21 hours of 3G talk time; up to 13 hours of Internet browsing on 3G or LTE or 15 hours on Wi-Fi.

The S7 edge's 3600mAh battery provides up to 36 hours of 3G talk time. For internet use, it's up to 1 p.m. on 3G, 2 p.m. on LTE, or 3 p.m. on Wi-Fi.

Quick charge

Headphone jack

Apple has yet to offer an alternative to single-speed charging through the Lightning port. The S7 edge can be fully charged in a fraction of the time.

Wireless charging

Headphone jack

With the purchase of an additional charger accessory, the S7 edge can be charged wirelessly.

Built-in storage

Storage

Apple's built-in storage tiers have finally caught up to the 21st century. If you're looking at this shiny jet black iPhone, know that it's only available in the two largest sizes.

microSD

Screen always on

There are no expandable storage options for the iPhone, so the increased built-in storage mentioned above is a big step. However, the S7 edge has a microSD slot, so its lower tiers of onboard storage aren't as much of a problem. Thanks to the microSD, you can add an additional 256 GB.

Mobile payments

The iPhone is equipped with Apple Pay, which requires merchants to have a contactless payment reader. The S7 edge has

Samsung Pay

, which can mimic the sliding of a magnetic tape in addition to being scanned by a reader.

RAM

The S7 edge has more RAM than the iPhone, but at least the iPhone's RAM capacity has been increased from last year's paltry 2GB. Historically, iPhones have run smoothly even with relatively low RAM, but we'll get a better idea of that when we do our full review.

Processor

Likewise, we haven't tested Apple's new A10 fusion chip yet, but the S7 edge's Snapdragon processor has already proven itself. In regions outside of the US, China, and Japan, the S7 edge has an Exynos 8990 octa core instead.

Software

This year's iPhone flagships come with

iOS10

. The S7 edge is currently working

Android 6.0 Marshmallow

with its personalized Samsung Touchwiz user interface. Speculation suggests it will get the update

Nougat

at the beginning of 2017.

Launch

The iPhone 7 Plus is about to start shipping; the Galaxy S7 edge is six months old.

Starting price (full retail)

Price (full retail)

The iPhone 7 Plus starts at US$769. Galaxy prices vary by carrier and payment plan, but expect to shell out around $790.

In many ways, these premium phablets are neck and neck. Each has benefits the other doesn't, and the price is nearly the same. Personal usage preferences should therefore end up taking a more important role in the decision-making process than parameters such as power or price. Want the convenience of fast charging, love VR games, and have a thing for a curved screen? The S7 edge has your number. Think you're putting optical zoom to good use, want sharper selfies, and iOS is your thing? It's the iPhone.

To learn more about each phone, you can check out our reviews on the

iPhone 7Plus

and

Galaxy S7 series