Apple iPhone 7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: The battle between two upcoming flagships of 2016

woman using a smartphone — A consumer checks out smartphones. Reuters/File

Apple and Samsung are both expected to launch their next generation flagship devices in 2016, the Apple iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S7 . The tech giants are believed to be packing their upcoming devices with quite a few design changes and top-notch technology.

Apple iPhone 7 speculated specs:

Just like its predecessor, the Apple iPhone 7 is expected to come in two variants - the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch Force Touch display respectively. Both variants will likely feature Quad HD LCD display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels.

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Anti-reflective coating, which was used on the the display of the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4, and delivered a record breaking low reflectance rate, may also be used for Apple's next generation iPhones. Low reflectance has significant influence on image quality.

Meanwhile, earlier rumours indicated that Apple may use sapphire displays for the iPhone 7, which the company used for its Apple Watch.

Other features of the iPhone 7 according to recent rumours include a completely new look without the rear camera bump, reports 9to5Mac. The next iteration of the much coveted iPhone 6s is also believed to be the thinnest iPhone ever.

As for storage, the next generation of the popular Apple device will offer 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB storage options. Powered by Apple A10 processor, the iPhone 7 will house 3GB of RAM.

In the camera department, the iPhone 7 will allegedly feature a 12-megapixel rear-camera with optical image stabilisation and 4K video recording. Prevailing speculations indicate that the device may feature a dual rear facing camera module.

Other innovative features:

Among other features the iPhone 7 is rumoured to come with a Panic button enabled by the fingerprint of a user on the Touch ID sensor, which will protect the phone from theft. The 3.5 mm headphone jack could also be ditched, while the phone incorporates an all-in-one Lightning connector.

The Apple iPhone 7 may also feature a built-in electronic SIM, include expanded Home button functionality and come with support for wireless charging.

Apple iPhone 7 release date: Expected to take place during the company's annual fall event in September 2016. However, Apple is yet to announce an official launch date.

Samsung Galaxy S7 speculated specs:

Samsung’s next flagship device will reportedly come in two variants, the flat screen Galaxy S7 and the curved-edge Galaxy S7 Edge, each sporting a 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch Super AMLOED display, with a more or less similar design. The company is believed to be bringing better changes under the hood rather than focusing on design specifications.

The Galaxy S7 will be launched with two different processors for different markets. One variant will be powered by Samsung’s proprietary Exynos 8890 SoC while the other will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor.

Samsung’s new flagship device will likely offer three storage options: 32GB, 64GB and 128GB. As speculated, with the Galaxy S7 series, Samsung will bring back expandable storage. Both variants are expected to have microSD card slots for memory expansion up to 200 GB. Latest reports suggest that the handsets will host hybrid dual-SIM slots to accommodate expandable storage options.

However, Samsung is likely to lower the camera specs of its new phones and include a 12 MP rear camera sensor, unlike the 16MP in the Galaxy S6 series. But the camera will have an aperture of f/1.7, allowing improved low-light photography.

Both the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are going to get an overhaul in battery capacity with 3,000 mAh and 3,600 mAh batteries respectively.

Other innovative features:

Samsung also has plans to incorporate water and dust resistance capabilities to its next generation of Galaxy handsets. The rumoured handset may sport a USB Type-C port, dual SIM card slot and fingerprint scanner.

Samsung may also borrow some features from Apple and incorporate Live Photos and its version of pressure sensitive display technology in the Galaxy S7 line-up.

Samsung Galaxy S7 release date: At the Samsung Unpacked 2016 event on Feb. 21, one day ahead of Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016.