Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Apple iPhone 6s specs: A comparative review of features

New Samsung S7 (R) and S7 edge smartphones are displayed after their unveiling ceremony at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 21, 2016. Reuters/Albert Gea

Starting from Feb. 26, Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones will be up for pre-order on Australian carriers including Telstra, Vodafone and Optus. Both phones will go on sale from March 11.

Samsung’s new and improved Galaxy S7 smartphone will enter the market in two weeks' time to take on Apple’s iPhone 6s. Here’s how Samsung’s new offering may prove to be better than Apple’s current flagship phone:

Display

Both the Samsung Galaxy S7 phones feature the latest and more vibrant Super AMOLED display with 2K Quad HD (2,560x1,440 pixels) resolution. On the other hand, Apple iPhone 6s features the backlit IPS LED displays with a resolution of 750 x 1334 pixels.

Samsung has packed the Galaxy S7 with the best display screen in the market which offers much sharper and richer colours than that of the iPhone 6s.

The Galaxy S7 has ‘Always On Display’ feature allowing the device to show basic notifications at all time, whereas Apple’s iPhone 6s has the revolutionary 3D Force Touch.

Processor

When it comes to hardware, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is powered by either Qualcomm’s quad-core Snapdragon 820 or Samsung’s own octa-core Exynos 8890 chipset depending on the market it sells in. Apple’s current flagship is fueled by the powerful dual-core A9 chipset.

The Galaxy S7 sports a custom CPU that is up to 30 percent faster than its predecessor, the Galaxy S6. Launching apps, playing games and streaming videos will supposedly be smoother than ever.

Samsung packed the Galaxy S7 with a gracious 4GB of RAM which is double the RAM size of iPhone 6s. According to a report in Phone Arena, with 4GB of RAM, the Galaxy S7 will overshine the iPhone 6s as far as multi-tasking is concerned.

Storage and microSD Card

Apple iPhone 6s offers three internal storage options – 16GB, 64GB or 128 GB. The Samsung Galaxy S7 is loaded with 32GB or 64GB storage options, but the internal memory can be expanded up to 200GB via microSD card slot which is not present in the iPhone 6s.

The device comes with hybrid SIM card tray which can also be used for dual SIM cards.

Dual Pixel Camera

With Galaxy S7, Samsung introduced the first Dual Pixel camera on a smartphone which delivers “brighter and sharper images even in low light.” The 12-megapixel rear-facing camera offers wider aperture (f/1.7), faster shutter speed and accurate auto-focus in low light conditions.

The camera also sports optical image stabilisation (OIS) and Motion Panorama, giving an immersive visual experience.

Apple offers a 12MP rear camera with a lower aperture of f/2.2, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED flash. But it lacks OIS, which combined with low aperture will give poor results in low light.

Battery

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S7 with a massive 3,000 mAh battery in comparison to the meagre 1,715 mAh battery included in the iPhone 6s. Additionally, the company has roped in an internal cooling technology to manage overheating issues.

The Galaxy S7 also supports both wired and in-built wireless charging technology. Apple iPhone 6s can be charged via an iPhone wireless charger or wireless charging pad.

Full water resistance

The iPhone 6s can withstand a splatter of water but with IP68 water and dust resistance, the new Galaxy S7 can remain under water for few minutes. Interestingly, as a marketing tool, T-Mobile posted a video featuring an underwater unboxing of the new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones, as reported by Android Police.