iOS vs Android (Long Term Review)

[Nr123*123]

I have used an S7 Edge and an iPhone 6s Plus back to back for months now, so I feel well placed to give my opinion.

The overall winner is unanimously the S7 Edge (that's saved some of you reading further down).

The main reason for this is the software. iOS is riddled with bugs that you wouldn't expect on a cheap android phone, let alone a £650 iPhone.

Software

The S7 Edge has a smoother, faster and far more intuitive user interface. Apps are genuinely running in the background, and not the fake pauses that iOS does. This means you can jump between two things.

iOS is riddled with bugs, from the reminder app to FaceTime. Apps don't crash, which is good, but no effort has been made to fix bugs that have been there for years.

The whole iOS is a dumbed down version of a smartphone. This, coming from someone who has owned an iPhone since the original. It just hasn't moved on. The widgets on the iPhone are comical.

In addition, some basic UI elements have been completely overlooked, like the force touch on the lock screen is at a different sensitivity setting, so you have to press harder than in other places on the phone.

One thing going for iOS is the adoption rate amongst the UK population. Most of my friends and family have iPhones, so iMessage and FaceTime are superior to Google hangouts (crashes regularly) and WhatsApp.

Voice Assistant

Siri is utterly useless, struggling to understand basic commands. Often, Siri is far less sensitive and so it misses words. On the exact same phone, with the same intonation, the Google app voice search picks it up perfectly.

Siri has bugs, many bugs. Example: "Siri, set a reminder for parking at 4:30"
Sometimes it will set a reminder at 4:30. Other times, it simply creates a reminder titled "parking at 4:30".

Another one, you press for Siri, and immediately it says "I didn't get that". Comically sh*T


S Voice is also useless, because it is buried in the phone and doesn't appear to be linked with the apps. However, Google Now is instant and never gets it wrong. One downside, it can't run some apps on the S7 Edge. This is a larger problem with the division between hardware and software.


Display

When I got the 6S Plus, I'd been running the S7 Edge for some months. I turned the 6S on and went to YouTube. I genuinely thought the screen was faulty. It seemed incredibly grainy and washed out. The S7 is over-saturated, but my preference is definitely for the S7.

Camera

The camera on the 6S is okay in good lighting (note, I am not a photographer, just a typical consumer). However, the low light performance is terrible. This is where the S7 Edge steals a march. The rear camera is phenomenal. There isn't another word for it. The speed at which it fires up and snaps is amazing. The front camera, whilst having a great wide field of view, is terrible. It has this weird blurring effect on faces that look very fake.

Battery

The iPhone wins hands down. I can easily last an entire day and then some. Whilst the S7 Edge has fast charging, there isn't a need to do that if the battery lasts until midnight. I never used wireless charging on the S7 and felt no desire to. Tad gimmicky. Also, the 6S can charge very quickly with the iPad charger.

Fingerprint Scanner

iPhone wins hands down. It's not that the actual scanning is quicker, but the accuracy is far far greater on the iPhone. I haven't had a non-recognised press yet! On the S7, these were probably half of the presses - very frustrating. When I actually had them both on, and placed my finger exactly, this is where the S7 won. But that isn't remotely representative. A large part of this may be the fact that fingers are more round (iPhone home button) than rectangular (S7 home button). This seems small, but it actually makes it much more pleasurable to use the iPhone quickly, out of your pocket, adding immensely to the experience.


My preference: The Galaxy S8 when it comes out. Hopefully this will correct the above flaw in the S7. iOS is falling very far behind in being a good UI and I have heard several anecdotal stories of people switching to premium android phones, because they do the same thing for less money. Which is the point, if I pay a premium, I want a premium UI!

 

[sracer]

I could take your "review" seriously if you had actually pointed out some basic and glaring deficiencies with Android. To claim that "iOS is riddled with bugs" and mention nothing regarding Android makes your post simply a stream of consciousness for justifying why you want to buy a Galaxy S8... in that respect, "cool story bro!"

 

[5105973]

My husband has been comparing his iPhone 6S Plus to his S7 Edge in the past week. His findings are similar to yours. He's now comparing the iPhone 7 Plus he got yesterday.

The IPhone 7 Plus camera brings it up to the S7 Edge in low light performance. Our subject was our Christmas tree. The S7Edge did consistently have a problem with lens flare from our string lights. We tested my S7 Edge and it also had the same problem. The iPhone 6S Plus, HTC 10, and IPhone 7 Plus did not have the same lens flare. The HTC 10 often did slightly overexpose the image compared to the other phone cameras.

For people who like to record video, particularly of music performances or recitals, it should be noted that the Samsung S7 and S7 Edge can record beautiful stereo audio in videos and the IPhones do not. The HTC 10 has a hi res audio setting but so far in playback through my headphones I don't note too much difference between the quality from it and the Samsung. The sound might be tighter and slightly cleaner but slightly less rich also.

The iPhone 7 Plus's zoom lens does nice in preserving the actual proportions of faces and objects (needs a lot of light for good results) because the wider angle lenses on the other cameras introduce slight barrel distortion in portraiture that can make faces look slightly chipmunkish. Most people don't really notice this because they get used to themselves and loved ones as their camera depicts them. It's something some of us finicky people notice.

That's all I can think to add at the moment. Thanks for starting this thread. I hope we can have nice informative discussion about the differences among the various flagships that won't descend into arguments over which is the better choice, as that really is up to the individuals and their needs and budgets.

 

[I7guy]

My husband has been comparing his iPhone 6S Plus to his S7 Edge in the past week. His findings are similar to yours. He's now comparing the iPhone 7 Plus he got yesterday.

The IPhone 7 Plus camera brings it up to the S7 Edge in low light performance. Our subject was our Christmas tree. The S7Edge did consistently have a problem with lens flare from our string lights. We tested my S7 Edge and it also had the same problem. The iPhone 6S Plus, HTC 10, and IPhone 7 Plus did not have the same lens flare. The HTC 10 often did slightly overexpose the image compared to the other phone cameras.

For people who like to record video, particularly of music performances or recitals, it should be noted that the Samsung S7 and S7 Edge can record beautiful stereo audio in videos and the IPhones do not. The HTC 10 has a hi res audio setting but so far in playback through my headphones I don't note too much difference between the quality from it and the Samsung. The sound might be tighter and slightly cleaner but slightly less rich also.

The iPhone 7 Plus's zoom lens does nice in preserving the actual proportions of faces and objects (needs a lot of light for good results) because the wider angle lenses on the other cameras introduce slight barrel distortion in portraiture that can make faces look slightly chipmunkish. Most people don't really notice this because they get used to themselves and loved ones as their camera depicts them. It's something some of us finicky people notice.

That's all I can think to add at the moment. Thanks for starting this thread. I hope we can have nice informative discussion about the differences a,on the various flagships that won't descend into arguments over which is the better choice, as that really is up to the individuals and their needs and budgets.

Lens flare on the s7 has been reported in fan-based review sites. Each camera at this point has their pluses and minuses. The second lens on the 7+ brings an entirely new dimension to the table though.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I also had the 6S+ and the S7 Edge,
My issues on the 6S+ was app crashes and onscreen battery life. But this was before iOS10
My issues with the S7 Edge was mediocre audio and 32gb internal space.

Then I had the Note 7 which I was VERY happy with. But we all know what happened with that.

Now I rotate the 7+ and the LG V20.
I basically don't have any issue with both phones and enjoy using them both(considering I know what to expect from iOS and Android). But I can't wait to get my hands on a flagship Samsung phone again, counting the days until the S8 is released. I also miss using the Gear VR.

I will trade my V20 for the S8 with JOD, and if there is still a Note line, will trade the S8 for the Note 8.

I'm also on the iPhone Upgrade program, so I will trade my 7+ for the next one. The main thing I want from the next iPhone is Fast charging, Wireless charging, and better display resolution.

 

[Nr123*123]

Yes hopefully we can have an informative discussion.

Good point regarding the stereo audio on the S7. This is quite a big difference. Though, I can't say I noticed any lens flare myself. I did find the phone got quite hot after some 4K recording.

RE the audio quality (headphone out and speaker) - it is noteably worse than the iPhone 6S Plus. I don't know how it compares to the 7?

One very subjective assessment, it feels as though the S7 Edge is more interactive and "alive" in a sense. Possibly because of the vivid colours on the SAMOLED screen.
[doublepost=1481477436][/doublepost]

I could take your "review" seriously if you had actually pointed out some basic and glaring deficiencies with Android. To claim that "iOS is riddled with bugs" and mention nothing regarding Android makes your post simply a stream of consciousness for justifying why you want to buy a Galaxy S8... in that respect, "cool story bro!"

It's not a review, per se, I have clearly prefaced it with "my opinion" in the original post.

I have also mentioned faults with the android system ON THE S7 - there are less of these, hence why I mention them less.

The OS on the S7 is smoother and less buggy than my iPhone. This is my first hand experience. I'm sorry if that offends you.

Now, we will continue our constructive discussion of iOS and android.

 

[M. Gustave]

iOS 10 is "full of bugs", agreed. But even the very recent 9.3.5 wasn't, so this isn't some long term chronic Apple thing. And anyone who has used Android knows that Google has also put plenty of bugs into production code, from time to time.

 

[5105973]

Well I just got slapped in the face with one big difference between Android and IOS: how you turn off the alarm clock. I normally awaken at least five minutes before my alarm is set to go off, so usually I'm fully awake when I preemptively turn off the alarm. (The few times I've had to turn off an alarm on Android, I've noticed you've got to have a deft touch in swiping that I have yet to make graceful and second nature).

But I was up late cooking for a school function so my HTC 10 alarm went off and woke me from a deep sleep and a weird dream. So anyway I ended up fumbling to swipe the alarm off but with all the grace of a Yeti doing needlepoint. Somehow I swiped the whole dangblasted interface off the phone.

I don't know what I did but I ended up with my newsfeed and the headline that Jon Voight claims Angelina Jolie is hanging in there. Oh goody, I'm so glad. I was worried sick about Angelina Jolie. Now I can have a good day knowing she's hanging in there.

So my alarm was there playing lovely loud obnoxious new age tones and started waking up my husband. I could not find a way to shut off the phone to save my life and I couldn't remember how to reboot it, so I ended up tossing it to my tech savvy husband who also was looking all over for some way to turn the alarm off. Finally he just closed down the app in the app switcher window. I suppose that's supposed to be an obvious move, but not when you're an iPhone user who switched to Android just a few months ago and are half asleep and really, really REALLY grumpy!

Why for the love of sanity do you have to swipe the alarm off? I do not have the coordination to swipe shizzle on glass "just the right way". I want to smack a freaking virtual button and be done with it. And why would the interface disappear before you're done shutting it off? Gah!

Thus ends my rant on one difference between iOS and Android. Android is more fun but sometimes iOS just makes more sense.

 

[Roadstar]

Well I just got slapped in the face with one big difference between Android and IOS: how you turn off the alarm clock. I normally awaken at least five minutes before my alarm is set to go off, so usually I'm fully awake when I preemptively turn off the alarm. (The few times I've had to turn off an alarm on Android, I've noticed you've got to have a deft touch in swiping that I have yet to make graceful and second nature).

But I was up late cooking for a school function so my HTC 10 alarm went off and woke me from a deep sleep and a weird dream. So anyway I ended up fumbling to swipe the alarm off but with all the grace of a Yeti doing needlepoint. Somehow I swiped the whole dangblasted interface off the phone.

I don't know what I did but I ended up with my newsfeed and the headline that Jon Voight claims Angelina Jolie is hanging in there. Oh goody, I'm so glad. I was worried sick about Angelina Jolie. Now I can have a good day knowing she's hanging in there.

So my alarm was there playing lovely loud obnoxious new age tones and started waking up my husband. I could not find a way to shut off the phone to save my life and I couldn't remember how to reboot it, so I ended up tossing it to my tech savvy husband who also was looking all over for some way to turn the alarm off. Finally he just closed down the app in the app switcher window. I suppose that's supposed to be an obvious move, but not when you're an iPhone user who switched to Android just a few months ago and are half asleep and really, really REALLY grumpy!

Why for the love of sanity do you have to swipe the alarm off? I do not have the coordination to swipe shizzle on glass "just the right way". I want to smack a freaking virtual button and be done with it. And why would the interface disappear before you're done shutting it off? Gah!

Thus ends my rant on one difference between iOS and Android. Android is more fun but sometimes iOS just makes more sense.
[doublepost=1481636530][/doublepost]
Lol, I just wanted to see if I could quote an invisible post. By the way, I've been dying to know for ages, who is your avatar? Looks familiar but I can't place him.

I can totally relate to this. The alarm is something I'm still getting used to, especially if I get up before the alarm or much more commonly between snooze alarms N and N+1

For whatever reason it seems to be unnecessarily complicated to pre-emptively shut down an alarm that's about to go off in a couple of minutes. Othen than that, I'm pretty happy with my S7 Edge.

 

[5105973]

I can totally relate to this. The alarm is something I'm still getting used to, especially if I get up before the alarm or much more commonly between snooze alarms N and N+1

For whatever reason it seems to be unnecessarily complicated to pre-emptively shut down an alarm that's about to go off in a couple of minutes. Othen than that, I'm pretty happy with my S7 Edge.

Thanks for posting this. I am glad to know I'm not the only one who found the alarm interface a tad burdensome, especially at pre-caffeine o'clock in the morning.

 

[ackmondual]

I prefer Android for my smartphone (LG G4). I already have an Ipod Touch 5 as access to iOS, and later on got a used Ipad Air (1). The iOS devices are my gaming devices (ipad for its larger screen, and IpT since I already have a backlog of games on there). The LG G4 is where I do my important stuff, it's camera is superior. Of course this is also "by choice", as if I wanted to do that on iOS, I would've gotten an Iph. Without cell connection, can't expect the IpT nor Ipad to do any of that. And the IpT5 camera was sufficient, but never superior much.

 

[s0nicpr0s]

Well I just got slapped in the face with one big difference between Android and IOS: how you turn off the alarm clock. I normally awaken at least five minutes before my alarm is set to go off, so usually I'm fully awake when I preemptively turn off the alarm. (The few times I've had to turn off an alarm on Android, I've noticed you've got to have a deft touch in swiping that I have yet to make graceful and second nature).

But I was up late cooking for a school function so my HTC 10 alarm went off and woke me from a deep sleep and a weird dream. So anyway I ended up fumbling to swipe the alarm off but with all the grace of a Yeti doing needlepoint. Somehow I swiped the whole dangblasted interface off the phone.

I don't know what I did but I ended up with my newsfeed and the headline that Jon Voight claims Angelina Jolie is hanging in there. Oh goody, I'm so glad. I was worried sick about Angelina Jolie. Now I can have a good day knowing she's hanging in there.

So my alarm was there playing lovely loud obnoxious new age tones and started waking up my husband. I could not find a way to shut off the phone to save my life and I couldn't remember how to reboot it, so I ended up tossing it to my tech savvy husband who also was looking all over for some way to turn the alarm off. Finally he just closed down the app in the app switcher window. I suppose that's supposed to be an obvious move, but not when you're an iPhone user who switched to Android just a few months ago and are half asleep and really, really REALLY grumpy!

Why for the love of sanity do you have to swipe the alarm off? I do not have the coordination to swipe shizzle on glass "just the right way". I want to smack a freaking virtual button and be done with it. And why would the interface disappear before you're done shutting it off? Gah!

Thus ends my rant on one difference between iOS and Android. Android is more fun but sometimes iOS just makes more sense.
[doublepost=1481636530][/doublepost]
Lol, I just wanted to see if I could quote an invisible post. By the way, I've been dying to know for ages, who is your avatar? Looks familiar but I can't place him.

I'm sorry to hear you had such a hectic time dealing with an alarm, although it was a rather enjoyable read. Might I ask which clock/alarm app you are using? I wonder simply because I use Google's basic Clock app and the alarms it can set off can be deactivated without even unlocking the phone. I would have thought Samsung would make it easy to do so with their app too, but I have never used it.

 

[v0lume4]

Nice read. Thank you for posting.

 

[5105973]

I'm sorry to hear you had such a hectic time dealing with an alarm, although it was a rather enjoyable read. Might I ask which clock/alarm app you are using? I wonder simply because I use Google's basic Clock app and the alarms it can set off can be deactivated without even unlocking the phone. I would have thought Samsung would make it easy to do so with their app too, but I have never used it.

Oh sorry this was not my S7 Edge. It was my HTC 10 and I was using the clock that comes with the Sense UI. So I think it's part of the Sense UI and not from Google. I'll go check out the Google one, thank you.

 

[s0nicpr0s]

Oh sorry this was not my S7 Edge. It was my HTC 10 and I was using the clock that comes with the Sense UI. So I think it's part of the Sense UI and not from Google. I'll go check out the Google one, thank you.

That's right. I glossed over that part since I remember seeing so many posts about your Edge. But anyways, best of luck.

I wish I could provide another angle to this review, but the longest I've used an iPhone was for a little less than 2 weeks (and overall didn't care for it...). So not a good candidate for providing any sort of lasting insight.

 

[spinedoc77]

I could take your "review" seriously if you had actually pointed out some basic and glaring deficiencies with Android. To claim that "iOS is riddled with bugs" and mention nothing regarding Android makes your post simply a stream of consciousness for justifying why you want to buy a Galaxy S8... in that respect, "cool story bro!"

After having returned to the Apple fold I was quite surprised to note that my 7+ is way more buggy than most Android phones I've owned in the past couple of years. Apple has definitely lost it luster for releasing ultra stable products. With that said I'm happy back at Apple for the main reason of feeling my privacy is protected. I'm not sure I want to give that up again.

 

[M. Gustave]

After having returned to the Apple fold I was quite surprised to note that my 7+ is way more buggy than most Android phones I've owned in the past couple of years. Apple has definitely lost it luster for releasing ultra stable products.

But that's only quite recent, since iOS 10. 9.3.5 was great, IMO, and I saw no reason for the big changes they pushed out.

 

[admob71]

I could take your "review" seriously if you had actually pointed out some basic and glaring deficiencies with Android. To claim that "iOS is riddled with bugs" and mention nothing regarding Android makes your post simply a stream of consciousness for justifying why you want to buy a Galaxy S8... in that respect, "cool story bro!"

So what you are basically saying is that because someone's opinion is different to your opinion, then they are wrong?.. awesome story bro!!

 

[KillaMac]

Umm, I own both as well. The S7 Edge and 6s plus before my 7 plus. Software Apple wins. It is way way faster on the iPhone. No lag issues, and what bugs? I have more apps that crash on android than I do on my iPhone. Battery life is also terrible.

Siri works better understanding me and working with my cars. And the reminder is not a bug, it depends HOW you say it.

S7 camera is definitely better than the 6s, but not better than the 7 plus.

And I agree on the finger print scanner, works every time on the iPhone, S7 edge, I am lucky if it works the first time.

I have used an S7 Edge and an iPhone 6s Plus back to back for months now, so I feel well placed to give my opinion.

The overall winner is unanimously the S7 Edge (that's saved some of you reading further down).

The main reason for this is the software. iOS is riddled with bugs that you wouldn't expect on a cheap android phone, let alone a £650 iPhone.

Software

The S7 Edge has a smoother, faster and far more intuitive user interface. Apps are genuinely running in the background, and not the fake pauses that iOS does. This means you can jump between two things.

iOS is riddled with bugs, from the reminder app to FaceTime. Apps don't crash, which is good, but no effort has been made to fix bugs that have been there for years.

The whole iOS is a dumbed down version of a smartphone. This, coming from someone who has owned an iPhone since the original. It just hasn't moved on. The widgets on the iPhone are comical.

In addition, some basic UI elements have been completely overlooked, like the force touch on the lock screen is at a different sensitivity setting, so you have to press harder than in other places on the phone.

One thing going for iOS is the adoption rate amongst the UK population. Most of my friends and family have iPhones, so iMessage and FaceTime are superior to Google hangouts (crashes regularly) and WhatsApp.

Voice Assistant

Siri is utterly useless, struggling to understand basic commands. Often, Siri is far less sensitive and so it misses words. On the exact same phone, with the same intonation, the Google app voice search picks it up perfectly.

Siri has bugs, many bugs. Example: "Siri, set a reminder for parking at 4:30"
Sometimes it will set a reminder at 4:30. Other times, it simply creates a reminder titled "parking at 4:30".

Another one, you press for Siri, and immediately it says "I didn't get that". Comically sh*T


S Voice is also useless, because it is buried in the phone and doesn't appear to be linked with the apps. However, Google Now is instant and never gets it wrong. One downside, it can't run some apps on the S7 Edge. This is a larger problem with the division between hardware and software.


Display

When I got the 6S Plus, I'd been running the S7 Edge for some months. I turned the 6S on and went to YouTube. I genuinely thought the screen was faulty. It seemed incredibly grainy and washed out. The S7 is over-saturated, but my preference is definitely for the S7.

Camera

The camera on the 6S is okay in good lighting (note, I am not a photographer, just a typical consumer). However, the low light performance is terrible. This is where the S7 Edge steals a march. The rear camera is phenomenal. There isn't another word for it. The speed at which it fires up and snaps is amazing. The front camera, whilst having a great wide field of view, is terrible. It has this weird blurring effect on faces that look very fake.

Battery

The iPhone wins hands down. I can easily last an entire day and then some. Whilst the S7 Edge has fast charging, there isn't a need to do that if the battery lasts until midnight. I never used wireless charging on the S7 and felt no desire to. Tad gimmicky. Also, the 6S can charge very quickly with the iPad charger.

Fingerprint Scanner

iPhone wins hands down. It's not that the actual scanning is quicker, but the accuracy is far far greater on the iPhone. I haven't had a non-recognised press yet! On the S7, these were probably half of the presses - very frustrating. When I actually had them both on, and placed my finger exactly, this is where the S7 won. But that isn't remotely representative. A large part of this may be the fact that fingers are more round (iPhone home button) than rectangular (S7 home button). This seems small, but it actually makes it much more pleasurable to use the iPhone quickly, out of your pocket, adding immensely to the experience.


My preference: The Galaxy S8 when it comes out. Hopefully this will correct the above flaw in the S7. iOS is falling very far behind in being a good UI and I have heard several anecdotal stories of people switching to premium android phones, because they do the same thing for less money. Which is the point, if I pay a premium, I want a premium UI!

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Umm, I own both as well. The S7 Edge and 6s plus before my 7 plus. Software Apple wins. It is way way faster on the iPhone. No lag issues, and what bugs? I have more apps that crash on android than I do on my iPhone. Battery life is also terrible.

Apps runs smooth on my 7 Plus, but occasional app crashes still happen. At least it's much less than on the 6S Plus.
I haven't experience app crashing on the S7 edge, Note 7, or the LG V20.

As far as speed, heavy apps like huge games do load quicker, but overall in general, I don't notice much of a difference in everyday use.

Stand-by Battery life is 10/10 on the 7 Plus(on iPhones period). But onscreen time is a differ story.

The majority of the time, gaming and watching video on the 7 Plus will last me about 3 1/2 hours on max brightness.

On the S7 edge, Note 7, and LG V20, I can get any where from 4 1/2 - 5 1/2 hours on max brightness gaming or watching video.

 

[sunking101]

After having returned to the Apple fold I was quite surprised to note that my 7+ is way more buggy than most Android phones I've owned in the past couple of years. Apple has definitely lost it luster for releasing ultra stable products. With that said I'm happy back at Apple for the main reason of feeling my privacy is protected. I'm not sure I want to give that up again.

You already have.

 

[Roadstar]

I might be actually moving my main SIM back to the iPhone for at least a while now. Looks like the microSD card I had on my S7 Edge is broken and I'd need to figure out whether it was just back luck or whether the heat generated by Gear VR had something to do with that. In addition, now that I finally upgraded my home Mac hardware to something where the more modern iOS integrations actually work (a lot of them weren't available in my mid-2011 Mac mini) I'd like to give especially the Apple Watch unlock a good try. I experimented with it for couple of days with my work computer, but it wasn't playing nice with Active Directory accounts so I had to give it up. In my home setup that wouldn't be an issue.

However, the S7 Edge will definitely remain in my arsenal at least for its camera capabilities and waterproofing. In fact, if I decide to go back to the iPhone as my main phone, I might have to get an iPhone 7 despite its shortcomings (read: the headphone jack) as I'm switching jobs and the 6s I have from my current job will be left behind. I had the option to purchase 6s, but after comparing its photo quality with the S7 Edge, there's just no going back to non-OIS f2.2. Both of those issues would be sorted out with the iPhone 7 and waterproofing would be there as well. Oh well, let's see how it goes. If Apple Watch actually worked with Android, I'd be less likely to get the iPhone 7. And I guess this is exactly the reason why they won't be adding the support

 

[Ds6778]

I couldn't take anything he said seriously. Pretty much after he said iOS pauses the app in the background... I'm sorry what? Watch this and tell me how "bad" or "fake" iOS handles multitasking.

Enjoy your laggy outdated Sammy.

 

[widgeteer]

I have used an S7 Edge and an iPhone 6s Plus back to back for months now, so I feel well placed to give my opinion.

The overall winner is unanimously the S7 Edge (that's saved some of you reading further down).

The main reason for this is the software. iOS is riddled with bugs that you wouldn't expect on a cheap android phone, let alone a £650 iPhone.

Software

The S7 Edge has a smoother, faster and far more intuitive user interface. Apps are genuinely running in the background, and not the fake pauses that iOS does. This means you can jump between two things.

iOS is riddled with bugs, from the reminder app to FaceTime. Apps don't crash, which is good, but no effort has been made to fix bugs that have been there for years.

The whole iOS is a dumbed down version of a smartphone. This, coming from someone who has owned an iPhone since the original. It just hasn't moved on. The widgets on the iPhone are comical.

In addition, some basic UI elements have been completely overlooked, like the force touch on the lock screen is at a different sensitivity setting, so you have to press harder than in other places on the phone.

One thing going for iOS is the adoption rate amongst the UK population. Most of my friends and family have iPhones, so iMessage and FaceTime are superior to Google hangouts (crashes regularly) and WhatsApp.

Voice Assistant

Siri is utterly useless, struggling to understand basic commands. Often, Siri is far less sensitive and so it misses words. On the exact same phone, with the same intonation, the Google app voice search picks it up perfectly.

Siri has bugs, many bugs. Example: "Siri, set a reminder for parking at 4:30"
Sometimes it will set a reminder at 4:30. Other times, it simply creates a reminder titled "parking at 4:30".

Another one, you press for Siri, and immediately it says "I didn't get that". Comically sh*T


S Voice is also useless, because it is buried in the phone and doesn't appear to be linked with the apps. However, Google Now is instant and never gets it wrong. One downside, it can't run some apps on the S7 Edge. This is a larger problem with the division between hardware and software.


Display

When I got the 6S Plus, I'd been running the S7 Edge for some months. I turned the 6S on and went to YouTube. I genuinely thought the screen was faulty. It seemed incredibly grainy and washed out. The S7 is over-saturated, but my preference is definitely for the S7.

Camera

The camera on the 6S is okay in good lighting (note, I am not a photographer, just a typical consumer). However, the low light performance is terrible. This is where the S7 Edge steals a march. The rear camera is phenomenal. There isn't another word for it. The speed at which it fires up and snaps is amazing. The front camera, whilst having a great wide field of view, is terrible. It has this weird blurring effect on faces that look very fake.

Battery

The iPhone wins hands down. I can easily last an entire day and then some. Whilst the S7 Edge has fast charging, there isn't a need to do that if the battery lasts until midnight. I never used wireless charging on the S7 and felt no desire to. Tad gimmicky. Also, the 6S can charge very quickly with the iPad charger.

Fingerprint Scanner

iPhone wins hands down. It's not that the actual scanning is quicker, but the accuracy is far far greater on the iPhone. I haven't had a non-recognised press yet! On the S7, these were probably half of the presses - very frustrating. When I actually had them both on, and placed my finger exactly, this is where the S7 won. But that isn't remotely representative. A large part of this may be the fact that fingers are more round (iPhone home button) than rectangular (S7 home button). This seems small, but it actually makes it much more pleasurable to use the iPhone quickly, out of your pocket, adding immensely to the experience.


My preference: The Galaxy S8 when it comes out. Hopefully this will correct the above flaw in the S7. iOS is falling very far behind in being a good UI and I have heard several anecdotal stories of people switching to premium android phones, because they do the same thing for less money. Which is the point, if I pay a premium, I want a premium UI!

This isn't really a review of iOS or Android, it's just a take on specific devices you own. And then you conclude it by saying your preference is a phone that hasn't even been released yet.

So, yeah, you like Galaxy phones. Got it.