The iPhone 7's Top New Features Are Nothing New (to Android Users)
Apple just unveiled the brand new iPhone 7 and, unsurprisingly, proclaimed it to be "the best, most advanced iPhone ever, packed with unique innovations that improve all the ways iPhone is used every day."
All these innovations aren’t something new, not if you’re familiar with Android. The best new features that the iPhone 7 introduces have already been covered by Android. Here’s what I mean.
1. The iPhone 7 is water and rust resistant
Apple’s iPhone 7 is IP67 water & dust resistant. Samsung’s Galaxy S7 is IP68 water & dust resistant.
The only Samsung device that has IP67 just like the iPhone 7 is the Galaxy S5, which was introduced way back in 2014.
Alongside the iPhone 7, Apple unveiled the second generation Apple Watch: the Apple Watch Series 2. A key new feature is that the smartwatch is now water resistant. So is the Gear S2 from 2015. And the Gear S3, which Samsung unveiled at IFA 2016.
One other thing. While the Apple Watch is square, the Gear S2 and S3 are circular. I don’t know about you, but I want my smartwatch to look like a watch, not like a miniature phone.
2. The iPhone 7 has a more powerful camera
The number of pixels has been bumped up; both the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus come with a 12MP camera. That’s not very impressive, considering that even ASUS’ mid-range ZenFone 2 has a 13MP camera.
Moving on, let’s focus on the aperture. The iPhone 7’s camera has a larger ƒ/1.8 aperture. Just like 2015’s LG G4 or 2016’s HTC 10.
The iPhone 7 Plus has a dual-camera setup: a 12MP wide angle camera and a 12MP telephoto camera. So does the LG G5, Honor 8, HTC One M8, and Huawei P9.
I just hope that powerful camera doesn't go to waste, seeing that way too many people are into taking selfies nowadays.
3. The iPhone 7 has stereo speakers
The iPhone 7 comes with a new stereo speaker system that Apple says offers "amazing and immersive sound that is two times louder than iPhone 6s, offering increased dynamic range of sound and a higher quality speakerphone."
Which phone should I bring up this time to point out that stereo speakers aren’t something new for Android? I know! The awesome Nexus 6P, the first ever all-metal-body Nexus phone, crafted from aeronautical-grade aluminum.
The Nexus 6P, in case you forgot, was released in the fall of 2015.
4. The iPhone 7’s storage starts at 32GB
Apple has finally seen the light and has dropped the 16GB storage option. The new iPhone 7 is available as a 32GB, 128GB and 256GB model.
Samsung, LG, ASUS, Huawei, and other manufacturers have long realized that 16GB is just not enough. And on top of that, most Android devices offer support for microSD cards. If the internal storage is not enough, you can always pop in a card.
5. The iPhone 7 doesn’t have a headphone jack
Neither does the Moto Z, the ultrathin Android that was introduced back in June.
Apple says it got rid of the headphone jack because it’s a dinosaur, an outdated piece of tech that needed to go to make room for something new. The cynic in me believes that Apple removed the headphone jack to get you to purchase the new wireless AirPods, which will be released in October for $159.
Wireless headphones aren’t something new. Samsung for example has the Gear IconX, wireless earbuds that work as a standalone fitness tracker and music player.
This means you can use them to listen to music and accurately track workouts while leaving your phone at home.
6. The iPhone 7 has a quad-core processor
Apple made a big deal about the fact that the A10 Fusion chip now has four cores, calling it "the most powerful chip ever in a smartphone."
Color me unimpressed. Why? Because I know Androids with quad-core processors have been around for years. The Galaxy S3 for example, which was released back in 2012, had a quad-core processor.
All these innovations aren’t something new, not if you’re familiar with Android. The best new features that the iPhone 7 introduces have already been covered by Android. Here’s what I mean.
1. The iPhone 7 is water and rust resistant
Apple’s iPhone 7 is IP67 water & dust resistant. Samsung’s Galaxy S7 is IP68 water & dust resistant.
The only Samsung device that has IP67 just like the iPhone 7 is the Galaxy S5, which was introduced way back in 2014.
Alongside the iPhone 7, Apple unveiled the second generation Apple Watch: the Apple Watch Series 2. A key new feature is that the smartwatch is now water resistant. So is the Gear S2 from 2015. And the Gear S3, which Samsung unveiled at IFA 2016.
One other thing. While the Apple Watch is square, the Gear S2 and S3 are circular. I don’t know about you, but I want my smartwatch to look like a watch, not like a miniature phone.
2. The iPhone 7 has a more powerful camera
The number of pixels has been bumped up; both the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus come with a 12MP camera. That’s not very impressive, considering that even ASUS’ mid-range ZenFone 2 has a 13MP camera.
Moving on, let’s focus on the aperture. The iPhone 7’s camera has a larger ƒ/1.8 aperture. Just like 2015’s LG G4 or 2016’s HTC 10.
The iPhone 7 Plus has a dual-camera setup: a 12MP wide angle camera and a 12MP telephoto camera. So does the LG G5, Honor 8, HTC One M8, and Huawei P9.
I just hope that powerful camera doesn't go to waste, seeing that way too many people are into taking selfies nowadays.
3. The iPhone 7 has stereo speakers
The iPhone 7 comes with a new stereo speaker system that Apple says offers "amazing and immersive sound that is two times louder than iPhone 6s, offering increased dynamic range of sound and a higher quality speakerphone."
Which phone should I bring up this time to point out that stereo speakers aren’t something new for Android? I know! The awesome Nexus 6P, the first ever all-metal-body Nexus phone, crafted from aeronautical-grade aluminum.
The Nexus 6P, in case you forgot, was released in the fall of 2015.
4. The iPhone 7’s storage starts at 32GB
Apple has finally seen the light and has dropped the 16GB storage option. The new iPhone 7 is available as a 32GB, 128GB and 256GB model.
Samsung, LG, ASUS, Huawei, and other manufacturers have long realized that 16GB is just not enough. And on top of that, most Android devices offer support for microSD cards. If the internal storage is not enough, you can always pop in a card.
5. The iPhone 7 doesn’t have a headphone jack
Neither does the Moto Z, the ultrathin Android that was introduced back in June.
Apple says it got rid of the headphone jack because it’s a dinosaur, an outdated piece of tech that needed to go to make room for something new. The cynic in me believes that Apple removed the headphone jack to get you to purchase the new wireless AirPods, which will be released in October for $159.
Wireless headphones aren’t something new. Samsung for example has the Gear IconX, wireless earbuds that work as a standalone fitness tracker and music player.
This means you can use them to listen to music and accurately track workouts while leaving your phone at home.
6. The iPhone 7 has a quad-core processor
Apple made a big deal about the fact that the A10 Fusion chip now has four cores, calling it "the most powerful chip ever in a smartphone."
Color me unimpressed. Why? Because I know Androids with quad-core processors have been around for years. The Galaxy S3 for example, which was released back in 2012, had a quad-core processor.
