Tech
iPhone 7 Plus vs Note 7: Which is better?
This post contains logic and sense. If you’re a blind Apple or Android
fanatic who has no regard for rationality, this is not the post for you. I am
here to debate, not to argue.
Since the announcement of Note 7, Android enthusiasts have been hailing
the phone as a marvel of technology. They’ve been raving about it’s features,
going gaga about its design and planning their next scuba diving experience
with the phone in tow. With no other phone to compete with the Note 7, the
Samsung flag flew high and mighty for a while, until it came burning down. Literally.
As reports started pouring in of Note 7s catching fire,
Samsung issued a global recall. Amidst the charred ruins of its reputation, the
Korean giant fumbled to stand steady before it was blown over by a wild gale
from the far West …
… the iPhone 7 had arrived.
As was expected, the world suddenly got divided into two camps –
the Android-Samsung camp and the iOS-Apple camp. Comparisons were made, taunts
flowed freely, and jokes were launched from both sides of the barbed wire.
Instead of talking about the specs and features of two phones, it has turned
into an ego-based rivalry.
If we must have a discussion, let’s do so keeping a level head
on our shoulders. And that’s what this article hopes to do. Here’s an un-biased
analysis of both the phones.
Features
The iPhone 7 spec sheet
runs just as deep (if not more) as the Note 7’s. But length
isn’t the only thing common to them. In term of physical dimension,
built-quality, resistance to the elements, battery backup, processing speed,
camera, and a million other specs we can’t stop ourselves from quoting, both
the iPhone and the Note are more or less the same. If one trumps the other on
camera, it gets beaten by the opponent’s battery life.
For this reason, it’s difficult to decide which phone wins and
which one loses. The line that separates both is extremely fine. Also, if we
were to look at it more realistically, these differences don’t really mean
anything. They will vanish over a period of time, leaving users with nothing
more than specs on a sheet to quibble about.
Inputs
Samsung and Apple take different approaches when it comes to
input. Apple wants to explore the physical touch more, enhance it further, and
add new layers to it. Hence, they’re heavily invested in the 3D Touch, making
this technology one of the few true innovations to come out of Cupertino.
Samsung, on the other hand, is pushing hard in exactly the
opposite direction. They want to separate stubby human finger from the small
screen. They want to push in the exactitude of a stylus and the S-Pen is indeed
the marvel of design and technology.
While both schools of thought are valid in their own right, the
question, inevitably, is that of choice. Some people are way more comfortable
with their fingers, others still are in awe of the S-Pen. Just because you
prefer one form of technology over the other is no reason to hail one as
innovative or diss the other as being old-fashioned.
Bloatware
Both the companies are equally guilty of loading their phones
with unnecessary bloatware. (For those who don’t know, ‘bloatware’ refers to
the bunch of pre-installed apps that come with your OS, most of which are never
used by anyone).
Bloatware is annoying as hell and for a long time there was no
way to get rid of them. Only recently has Apple allowed its users to delete
stock apps. And by ‘delete’ we mean that you can ‘remove them from the home
screen’. Besides, the problem with Apple, especially for us in India, is that
most of the stock apps don’t really work. Things like Stocks, Weather, etc. are
of no use to us at all.
Samsung is a little more forgiving in this regard. There are a
lot of third party apps to clean your phone of the junk. Besides, with its
recent iterations, Samsung has made many of these pre-installed apps useful.
With the Note 7, for example, the stock note-taking app, the gif maker, and the
S-pen support app are all very useful.
What’s the conclusion? When it comes to bloatware, both the
phones are equally bad, but the Note 7 gains over Apple just the slightest bit.
Technology v/s Pride
Technology grows at such a rapid pace that it’s difficult for us
to keep up with it. No matter how advanced a phone you buy, it’s going to be
‘outdated’ in less than a year. Newer, thinner, flashier models will replace
your device in no time, leaving you feeling dejected and unwanted.
This feeling of dissatisfaction tends to affect iPhone users
more. This isn’t a personal observation, there’s actual scientific evidence
that owners of old iPhones start believing that their phones have become
sluggish each year around September/October — the exact time a new iPhone is
released! And it is this belief that sends them overboard in their desire to
buy the latest model.
You will rarely see something like this happening with Note 7
users. Yes, the Note 8 will be faster; yes, most Note 7 users will wish they
had a Note 8, but they will never experience that restlessness iPhone users do
to buy the latest iPhone. So at least in theory, the Note 7 will remain more
relevant than the iPhone 7, and for much longer.
I have a feeling that there’s a psychological angle to the
problem. For most iPhone owners, at least in India, the phone is not a device
they’re buying for its features and its usefulness. Here, the iPhone is a status
symbol. It’s an ornament, a piece of jewelry.
For such people, the features are never really a concern. They
will feel obligated to buy the new iPhone every year, no matter what the
upgrade, because they’re never going to feel satisfied otherwise.
Ecosystem
With the introduction of iPhone 7, Apple removed the headphone
jack. While they do ship a converter to connect old 3.5 mm earphones, it’s a
reflection of a problem much bigger than anything that can be fixed by a small
connector.
I am taking about the Apple Ecosystem.
Because of the immense control Apple has over both its hardware
and software, it was able to create an incredible ecosystem — one where
everything worked with everything else, seamlessly and magically. However, the moment you step out of the
ecosystem, all hell breaks lose.
Recently, however, that problem has been affecting Apple’s own
system. In a mad attempt to skin down the dimensions on their products, Apple
has been cutting one too many corners. Take, for example, the last MacBook that
came with a flimsy little USB-C port. How’s it even a laptop?
Samsung, because it runs on Android, suffered from inferior
devices towards the beginning of its journey. But now it has found its stride.
Google themselves have done a wonderful job of letting developers create custom
ROMs that fit the needs of each mobile phone manufacturer. The Note 7 is
arguably one of the lightest, fastest and best looking Android phones currently in the market.
More importantly, the Note 7 is compatible with other hardware
in the market. It pairs easily with other phones and computers, accepts pen
drives (and even hard drives sometimes) through OTG, and has a stylus that
comes bundled with the phone. The best part is you can charge the phone and use
your earphones at the same time!!
Apple’s ecosystem, once the pride of Steve Jobs, is a fractured propriety
system that’s a hassle to deal with. Note 7, on the other hand, is a much more
accommodating phone.
Costs (and added costs)
Continuing on the idea of a fractured ecosystem, I would like to
point out that while Apple has a plethora of secondary devices that help bridge
the gap, these are by no means cheap.
To buy the new wireless AirPods (that should ideally come
bundled with the ‘jackless’ iPhone), you have to shell out Rs. 15,000 over and
above the cost of the phone. Even with the iPad Pro, the Apple Pencil and the
keyboard cover have to be bought separately. With Note 7, on the other hand,
users get a stylus that comes as part of the bundle!
Apple also assumes a free reign when it comes to pricing their
support/secondary products. It’s almost as if they are not worried about
pissing customers off with their high prices. Possibly because Apple knows
their customer will buy anything they sell, no matter how exorbitantly they are
priced. While it may not matter much in the cash-rich Western market, it’s a
huge barrier to entry in this price sensitive Indian market.
Parting thoughts
At the end of the day, they’re both just phones. More
importantly, they’re two phones from two different ecosystems, optimized for
two different sets of audiences. Comparing them would actually be like pitching
Apples against Oranges and any conclusions we draw are aspirational at best,
fanatic at worst.
Neither phone is absolutely the best. However, because I asked
the question “Which is better?” and since we cater to an Indian audience, I’m honor
bound to pronounce a judgment. So here it is:
The two phones are equally good (or bad) in terms of
functionality. However, in India, the Note 7 has one distinctive advantage. It’s
familiar. And considering just how expensive the two phones are, a lot of
buyers will be apprehensive to shift to a new ecosystem, especially one that’s
fractured, if not supported by other devices.
So for that reason alone, if
not for anything else, the Note 7 will do much better in the Indian
subcontinent.
Author Bio:
Varun is the Editor-in-Chief
& Digital Strategist at Applesutra.
When he isn’t busy devouring Apple blogs & podcasts, Varun spends his time
following tennis (Vamos Rafa!), watching movies (superhero or super scary) or
reading books (Audible/Kindle/old school).
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