Galaxy S7 vs. Xperia X Performance vs. wait for iPhone 7

Which phone?

  • Galaxy S7

    Votes: 13 52.0%

  • Xperia X Performance

    Votes: 4 16.0%

  • Wait for iPhone 7

    Votes: 8 32.0%
  • Total voters
    25
Quiz

Quiz

Gawd
Joined
Aug 25, 2010
Messages
659
Which would you pick? Any comments/opinions will be appreciated.

By the way, I generally like smaller phones and these are, apparently, as small as you can get these days without sacrificing performance. Unless you can give me a really good reason to go for the larger Galaxy S7 edge, I'll keep it out of this debate.
 
Well, the iPhone 7 (not +) will probably be the smallest of the three, if size is your biggest factor that may be the one to wait for.
 
Trimlock said:
Well, the iPhone 7 (not +) will probably be the smallest of the three, if size is your biggest factor that may be the one to wait for.
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That and the fact that the iPhone 7 is likely to blow everything else away in terms of speed/performance. If the current 6 and 6s can keep up well with the latest Android phones, the 7 will probably leave them in the dust?
 
Sprkd1 said:
That and the fact that the iPhone 7 is likely to blow everything else away in terms of speed/performance. If the current 6 and 6s can keep up well with the latest Android phones, the 7 will probably leave them in the dust?
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I'm anticipating Apple to leave them in the dust. Usually Android SoC's for this time frame surpasses what Apple has but this time it seems Qualcomm and Samsung hit a major road block.
 
Trimlock said:
I'm anticipating Apple to leave them in the dust. Usually Android SoC's for this time frame surpasses what Apple has but this time it seems Qualcomm and Samsung hit a major road block.
Click to expand...

Is there any reason for that?
 
They've been gunning for "more cores" for years and not concentrating on single core performance. Single core performance A9 still destroys the current new batch of SoCs. Synthetic benchmarks for multicore however these SoCs win over Apple. But in real world performance, when majority of apps are probably single core heavy with some optimized for dual cores, it's not a surprise that Apple's dual core chips beat out these quad and octo cores. Rumors for the upcoming A10 says Apple is aiming for 6 cores. Assuming that's the A10X, I wouldn't be surprised to see three or four better superior cores on the phone.
 
Thanks.

How does the latest version of Chrome on Android compare to the latest version of Safari on iOS?
 
Sprkd1 said:
Thanks.

How does the latest version of Chrome on Android compare to the latest version of Safari on iOS?
Click to expand...

I see it as a contrast between features and speed. Chrome has more neat tricks, but Safari is typically faster (part of that is Apple's processors). Of course, which you use may depend on your preferred browser and OS. Chrome syncs with just about everything that has a Chrome browser, but Safari is more tightly integrated with iOS and OS X. Both share enough core features that you probably won't mind missing out (Chrome is on iOS too, remember!).
 
Sprkd1 said:
Is there any reason for that?
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Apple will more than likely stick to a dual core package with a massive GPU on their phones. Theres little to zero need for multi core usage on a phone, there just isn't a demand right now; one core for OS/services and the other for applications. Apple has consistently improved upon their IPC for almost every generation without making the thread pipeline anymore complicated. ARM on the other hand does, but they have a lot larger scope than just mobile. Normally OEM's cope by picking the architecture they want and optimize using their own engineering (Qualcomm and Samsung), but with how complicated the big.little abomination is becoming and the lack of node simplification both companies are having issues releasing a competent product. Qualcomm tried to release their big.little (something they didn't want to do) and it sucked (SD810) and finally got around to making their quad core (SD820) which is good but its already behind Apple, and Samsungs is slow in single tasks but marginally better in multi-threaded tasks.

Big.little has really failed.

As far as being "in the know" I'm just basing it off of pure speculation and past experiences. Apple keeps their secrets better than the damn government.
 
Anyone who says to wait for the iPhone 7 is crazy... The phone is 6 months from release (late September)... When you wait for that it will no doubt be faster/better then the s7 by a small margin, but then the argument could be made to wait for the galaxy s8 since it will only be 6 more months till its out & Samsung will of course 1 up Apple again..

THe only exception to this is if you wanna wait a few weeks & see if the rumored spring release for the iPhone 5se pans out. It still wont be faster then the s7 since if the rumors are true its an iPhone 6s with an even smaller screen.

If you like the iOS eco system then go ahead & grab a 6s. Ultimately though its not the king of the hill currently & while I too like small phones when you compare the 6s to the s7 the 6s is huge for the size screen it has (its slightly smaller in all dimensions, but not enough to justify the .4" smaller screen).

Visual Phone Size Comparison
 
Thanks for the size comparison.

Is it true that Samsung phones start lagging over time and require a format to restore the speed/snappiness? Also, any comments/opinions on the Sony Xperia X Performance?
 
Sprkd1 said:
Thanks for the size comparison.

Is it true that Samsung phones start lagging over time and require a format to restore the speed/snappiness? Also, any comments/opinions on the Sony Xperia X Performance?
Click to expand...

Yes its true... But to what extent is the real question since its the same as computers or any other smart phone.
 
Sprkd1 said:
Thanks for the replies.

Isn't Chrome on iOS "fake Chrome?" Meaning, it isn't coded/built like it is on Android and Windows. It's more of a Chrome "skin" with Chrome features on iOS.

Have a look at the following link: Why Chrome, Gmail, and other Google services are still better on Android than iOS
Click to expand...

Can't really say why they would say it was "fake" since Google has a relative close update schedule for both Android and iOS. Some features make it to iOS first, some don't, simply nature of the beast. I don't use Chrome on either platform anymore, it really sucked the last time I used it. On Android I use Dolphin HD and on iOS I use Safari.

Just to clarify, Chrome has to be coded in a different language on each platform. I don't what they use on each platform but it needs to be built differently for each one. Porting over can take place but if you do a direct port it usually has performance issues and I'm fairly positive Google does clean builds for iOS/Android and Windows.
 
Trimlock said:
Can't really say why they would say it was "fake" since Google has a relative close update schedule for both Android and iOS. Some features make it to iOS first, some don't, simply nature of the beast. I don't use Chrome on either platform anymore, it really sucked the last time I used it. On Android I use Dolphin HD and on iOS I use Safari.

Just to clarify, Chrome has to be coded in a different language on each platform. I don't what they use on each platform but it needs to be built differently for each one. Porting over can take place but if you do a direct port it usually has performance issues and I'm fairly positive Google does clean builds for iOS/Android and Windows.
Click to expand...

Chrome on iOS uses the same WebKit base as Safari, no browsers on iOS are allowed to create their own rendering engine.
 
The biggest reason to use safari over chrome on iOS is adblock. Before the update, I resisted Safari.

P.S. Current rumors do point to a hexacore A10. But I don't know what that really means. It could be Moto X8 octo that's totally not a octo core. And there was already rumors before for A9 that the A9X would be would be quad core that turned out not to be the case. So this hexacore rumor I would take with a grain of salt, but I do expect tricore if not quad core only because of other Apple rumors about making a powerful chip that would put them in a better position at the negotiating tables with Intel.
 
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Few questions on the S7:

1. How "bad" is TouchWiz? Still bloated and causing slow-downs/stuttering?

2. How much bloatware comes pre-installed?

3. How good/bad is the speaker?

4. How good is the headphone out? As good and loud as the iPhone 6s?

Edit: Between the Galaxy S7 and the iPhone 6s, any thoughts?
 
Last edited:
Can't speak on the experience until my co-worker gets his in (hes getting a free Tab 2 and GearVR with!!!) but that damn camera looks like a sure winner.
 
Thanks.

However, any general feedback/opinions/comments on S7 vs 6s?
 
I'm pretty jaded by Samsung after seeing my wife's GS4 and GS6 get ruined after a couple updates. They have decent hardware, but their support and software is garbage IMO, pretty much forcing you to ROM it or at least factory reset after every update, which is BS. So at this point, I'd rather give my money to anyone else, but Sony seems to have a solid offering with the Xperia Performance, if only it was available in the US on all carriers. I would get the Xperia over anything else on the market at the moment actually, but I'm a sucker for front facing speakers and their stockish Android UI. I also don't care about camera quality on my phone, which seems to go against most people's top priority in a phone. I have a wife though that takes more than enough pics for the both of us with her DSLRs and phone, so I really don't care about it and my M8 has been more than sufficient for the times I have wanted to snap something real quick.
 
Coming back to the 6s, any thoughts on the official Apple leather case vs. the Apple silicon case? I heard the leather one ages and loses its color (unless it is the black one). Can the silicon case crack if your drop it hard?
 
Sprkd1 said:
Coming back to the 6s, any thoughts on the official Apple leather case vs. the Apple silicon case? I heard the leather one ages and loses its color (unless it is the black one). Can the silicon case crack if your drop it hard?
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Can't vouch for the regular silicone case, but I did manage to drop an iPhone 6 with the official silicone battery case -- you'd hardly know anything happened. I wouldn't worry about it. With that said, I prefer the leather case in terms of feel. Besides being a little more luxurious, it's easier to fish out of your pocket (since silicone is inherently grippy).
 
Aurelius said:
Can't vouch for the regular silicone case, but I did manage to drop an iPhone 6 with the official silicone battery case -- you'd hardly know anything happened. I wouldn't worry about it. With that said, I prefer the leather case in terms of feel. Besides being a little more luxurious, it's easier to fish out of your pocket (since silicone is inherently grippy).
Click to expand...

Thanks. In terms of protection, are the official leather and silicon cases equal or does the harder silicon case offer more protection against drops? Also, do both of these cases protect the screen if the phone falls face-down?
 
Sprkd1 said:
Thanks. In terms of protection, are the official leather and silicon cases equal or does the harder silicon case offer more protection against drops? Also, do both of these cases protect the screen if the phone falls face-down?
Click to expand...

I'd say the difference in terms of impact is negligible... maybe slightly in favor of silicone. They both have a lip around the front edge that reduces the chances of the glass hitting a surface.

Do you have an Apple Store nearby? If so, you can swing by and see the cases first-hand (they usually have a few out in the open, in addition to those on shelves).
 
As a side note to this: we're starting to see side-by-side performance videos that pit the S7 against other devices.

Here's one from Jerome Ortega as an example.

In short: the S7's raw hardware power can only do so much; the iPhone 6s seems to be the fastest in these conditions. I'm somewhat surprised by the problems he had with the timer app, too -- is it a sign that Samsung's memory management is still too aggressive? I've seen another test where the S7 was ever-so-slightly faster in loading apps (I don't have the link, sorry), but this suggests that the iPhone 7 will be that much faster when it shows up.
 
If you have a look at the following video, the tester opens multiple games on the S7 and then "multi-tasks" to each of them. Each one of the resumed from where they were minimized/closed.



It seems this RAM management issue is not wide-spread because on some videos it is an issue while in others it is not.
 
Using s7 edge, and for me the major gripe was the battery sucked coming from the s6. Performance wise this phone is great, good size and amazing battery life.
 
bastage said:
Anyone who says to wait for the iPhone 7 is crazy... The phone is 6 months from release (late September)... When you wait for that it will no doubt be faster/better then the s7 by a small margin, but then the argument could be made to wait for the galaxy s8 since it will only be 6 more months till its out & Samsung will of course 1 up Apple again..
Click to expand...

Based on the test that are emerging, it sounds like the S7 isn't really faster than the iPhone 6s. It's better in multi-core tests, but it drags in single-core and has mixed results in real-world testing. If the iPhone 7's A10 chip is meaningfully better, it'll be the performance champ until spring 2017.
 
Sprkd1 said:
It seems this RAM management issue is not wide-spread because on some videos it is an issue while in others it is not.
Click to expand...
6 apps isn't enough... Samsung's TouchWiz either is a super memory hog, or Samsung is on something here with their super aggressive memory killer.

I want to see a video between a non-touchwiz custom room of the S6 vs a regular S6.
 
Aurelius said:
Based on the test that are emerging, it sounds like the S7 isn't really faster than the iPhone 6s. It's better in multi-core tests, but it drags in single-core and has mixed results in real-world testing. If the iPhone 7's A10 chip is meaningfully better, it'll be the performance champ until spring 2017.
Click to expand...

Pure performance isn't the only aspect of what makes a phone good. Other aspects the 6s gets spanked by the s7 such as the camera.

It's simply a matter of what's most important to the individual user.
 
I think I'm going to order an iPhone 6s today unless someone gives me a good reason to change my mind. I've had a BlackBerry Bold 9780 and currently have a Xperia Z3 Compact (with a cracked screen because I dropped it; it is out for repairs and I will get it back tomorrow). However, I also have a 5th generation iPod touch with the latest iOS. It's super laggy so I won't use it to judge the OS.
 
bastage said:
Pure performance isn't the only aspect of what makes a phone good. Other aspects the 6s gets spanked by the s7 such as the camera.

It's simply a matter of what's most important to the individual user.
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I agree! Just noting that we're in a smartphone refresh cycle where Apple is still largely on top in terms of CPU power.
 
Well I went ahead and ordered a Space Gray iPhone 6s 128 GB with the official/Apple black leather case. Estimated delivery in a day or two.
 
Sure hope so!

By the way, it seems the Apple website has been down ever since I placed my order. LOL.

Edit: It's back up.
 
Aurelius said:
I agree! Just noting that we're in a smartphone refresh cycle where Apple is still largely on top in terms of CPU power.
Click to expand...


Yes and no.. Yes it benchmarks faster, however it's a 1080 screen vs 1440 on all other flagship devices. So it's having to do less work due to the drastic difference in number of pixels it's pushing. It may still be faster at equal pixels, but benchmarks don't tell the whole story here.
 
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