Our large-scale research has been supplemented with new products from Samsung and iPhone. Leadership is back Samsung models... Why did the iPhone XS Max and iPhone XS fail to take first place? Details are below.
In the overall standings, for more than a year and a half, 1st and 2nd places were taken by Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8 +. When the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 + came out, they took the lead. However, these flagships did not last long there - the leader changed again with the release of new products. So, now Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is in 1st place in the rating. This means that this smartphone has lost a little new Apple- iPhone XS Max and iPhone XS. They took 2nd and 3rd places, respectively.
The top ten also includes Samsung Galaxy S9, S9 +, S8, S8 +, iPhone 8 Plus, Huawei P20 Pro (CLT - L29) and Samsung Galaxy Note 8. As you can see, the “smartphone of the decade” iPhone X has taken off from the top. It is inferior to the iPhone 8 (11th line) and is only in 12th place.
Thus, today the top 10 best smartphones looks like that:
Samsung Galaxy Note 9.
Samsung Galaxy S9.
Samsung Galaxy S9 +.
Samsung Galaxy S8.
Samsung Galaxy S8 +.
Huawei P20 Pro (CLT - L29).
Samsung Galaxy Note 8.
Why Samsung Galaxy Note 9 overtook the iPhone XS Max and iPhone XS?
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 scored more points than the new iPhone in durability test, battery test, music quality assessment, as well as in terms of phone capabilities (signal sensitivity, antenna strength, etc.). In an important indicator of the quality of photo and video shooting, he lost, but only hundredths of a point. Also, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 display has a drawback: reading from it can be difficult with a slight mirror effect due to the curved screen. But, of course, this minimal gap in some indicators did not allow the iPhone XS Max or iPhone XS to break out of the first places in the ranking.
1. STRENGTH. The new iPhone has actually failed the durability test (drum test). On the iPhone XS, after 50 drops, the camera broke and the screen stopped working, while on the iPhone XS Max, after 50 drops, white and green stripes appeared on the screen, the case was scratched, and after 100 drops, one of the samples broke the case. These phones are definitely not worth dropping: chances are high that they will break, and repairs will cost you dearly. In turn, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 did an excellent job of the durability test - after 100 drops, it had only minor scratches in the corners.
2. BATTERY. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is very similar to the Note 8 in terms of performance, but has a higher battery capacity and therefore lasts longer. Working hours iPhone battery The XS Max or iPhone XS have improved markedly, but they still fall short of the best results in the test for this indicator.
3. MUSIC. Samsung Galaxy Note 9 scores higher for music quality. In particular, listen classical music the experts liked the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 more than the iPhone XS Max and iPhone XS.
4. CAMERA. In the rating for the quality of photo and video shooting, five leading positions are occupied by Apple smartphones. In the first place is now the iPhone XS Max, in second - the iPhone XS. but new samsung Galaxy Note 9 lost one hundredth points to Apple products on this indicator and took 6th place. In particular, he received 0.5 points less for and for shooting with flash (photos on the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 are a little darkish).
What improvements do the iPhone XS and XS Max have over the iPhone X?
As shown by the test results, the new iPhone XS and XS Max do have small improvements over the iPhone X. For example, new processor The A12 Bionic is slightly faster. The battery life of the smartphone has also improved markedly. Although they charge up to 100% as long as before (3 hours 15 minutes - XS, 3 hours 30 minutes - XS Max; iPhone X - 3 hours 15 minutes), the batteries of both models last longer than the batteries. their predecessors. For comparison, the iPhone X lasts 19 hours and 30 minutes, while the XS lasts 24 hours and 30 minutes, and the XS Max lasts 26 hours. But still, these models do not yet reach the best results in the test for this indicator.
The iPhone XS and XS Max launch video claims that the camera is better than previous iPhones. Our tests have confirmed this. In particular, when shooting with a flash, the color rendition became better in the photo: brighter and more intense. The depth of focus and sharpness can be changed after the picture is taken. The iPhone X, which took the 3rd position, and the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which took the 4th and 5th places, were also pushed aside. In addition, the sound of videos shot on new iPhones has become better: almost no extraneous noise is heard. Compared to the iPhone X, the new products have higher marks for GPS voice navigation in cars.
The iPhone's most dramatic improvement is dual SIM support: a Nano-SIM card and an eSIM digital card. However, it is not yet possible to take advantage of the innovation - an appropriate update of the iOS operating system is required. Apple should release it before the end of the year. But even after that, it will not be possible to use the second SIM-card in our country - using eSIM on this moment prohibited by law and not supported by Russian operators.
As for the design of new iPhone products, it has not changed much compared to the design of their predecessors. The iPhone XS looks very similar to the iPhone X. Only the camera position has changed - it has shifted a few millimeters, so the iPhone X case will not fit the XS.
But the cost of smartphones has changed. For the first time in the history of iPhones, new items have not a five-figure, not a six-figure price tag. So, when the iPhone XS was released, it cost about 100 thousand rubles, the iPhone XS - about 109 thousand rubles. As mentioned above, you will need to purchase a protective case separately. Also, the set does not include an adapter for headphones, so if you want to use headphones that are not included in the set, you will have to additionally purchase an adapter.
Why does the iPhone XS Max score more points than the iPhone XS?
Recall that the iPhone XS Max in the top 10 best smartphones is in 2nd place, gaining 4,057 points, iPhone XS - in 3rd place with 4,048 points. Where does this small gap come from? The XS Max scored better than the iPhone XS when testing metrics such as:
The Internet. The speed of loading and downloading pages on the XS Max is slightly faster than on the XS.
Convenience of the camera. In particular, shutter speed, etc. According to experts, shooting on the XS Max is more convenient than the XS (note: we are not talking about the quality of the resulting photos).
Strength. Despite the fact that both smartphones failed the durability test, the XS Max performed slightly better than the XS in it.
GPS navigation. The XS Max was marginally better than the XS in an expert assessment of the quality of a standalone GPS receiver without voice guidance, and in testing the volume of the sound of GPS commands.
Very soon, the study of smartphones will be replenished with test results of a new batch - the latest innovations, including the iPhone XR. We're going to evaluate whether the new LCD iPhone - Liquid Retina - is really as "advanced" and the glass front is as durable as the manufacturer claims. Expect information on the Roskachestvo website in December 2018.
In connection with the growing popularity of top-end smartphones of the South Korean IT giant, questions on the topic "which is better to buy - iPhone 7 or Samsung Galaxy S8" and all their derivatives began to come to our editorial office more often. In our opinion, this question is a priori incorrect due to obvious, but apparently incomprehensible for some reasons. Let's try, without going into details, to help sort out this issue.
IPhone or Samsung Galaxy?
"What to choose - iPhone or Samsung?" - this is the same eternal and unambiguous question, which is better - iOS or Android, Windows or macOS, console or PC, and so on.
At the moment, in the world of smartphone construction, there are just two main manufacturers producing the best flagships - Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy. Of course we say about top smartphones because Apple does not touch other segments. The middle segment is occupied by last year's, refurbished and used smartphones, which are wrong to compare with fresh representatives of the Android platform. And yes, there are also two main platforms - Android and iOS.
Why comparing the hardware specs of the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy doesn't make much sense
In general, comparing iPhone and Galaxy is difficult and impractical for two reasons. First, each manufacturer updates the lineup with a difference of half a year. That is, when the Galaxy S8 entered the market, more than half a year has already hit the market, and when the iPhone 8 comes out, a similar situation will occur with flagship Samsung... If both manufacturers released their devices at the same time, then it would be possible to judge the perfection of smartphones in terms of revolutionary chips, hardware and compare the advantages and disadvantages of certain solutions.
And the second and most important reason is that both smartphones are built on different software platforms and this is a decisive factor that you need to pay attention to before buying a gadget. It is the platform (iOS or Android) and the programmers who work on it, software, games and services that decide how efficiently the hardware will work. And let the Snapdragon 835 (SGS 8) processor have eight cores, and the Apple A10 Fusion (iPhone 7) has only four, or the RAM in the Galaxy will be 4 GB, and in the 7/7 Plus there will be “only” 2 or 3 GB, real efficiency and the speed of work will be determined only by programmers who may or may not be able to fully unleash the potential of hardware.
Rough conclusion (for most users)
Naturally, an experienced Android user is unlikely to be satisfied with an unfamiliar iOS at first. The same can be said about ardent iPhone fans who will criticize Samsung smartphones just because "everything is wrong there."
Now everything is top-end and the capabilities in both flagships are almost identical. Yes, there are differences, but in fact, these are mostly marketing gimmicks of companies.
The prices for the devices are also about the same.
Articles that can help you choose:
The main differences lie in the design of smartphones (many people choose the iPhone only because of the "apple" on the back) and platforms. Further, there could be a multi-page text about comparing cameras, benchmarks, closed and open operating systems, company policies, advantages and disadvantages of such solutions, but from more it all comes down to one thing - the end user needs to decide on the platform (iOS or Android) and design... Ideally, this can only be done empirically by testing both options. Moreover, this should not be an hourly or daily, but at least a weekly, but better - a monthly test, in which each representative will be used as the main device. Only then will you be able to face the widest range of issues and solutions and understand which disadvantages are comfortable for you to live with, and which ones you are not going to compromise with. And believe me - both iOS and Android have their drawbacks. Otherwise, we would not have to choose anything and everyone would go with devices on the same platform, and the choice of the manufacturer and model would depend only on the thickness of the wallet.
In the mobile market, there is a bitter struggle between the two strongest manufacturers Apple and Samsung. On September 7, the "apple" giant presented a new generation of its flagship smartphones iPhones that differ slightly in design from current models. Among the characteristic features of the iPhone 7: the changed geometry of the plastic inserts on the rear panel, the new shape of the protrusion that hides the main camera module, the absence of a 3.5 mm jack. The main innovations of the novelty lie in the plane of the hardware.
iPhone 7 received the latest generation Apple A10 Fusion processor, a moisture-resistant case, faster Wi-Fi connection via LTE, 2/3 GB of RAM, at least 32 GB of flash memory. There are at least seven aspects in which the "seven" is superior to any of the existing Samsung smartphones Galaxy.
1. Performance
The A10 Fusion processor found on the iPhone 7 confirms it is the fastest mobile processor on the smartphone market. Its power is comparable to that of the processor of modern laptops. Of course, Samsung also makes powerful chips, but so far none of them can match new Apple A10. In a recent test, the iPhone 7 left no chance for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in real-world performance.
2. Optical zoom
12 megapixel iPhone camera The 7 Plus boasts 2x optical zoom. This means that the image can be zoomed in half without resorting to digital scaling techniques. Samsung Galaxy smartphones are not capable of this.
3. Exclusive Apps
Another major advantage the iPhone 7 has over the Galaxy family is operating system, on which the "apple" smartphone works, as well as in software available on the Apple gadget. A lot of games and applications are released primarily on iOS. This is largely due to the fact that the iPhone and iPad have a more solvent audience and it is easier for developers to release software for a limited number of Apple devices, and only then port their developments to Android. For example, Nintendo's new Super Mario Run platformer will first hit the iPhone.
4. Faster and longer support
Apple has been supporting its smartphones for quite some time now. For example, the freshest iOS version 10 will be available immediately upon release for the iPhone 5 released four years ago. Samsung, in turn, is in no hurry to release software updates for their old products. As a rule, the company supports smartphones for a year, until the next flagship is released. After that, the release of new updates may be delayed for months.
5. More options for internal memory
iPhone 7 comes in three variants with 32GB, 128GB and 256GB internal memory... The Galaxy S7 only has one version with 32GB of storage, while the Galaxy Note 7 is only offered with a 64GB flash drive. Of course, support for memory cards can be considered a big plus of the Samsung smartphone. But it is important to bear in mind that memory cards have a number of limitations in comparison with built-in memory. For example, on microSD card it is simply not possible to install some applications.
6. Stereo speakers
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have stereo speakers, while the Galaxy S7 has only one speaker with mediocre audio. New Apple smartphones one of the speakers is located on the bottom of the device, and the second is located at the top of the front panel. This arrangement seems quite original, but technically it allows you to achieve stereo sound when listening in a horizontal orientation.
Of course, in the Android segment, you can find smartphones that also have stereo speakers, but in all other respects, these models cannot be compared with either the Samsung flagship or the new iPhone 7.
7. Support for AirPods headphones
Many criticize wireless headphones AirPods for their impracticality, however, cannot be denied the innovativeness of this headset. Although the earbuds will be compatible with smartphones from other manufacturers, they have a number of features that are only available in conjunction with an iPhone. So, we are talking about the possibility of instant connection to gadgets and Siri support.
8. Latest operating system
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus came with the latest iOS 10 software platform out of the box, which is not the case with Samsung handsets. In anticipation of the announcement of the same Galaxy Note 7, sources indicated that the South Korean phone will receive new android 7.0 Nougat, but this did not happen: at the start, the device is running last year's Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. That being said, South Korean smartphone buyers will have to wait until the end of the year before they can upgrade to Android 7.0. No matter how hard Samsung tries, it fails to provide customers with the freshest and most up-to-date software.
Articles and Life Hacks
Which is better - iPhone or Samsung? This question torments many, and there is still no definite answer in this battle of giants. Titans have converged in today's market battle for consumer wallets mobile technologies- iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S3.
Top representatives of modern smartphones. Everyone is good in their own way, everyone has the right to be the best.
The fair half of humanity thinks more about beauty and different things, and the stronger sex is traditionally focused on speed and functionality. Consider both of these aspects that are so exciting for the consumer segment.
Beauty is a terrible power
- Everyone knows that there is no dispute about tastes, but still we dare to express our humble opinion. By and large, both buildings have the right to be called stylish and beautiful. Still, the iPhone 5 has a more pedigree feel.
- iPhone - looks like an aristocrat in his tailcoat made of glass and aluminum and replays the plastic nouveau riche Samsung Galaxy S3, which, although it tries to look just as exquisite, but common roots make themselves felt.
Best and fastest
- Let's move from aesthetics to utilitarianism. In the race functionality Samsung often shows its back to Apple's brainchild.
- The screen is definitely larger for Samsung, but the iPhone has more dpi, although the difference is only 20 pixels, which does not greatly affect the clarity, but for Apple's apologists it is quite enough to satisfy their vanity.
- In terms of the amount of memory, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is ahead, although its base maximum indicator of 32 GB loses against the 64 GB iPhone 5, but Samsung allows you to expand the micro SDHC memory with an additional 64 GB.
- By performance Samsung processor Exynos with four cores and 1.4 GHz shows fantastic results and takes the lead.
- Although the iPhone plays out on optimization own programs for iOS, while Samsung has to constantly adapt to the "whims" of Google's Android.
Let's try to answer a prosaic question: which is better than an iPhone or a Samsung?
Smartphone manufacturers like to call their creations digital-letter combinations. Particularly popular is the combination of the serial number of the model and the letter S.
Competitive manufacturers are also noted for this enthusiasm. smartphones Samsung and Apple .
The difference between the sizes of the fifth models is striking, especially when they are in the hand.
Despite the large dimensions of Korean phones, Californian ones are always somewhat slimmer. The iPhone 5s is almost 2mm thinner than the competitor, and the 6 is one millimeter thinner.
However, this circumstance is concealed by the rounded edges of Samsung. Because of this, they visually appear thinner.
In terms of weight ratio, the difference between the fives is striking - 13 grams. The Apple Device is, of course, lighter. But for the sixth generation models, the difference in weight is 9 grams.
It is noteworthy that of all the phones described, only one (Samsung Galaxy S5) has a removable back cover.
The sixth model of the Korean Galaxy flagship has acquired a solid body.
In the sixth Galaxy model, the engineers decided to abandon not only the removable cover, but also the plastic. Now the device is protected from all sides by Gorilla Glass 4.
The "apples", as always, have aluminum.
The assembly of all devices is solid, but the Galaxy S5 has also become dustproof.
For "apples" a high-quality assembly is a standard, but the S6 is the first monolithic device from a Korean company.
In terms of build quality and materials used, the sixth models are equal, and the fifth "Korean" is slightly inferior to the device from Apple of the same generation.
Note! The iPhone is more prone to slipping out of the palm of both the fifth and sixth. And if in the fifth it is compensated by compactness, then the sixth strives to "jump" out of hand. Samsung is fine with that.
Battle on displays
All phones have good screens (even the fifth models). There is nothing to compare specifically. The data on their parameters, summarized in a table, will be much clearer.
| ModelParameter | Galaxy S5 | iPhone 5s | Galaxy S6 | iPhone 6 |
| Technology | SuperAMOLED | IPS | Super AMOLED | IPS (Retina HD) |
| Diagonal | 5.1 inch | 4 inch | 5.1 inch | 4.7 inch |
| Resolution | 1080 × 1920 | 1136 × 640 | 1440 × 2560 | 1334 × 750 |
| Ppi | 432 | 326 | 577 | 326 |
| Color rendering | 16 million | 16 million | 16 million | 16 million |
More detailed specifications useful only to enthusiastic people. In practice, we see fairly crisp screens (even at 326 ppi).
Some of the disadvantages of color reproduction include the fact that the spectrum “slides” into blue, and Samsung - into red, but this does not interfere with the transfer of a juicy picture.
Resolution and diagonal are also controversial. The sixth generation of both devices received record-breaking large screens.
This is a great solution for working with multimedia, but at the same time it mercilessly eats up battery charge .
Filling smartphones
It makes no sense to compare the fifth and sixth models with each other, because the continuous development of technologies does not give everyone the opportunity to keep up with them, and what was a breakthrough a year and a half ago is now irrelevant.
Processors and performance
The fifth models are equipped with A7 (iPhone) and Snapdragon 801 (Galaxy S5) processors, respectively. The first is dual-core at 1.35 GHz, the second is for four cores with a clock frequency of 2.5 GHz.
Note! With this spread of clock speed, performance is more influenced by the OS. So, iPhone faster the competitor opens native apps, while Samsung opens third-party apps.
Apple's sixth models have consistently followed tradition with their own 1.4GHz dual-core A8 processor.
The Korean company also decided to use its own processor and installed in the S6 Samsung Exynos 7420 is an eight-core CPU.
The eight cores are actually split into two quad-core processors at 1.5 and 2.1 GHz.
A less powerful chip acts as an auxiliary one and turns on only at high loads.
Memory: operational and stationary
Which smartphone can store more information? Samsung is doing better with RAM: S5 - 2 GB, S6 - 3 GB. Both "apples" are supplied with 1 GB.
Moreover, their performance does not suffer, because of the excellent optimization. Only the S5 has an SD card slot (up to 128GB).
The rest of the models are offered with built-in data storage (S6 - 32/64/128 GB, 5s - 16/32/64, 6 - 16/64/128).
At the same time, the actually available space for storing personal data will be slightly less, since this parameter does not take into account the OS.
Autonomy and battery
The battery capacity of both Galaxy (2,550mAh for the S6 and 2,800mAh for the S5) is almost twice that of the iPhone (1,810mAh for the 6 and 1560 for the 5s). Autonomous work all devices have about the same.
Why is this happening?
Because "Koreans" use more power-hungry processors.
Each device is capable of being in standby mode for about 260 hours, providing 20 hours of talk time and about 50 hours of playing music.
Fingerprints
All the presented devices are equipped with a fingerprint sensor.