Three models, three screen sizes, three philosophies. The Nexus 6p offer pure Android experience along with a huge 5.7-inch screen, the Galaxy S7 Edge will give you unmatched design along with an excellent camera while the iPhone 7 brings relatively small screen but an unmatched performance and highly optimized iOS. Which one to pick? Find out here.
Dimensions, Design
The Huawei Nexus 6P is the largest of the bunch. Measuring 159.3 x 77.8 x 7.3 mm it’s one behemoth of a smartphone, but for people wanting a huge screen the size won’t be a problem. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is very compact for a 5.5-inch screen device, with its beautiful curved screen and striking metal body; it measures 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7 mm, impressive dimensions considering the screen size. The iPhone 7 offers a relatively small screen perfect for users wanting to use their phone with one hand (its dimensions are 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm), as well as a tough body and an excellent camera.
The S7 Edge is by far the prettiest; its design just can’t be matched by other two models. Nevertheless, both the Nexus 6p and the iPhone 7 are attractive devices.
Hardware, Display
The Nexus 6P comes with a bit dated Snapdragon 810 (4×1.55 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A57 along with Adreno 430), but since the phone offers pure Android without any eye candy or third-party UI, the performance is pretty snappy. It is equipped with 3 gigs of RAM and comes with 32/64/128 GB of internal storage, which can’t be expanded.
The Galaxy S7 Edge offers a choice between an Exynos 8890 Octa (4×2.3 GHz Mongoose & 4×1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 as well as Mali-T880 MP12 GPU) and a Snapdragon 820 (2×2.15 GHz Kryo & 2×1.6 GHz Kryo coupled with Adreno 530 GPU). Both chipsets can’t match the A10 Fusion SoC featured in the iPhone 7, but they both have plenty of power, more than enough for any kind of usage scenario. The phone comes with 4 GB of RAM and a choice between 32 GB and 64 GB of expandable internal memory. All in all, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge can keep up with any task you might have for it.
The iPhone 7 is powered by Apple A10 Fusion SoC (two performance cores clocked at 2,23 GHz coupled with two power efficient cores combined with six-core GPU), a chipset capable of reaching 178,000 points in AnTuTu ( the S7 Edge can go up to 135,000, while the Nexus 6p can score “just” 75,000). Coupled with 2 gigs of RAM (which s more than enough for iOS) and a choice between 32/128/256 Gb of internal storage, the iPhone 7 offers the best performance of the bunch, with other two models being just as fast in everyday tasks, but since other two models run Android, performance differences are based mostly on OSs, not on the hardware.
The Nexus 6P comes with the largest screen. 5.7-inch 1440p (2K) resolution AMOLED display gives rich colors, deep blacks and is perfect for watching movies or reading books. The dual-curved 5.5-inch 1440p (2K) resolution Super AMOLED display featured on the Galaxy S7 also gives saturated colors and deep blacks, while being dual-curved makes it very attractive when looked at. The iPhone 7 comes with a relatively small 4.7-inch IPS LCD screen sporting a resolution of 750 x 1334 pixels. The iPhone 7 could have a higher resolution screen, with a better sharpness (it has only 326 ppi pixel density, compared to Nexus 6p’s 518 ppi density of Galaxy S7 Edge’s huge 534 ppi pixel density), but natural colors and high viewing angles are its advantages, as well as the possibility of using the device with just one hand (pretty tough to do that with the Galaxy S7 Edge or the Nexus 6p).
Camera
The Galaxy S7 Edge has an excellent 12 MP (f/1.7) main camera supporting IOS, Auto-HDR, and phase detection autofocus. A large aperture size guarantees awesome performance in low light conditions. The camera is capable of capturing 2160 (4K)@30 fps videos, and can also record 1080p@60fps videos. The selfie camera has 5 MP (f/1.7) and is capable of capturing 1080p videos.
The Nexus 6p also has a 12 MP main camera sensor but a smaller aperture size (f/2.0) won’t give you the best low light photos. The camera can capture 2160p@30fps videos, and supports laser autofocus and HDR. The selfie camera has 8 MP (f/2.4) nad can record 1080p videos.
The iPhone 7 is equipped with a high quality 12 MP (f/1.8) camera, supporting phase detection autofocus, OIS, and HDR. While the main camera is very good, it is still a bit behind the one found in the Galaxy S7 Edge. The main camera can capture videos at 2160p resolution@30fps, as well as 1080p@30/60/120fps videos. The front-facing camera has 7 MP (f/2.2) and is capable of capturing 1080p video recordings.
Battery, Software
The Nexus 6p comes with a solid 3450 mAh battery and can run the new Android Nougat. The Galaxy S7 Edge features a bit larger 3600 mAh battery, comes with Android Marshmallow but the phone should soon get the new Android Nougat. The iPhone comes with a bit underpowered 1960 mAh battery and the phone comes with iOS 10. All three devices are equipped with a fingerprint sensor, while only the Galaxy S7 Edge and the iPhone 7 are water resistant. The Galaxy S7 Edge and the Nexus 6p support fast battery charging and they both have 3.5 mm audio jack (missing on the iPhone 7).
Conclusion
At the end, all three models are excellent devices, just targeted towards different types of users. If you look for a pure Android experience, quick software updates, and a large, bright screen, pick the Nexus 6P. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is a great choice for photography fans, or for people wanting the phone with the best design while at the same time having a pretty powerful hardware. The iPhone 7 is targeted towards iOS lovers, for people who want plenty of storage space, an excellent camera and top of the line performance.