iPhone 6s Bests Samsung's New Galaxy Note 7 in App Speed Test

[Glideslope]

It's not about Apple vs Samsung. It's Johny Srouji versus the industry. As long as he heads Apple's Architectural Silicon Development it's not even close.

Forget about the A10. What comes after that will be revolutionary.

 

[iTom17]

That is true. But not a bunch of apps in a row without using them for something before opening the next one.

Most people jump between a handful of core apps each day, meaning that apps that have already been opened earlier that day (or actually since you last restarted your phone) will be available immediately the next time you need it without having to be loaded into memory.

It would have been very interesting to see a 'round 2' comparison where both phones have had every app opened at least once before. I think the result would have been quite different.

Actually, many apps would reload on the Galaxy Note 7. It just can't hold apps for a long period, let out that it can hold a lot apps at the same time. I've seen it happening with my Nexus 5X (which has 2 GB RAM like the iPhone 6s). After having used Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Chrome for a little while, and then opening Twitter again results in having to reload that app. With a decent phone, this shouldn't happen. Especially when it runs stock Android. Maybe I am exaggerating a little bit on the number of apps, but my experience is that my Nexus couldn't hold a few apps for more than 15 minutes before the first one would reload when opening again.

Honestly, I think what you suggest for a new test would turn out even worse for the Note. The iPhone would do better at that area. At least, that's what I think. Wouldn't hurt to indeed do some kind of test like that of course.

 

[cdmoore74]

This is exactly the type of article that is needed on "macrumors"! I own a S7 and I passed on the Note 7 because even my iPhone SE makes my S7 appear slow. But don't get me wrong, I still love Android as well as iOS. It's just that Samsung implementation makes the phone lag. So it's either a Nexus or iPhone 6SE/7 Plus to compliment my iPhone SE.

 

[XTheLancerX]

Looks like most Android phone manufacturers are about done throwing specs at phones while completely forgetting about software.. It isn't sustainable and it's finally showing.

I'm just curious what Snapdragon is going to do. Their most recent chipset, the 820, is plagued with overheating issues and it still can't compete with Apple's A9; which features superior performance with lower clock speed, less cores, and quite importantly, none of the overheating problems.

 

[xotigu]

I laughed hard at the last part of the video where they had to timelapse it because the waiting game is strong!haha

 

[Zaft]

I don't see how testing the speed of opening apps is a pointless test. Almost everyone I know uses their smart phone to open apps

Yes but who opens 20 apps in 1 minute as fast as they can?

 

[McCool71]

but my experience is that my Nexus couldn't hold a few apps for more than 15 minutes before the first one would reload when opening again.

It has nothing to do with time, but with the amount of RAM used by other apps since you last used the app in question. Also; frequently used apps will be prioritized to be kept in memory, meaning that apps that are rarely used will be 'kicked out' of RAM when the need arises before your 'daily drivers' are.

I have maybe 6-7 core apps I use several times a day, all year round. Never seen any of them use more than a second to get up and running unless it is the first time I use them after restarting my device. Current uptime is 307 hours, so that would be close to 14 days ago.

 

[Karma*Police]

http://www.theverge.com/2016/8/16/12491196/samsung-galaxy-note-7-review

The Verge?? Come on, we all know intelligent people don't read the Verge for tech reviews. After all, it was The Verge that had this to say about Google Glass:

The design of Glass is actually really beautiful. Elegant, sophisticated. They look human and a little bit alien all at once. Futuristic but not out of time — like an artifact from the 1960’s, someone trying to imagine what 2013 would be like. This is Apple-level design. No, in some ways it’s beyond what Apple has been doing recently. It’s daring, inventive, playful, and yet somehow still ultimately simple. The materials feel good in your hand and on your head, solid but surprisingly light. Comfortable. If Google keeps this up, soon we’ll be saying things like "this is Google-level design."

Anandtech is the place to go for reviews. I haven't read the Galaxy Note 7 review, but their product reviews are extremely thorough and not just one long opinion piece. http://www.anandtech.com/show/10559/the-samsung-galaxy-note7-s820-review

 

[MrX8503]

I believe the 820 has solved most of the heating issues. With the A10 coming next month, Qualcomm is about a year behind Apple. I don't think this will matter to general consumers much considering no one seemed to care how awful the 810 was. Consumers don't notice the lag until they switch.
[doublepost=1471920607][/doublepost]

The Verge?? Come on, we all know intelligent people don't read the Verge for tech reviews. After all, it was The Verge that had this to say about Google Glass:

The design of Glass is actually really beautiful. Elegant, sophisticated. They look human and a little bit alien all at once. Futuristic but not out of time — like an artifact from the 1960’s, someone trying to imagine what 2013 would be like. This is Apple-level design. No, in some ways it’s beyond what Apple has been doing recently. It’s daring, inventive, playful, and yet somehow still ultimately simple. The materials feel good in your hand and on your head, solid but surprisingly light. Comfortable. If Google keeps this up, soon we’ll be saying things like "this is Google-level design."

Google Glass design beyond Apple? I just threw up in my mouth.

 

[B4U]

And then again, no one cares about the Sony phones...

 

[Karma*Police]

Yes but who opens 20 apps in 1 minute as fast as they can?

I think the point of that test is, people open apps all day, every day. All that waiting adds up... seconds turn to minutes; minutes turn to hours... That's time you'll never, ever get back.

At least, that's how I interpret it, but I view time as a very precious commodity.

 

[Rafterman]

The speed of iOS/iPhone is impressive, but Apple can't just release a slightly better processor and a slightly better camera, year after year, and call it a day.

Wireless charging, waterproof, more customizable interface - those are features Apple should have added a few versions ago.

 

[Loco Emperor]

But wait. Samsung has a headphone jack and a much better design and is water proof and it has godly specs. How on earth can the year old has been iPhone best it?

Lmfaoo. I love this. Hence why I just scoff when android fanboy talk about specs. All these specs and its still LAGDROID.
[doublepost=1471921916][/doublepost]

Wireless charging, waterproof, more customizable interface - those are features Apple should have added a few versions ago.

I rather have performance over any of this features. Since performance is the first thing most people care about.

 

[Rafterman]

But wait. Samsung has a headphone jack and a much better design and is water proof and it has godly specs. How on earth can the year old has been iPhone best it?

Lmfaoo. I love this. Hence why I just scoff when android fanboy talk about specs. All these specs and its still LAGDROID.
[doublepost=1471921916][/doublepost]
I rather have performance over any of this features. Since performance is the first thing most people care about.

The performance is close enough that the missing iPhone features are glaring. My "second" phone is a Note 7 and once you have built in wireless charging, you never want to go back. And when you grt caught in the rain, waterproof suddenly becomes a very important feature.

The iPhone 7 will offer very little in true improvements - and some view the headphone jack being removed as a downgrade. I've had every iPhone since the first one that could run apps (and every iPad, period). But the only reason I'm looking at iPhone 7 is the potential 256GB storage option.

Apple needs to step up its innovation game.

 

[Carlanga]

You know, apps are how smartphones are used 99,9% of the time. A test doesn't get any more "real world" than that.

If you want benchmarks, go to anandtech. Spoiler: 6s still wins.

good to know you didn't understand my post.

 

[springsup]

inb4 "but it's not scientific"

keep in mind that an average user probably cares more about this test than a Geekbench test.

Especially since we know Samsung locks out most of the hardware when you're not running a benchmark!

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013...rking-adjustments-inflate-scores-by-up-to-20/

Remember recently when VW was caught lying about their emissions results and had to pay billions in fines? Samsung do the exact same thing with their mobile phones.

VW detected emissions tests and ran with a special low-emission mode to pass it, even though in real usage emissions were much higher. Samsung detect benchmarks and only really unlock their performance when they run those specific apps - in real usage most of that performance will be locked out.

This big of a boost means that the Note 3 is not just messing with the CPU idle levels; significantly more oomph is unlocked when the device runs a benchmark.

Benchmarking apps are the only type of app that is systematically called out and boosted.

To see how some other benchmarks are affected, we made "stealth" versions of those, too—the exact same app, just with a different package name. These results back up the Geekbench findings: we're seeing artificial benchmark increases across the board of about 20 percent; Linpack showed a boosted variance of about 50 percent.

 

[citysnaps]

It's not about Apple vs Samsung. It's Johny Srouji versus the industry. As long as he heads Apple's Architectural Silicon Development it's not even close.

Forget about the A10. What comes after that will be revolutionary.

The most astute and concise post on this thread!

 

[Soccertess]

very impressed with Apple's engineering. It's good to read that Apple still has leads in some areas, probably those where Tim can't destroy.

Good on you Apple Engineers, I take my hat off to you guys!

 

[jman240]

I have a feeling for the Note this has a lot to do with the screen resolution. It's 4x that of the iPhone here so the 820 has to work that much harder to render everything. Harken back to the old days of gaming on CRT monitors when dropping the resolution to 800x600 would net a significant performance gain over 1600x1200. I'm going to bet the iPhone would not perform as well if it had a QHD display here. A better test, though the iPhone would probably still win, would be the 6S plus vs the Note as the 6S plus is at least closer to its resolution.

 

[falainber]

I'm sure you mean "slow, laggy" VR, right? Because that's what has just been proven in this demo.

Or, you can say - the fastest VR available. VR would be faster on iPhone 6s of course but the resolution would be just 667x375. That would like going back to 1970s.

 

[kevinkyoo]

It's pathetic of how people here and particularly in the YouTube video really show their fanboyisms. What happened to being a smart consumer? I'll tell you why I switched to the Galaxy Note 7 -

Apple's ecosystem has become murky and convoluted. Its computers (Besides the MacBook Air 13") have become stale and way too expensive. I decided to go to the pathway of the MacBook Air and a built PC, and I couldn't be happier.

Sold the MacBook Pro.

My iPhone 6 Plus has had many problems - frozen screens randomly, dropped calls, easily scratched screens, home button not registering my finger print, decreasing battery life after the most recent iOS updates...

Sold the iPhone 6 plus and consequently the Apple Watch.

So now I look at the Galaxy Note 7 - Yes, its performance could do better relative to the other Android phones and the iPhone S models... But water proofing, the screen resolution, battery life, expandable storage, S pen... The list can go on and on. At the end of the day, you can make your own decision of what's the better choice. But for those who are claiming that this video shows why iPhone 6S is the best phone in the market? Don't kid yourself. There are pros and cons for each phones.

 

[Loco Emperor]

The performance is close enough that the missing iPhone features are glaring. My "second" phone is a Note 7 and once you have built in wireless charging, you never want to go back. And when you grt caught in the rain, waterproof suddenly becomes a very important feature.

The iPhone 7 will offer very little in true improvements - and some view the headphone jack being removed as a downgrade. I've had every iPhone since the first one that could run apps (and every iPad, period). But the only reason I'm looking at iPhone 7 is the potential 256GB storage option.

Apple needs to step up its innovation game.

Eh wireless charging is something I've had for five years since my nokia Lumia. So Samsung is late to the game. Its also not something I have to have.

Like I said ill take a better performing device over a device that still stutters often in its navigation of its homesceen

 

[maxsix]

Former iPhone 6s Plus user here. No real issues with the phone, great battery life and super fast. But as pointed out by the non fanboys here, those speed tests are meaningless... Nobody uses a phone in that manner to that degree.

I can tell you by playing with them side by side now for the past few days, the note 7 is an incredible device, very fast and very smooth. Is it as snappy as my 6s plus? Nope, but it can also do a hell of a lot more within its software. It's all about how you want to use your phone.

I've had iPhones for 6 years and would recommend them to anyone who just wants a device that works right out of the box. But the experience got too stale for me, I wanted more, and that's exactly what I got in the note 7, more.

Goodluck to those of you who want to cling onto those speed tests, not at all close to a realistic experience. As an owner of both phones, atleast I have some real hands on experience

Like you, I appreciate my iPhone 6S Plus and have no major complaints. It's my secondary smartphone of choice.

As of October 2013, the release of Android version 4.4 caused my preferences to change. From then until the current version 6.x.x Marshmallow, I've been enjoying Nexus and other flagships as my primary smartphone.

Androids fast, smooth, reliability has won me over. True multitasking, exceptionally fast efficient capacitive home, recent and back buttons are the logical compliment to the touchscreen.

Side by side my Note 7 is nearly as fast as my personal favorite Nexus 6P. The difference is so small unless you own both you would not know the difference. That said it's obvious why some iPhone users love to bash Android. But to those of us who have extensive daily experience with both iOS and Android, it's obvious who's exaggerating about Android and who's not.

Why not celebrate the choices available, Android and iOS are both quite capable. They work nicely for me.

 

[jarofclay73]

So, Samsung is just now catching up to where Apple was 2 years ago with the iPhone 6 - at least in terms of performance.

To be fair, there are other aspects of the device that Samsung is clearly better than Apple on - the display is what comes to mind the most.

That's because no one has been able to supply 100 million OLED screens at launch. But, Samsung believes that they can supply Apple enough OLED screens in 2017 and that's the earliest Apple will have an OLED screen.

 

[normanfox]

I bought the galaxy s7 because i was hyped after reading all the reviews.
After using it for a few months:

- Samsung Software mostly sucks. Thankfully most of the things can be disabled. So i don't see how samsung makes better software. But Android itself i like.
- Yes the battery is bigger and at the beginning it was amazing how long it lasted. Sadly the performance degraded really fast and it's very unpredictable. Sometimes i end up with like 50% at the end of the day, sometimes it's just 20%. When i look at the Battery Usage screen then, it says that it was mostly used by Google-Play-Services and Android System. wtf?
that's not much better than my 4 year old iphone 5 (which was still on the first battery). I'm not a heavy user.
- the OLED screen has amazing colors. clear win. (just don't look at it in bright sunlight, the colors will look terrible.)
- the fingerprint reader is not as reliable as the one on my ipad. i've tried to train it a few times, but it doesn't seem to improve much.

- when i went to a different country, it did not change the timezone correctly. it showed me 2 clocks, but both with the same time. but it was set to adjust it automatically. always worked fine on my iphone. i ended up having to adjust it manually.
- after driving in the metro, not having any reception for a while and getting back up, the gps couldn't get my correct location until i rebooted the phone. this happened several times. never seen it happen on my old iphone.
- when i don't listen to music for a while it will just deactivate the music player. which means: when i go into the car and the bluetooth connects, it will not play the music automatically. so i tried like 2322424 apps that can start and play the music automatically when my cars bluetooth connects... and it still doesn't work 50% of the time. this must either be an android 6 or galaxy s7 problem, because there are plenty of guides on how to do this on older phones. but it's clearly not working on mine. but let's be honest: this should just work out of the box unless i kill the music app myself.
- the phone encryption somehow disabled itself. i turned the phone off before the flight. turned it back on. it didnt ask for the key. tried again -> the same thing. a day later without me changing any settings: it asks for the key again and shows the decryption animation. obviously i don't trust the encryption anymore.

that's just a few things than come to mind. but there were more little things that bugged me in the last few months. it just doesn't feel very polished. sadly the iphone 7 doesn't sound very interesting so far.. so i might just wait and see how android 7.0 improves things. (sadly samsung doesn't have the best track record on bringing android updates fast.)

all issues that you mentioned are typical for android/samsung phone: unpolished and not work right. doesn't matter what android version (7) or Samsung Galaxy Sx that you are waiting for, the result is the same.