iPhone 7's Lack of 'Compelling' Features Convinced Most Galaxy Note7 Owners to Stay With Samsung

[Michael Scrip]

As I said TO ME sound quality is important.

So you like sound quality... and yet you want to use a cassette adapter on a 13 hour drive?

 

[Juicy Box]

This particular problem has already been solved by this:

Included in the box... which plugs into the cassette adapter.

You're right... a trip of 931 miles would be awful without audio from your phone. But thankfully it's not as dire a situation as you paint it.

This is one solution, and you could charge the phone using that other rediculous looking adapter. There also are other solutions to that scenario, such as BT adapters to the old headunit, replacing the old headunit, and others.

Of course the easiest would be to have a phone with a jack on it.

Quality sound is pretty important to a lot of people... Check out this post, it is right above yours.

And to add insult to injury the DA in the lighting to 3.5mm jack dongle is of such poor quality that is sounds worse than the standard jack it replaced.

 

[EdT]

So you like sound quality... and yet you want to use a cassette adapter on a 13 hour drive?

When that's the only way to play music from your phone, yes. And I've been in that position more than once. I don't always get to pick the car I drive for my company. And some of the cars they use are that old.

 

[DanGoh]

I upgraded from a iPhone 6 to an iPhone 7 this year. Had the S7 had better headphone audio quality and Samsung had a better history of updating their flagships, I'd a gone with the Samsung.

 

[Michael Scrip]

When that's the only way to play music from your phone, yes. And I've been in that position more than once. I don't always get to pick the car I drive for my company. And some of the cars they use are that old.

I gotta ask... do you own an iPhone 7 right now?

It's been 3 months since Apple announced that the iPhone 7 didn't have a headphone jack... and it's been a year since it was rumored to happen. Surely you knew about this as a long-time Macrumors member.

Perhaps you bought the wrong phone for your needs.

 

[mike7311]

What in the ever loving **** are you talking about? Apple is well aware that they have a roughly 3 year complete turnover cycle across their consumers, they've said as much in the investors meetings (go look it up). That's how they approach their releases.

The phone market is changing....how? Like, right now who's doing anything different? They're all solid slabs with a screen. No one has flexible devices out now, so what is this change you're discussing that Apple hasn't caught on to?

What are you so angry about? Samsung has superior hardware and Apple is years behind them. Apple relies on their superior software and update system. There are things they can do catch up, but they will do the minimum as long as customers continue purchase. That is changing and Apple will be at a crossroads soon. Customers will pay a premium price for a premium device, but with the last two updates people are now starting to either keep their devices or switch manufacturers with more regularity. I just looked at new Samsung phone today and the screen is just so much better, too bad I dislike Android. That being said, this was the first time I didn't upgrade and will not until a real upgrade is available. Carrier subsidies are pretty much gone and people are less and less willing to pay the huge prices for phones when the one they have works fine. Only a wow factor can separate people from their money.

 

[Mac 128]

Apple's courage is questionable given no real benefit was given to the user with the removal of the headphone jack. People often point out the lame excuse about water proofing, but many phones have jacks and have a higher water resistant rating. The removal of the jack also made there products in their eco system no longer compatible. The headphones you get on your new iphone can't be used without a dongle on Apple's new pro user laptop. Which is very silly.

I would agree that the dual camera is really good. I really hope to be blown away with the 8, because Samsung phones look mighty good these days when they aren't exploding!

The Lightning headphones can't be used with any Mac, as no dongles exist for them, and I have seen nothing to suggest that anyone is making them. Now that is silly. I'm surprised how few people have noticed this when they talk about Apple not switching to USB-C as a headphone jack replacement -- it's very clear Apple does not intend to support Lightning any further than necessary to achieve a wireless standard, much less replacing the headphone jack as one.

Features or not, the lack of a headphone jack is the reason I'm getting an iPhone 6S Plus in two weeks.

Would gladly have taken the extra GB of RAM, especially as having used my iPhone 5 for ~4 years now has left me hungering for all the RAM I can get, but the lack of a headphone jack AND knowing that the adaptor has a worse DAC left me with no choice.

Let's hope my new iPhone will last me as long as is needed until the headphone jack issue isn't one anymore one way or another.

Glassed Silver:mac

The adapter is in fact measurably worse, but there's no way you would be able to tell the difference, it is so minute. So your complaint about quality is unrealistic, not to mention, there are other even higher quality options.

The only advantage that Bluetooth has over a hard connection is that it's wireless. It's inferior technology in every other way delivering worse sound quality and introducing lag, while being battery dependent.

If Apple was going to go wireless they should have introduced an improved technology instead of essentially forcing customers to purchase a pair of their headphones based on an existing mediocre standard. Until that happens I'm not giving up on wired headphones and will not purchase a phone without a 3.5mm jack.

And to add insult to injury the DA in the lighting to 3.5mm jack dongle is of such poor quality that is sounds worse than the standard jack it replaced.

Please provide links to your claim that the DAC inApples adapter sounds worse than the jack it replaced. I do have links to quantifiable tests I can produce that prove it is virtually indistinguishable to even a professional.

N



You've just taken away the the charging point for your phone. Without additional adapters you have only a few hours at most. You won't last as far as you can drive in a day, if you've planned on a 2 day drive, and you definitely will be listening to the sounds of silence if you're going straight through. And as I said, to me sound quality is important. Wired headphones sound better, dollar for dollar, and premium wired sound better than any available Bluetooth headphones. And if I do buy an adapter I have something to lose or misplace, as small as it is. I could also misplace wired headphones. And then stop at the next truck stop and replace them. There will be a next truck stop, and they will have corded headphones. They probably won't have a lightning to phono jack adapter. Someplace in my travels are several jaybird headphones, lost trying to leave a plant and trying to make a 1 to 3 hour drive to an airport, or get a start on a 10-13 hour drive home. I don't listen to them while driving, and if I use the company car I have Bluetooth, but until recently a lot of rental cars my company booked didn't come Bluetooth enabled. Some still don't. And from comments here and reviews on the adapter, they don't sound as good as the old phono jack did on iPhones and still does on every other piece of audio equipment.

As I said TO ME sound quality is important. To someone else it can be less so. I don't fault someone who has different likes and dislikes but to be blunt Apple could leave a phono jack in AND have their new Airpods. If they made the phone a little longer, wider, thicker or a combination of these not only could they do both but also put a larger battery in so the phone could run longer without needing to be charged. For the last few generations of iPhones I did not get the absolute fascination with thin. Maybe you do, maybe that's what you want in a phone. I want usability. If they can make it look good that's a bonus, but not if it compromises use or reliability. I think the iPhone 7 crossed that line. I hope the iPhone 2017 gets back to introducing features not found elsewhere or not implemented well. If all accomplishes is being thinner or if it costs close to or over $1000.00 to buy something improved over a 6s then I'll look elsewhere. Apples vision for the future and mine would evidently not coincide.

I travel with a $20 BT adapter now. The last time I ended up with a rental car that did not have BT, or USB, I drove around to a few stores looking for a male to male 3.5mm cable and finally gave up. I can use that BT adapter in airlines to eliminate cables that I have to unplug to let people in and out of their seats. And by the way, you can lose that aux cord you're so find of as well. Quality has little to do with listening to music while driving in a car, especially a rental car, or on a plane. And I'll tell you something else from my travels -- truck stops may not have Lightning to headphone jack adapters, yet, but they do have cheap BT adapters.

 

[EdT]

I gotta ask... do you own an iPhone 7 right now?

It's been 3 months since Apple announced that the iPhone 7 didn't have a headphone jack... and it's been a year since it was rumored to happen. Surely you knew about this as a long-time Macrumors member.

Perhaps you bought the wrong phone for your needs.

I own a 6+. I was going to upgrade this year but didn't and the lack of phono jack was probably the tipping point to my decision. I don't expect Apple to change their mind about adding back the audio jack with whatever next years phone is called. I did buy an iMac 5k 27 inch desktop this year (2016). I had been impressed with my first iMac (2007) and with the two MacBooks (2011 and 2013) I bought. The new iMac, not so much.

 

[darbus69]

Hate to agree, but as someone who has owned every iPhone on day one since the first, this is my first year not getting the new iPhone because there was nothing significant enough about it to warrant a purchase.

Hopefully Apple can step it up next year with an amazing phone, but from the mixed bag of current rumors im not holding my breath.

you are all so wrong, the camera is amazing, and alone worth the upgrade but then there is water resistance and more...everyone I have ever known tells me that their Samsung phone is somewhat buggy and unreliable...Apples customer service is second to none and the ecosystem, including appletv, AppleMusic and more is beyond easy to use. don't get what you whiners are complaining about

 

[Labeno]

Just so I become informed about Samsung phones and how they are more feature rich, could someone bullet the list of non-gimmick features the Samsung phone has that the iPhone does not have? Thanks!

 

[I7guy]

What are you so angry about? Samsung has superior hardware and Apple is years behind them. Apple relies on their superior software and update system. There are things they can do catch up, but they will do the minimum as long as customers continue purchase. That is changing and Apple will be at a crossroads soon. Customers will pay a premium price for a premium device, but with the last two updates people are now starting to either keep their devices or switch manufacturers with more regularity. I just looked at new Samsung phone today and the screen is just so much better, too bad I dislike Android. That being said, this was the first time I didn't upgrade and will not until a real upgrade is available. Carrier subsidies are pretty much gone and people are less and less willing to pay the huge prices for phones when the one they have works fine. Only a wow factor can separate people from their money.

Is hardware defined as inside and outside? If so apples soc is best in class.

But if oled and wireless charging is your priority Apple doesn't offer either yet. But imo, Samsung does not offer "superior hardware" for the reason is the device is the exterior and interior.

 

[Tech198]

i don't think no one knows what they really want...

What do people expect more in a phone?

Well, we sure don't expect less. Those times have gone.

 

[nofear1az]

They started it with the hyperbole. They could have just said they needed the space for something more important and we've included an adaptor as a workaround but they also had to rubbish the socket in an attempt to justify the decision.

It makes them look a bit stupid when the same "dinosaur" socket is retailed for the next big product update.

This is so spot on. wish I could thumbs up it many times over.

 

[sissy2]

But when a single camera Pixel outperforms a dual camera iPhone it is rather sad. I bought an S7 (my very first Android phone) this year. That is quite telling how Apple are lacking these days, as I am the biggest Apple fanboy who sworn never to buy an Android phone. Ever.

Samsung and pixels cameras still kill the iPhones dual camera setup. The iPhone always has a yellow tent to the photos.

 

[Cosmosent]

FYI, the release of the first wave of Display P3-enabled (wide color) Android mobile devices is just around the corner, and has the potential to be a game changer ... Apple completely dropped the ball, and now the Android manufacturers are pushing hard to catch up ... its one area where Apple has, at least for awhile, a key product differentiation ... however, few Users have tapped into it (mostly because Apple didn't provide the needed educational tools).

Wide Color capture & display is actually the top new feature of the iPhone 7 family ... however, very few know that ... one ONLY realizes it, when they see it.

 

[AsherN]

Wasn't aware flights even have on board entertainment anymore. That said any flights I have gone on the past few years aren't any longer than 2-4 hours so maybe entertainment Is only for super long distances.

I have never watched on board entertainment anyway. No need when I have an iPad if I i wanted to watch something

Most still do. Some are moving to internal wifi to your own device. The problem with BT headphones on a plane are: can't connect to the on-board entertainment system and/or won't last for a full trans Atlantic flight.

Before I could carry a single set of headphones. Now I need at least 2 things. BT for my iDevices and 3.5mm wired. or 3.5mm wired and a dongle for my iDevices.

 

[zaaach48]

Lots of space on the top

This pic is cutting out the entire receiver and front facing camera module that is mounted to the back of the display. You honestly believe YOU can figure this out and the hardware design team for the company with infinite resources did not?

 

[venom600]

This particular problem has already been solved by this:

Included in the box... which plugs into the cassette adapter.

You're right... a trip of 931 miles would be awful without audio from your phone. But thankfully it's not as dire a situation as you paint it.

A small, easily lost dongle that doesn't allow you to charge while you use it is not a solution anyone should brag about. It reeks of bad design decisions.

 

[dan110]

This is a picture of a cable that allows you to transfer your data from an iPhone to a Google Pixel. Unfortunately, this is looking more and more like a possibility for me. Apparently, this may be one of the unintended consequences of Apple Inc's current strategic thinking. It is rumored that Apple no longer has a dedicated Mac Team. It is also very obvious that Apple is not at all concerned about sunsetting essential peripherals and neglecting it's relationship with pro users . If I start to leave Apple's ecosystem, beginning with my mobile phone, then it's just a matter of time before everything else follows. Does Apple even care?

 

[DoctorKrabs]

But the iPhone 6 doesn't have Waterproofing, Dual camera, 3D Touch, Stereo speakers, Taptic feedback etc. So this point is moot.

Those things don't require a larger phone to be possible. Somehow they made the same kinds of advancements from 1st gen to the iPhone 5 while making the phone smaller (less volume) with every new design. It's actually your point that is moot.

 

[SeaFox]

It's worth noting that early on in the recall process Samsung's refund/trade-in offers were more favorable for customers who chose another Samsung product as the replacement, verses customers seeking direct cash compensation for use on another Android phone or iPhone.

Also, it's really short-sighted to think that just because someone has a bad experience with a Samsung phone that they will jump platforms to iOS. Much like many long-time iOS users, many Android users have a heavy familiarity with Android's interface and large collections of paid apps that aren't going to transfer to the other side. Not to mention expectations on integrated services with Google, customization options with Android that are not available on iOS, etc.

 

[5105973]

I almost bought a Pixel tonight but decided I did not want to give Google total control over my phone usage especially as I'm an Android noob, so Moto Z Play Droid it was. Plus didn't want to spend those prices on another phone.

I hope you enjoy your new phone. One thing I've found out about Google is that they do give you access to the information they collect, such as all You Tube history and all recordings of your voice commands to Google Now and gives you the option to delete them. Apple collects the same voice recordings but we don't have access to them at all. Apple stores them for a couple of years. So all of my foul mouthed arguments with Siri impugning her intelligence and accusing her of being the offspring of a pocket calculator and a potato are recorded somewhere for the amusement of Skynet and AI takes its revenge on humanity.

 

[zen]

They removed the headphone jack to make space in a tiny device - the MacBook Pro is considerabley larger than the iPhone.

Isn't the space where the headphone jack electronics sit actually filled with a plastic filler block? I recall seeing it in one of the tear-downs.

 

[sudo1996]

But, as a consumer, I found Apple to be a much better company when hardly anyone used their products.

I didn't. Their stuff used to be way too proprietary/incompatible, and they seemed to lack the funds for R&D. Apple was my favorite in 2008-2010. Of course, they're beginning to suck now, but that's for other reasons.
[doublepost=1483083267][/doublepost]

Because there is like 100x more space in a MacBook Pro than an iPhone? Because in a Macbook Pro the jack it's not the bigger component limiting the form factor? Because the MacBook pro charge port can't duplicate as audio output anyway? There are a lot of reasons but above all why they should remove the jack in a computer at all?

They said the same thing about USB type A (aka the USB that everyone uses). Also, with USB-C as the charging port, the rMBP's charging port can act as an audio output or theoretically any other I/O.
[doublepost=1483083413][/doublepost]

So you like sound quality... and yet you want to use a cassette adapter on a 13 hour drive?

IDK if cassette adaptors necessarily decrease the quality. It's all analog, just like the audio cables. Your only enemy is noise (not lossy digital compression or anything), so a good quality adaptor should be clean. But most of them do indeed make the music sound like trash.
[doublepost=1483083622][/doublepost]

Of course but the tech is far better now than it was even a few years ago.

Syncing and connection quailty is very good on my wireless headphones something which clearly hasn't been there in the past.

Sometimes until you are being encouraged to use wireless you don't know what you are missing.

I haven't seen any improvement. My parents' 2016 Chevy Suburban still has issues connecting to my iPhone over Bluetooth.

 

[Soccertess]

I think your overstating this more than Schiller did. I think it was a "We weighed the options of other features and decided this ancient port wasn't worth the trade off for the space it consumed".

But you translate it as: "This port is completely useless in all use cases, it should never be used"
[doublepost=1483046157][/doublepost]
Samsung doesn't know what they did, so how could you?

I'm sure if Apple pushed the limits and pushed things out before they were ready, you'd get similar results as Samsung.

I'm sure Samsung engineers know exactly what went wrong. Some reports are saying that they didn't leave enough space around the battery, meaning any expansion was fire prone. If it was that easy, you would think they would just put in a small battery.

Anyways, if they can design phones, create some of the best medical equipment in the world, and run one of asia's largest construction firms, I'm pretty sure they know exactly were they went wrong and how to avoid it next time. TO many billions of dollars on the line. I'm sure with there BILLIONs, they can figure it out. We are talking about a world class organization. Apple knows when they make a design defect, and you can be sure they will fix it next time around.