So, it would be very helpful to see 1) signal improvement, 2) download speed improvement, 3) improvement in voice quality when listening, 4) improvement on voice quality when speaking including background cancellation.
For example, something I rarely saw in iPhone 6s(+) reviews was the addition of a 4th microphone for noise cancellation. I also rarely saw any talk of the H.265 compression (2 x H.264) for FaceTime Video over cell networks in the 6s.
Last Sat, I was in a Starbucks speaking with a friend who was in a different Starbucks. I was on the 7+ he on the 5S. I could hear annoying background noise, he could hear no background noise. These things are critically important, but it seems as if the reviewers are not using these units in real world situations.
I think this is because the people doing the reviews don't really have technical backgrounds. Otherwise, they'd be testing this issues.
EDIT: The modem specs (for Verizon/Sprint). AT&T, T-mobile use a lesser Intel Modem. https://www.qualcomm.com/products/snapdragon/modems/x12
Apparently iPhone 7(+) does not have the antennas for 4x4 MIMO / 256 QAM which the Samsung S7 does provide for. http://cellularinsights.com/samsung-galaxy-s7-the-first-4x4-...
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12678124
LG V20 which should be shipping by end of Oct does support AWS-3 (Band 66) http://cellularinsights.com/lg-v20-the-first-aws-3-capable-s...
These issues are important to extend signal and to make better use of spectrum in areas with large buildings and high population density.
Where is Microsoft's 1ms latency touch screen from 2012? https://www.engadget.com/2012/03/10/microsoft-cuts-touchscre...
He said the review is a review of the phone. That includes voice and signal quality. His hardware table doesn't even mention the LTE modem and radio while mentioning the WiFi standards.
Really a phenomenal showing by Apple's CPU and compiler teams, especially considering that everyone uses the same fabs.
Qualcomm is trying to do what apple does here, but they are spread across many more phones, OS versions and the like. They are trying to be more general purpose, which makes them not as great in most cases.
I would love to hear more about the disillusioning part. As an Android user I want to stay with them but after playing around with the 7 and reading this review I'm actually much more impressed with this phone than when it initially came out. Especially after the release of the Google Pixel which was very underwhelming to me. I can't believe I'd say this but the iPhone 7 seems to provide a better value than the Pixel.
To me, the difference between a $1000 phone and a $400 is less than $1 per day (I keep my phones for 24 months). A buck a day is something I can afford and am willing to pay it for even a modestly better phone. I would guess a lot of HN readers are in a similar position.
I wish Google would have come out with something much better even if it would have been more expensive than an iPhone.
Pixel pretty much offers very similar hardware without having to buy into the Apple ecosystem. There's value in that.
I do wonder if he is _still_ at Apple after whatever was happening was made public (and possibly known to Apple as well)
I quit Apple precisely when the iPhone 1 was released due to ideological reasons, as I realised the whole ecosystem would become a walled garden. But I concede they have good products.
I was looking forward to the new Pixel and Pixel XL. Google devices are the only ones that have a sane code/update policy within Android, and thus allow me to run Copperhead OS (which is the only free mobile OS I find realistic to run). However, they are insanely expensive, which IMHO risks making Copperhead a really niche option.
Samsung makes decent hardware, Note fiasco aside, but their Android mods are a joke. Same for most Androids. Jolla is stuck. And fringe options like Pyra are cool but inconvenient on a daily basis...
Just so I understand, since the iPhone was the first phone Apple made, are you saying you stopped using their PCs (and music players?) because they'd made a phone? If you were happy with their other products up to that point, how does the phone change the grand scheme of things? I'd want to hear what your ideology is.
I thought Macs would become less open and less important for Apple in the future, with their marked shift to mobile.
I think it was the right decision. Almost a decade later, Macs still lack components I think are key for a developer. For example, they don't ship with a package manager.
I understand Apple's focus on mobile, since that's what brings most earnings, but as a developer freedom is very important to me. Not just from an ideological point of view. Also for convenience reasons. E.g., I cannot imagine going back to floating window managers. Getting a tiling one running on Mac is a bit of a hack. I prefer Arch, Nix and friends.
And yet the Mac really hasn't. So why quit Apple?
I realize this is unrelated to the main topic, but it illustrates human foresight.
Why is this so hard to do? Can't a desktop OS compile the right rom and install it via USB?
Edit: I understand this is a driver issue, but it seems there isn't that much difference in hardware in the mobile world.
There are huge differences in the hardware. Go to XDA and try to build a rom for an android device. Bluetooth, wifi, GPS, HAL sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, display drivers, audio hardware, NFC sensor can all have significant differences that need to be sussed out. Most significant of all- the camera.
That would be the antithesis of what makes the iPhone good though -- the hardware/software limited fragmentation + lock-step iterations.
They have 2 years update policy, the same as any other Android device. They sign it by contract.
What do you mean? There are many Android devices that never receive an update at all.
After a steady upgrade cadence since iPhone 1, this is the first time I've postponed my decision, still deciding how to proceed.
Google is making the right moves but I'm not sure how much it can help them. Pixel is an excellent product, but you need a crowbar to pry people out of a well worn and comfortable habits.
I think if Apple kept the headphone jack and added wireless charging, they'd have a lot of very happy customers.
1). .mp3 or .aac throws away data
2). Transmitting over bluetooth recompesses and throws away more data
I think in principle Apple could avoid one of these with AirPods if the the iPhone7 streamed .aac/.mp3 as a custom Bluetooth codec, but I haven't heard if they wen that route.
Not me. I already use wireless headphones at the gym and while running. The only loss is I cannot charge and listen at the same time which is something I rarely did anyway.
Given how Google abruptly leaves projects behind, the Pixel needs a few releases before I would trust it staying around. Flagship priced Android phones are also a tough market because you can get decent ones at very low prices.
Genuinely honest: Android's been out there for a long while. Even if the Pixel was the last Pixel ever, why would that be a problem from me as a user? When it's time to replace, I'm going to look at the other Android phones too anyway.
Also, if people valued having wireless phones they'd had bluetooth headset already, Apple isn't exactly breaking new grounds here, just removing the options of having passive battery-less sets.
Since I'm locked to the system, I'm stuck with the 5S, for now. The SE was bad value (in Europe) when it came out and it's just getting worse and worse.
And even driving my old beater won't cause me any hassles because the FM radio transmitter I bought for the car uses USB for both power and audio. Lots of inexpensive car stereos offer USB and Bluetooth in.
I thought everyone went mad when they said this as I never encountered this issue, but I see it everywhere... The app that drains my Android is always Skype. That is also the app the drains my laptop and the reason I started using the web version but when that is on, Chrome drains my laptop. Wechat seriously does not come close and I use it a lot more...
After trying some cheaper phones and two Android flagships (support was terrible), I realized that a great phone, with good warranty, and quick updates is worth more to me than the price hump.
Same for laptops. Why would I cut on a device that I use every day?
(Apropos laptops: we usually sell our MacBooks after ~3 years, I usually recoup 2/3rd of the cost and have a high-end laptop for 300-400 per three years.)
It does absolutely everything I can think of a cell phone can do, even has dual sims. I'm tethering to it off 3G right now.
It's running Android 5.1, and to be honest I have not even tried to upgrade it because it just doesn't matter. It does everything as it is.
It's this http://www.naijainformation.com/2016/06/itel-it1355-price-fu...
I buy Apple phones for one reason, and that's the fact that my business lives and dies through communication. With my $800 phone, I can walk into any Apple store in the world and get support, a repair, or replacement. When I had a Nexus phone, all I got was runaround and BS from whoever support was contracted out to.
Apple marketing simply has succeeded in convincing you and others that there is no viable alternative which in turn keeps you from accepting such a possibility
https://www.engadget.com/2016/07/21/kickasstorrents-apple-fa...
Android is open source. You can get rid of all the google bits if you really want to.
* Security and privacy
* The best range of high quality apps
* Pythonista
* The camera(s)
* Calibration - I don't trust Android devices to be correctly quality controlled in this regard
* Continuity and the universal clipboard
* System performance
* Product support / Apple Stores
* Device longevity. My daughter just upgraded from my old 3GS, which still even works with the app store!
I don't remember ever not using Google maps on an iPhone. When was this impossible? I got the 3GS in 2009 and moved to the 4S in early 2012
"In June 2012, Apple announced that they would replace Google Maps with their own maps service from iOS 6. However, on December 13, 2012, Google announced the availability of Google Maps in the Apple App Store, starting with the iPhone version. Just hours after the Google Maps iOS app was released, it became the top free app in the App Store."
A 64GB 6S+ is a much better proposition to me and will be my daily driver until I find something better. I've not noticed any difference since swapping.
What are the 'friction points' of traditional 3.5mm headphones? The fact that they're wired?
You guys know that the MacBook trackpads don't actually depress either, right?
Quite a disappointement from anandtech.
And thank god, since I only got my 6S Plus a few months ago. :)
I hope they are planning some fireworks (you'll recover Samsung ;) for the iPhone's 10th year anniversary next year.
Steve Jobs definitely didn't play down that part, to the point of being as important as any other part.
