Apple, Samsung in new phone smackdown
APPLE and Samsung are set for another big face-off in the coming months as both prepare for major smartphone launches.
Which means that we, as the phone-buying public, are being inundated with rumours about what these phones could do.
Let’s start with Samsung, which will show off the Galaxy Note 8 on Aug 23. The phone is Samsung’s follow-up to its (exploding and recalled) Note 7. Its debut will beat Apple’s next iPhone, which is traditionally launched in September, to market - perhaps by a lot, if buzz on a delay for a redesigned iPhone are true.
Renderings posted by reporter Evan Blass - who has an excellent track record when it comes to pre-release leaks - show a Note 8 with the same fingerprint reader configuration as the Galaxy S8.
Apple’s iOS developers have tweeted that they found references to the next iPhone in a release of firmware for the upcoming HomePod speaker. The revelations appear to confirm that new iPhones will have advanced facial recognition and biometric features.
There appears to be a bezel, or border, in the image included in the tweet, but developers commenting on the thread said that the border would not appear on the phone.
So, what does this mean for consumers?
Chances are that if you’ve fallen into one camp or the other, nothing that leaked over the past week will change your mind about which phone you’d buy - unless your personal deal breakers are the weird cut-out at the top of the iPhone, or the position of the Note 8’s fingerprint reader.
Both companies appear to have listened to top complaints about their phones and, in some cases, taken them to heart.
But perhaps what’s most striking about what we’ve learned so far is how similar these phones would be - especially if the iPhone adds features already offered on Samsung’s devices, such as the edgeless screen and facial recognition.
As these top competitors draw closer in terms of smartphone style and features, there will be a lot of pressure on performance.
If Apple can prove that it was worth the wait for its version of a fast-charging iPhone, for example, that could be a key distinguishing feature.
If you’re truly undecided between the next iPhone and the Note 8, you’ll probably want to hold off on pre-orders until both phones hit the market and you can try them out yourself.
No point taking any risks that you’re going to regret later.— Washington Post
Apple’s iOS developers have tweeted that they found references to the next iPhone in a release of firmware for the upcoming HomePod speaker. The revelations appear to confirm that new iPhones will have advanced facial recognition and biometric features.