Head-To-Head: Samsung Galaxy S7 Vs. Apple iPhone 6s

Two Flagships: iPhone 6s Vs. Samsung Galaxy S7

Weeks after it was unveiled at Mobile World Congress, Samsung's new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S7, was released on March 11.

Samsung touts the smartphone's camera improvements, performance levels and other new features as making the Galaxy S7 a better option for consumers than Apple's iPhone 6s, released a few months ago.

Apple and Samsung dominated the smartphone market in the fourth quarter of 2015 -- Samsung phones took 22 percent of the global market, while Apple's phones took 19 percent share, according to market research firm IDC.

But are the Galaxy S7's design, battery life and storage options any match for the iPhone 6s? Following is a comparison.

Also, be sure to check out more of the CRN Test Center's side-by-side comparisons of the latest smartphones, tablets, and 2-in-1s.

Galaxy S7 Comes With User-Friendly Curved Design

Samsung's biggest change to the design of its Galaxy series came with the launch of its Galaxy S6 last year, which ditched a plastic design for a high-end aluminum back. Now, Samsung has made an array of smaller, but still critical, changes to the Galaxy S7 design.

Unlike the iPhone 6s, the Galaxy S7's back is slightly curved and the camera sensor on the back is reduced, allowing the smartphone to fit comfortably in users' hands.

The Galaxy S7 also has an edge with the phone's new waterproof capabilities -- Samsung made its new smartphone IP68-certified, meaning that it can survive in about 5 feet of water.

Display: AMOLED Vs. LCD

The Galaxy S7 offers the same 5.1-inch display as its predecessor, while the Galaxy S7 Edge has a 5.5-inch display. The iPhone 6s is a little smaller with a 4.7-inch display, while the iPhone 6s Plus matches the Edge's 5.5-inch size display.

The Galaxy S7 also has a Super AMOLED screen, meaning that its display has a more vibrant and sharper display than the iPhone 6s' LCD display.

The Galaxy S7 also has a new feature called Always-On Display, which enables users to take sneak peaks at their phones for quick information -- including checking the time, or glancing at messages and emails. On Apple's end, the iPhone 6s has 3-D Touch, which takes advantage of the pressure users apply to the screen to allow them to peek at emails and messages.

Galaxy S7 Cameras Excel In Low-Light Settings

Samsung took a direct swing at Apple while unveiling the Galaxy S7's camera features, saying its camera takes better pictures in low light and has upgraded focus speeds.

The Galaxy S7's rear-facing camera has a 12-megapixel sensor, less than the iPhone 6s' 16-megapixel camera, but Samsung's smartphone has larger pixels and wider f/1.2 aperture to make it capture low light better without using the flash. The Galaxy S7's front-facing camera is 5 megapixels.

The Galaxy S7 also has a feature on the home button where users can double press to launch the camera, while the iPhone 6s lacks this shortcut.

Performance And Processors

Samsung claims that on paper the Galaxy S7 has a more powerful chipset than the iPhone 6s -- this smartphone uses the Snapdragon 820 chipset, Qualcomm's newest version (though markets other than the U.S. get an Exynos 8890 processor), featuring 4 GB of RAM. The iPhone 6s uses Apple's A9 chips, which features 2 GB of RAM.

According to a report by AnTuTu's benchmarking app, Qualcomm 820 chips have the fastest performance, while the A9 chip trails behind. However, users likely won't notice a difference in the performance of the two processors.

iPhone 6s Has More Storage Options, But Galaxy S7 Has Micro-SD

The Galaxy S7 has different options for storage models than the iPhone 6S -- but Samsung's smartphone also contains a micro SD card slot for expanded storage, a useful feature that the iPhone 6s lacks.

The iPhone 6s is available in 16-GB, 64-GB and 128-GB models, while the Galaxy S7 is only available in a 32-GB model. However, with an SD card slot Samsung's flagship can have up to 200 GB more storage -- a feature that users who store movies, TV shows and music on the smartphones will appreciate. The Galaxy S7 also has 4 GB of RAM, while the iPhone 6s has 2 GB of RAM.

Galaxy S7 Has Bigger Battery -- And Wireless Charging

The iPhone 6s contains a 1,715 mAh battery, with up to 14 hours of talk time on the 3G version. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S7 features a much larger 3,000 mAh battery.

Both smartphones have batteries that are non-removable, but Samsung does have one interesting battery feature that gives it an advantage -- the Galaxy S7 can be charged wirelessly through the purchase of a third-party charging pad.

iPhone 6s Software Is More Simple, Easy To Update

Samsung may have the upper hand through its camera upgrades and wireless charging capabilities, but the iPhone 6s has one important advantage -- software.

Apple is well-known for its iOS software, which is simple and easy to update. Samsung's Galaxy S7 comes with Android Marshmallow 6.0, customized with Samsung's TouchWiz. Samsung, however, has been struggling with the issue of bloatware in its software.

Other Features

The Galaxy S7 can be paired with Samsung's $99 Gear VR by sliding into a front slot on the headset. Meanwhile, the G5 attaches to LG's 360 VR headset through a cable. LG's headset does not yet have a price.

The Galaxy S7 also contains Samsung Pay capabilities, so Samsung users can use point-of-sale terminals that don't support wireless; Apple Pay can only work on terminals with NFC compatibility to operate. Both phones also contain fingerprint sensors on the back.

Price And Release

The Galaxy S7 starts at around $699 (the Galaxy S7 Edge starts at $799), which is around the same price of the iPhone 6s when it was launched.

The Galaxy S7 will be released in black, silver, gold and white, while the iPhone 6s comes in black, white, gray, silver and a new color -- rose gold. Both phones are available now.