Look beyond Apple

The much-awaited iPhone 7 has finally been revealed. It’s bristling with new features and a slightly tweaked design, but otherwise looking the same as the previous 6 series. Apart from getting rid of the headphone jack, the rest of the iPhone is pretty ho-hum, with the retina display now getting a bit old. Now that the initial wow has worn off, reality has set in, firmly pushed into view by your bank balance.

Yet you still want to consider a new smartphone. There’s a lot of good competition out there, so let’s look at Apple’s rivals based on several aspects. Also, all of these phones have a headphone jack.

Price

One thing is for sure, when the iPhone reaches our shores, it’s going to be grossly overpriced. In fact, the iPhone 6s was priced the highest in the world. The lowest-end model — with a paltry 16 GB of storage — sold for a ridiculous Rs. 60,000-plus. Yet people went ahead and bought it. The iPhone 7 could be sold here for much more than that. So here are a bunch of rivals, available at a good price.

One Plus 3:

The latest phone from OnePlus has launched to rave reviews everywhere. It’s got a large 5.5-inch display with the latest SnapDragon 820 processor, 64GB of storage that can be expandable, and a whopping 6 GB of RAM. The camera is a 16-megapixel shooter with optical image stabilisation. It looks great in the style department, though not groundbreaking. It’s got a bit of an iPhone-meets-HTC vibe going for it. The build is a solid metal unibody like the one on the iPhone. All of this on a device that costs Rs. 27,999.

Huawei Nexus 6P:

As of this month, the Nexus 6P from Huawei is a year old. But it’s still a good phone and an even better contender for the iPhone. You can get a 32 GB version of this phone for lower than Rs. 30,000 now. Huawei has built this device well, with a superb metal body and a classy glass housing that holds the 12.3-megapixel camera that sports larger 1.55 m ultrapixels. The larger the pixels, the better the light and quality of the photos. The phone has a SnapDragon 810 processor which is still fast, with 3 GB of RAM. The Nexus 6P runs the latest version of Android. Prices start at Rs 39,999.

Design

When you think of design among tech companies, the only name that springs to mind is Apple. Jonathan Ive — whose soothing voice you’ve heard on all Apple product videos — is the Chief Design Officer of the company. Apple sticks to its current design formula. However, other companies are taking design to new heights in tandem with technology.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge: The Korean technology giant Samsung is not the name that comes to mind for design but with the new S7 Edge, it’s taken the world by storm. It’s been a brave move to come out with a smartphone with curved edges. The end result is beautiful and edgy (pun intended) with its beautiful 5.5-inch AMOLED display. The design of the S7 Edge still remains fresher than the recycled look of the iPhone 7. The phone itself is fantastic too, with superb specs and a gorgeous

12-megapixel camera that’s as good as the one on the iPhone. Also, unlike Apple’s fixed internal storage, the S7 Edge — in addition to the internal storage of 64 GB — can support up to 256 GB with an expandable microSD cards. Looks wise, the S7 Edge beats the iPhone hands down. Plus it’s splash-proof. Prices start at Rs. 44,200.

HTC 10: There was a lot of speculation after the launch of the iPhone 6, that Apple had copied HTC’s flagship One series, especially in the back panel antenna bands. The new HTC 10 takes that look further, but with a nice stylish ridge on the back of the phone. With a strong light metal unibody structure and a centrally-notched headphone jack, the device boasts audio features such as HiRes audio and BoomSound speakers. The 12-megapixel ultrapixel camera is quite decent too and so are the other specs on the phone. If it’s design you want, you can’t go wrong with the HTC 10. Prices start at Rs. 45,300.

Nextbit Robin: A newcomer in the arena, the Nextbit Robin has a nice colourful look with a rectangular design. It’s available in blue and grey or an odd dark blue, but they work so well. There are circular stereo speakers and a fingerprint scanner/power button. While the specs are pretty decent with an older Snapdragon 808 processor, the price is much lower than all of the phones in this list at Rs. 19,999.

Technology

The iPhone singlehandedly made the smartphone the new norm, not to mention debuted multitouch 64-bit mobile processors, force touch and more. Apple has not done much in the last few years, apart from releasing incremental updates and hiking their prices. There are several smartphones with the best technology and several cutting-edge features.

Samsung Galaxy

Note 7: You will have a blast with Samsung’s Note 7, literally. Despite the fact that Note 7s have been exploding and catching fire, it still is one of the most advanced smartphones out there. That is, once Samsung fixes the issue. The Note 7 has a state-of-the-art Iris sensor that unlocks your phone with a look. Plus, it’s got a built-in stylus which you can use to write on the beautiful 5.7-inch screen with a slight curve on the edges. With the new Notes app, you can take scribble or sketch while the screen is off. Prices start at Rs 59,900.

LG G5: Google’s ARA modular smartphone project may be dead, but we still have the LG G5. It’s semi modular, with removable components known as friends. You can replace the battery with a bigger one or add a Bang & Olufson headphone amplifier. There’s even a CAM plus friend that adds a handy camera grip with controls and extended battery life. Like the Note 7 and Edge, there’s a dual sim feature which doubles as a single sim, plus a microSD card slot which can expand the internal memory up to 256 GB. The specs are fantastic and hopefully,

LG will have more friends on the way. Prices start at Rs. 52,990.

Wireless headphones

Wired headphones are always better in terms of sound quality because of the physical contact and several of the best headphones can be used with the trusty 3.5mm jack. However, the seduction of a wire-free existence cannot be denied. The move to wireless in terms of sound has been a long time coming. However, the grossly overpriced, long and very weird-looking AirPods that can easily get lost are not the answer. Here are a few alternatives.

Bragi Dash: Touted as smart earphones, the soon-to-be released Bragi Dash looks undeniably cool. They’re just round earbuds that fit into the curvature of the ear and hold there. Completely wireless, with an array of health sensors that monitor your heart rate, breath rate, etc. You can also issue commands through voice and gestures to operate various functions on your smartphone. Plus they’re completely waterproof. Price yet to be revealed.

Samsung Gear IconX: Like the Bragi Dash, the Samsung Gear IconX looks great with its small earbuds that are illuminated on the sides. The IconX achieves a good hold on the inside of your ear using a wingtip plus it’s got an array of health sensors. And it pipes all your stats into your ears so you don’t need to stare at your screen when jogging or running. The IconX also functions as an independent music player, with 3.5 GB of storage for your music. So you can leave your phone home and just run while listening to music. You can control the music using swipes and taps. Prices start at Rs. 13,490.

Battery

The biggest complaint with iPhones is the disappointing battery life. The several rivals out there have a battery life that can go up to two days. Not to mention a lot of these phones have wireless charging and like the case of the One Plus 3 there’s Dash Charge, which charges your phone for an entire day in just 30 minutes.

Source: The Hindu