Apple and Samsung are two giants in the global smartphone industry, and with each subsequent launch from the two brands, fans and the press alike set out on a quest to compare the new models between the rivals and previous generation handsets. What are the differences and similarities between the new smartphones from the two manufacturers? What are each of their strengths? That’s what we intend to do with this article.
iPhone or Samsung: Catalog range and prices
Samsung’s advantages over Apple:
- Huge catalog of devices.
- More affordable handsets.
Apple’s advantages over Samsung:
- Clearly-defined product range.
- Older models are still competitive in terms of features and performance.
In recent years, the number of products from Apple’s smartphone line has increased a little, with the arrival of the mini variant while maintaining a long software update policy for older iPhones. This makes the iPhone product range the smallest among the top five smartphone manufacturers today.
The two companies offer the most complete and integrated ecosystems, but far from simply looking at a company or product line and deeming one superior to the other, the goal here is to present the alternatives from each side and help those who may still be undecided to make an informed choice between a Samsung smartphone and an Apple iPhone in 2022.
iPhone catalog and prices
At the beginning of 2022, Apple’s catalog includes eight models: four that were released in 2021, three in 2020, and one from 2019. The company normally retains selected models from its previous generation in its catalog with a lower price point. The exception would be the iPhone SE (2020), which doubles up as an entry-level handset while offering specifications that are on par with the then-flagship iPhone 11 at an almost mid-range price point.
Samsung’s smartphone catalog and prices
While the iPhone 2021 family can be counted using the fingers on one hand, Samsung’s catalog is much broader, covering everything from smartphones that only offer the bare essentials to highly sophisticated models with support for features such as the S-Pen stylus, all the way to foldable screens, a category in which the South Korean manufacturer has few rivals three years after the launch of Galaxy Fold.
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Samsung’s line of smartphones is made up of the Galaxy family, which also includes wearables, headsets, tablets, notebooks, and other gadgets. The family is divided into categories such as Galaxy Z (foldable phones), Galaxy S (premium handsets), Galaxy A and M (entry-level and mid-range models), and Galaxy XCover (rugged handsets that target the corporate segment).
Prices charged by the two companies show an important difference between them: while the value on Apple models normally remains stable until the arrival of a new generation, the prices of Samsung models fall rather quickly after launch. In fact, certain devices like the Galaxy S21 FE can be found for half the recommended retail price just a year after its launch. Talk about major depreciation!
Since the Galaxy A, M, and XCover lines don’t compete directly with Apple models, we’ve listed only the models that occupy the same price range as the iPhone line above. All these devices, from the Z and S lines – bring top-of-the-line processors and OLED screens, as well as multiple cameras in their respective configurations. Support for 5G is included in all updated models of the 2021 line, while for devices launched in 2020, you can find them in either 4G or 5G versions.
- Also read: Apple iPhone SE 2022
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This has an impact on the depreciation and resale price of its devices, which in the case of iPhones, they normally receive new operating system versions and security updates for a longer period of time, a gap something which Samsung has been trying to narrow in recent months.
iPhone or Samsung: Hardware
Samsung’s advantages over Apple:
- More flashy specifications.
- Differentiating factors like foldable screens and the S-Pen stylus.
Apple’s advantages over Samsung:
- Superior processors.
- Doesn’t get caught in the trap of padding up specifications with wild numbers.
Another major difference between the brands is how they approach the hardware specifications of
their respective devices. While Samsung takes advantage of its more varied product range in order to
adopt features like foldable screens, under-display digital sensors, S-Pen support, and even an under-display selfie camera, Apple prefers to adopt a more conservative stance. Although in many instances, the South Korean conglomerate has not been a market pioneer, Apple does not offer any of the features mentioned in 2022.
While Samsung stands out with superlative numbers in its hardware specifications, Apple’s highlight would be the integration of its components, most notably the processors. The company often compares its SoCs with the competition, announcing that the new 2021 A15 Bionic is 50% faster than its direct rival on Android (presumably the Snapdragon 888 SoC).
iPhone or Samsung: Software
Samsung’s advantages over Apple:
- More customizable interface.
- Far more advanced multitasking optimization.
Apple’s advantages over Samsung:
- Smooth, reliable experience on all current iPhones.
- Very high degree of data protection.
- High-quality native apps.
- Longer software and security updates.
- Clear and orderly design.
Even without offering additional details about the benchmarks used or even the name of the chipset it was going up against, the fact remains that even Apple’s A14 processor already left its rivals,
the Snapdragon 888 and Exynos 2100, in the dust when it came to both generic and graphics processing tasks. Therefore, we expect to see the same advantage from the A15 over the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Exynos 2200.
iPhone or Samsung: Data protection
Samsung’s advantages over Apple:
- None.
Apple’s advantages over Samsung:
- More privacy controls and features.
- Clearer information in the App Store about the use of personal data.
- “Safer” default options.
Once again, Apple has a certain advantage over Android devices. But the situation is not as clear as it was in the past. And by the past, I mean just a couple of years back. Samsung has benefited greatly from security advancements that Google has made in Android.
When it comes to security, there is a number of criteria to consider that remain too vast for the scope of this article. That’s why I’ve limited myself to just the privacy and security features of each manufacturer.
iPhone or Samsung: Resale value
Samsung’s advantages over Apple:
- Smartphones are sold at well below their launch price a few months after.
- Flagships experience steep price drops unlike iPhones.
- The second-hand market forces retailers to run regular promotions.
- Occasional device buyback programs (depending on the country).
Apple’s advantages compared to Samsung:
- Ability to resell your iPhone at a good price a year or two after purchase.
- Buyback program in selected countries.
This is a key criterion to consider when buying a smartphone. Generally, an average user renews his smartphone once every 2-3 years. Reselling your old smartphone to finance the purchase of a new one is obviously a common practice. But the fact is, Android smartphones depreciate much faster than iPhones.