- [Michael] They're two of the most expensive smart phones
U.S. buyers will find,
and they're also two of the best smart phones, period.
I'm Michael Fisher,
and find out which of these is the better fit for you
as we put iPhone 7 against Google Pixel
on MrMobile.
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First, let's stick some numbers on these.
If you're buying unlocked,
the iPhone and Pixel are priced identically.
You'll pay $649
for the entry level smaller size,
769 for entry level in a larger format,
and if you max out everything,
you're looking at 869
for the Google phone
and 969 for the Apple one.
The Benjamin difference reflects
the iPhone's higher capacity option.
Now, the top of the line offerings
from Google and Apple
have really never been more similar,
but on the whole,
I think the iPhone makes a slightly better case
for its price tag.
Despite their visual similarity,
Apple has an edge in build this generation.
There's a more refined fit and finish here
than on the Google phone,
a more symmetrical, cohesive design,
and significantly better speakers to boot.
Most importantly, the iPhone has a better
water and dust resistance rating,
not that you're necessarily gonna swim with your phone.
It's really more about being able
to use it out in a downpour,
or knowing you can accidentally drop it
into a pool or, yes, a toilet
without destroying it,
and it's fun too.
Underwater video is a great way
to spice up your Snaps,
and on that topic,
Snapchat continues to work better on iOS
than on Android for some reason.
The iPhone doesn't completely run away on hardware.
While the subtle clicks and buzzes
of its new tactic engine are really nice,
that comes at the cost of the headphone jack,
which the Pixel preserves.
The Pixel also incorporates a bigger battery,
with faster charging through a USB-C port,
which is quickly becoming the standard,
and it's screen is a higher resolution panel,
with more saturation and contrast than the iPhones
in both available sizes.
At first I thought that display difference
was entirely to thank for what looked like
more colorful photos from the Pixel, but no.
While the cameras are similar on the specs sheet,
the pictures they kick out often differ.
Google tends to go heavy on saturation,
sometimes even injecting colors that,
while pretty, frankly just aren't there
in the real world.
Meanwhile, the iPhone sticks closer to reality
even at the expense of some excitement.
The differences really come out more often in low light.
Daytime pictures can be damn near identical at points,
and if you shoot in automatic mode,
the phones have similar thresholds
for when they'll kick in HDR.
Now if we toss in the iPhone 7 Plus,
there's a whole other camera to account for,
a separate sensor with a faux telephoto lens
that allows for zoom and depth of field tricks.
The Pixel can't match that in either size,
so if the camera's your primary focus here
and you don't mind the bigger size,
go with the 7 Plus.
That only goes for stills, though.
Probably the biggest difference here
comes down to the camcorder.
The iPhone and Pixel take completely different approaches
to the problem of camera shake.
While Apple's OIS is quite good,
the Pixel's picture is more steady
than I've ever seen from a phone.
If you're doing walk and talk vlogging
or shooting video from a moving platform,
the Pixel makes it seem at times
like you're using a steady cam,
and if your camera hand is getting blown around
by an especially violent wind,
the Pixel does a better job
of bringing the buffeting down there, too.
Now, it doesn't take too sharp an eye
to notice the color difference in this footage.
In video, the iPhone does a much better job
rendering true to life color,
and it's tough to make the case
that the Pixel's superior stabilization
completely overcomes that.
Where the Pixel gets a chance to shine
is in the Cloud.
I love that a full backup of my camera roll
is just a tap away.
Now, Apple does this too,
but after five gigs,
you've gotta start paying up,
while Pixel owners get free, full res backup
of all photos and video.
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That leads us to software,
the biggest consideration when choosing
between Apple and Google.
Little differences go tit for tat,
the iPhone's almost magical noise cancellation
on phone calls
versus the Pixel's more conventional approach,
Android's wide open customization
versus Apple's dull, static lock down,
et cetera, et cetera.
The bigger differences seesaw too.
Google's AI edge is evident.
Even in its nascent form,
Google Assistant is already much more useful
than Siri is.
Where the iPhone pulls ahead
is in the day to day details.
While the Pixel has finally managed to match it
in terms of battery life,
it seems to have achieved that
through aggressive memory management
that's led to more app crashes on my Pixel
than on my iPhone,
and Apple's nationwide retail presence
means if your iPhone has a problem you can't fix,
you can probably find a store
in a nearby city to take it to.
Not so for Google,
but the Pixel gets points
for its virtual approach.
It has 24/7 customer service baked right in.
That back and forth is kind of exhausting, right?
Well, if you can take anything useful from it,
it's that no matter which of these you go for,
you're gonna get a great phone.
Okay, that's not too useful.
In fact, it sounds like a cop out,
but it's true.
As always, the biggest question is which ecosystem
you wanna belong to.
Once you answer that, you're golden.
Now, I think the iPhone will hold
its resale value better,
and on the whole,
I think it's just barely the better device,
but Apple's lead here is almost entirely in hardware.
To me, Google's software seems better positioned
for the future of mobile,
albeit thanks to a trove of user data
that, I know, gives some people pause,
and the Pixel is the best yet showcase
of Android's vast capabilities.
So if your shopping has narrowed it down
for you to these two,
pick your platform first.
After that, you basically can't miss,
and since many of you often ask what I would do,
personally, I need a little more boldness
in my smart phone design,
or a little less expenditure,
and you can find phones to fit each life style
in the MrMobile library.
Those videos, of course,
are on the YouTube channel, folks.
Please remember to subscribe while you're there,
and most importantly, thanks for watching.
Until next time,
stay mobile, my friends.
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