Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – the OnePlus 2 flagship takes on the newest flagship from Samsung, the Galaxy S7 Edge. These two devices, even with their price differences, look and feel like a premium smartphone – both have a solid build. Although it is hard to overlook the beautiful dual curved display on the Galaxy S7 Edge, as it adds a premium and sexy look. There is no doubt (except in the mind of OnePlus fans) that the Galaxy S7 Edge has the higher specifications of these two devices. What we need to look at is just how much value are you getting from the OnePlus 2? Is the OnePlus 2 a good enough daily driver that you will not miss the added specs found in the Galaxy S7 Edge? First, we will see what these two devices have in common and then we will look at each device and go into more detail.
The OnePlus 2 and Galaxy S7 Edge are about the same physical size, with the OnePlus 2 coming in slightly larger, thicker, and heavier by 18 grams. Their displays are identical in size – 5.5-inches, but using different technologies and different resolutions. Both OnePlus and Samsung turned to Qualcomm for a 64-bit Snapdragon processor, but each uses a different model from different years, and they both pack 4GB of DDR4 RAM. The cameras on both devices are close in size (13MP for the OnePlus 2 and 12MP for the S7 Edge), and both have 5MP front-facing cameras (FFC) for selfies and video chatting. Both have a speaker mounted on the bottom, and both have a non-removable battery. Both have most of the usual suspects – WiFi, Bluetooth (v4.1 in the OnePlus 2 and v4.2 in the Galaxy S7 Edge), GPS, fingerprint sensor and a microUSB port (Type-C on the OnePlus 2 and v2.0 on the S7 Edge) for charging and data transfer. The big omission here is that OnePlus yanked the NFC out of the OnePlus 2 so there will be no mobile payments.
Please take a careful look at the detailed Specifications Comparison chart below and here you will see just how these two great devices stack up against one another – click on the “View Full Comparison” link at the end of the chart to expand the details. After that, we will look at each device in greater depth and point out some of its pros and cons. From all of this information, we will try to determine the winner based on specs and execution of design and functions.
Specifications
OnePlus 2
OnePlus always impresses us with their build quality and the value they put into their smartphones. It is even more evident in the OnePlus 2 with its solid metal frame and trim, but with that value, it is necessary to cut some corners to get that price so low. OnePlus must be careful with what to leave out and what to include in the design. OnePlus still uses the same FHD display and the same size camera they did last year. They did add an extra 1GB of RAM, a fingerprint sensor and increased the battery size from 3100mAh to 3300mAh, but they made a mistake when they decided to remove the NFC capabilities.
The OnePlus 2 sports a 5.5-inch LTPS LCD FHD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 401 pixels-per-inch (PPI.) OnePlus chose the Qualcomm 64-bit Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor, and they slightly underclocked it to 1.56 GHz and 1.82 GHz to keep it cooler. The OnePlus 2 packs 4GB of DDR4 RAM and 64GB of non-expandable storage.
The camera in the OnePlus 2 uses an improved 13MP sensor from the OnePlus One. They improved it by adding larger pixels, laser autofocus, a dual-tone LED flash, a f/2.0 aperture and OIS. For the FFC, the OnePlus 2 uses a 5MP for selfies or video chatting. The OnePlus 2 increased the non-removable battery size from 3000mAh to 3300mAh, but it still offers no quick charge capabilities.
Notes on the OnePlus 2 – The fingerprint sensor can unlock the phone, but nothing else…no Android Pay nor any mobile purchases because it lacks NFC. It runs OnePlus’ OS called OxygenOS over stock Android Lollipop 5.1 (due to get Marshmallow soon). LTE bands will work on AT&T and T-Mobile networks with the OnePlus 2 and will cost you about $349 for the 64GB model, and there are optional backings you can choose to customize your device – Kevlar, Black Apricot, Bamboo, and Rosewood.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
After last year’s total redesign of the Galaxy S6, Samsung only made some minor changes on the outside of the Galaxy S7 Edge. Most of the upgrades are inside the device and not visible to the naked eye. The Galaxy S7 Edge is still a beautiful device, certainly more so than the OnePlus 2 – the Galaxy S7 Edge just has a certain ‘wow’ factor and premium look to it. In this comparison, we are looking at specifications and the innovations found on these two devices, so let’s take a closer look at the new Galaxy S7 Edge.
The Galaxy S7 Edge has a beautiful 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a QHD resolution and 534. The S7 Edge also sports a dual-curved always-on display that can function on its own to access quickly your ten favorite contacts and more. The Galaxy S7 Edge uses either an Exynos 8890 octa-core processor with four cores clocked at 1.6GHz and four cores clocked at 2.3GHz or the newest Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor with two cores clocked at 1.6GHz and two cores clocked at 2.15GHz. Which processor you receive is dependent on where you live. The S7 Edge packs 4GB of DDR4 RAM, offers 32GB of faster UFS 2.0 memory, and offers room for expansion up to 200GB via a microSD card.
Samsung completely changed the camera area of the Galaxy S7 Edge – gone is the conventional 16MP award-winning shooter from the S6 models and in its place is a new Dual Pixel 12MP with a larger sensor, allowing it to take in more light and information than the smaller 16MP sensor. Samsung increased the aperture to f/1.7, included a faster phase detection autofocus, auto HDR and retained OIS. The S7 Edge uses a 5MP wide-angle lens, f/1.7 aperture and Live HDR for its FFC. The S7 Edge includes a large 3600 mAh non-removable battery with quick charge and quick-charge wireless charging as well.
The distinguishing features found on the Galaxy S7 Edge have to start with the dual-curved edge – it is stunning to view and even slightly functional and always on. It has a more advanced camera area and offers IP68 water and dust protection. You can also use Android Pay or Samsung Pay to make mobile purchases just about anywhere you can swipe a credit or debit card and more importantly, NFC to authorize mobile payments. The S7 Edge also has expandable memory, a heart rate monitor, oxygen saturation sensor. The battery has rapid charge and even quick wireless charging. The S7 Edge measure 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7 mm, weighs in at 157 grams and available in Black, White, Gold, and Silver, costing about $790.
…And The Winner Is…
Summary
This one of those split decisions – the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is the winner when it comes to looks, features, specifications, and PRICE! The $790 Galaxy S7 Edge is over double the $350 cost of the OnePlus 2. While the S7 Edge is the more impressive of the two devices in terms of specifications, the OnePlus 2 has the most impressive price.
The Galaxy S7 Edge has a much better display, expandable memory, IP68 certification, NFC, fast charge battery with quick wireless charging as well. You can make mobile payments, use Android Pay and Samsung Pay and use your fingerprint sensor to authorize the payment. It has a much better camera area all around and other Samsung features, which you may or may not use.
However, the device for the masses may well be the OnePlus 2 – the FHD display is all most people need, the Snapdragon 810 is no slouch, and the OnePlus 2 has 4GB of DDR4 RAM. It has a decent enough camera, and if you are comfortable with 64GB of fixed storage, there is no need to fret about the fact there is no expansion. The OnePlus 2’s biggest drawbacks are the lack of NFC and mobile payments, but if you do not plan on using your device for Android Pay or mobile payments, no worries. The second drawback for some – the LTE bands are only on AT&T and T-Mobile.
Only you can decide what features and performance you want out of your smartphone and how much you can afford. I just think that if you buy a device and keep it for two years or more, that the OnePlus 2 is too limiting even though you will save a bundle.
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