Comparison Samsung Galaxy S7 32 GB vs Samsung Galaxy S6 32 GB

The ratio of the screen area to the total front panel area of the phone. Simply put, this spec describes how much of the front panel is occupied by the screen; the rest is the bezels.

This indicator is given exclusively for smartphones with touch screens — it is for them that it is most relevant. The larger the percentage of the body is occupied by the screen, the thinner are the bezels, the neater the smartphone looks and the more convenient it is to work with it with one hand. As for specific numbers, the average values are 80 – 85 %, the higher values allow us to talk about a thin bezel, and more than 90 % — about a “bezel less” design.

Separately, we note that this parameter has nothing to do with the aspect ratio of the screen. The aspect ratio describes only the display itself — its proportions, the ratio between the larger and smaller side of the rectangle.

The term "operating system" refers to all types of firmware — both full-fledged OS like iOS and Android, used in smartphones, and software shells for regular phones (non-smartphones). The main difference between these two is that a full-fledged OS initially has more extensive features, and also allows you to install and remove various applications — from games and social network apps to specialized tools like photo and video editors.

Among modern smartphones, two operating systems are most widely used — Android and iOS. Here is a more detailed description of each of them:

— Android. Free open source OS from Google. Used by all modern manufacturers except Apple; presented in many versions — in particular, 10 Q, 10 Go Edition, 11 R, 11 Go Edition, Android 12, Android 12 Go Edition, Android 13, Android 13 Go Edition, Android 14, Android 14 Go Edition, Android 15 are relevant today. This OS is notable primarily for its full-fledged multitasking and an extensive range of available applications — Android surpasses iOS in both;...on the other hand, in general, the quality of Android applications is somewhat lower due to the low requirements for them. Initially, Android has tight integration with Google services — the Google Play app and content store, Gmail mail, Google Drive cloud storage, etc.; however, exceptions to this rule are possible. Note that the latest versions of this OS can be found on the market both in its original form and in one of two specific editions:

• - Go edition. Modification of Android, designed for low-cost smartphones with "weak" hardware. Both the OS itself and standard applications (Assistant, Gmail, etc.) have been redesigned in this edition in such a way as to ensure reliable operation even with low performance. At the same time, the developers tried to preserve the features of full-fledged Android as much as possible — however, some specific fwatures in the Go Edition were still not available (for example, standard maps do not support turn-by-turn navigation, and compatibility with Wear OS on smartwatches is not provided).
• - HMS. Edition of Android, used in smartphones from Huawei. Due to US sanctions against China, this company cannot fully cooperate with Google — in particular, use Google services (Google Mobile Services — GMS) in its Android smartphones. As a replacement, HMS — Huawei Mobile Services were introduced. These services include Huawei ID, AppGallery, equivalents of Google's core services (assistant, browser, cloud storage, music/video, etc.), and app developer tools.

As for individual versions of Android, here are the main features of the options that are relevant nowadays:

• - Android 10. Version released in September 2019. This version introduced an expanded set of full-screen gestures (with the possibility of optimization in individual applications — in particular, disabling gestures on certain areas of the screen to avoid conflicts), a "dark" screen mode at the system level, a number of important security updates (including a separate encryption standard for weak devices that do not support the AES format at the hardware level), full support for 5G communications and improved capabilities for working with augmented reality. In addition, a number of solutions have been implemented to optimize the experience on foldable smartphones with a flexible screen.
• - Android 11. Another major update, released in the fall of 2020. The main updates touched messages and notifications. So, a separate section "Conversations" for messages was created in notifications, it also became possible to display various correspondence in the form of a "bubble" on top of any running application (Bubbles feature). Do Not Disturb mode has been expanded — now you can add exceptions to it for individual correspondence. Other important innovations include a system tool for recording screen video, a single control centre for smart home components, quick switching between playback devices (phone speaker, wireless headphones, Smart TV, etc.), native support for Android Auto, as well as expanded the ability to control the access of individual applications to certain data.
• - Android 12. A popular operating system released in 2021. The new concept of Material You is based on discreet colour palettes and minimalistic two-dimensional objects with advanced animation. The system theme now adapts to the colour scheme of user's desktop wallpaper (Monet feature), and instead of round settings icons in the notification bar, rectangular dice with rounded edges are now used. The designers also reworked the animation of flipping through desktops, plugging in a charger, and so on. In smartphones running Android 12, instead of precise geolocation, you can select approximate location information, and icons have appeared in the notification bar that signal the inclusion of a camera or microphone when using certain applications. The Privacy Dashboard option reveals information about which programs have accessed the camera and microphone. The NFC on mobile devices can henceforth be used as a virtual key for a car (Car Key). Another innovation in the system is the call to Google Assistant by long pressing the power button of the smartphone.
• -Android 13. A popular operating system for mobile devices, the 13th version of which was released in 2022. There were no major innovations in Android 13, but the OS brought a number of useful features and changes. In particular, the Material You workspace design concept can now pick primary colors from installed wallpapers or themes and apply them to the display of icons throughout the system. Privacy of user data has been taken to a new level of quality - in Android 13, you can configure individual permissions and select specific images from the Gallery that the application is granted access to. For each program, the user is free to choose a standard interface language. The system has also become more energy efficient, with improvements to the clipboard and barcode scanner.
• -Android 13 Go. A light version of the Android 13 operating system, designed for installation on low-powered smartphones. A distinctive feature of the OS is the presence of a special algorithm that optimizes the computing power of the smartphone. Also, the system lacks some hardware-demanding functions. Android 13 Go introduced the design concept of the Material You interface, which allows you to adapt the color scheme of the menu to match the installed wallpaper. From the full-fledged Android 13 system, the Go version borrowed the function of issuing permissions to applications to send notifications and the ability to change the language for specific programs.
• - Android 14. Operating system for mobile devices, released in 2023. There are, frankly, few system changes in the 14th version of the Android OS, and its main emphasis is on flexible customization of the interface. Among the innovations, it is important to mention the function of displaying notifications using the flash or display: for each application, you can now set a flashlight blinking pattern, and in the case of the screen, select the color palette of notifications. Also in the operating system, we implemented a useful ability to adjust the capture of screenshots, added a widget to display the battery charge and a list of active connections, and introduced an option for cloning applications in a systemic way. System fonts in the OS can be enlarged up to 200% of the standard size, while the scaling is implemented non-linearly - first of all, it is used for small text. Among other things, there are improved energy efficiency of the system and cosmetic changes in the interface in the manner of more rounded elements.
• - Android 14 Go. A streamlined version of Android 14 for budget smartphones with limited hardware resources. The Go Edition distribution includes simplified standard apps while providing basic Android functionality with minimal impact on performance and energy consumption. Despite its "lightweight" nature, Android 14 Go supports enhanced notifications, new controls, and privacy settings that debuted in the full 14th edition of Google’s OS. However, smartphones running the Go version are not compatible with Wear OS smartwatches — a point to consider.
• - Android 15. Android 15 was released in 2024. Notable new features include native support for satellite communication (for contacting emergency services or sending SOS signals), the ability to record and share only a specific app window (rather than the entire screen), updated hardware extensions for camera control, expanded message management, and flexible volume control. The system also includes traditional improvements in security features and enhanced energy efficiency.

— iOS. Apple's own operating system, used only in the gadgets of this manufacturer. The main advantages of iOS over Android are, first of all, careful optimization for specific devices (which allows you to achieve good performance with relatively modest amounts of RAM), general usability and safety, as well as high quality applications. In addition, iOS updates are released regularly and are available for all devices (with the exception of frankly outdated ones that no longer can handle new versions of the system). On the other hand, this OS does not support multitasking and is as closed to the user as possible: in particular, applications can only be installed from the original store, there is no access to the file system, memory cards are not supported.

— HarmonyOS. Huawei's Universal Operating System, also known as Hongmeng. It is used in a wide range of devices: appliances from the smart home ecosystem, smartwatches, smartphones and tablets. Harmony OS is a kind of add-on on top of Android without Google services. The app store for Harmony OS devices is called AppGallery.

— FlymeOS. A modified version of the Android operating system used as a software shell for Meizu smartphones. The OneMind engine is responsible for the stability of the OS. There is no application menu in Flyme OS, and all program icons are scattered across desktops. Distinctive features of the shell include advanced tools for working with files, the Aicy voice assistant, flexible adjustment of the mEngine vibration signal, Family Guardian parental control options, a structured gallery with a convenient visual editor.

— Proprietary. This term most often means the basic firmware installed in a regular phone (not a smartphone), usually, a push-button one. Such firmware has a more modest set of pre-installed programs than full-fledged OS; expanding this set is at best possible with Java-based universal mobile applications, and often additional applications are not supported at all. However, this cannot be called a disadvantage due to the specifics of the use of traditional phones.

Note that you can find devices with other operating systems, in addition to those described above. However, for the most part, these are either outdated models or devices with rare and uncommon types of firmware.

The most popular nowadays are chips from Qualcomm and MediaTek, CPUs from Unisoc are slightly less common. Qualcomm has several processors of each series, namely Snapdragon 778G, Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2, Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3, Snapdragon 865, Snapdragon 870, Snapdragon 888, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. And Mediatek has a low cost series MediaTek Helio P and a line of advanced chipsets MediaTek Dimensity (Dimensity 1000, Dimensity 7000, Dimensity 8000, Dimensity 9000).

Knowing the name of the CPU model installed in the smartphone, you can find detailed data on a particula...r CPU and evaluate its level and general capabilities. This is especially true in light of the fact that these capabilities depend not only on the number of cores and clock speed, but also on the specific nuances of the design.

The clock frequency of the CPU that the device is equipped with. For multi-core processors, which are standard in modern smartphones, the frequency of each individual core is implied; and if the processor has cores with different frequencies (see "Number of cores") — usually, the maximum indicator is given.

In general, high performance smartphones have high frequency of the processor. However, note that this parameter itself is not directly related to the capabilities of the CPU: many other features of the chip affect the actual performance, and often a low cost solution with a higher clock speed turns out to be less performant than an expensive one, and at the same time, presumably, more "slow" processor. In addition, the overall performance of the system directly depends on a whole set of other factors — primarily the amount of RAM. Therefore, when evaluating a smartphone, it is worth focus not so much on the frequency of the processor, but on the general specs of the system and visual indicators like the results in tests (see below).

The model of the GPU used in the mobile phone.

This module is responsible for all tasks related to graphics; accordingly, its specs directly affect the efficiency of processing a particular picture. This is especially noticeable in the example of modern 3D games. Therefore, the presence of a powerful video adapter is especially important for gaming smartphones. And knowing the model of the GPU, you can find detailed data about it and evaluate its capabilities.

The parameter determines the overall performance of the smartphone: the more RAM, the faster the device works and the better it copes with an abundance of tasks and / or resource-intensive applications (ceteris paribus). This is even more true in light of the fact that large amounts of "RAM" are usually combined with powerful advanced processors. However, only devices with identical operating systems can be directly compared with each other, and in the case of Android, with the same versions and editions of this OS (for more on all this, see "Operating system"). This is due to the fact that different operating systems and even different versions of the same OS can differ markedly in terms of RAM requirements. For example, iOS, thanks to good optimization for specific devices, is able to work efficiently with 3 GB of RAM. For modern versions of Android in the regular edition (not Go Edition), the mentioned 3 GB is actually the required minimum. Under such an OS, it is better to have at least 4 GB or 6 GB of RAM. In high-end devices with powerful electronic "stuffing" you can also find more impressive numbers - 8 GB or even 12 GB or more.

The type of removable memory card slot.

In itself, the presence of such a slot allows you to expand the built-in storage of the device. This feature is especially useful given that large built-in drives are quite expensive — noticeably more expensive than removable cards. At the same time, we note that the design may provide certain restrictions on working with memory cards — for example, the inability to install an application on this card. These restrictions are usually directly related to the operating system used. And the speed of those cards is noticeably lower than that of the built-in storage. Therefore, there are phones without a memory card slot, so that there is nothing third-party in the operation of the device.

Separately, we note that in some devices for 2 SIM-cards, the slot for a memory card can be combined with a slot for a second SIM card. If you want to use 2 SIM and a memory card at the same time, you should choose a device with a dedicated slot for a memory card.

As for the types of cards, microSD cards are the most popular nowadays: they are quite compact, inexpensive and available in a variety of volume options. Some Huawei smartphones use a different standard – Nano Memory (colloquially Nano SD). Among the advantages of such cards are a miniature size (corresponds to nanoSIM), high capacity (64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB op...tions were initially presented), as well as high speed (from 90 MB / s). On the other hand, most often they are installed not in a separate slot, but instead of a second nanoSIM card.

The largest volume of memory card with which the phone supports. For more information about the cards themselves, see "Memory Card Slot"; here we note that capacious cards often use advanced technologies that are not supported by all devices, and sometimes phones simply do not have enough power to process large amounts of data. Therefore, for the convenience of choosing in our catalog, the maximum supported volume is indicated.

In fact, there are cases when some devices may exceed the claimed characteristics. However, it is worth focusing on official data, because, if officially supported volume is exceeded, normal operation of the card is not guaranteed.

The water cooling system of the smartphone is designed to increase the efficiency of heat dissipation. Good cooling allows the smartphone to perform properly at peak loads, without freezes or lags. The use of a liquid radiator makes it possible to improve cooling by an average of 4-6 °C compared to passive coolers. Water cooling is used in high-performance smartphones equipped with a performant CPU and GPU and multiple artificial intelligence co-processors.

Water cooling of a smartphone can have various design implementations. The concept of a radiator filled with refrigerant has gained the greatest popularity. In such a cooler, the liquid evaporates as it heats up and condenses in a separate heat exchanger, after which the liquid again enters the cooling radiator. Of course, if you want to increase cooling efficiency, that will increase the dimensions of the smartphone.