Phone parts

Most major smartphone manufacturers stick fairly doggedly to regular launch schedules, making it fairly easy to predict when new updated models will arrive year-on-year, and also helping clock on when successor models are going to be in competition with key rivals.

Apple sticks to September pretty much every year, and did in 2016 too with the launch of the iPhone 7 series. Google, however, is a bit of a loose cannon; it has become very difficult to judge when new Nexus hardware will be released, as the firm likes to keep moving its launches all over the calendar; it's probably a simple case of the firm being extremely adaptable and flexible in its plans, and wanting to get things right, being prepared to hold things back if they're not ready, and so on. We don't think it's a bid to keep everyone guessing, but that is undoubtedly one of the side effects!

But not only has Google now ditched the Nexus brand in favour of the new Pixel brand (although it is a spiritual successor, bringing much the same approach to phone design), it has also launched late in the year, early October to be precise, which brings it into direct competition with Apple's iPhone launched the previous month.

This is somewhat unusual for Apple to have a brand new competitor fresh out the gate, but them's the breaks this year and, if Google does stick to a regular October launch for Pixels from now on (a BIG if!) then it may become a more frequent occurrence.

The Apple iPhone 7 launched in September 2016 and, true to the rumours, hasn't changed massively from its predecessors, with Apple apparently keeping all the good stuff locked up until 2017. The iPhone 7 does, however, add some new interesting things including an improved processor and camera setup, and, most notably - waterproofing!

But 2017 will reportedly see the first OLED display iPhone ever, with what may be an edge-to-edge or even wraparound display fitted to a completely new body style. This is allegedly the phone Jony Ive always wanted to build, with an iPhone 4S style shell made from either curved glass or clear Zirconia ceramic. The Touch ID Home key will also reportedly be hidden under the display glass.

Thanks to Samsung’s exploding Galaxy Note 7, the iPhone 7 has had a pretty clear run at the market since its release in September. But things are now changing, Google's Nexus line is no more, and has been replaced by the Pixel and Pixel XL ipad battery replacement with Android Nougat onboard. The duo was launched on October 4 and carries on the Nexus legacy into the new brand; we're still looking at a highly optimised combination of hardware and software, this time built by HTC.

Like Apple, Google has come to the fray with two handsets: the Google Pixel (5in) and the Google Pixel Plus (5.5in). This approach is more or less the same as Apple’s; the iPhone 7 at 4.7in is slightly smaller. Both phones share a lot of similarities in how they’re being marketed as well.

For the most part, the choice between going for an Android phone or an iPhone, is largely based on prior purchases. Those that have used iPhones for years, investing hard-earned cash in Apple’s ecosystem, seldom leave. Ditto for Android. But it’s not everyday that Google releases a brand new phone brand, a move that will almost certainly interest plenty of tech-loving Apple enthusiasts.

In the same context, the iPhone 7 Plus’ camera is outstanding. Easily the best ever plopped inside a mobile iPad Mini parts , and this fact alone gives the handset a lot of gravity with consumers on both sides of the fence that hold photography close to their hearts.

In this article we’re going to be looking at the specs, the facts and the overall package. The point isn’t to say one is better than the other, consumer technology is frightfully subjective, but rather to highlight the USPs of each and demonstrate where they differ and what it means to you, the consumer.

First, let’s take a look at the specs for the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL: