iPhone 7, Google Pixel, OnePlus 3T: Flagship Smartphone Specs, Features Comparison

As 2016 ends, smartphone companies are trying to put their best foot forward. The September-October period saw three new flagship smartphones being launched — first the iPhone 7, then the Google Pixel and on Wednesday the OnePlus 3T. Both the iPhone 7 and Google Pixel have done exceedingly well in terms of demand and now the OnePlus 3T faces the task of measuring up to them.

We have already compared the 3T with its predecessor, the OnePlus 3. Let's find out how it fares against its rivals in terms of specs, features and looks.

Looks

All three flagships seem to be well-crafted devices. But, in terms of looks, Apple has had an edge over its rivals generally.

The Google Pixel has opted for a soft form factor with curved edges. Despite its aluminum body, Google has opted for matte colors, including a new blue one, which the company claims is a color only offered by Google currently. The front comprises of a 5.5-inch AMOLED display with a 1440x2560p resolution and 534 ppi display density. The volume rocker and power button are located on the right side of the handset, the 3.5mm audio jack at the top of the handset and a USB-C charging slot at the bottom. Google hasn't opted for physical buttons and endowed the Pixel with software buttons instead.

iPhone 7 continues, in terms of form factor, where iPhone 6 left off — It has the same curved corners and 5-inch display size. The phone comes in two new “Jet Black” and “Matte Black” finishes, apart from the regular gold, rose gold and silver versions. The home button still stays at the bottom of the handset. But one design change has taken place for the iPhone 7 Plus model, it has dual cameras at the back. Apart from that, iPhone 7 continues the traditional mix of sharpness and sleekness.

In terms of design, OnePlus 3T is a legacy handset like the iPhone 7 — it continues with the design of its predecessor. It has the same 5.5-inch display as the OnePlus 3. The external body of the phone is the same with sharp edges and a reinforced aluminum frame. But, it comes in a new “gunmetal” color apart from the soft gold option.

Software

Each phone offers its own tweaks when it comes to software.

The Google Pixel comes with Android 7.1 out-of-the-box. Its standout feature, though, is the Google Assistant, an artificial intelligence-based voice assistant, which can evolve and mold according to usage. The phone also comes with unlimited Google Drive storage for videos and photos, including 4K videos. Google Duo — Google’s new video calling app is built into the phone’s software. Users can see who is calling them before they pick up the call using its Knock Knock feature.

iPhone 7 comes with iOS 10 and comes with new software features such as 3D Touch-enabled notifications and a dedicated Home app, which controls HomeKit accessories.

OnePlus 3T doesn’t ship with Android 7.0 out-of-the-box, but the company has confirmed that the device will be receiving the update next month. It will ship with Oxygen OS 3.5.1and offer feature such as quick access icons in the status bar, resized app icons and fingerprint verification for apps.

Performance

The Google Pixel XL comes with a quad-core Snapdragon 821 processor, 4GB RAM and Adreno 530 GPU, while the OnePlus 3T comes with the same configuration but with 6GB RAM.

The Snapdragon 821 performs 10 percent better than the 820, which happens to be the processor inside most flagships.

iPhone 7 comes with A10 “Fusion” chip inside. It uses 64-bit, quad-core processor technology and is 40 percent faster than the A9 chip. The phone comes with a six-core GPU for heavy use and gaming needs, it is expected to be 50 percent faster than the one in the earlier model.

Camera

The Google Pixel comes with a 12.3-megapixel rear camera that supports 4K video recording. It has scored 89 on DXOmark – the highest ever for a smartphone.

iPhone 7 comes with a 12-megapixel rear cam with OIS and simultaneous 4K video and 8-megapixel image recording.

The OnePlus 3T comes with a 16-megapixel front cam in addition to a 16-megapixel rear cam which records 2160p videos at 30 frames per second.

Battery Life

The Google Pixel comes with a 2770 mAh battery, a USB Type-C port, which supports quick charge 3.0. The company claims that it can provide 7 hours of usage on 15 minutes of charge.

iPhone 7 comes with a 1960 mAh battery. The phone has received complaints about low battery life.

The OnePlus 3T comes with a 3400 mAh battery, which means it should last longer than the OnePlus 3, which has a 3000 mAh battery.