Competitors of iPhone 6. The best smartphones with a camera like the iPhone. Differences between iPhone XS and iPhone X

The winner of the battle is "the best" cheap smartphone Apple in 2018." The iPhone 6s won. But is it really worth buying a three-year-old iPhone when the market is overflowing with interesting modern Android smartphones?

On sale you can find an iPhone 6s with 32 gigabytes (like new) for a nice price tag of 24 thousand rubles. But what if you “change your faith” and turn to face the “robot”?

Dealing with the strong and weaknesses competitors.

1. The ugly duckling

Unfortunately, almost all smartphones have looked the same for a long time. The devil is in the details. One has more pleasant materials, another has a conveniently located fingerprint sensor, and the third can please you with pleasant colors.

It's hard to call the iPhone 6s beautiful. “Invalid” antenna bands, slippery body, poor camera design. Covers save the day.

Nokia 8, which our editor-in-chief Nikita Goryainov recently discussed, and the incredibly impressive Xiaomi Mi Mix with an infinite display stand out pleasantly against its background. Next to them, the iPhone 6s looks like a freak.

2. Display which is ok

In terms of display quality, the iPhone undoubtedly remains a fighter. Bright, contrasting. That's all.

You look at the shelf with competitors - every second smartphone has a large diagonal with thin frames and excellent resolution. Beauty!

There are no such problems with iPhones.

3. Memory, which is still enough

Most opponents of the iPhone 6s have 3 or more gigabytes of RAM.

It would seem that everything is obvious, and the Apple smartphone (with its 2 gigs) is noticeably losing. But then you remember keyword“optimization”, and the choice of winner at this point is no longer so obvious.

But we can’t help but highlight the Xiaomi Mi6 with 6 gigabytes of RAM. A serious argument not in favor of Apple.

4. Two SIM cards that everyone is waiting for

There are rumors that the next generation of iPhones will finally get a slot for a second SIM card. It doesn't even sound funny. Most manufacturers have long had models with similar functionality.

Almost all competitors of the iPhone 6s boast support for two SIM cards. Nokia 8 Dual Sim, LG G6, Motorola Moto Z2 Play, Samsung Galaxy A7 and, of course, a lot of Xiaomi models.

Shame on you, Apple.

Considering that many buyers consider the iPhone 6s as a workhorse, its direct telephone duties are “so-so.”

5. Water resistance that is not declared

You may recall that the water resistance of Apple smartphones released in 2015 was tested. Looks convincing, but iPhone specifications 6s does not claim protection against splashes, water and dust.

In this regard, Android devices are again stronger than the American fighter. For example, LG G6, which became the company's first waterproof (IP68 standard) flagship.

Are you used to lying with your smartphone in the bath? The iPhone 6s option doesn't look optimal.

6. The camera is inferior to competitors

Apple smartphones are rightfully considered one of the most popular camera phones in the world. But, iPhone 6s is not such a strong player in the market today.

Firstly, there are many smartphones with two cameras - one has a second module, the second has a telephoto lens, and so on. Secondly, some devices in some cases place the iPhone on both shoulder blades.

For example, the compact Xperia XZ1 Compact is equipped with a Motion Eye camera and can record video fragments at frame rates of up to 960 fps. What they boasted so much about at the presentation of the Samsung S9. U Sony smartphone There is also a convenient dedicated key for shooting.

Nokia 8 has an interesting shooting format, which we talked about in a separate article.

In other words, in direct comparison iPhone camera The 6s is noticeably inferior to its competitors.

7. Innovative technologies that everyone has

The iPhone 6s has a second-generation Touch ID fingerprint scanner. There is proprietary 3D Touch technology and Taptic Engine. Actually, that's all.

At the same time, today you won’t surprise anyone with a scanner, and a lot has been written about the controversial nature of 3D Touch (as a technology).

In Android, this feature is solved at the software level, in the form of a long press on the icon. Someone went even further. For example, the Taiwanese manufacturer HTC added sensitive side edges HTC Edge Sense, with which you can perform quick actions.

Overall equality. Only no one could successfully replicate the Taptic Engine technology. Pleasant vibration in the hand, which you quickly get used to.

8. Features that may surprise you. But not on iPhone

Motorola has cool mods that expand the capabilities of your smartphone. , looks interesting. New experience of using the device.

Xiaomi Mi6 128GB Ceramic Special Edition Black boasts a stylish ceramic body. New tactile sensations.

Dozens of Android smartphones will delight the owner with the ability to expand memory using memory cards. No problems with running out of memory.

It has a QWERTY keyboard, which some users will like, and a DTEK system that allows you to monitor the overall security level of the device. For true connoisseurs.

Why am I doing all this?

On our website we talk not only about Apple, but also about competitors who are trying to catch up with it in terms of the quality and performance of their devices. We are closely monitoring the development of relations between the companies.

The smart home is an area that has not yet succumbed to Apple. Of course, they tried to test the waters by releasing HomePod and even the “Home” application, from which you can control the speaker and other gadgets, but it is still too early to talk about any significant conquest. It would seem, why would it cost a company like Apple to set up production of smart modems, light bulbs and other gadgets that fill the range of Chinese vendors? But, apparently, she just doesn’t want to do anything, and therefore teamed up with Google, Amazon and the Zigbee Alliance to collaborate on a smart home ecosystem.

Apple continues to dominate the industry smart watch, which is confirmed by new data from Strategy Analytics. According to an analyst report, shipments of smartwatches in the third quarter of 2019 were up 42% year-over-year for the industry as a whole, with the majority of devices sold .

Convenience, simplicity and safety are the three pillars on which the success of the product rests. When buying a MacBook or iPhone, we can safely count on intuitiveness and security, which for most people turns out to be much more important than external attractiveness. This is why users of Apple technology often don’t even question why it costs so much. But sometimes even Apple is unable to resist the pressure of those who want to find vulnerabilities in its devices and take advantage of them for their own benefit.

Fans of technology with a bitten apple rejoice, because now you can buy two of the latest iPhone models. But for the XS and X models you will need to spend quite a lot. But you can buy smartphones much cheaper with almost the same characteristics. And such an insignificant “almost” clause among iPhone competitors is not worth the difference of 20-40 thousand rubles.

Differences between iPhone XS and iPhone X

In terms of design, both phones are exact copies each other, the display also has no differences, and its diagonal is 5.8 inches. The screen resolution, number of pixels, contrast and brightness have not changed. But the manufacturers specify that it has increased by as much as 60%. dynamic range. Unfortunately, users most likely won't notice this.

There is a difference in weight, but not significant - the XS is heavier by as much as 3 grams. Most likely, it arose due to improved and strengthened glass on both the screen side and the back side.

The processor in the XS is better and can save battery power, performance has increased by 15% and it is better tuned for working with neural networks. In addition, the improved processor now has not a 2-core coprocessor, but an 8-core one.

The main memory of the device has also been expanded. If the X model had a maximum of 256 GB, then the XS has 512 GB. This is enough to store 100,000 photos.

The camera remained without significant changes, the only difference being the increased sensor size from 1.2 to 1.4 microns. This allowed approximately 50% more light to pass through.

Among the less significant differences are the following:

• Face ID has become faster;
• The audio adapter was removed from the package;
• autonomy increased by 30 minutes;
• Manufacturers have modified the NFC sensor.

As you can see, the changes are quite minor, but the difference in price for these models is from 20,000 rubles.

Competitors

There is a large selection of smartphones with the same or similar characteristics, but with prices that are an order of magnitude lower. iPhone competitors are not asleep and every spring they delight people with new products.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

The cost of this smartphone starts from 69,000 rubles. Samsung has a larger screen diagonal, increased RAM, a stylus, a standard headphone jack, a memory card slot and faster charging. There were some downsides too. There is only one, it is a less powerful processor. It’s just that it’s practically not felt.

According to buyers, this Korean device is this moment the most advanced.

Its screen is 6.5 inches with a resolution of 2960x1440. It does not have a recess on top for sensors. Dual camera with post focus, Samsung Exynos 9810 processor, more RAM (6 GB). The main advantage of this device is the stylus; in addition, it also acts as a remote control. It is capable of rewinding music and videos, as well as releasing the shutter on the camera, and all this happens without contact with the smartphone.

Note 9 can truly be called the main competitor of the iPhone XS.

Samsung Galaxy S9+

The phone costs approximately 66,000 rubles. This model has a fairly large screen with increased resolution, it does not have a notch in the upper part for the camera, sensors and speaker, there is more RAM, there is a standard headphone jack, included in the package fast charging and there is a slot for memory expansion.

This competitor to iPhone 10 and XS has minor disadvantages, but it helps save several thousand rubles. The screen is 2.10 inches smaller diagonally, there is no stylus, the battery is 500 mAh smaller and the base version has 64 GB less memory.

LG G7 ThinQ

This representative of iPhone competitors costs 59,000 rubles. Its performance is lower due to the average processor, however, this is not very noticeable for ordinary users.

The screen of this model has a higher resolution, there is a (standard) headphone jack, the kit includes fast charging and there is a slot for a memory card. In addition, the headphones have very clear and loud sound.

However, despite its advantages, this model is not very popular. Many believe that this is due to the strange and disproportionate shape of the screen (19.5 x 9) and the camera, which does not shoot well good photos V automatic mode. However, during manual shooting this problem does not exist. The smartphone has one significant advantage in the form of an additional wide-angle lens. Few models can boast of this.

Chinese competitors

Chinese competitors of iPhone X and XS are trying to copy the famous brand in many ways and make their models as close as possible to Apple ones. But their cost is several times less and the quality is quite good.

Xiaomi Mi 8

The cost of the main Chinese competitor of the iPhone is only 29,000 rubles. Model's screen good quality and has a higher resolution, more RAM, included it's going fast charger.

The smartphone runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, which is inferior to iPhones in performance. At the same time, Mi 8 has 6 GB of RAM. There is no slot for memory cards, but the built-in memory in the phone can be 64 or 128 GB. This is quite enough for the average user.

The phone comes pre-installed with the proprietary MIUI shell, which is a definite plus for many.

Associated with this phone interesting story. When they started selling it, Apple's chief design director Jony Ive called Xiaomi thieves. However, they objected to this that they did not steal anything, but were only inspired by Apple models.

This looks quite comical, because, in fact, Mi 8 is a classic copy-paste made in Chinese.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

This iPhone competitor was not noticed in such stories and looks completely different from the Apple representative. This model costs an average of 25,000 rubles.

The smartphone is powered by a good eight-core Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 processor, but its performance is less. Random access memory 6.8 or 10 GB, it depends on the RAM. The display is 6.39 inches diagonally without a “monobrow” notch for cameras and sensors. The main distinguishing feature is the sliding panel, on which all the missing elements in the upper part are located. Because of this, he looks unusual and quite stylish.

There is no standard headphone jack on the case, so only wireless models will fit, but this can be forgiven due to the clear, loud and spacious sound of music.

This one flagship model has every chance to become Apple's No. 1 competitor.

Huawei P20 Pro

This phone (a competitor to the iPhone) is equipped with a large display with a diagonal of 6.1 inches and a resolution of 2244x1080 with an aspect ratio of 18.7x9. It also has an oleophobic coating.

The processor of the P20 Pro is Huawei Kirin 970 with artificial intelligence, which is an advantage compared to its counterparts. The number of cores is 8, RAM is 6 GB, but the built-in memory is 128 GB, but there is no slot for its expansion.

The smartphone is very popular among those who like to take photos. Thanks to three cameras of 40, 20 and 8 megapixels, the pictures are bright, rich and clear. Selfie lovers will appreciate it front camera at 24 mp.

Huawei P20 Pro is capable of fully replacing the iPhone X and XS. In addition, it costs 2 times less (39,000 rubles).

OnePlus 6T

The manufacturer of this Chinese flagship equipped the device with quite good processor Snapdragon 845, it is inferior to the iPhone in terms of performance, but it works quickly and without glitches. The smartphone has 6 or 8 GB of RAM (depending on the main memory), with a choice of models with a capacity of 128 or 256 GB.

The flagship also has a large and high-quality screen of 6.41 inches diagonally, with a resolution of 2340x1080 and HDR support. Distinctive feature This device has a fingerprint built into the screen. By the way, this does not affect its work in any way.

The cameras here are pretty mediocre, at least on the iPhone they are much better. But they obviously don’t buy such a smartphone because of the quality of the pictures.

Overall, this is a pretty durable device. In talk mode, its battery lasts for 25 hours, and when watching videos - 16 hours. Impressive results. The cost of the smartphone is 40,000 rubles.

Meizu 16th

This model has a frameless display without a “monobrow” at the top. In this case, the camera and sensors are located in an almost invisible 7 mm strip. At the same time, the display is only 6.0 inches diagonally and with a resolution of 2160x1080, but this is more than that of the iPhone. This smartphone also has excellent cameras. The pictures are bright, rich and clear. It provides panoramic and continuous shooting modes and has a Bokeh effect.

The processor is rather weak, but works with 8 cores. RAM 6 GB, built-in only 64 GB and there is no slot for its expansion.

There is a standard headphone jack on the case. The price of this model is 40,000 rubles.

The main competitors of the iPhone X and XS can be safely called Samsung models Galaxy Note 9 and Xiaomi Mi Mix 3. But their cost is 2-3 times lower. Of course, the processors of both models are rather weak, but many ordinary users do not notice this, since they do not use them to their full capacity.

According to the synthetic test, iPhone X and XS are ahead of all their non-Apple competitors. In principle, this is the expected result. After all, their performance is really high. But in terms of other characteristics, if they are not inferior to other manufacturers, they are significantly losing ground in terms of price and capabilities.

iPhones, of course, are not the “god-like” technology that Apple fans imagine them to be, but there are features that can be found only in iPhone. For example, it is basically impossible to find something on Android with a good camera and a 4-inch display. And even for the 4.7-inch iPhone, truly compact replacements have not been produced for a long time.

You can, of course, get out and say that there are rare Japanese smartphones like Sharp in nature, but let’s be realistic - almost no one needs adventures and attempts to order a Japanese mobile phone “untied” from an operator, only to then have problems with reflashing it and not finding covers and throw away your smartphone after the first breakdown. Because they don’t sell batteries or screens for it in the Russian Federation.

Taking into account all of the above, today we are “dancing” with all the diversity that official retail offers us + Chinese stores led by Aliexpress.

iPhone 5s - when you're old and frail, but still a rock star

The cure for love at first sight is to take a second look. And most often, the objects of your adoration will disappoint you. Films that were masterpieces, as they seemed in childhood, seem naive and idiotic, but fashionable clothes old times are embarrassing to watch, and the “pop” music of yesteryear makes you sick even before you hear the chorus. What then can we say about old mobile phones?

And with them everything is not as bad as one might assume from the heights of 2018. For example, the last viable iPhone that lives out its life in the hands of thrifty Russians, the iPhone 5s, is now being sold for 10-12 thousand. And, you'll laugh, Apple's five-year-old flagship still takes better photos than most smartphones for the same money.

Firstly, because in 2013 it was a “cooler” camera phone, just like the Samsung Galaxy S4. Secondly, manufacturers of cheap mobile phones do not care about the quality of cameras and are busy converting smartphones to 18:9 screens or glass cases instead of useful activities. And “anti-crisis Chinese” like Xiaomi and Meizu have always installed “bargain” cameras from powerful processors in cheap smartphones.

So it turns out that the iPhone 5s is not outdated either in appearance (the most beautiful compact smartphone and the “gold standard” of iPhone appearance, which the iPhone 6 and subsequent ones can only be considered “creaky”), nor in the quality of the camera for 10-12 thousand.

But it is completely outdated in terms of autonomy, speed and quality of the selfie camera. Therefore, even though the iPhone 5s takes better photos than the Xiaomi Redmi 4X/5A, Meizu M6, Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 and Sony Xperia L2, for 10 thousand on Aliexpress or 15-17 thousand in Russia you can buy smartphones that will be better in everything.

Reviewer's choice - Motorola Z for 14 thousand on Aliexpress. Autonomy is a problem, but the camera and speed are amazing

Focus on the modern inexpensive premium “Chinese” camera represented by the Xiaomi Redmi 5/Redmi 5 Plus if you want to get approximately the same (sometimes a little better, sometimes a little worse) camera in terms of minimum price.

iPhone 6/6 Plus - very bad iPhones, but quite good cameras

I feel very uncomfortable when I have to pass a verdict on the iPhone 6. On the one hand, this is, damn it, a mobile phone from the 2014 model year! Where are his peers now - LG G3, Sony Xperia Z3, Xiaomi Mi4i, ASUS ZenFone 5, Honor 6, Meizu MX4 Pro, HTC One M8 and Huawei Mate 7? In a coffin!

Among the smartphones of those years, there are a small number of shabby Samsung Galaxy S5, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, which, after replacing the battery and flashing the firmware, can still be used with the same convenience as an old iPhone 6 without flashing it.

And it's even more fun to pick iPhone replacement 6 among mobile phones in official retail. Because finding an alternative that would take good photographs at night for 22 thousand, cheaper than 28-30 thousand in cellular stores is almost impossible. Moreover, in terms of quality iPhone video 6 is also better than almost all alternatives comparable in price in official retail, but it is inferior in shooting quality to its competitors except in selfies.

Just don't think that the iPhone 6's camera is all-conquering. On a sunny day, you can take more colorful and clear pictures with Honor 9/ASUS ZenFone 4. But in terms of the ability to “pull” colors to a believable level and the refinement of the automation old iPhone better than most average smartphones.

But do not forget that the iPhone 6 is a very slow and very “dead” smartphone in terms of operating time. And for the slightly more durable iPhone 6 Plus they are asking an inadequate 28-32 thousand rubles. Inadequate because the trio of Samsung Galaxy S7/LG G6/HTC U Ultra in the same budget are better on all fronts. And even mid-range smartphones from the 2018 model year, such as ASUS ZenFone 5 and Nokia 7 Plus, almost always take better photos and videos, have longer battery life, and are much faster on their own.

Reviewer's choice - Samsung Galaxy S7. Battery life is just as bad, but it’s waterproof and much better than the camera

Conclusion? If you are looking for a smartphone at the price of an iPhone 6 (20-24 thousand rubles) with a cooler camera in the Russian Federation, you are wasting your time. Because the “next level” today starts from 27-28 thousand rubles and above.

If you are looking for a replacement for iPhone 6 with approximately the same camera, but normal battery life and operating speed - prepare at least 20 thousand, for example, for ASUS ZenFone 4 ZE554KL, while they are still on sale. Or on a Samsung Galaxy S7 to get an analogue of the iPhone 6s in terms of performance / an analogue of the iPhone 7 in terms of camera quality.

It’s not even worth talking about “gray” retail and these “aliexpress” of yours - Xiaomi Mi Note 3 for 19-20 thousand rubles, of course, is sometimes disgraced in night photography due to the idiocy of Chinese camera shooting algorithms, but after the shortcomings of the elderly iPhone it will seem cosmically cool model.

iPhone SE is unrivaled wherever you look

The only iPhone that even the most ardent Android fanatics respect is the iPhone SE. Because no one else re-released the old flagship with new, improved hardware.

And iPhone SE is a miraculous monument to all compact mobile phones and, suddenly, one of the best “budget” (more precisely, at the junction of budget models and middle class) camera phones!

Such luck did not come to the SE immediately, but a year and a half after its debut, when stocks of the iPhone 5s sharply decreased, and Apple “demoted” the SE from an expensive toy for retro fans to “just a budget iPhone.” And this is where the giblets from the iPhone 6s with its best (one of) camera of 2015 came in very handy! In case you forgot, the camera and processor in the iPhone SE, for a moment, are close in level to the Samsung Galaxy S6, Huawei Nexus 6P, LG G4, HTC One M9 and other “grands”! And, no matter how annoying it is for us, the best budget smartphones(the notorious Redmi Note 5) only in mid-2018 they began to approach this quality of shooting.

And all other inexpensive alternatives are divided into “try and find on sale” Huawei P9 and “our cameras are the coolest, but our hands are growing a little from the wrong place” ASUS ZenFone 3 and ZenFone 4.

Reviewer's choice - Xiaomi Mi Note 3. For the best combination of design, camera quality and speed up to 20 thousand rubles

With all its shortcomings, the SE is not a “museum goner”, but a quite combative smartphone with a still good processor and a camera that will “give a light” to almost all competitors cheaper than 20 thousand rubles. No contraindications, except for terrible selfies, to buying an iPhone There is no SE, so feel free to buy it if you want an iPhone. And if you don’t want to, Xiaomi Mi Note 3 or ASUS ZenFone 4 ZE554KL will easily replace the coolest cheap iPhone for you.

iPhone 6s/6s Plus - too good to sell; too bad to buy

	ASUS ZenFone 5 ZE620KL, Honor View 10, LG G6, Moto Z, Nokia 7 Plus, OnePlus 3/3T, Xiaomi Mi6, Xiaomi Mi Note 3
The camera is a little worse	ASUS ZenFone 4 ZE554KL, Honor 10, Meizu 15 Plus, Moto Z Play, Nokia 8, Xiaomi Mi5s
	HTC U11, Huawei P10, Huawei P20, Huawei Mate 10, LG V30, OnePlus 5/5T, Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge, Samsung Galaxy S8, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S, Xiaomi Mi 8
How much do iPhone 6s/6s Plus cost today?	32-42 thousand rubles
iPhone 6s/6s Plus or Android competitors?	If you already have an iPhone 6s/6s Plus, it’s worth selling them just to upgrade to cooler mobile phones costing 40 thousand rubles or more. If you are buying a smartphone from scratch, an Android smartphone with approximately the same camera and faster operating speed/autonomy will cost 20-25 thousand rubles.

If you don’t keep track of what has changed in mobile phones since you bought your previous smartphone, just remember that the camera in the iPhone 6s is about the same as in smartphones that are now asking for 27-30 thousand rubles in official retail. But, if you have any guidelines for the “coolness” of smartphone cameras, remember that the iPhone 6s/6s Plus cameras are “like the Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge, only always a little worse.”

It is with this definition that it is most convenient to select a smartphone with the same or more high quality filming.

The crowd of competitors in the table above will confuse many, but the point is that each of the competitors turns out to be better in some shooting scenarios, and worse in others. For example, almost all models are “about the same” in terms of shooting quality, except for the LG G6 and OnePlus 3/3T, they shoot better during the day than the iPhone 6s, at night they take pictures the same or a little worse, and they shoot video Always less quality. And nothing can be done about it, because Mi6/Mi Note 3 and ZenFone 5 are smartphones with good cameras and idiotic shooting algorithms, Moto Z has good optics and more or less reasonable “brains”, but a cheap sensor, and Honor View 10 sometimes “lames” because it did not receive optical stabilization.

Smartphones with a “better” camera also crowd into one cell of the table, although they differ noticeably from each other. The competitors closest to the iPhone 6s/6s Plus in terms of photo quality are the Samsung Galaxy S7, LG V30 and OnePlus 5. All of them take slightly better photographs in any shooting conditions. Samsung S7 and S8 also have the coolest selfie camera among all iPhone 6s competitors.

HTC U11 is even half a level cooler, and Huawei P10 is sometimes equal to the iPhone in terms of shooting quality, but in rare cases it jumps above its head and competes on equal terms with the Galaxy S7.

Reviewer's choice - Xiaomi Mi8. The coolest “Chinese” in terms of camera quality, processor power and price

What follows from all this? The iPhone 6s is not so outdated that we should rush to sell it headlong.

Cheaper than 40 thousand rubles in retail stores in the summer of 2018, you either get a mobile phone that takes noticeably better photographs, but takes worse video. Or a model that takes slightly better photographs and also shoots video, but also slows down about the same as your old iPhone. Still, it’s worth splurging on one of the four Chinese “kings” of high-quality photography (Xiaomi Mi8, Mi Mix 2s, Huawei P20, Mate 10) instead of buying a brand new iPhone 6s/6s Plus.

iPhone 7/7 Plus is an honorary laureate of the “neither fish nor fowl 2018” award

Best the enemy of the good. I still don’t quite understand why Apple fans greeted the otherwise good iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus with such hatred at the end of 2016. Dual camera (albeit only for the older “shovel”, but history has shown that Samsung pulled the same trick with the Galaxy S9/S9 Plus), water resistance, stereo speakers, a cool processor, a black, damn, matte body - or do you think that the Galaxy Has the S7 been updated more thoroughly than the Galaxy S6? Or perhaps a “flagship made from HTC waste” Google Pixel differed in at least something other than the camera, in better side? Yes, the iPhone 7 removed a separate headphone jack, but Apple made cool AirPods. At the same time, the iPhone 7 after amputation did not become fat compared to the iPhone 6 without visible reasons like Xperia XZ2 compared to XZ1.

The main reason for the hatred was not the “bells and whistles”, but the fact that “they greet you by their clothes,” and the clothes remained the same - the body of the old iPhone 6 from 2014, repeatedly tuned, but with a new sauce.

And the increase in camera quality was also symbolic. Remember when we labeled the iPhone 6s camera as “slightly worse than the Galaxy S7”? So, the iPhone 7 camera is “slightly better than the Galaxy S7”... That’s all!

What’s much worse is that it is “slightly better than the previous iPhone,” and such impudence is only permissible for the “S-version” when moving from iPhone 5 to 5s or from 6 to 6s. But not for a “numbered” iPhone.

As a result, we get a smartphone that is close in price to the iPhone 8, and in terms of camera quality is not so far from the iPhone 6s. And now it’s difficult to find at least one good reason to buy an iPhone Seven, and not something radically cooler delivered from abroad or a good Chinese flagship at Russian official prices.

Reviewer's choice - Huawei Mate 10. Chinese reliable “armored train” with a powerful processor, ultra-clear screen and excellent cameras

iPhone 7 turned out to be a “under-flagship”, which was bought by inertia. And even now there is no particular point in spending money on the “seventh iPhone”, because the much cooler iPhone 8 will cost only a little more. Unless you're a fundamental fan maximum savings(“Where the hell are you going, sir, skidded? Is Android really too much for you?”), or you really hate smartphones with a glass case.

iPhone 8/8 Plus - the best new iPhones... for which you don’t want to overpay

Camera of approximately the same quality	Huawei P20, Huawei Mate 10, LG G7, OnePlus 6, Sony Xperia XZ2, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S, Xiaomi Mi 8
The camera is a little worse	HTC U11, LG V30, OnePlus 5/5T, Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge, Samsung Galaxy S8
Better camera for the same money	Google Pixel 2, HTC U12+, Huawei P20 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S9/S9 Plus
How much do iPhone 8/8 Plus cost today?	46-60 thousand rubles
iPhone 7/7 Plus or Android competitors?	If you need a cool iPhone here and now - iPhone 8 64 GB for 46 thousand + Power Bank for a small surcharge. And we sit and wait for the second generation iPhone X. If you have an iPhone 7 in your hands, keep calm and wait new model. iPhone 6s - change to “eight” only if the smartphone is already in a “half-dead” state. If Android doesn’t bother you, you can get it for 45 thousand rubles best cameras performed by Samsung. Or even beyond 38, if lossless zoom and background blur are not needed.

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

iPhone 8 was destined to become a “second-class” iPhone - mobile phones that came out simultaneously with the revolutionary iPhone X, which were released only as a consolation prize. Like, if you don’t have enough money, then at least fork out for such half measures.

Marketers calculated everything correctly - the audience of buyers was divided into those who are willing to pay extra for framelessness and prestige (laugh, laugh, but Vertu has long been in the grave, and there are no other options left to show off a cool smartphone except the iPhone X), and those who “ and I have a new processor and almost the same cameras, but 24 thousand rubles cheaper!”

If you really want to get the “all the stuff” of the iPhone at the lowest price, take the iPhone 8 for 46 thousand and be happy. No sarcasm - very fast smartphone with power reserves, autonomy for a day and cameras in the four best smartphones in the world. Yes, yes, in three - after universally good Samsung Galaxy S9/S9 Plus, Huawei P20 Pro, HTC U12+ and iPhone X. Not a very romantic title? But 24 thousand rubles in savings!

And against the background of these 24 thousand, everything in “white” retail pales. Why do you need a Huawei P20 for 40 thousand if the iPhone 8 is superior to the “Chinese” in terms of screen quality, video detail and, what’s more, speed too?

iPhone 6s or Android? What to get for 25 thousand rubles Last week we determined the winner in the battle “the best cheap Apple smartphone in 2018.” The iPhone 6s won. But is it really worth buying a three-year-old iPhone when the market is overflowing with interesting modern Android smartphones?

On sale you can find an iPhone 6s with 32 gigabytes (like new) for a nice price tag of 24 thousand rubles. But what if you “change your faith” and turn to face the “robot”?

We understand the strengths and weaknesses of competitors.

1. The ugly duckling

Unfortunately, almost all smartphones have looked the same for a long time. The devil is in the details. One has more pleasant materials, another has a conveniently located fingerprint sensor, and the third can please you with pleasant colors.

It's hard to call the iPhone 6s beautiful. “Invalid” antenna bands, slippery body, poor camera design. Covers save the day.

Nokia 8, which our editor-in-chief Nikita Goryainov recently talked about, and the incredibly impressive Xiaomi Mi Mix with an infinite display stand out pleasantly against its background. Next to them, the iPhone 6s looks like a freak.

2. A display that's ok In terms of display quality, the iPhone undoubtedly remains a fighter. Bright, contrasting. That's all.

You look at the shelf with competitors - every second smartphone has a large diagonal with thin frames and excellent resolution. Beauty!

There are no such problems with iPhones.

3. Memory, which is still enough

Most opponents of the iPhone 6s have 3 or more gigabytes of RAM.

It would seem that everything is obvious, and the Apple smartphone (with its 2 gigs) is noticeably losing. But then you remember the keyword “optimization,” and the choice of winner at this point is no longer so obvious.

4. Two SIM cards that everyone is waiting for

There are rumors that the next generation of iPhones will finally get a slot for a second SIM card. It doesn't even sound funny. Most manufacturers have long had models with similar functionality.

Almost all competitors of the iPhone 6s boast support for two SIM cards. Nokia 8 Dual Sim, LG G6, Motorola Moto Z2 Play, Samsung Galaxy A7 and, of course, a lot of Xiaomi models.

Shame on you, Apple.

Considering that many buyers consider the iPhone 6s as a workhorse, its direct telephone duties are “so-so.”

Why doesn't the iPhone have a dual SIM slot?

The concept of iPhone X Plus with two SIM cards has appeared

5. Water resistance that is not declared

You can recall the tests that tested the water resistance of Apple smartphones released in 2015. It looks convincing, but the iPhone 6s specification does not claim protection from splashes, water and dust.

In this regard, Android devices are again stronger than the American fighter. For example, LG G6, which became the company's first waterproof (IP68 standard) flagship.

Are you used to lying with your smartphone in the bath? The iPhone 6s option doesn't look optimal.

6. The camera is inferior to competitors

Apple smartphones are rightfully considered one of the most popular camera phones in the world. But, iPhone 6s is not such a strong player in the market today.

Firstly, there are many smartphones with two cameras - one has a second module that shoots in black and white, the other has a telephoto lens, and so on. Secondly, some devices in some cases place the iPhone on both shoulder blades.

For example, the compact Xperia XZ1 Compact is equipped with a Motion Eye camera and can record video fragments at frame rates of up to 960 fps. What they boasted so much about at the presentation of the Samsung S9. The Sony smartphone also has a convenient dedicated shooting key.

Nokia 8 has an interesting Bothie shooting format, which we talked about in a separate article.

In other words, in a direct comparison, the iPhone 6s camera is noticeably inferior to its competitors.

7. Innovative technologies that everyone has

The iPhone 6s has a second-generation Touch ID fingerprint scanner. There is proprietary 3D Touch technology and Taptic Engine. Actually, that's all.

At the same time, today you won’t surprise anyone with a scanner, and a lot has been written about the controversial nature of 3D Touch (as a technology).

In Android, this feature is solved at the software level, in the form of a long press on the icon. Someone went even further. For example, the Taiwanese manufacturer HTC added sensitive side edges HTC Edge Sense, with which you can perform quick actions.