I've been an iPhone user for years and have never been inticed by an Android device... Until the Note 7. I loved the phone so much I even gave it a second chance after the first recall, but after the second recall I knew it was over. I gave the Pixel XL a chance but it didn't feel premium and gave me an odd halo effect in pictures so I returned it. I bought the Matte Black iPhone 7 Plus and will stick with this until either the Note 8 or iPhone 8 Plus next year.
What was better about the Note 7? The resolution, amoled tech, fast charging abilities, screen to phone ratio, iris scanner, and the S-Pen. These are things I miss on the Note 7.
What is better about the iPhone 7 Plus? Smoother, faster, better audio quality with regards to the speakers, faster fingerprint reader, dual camera, better apps.
Both phones have their ups and downs but besides the exploding issue I would say the Note 7 was slightly better because the things that the Note 7 were better at meant more to me. However, this may not be the case for other people and I think the 7 Plus is an amazing phone and easily the second best phone to ever grace the market. RIP Note 7... The best phone I ever had.
I hear what you're saying and I understand your reasoning. I owned an iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 5 and iPhone 6 Plus before I defected to the Note4. Why did I defect? Form and Function.
Allow me to get a little philosophical. I'm stereotyping here but I think it's safe to say most people are either "form" orientated or "function" orientated when it comes to smartphones. On the extreme ends of this black and white worldview some people will overlook or ignore a smartphone's functionality and specifications over design and simplicity. Most people seem to fit somewhere in this category (hence a lot of iPhone sales). On the other extreme end some people simply don't see why anyone would consider an iPhone and it's lack of functionality to be anything but a scam or a rip off. Yes the iPhone might be the most beautiful smartphone they've ever seen but if it doesn't have a microSD card slot or a detachable battery they are simply not interested. It's all about the hardware and the aesthetics don't seem to factor in the equation, or they are very low on the list of requirements when shopping for a smartphone.
I sit somewhere in the middle of this spectrum. I care a lot about design but I also care a lot about hardware specifications. When the first Note4 pictures, videos and specifications were officially released, I saw what I thought was the most aesthetically pleasing smartphone on the market at that time, with the bonus of having many hardware specifications that were unmatched at that time as well. Then looking down at the iPhone 6 Plus in my hand, I saw all bezels and antenna lines. I saw a camera bump in an inconvenient spot on the back of the phone. I saw an outdated screen quality that dates back to the iPhone 4. I saw an operating system that only became useful to me when jailbreaking it.
That is why I defected. The Note4 was for me the smartphone that gave me a level of Form and Function not seen in any other smartphone. Your jump to the Note7 was perhaps for similar reasons. After returning my Note7 (and my replacement Note7) I went back to the Note4. I considered all the other phones out there and nothing really compared to the Note7 and what I use it for. Perhaps the Note5 to a certain extent but my Note4 is still after all this time a powerhouse of a smartphone so I went on a sim only plan.
I did considered going back to iPhone and getting one of the black versions of the 7 Plus. But after careful consideration here is why I did not...
1. Aesthetically the big bezels are an eyesore to me. The thought of having to look at them everyday for the next year or two was difficult to stomach. The screen-to-phone size ratio is actually a double downgrade. Note4, Note5, Note7 all have a bigger screen and are a smaller phone. iPhone 7 Plus = smaller screen, bigger phone. It's a lose lose situation.
2. No QuadHD SuperAMOLED display. The iPhone 7 Plus screen is a sub-par screen compared to EVERY OTHER flagship smartphone of the past 2 years, including my Note4. Why apple? Why?
3. No QuickCharge. Again, this is now the standard in flagship phones and has been for a while now. Very handy for every smartphone user.
4. No wireless charging. A very simple piece of technology and extremely useful. Again, why not apple?
5. No microSD slot. With 4K video recording and high quality pictures why settle for 256gb max when you could have at least 320gb like I had on my Note7? Or at least 288gb like I have on my Note4. I think you can get 1TB class 10 sd cards and above now.
6. No sPen. This doesn't just apply to the iPhone 7 Plus but it is included. I would miss this little bundle of joy way too much.
7. Limited NFC. I've been using NFC tap and pay with my bank for the last two years on my Note4. It works everywhere. It is awesome. I don't like the idea of going back to carrying a wallet with cards around with me everywhere I go. I can't turn the chip in my credit card on/off. I can turn NFC off on my Note4 making it much more secure than any credit card with Pay Wave.
8. iOS. After spending 2 yrs with android now I've found it to be more reliable and functional than iOS ever could be. I was hesitant about android OS when I first got my Note4 but after about a month I realised this OS really is an iOS killer. Don't get me wrong, iOS serves a purpose, it's just android serves many more purposes.
Here endeth my philosophical rant.
ps. I'm now running Note7 rom on my Note4. I have the best of both worlds haha!