Smartphone Madness 2016: Samsung Galaxy S7 & S7 Edge vs. HP Elite X3

News
By published

Samsung’s brand new flagships square off against a Windows 10 phone from HP, as our tournament to pick the best smartphone rolls on.

Editor's Note: Voting has ended in this match-up, with the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge claiming a hard-fought victory. Samsung's phones took 54 percent of the vote to top the HP Elite X3, which captured 46 percent. The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are now in the next round, which begins later this month. Voting continues in the rest of the first round.

Today's Smartphone Madness Matchup pairs up a phone boasting the kind of photo features you normally find in a high-end DSLR with another phone that hopes to replace your laptop. Samsung's latest flagships, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, face off against HP's office-centric Elite X3.

There's more to the new Galaxy S7 than just camera improvements. We are talking about a pair of water-resistant phones powered by a speedy Snapdragon 820 processor after all. But the dual-pixel technology in both the S7 and S7 Edge is a first for smartphones, enabling your camera to focus faster so you won't miss any fleeting shot. Larger pixels and a wider aperture also mean that both phones will capture better images even in low light. We think the S7 Edge has the best camera of any smartphone, but is that enough to push Samsung's flagship to victory.

MORE: Read Our Review of the Galaxy S7 Edge

Credit: Nick Bush / Tom's Guide

(Image credit: Nick Bush / Tom's Guide)

Perhaps not, if you're tired of toting around both a smartphone and a laptop. HP's Elite X3 boasts the kind of specs — a Snapdragon 820 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and a 4,150 mAh battery — that will let you leave that laptop behind. The Elite X3 can also survive a dip in the water and it boasts military-grade durability as well. This Windows 10 also makes use of the Continuum feature to deliver a desktop-like experience from a smartphone.

MORE: Read Our Hands-On with the Elite X3

It's shutterbugs versus road warriors, and you get to decide who finishes on top. You have until 9 a.m. ET tomorrow (March 15) to give a thumbs up to either the S7 and S7 Edge or the Elite X3. The winning phone will join the iPhone 6s in the next round, after Apple's phone cruised to victory against the Acer Liquid Jade 2 with nearly 82 percent of the vote.

Make your case for your favorite Smartphone Madness device in the Tom's Guide forums

Philip Michaels
Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.

4 Comments Comment from the forums
  • RedJaron
    I know you want to get people excited about the pools and such, but the comparison to an SLR camera's quality is just too much hyperbole.
    Reply
  • PhilipMichaels
    17660146 said:
    I know you want to get people excited about the pools and such, but the comparison to an SLR camera's quality is just too much hyperbole.

    The comparison was to the the features, specifically the dual-pixel sensor.
    Reply
  • Gustavklimt
    Bad matchup for the HP Elite X3, which should have really dominated most of the other contestants this round.
    Reply
  • david_272
    Not even close; the HP is the first in the next wave of phones I call "SuperPhones". The previous wave has peaked and Samsung and all the rest are still in that wave. They are mere toys compared to what the SuperPhones will be and the HP is the beginning of that wave. You chose wrong.
    Reply