Amidst Samsung’s Note 7 Recall, Apple CEO Tim Cook Promotes iPhone 7 in New Photos

As Samsung grapples with the fallout from the massive recall of its Note 7, a situation which CNBC reports has knocked around $14 billion off Samsung shares, Apple CEO Tim Cook is attempting to turn the misfortunes of his competitor to his advantage. Harnessing the power of social media, Cook has taken to Twitter to promote the recently unveiled iPhone 7. A tweet sent out yesterday shared a link to photos demonstrating the iPhone 7’s superior camera capabilities.

The tweet Cook posted held a link to the Sports Illustrated website, where a selection of clear, high-quality photographs taken by esteemed photographer David E. Klutho awaited. Impressively, these stunning pictures were shot using the iPhone 7 Plus, which boasts two high-specification cameras and 2 times optical zoom capability. Along with the new AirPods that replace the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack, the dual cameras are generally considered by industry analysts to be a major improvement for the iPhone.

That said, the base model iPhone 7 does not feature the dual camera layout of its bigger sibling and, therefore, cannot offer similar zoom capabilities. However, it still delivers exceptionally high-quality image output, standing strong in a field that is growing increasingly competitive.

While US customers, alongside those in about 24 other initial release markets, eagerly wait for the arrival of these new phones on Friday, gradual global roll-outs will ensure that everyone gets a chance to experience the new devices soon. Prices for the base model iPhone 7 start at $649 for 32GB of storage and go up to $849 for the capacious 256GB variant. The larger iPhone 7 Plus proves to be a steeper investment, starting at $769 for the entry-level model and hitting $969 for the top-spec version.

In contrast to Apple’s optimistic launch, Samsung’s Note 7, which many believed would be the best Android phone ever due to features like impressive iris scanning capabilities, has suffered a major setback. Promptly after its launch on August second, around 2.5 million of the devices had to be recalled due to reports of the phones catching fire while charging. Samsung has since identified the issue as battery-related, causing their shares to tumble by about 7 percent. To compound the crisis, the US Federal Aviation Authority has advised users not to use the device during flights for safety considerations.

Though Apple’s 13 years of continuous growth was stunted this April due to slowing iPhone demand, recent data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) disclosed in July that Samsung had surpassed Apple in the second quarter of this year. However, the iPhone 7 has thus far received positive reviews and might capitalize on the void left by Samsung’s woes.

The LG V20 took center stage last week as the first smartphone launched featuring Android 7 (Nougat). However, it’s worth noting that Note 7 users will be able to upgrade their devices to the latest Android OS. Nevertheless, the positive reception of iPhone 7 could just be Apple’s chance to reclaim the top spot in the smartphone market.