The Samsung’s new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge have been announced at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona. There are some changes to the range and hardware compared to the previous Galaxy models, but the changes may not be enough to get you to upgrade in a hurry.
The Galaxy S7 has dimensions of 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9mm and weighs 152g. This is heavier and thicker than the Galaxy S6, but the design is different. The Galaxy S7’s back has more of a curve and is narrower and shorter than the Galaxy S6. This design change will make the Galaxy S7 easier to hold.
The Galaxy S7 Edge has the same design feature and has the dimensions of 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7mm and weighs 157g. The display on the Galaxy S7 Edge is the 5.5-inch curved panel, 2560 x 1440 pixels and a Super AMOLED display. The display when you swipe from the right has been updated to include integration with third party apps. This will add an element of functionality to the Galaxy S7 Edge that was missing in other devices.
The display on the Galaxy S7 is a 5.1-inch flat panel, 2560 x 1440 pixels, Super AMOLED display. A feature on both phones is ‘Always-on Display’ technology. This gives the devices a monochrome screen that shows time, date and notifications on the lock screen. This feature is user customizable. For someone who checks their phone often, a feature like this could be useful. The feature can be turned off, as some users may want to conserve the battery life of the S7.
Battery life and micro SD card slots are improvements found on the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. The size of the batteries has gone from 2550mAh in the S6 and 2600mAh in the S6 Edge to 3000mAh in the Galaxy S7 and 3600mAh in the Galaxy S7 Edge. Samsung claims that the battery will be able to watch an entire season of Game of Thrones with needing a charge. How true that claim is will be seen with the phones are released.
Charging is getting quicker with the batteries being updated from Quick Charge 2.0 to Quick Charge 3.0. According to tests, there is a 45% difference between versions. Wireless charging stations are available for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, with Qi and PMA wireless stations supported. Unlike other companies, Samsung hasn’t changed their USB ports to USB Type C but have stayed with the micro USB. This makes it compatible with many old chargers and cables that are almost everywhere but means that the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are using old technology compared to other flagship smartphones.
Micro SD card slots were once one of the main selling points of the Galaxy range. This was a feature that Samsung had over Apple’s iPhone. Removing the slot was a mistake that Samsung have rectified. The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge both have micro SD card slots that can handle cards of up to 200GB. This gives the devices something extra and may see some old Galaxy users come back to Samsung.
The camera has been downgraded in the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. The S6 had 16MP, with the new phones have 12MP. To mitigate this downgrade, Samsung has improved lens aperture to f1.7 and has better low-light performance. The devices are waterproof, with IP68-level water resistance. This means that the S7 and S7 Edge can be dropped in five feet of water for up to 30 minutes before breaking.
Samsung has made amazing smartphones with the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. The devices are premium devices; they have a class that meets technological cleverness in a way that only a company with a lot of experience at the best smartphones could do. The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge aren’t game breakers for smartphone devices, they don’t scream at users to update before their current smartphones are broken. The updates with battery life, the return of the micro SD card slot and other small updates, while clever, seem more like Samsung fixing flaws with its previous Galaxy models than designing anything new.
US prices for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge haven’t been announced yet. Storage options aren’t known, but it’s expected that there will be 32B, 64GB and 128GB models released. In Euros, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge will be 699 euros and 799 euros, 50 euros less expensive than the S6 and S6 Edge. The smartphones are available for pre-order through different services.
Source: Samsung
