The all new Samsung Galaxy S7 & S7 Edge are now official. Released in Barcelona Spain at the Samsung Unpacked event were the two variants of the S7 mainly the Galaxy S7 & Galaxy S7 Edge. Primarily from what it looks like, the Galaxy S7 can indeed be the only phone you’ll need in today’s very demanding digital lifestyle.
With the previous generation, Samsung Galaxy S6 was a complete overhaul with going away with the plastic body and introducing a sleeker glass/metal body combination that gave the company their much needed jump in sales. It wasn’t really the flagship that all had expected, but learning from people’s feedback Samsung is now ready to take 2016 with the Galaxy S7.
The Galaxy S7 is sized at 5.1″ while the Galaxy S7 Edge is sized at 5.7″, both phones are similarly same in specifications and the only major difference is that the Galaxy S7 edge has a dual edge screen. The Quad HD 2560×1440 Super AMOLED screen is definitely gorgeous and compliments the high resolution camera of the phone.
The Performance on our unit is a monster, reaching a whopping 127,699 points in the latest version of AnTuTu benchmark. Combined with the new Vulcan GPU in our hands-on unit, the Galaxy S7 has one of the highest graphics performance we have seen this year. Along with the 4GB RAM, it has no problem what soever in any kind of application. Samsung said that the performance in GPU is 60% faster than the Galaxy S6.
From this assessment, we are assuming that it is the Exynos 8890 64-bit octa-core CPU equipped inside this phone. Oh don’t worry about heat as Samsung introduced a unique liquid-cooling system to manage the heat in the device.
But aside from the performance, here are the major improvements of the Galaxy S7 & S7 Edge in our hands-on experience.
The famous glass & metal body finished is still prominent in the Galaxy S7 which we definitely love but this time the phone is sleeker with more of the metal bezels curved with the body, making it more smoother and less protruding corners since Samsung didn’t made the edges as slim as before.
This results to a more friendly grip and a more luxurious feel when holding the phone. Lastly is the camera is now less protruding unlike the previous generation, definitely a breather since you don’t have to worry for the lens getting scratched.
Although the colors now are decreased to four colors mainly which are Gold, Silver, White and Black they are definitely on top of your mind when choosing a phone and probably a good move for Samsung to avoid a wide confusion in colors.
Samsung really takes a notch in making sure they are ahead of the game especially in the camera category. Now the S7 has a more improved Dual Pixel camera that uses a dual photodiode technology, this technology is similar to what DSLR cameras are using. This is thanks to a bigger 1/2.5 inches sensor size and pixel size of 1.4 microns, which translate to simulating two pixels are taken each time a photo is taken for faster auto-focus and better clarity.
Although the downscale of the camera to 12mp might look bad, Samsung ensured better photos with the improved f1.7 aperture along with their Dual Pixel technology will result to better photos especially at night capturing.
As per Samsung, they said that taking photos with the S7 is 50% faster than the previous generation. In our test snapping photos are indeed fast and importantly can do consecutive shots, best for fast moving objects. In our experience this is definitely true, taking shots especially at night is indeed fast.
Hardware wise, this is much better instead with the usual trend of adding the dual-camera and laser auto-focus since the body of the phone doesn’t use any additional space, so the overall size and physical appearance of the phone is maintained as before.
The front camera is a 5mp wide angle shooter with improved aperture of f1.7. Of course Selfies are important so in our tests using the beautification mode, the result if fairly fast and taking shots are fast as well. Front flash function is also available so you can take selfies in dark places 🙂
The speakers of the Galaxy S7 is rated at 1.5 watts which is currently the highest so far we have seen on a phone. In our experience you can definitely feel and hear more low frequency audio which is geared towards bass. Overall we are surprised with the audio quality and definitely an audio worth sharing for a phone.
The S7 and S7 edge are now equipped with IP68 water and dust resistant rating. It means that the phones are rated to be water resistant for up to 1.5m of water immersion lasting up to 30 minutes. So this is great especially when raining and less worries in those accidental drops in the toilet *ahem*.
Fortunately you can now take photos underwater with more convenience with the quick launch of the camera by double tapping the home button and using the volume keys as the shutter button. So you can easily take good photos underwater without any worries.
The MicroSD slot it back! Although you already have an ample 32GB storage as default, you have the option to use the 2nd SIM slot as a MicroSD slot for extra storage up to a whopping 200GB. Either that you can use both SIM slots to utilize both networks here in the Philippines.
Say goodbye to 2,000+ mAh capacity of battery with the Galaxy S7 now equipped with a beefier battery of 3,000mAh for the S7 and 3,600mAh for the Galaxy S7 Edge. Rated battery promises around a full day of power with fast charging capabilities both wired and wireless.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 & S7 Edge will be available in the market for Php34,990 and Php39,990 respectively with 32GB of storage. Launch availability in the Philippines will be on March 19, more details will be released soon by Samsung Philippines in how to pre-order.
For telecommunications news right now Smart has already announced their interest link for people at http://smart.com.ph/Postpaid/samsung-galaxy-seve
Also a new Gear VR was announced that is compatible to more variants of the Galaxy Family such as the S6, S6 Edge+, Note5 and more. But currently they have announced that the current Samsung Gear VR will be available in the Philippines for Php4,990 this March 2016.
Here are the specifications of both phones
Samsung Galaxy S7 | Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge | |
Display | 5.1-inch Super AMOLED Quad-HD display | 5.5-inch Super AMOLED Quad-HD display |
Resolution | 2560 x 1440 resolution, 576ppi | 2560 x 1440 resolution, 534ppi |
Glass Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 4 | Corning Gorilla Glass 4 |
Processor | 64-bit octa-core CPU Snapdragon 820 OR Samsung Exynos 8890 | 64-bit Octa-Core CPU Snapdragon 820 OR Samsung Exynos 8890 |
RAM Protection | 4GB RAM | 4GB RAM |
Storage | 32GB, 64GB internal storage | 32GB, 64GB internal storage |
Storage Expansin | Expandable up to 200GB via microSD (uses SIM 2 slot) | up to 200GB via microSD (uses SIM 2 slot) |
Camera | 12MP BRIGHTCell rear camera dual-tone, dual LED flash, f/1.7 aperture | 12MP BRIGHT Cell rear camera dual-tone, dual LED flash, f/1.7 aperture |
Front Camera | 5 megapixel front-facing camera with f/1.7 aperture | 5 megapixel front-facing camera with f/1.7 aperture |
SIM Connectivity | Dual SIM (hybrid), dual LTE | Dual SIM (hybrid), dual LTE |
Connectivity | WiFi 802.11ac / Bluetooth 4.1 / NFC | WiFi 802.11ac / Bluetooth 4.1 / NFC |
Other Features | Fast Wireless Charging, Fingerprint Scanner, Heart-Rate Sensor |
Fast Wireless Charging, Fingerprint Scanner, Heart-Rate Sensor |
Waterproof Rating | IP68 rating | IP68 rating |
OS | Android 6.0 Marshmallow with TouchWiz | Android 6.0 Marshmallow with TouchWiz |
Battery | 3,000mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery | 3,600mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery |
Colors | Gold, Silver, White and Black | Gold, Silver, White and Black |