Let’s kick off with what aren’t technically new features but things which Samsung has decided to bring back on the Galaxy S7 models. Fans disappointed with the Galaxy S6’s lack of waterproofing and expandable storage will be pleased with the news, indeed. The S7 features an IP68 rating which Samsung is pitching at water-resistant and a Micro-SD card slot which can take up to 200GB cards. Colours include Black Onyx, Gold Platinum and the edge will also come in Silver Titanium – although we saw a regular model in this colour at the launch event.
The third big thing being requested by users is a removable battery but the news isn’t so great on this front. Although the battery is bigger – 3000mAh for the S7 and 3600mAh on the edge model – it’s stuck inside the phone. Samsung got two out of three, at least.
You’re probably wondering whether Samsung has opted for a USB Type-C port which we’ve seen on a number of devices in recent months. The answer is no which we think is a little odd, instead the Galaxy S7 phones have the same Micro-USB port. The phones also only support Quick Chrge 2.0 not the new 3.0 as Samsung told us it didn’t see the value.
Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge
The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge share many specs as you would expect but the screens are the main difference. The regular handset still has a 5.1in SuperAMOLED screen with a Quad HD (1440×2560) resolution so Samsung clearly doesn’t think we need 4K on a phone like Sony does. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S7 edge display has got bigger at 5.5in (still Quad HD) which suggests we won’t see a larger Galaxy S7 edge+ model unless it is really huge.
A new feature on the display side is that it will be always on, like the LG G5, so you can check the time, date and notifications easily. To avoid battery drain, the screen will switch off at night and when the S7 is in your pocket.
As with previous Samsung phones there will be two processors powering the Galaxy S7 – not at the same time, for different markets. One will have an Exynos 8890 chip and one with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. Either way you’ll get 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.
To keep everything cool Samsung has implemented a sort of water cooling system, although it’s not exactly comparible to a PC’s. It has a heat-conducting copper tube to get rid of as much heat as possible. “There’s a tube containing a liquid that vaporizes at high temperatures and then condenses at low temperatures,” said Senior Vice President of product strategy, Justin Denison.
Galaxy S7 water cooling
As you would expect, the Galaxy S7 features some of the latest connectivity including 11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC and GPS. It still has a fingerprint scanner in teh home button and a heart rate monitor. However, the infrared port previously used to control other devices like TVs is gone.
Rumours of a lower resolution camera are true as the Galaxy S7 models have a 12Mp shooter, not 16Mp as previously. “That’s a downgrade” we hear you shout, but Samsung says an aperture of f/1.7 combined with larger pixels means the camera will allow 95 percent more light into the system for better results. The front camera for all you selfie fans is still 5Mp but also has that f/1.7 aperture. Samsung says its the first phone with a Dual Pixel sensor.
Galaxy S7 edge