Following a snappy Unpacked event in Barcelona today, we are now wiser to the Samsung Galaxy S7 specs. Here’s the important numbers you’ll all want to know before getting a pre-order in to claim your discounted Gear VR gift.
Samsung Galaxy S7: Design
Both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge will sport the same size screens as its predecessor, with 5.1 inch and 5.5 inch screens respectively. The biggest design re-innovation with the twin flagships is an IP68 water resistivity rating. To translate that into English, both of these handsets can be submerged in 1.5 meters of water for thirty minutes leaving Spotify in the shower and selfies in the pool will become commonplace; which needs a good camera.
Samsung Galaxy S7: Camera
While HTC attempted this with Ultrapixels, what was a valiant effort ultimately failed. Samsung have introduced a 12MP Dual Pixel Sensor which provides crisp image captures, even in low light. Some software updates might look familiar, such as the Motion Photo feature which certainly resembles Apple’s Live Photo. Samsung pulled no punches in comparing images created by both Samsung and Apple flagships.
Well, @SamsungMobile are surely pulling no punches in proving they have the best camera… #TheNextGalaxyPH pic.twitter.com/gR4uSynTLl
— Goos3D (@Goos3D_IE) February 21, 2016
These are just some of the new camera features, but all these images will take up a lot of memory right?
Samsung Galaxy S7: Memory
I won’t lie, I’ve been thinking of getting the Galaxy S7, but it hinged on one spec; expandable memory. While 32GB is more than my current 16GB handset, expandable just seems like it should be standard (unless you’re using Apple). Their was a mini celebration I allowed myself as it was announced that Samsung would re-introduce expandable memory for their new twin flagships.
It’s obvious that @SamsungMobile have listened to the public. #TheNextGalaxyPH has expandable memory #unpacked2016 pic.twitter.com/5QjWNvGKrq
— Goos3D (@Goos3D_IE) February 21, 2016
It’s remarkably simple business. Apple charge €100 to go up in memory capacities, but now with Samsung you can simply buy the base model and expand the memory to suit your needs, right up to 200GB.
So you’ll be able to store vast quantities of images, games and videos, videos that will need a lot of battery power.
Samsung Galaxy S7: Battery
Samsung’s D.J Koh made an audacious claim during the company’s 2016 Unpacked Event. Koh claimed that you could watch an entire season of Game of Thrones on one charge of the Galaxy S7’s 3000 mAh battery or Galaxy S7 Edge’s 3600 mAh battery. We’re really not so sure if that’s with aeroplane mode enabled or something, but it’s a bold claim. Even if it’s not true, a dead battery won’t hinder you for too long as the Galaxy S7 can charge in an hour and a half while the S7 Edge will take just a further ten minutes.
We’re interested to see if the battery upgrades are effected by “Always on Display” which is a minimal screen you will always see at a quick glance of your handset. Ultimately though, how does this all rack up in terms of innovation and development.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S7 better than the Galaxy S6?
On the outside, this years twin flagships look almost identical to Samsung’s key handsets from last year. While the horrid camera nipple has been severely reduced from the Galaxy S6, the majority of the Galaxy S7’s developments are under the hood. Water resistivity is a nice addition, especially to those of you who have been hurt by liquid ingress before. For us, the biggest development comes in the shape of a tiny micro SD card.
When you consider how much it costs to get a larger sized iPhone who still look at 16GB as entry level, the Galaxy S7 with expandable memory and a 32GB memory as standard pulls out in front. Last year’s Galaxy S6 simply didn’t have expandable memory, and Samsung have clearly been taking feedback on-board from customers.
With Mark Zuckerberg appearing and giving the Galaxy team his endorsement as the “only handset display that can handle the best level’s of VR”, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is placing a large bet on virtual reality. Normally we would say virtual reality is a gimmick, but Samsung are going all out including Gear VR with pre-orders.
While the wheel certainly hasn’t been reinvented, the Galaxy S7 is a fantastic looking upgrade for anyone who is using the likes of a Apple iPhone 6, Samsung Galaxy S5 or HTC One M8. If you are using a Galaxy S6, I wouldn’t go mad trying to upgrade as there isn’t a massive difference, but there is enough to herald the Galaxy S7 as a cracking piece of smart kit.
Don’t forget, you can still catch up on our live coverage of the event.
