Samsung Galaxy S7 Smartphones: Streamlined With Many New Features

The latest Samsung flagship handsets gain better cameras, water resistance, thinner cases, always-on displays and the return of SD cards.

The latest Galaxy S7 Edge and S7 handsets are powered by Qualcomm quad-core 2.15GHz/1.6GHz processors for U.S. users and include 4GB of LPDDR4 memory, 32GB of built-in storage and the return of microSD expansion slots, which were missing in the previous Galaxy S6 devices. The micro SD slots will support storage cards up to 200GB. The Qualcomm processors are expected to provide performance that is as much as 30 percent faster than the processors they replace in the earlier Galaxy S6 handsets.

In the Galaxy S7 line, the Galaxy S7 Edge is the big brother, featuring a 5.5-inch quad-HD Super AMOLED display (2,560 by 1,440) and a screen that wraps around both right and left edges of the device, giving users more information at a glance. Also included is a reworked user interface for the S7 Edge to take advantage of that extra screen real estate. The improved user interface provides a wider on-screen panel to give users more information in one view without requiring as much scrolling. A new software development kit (SDK) is now available to encourage developers to build more applications for the S7 Edge user interface.

Highlighting the latest Galaxy handsets are Samsung’s first “dual-pixel” cameras, which allow much-improved low-light images through pixels that are 56 percent larger than previous versions. Both the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge include rear 12-megapixel cameras with F1.7 lenses that are more sensitive to light than earlier components, smart optical image stabilization and 5-megapixel front-facing cameras. The new cameras are also capable of autofocusing three times faster than earlier versions.

Water resistance, available on the earlier Galaxy S5 devices, is also back with the S7 and S7 Edge handsets, giving users the ability to let their phones get wet in normal use, thanks to IP68 certification for water and dust resistance.

A bit smaller than its S7 Edge stablemate, the Galaxy S7 includes a 5.1-inch quad-HD Super AMOLED display (2,560 by 1,440), but still shares many features, including metal chassis with curved backs that are shaped and sized for one-hand operation by users. The S7 and S7 Edge displays also use a new “always-on” feature that shows important information to users at a glance, without having to activate a button to view the main displays. Both models run on the Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system.

The Galaxy S7 gets a 3,000mAh battery, while the Galaxy S7 Edge is equipped with a 3,600mAh battery. Earlier Galaxy S6 handsets had a 2,550mAh battery, while the earlier S6 Edge had a 2,600mAh battery. The new Galaxy models also include fast charging capabilities and come with a corded charger. An optional wireless charging pad that’s compatible with WPC and PMA standards is available as an extra-cost option.

The Galaxy S7 phone is 5.6 inches long, 2.74 inches wide, 0.31 inches thick and weighs 5.36 ounces, while the Galaxy S7 Edge is 5.94 inches long, 2.85 inches wide, 0.30 inches thick and weighs 5.53 ounces. The Galaxy S7 will be available in Black Onyx or Gold Platinum colors, while the Galaxy S7 Edge will be available in Black Onyx, Gold Platinum or Silver Titanium.

The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge handsets include fast 4GT LTE connectivity, as well as WiFi 802.11, MIMO, Bluetooth 4.2 and near-field communication connections. Also featured are Samsung Pay secure mobile payments capabilities in both devices, as well as wide-ranging Samsung KNOX device security and fingerprint-scanning features.