After months and
months of rumors, Samsung has finally unveiled the Samsung Galaxy S7 during its
Unpacked event in Barcelona in opening MWC. This
year, Samsung has chosen to be effective and offer a complete product and
upscale. The
Korean manufacturer has decided to keep most of its previous model design
details, the Galaxy S6, which was so taken in 2015, while erasing its major
flaws. The
S7 is meant to be a smartphone that manages to combine like never before in
Samsung's history, beautiful design with excellent user experience. But it is converted try? Does
the Galaxy S7 promises to be the best smartphone of 2016? First
answers in our grip.
Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy S7 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, together with the Galaxy S7 edge. The smartphone will be available in four colors: gold, white, black and silver. Its price is 699 euros for the 32 GB version, it is already possible to order the phone on the Samsung site. But unlike last year, both models offer a microSD card slot to expand the internal memory.
The phone is already available for pre-order on the Samsung website, for pre-order a Gear VR headset is offered.
As well tell you right now, the Galaxy S7 brings some aesthetic changes from its predecessor. Samsung wanted to slowly change the style of its flagship smartphone. The objective of the Korean brand was to maintain its rounded shape, while increasing subtlety and elegance.
However, the Galaxy S7 has many small differences that do not go unnoticed. The device maintains its size of 5.1 inches and its design aluminum at the edges. There is also a Gorilla Glass 4 front and rear. The device i take over was silver in color but light reflections do sometimes think it is gold, which is however not the case. The metallic finish as the glass is quite spectacular and the build quality appears even more premium for the S6.
But let us focus more on the changes. The Galaxy S7 present in some, starting with the back where the edges are curved inwards in the manner of Galaxy Note 5. This effect makes it possible to significantly improve the grip and ergonomics of the smartphone. This, combined with the 5.1 inches of the device and its rounded corners make it one of the most comfortable and easy to handle smartphones that I have had in hand. This argument was repeatedly reminded by the people of Samsung and I must admit they are in the right, I saw myself as the curves of the S7 (S7 but also the edge) improve the overall comfort of the device.
Another notable novelty, finished the protrusion on the back of the phone because of the objective of the camera. Samsung has erased this defect and back is now perfectly flat ... almost, as is still a gap of 0.46 mm (4 times less than for the Galaxy S6). This drawback is less than the Samsung's flagship smartphone is no longer wobbly, and the S7 design is much more homogeneous.
The new light sensor, front camera, speaker for calls, the home button and two physical buttons Samsung take place on the front of the phone. The host or home button hides a new fingerprint reader. During my grip, however I have not seen real differences with the Galaxy S6, both in terms of speed (always excellent) and in terms of functionality.
On the sides, there are only three buttons. The left side is dedicated to the volume buttons while the right side is reserved for the power button. The difference with the Galaxy S6 is at the location of the SIM card (nano sim) that now houses a slot for the microSD card (up to 200GB).
The rear part does not change compared to last year. Here we find the speakerphone, microUSB port (but not Type C) and the mini-jack for headphones. I find it disappointing that Samsung has decided not to opt for a USB Type C but the technical problems it generates appear too great.
Of course, and as the left to hear the rumors and different videos teasers released by Samsung, the Galaxy S7 is waterproof and benefits from the IP68 certification. It was one of those details that had been overlooked in 2015 and which we are pleased that Samsung has taken into account for his new album.
Unfortunately the downside is that the Galaxy S7 took a little overweight. But as the saying Nacho Nieto, director of Samsung Spain technology, it was necessary to offer a larger battery, a microSD slot and a flat back.
In summary, the Galaxy S7 is the result of many small improvements. Its design is thus even more spectacular than the S6 already very good. We are facing a device that immediately attracts the attention and inspires elegance. All with a simplicity that few manufacturers can boast of doing (maybe Sony approaches this on some models). If you thought the design was unbeatable S6, S7 are wrong because the fact you better.
The Galaxy S6 format had rained. Samsung do not change a winning recipe. The Galaxy S7 features a 5.1 inch screen. The definition also does not change and remains at WQHD 2560 x 1440 pixels (570 ppi). Samsung would not enter the race to define and emulate Sony's Xperia Z5 Premium. Although it took him.
During my grip, I found that the screen of the Galaxy S7 was certainly one of the most brilliant that may exist now on Android. Sometimes it may even be too strong but it is adjustable thankfully. The colors are bright but they remain perfectly faithful to reality. Some may complain engendered color AMOLED displays but personally it never caused me any worries.
A further test will allow us to more accurately assess the operation of the screen, especially in outdoor light conditions. For now, I can only tell you that the screen is at least as good as that of the S6 edge or + Note 5.
As every year, the Galaxy S7 brings some additional features but without frills. We are facing a smartphone has finally stopped to include unnecessary functions to focus on what is really useful.
Yes, Samsung has included in this device the Always On technology. With this, we can set various options to display on the screen without having to turn it on. Always ON and can display the calendar, clock, notifications, and more. This function does not affect the battery, or at least not significantly, since only certain pixels are lit during this process while the rest of the screen is off, as is already the case for screens OLED.
Some thought the S7 offirait only IP67 certification but Samsung has finally gone further by proposing an IP68 certification. It is thus plunging the Galaxy S7 in water up to 1 meter and a half deep and this for 30 minutes. I have not been able to verify the promises of Samsung during my grip, however. We can test the water resistance when we receive our test device.
One of the great innovations of the Galaxy S7 is Game Center, a space where you can keep all your games and adds some curious features in the game. Samsung particular attention on this feature. Each time you play a game on the S7, you will have a menu where you can interact with the game, like making a screenshot, record video, share your face ...
In addition, the Galaxy S7 includes a game mode where you can turn off notifications in the smartphone and even indicate where to concentrate all power in the game, while crippling other tasks smartphone.
The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are also the first smartphones compatible with Vulkan.
Samsung Pay arrives in Spain and the UK, but not in France
The service finally arrives in Europe. But, alas, 2016 will be the year when Samsung Pay will be launched only in Spain and the UK, the only representatives of the European Union. Samsung Pay will be available in Spain and a few days after the presentation of the Galaxy S7.
Apart from that, Samsung Pay is accessed by sliding your finger up from the main screen of the S7. Of course, the S7 has the NFC.
The Galaxy S7 brings a fingerprint reader already seen in the S6. Its additional features are closely related to Samsung Pay. The sensor can pay in shops and increase the safety of its operations, and to lock (or unlock) the phone.
Samsung continues to emphasize some of its options. We thus find in the Galaxy S S7-Health application and the heart rate monitor next to the LED flash. Again, the NFC is part of the panoply of S7.
The new Galaxy S7 runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with TouchWiz overlay customization present in the house edge S6 + and the rating 5. Those hoping a redesign of TouchWiz will be disappointed as the changes are imperceptible. Some differences are noted with the S6 but they take more than TouchWiz Android Marshmallow itself. We will test these new features in more detail in our final analysis.
As for the pre-installed applications, if my eyes do not deceive me, I counted seven of those Samsung, plus those of Google. Some twenty in total. The majority of applications are rather practical and Samsung has not abused too S7 with the bloatware.
The Galaxy S7 we tested sailed home last processor from Samsung, the Exynos 8890. This is basically the model that is destined for Europe. This processor has 8 cores (4 to 2.3 GHz and 4 other 1.6 GHz). All supported by 4 GB of RAM. The eight hearts of the Exynos 8890 can work together when necessary, which may well give you an idea of the power of the phone, especially in games.
According to Samsung, its processor is 30% more powerful and graphics chip is 64% faster than the S6. Curious detail, the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have a system of "pipes" and water inside for cooling.
During our 30 minutes with the smartphone, we could not make pushed benchmarks, especially because we could not download or install applications on the device. In my use, I have seen no slowdown. With all that we saw, we could be facing the most powerful smartphone ever seen, beating Huawei Mate 8, but we must wait for a more comprehensive test to confirm this statement.
The Galaxy S7 features the same speaker as the S6 edge +, which had already been an improvement in S6. Again, in our grip, we have not been able to verify how the new album sounded Rihanna through the speaker or headphone sound.
This is definitely one of the highlights of the new Samsung Galaxy S7. The photographic experience delivered by the new flagship of Samsung seems promising and impressive.
Samsung has decided voluntarily to lower his camera of 16 megapixels to 12 megapixels, but do not worry because the new sensor has an aperture of f / 1.7 with an optical stabilizer. In addition, the S7 has a double pixel technology found only in SLR cameras. This is the first smartphone to offer this innovation.
In practice this means that each pixel of the sensor includes two photodiodes, and all the photodiodes are intended to autofocus. It is thus 24 million photodiodes that focus on focus. To give you an idea, only 120,000 photodiodes were used to focus the camera on the S6 and the result was already remarkable.
In French, it means that the S7 allows for the focus to four times faster in low light conditions and twice as fast under normal conditions. The S7 also promises to take spectacular pictures when the light does not favor us. During the presentation, a demonstration between S6 and S7 made to us on the speed of autofocus. While it took a few microseconds at S6, S7 was able to focus instantly. It was pretty impressive. Furthermore, the front camera offers 5 megapixels and an f / 1.7.
As for the interface of the camera, it has not changed much and nothing new can be reported with respect to S6. We have new options always, 4K video, the fast motion, slow motion ... A final test will tell us more but it seems that we are facing the best camera for a smartphone to date.
With S7, Samsung also responded to another user demand, namely better battery. The S7 and pass a battery with a capacity of 2550 mAh to 3000 mAh. Nacho Nieto, director of technology for Samsung Spain, told us that this was made possible by a new battery technology easier to mold, since the device has not increased in size and continues to offer curved edges inwardly at the rear.
Samsung still offers an ultra-fast charger to charge the smartphone in just over an hour (100 minutes) at 100%. The S7 is compatible with wireless charging and 120 minutes to recharge.
If we add the Doze mode Marshmallow and optimizations of the new Exynos 8890 processor, the new Galaxy S7 could reach two days of autonomy in normal use. It remains to check all this during our final test also.
I'll be honest. Before arriving at the event, I thought the S7 does not surprise me because I knew he was going to look like the Galaxy S6. But the reality was very different. This device has surprised me and left me speechless by how the Korean giant has managed to combine design and user experience.
The Galaxy S7 involves squaring the circle for Samsung. We are facing a smartphone without weakness, with a camera that looks great, spectacular design and performance to match. Moreover, this time Samsung has listened to users and improved many aspects: a bigger battery, better ergonomics, water resistance, a microSD port.
Ultimately, the S7 S6 is brought to perfection, that is to say a complete smartphone that lacks nothing. In short, this is a device without weaknesses. And it seems impossible, a priori, to find a major flaw in the S7 beyond the almost non-existent development of TouchWiz and the lack of USB Type C.
Although I know some will say that I am a Samsung fanboy (I'm a fanboy LG actually), you have to remain objective Samsung may have finally, in 2016, created the perfect smartphone. Now the big question is what that could offer the Galaxy S8?
Samsung Galaxy S7 Release date and price
Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy S7 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, together with the Galaxy S7 edge. The smartphone will be available in four colors: gold, white, black and silver. Its price is 699 euros for the 32 GB version, it is already possible to order the phone on the Samsung site. But unlike last year, both models offer a microSD card slot to expand the internal memory.
The phone is already available for pre-order on the Samsung website, for pre-order a Gear VR headset is offered.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Design and finishing
As well tell you right now, the Galaxy S7 brings some aesthetic changes from its predecessor. Samsung wanted to slowly change the style of its flagship smartphone. The objective of the Korean brand was to maintain its rounded shape, while increasing subtlety and elegance.
However, the Galaxy S7 has many small differences that do not go unnoticed. The device maintains its size of 5.1 inches and its design aluminum at the edges. There is also a Gorilla Glass 4 front and rear. The device i take over was silver in color but light reflections do sometimes think it is gold, which is however not the case. The metallic finish as the glass is quite spectacular and the build quality appears even more premium for the S6.
But let us focus more on the changes. The Galaxy S7 present in some, starting with the back where the edges are curved inwards in the manner of Galaxy Note 5. This effect makes it possible to significantly improve the grip and ergonomics of the smartphone. This, combined with the 5.1 inches of the device and its rounded corners make it one of the most comfortable and easy to handle smartphones that I have had in hand. This argument was repeatedly reminded by the people of Samsung and I must admit they are in the right, I saw myself as the curves of the S7 (S7 but also the edge) improve the overall comfort of the device.
Another notable novelty, finished the protrusion on the back of the phone because of the objective of the camera. Samsung has erased this defect and back is now perfectly flat ... almost, as is still a gap of 0.46 mm (4 times less than for the Galaxy S6). This drawback is less than the Samsung's flagship smartphone is no longer wobbly, and the S7 design is much more homogeneous.
The new light sensor, front camera, speaker for calls, the home button and two physical buttons Samsung take place on the front of the phone. The host or home button hides a new fingerprint reader. During my grip, however I have not seen real differences with the Galaxy S6, both in terms of speed (always excellent) and in terms of functionality.
On the sides, there are only three buttons. The left side is dedicated to the volume buttons while the right side is reserved for the power button. The difference with the Galaxy S6 is at the location of the SIM card (nano sim) that now houses a slot for the microSD card (up to 200GB).
The rear part does not change compared to last year. Here we find the speakerphone, microUSB port (but not Type C) and the mini-jack for headphones. I find it disappointing that Samsung has decided not to opt for a USB Type C but the technical problems it generates appear too great.
Of course, and as the left to hear the rumors and different videos teasers released by Samsung, the Galaxy S7 is waterproof and benefits from the IP68 certification. It was one of those details that had been overlooked in 2015 and which we are pleased that Samsung has taken into account for his new album.
Unfortunately the downside is that the Galaxy S7 took a little overweight. But as the saying Nacho Nieto, director of Samsung Spain technology, it was necessary to offer a larger battery, a microSD slot and a flat back.
In summary, the Galaxy S7 is the result of many small improvements. Its design is thus even more spectacular than the S6 already very good. We are facing a device that immediately attracts the attention and inspires elegance. All with a simplicity that few manufacturers can boast of doing (maybe Sony approaches this on some models). If you thought the design was unbeatable S6, S7 are wrong because the fact you better.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Screen
The Galaxy S6 format had rained. Samsung do not change a winning recipe. The Galaxy S7 features a 5.1 inch screen. The definition also does not change and remains at WQHD 2560 x 1440 pixels (570 ppi). Samsung would not enter the race to define and emulate Sony's Xperia Z5 Premium. Although it took him.
During my grip, I found that the screen of the Galaxy S7 was certainly one of the most brilliant that may exist now on Android. Sometimes it may even be too strong but it is adjustable thankfully. The colors are bright but they remain perfectly faithful to reality. Some may complain engendered color AMOLED displays but personally it never caused me any worries.
A further test will allow us to more accurately assess the operation of the screen, especially in outdoor light conditions. For now, I can only tell you that the screen is at least as good as that of the S6 edge or + Note 5.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Other features
As every year, the Galaxy S7 brings some additional features but without frills. We are facing a smartphone has finally stopped to include unnecessary functions to focus on what is really useful.
Always ON
Yes, Samsung has included in this device the Always On technology. With this, we can set various options to display on the screen without having to turn it on. Always ON and can display the calendar, clock, notifications, and more. This function does not affect the battery, or at least not significantly, since only certain pixels are lit during this process while the rest of the screen is off, as is already the case for screens OLED.
Resistance to dust and water IP68
Some thought the S7 offirait only IP67 certification but Samsung has finally gone further by proposing an IP68 certification. It is thus plunging the Galaxy S7 in water up to 1 meter and a half deep and this for 30 minutes. I have not been able to verify the promises of Samsung during my grip, however. We can test the water resistance when we receive our test device.
Game Center & Vulkan
One of the great innovations of the Galaxy S7 is Game Center, a space where you can keep all your games and adds some curious features in the game. Samsung particular attention on this feature. Each time you play a game on the S7, you will have a menu where you can interact with the game, like making a screenshot, record video, share your face ...
In addition, the Galaxy S7 includes a game mode where you can turn off notifications in the smartphone and even indicate where to concentrate all power in the game, while crippling other tasks smartphone.
The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are also the first smartphones compatible with Vulkan.
Samsung Pay arrives in Spain and the UK, but not in France
The service finally arrives in Europe. But, alas, 2016 will be the year when Samsung Pay will be launched only in Spain and the UK, the only representatives of the European Union. Samsung Pay will be available in Spain and a few days after the presentation of the Galaxy S7.
Apart from that, Samsung Pay is accessed by sliding your finger up from the main screen of the S7. Of course, the S7 has the NFC.
A fingerprint reader
The Galaxy S7 brings a fingerprint reader already seen in the S6. Its additional features are closely related to Samsung Pay. The sensor can pay in shops and increase the safety of its operations, and to lock (or unlock) the phone.
Typical extras Samsung
Samsung continues to emphasize some of its options. We thus find in the Galaxy S S7-Health application and the heart rate monitor next to the LED flash. Again, the NFC is part of the panoply of S7.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Software Interface
The new Galaxy S7 runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with TouchWiz overlay customization present in the house edge S6 + and the rating 5. Those hoping a redesign of TouchWiz will be disappointed as the changes are imperceptible. Some differences are noted with the S6 but they take more than TouchWiz Android Marshmallow itself. We will test these new features in more detail in our final analysis.
As for the pre-installed applications, if my eyes do not deceive me, I counted seven of those Samsung, plus those of Google. Some twenty in total. The majority of applications are rather practical and Samsung has not abused too S7 with the bloatware.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Performance
The Galaxy S7 we tested sailed home last processor from Samsung, the Exynos 8890. This is basically the model that is destined for Europe. This processor has 8 cores (4 to 2.3 GHz and 4 other 1.6 GHz). All supported by 4 GB of RAM. The eight hearts of the Exynos 8890 can work together when necessary, which may well give you an idea of the power of the phone, especially in games.
According to Samsung, its processor is 30% more powerful and graphics chip is 64% faster than the S6. Curious detail, the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have a system of "pipes" and water inside for cooling.
During our 30 minutes with the smartphone, we could not make pushed benchmarks, especially because we could not download or install applications on the device. In my use, I have seen no slowdown. With all that we saw, we could be facing the most powerful smartphone ever seen, beating Huawei Mate 8, but we must wait for a more comprehensive test to confirm this statement.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Sound quality
The Galaxy S7 features the same speaker as the S6 edge +, which had already been an improvement in S6. Again, in our grip, we have not been able to verify how the new album sounded Rihanna through the speaker or headphone sound.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Camera
This is definitely one of the highlights of the new Samsung Galaxy S7. The photographic experience delivered by the new flagship of Samsung seems promising and impressive.
Samsung has decided voluntarily to lower his camera of 16 megapixels to 12 megapixels, but do not worry because the new sensor has an aperture of f / 1.7 with an optical stabilizer. In addition, the S7 has a double pixel technology found only in SLR cameras. This is the first smartphone to offer this innovation.
In practice this means that each pixel of the sensor includes two photodiodes, and all the photodiodes are intended to autofocus. It is thus 24 million photodiodes that focus on focus. To give you an idea, only 120,000 photodiodes were used to focus the camera on the S6 and the result was already remarkable.
In French, it means that the S7 allows for the focus to four times faster in low light conditions and twice as fast under normal conditions. The S7 also promises to take spectacular pictures when the light does not favor us. During the presentation, a demonstration between S6 and S7 made to us on the speed of autofocus. While it took a few microseconds at S6, S7 was able to focus instantly. It was pretty impressive. Furthermore, the front camera offers 5 megapixels and an f / 1.7.
As for the interface of the camera, it has not changed much and nothing new can be reported with respect to S6. We have new options always, 4K video, the fast motion, slow motion ... A final test will tell us more but it seems that we are facing the best camera for a smartphone to date.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Battery Life
With S7, Samsung also responded to another user demand, namely better battery. The S7 and pass a battery with a capacity of 2550 mAh to 3000 mAh. Nacho Nieto, director of technology for Samsung Spain, told us that this was made possible by a new battery technology easier to mold, since the device has not increased in size and continues to offer curved edges inwardly at the rear.
Samsung still offers an ultra-fast charger to charge the smartphone in just over an hour (100 minutes) at 100%. The S7 is compatible with wireless charging and 120 minutes to recharge.
If we add the Doze mode Marshmallow and optimizations of the new Exynos 8890 processor, the new Galaxy S7 could reach two days of autonomy in normal use. It remains to check all this during our final test also.
Final verdict
I'll be honest. Before arriving at the event, I thought the S7 does not surprise me because I knew he was going to look like the Galaxy S6. But the reality was very different. This device has surprised me and left me speechless by how the Korean giant has managed to combine design and user experience.
The Galaxy S7 involves squaring the circle for Samsung. We are facing a smartphone without weakness, with a camera that looks great, spectacular design and performance to match. Moreover, this time Samsung has listened to users and improved many aspects: a bigger battery, better ergonomics, water resistance, a microSD port.
Ultimately, the S7 S6 is brought to perfection, that is to say a complete smartphone that lacks nothing. In short, this is a device without weaknesses. And it seems impossible, a priori, to find a major flaw in the S7 beyond the almost non-existent development of TouchWiz and the lack of USB Type C.
Although I know some will say that I am a Samsung fanboy (I'm a fanboy LG actually), you have to remain objective Samsung may have finally, in 2016, created the perfect smartphone. Now the big question is what that could offer the Galaxy S8?
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