Samsung Galaxy S7 Review Smartphone at the top of the game in 2016

Samsung Galaxy S7 Review Smartphone at the top of the game in 2016

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 is available in three colors: gold, white and black. Its price is 699 euros for the 32 GB version. 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 those who pre-order a Gear VR headset is offered free with the device as well.

Moreover, like Apple, Samsung announced the launch of its leasing program for its smartphone. Dubbed Samsug Upgrade Program, the system allows you to rent its Galaxy S7 directly from Samsung and Galaxy thus changing every 12 months, provided to recommit for another 24 months and the phone is in good condition. Of course, this process include interest (14.9%) and commitment.

As for renting a car, a down payment is required (10% of the price of the phone) and then every month you have to pay monthly installments (thirty euros). Overall, the smartphone comes back to you a hundred euros more expensive than its original price. For now, this system is only available in South Korea and the United Kingdom. Nothing has been announced for availability in France.

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 terminal 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 metallic finish as the glass is quite spectacular and the build quality appears even more premium for the S6.

As its predecessor, the Galaxy S5, S7 is again sealed and benefits from the IP68 certification. It was one of those details that had been neglected in 2015, we are pleased that the Samsung has again considered for his new album. So you do not fear any more drops in your sink or in your bathtub. The new phone from Samsung and shares this characteristic with the Sony Xperia Z devices and the Moto G (2015), as well as some smartphones for backpackers.

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 terminal and its rounded corners make it one of the most comfortable and easy to handle smartphones that I have had in hand. 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 with 1.7 mm). This drawback is less than the Samsung's flagship smartphone is no longer wobbly, and makes it much more homogeneous S7 design.

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 full review, 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.

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 terminal 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 does not change a winning team. The Galaxy S7 features a 5.1 inch screen. The definition also does not change and remains at WQHD 2560 x 1440 pixels (570 dpi). Samsung would not enter the race to define and emulate Sony's Xperia Z5 Premium. Although it took him.

During my testing, 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 concern.

Overall, the Galaxy S7 screen is excellent. The pixel density of 577 dpi provides the most possible fine details and perfect clarity. Contrast and saturation are also very good. I have also no problems outdoors in sunlight. Contrast and brightness can be adjusted according to the ambient light. This also ensures readability.

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 Display

Yes, Samsung has included in this terminal 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 affects the battery. It is weak but it is present. Even if only some pixels are lit during this process while the rest of the screen is off, as is already the case for OLED displays, I have noticed a little difference.

Resistance to dust and water IP68

Some thought the S7 offer 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. It's good to see Samsung come back to its fundamentals with this resistance to water and dust. This is a clear advantage over the Galaxy S6.

During my testing, I immersed the Galaxy S7 a dozen times without problems. Samsung is also particularly clever as it has equipped its phone recognition humidity sensors. What avoid short circuits if you try to connect your cable and a drop of water is present in the USB port because the S7 will not start charging?

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 itself. 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.

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.

Its use is identical to the Galaxy S6. It works perfectly, except when your finger is wet.

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.

As for the pre-installed applications, besides those from Samsung and Google include those of Microsoft, Facebook or WhatsApp. Some twenty in total. The majority of applications are rather practical and Samsung too has not abused the S7 on the same bloatware if again the brand could do better.

Samsung Galaxy S7 - Performances

The Galaxy S7 we tested sailed home last processor from Samsung, the Exynos 8890. This is 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. Curious detail, the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have a system of "pipes" and water inside for cooling.

If only one or two cores are claimed, they will be automatically overclocked to 2.6 GHz, which is enough for most everyday uses. In the US, it is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor is used. Unfortunately, we did not test.

The Galaxy S7 performance I tested were excellent and superior to the Galaxy S6 but I still encountered some lag and some random crashes. The next update should fix bugs quickly, however. The weak point is its small internal memory, which can be extended to the microSD card as photos and music.

Samsung has optimized the performance of the Galaxy S6 and especially increased its capacities in. In many measurements, it is faster than all Android devices that had been in the drafting. Its game performance is thus similar to the Pixel C tablet from Google yet equipped with an Nvidia graphics chip. With software enhancements provided with Vulkan, we expect a revolutionary gaming experience for the Galaxy S7. Alas, too few of the new technology-based securities are outstanding.

The Galaxy S7 benefit of internal memory UFS II 32GB. This flash memory provides the highest readings that we found in an Android device. With 389 MB / s read speed and 68 MB / s write speed observed in the Vellamo benchmark Metal, the Galaxy S7 is 2.45 times faster than the Nexus 6P. In everyday life, you will realize that when you turn on or restart the device. If you come from another smartphone, wait times are extremely short.

The system occupies almost 8 GB of total memory. This leaves 25 GB of free storage space. If you install many applications, especially games, you quickly filled all your smartphone. Well Android 6.0 Marshmallow is allowed to format the microSD card as internal memory, you can use the microSD card as S7 for photos, videos, music, and a fraction of applications. As I said initially, I met a few restarts because of TouchWiz. But the monthly updates Samsung security should correct it quickly.

Samsung Galaxy S7 - Sound quality

The Galaxy S7 features the same mono speaker that the S6 edge +, which had already been an improvement in S6. The sound is loud and clear. It is optimized primarily for audio conferences and key limitations on the low frequencies for listening.

The sound of supplied headphones in the box is ideal for listening to music. Some software optimizations as the Equalizer will help you improve the way you listen to music.

The Galaxy S7 also offers a voice recording application that uses two speakers (one for calls and one for sound). This well perm to record in stereo and to distinguish clearly between all voices.

Samsung Galaxy S7 - Camera

This is definitely one of the highlights of the new Samsung Galaxy S7. For me it is the best photographic experience delivered by a smartphone so far. Samsung has yet 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 results speak for themselves: the first photos are often perfect. The S7 and allows you to take spectacular pictures even when the light does not favor us. I had fun comparing the differences between S6 and S7 on the speed of autofocus. While it took a few microseconds at S6, S7 was able to focus instantly. It's pretty impressive.

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, the videos in 4K, the fast motion. As always, the photo application offers several entertaining features. In particular account hyperlapse modes or idle fun to use. Finally, the front camera offers 5 megapixels and an f / 1.7. It also gives amazing results in our test, even in low light conditions.

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. This was made possible by a new battery technology easier to mold, since the terminal has not increased in size and continues to offer curved edges inward at the back.

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. Unfortunately, unlike the LG G5, the battery of the Galaxy S7 is not removable. Samsung maintained its policy introduced with the Galaxy S6.

The Galaxy S7 also offers software optimizations to improve battery life. Some include the ability to put in a deeper sleep some applications for several hours or days. This guarantees a long hibernation without limiting functionality.

Overall, the battery of the Galaxy S7 is more than enough to hold a day with very intensive use. In use (very) moderate, you may even get to extend the life of your smartphone up to 2 days.

Final verdict

With the Galaxy S7, Samsung has listened to its users. The battery has been increased relative to that of the Galaxy S6. It has optimized the overall usability of the phone and made it resistant to water and dust. Better, the South Korean firm has even given a slot for a microSD card. Samsung has taken the ingredients of a recipe that works while adding what was missing its flagship year. Only disappointment, Samsung seems to be saying goodbye for good to the removable battery.

Specifically, the Galaxy S7 worth its price. His camera is the best I've experienced on a smartphone so far. The performance is excellent and will be even better than with time thanks to innovations and updates. Autonomy is clearly improved and the overall use of the terminal is a treat.

Finally, Samsung has managed to make his Galaxy S7 a prestigious smartphone with a perfect appearance to finally be at the Apple iPhone. His greatest competition yet is other than its big brother, the Galaxy S7 edge, which may well attract even more thanks to its particular style.