Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge Launches Tomorrow: Here’s What you Need to Know
We’re only a day away from the launch of Samsung’s newest flagship Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones in India. The devices were unveiled at the MWC last month and will finally make its way to Indian markets tomorrow. As we gear up for the launch and keep our wallets ready, here are some things that you need to know about the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.
Galaxy S6 vs S7: What’s Changed?
2015 was a spectacular year for Samsung. The Korean giant launched the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones that redefined what a premium smartphone should look and feel like. The Galaxy S6 was praised for its brilliant design language that brought together glass and metal to form a beautiful piece of machinery. Add to this, the S6 came with top-of-the-line specifications including a brilliant camera sensor.
With so much that was done right with the Galaxy S6, it’s not surprising that Samsung decided to stick to the same design language with the successor, Galaxy S7. The new flagship retains the looks, adds a MicroSD card slot, and packs next-gen specifications. But what the S7 also adds is a curved edge at the back that exquisitely blends into the metal frame and gives a great looking shape as well as improves the grip.
Specs |
GalaxyS6 |
Galaxy S7 |
| Display | 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED (577ppi) | 5.1-inch Super AMOLED Quad HD display |
| Resolution | 1440 x 2560 pixels | 1440 x 2560 pixels |
| Processor | Exynos 7420 Octa | Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 ProcessorExynos 8890 Octa
Exynos 8890 Octa |
| GPU | Mali-T760MP8 | Adreno 530
Mali-T880 MP12 |
| RAM | 3GB | 4GB |
| Storage | 32GB/64GB/128GB | 32GB/ 64GB |
| Rear Camera | 16MP + OIS | Dual Pixel 12MP with f/1.7 aperture |
| Front Camera | 5MP | Dual Pixel 5MP |
| Expandability | N/A | via MicroSD |
| Battery | 2550mAh battery | 3000mAh battery |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, NFC | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth v4.1, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC |
| OS | Android 5.0.2 Lollipop | Android 6.0 Marshmallow |
Galaxy S6 Edge and S7 Edge: What’s Changed?
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S6 Edge took things to the next level with a curved dual edge display along with a 5.1-inch screen that brought a brand new aesthetics. The S7 Edge features the same dual edge design but on a bigger 5.5-inch form factor and comes with a QHD Super AMOLED display with a pixel density of 534 ppi compared to the 5.1-inch QHD 577 ppi screen that we saw on the S6 Edge.
The phone also comes with more rounded edges which combined with the rounded edges at the back provides for a far better grip to the user. Samsung claims it has made the camera nearly level in the S7 Edge which carries forward the premium glass and metal design scheme of the S6 Edge while incorporating IP68 waterproofing and dust resistance capabilities.
Specs |
Galaxy S6 Edge |
Galaxy S7 Edge |
| Display | 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED (577ppi) | 5.5-inch curved AMOLED Quad HD display |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1440 pixels | 2560 x 1440 pixels |
| Processor | Exynos 7420 Octa | Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 ProcessorExynos 8890 Octa
Exynos 8890 Octa |
| GPU | Mali-T760MP8 | Adreno 530
Mali-T880 MP12 |
| RAM | 3GB | 4GB |
| Storage | 32GB | 32GB/ 64GB |
| Rear Camera | 16MP with f/1.9 | Dual Pixel 12MP with f/1.7 |
| Front Camera | 5MP | Dual Pixel 5MP |
| Expandability | N/A | via MicroSD |
| Battery | 2600mAh battery | 3600mAh battery |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, NFC | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth v4.1, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC |
| OS | Android 5.2 Lollipop | Android 6.0 Marshmallow |
Improved Battery
Seeing as how the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are the new flagship devices, it was expected to come with improved specifications. Samsung did well to listen to its fans, improving in areas where it failed with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. One of the biggest concerns regarding last year’s flagships, especially the Galaxy S6 Edge, was the battery. The Galaxy S6 packed a 2550mAh battery while the S6 Edge had a measly 2600mAh battery pack.
The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, on the other hand, come with larger batteries which are a sigh of relief for Samsung fans all over. The Galaxy S7 packs a 3000mAh battery while the ‘edge’ version features a huge 3600mAh battery which is a 1000mAh bump compared to the Galaxy S6 Edge.
- Galaxy S6 – 2550mAh
- Galaxy S7 – 3000mAh
- Galaxy S6 Edge – 2600mAh
- Galaxy S7 Edge – 3600mAh
Improved Camera with Dual Pixel Technology
Among the bumped up specs inside the new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, one new technology that grabbed everyone’s attention at the MWC was the new Dual Pixel technology employed in the rear camera.
The Dual Pixel, essentially, is an improvement or a natural evolution from the Phase-Detection Auto-Focus technology used by many other smartphones. Firstly, Samsung downgraded from 16MP found in the S6 to 12MP in the S7. The decision to do this was to focus more on quality rather than quantity. The 12MP sensor brings 56% bigger individual pixels with1.4um pixels as compared to the S6.
The S7 comes with a wider f/1.7 aperture (the S6 had a f/1.9 aperture) that allows for a lot more light to come in, 25% more to be more accurate. This results in great low-light captures that are sharp and colourful. Much like the human eye, the Dual Pixel technology sends light from the lens to two image sensors separately to adjust the focus.
Price
Sources close to iGyaan have revealed the pricing details of the upcoming set of phones which will start retailing in the country at Rs 55,000 for the regular Galaxy S7, while the more premium Galaxy S7 Edge with a curved display and bigger battery will hit stores with a price tag of Rs 64,000 in Indian markets. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge were launched in April last year priced at Rs 49,900 and Rs 58,900, respectively. Availability of the devices will be known at the launch tomorrow.
