Samsung Galaxy S7

Key Features

For many devotees to the latest mobile technology, the sleek S7 and even more powerful S7 Edge tick many boxes. Their big displays, high specification cameras and powerful processors are some of the most promising hardware points. In addition, the new Samsung Galaxy models’ advertised water resistance and improved microSD memory card functionality rank this smartphone firmly in the premium category, among the market leaders.

Apart from technological boffins, the S7 smartphone design has also been influenced by ergonomics experts. One of the most noticeable and attractive aspects of the phone is how comfortably its curved edges and smoother lines almost nestle in the palm of one’s hand. The design is obviously well thought through and the comfortable shape also includes a curved back.

The phone can go everywhere with its owner, according to Samsung’s promotional material –in the rain, shower or even shallow pool waters, although the manufacturer does not officially recommend this and does not market the device as a type of underwater camera. Nonetheless, the unit has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

Power and OS

The S7 comes with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow as its built-in operating system. If you love file-hungry video recordings and games, there are four gigabytes of RAM to keep numerous apps open. The phone has 32GB of internal storage memory, which can be expanded with a microSD card up to an extra 200GB.

S7 models have longer lasting batteries, with a specified current rating of 3,000 milliamps per hour – or an even more impressive 3,600 mA/h in the case of the S7 Edge. Wireless charging is also possible.

Camera

The 12-megapixel main rear camera has dual pixel technology and is complemented by a front camera with a full 5MP of resolution. Both cameras have a fixed f/1.7 aperture, which (according to the manufacturer) can capture around 95 percent more light.
The main camera is advertised as great for taking evening and night photos too. Samsung also mention that their Dual PhotoDio system provides better performance in low light conditions. In fact, although the phone’s predecessor (the Galaxy S6) had a 16MP camera, the optimisation to 12MP was designed to enhance the S7’s low-light capabilities.

Built-in image stabilization delivers improved accuracy and better images and the camera can also autofocus rapidly – usually in a split second – due to its improved technology and usage of all the pixels available.

In summary, these technical features of the camera coupled with sizable display screen translate into a relatively uncomplicated five-inch phone that is powerful enough to become a personal 360-cinema screen, when used in conjunction with a compatible virtual reality headset. The Samsung tagline about redefining the possibilities of how we can use a phone certainly appears to be justified here.

Display

The S7’s big screen is a 5.1-inch Quad HD with a new AMOLED display. This display technology (the abbreviation stands for Active Matrix OLED) combines the respective advantages of the TFT engineering structure with OLED displays with what is termed active matrix addressing. The result is a noticeably faster pixel switching response than with traditional types of display – and without the characteristic imperfection of ghosting or after-images, often noticeable on older models when showing fast-moving animations.

The new Galaxy also features a display that is always on, showing the date, time, calendar and important notifications – without first having to slide or press a button to unlock the phone. Cleverly, the AMOLED display lights up only the individual pixels that are necessary to display these notifications, instead of maintaining power to the whole screen area. This offers a clear advantage to battery endurance, making an always-on display possible for a complete day without draining the battery in just a few hours.

With this terms ability to customise these always-on display settings, Samsung currently leads the market when the S7 is compared to similar models. Their developers have provided an ample offering including seven types of clock, two calendar modes and a choice of image-only styles. It should be noted, however, that the always-on notifications offered by the S7 and S7 Edge are displayed only for the Samsung application suite (text-messaging and dialler applications etc.). Currently, it seems that notification display options for other programs such as Gmail, Hangouts or Google Calendar have not been enabled.

Other Features

The Galaxy S7 also has a fingerprint sensor.

Some technical reports mention this model has an internal liquid cooling pipe to provide cooling to the internal chips when gaming. However, other sources suggest this may be merely air filled, simply to convect heat away from a busy processor.

Finally, the Samsung Pay transaction system is included – a simple and secure payment method that can be used anywhere payment cards are swiped.