Review: Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, Samsung's masterpieces

Table of Contents

1. Layout and Finishing
2. Fabric
3. Hardware, speed and performance
4. System
5. Camera
6. Battery Life
7. Price and availability
8. Conclusion
9. Image gallery
10. Technical specifications

A Samsung abandoned plastic in 2015 and adopted an ultra-premium design since the launch of the Galaxy S6 and S6Edge, using metal and glass. It was a significant leap in the way the company sees its top of the line and a toast in the eyes of smartphone enthusiasts. Hardware quality was combined with elegance.

The new generation of these smartphones tries to correct flaws from the previous release and improve what was already good. THE Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy Edge S7 can be seen as an evolution of their predecessors and, therefore, comparisons between the two models will be inevitable throughout our analysis. We spent the last few days testing the Galaxy S7 e Galaxy Edge S7 and these are our impressions:,

Layout and Finishing

In that year, the Samsung created more differences between the regular version of Galaxy S7 and the version S7 Edge. While the curved-screen model gained more inches, the regular variant retained much of what was seen in the Galaxy S6. The size of the canvas is the same, the materials used as well. In fact, they look identical at first glance. However, there are a number of refinements:

A camera bulge was reduced, which in addition to making it more beautiful, avoids silly scratches on the lens and those slipped on smooth surfaces. Another notable change is in the rear construction of the device: the glass is now curved on the sides. This makes picking it up off the table easier and ensures a more comfortable grip. It is important to add that while the glass back is beautiful, it is a finger marks magnet.

O Galaxy S7 it is thicker and heavier than the Galaxy S6. It's 7.9 mm and 152 grams in S7, against 6.8 mm and 138 grams. It was necessary to increase the measurements to include a larger battery. commendable attitude of Samsung, as manufacturers tend to sacrifice device autonomy for an ever thinner and lighter design. At the S7 Edge, the dimensions are slightly larger (150,9 x 72,6 mm), with a weight of 157 grams, but the thickness is on average: 7.7 mm.

Repeating the layout of the Galaxy S6, the volume buttons on the S7 e S7 Edge are on the left side, separated from each other. Already the button Power it's on the right side. At the top there is only a microphone and the tray (only for nano SIM and for card microSD), while at the bottom are the speaker (in a position where the finger always ends up covering it), the headphone plug and the micro USB input.

Interestingly, the USB Type-C was left out. But Samsung justifies saying that he does not want to make it difficult, at this moment, to connect with the accessory VR Gear, and also due to the fact that the greatest advantage of the USB Type-C is fast charging, a feature that the S7 already have, anyway.

Another feature that returns to the line Galaxy It is protection against water and dust. Both models have protection with IP68 certification, allowing them to be submerged in water without damage. In our tests, the S7 even went through an unintentional shower of “Sake”, without any problem.

Fabric

A Samsung also kept the display specifications in the new generation of Galaxy. They are 5.1 inches and 2560 x 1440 pixels for the Galaxy S7; and 5.5 inches and 2560 x 1440 pixels for the Galaxy Edge S7, resulting in 577 and 534 pixels per inch, respectively, on these models. Screen technology is the Super AMOLED, famous for offering vibrant colors, deep blacks and a well-balanced white.

Who likes or is already used to the screens of Samsung, you will not see defects. For those unfamiliar with it, it may seem overly saturated at first. It really is a matter of taste and custom. There are some settings on the cell phone to adjust between a greater or lesser degree of saturation.

In terms of software, a novelty has emerged for the screen. The function Always On is a version of the “Moto Tela” for the cell phone of Samsung. The goal is the same: to present important information without having to touch the device. You can see the time, calendar and notifications; there are even ways to customize these views. According to the manufacturer, energy consumption is low thanks to the AMOLED screen, which does not light up unnecessary pixels. The functionality, however, has not yet entered the radar of developers and does not work with third-party apps, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, among others.

Hardware, speed and performance

O Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge sold in Spain will come with the processors Exynos 8 Octa (8890) – four 2.6GHz Mongoose cores and four 1.6GHz Cortex-A53 cores – combined with the Mali-T880 GPU and 4GB of RAM. Several optimizations were made in the performance of the devices, focusing on the gaming experience. They are the first smartphones with the API for Vulkan games, which gives users the ability to play games with heavier graphics and lower battery consumption.

A Samsung also integrated a refrigeration system, made from an extremely thin heatsink and, with that, it intends to reduce the performance drop in moments of intense use.

O Galaxy S7 e S7 Edge are high performance smartphones, with enough performance to perform several heavy tasks at the same time. The split-screen feature, which allows you to use two applications simultaneously, demonstrates these capabilities. However, at times the applications crashed for no apparent reason, both the default and installed apps; a software tweak is likely to fix the glitch soon.

MicroSD is back

O microSD card support was brought back. THE Galaxy S7 e S7 Edge They have 32GB of internal storage (25GB usable), which can be expanded up to 200GB with the memory card. Although the devices run the Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which has the integration of external memories, the company chose to leave this feature out. In practice this means that it will only be possible to take advantage of the extra space for photos, videos and other files, while applications will continue to use the device's native storage.

O fingerprint sensor do Galaxy S7 e S7 Edge works just as well as the previous generation and felt more accurate to me. It is possible to register several fingerprints and when it is not able to identify the biometrics, an alphanumeric password can be used. By activating the sensor, you can unlock the screen and authorize payments on the service Samsung Pay or use fingerprinting in applications that support this type of fingerprint. You can also block apps, requiring your fingerprint to access them.

A novelty is the support for the technology USB On-The-Go. The Samsung included in the device box an adapter that allows you to connect the Galaxy S7 e S7 Edge with any other USB device and quickly transfer different types of content. The technology is compatible with another cell phone or even an external hard drive. Good balcony!

System

A Samsung has been improving its personalization layer of the Android. The TouchWiz it's no longer a cumbersome UI full of useless features. To Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the company decided to use blue and gray tones in the interface and some animations were improved. In terms of menu organization, practically nothing has changed.

Os pre-installed apps are the S Health, with a pedometer to monitor daily physical performance, through which it is also possible to check the heartbeat; The S Voice, virtual assistant; the agenda S Planner, which works great with the Google account. There are also note apps, file management, voice recorder and two apps from Microsoft: OneNote e OneDrive, the latter with a bonus 100GB of storage. Facebook e Instagram are also present. The home screen has a part dedicated to Flipboard, which brings you the main news of the topics you usually follow.

Some experimental resources will be released to users of the Galaxy S7, it is only necessary to activate them in the Galaxy Labs. At this point, there are two optional features: removing the application drawer, placing all icons on the home screen (same as iPhone) and speed dial, which allows you to make calls by pressing the home button and then speaking the name of the contact.

Other interesting additions are the periodic system restart, which helps maintain a higher level of performance over time, and a new layer of security that erases all data on the device if the wrong unlock password is entered. 15 times in a row.

Camera

A Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge camera it has fewer megapixels than its predecessor, but that doesn't mean any loss. Are 12 MP, but with a larger aperture (f/1.7) and larger pixels (1,4µm), which result in even higher quality images. There is still technology Dual Pixel which, according to the manufacturer, “produces clearer and sharper images, even in low lighting”; Optical Image Stabilization, Phase Detection, LED flash, Auto HDR e autofocus.

This set is capable of doing beautiful photographs, especially when there are good lighting conditions. Even in dark environments, it does a good job, without the need to use flash. I was struck by the fact that it was a fast camera; practically all the photos were good in the first click. It is, without a doubt, the best camera ever produced for a smartphone. Look:

A software experience of the camera also pleases. It's quick to activate: just two clicks on the main button and it's ready. Auto mode meets the needs of the average user, but if you're passionate about photography and like to fiddle with exposure controls, white balance, and so on, it's all available in “Pro” mode. There are fun modes like “Virtual Photo”, where you capture a short video around an object and then view it by rotating your phone.

Also, it is possible to download several other camera modes, making it even more interesting. For video recordings, we remind you that there is the possibility of registering them in 4K resolution.

A frontal camera has 5 megapixels and f/1.7 aperture. Enough specs for good selfies. There is a mode for “Panoramic Selfies“, to include more people in the photo, which works very well. We did a really cool test with the Galaxy S7 camera during a wedding. To check the result, click here.

Battery Life

The previous generation battery (S6) was one of the negative points of that cell phone. In this generation, it has increased: now they are 3000 mAh No. S7 e 3600 mAh No. S7 Edge, combined with a more efficient processor and software optimizations. In practice, both models manage to stay out of the socket for an entire day of use.

And, whenever the user needs to recharge, he can count on the fast charging technology: in 90 minutes the battery is fully recharged.

The device also supports wireless chargers, which work by induction. The accessory needs to be purchased separately and is a practical option for those who leave their smartphone for a long time on their desk or beside their bed.

Price and availability

Here, perhaps the least pleasing point on the line S7: the price. The suggested price for Galaxy S7 32 Gb is R$3.343,12. Now for the brother Galaxy S7 Edge 32 Gb, the value is R$ 4.299,00. But there are already discounts, such as American stores, who sell the Galaxy S7 Edge 32 Gb for R $ 3.783,12.

Conclusion

A Samsung repeats last year's feat: the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge arrive to take the post of best android smartphones from the market.

Both are slight evolutions of the generation S6But add welcome features such as higher capacity batteries, support to microSD cards e até protection against water and dust.

They are still smartphones (or plablets) with great performance, above average design, amazing camera, good software and, now, with acceptable battery life.

The user's decision, at the time of purchase, should vary according to what you expect to pay for a smartphone. THE Galaxy S7 e S7 Edge It's not cheap, but it's worth every penny if what you want is a sleek and powerful smartphone.

Image gallery

Technical specifications