Samsung’s
Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge offer a veritable greatest hits list of
smartphone features: They combine the looks of the company’s Galaxy S6
and S6 Edge with the waterproof design and expandable storage of the
Galaxy S5 to make two beautiful and durable new smartphones.
But
the S7 and S7 Edge don’t just rehash old ideas. They also bring a host
of new and interesting features. That combination of new meets the best
of the old make these not just the best smartphones Samsung has ever
built — but, in my opinion, the best smartphones you can buy right now.
Here’s why.
Design and size
OK, yeah, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge look a lot
like their predecessors, the S6 and S6 Edge. And while the Edge has a
larger display this time around, most people would have trouble telling
the new and old models apart.
That’s
not necessarily a bad thing, though. The S6 and S6 Edge were beautiful
phones, and so are the S7 and S7 Edge. And remember that Apple regularly
recycles the body designs of its iPhones in a two-year cycle, using the
second year to update the handsets’ guts, before coming out with a new
exterior the year after that. That’s the same game Samsung appears to be
playing here.
Like
the S6 and S6 Edge, the S7 and S7 Edge come wrapped in metal frames
with glass-coated rear panels. Those rear panels look great, though I
must point out that they are also “magnets” for fingerprint smudges.
Unlike
last year’s models, the S7 and S7 Edge have contoured rear panels that
make them more comfortable to hold. Samsung has also reduced the size of
the phones’ camera bumps, making them more flush with the handsets’
bodies.
Measuring
5.6 x 2.7 x 0.31 inches, the S7 is nearly identical to the S6 in terms
of size, and is a bit thicker and taller than the iPhone 6s — but
Samsung’s handset does offer a larger screen.
The
Galaxy S7 Edge, on the other hand, is much larger than the S6 Edge,
measuring 5.9 x 2.9 x 0.3 inches, which accommodates its bigger 5.5-inch
screen. Still, the S7 Edge is shorter than the iPhone 6s Plus (6.2 x
3.1 x 0.29 inches) which also has a 5.5-inch screen.
Dare to get wet
Water
is usually a death sentence for smartphones. A few years ago, Samsung
solved this problem by making its Galaxy S5 waterproof. But when the S6
came out, Samsung for some reason removed that incredibly helpful
feature.
Thankfully,
the company came to its senses and brought waterproofing back for the
S7 and S7 Edge. Both phones can survive in up to five feet of water for
up to 30 minutes and emerge unscathed.
I
put both phones in a large container of water, and when I pulled them
out, they still worked perfectly. What’s more impressive is that the S7
and S7 Edge don’t have any unsightly port covers to keep them safe from
water.
This is a super-practical feature every smartphone should offer. Now if only Apple would get the message.
Beautiful screens
Samsung’s
smartphones generally sport some of the best-looking displays you can
find, and the S7 and S7 Edge are no different. The Galaxy S7 comes with a
5.1-inch, 2560 x 1440 resolution Super AMOLED display, while the S7
Edge gets a 5.5-inch version of the same screen.
Super
AMOLED (active matrix of organic light-emitting diodes) displays are
known for offering striking colors and deep blacks (though, by the same
token, their colors can sometimes look abnormally oversaturated). By
comparison, Apple’s iPhone Retina HD screens tend to produce colors
that, while brilliant, are slightly flatter — and, as a result, more
natural-looking — than what you’ll see on Samsung phones. I happen to
prefer vibrant colors, so I also prefer Samsung’s screens.
For
the S7 and S7 Edge, Samsung has introduced the always-on display. As
the name implies, these displays are, well, always on. Whenever the
phone is locked, the screen will show things like the time, date,
battery level, your calendar or an image like a night sky on a largely
black background. You can also see notifications for things like texts
and missed calls.
I
set the screen to show the time, and sat it down on my desk to act as
my desk clock. I found that to be surprisingly helpful, as it meant I
didn’t have to constantly grab my phone and wake it up just to check the
time.
Because
that AMOLED technology actually turns off individual pixels to display
blacks (instead of keeping them lit), this always-on feature shouldn’t
eat through the phones’ batteries. In fact, the company claims it will
use just 1 percent of your handset’s battery life.
If,
however, you don’t want to risk even a tiny loss of battery power, you
can always turn off the feature altogether in the Settings menu.
Bleeding edge
The
biggest difference between the S7 and S7 Edge is the latter’s curved
Edge screen. Like the S6 Edge, the S7 Edge’s display cascades off its
left and right sides, giving the appearance of a completely edgeless
display. It’s really quite beautiful.
With
the S6 Edge, the curved screen was frankly more of a gimmick than
anything. But with the S7 Edge, the Edge display is far more functional.
By swiping in from either side of the screen you can pull up a list of
your favorite apps or select specific tasks (such as texting particular
people or opening the camera to take a selfie).
News
stories, sports scores, and stock prices summoned this way also appear
larger (and, so, easier to read). With the S6 Edge, those things were
shown as a scrolling ticker that ran along the Edge display. Now they’re
big boxes with images and readable text.
All
of which is to say that the S7 Edge’s Edge display is extremely useful
in its current incarnation. My one problem with it is that, when I type a
message using one hand, my palm ends up hitting the curved portion of
the screen, causing me to press a button I didn’t mean to. You can
imagine how annoying that can be after a while.
Take pictures anywhere
The
Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge both come with 12-megapixel rear cameras, just
like the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. Samsung’s new cameras actually have
fewer megapixels than the 16-megapixel shooters found on the S6 and S6
Edge.
That’s
not exactly a downgrade, though, as the S7 and S7 Edge’s pixels are
larger than their predecessors. As a result, Samsung says the S7 and S7
Edge’s cameras can capture more light, which makes for clearer, more
colorful images.
That
said, when I compared shots taken outside and in my office with the S6
to those taken with the S7, I didn’t notice much of a difference.
But
compared to photos taken with the iPhone 6s Plus, the Galaxy S7’s shots
seemed to offer more saturated colors and slightly sharper details
(though, to be honest, you’ll have to zoom in on your pictures to see
any appreciable difference). As before, the iPhone still makes the sky
look bluer than Samsung’s phones.
In
low-light situations, though, the S7 absolutely blows away the
competition. A picture I took of my lounging cat with the S7 was far
brighter and offered more details than the same shot taken on the iPhone
6s Plus. My one gripe is that the photo taken with the S7 gave my cat’s
white fur a yellow tint — but there’s no denying that the overall image
was easier to read.
Speedy, expandable
Inside,
the S7 and S7 Edge are virtually identical. Both phones have
high-powered processors and 4 GB of RAM, which means apps run buttery
smooth. I was especially impressed with how quickly the S7 and S7 Edge’s
fingerprint readers unlock the phones.
But
the one feature that will have hardcore smartphone users jumping with
joy is the return of expandable storage. Yep, when you run out of space
on your S7, you don’t have to worry about deleting a bunch of photos and
apps to make more room.
Instead,
you can just slide a microSD card into the handset and add up to 200 GB
of storage. That’s a big benefit, especially if you take a lot of
pictures or download movies to watch on the go.
In
terms of battery life, the S7 and S7 Edge come with 3,000-mAh and
3,600-mAh power plants, respectively. That’s a nice upgrade over the
Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, which came with 2,550-mAh and 2,600-mAh
batteries. That means the S7 and S7 Edge should get you through your day
and then some without needing to be recharged.
Software with a bit of bloat
Both
the S7 and S7 Edge run the latest version of Google’s Android
Marshmallow operating system with Samsung’s TouchWiz skin running on
top.
In
previous years, I would have bemoaned Samsung’s decision to alter
Android by adding its own app icons and certain interface changes. But
ever since releasing the Galaxy S6, Samsung has cut back on how much of
its own mark it puts on Android with its interface. The result is a
relatively slick interface that is easy to navigate without being
overbearing or holding your hand too much.
The
biggest problem I have with the S7 software is the huge number of
unwanted apps (a.k.a. bloatware) that come preinstalled. In addition to
Google’s usual slew of apps, Samsung installs its own offerings,
including its Milk Music service and a host of Amazon apps. My S7 and S7
Edge also came with eight different Verizon apps. I hate preinstalled apps, but companies just keep adding more and more of them.
The bottom line
Despite
these quibbles, however, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are easily
the best smartphones you can currently buy. They are beautiful,
waterproof and capture fantastic photos.
Between
the S7 and S7 Edge, though, I’d suggest opting for the S7, simply
because it’s less expensive. Sure the Edge is more attractive, and its
expanded screen makes opening apps easier.
But at $792 for my Verizon
version, it costs $120 more than the regular S7. If cost isn’t an issue,
go ahead and splurge for the Edge. Either way, you won’t be
disappointed.
