By far the most anticipated communicator of the year. And now his presentation has just taken place. This is a new generation of flagships. Vector of the overall development of the smartphone industry. You can learn about the sensory concept, the reimagining of past generations and the unique features of new Galaxy S and read the presentation itself in detail here: “ " And now we propose to move on to the most important information for you and me - specifications.

Let us clarify just a few important differences between the new Galaxy S7 And Galaxy S7 Edge. Capital reincarnations when changing generations Samsung did not produce. However, there were some surprises. First of all, it should be mentioned that these are the world's first smartphones with a camera. Dual Pixel. It combines a fast lens, larger pixels, faster shutter speeds and more precise autofocus with one goal - to make the camera take high-quality photos even in very poor lighting conditions without blur or other image artifacts.

To this should be added sealing according to the IP68 specification (protection from water and dust), displays Always On(like the one), support for microSD cards, system Game Launcher to notify gamers about the battery status and run charge conservation algorithms. Besides, Samsung creates two modifications each Galaxy S7 And Galaxy S7 Edge equipped with different chipsets depending on the sales region. In some countries, an eight-core 64-bit processor with a clock speed of 2.3 GHz is offered (obviously Samsung Exynos 8 Octa 8890), in others - an identical quad-core 64-bit analogue with a clock frequency of 2.1 GHz (no doubt). The rest of the specifications are below in full detail.

- 2 Nano-SIM SIM cards;
- GSM/GPRS/Edge networks, WCDMA/HSDPA, LTE Cat.9;
- Super AMOLED display with a diagonal of 5.1 inches and a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels (~577 ppi), with protection and Always On technology;
- Processor quad-core 64-bit with a clock frequency of 2.1 GHz / eight-core 64-bit 2.3 GHz;
- Adreno 530/Mali-T880 video chip;
- RAM 4 GB LPDDR4;
- Built-in memory 32 GB UFS 2.0;
- Support for MicroSD cards;
- Dual Pixel main camera with a resolution of 12 megapixels, pixel size 1.4 microns, f/1.7 aperture, LED flash, phase detection autofocus, optical stabilization;
- Front camera with a resolution of 5 megapixels and f/1.7 aperture;
- Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac modules, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, GPS/GLONASS navigation, NFC, microUSB 2.0;
- : accelerometer, geomagnetic, proximity, gyroscope, light, compass, barometer, heart rate, magnetic (), fingerprint sensor;
- Non-removable battery with a capacity of 3000 mAh with fast charging function;
- Platform with Samsung TouchWiz proprietary software shell;
- All-metal case with protection from moisture and dust (IP68) with tempered glass elements in colors: black onyx, platinum gold, white pearl, titanium silver;
- Thickness 7.9 mm, dimensions 142.4 x 69.6 mm, weight 152 grams;
- Price: 49,990 rubles;
- Release March 11, 2016.

- 5.5-inch curved display with the same characteristics (534 ppi);
- Battery 3600 mAh (instead of 3000 for Galaxy S7);
- Thickness 7.7 mm, dimensions 150.9 x 72.6 mm (versus 7.9 mm for the Galaxy S7), weight 157 grams (instead of 152 grams);
- Price: 59,990 rubles.

Live photos

Specifications

• Android 6.0.1, TouchWiz 2016
• Display 5.5 inches, QHD resolution, SuperAMOLED, automatic backlight adjustment, Always On function, different operating modes, Corning Gorilla Glass 4,
• 4 GB RAM, 32/64 GB internal memory, memory card up to 200 GB
• nanoSIM (there will be options for 2 SIM cards, then the memory card in the combined slot will not be available)
• Exynos 8890 chipset, 8 cores up to 1.8 GHz per core, MALI T880 MP12 graphics coprocessor (in some countries there is an option for Qualcomm Snapdragon 820)
• LTE cat12/13 support with software update, operator support also required
• Front camera 5 megapixels, flash (screen), BRITECELL main camera, 12 megapixels, time-lapse shooting, slow-motion, video effects, 4K video
• Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), HT80 MIMO(2x2) 620Mbps, Dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Mobile hotspot, Bluetooth®: v4.2, A2DP, LE, apt-X, ANT+, USB 2.0, NFC
• Wireless charging built into case (WPC1.1(4.6W Output) & PMA 1.0(4.2W)
• Li-Ion 3600 mAh battery, extreme power saving mode, fast charging in one hour up to 70 percent

Contents of delivery

• Telephone
• Charger (Fast Adaptive Charge) with USB cable
• Instructions
• Wired stereo headset
• SIM tray clip

Positioning

In 2015, there were changes within Samsung that affected the positioning of devices, their release schedule and what the company was doing. In particular, for flagships they experimented when they abandoned memory cards (Apple doesn’t, and no one is complaining!), made the cases monolithic, and this scared off many consumers. The fact that two models appeared on the market at once - S6 and S6 EDGE, in the same body size, but one with a side edge and the other without, confused the situation even more.

The very first sales showed that the fashionable EDGE is in overwhelming demand, while the simple S6 is not so popular. The difference in demand did not affect the total sales volume, but rather their distribution in the S6/S6 EDGE pair. The shortage of EDGE was noticeable during the first three months; the company did not have time to produce matrices for them and was forced to launch additional production.

In the fall, Samsung released another pair of flagships – Note 5/S6 EDGE Plus. If Samsung traditionally considered the Note line to be flagships, then in 2015 they deviated from this rule and made the image device the main one; it was promoted in all markets, while Note 5 was initially released in small quantities in Asia, South Korea and the USA. Then they started selling it everywhere, but this created confusion in the perception of what is considered a real flagship, what is their difference and what to look at.

In 2016, EDGE is actually released simultaneously with S7, this is the same device, only with a larger diagonal. They abandoned the small EDGE because they don’t see much sense in it; the choice will now be between the regular flat S7 and the large S7 EDGE. As for me, this approach looks more logical than two devices of the same size.

I often get asked what will happen to the Note line. There are rumors that it was abandoned and will no longer exist. I will repeat the words of Mark Twain, paraphrasing them: rumors of the death of Note are greatly exaggerated. Moreover, this device, namely Note 6, is once again becoming a flagship in the full sense of the word and will be a key new product in the fall of 2016. It implements a number of innovations that the S7 did not have, and it will be the most powerful device possible at the time of release, and for the next year at least. That is, the good old Note line is returning to us again.

And the S7/S7 EDGE are destined to become the key models of the next six months and one of the most interesting flagships in which there are no compromises. For these devices, the story of the S6/S6 EDGE is apparently repeating itself, but at a new stage of market development. Pre-orders in Europe and Russia showed that the main demand is for the S7 EDGE; buyers perceived this particular model as the key one. In Russia, for every two S7 EDGE there is one S7, despite the difference in cost in favor of the latter. This suggests that the large screen and unusual screen shape prevail, and people also choose a large battery. Perhaps the S7 EDGE is the most interesting and uncompromising flagship in 2016, this device has all the technologies you can imagine.

Design, body materials

I have already become accustomed to the eternal groaning of those who are dissatisfied for any reason or without. For example, when any flagship comes out, there is always a group of those who don’t like the design, body materials, and so on. As a rule, they do not belong to the category of potential buyers, but simply like to communicate online. Perhaps the exceptions are products from Sony and HTC, which hardly change in appearance from year to year, which creates complaints. For Samsung in 2015, the redesign of the flagships was successful; now they are all built on a metal frame, have a back surface made of Corning Gorilla Glass 4. In 2016, nothing changes, except that the glass on the front and back panels becomes 2.5D ( this is fashion and nothing more, now all companies make such glass with a curve). Samsung, in order to position itself differently from its competitors, calls 3D glass, they have reasons for this; no one uses such bends for Gorilla Glass 4 in their products.

Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge

Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus

Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy Note 5

As you can see, these smartphones are completely identical in appearance to the 2015 flagships; it will be difficult to see the differences. Moreover, the same A-series of 2016 looks similar to these devices, only the colors will differ, due to which they will try to highlight the older models. But it is difficult in real life to distinguish the richness of the color of the case, to notice what kind of device a person uses. A successful design, which is reproduced in a dozen models, quickly becomes boring. And, perhaps, it is precisely this moment that will stop many; people will think that it will be difficult to stand out with the help of such a device. As I see the situation, Samsung switched to a two-year design cycle, like Apple, but decided to play counterbalance, that is, change the appearance of the handsets not in the same year as Apple. This year, the iPhone 7 will get a different appearance, but the Galaxy S7 will resemble its predecessor.

From the point of view of color solutions, the black device (Black Onyx) looks more interesting; the gold color is somewhat boring in the previous model. And most people order a black phone.

In total, these are the colors available for now, but they will not appear in all markets at the same time.

Now a few words about dreams about a collapsible body. This model does not and will not have it; the design itself does not involve replacing the battery yourself. But this can be done at any service center. The second point is protection from water. Just like in the Galaxy S5, it is returning to Samsung devices, and to all flagships. The protection standard is IP68, phones can be drowned, and nothing will happen to them. There is impregnation of the components on the board with a special solution that repels water (they like to use it in Motorola phones), but the design itself does not allow water to get inside; there are special membranes on the speakers and microphones.

And this is how they protected the microUSB connector so that water does not get inside, and if this does happen due to an impact, then there is a special controller that prevents short circuits.

All metal surfaces have undergone additional anti-corrosion treatment. In the picture you can see painted parts that were additionally protected from water.

We conducted an IP68 test and the phone passed it with ease. There are no problems with it, watch the video. I would like to note right away that in order for the speakers to not sound dull after water, the device must be dry; this is a simple logic that for some reason is not clear to some people.

Pay attention to how the tray for the SIM card and memory card is designed; it has a rubberized insert that is lower than the top edge. As a result, dust from pockets quickly accumulates here, but it does not penetrate inside the phone. The peculiarity of its protection affects it. Some may not like this from an aesthetic point of view, but there is no problem, since dust does not penetrate inside the case and cannot get there.

The case has increased slightly in size, this is a consequence of both the larger battery in the S7 and a different frame design, it was made stronger so that the device could withstand serious falls (6013 aluminum alloy). I have absolutely no complaints about the latest generations of Galaxy regarding resistance to falls. They immediately completely recalculated the location of the components and parts of the phone to ensure even greater survivability and safety of the glass that covers the screen and back surface. There are no miracles in the world, and any device can be broken, but users of the Galaxy/Note line know that they have very reliable devices that are difficult to break.

Due to the fact that the back panel of the phone now has a bevel, holding the S7 EDGE in your hands is much more pleasant than its predecessor, no cutting parts, nothing even remotely in the way. Excellent tactile devices. The glass gets dirty, you have to come to terms with it, another thing is that hand marks are not so noticeable and can be easily erased.

One of the disadvantages of the black version is the speaker grille, which is also painted black. The paint wears off in a few weeks in the pocket, and white metal appears. In the gold color of the case it is simply not noticeable, it creates the feeling that everything is correct, but here it is clearly visible. In my opinion, this is an obvious drawback, but it cannot be called critical.

To prevent the device from heating up, a special cooling system was created inside. Look at her description.

Memory type, RAM, memory cards

When Samsung decided to stop producing its flagships with memory cards, the company reasoned that memory capacity of 32, 64 and 128 GB would, in theory, be enough for anyone. In practice, the company got confused in logistics, and the 32 GB devices appeared first, then the 64 GB ones, but the 128 GB models turned out to be difficult to find, and few of them were produced. This is a fundamental difference from Apple, where you can buy a device with any amount of memory and they are always in stock. Therefore, the experiment inside Samsung was considered unsuccessful, and the groan of consumers turned out to be so loud that all Samsung top managers felt it.

Apparently, in order to please people, you must first take something away from them. This happened with memory cards; they were removed in 2015 and they realized what a mistake it was in 2016. Now memory cards have been returned to all flagships, you can use them of almost any size. The 200 GB card is recognized and works. Later, support for 2 TB memory cards may appear, there is no reason not to do this, there are no technical restrictions.

The main models will be those that offer 32 GB of internal memory, while 64 GB devices will become less common. I think that there is nothing wrong with this and users will choose exactly such solutions.

Since Samsung smartphones use fast UFS 2.0 memory, the company had to abandon the proprietary Android 6 feature - combining memory cards and internal memory into a single array. This is necessary for those who do not intend to use their memory card anywhere else, but only in one phone. The risks of this are quite high, if the memory card fails, you will lose most of your data, if not all, except for those stored in the cloud.

As a result, Samsung decided to make an intermediate solution. You get 24 GB of space out of 32 GB, while 8 GB contains system and space for working with external memory, for example, it is used as a buffer for video recording, cache and other system functions. But, as before, you can transfer most of the applications to a memory card without storing them in the internal memory of your smartphone. As a result, there are no de facto restrictions; you can use your smartphone as you please.

The type of RAM has not changed; these are chips built on 20 nm technology; we first saw them a year ago. The peak data transfer speed is 3.2 Gb/s, which can be considered the maximum speed in mobile devices in the next year, or even a year and a half. The amount of RAM has increased to 4 GB.

The memory manager, which appeared in the previous generation and caused complaints from many users because it unloaded applications from memory, remains. But they added an operating mode in which the latest applications are kept in RAM and unloaded only when necessary. That is, it turned out to be a kind of mixed mode: until the memory is needed, applications hang in it, and as soon as it is needed, they go into the buffer.

But due to the speed of the processor, the time it takes to load applications from the cache has been reduced by at least half; it seems that they are hanging in memory. Visually, and in feel, this is a big increase in speed in this particular aspect.

Chipset and performance

In 2015, Samsung stopped using Qualcomm in its flagships; the processors got very hot and had many flaws. In particular, it was the Snapdragon 810, which Qualcomm was able to finalize only a year after the first samples. This processor and Samsung's rejection of it brought down Qualcomm's shares and even caused a wave of layoffs and a reorganization of the chipset manufacturer.

Until 2015, the prevailing stereotype said that Exynos versions of flagships were noticeably worse than their Qualcomm counterparts. Often this was not the case; they were equivalent from the point of view of the average consumer. Qualcomm has traditionally been stronger than Samsung's own solutions in LTE modems. In 2016, the difference is leveled out even more, since modems on Exynos also received an update and began to work better. Are they inferior to Qualcomm? I think yes. Will you notice this difference in real life? I think no.

The vast majority of countries will receive flagships from Samsung with the Exynos version, and not with the Qualcomm 820. Operators who want to get the Qualcomm version for some reason do so consciously and for their own reasons. Among the disadvantages of the Qualcomm version, I note that the operating time in various modes is approximately 10 percent shorter, which, with the same performance, looks like a huge difference. Also, the lesser integration of the Qualcomm chipset with the Samsung camera may affect the autofocus speed (but you most likely won’t notice it). The preferred version of the flagships will be the one that uses the Exynos 8890 inside.

Depending on the operator and/or chipset used, the letters in the model markings will differ; the standard name is SM-G935. Let's dwell a little on this processor. So, it is made on a 14 nm FinFET process, it has eight cores, and also has a new MALI T880 MP12 graphics coprocessor. In the graphics department, the processor is claimed to be 80 percent faster than the MALI-T760, while power efficiency is 40 percent higher at maximum load.

Among the interesting features of the chipset, I note support for LTE cat.12/13, which ensures data downloads at speeds of up to 600 Mbit/s (a 1 GB movie can be downloaded in one minute if your operator supports these categories). Check out the infographic on this processor.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Exynos version shows better performance.

The S7 EDGE wins the tests; it is the fastest device at the moment (my phones are Exynos). Look at the test results.

I would like to separately note that the new processor is very fast. In every sense, this is one of the best processors on the market, and at the same time it has good energy efficiency, reduced power consumption, which, together with other technical solutions, makes these models very interesting.

The phone also has an additional Exynos M1 processor, which is responsible for calculating movements. Dedicating a separate, dedicated processor for this is justified. At the moment, S Health erroneously counts steps when moving in a car; shaking is perceived as walking. This defect will be corrected in the coming months.

Display

The phone has a SuperAMOLED screen, 5.5 inches, QHD resolution. There is simply nothing better on the market, and the fact that all companies are trying to switch to AMOLED and are ready to buy screens from Samsung that are several generations old only shows how good this technology is. The same Apple is preparing to use AMOLED in the iPhone, as it has seen its advantages firsthand. But users of Samsung flagships and other flagships have been receiving this technology for years and are using it to their fullest.

DisplayMate traditionally conducted a study of screens in S7/S7 EDGE, and the result is quite interesting, the previous leader in the person of S6 EDGE Plus lost the crown, displays from the latest generation were named the best screens in mobile devices, nothing better simply exists in the world. , it is quite detailed and thorough.

Let's look at several technologies, each of which is not obvious, but improves the use of these devices in everyday life. So, let's start with how screens behave in the sun, in bright sun. The S7 EDGE has no problems with this, no glare, no reflections, the brightness in automatic mode can be set to such a level that you will see bright and colorful colors, all the contents of the screen will be readable. But it depends on your preferences, however, more on that later.

Now let's imagine the unimaginable. Many people use sunglasses in the summer, many of them have polarized lenses. The problem with most screens in portable electronics is that they are hard to see, especially in normal, vertical orientation - the screen of the same iPhone 6/6s becomes darker than it actually is. Flip the screen to landscape orientation and it will be brighter. Miracle? Just the arrangement of the elements.

The screen for the Galaxy S7 EDGE took care of this “little detail” and placed the polarizing filter at an angle of 45 degrees so that no matter how you look at the screen with glasses, the picture remains bright. This is the first device on the market in which even such little things for the screen were thought through.

Another thing that has changed for screens and appears for the first time in the S7/S7 EDGE is personal automatic brightness adjustment. What does it mean? How can tuning be both personal and automatic? The answer lies in the fact that we are all different and perceive the brightness of screens, their colors and other parameters differently. Samsung has implemented an intelligent system that evaluates the level of ambient light and what lighting options we choose, what we consider a comfortable level for ourselves. And this data is used to subsequently adjust the backlight in a way that is convenient for you. It is enough to use both manual and automatic backlight adjustment for about one week for the phone to understand what you like and work in automatic mode. I'm really excited about this feature because it predicts what I want to see, what the screen brightness should be under different conditions.

The screen also has an Always On mode, when the time is constantly shown, as an option, a picture or a calendar, and you can select themes in which these images will be different.

This is simply a wonderful feature, since, unlike competitors, the picture is displayed in color, it is always visible, whether at night or during the day, and is quite bright. For those who are afraid that this will affect the operating time of the device, the S7 EDGE spends 1 to 2% of the battery during 12 hours of display operation in this mode (depending on external lighting conditions, the picture changes brightness automatically). This is nothing, but you always have a watch in front of your eyes, and this sharply distinguishes this phone from all others.

Cameras – front and main

The front camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels, and light sensitivity has been slightly increased. The screen itself can act as a flash. It is possible to improve complexion, remove artifacts on the skin, and at the same time correct facial geometry. Girls will definitely like these facial enhancements.

But there is no intrigue here, everything is clear and familiar. The intrigue is what happened to the main camera, because in the S6 its resolution was 16 megapixels, and in the S7/S7 EDGE the camera suddenly became 12 megapixels.

The Galaxy S7/S7 EDGE uses the Sony IMX260 camera module (a year earlier IMX240), which was created specifically for Samsung. Such products usually do not receive descriptions on the Sony website; moreover, they cannot be purchased from other manufacturers.

I was unable to find a sane description of the IMX260, and this is not so important, since the main innovations were explained during the presentation of the Galaxy S7. So, the company increased the lens aperture f/1.7 (a year earlier f/1.9), while also increasing the pixel size to 1.4 microns, which makes it possible to obtain more information on the matrix. In Britecell, the pixel size is one micron, and it immediately turns out that this technology is not used in the IMX260, judging by the information that we had before. But everything is not so simple, let's try to figure it out.

Let me start with the fact that the S7 is the first device on the market that has focusing over the entire area of ​​the matrix, that is, one hundred percent of the pixels are involved in phase detection autofocus.

But, perhaps, the most important thing is the increased clarity and brightness of the picture (although, to be honest, I don’t know which is better, current flagships shoot very well). Here the possibilities of shooting in the evening and in the dark have increased. New scenes and stories, camera settings have appeared. Samsung was able to improve the camera, although it seemed impossible to do so.

Sample photos

Comparison with S6 Edge+

S7 Edge	S6 Edge+

For example, the “Food” mode has appeared, this is a kind of filter in which the background is blurred; note that the picture on the left is without a filter, on the right – with it.

Ordinary	Food mode

For video recording, a slow-motion mode has appeared, as well as time-lapse, examples of which you can see in the video below.

And here is an example of a regular video on this camera.

From year to year I say that Samsung flagships shoot better and better, they are of very high quality. And I’m tired of constantly answering questions on social networks about what this or that photo was taken with. In the S7/S7 EDGE the camera has become even better, making these devices the undoubted leaders. Now the time when you can be guaranteed to get a high-quality photo has expanded; this is not only during the day, but also at dusk and evening. In short, the camera is, as before, one of the strengths of these devices.

Battery

The slightly increased dimensions are also due to the battery capacity – 3600 mAh. The operating time of a device is always a combination of factors, in particular, software stability and optimization, quality of components, and screen power consumption. It is difficult and sometimes impossible to consider operating time in isolation from these parameters.

A typical scenario for using a modern smartphone involves running various programs in the background, not only browsing pages, but connecting a wireless headset, and so on. Everyone has their own usage scenario, for example, I use my phones to the fullest - I take photographs, listen to podcasts on a wireless headset, watch social networks, movies, web pages, receive mail from different mailboxes every fifteen minutes. My EDGE Plus lives with three to three and a half hours of screen operation from morning to late evening with the backlight at about 70 percent. And this is a good indicator. For many, the operating time of this device is on average two days. Some manage to make it work for up to three days, and say that this is enough for them to actively use. It should be noted here that the word “active” is different for everyone, everyone puts their own worldview into it.

On average - two days of reliable work (3.5-4 hours of screen at 60%), data transfer in 4G without restrictions (4 GB downloaded). As for me, this is an excellent result, progress compared to the previous year is obvious, and the Chinese are far behind even in cases where they install batteries with twice the capacity. Video playback time at maximum brightness is from 13 to 14 hours on average (the radio module is not disabled).

The phone has two built-in wireless charging standards, you can use either one. There is support for fast wireless charging. There is also fast wired charging - in 110 minutes you will charge the device to 100 percent. To get half a charge, less than half an hour is enough. Many flagships from other companies can only dream of such fast charging technology, which saves you even if you forgot to charge the device the night before, in the morning it will only take a few minutes.

The most important improvement in the current flagships, and indeed all 2016 models from Samsung, is the increased operating time. A huge amount of work has been done here, and this should be noted. On average, they will work 1.5-2 times longer than previous devices in the same segment. The reason is an increase in battery capacity, but also optimization of software and hardware. On average, on the S7 EDGE in Spain I got two days of work with 4-4.5 hours of screen time and LTE always on, which is noticeably higher than for EDGE Plus, the gain is the same 1.5-2 times.

A few words about the microUSB connector, which the progressive part of humanity has already decided to scrap and is waiting for USB Type C. Personally, I am tired of carrying the second cable, I constantly forget it, and therefore some phones are charged only at home, where such cables are available. The value of Type C is still greatly overestimated; such a connector is needed by a small audience that considers itself technology enthusiasts. Therefore, it was not used in mass products. A gradual transition to it will begin in the fall of 2016, and even then, this is an issue that has not been fully resolved. Now Samsung has decided that the compatibility of all accessories is much more important than supporting a fashion trend.

Speaking of AMOLED, Exynos and operating time. Meizu Pro 5 used this combination of components from Samsung to achieve maximum operating time in its flagship. Other companies are starting to adopt Samsung's experience, this is becoming a trend.

USB, Bluetooth, communication capabilities

Bluetooth version 4.2, it was created for the Internet of Things and works great with various sensors. Otherwise, there are no significant changes; new profiles have appeared and power consumption has improved. Let me remind you that there are some interesting things in the new standard.

Firstly, this is an extended range, which can reach several tens of meters, depending on the device settings and how the manufacturer configured this option. Secondly, the IP protocol is used for addressing, that is, devices now have their own unique addresses and communication with many such devices is supported.

From technical points, the interaction between Bluetooth and LTE has been improved; now the operation of these technologies is synchronized within one device, and mutual interference is not created (LTE is not relevant for our frequencies). Plus, Bluetooth devices can now access the cloud and transmit their results directly, bypassing the companion device, as was previously necessary.

USB connection. USB 2.0 is used here, that is, the data transfer speed is about 20 Mb/s. These are not theoretical, but real results on devices. They may vary depending on the operating system and the computer you connect your phone to. Both up and down.

WiFi. The 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standard is supported, the operation wizard is similar to that for Bluetooth. You can remember selected networks and automatically connect to them. It is possible to set up a connection to the router in one touch; to do this, you need to press a key on the router, and also activate a similar button in the device menu (WPA SecureEasySetup). Among the additional options, it is worth noting the setup wizard; it appears when the signal is weak or disappearing. You can also set up Wi-Fi on a schedule.

802.11n supports HT40 mode, allowing you to double your Wi-Fi throughput (requires support from another device).

Wi-Fi Direct. A protocol that is intended to replace Bluetooth or begin to compete with its third version (which also uses Wi-Fi version n to transfer large files). In the Wi-Fi settings menu, select the Wi-Fi Direct section, the phone begins to search for devices around. We select the desired device, activate the connection on it, and voila. Now in the file manager you can view files on another device, as well as transfer them. Another option is to simply find devices connected to your router and transfer the necessary files to them; this can be done from the gallery or other sections of the phone. The main thing is that the device supports Wi-Fi Direct.

Wi-Fi repeater.

It's impossible to write a review when you only use the phone for a few minutes at the company's stand and this device is not your main one. Then materials appear that lack many “tricks” that the manufacturer himself did not talk about, just as others did not discover them. I am constantly working with the Galaxy S7; I have already discovered many “little things” that distinguish Samsung flagships from other Android smartphones and will later become part of Android itself. I want to tell you about one of these features.

Usually, when you turn on an access point on your phone, it immediately turns off Wi-Fi; you cannot use both at the same time.

On the Galaxy S7/S7 EDGE, I suddenly discovered that when I turn on Wi-Fi, it connects to the wireless network, but does not disable your access point. There are two icons in the status line.

Further - more and even more interesting. All phones connected to the Galaxy S7 start using its Wi-Fi connection rather than using mobile data from it. Until now, the Wi-Fi router scenario in mobile phones has never been used so widely.

Who might need it and why? For example, when traveling, I often encounter restrictions on the number of connected devices in hotels. With the Galaxy S7 features, these restrictions on the number of devices are a thing of the past; now I'm writing text, and a dozen of my phones are hanging on the same connection through the Galaxy S7 EDGE. And most importantly, I don’t have to waste time at all and enter my last name, room number and postal address on each one. It's the same story in restaurants, cafes, and other places where I can share my connection without having to enter Wi-Fi settings on each device. Cool? Undoubtedly.

Another question is that this function is not so necessary for the vast majority of people. At home, this is an opportunity to distribute your Internet to those corners of the apartment where your router does not reach. At the same time, check whether it’s worth buying a regular Wi-Fi repeater and whether it will work.

As always, I think it's better to have extra features that you don't need very often, but will be grateful for when you need them, rather than not have those features. Do you need a Wi-Fi repeater function?

NFC. The device has NFC technology, it can be used with various additional applications.

S Beam. A technology that allows you to transfer a file of several gigabytes in size to another phone in a few minutes. In fact, we see in S Beam a combination of two technologies - NFC and Wi-Fi Direct. The first technology is used to bring up and authorize phones, but the second is used to transfer the files themselves. The creatively redesigned way to use Wi-Fi Direct is much simpler than using a connection on two devices, selecting files and so on.

Software – Android 6, TouchWiz and other things

Inside Android 6.0.1, the current flagships and two-year-old models will receive the same software, at the same time or a little later than the S7/S7 EDGE goes on sale. As before, this device has TouchWiz, but it has been heavily redesigned to suit the Android style, and now the entire system is perceived as very airy and light, everything looks organic together. The speed of the UI is excellent, it flies, there are simply no slowdowns. Again, it all depends on personal perception, someone sees brakes in what other people consider immediate.

The software has a lot of features, you will need to talk about them separately, which is what I did, read the full review and watch the video about this software.

Additional accessories

A new wireless charger will be available for these models; it differs from the old one in that it has a 50-degree tilt and you can place your phone on it. There will be leather bumpers (leather back), as well as a case with two interchangeable lenses.

From what I was able to try, I would like to note standard book covers, including those with an LED screen. Look at the pictures of these accessories and then you can watch the video where I explain and show how they work.

Samsung has prepared an infographic showing why the new device is better than the S6 EDGE Plus, everything is very clear in it.

Impression

There are no complaints about the quality of speech reproduction or call volume; these devices are excellent; perhaps, their radio path quality is one of the best on the market. And this has long become a kind of mania; Samsung is finishing off what is already good. However, as we saw in the review, they do this for many components of their flagships.

It’s a thankless task to evaluate new devices based on pictures or even photographs. In the case of S7/S7 EDGE it is doubly ungrateful. It seems to be the same materials, the same design, but you need to take them in your hand to realize the difference. And it is not in favor of the previous generation. You need to touch these devices in person and see how they work, how responsive the menu is, how the camera records, and it is advisable to do this in the twilight to understand the differences.

We are accustomed to the fact that each new generation of flagships from Samsung provides new technologies and sets the bar for performance, as well as for what can be built into the devices. Today these are the most functional solutions of all, but last year the refusal of memory cards upset many. Now this flaw has been corrected, and everything is back to normal. But they also added enhanced shock protection, IP68 protection against drowning. Plus, we increased the battery and optimized the system so that the operating time increased by 1.5-2 times. All this together suggests that the models turned out to be not just successful, but extremely successful.

The new camera module gives excellent results; it is a breakthrough in a direction where no one expected serious improvements. I didn’t expect at all that the difference would be visible in life. And this is a serious bid to maintain its advantage in this area; other devices are approaching Samsung in terms of photography, but they cannot catch up.

From an engineering point of view, these devices are small masterpieces, they were stuffed with the latest technologies and made them work. What are the improvements in the display that are not visible, but make our lives better and easier? It would not be amiss to note that other companies, and primarily Apple, get to the point of using similar technologies only years later; they simply do not have the opportunity to do something similar. They are too far behind in development, and this can be seen in almost every piece of hardware. I have a very positive perception of the new flagships, and the fact that the previous generation sold well in Russia says a lot about the changed orientations of people during the crisis. The same S6, thanks to its affordable price, has become the most popular flagship, followed by the iPhone 5s 16 GB. The choice of a three-year-old model remains a mystery to me, but people see some meaning in it. But everything is gradually changing, slowly and surely ordinary people are realizing what fast charging is in real life, what high-quality screens look like and why Android gives freedom of use. I have no doubt that the seventh generation Galaxy will be very successful, there are all the prerequisites for this, the devices turned out to be interesting. Considering that the S7 EDGE comes out at a price of 59,990 rubles, that is, at the start it is no different from its predecessor, this is a good bid for success. You can and should change S6 EDGE Plus to S7 EDGE only if you have a lot of money and really want a new device. You won’t notice much difference between them, especially since the “old” EDGE comes with the same software as the new one, with the exception of working with the side edge. These are equivalent models, and the price of S6 EDGE Plus at 49,990 rubles makes it even more interesting, many will look closely in its direction. It will remain on the market for the foreseeable future.

The choice between S7 and S7 EDGE is obvious; I like the older model better, it looks more interesting. Another thing is that perhaps you are a fan of more compact sizes. A small comparison in the video will help you.

But as a final word, I can say that Samsung has produced models that are head and shoulders above their competitors, and they are not just good quality, they are the best that is on the market today. And without compromise.

While the South Korean manufacturer's mid-range lineup is undergoing significant changes, its luxury counterpart continues to stubbornly hold its position as Samsung's flagship flagship. The model being reviewed today is one of the oldest representatives of the country of Morning Freshness on the smartphone market. And this is not only for the beautiful design. Find out more in our review of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge smartphone.

Specifications of Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

It is quite logical that from a smartphone that proudly bears the title of the most expensive among its fellows, one should expect decent technological equipment. And in comparison with younger models, this is true. Even despite significant changes in the 2017 A-line smartphones, last year's Galaxy S7 Edge is in no way inferior, and in many ways superior to the middle class.

Frame

Like its predecessors S6 edge and the similar edge+ model, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has a curved display at the edges. However, this time the developers did not rush from one extreme to another and made the size of the flagship average and quite acceptable. The case width is 72.6 mm, length is 150.9 mm, and thickness is only 7.7 mm. The weight of the phone is 157 g.

The buyer has three color options to choose from: black diamond, dazzling platinum and silver titanium (black, gold and silver in common parlance).

The case itself looks quite standard for most Samsung models. Most of the front part of the smartphone is occupied by the screen, below it there is a mechanical “Home” button with a built-in fingerprint scanner and touch “Return” and “Context menu”. On top, as you might have guessed, is a speaker, a front camera lens with its built-in flash, a proximity sensor, and, of course, the logo of the South Korean company.

The Samsung s7 ebge case is made of 3D glass and metal. The developers abandoned the edge that cuts into the hand

In the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, the creators decided to abandon the metal edging around the edge of the most visible Home button. Quite a good solution that wins the device a few style points. However, at the same time, the aluminum frame around the entire perimeter of the phone remained in its place, and overall it became a little thicker compared to its predecessor. No matter what, I absolutely don’t want to let go of my smartphone. And the reason for this is the curved 3D glass covering the flagship on both sides.

Corning Gorilla Glass 4, in turn, has an oleophobic coating, which means that your gadget is now reliably protected from dust and scratches, and also does not glare in the sun like a polished basin. Many users, however, noted that the phone has a small drawback, namely, it is very soiled. In other words, any fingerprint remains a very noticeable stain on the case.

Technical stuffing

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge rightfully takes a leading place among its peers. The phone is equipped with the most advanced technological developments, and you will not see such powerful and advanced “filling” in any of the company’s younger models. This flagship has an eight-core Exynos 8890 Octa processor with a clock frequency of 2.3 GHz. The device copes well with many resource-intensive costs due to the competent distribution of tasks between the 2.3 GHz and 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 cores. The Mali-T880 MP12 graphics accelerator is responsible for a decent picture, which, in comparison with the Mali-T780 in the S6 Edge model, produces 80% (!) better results.

The S7 Edge is equipped with the Google Android 6.0.1 operating system and the TouchWiz shell. The latter adds some lightness and simplicity to the overall appearance of the system. At the same time, its traditional “sticking” has not gone away. True, they are not very noticeable.

Photo: technical capabilities of the smartphone based on tests

In Samsung s7 edge you can even customize the color schemes of the turned on display

Protection from moisture and dust

The S7 Edge can also boast that its body, among other things, is made according to the IP68 standard. You can safely take your smartphone with you to the bathroom, pool, or take it out of your pocket in heavy rain or a sandstorm. After all, the IP68 standard guarantees your favorite device protection from moisture and dust getting inside it. It is important to note that not only the monolithic design protects the “organs” of the flagship. The components of its board are carefully impregnated with a special water-repellent solution. By the way, you won't find any plugs. All vulnerable areas (for example, speakers, microphones and the USD connector) are reliably protected by special moisture-proof membranes.

Fast and wireless charging

The convenience of the phone is added by the possibility of both accelerated wired and wireless charging. As the developers promise, your device will be half charged in just half an hour, and it will take another 60 minutes to fully restore the battery. However, such fast charging has its own conditions: the screen must be in sleep mode all this time. Otherwise, the current drops noticeably and the rate of battery replenishment is greatly reduced. The same effect is observed with wireless charging (Qi and PMA standard) - 100% in 1 hour 40 minutes.

Working with games

The phone also has one interesting application called Game Tools. As you might guess, it allows the user to optimize the game process as much as possible. You can temporarily block the touch buttons at the bottom of the panel, minimize the game, or take screenshots. And now the most amazing part. The phone's power is enough not only for resource-intensive games. It is enough to record gameplay and even stream.

The front camera is good, but not ideal

Other goodies

The choice of quality for recorded video is truly varied. Here you have GA, and HD, and 1:1, and Full HD, and Full HD with 60 fps. The available resolution doesn't end there. The phone can record in QHD and even UHD, better known as 4K resolution.

The extensive settings of the video camera will appeal not only to amateurs, but also to professionals. It’s hard to imagine why a camera on a phone needs 4K quality, but you must admit, its presence definitely cannot but please

Add to this several recording modes (slow motion and time lapse), as well as the ability to create a video collage and conduct live broadcasts. And don’t forget that all this can be done in low light conditions without loss of quality.

Video: example of time-lapse filming

Video: example of slow motion on Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

In general, the camera in the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge gives its owner simply incredible capabilities. Despite the fact that the lens resolution has decreased, the shooting quality has not suffered at all. A big advantage is the ability to separately configure each parameter, the choice of preset modes, as well as their variety. It should also be noted how clear and detailed the pictures are obtained even in low light conditions. Undoubtedly, the phone stands out from most of its peers. And it is thanks to its excellent camera that it can claim a leading position among flagships.

The phone is already two years old, so a large number of users were able to touch it and try it out in “combat” conditions. Accordingly, there are many reviews, some of which are positive and negative. We’ll probably start our review of the Samsung Galaxy S7 with reviews.

Let's talk about the good stuff first. Users note that top-end hardware does not allow the smartphone to be loaded so much that it exhibits lags or slowdowns. And even despite the fairly high performance, even after two years, the battery charge even lasts for two days with average use of the gadget.

As for appearance and ergonomics, this is almost the most common reason for positive feedback. Users say that the smartphone fits comfortably in the hand and looks very stylish in appearance. The advantages also include many successful solutions of innovative technologies implemented in the phone - fast charging, Always On Display function, high screen resolution, payments directly from the smartphone. In general, there are more positive reviews of the phone than negative ones.

Now a little about the disadvantages. The frame of the case is made of soft metal, which can cause quite significant dents in the event of an unsuccessful fall, even from a low height. Although the glass is declared as protected, scratches still remain on it. Also, the glass on both sides of the smartphone is very easily soiled and marks remain.

It’s interesting that users sometimes consider low battery life as a disadvantage, that is, it is obvious that for people who actively use their smartphone to the fullest, the battery charge is clearly not enough. There are also infrequent failures with the fingerprint scanner. Also among reviews of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, a common problem with AMOLED screens is noted - the display becomes overexposed over time. Less significant details include the insufficient quality of images from the front camera and the presence of unnecessary applications in stock.

Design and construction of Samsung Galaxy S7 with photo model

Following fashion trends in screen sizes, the Galaxy S7 chose its ideal diagonal - 5.1 inches. It was liked by many users. It fit comfortably in any hand and was of sufficient size for comfortable use.

Although both sides of the gadget are covered with glass, it does not slip out of your hands and lies confidently. The frames of the case are made of aluminum and contrast effectively with the color of the front and rear panels. In Russia, three main colors are available - golden, silver and black.

The design of the smartphone is non-separable. That is, you won’t be able to remove the battery yourself. The case is protected from moisture according to the IP68 standard. This means that it can be sunk to a shallow depth. The board and key component contacts are treated with a special compound that repels water, preventing it from accumulating inside. An overheating protection system is installed inside with a heat sink that runs through almost the entire structure of the smartphone, taking heat from the hottest components and releasing it to other areas.

Review of Samsung Galaxy S7 technical specifications

The parameters of this smartphone are probably the most interesting thing in this review. Let's slowly go through them all and figure them out.

Processor type and memory parameters

Despite the refusal to work with Snapdragon processors, a version with the 820 model will still be released in some countries. A larger number of flagships will be equipped with a self-developed Exynos 8890 processor. Also, the company did not use foreign cores inside the processor and made its own. Exynos has 8 of them: 4 of them are high-performance and 4 are energy-efficient. The former can operate at a frequency of 2.3 GHz, and the latter - 1.6 GHz. The GPU used is Mali-T880 MP12. Supported memory type is LPDDR4.

The gadget’s own memory can be set to 32, 64 or 128 GB. The rejection of memory cards in previous models was apparently perceived negatively, so in the S7 the ability to connect flash drives was returned. The amount of RAM in the smartphone is 4 GB.

Display type and parameters

The Samsung S7 uses an AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2560x1440. An interesting new feature was the placement of the display's polarizing filter at an angle of 45°. What is it for? In order for the screen to have the same degree of brightness when working with a smartphone in sunglasses, regardless of the orientation - portrait or landscape.

The smartphone also has a nice system for semi-automatic adjustment of screen parameters. That is, a person configures all the parameters for himself each time, and over time the system begins to recognize under what circumstances the user would like to use certain settings and automatically activates them.

Always-On technology also turned out to be innovative. It's surprising, but even a locked screen can constantly display some information - time, date, missed calls and SMS. And at the same time - in color. You can set the screen to display a background or screen saver. Contrary to all concerns about battery charge, Always-On, according to test results, consumes only 4-5% per day.

Battery

The key to autonomy of any device is not only the battery size, but also a bunch of other factors - software optimization, use of energy efficiency of electronic components. The Galaxy S7 smartphone has a 3000 mAh battery. The duration of work has another important factor - the use of the gadget by a specific user. One may not get out of games, another may turn on the screen from time to time to send a couple of messages and read the news, and a third may use the smartphone simply as a dialer. Therefore, the effectiveness of autonomy may vary for different people. In general, the charge should be enough to continuously watch videos for 15 hours.

An interesting solution was the fast wired charging function, which allows you to charge 100% of the battery within 1.5 hours. This is an excellent result, which not all even modern flagships can boast of. It is also worth noting the support for wireless charging in the smartphone, and two standards.

Characteristics of the main and front camera of the Samsung Galaxy S7

The main camera uses the Sony IMX260, created specifically for Samsung. Therefore, such a camera cannot be found in other devices.

The camera uses advanced autofocus, which uses 100% of the pixels of the matrix, according to the developers. This means that autofocus is very fast in almost all lighting conditions. In general, Samsung cameras have always been excellent. And the Samsung Galaxy S7 was no exception - the photos are juicy and clear.

Software

At the time of the release of Samsung S7, the current and stable version was 6.0. As a result, the gadget received version 6.0.1. The OS is highly optimized and works quickly, without delays or crashes. There is also TouchWiz - Samsung's own development, which is a graphical interface for Android.

Perhaps someone will be interested in an innovation - the Galaxy Care application. This program can monitor the status of the device’s hardware and software, contains a knowledge base, frequently asked questions about working with the gadget, and also allows you to get support directly from the developers. The Galaxy Labs application is a kind of testing ground for innovations from Samsung. Here the user can enable or disable new features, as well as rate. The company analyzes information about this and decides whether to include the new functionality in the next build or abandon it.

Galaxy Labs is testing new features

It is also worth noting that the smartphone has the ability to change the screen size for more convenient one-handed operation. You can resize individual windows, the dialer, parts of the menu, etc.

Always-On is a new and unusual feature

The Always-On mode, which we talked about earlier, can also be customized. There are already predefined themes that affect not only the turned off screen, but also the system as a whole. Themes can be downloaded to further diversify the appearance of your desktop and menus. Freelance developers may be interested in a separate SDK for creating their own themes.

Communication capabilities and interfaces of the Samsung Galaxy S7

The smartphone has the following interfaces: USB 2.0, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, NFC, S Beam. There is nothing special to note about USB; it is a standard interface with a data transfer speed of 20 Mb/s. Wi-Fi is capable of operating in modes up to the ac standard. Wi-Fi Direct is intended to replace Bluetooth, which it does successfully. Now you can transfer data to neighboring devices directly, without intermediaries, at Wi-Fi speeds. S Beam is a combination of two related solutions - NFC and Wi-Fi Direct. In short, it allows you to transfer large files instantly.

Sensors and fingerprint scanner

There are simply a ton of sensors in this Samsung. Starting with the accelerometer and ending with the humidity sensor. Here is their detailed list:

• accelerometer Determines the position of the smartphone in space. Present in almost every modern phone;
• gyroscope. It differs from an accelerometer only in that it can determine the angle of inclination of the phone relative to the ground;
• magnetometer, also known as digital compass;
• barometer. Serves to determine atmospheric pressure;
• light sensor. Measures the brightness of ambient light so that the smartphone can adjust the screen brightness accordingly;
• proximity sensor. Reacts to the distance of the object to the smartphone to ensure the screen is locked during a conversation;
• heart rate sensor;
• humidity sensor. Reacts to humidity in the microUSB connector and blocks charging.

As for the fingerprint scanner, it is built into the “Home” button under the smartphone screen. To activate it, you must first “wake up” the device by pressing it. It is noted that the button itself tends to leave scratches, which impairs finger readability.

Comparison of Samsung Galaxy S7 parameters with other Samsung smartphones

The S7 in some ways repeats previous models, in some ways it is inferior to subsequent flagships. For an objective picture, we need to compare it with other representatives of the Samsung Galaxy family of smart phones, find out how much the S7 itself costs.

Comparison of characteristics of Samsung Galaxy S7 with Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

In relation to the older model, the S7 is slightly inferior in some characteristics to the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. For example, its screen diagonal is 5.1 inches versus 5.5 for the Edge. But many fans rightfully appreciated the compactness of the smartphone. At the same time, the resolutions of both smartphones remain the same - 2560x1440. This means that the final pixel density will be higher in the S7.

Both gadgets have the same amount of RAM - 4 GB. In general, the performance of the two models is exactly the same, as the same components are used. Edge, apparently taking into account that the model’s screen is larger and, therefore, will consume more energy, received a more powerful 3600 mAh battery. The price difference between the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Edge can be about 4,000-5,000 rubles.

Comparison of the characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy S7 with other models

More interesting is the comparison of S7 with the previous version – S6. The screens of both gadgets are absolutely identical. Only the S7 also has Always-On. The categories of 4G network standards differ slightly. S7 can work with category 9, and S6 – 6.

For performance, both gadgets use 8-core processors made by Samsung. The difference lies in generations: S7 has Exynos 8890, S6 has Exynos 7420, as well as in frequencies. There is also a fairly significant difference in moisture resistance: S7 has an IP68 level, while S6 does not have it at all. Also, the previous model is inferior in terms of the amount of RAM per 1 GB, that is, it has 3 in total.

Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to find the S6 on sale now, so there is no current data on its price.

Part 1: general introduction and comparison of performance with iPhone 6s Plus and Moto X Force

The announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge at the Mobile World Congress 2016 expectedly became one of the main IT events in recent weeks. And although in general there is nothing revolutionary in these smartphones - it is, rather, an evolution in relation to the S6 Edge, and not a revolution, nevertheless, from first impressions and from the totality of the information voiced about the new products, I got the impression that this is really almost the best flagships of the first half of 2016. Now that we have received the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge for testing, it's time to check whether this is true or not.

We talked about our first impressions of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in a report from the presentation. Here we emphasize that although Samsung, like a year ago, releases two smartphones at the same time and maintains its positioning, there are still more hardware differences between them than between the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Firstly, the display of the two new products differs not only in the presence or absence of curvature, but also in diagonal - 5.1 inches in the case of the Galaxy S7 and 5.5 inches in the case of the S7 Edge. Secondly, the battery capacity, which was almost the same in the S6 and S6 Edge, now differs quite significantly: in the S7 this figure is 3000 mAh, and in the S7 Edge it is already 3600 mAh.

Apparently, the manufacturer decided to more thoroughly justify the price difference between the S7 and S7 Edge. On pre-order in Russia, smartphones cost 49,990 and 59,990 rubles, respectively. 10,000 rubles difference just for the spectacular curve of the screen is a bit much, but if you add to this a more capacious battery and a larger screen area, it turns out much more interesting.

We especially note that when pre-ordering, the user receives a second-generation Samsung Gear VR helmet as a gift, which individually costs almost 8,000 rubles. Nice bonus!

Let's take a look at the specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.

Specifications Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

• SoC Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa
• CPU Mongoose @2.6 GHz (4 cores) + Cortex-A53 @1.6 GHz (4 cores)
• GPU Mali-T880
• Operating system Android 6.0.1
• Touch display 5.5″ SuperAMOLED, curved on both sides, 2560×1440, 534 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 4 GB
• Permanent memory: 32 GB
• Supports microSD memory cards up to 200 GB
• SIM cards: 2 × Micro-SIM
• Communication GSM/GPRS/EDGE/3G/LTE Cat.9
• Bluetooth 4.2 LE, NFC, ANT+
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
• GPS with A-GPS, Glonass
• Sensors: accelerometer, geomagnetic sensor, gyroscope, light sensor, proximity sensor, barometer, Hall sensor, fingerprint scanner, heart rate sensor
• Cameras: 5 MP (front) and 12 MP (rear) Dual Pixel, with LED flash, optical stabilization system and autofocus, f/1.7, 4K video shooting
• Battery: lithium polymer 3600 mAh, non-removable
• Dimensions 150.9×72.6×7.7 mm
• Weight 157 g

For clarity, we decided to make a table with the characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and its immediate predecessor Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, and also added to the table Moto X Force and iPhone 6S Plus - the most obvious competitors of the new product.

*according to official data from manufacturers

The table clearly shows what major changes have occurred in the new product compared to the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+. First of all, there is support for microSD memory cards. In addition, the smartphone is now equipped with a new SoC and a significantly more capacious battery. True, two parameters may confuse those who are choosing between the Galaxy S7 Edge and S6 Edge+. Firstly, the new product has become a little thicker, and secondly, the rear camera now has a resolution of 12 megapixels instead of the previous 16 megapixels. However, both of them are justified by some technological features, which we will discuss later, so you shouldn’t immediately write them down as disadvantages.

As for comparison with the Moto X Force, the smaller amount of RAM is noteworthy here. And, of course, the screen has no curve (although, according to Lenovo, which owns the Moto brand, it is also plastic). As for the remaining differences (SoC and camera parameters), this needs to be tested. The same is true for the iPhone 6s Plus, where direct comparison of characteristics is generally pointless due to different operating systems. But it’s worth noting that compared to the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and Moto X Force, the iPhone 6s Plus has a much less capacious battery, although the dimensions are no smaller (only thickness).

However, let's move on to direct testing and in the process we will answer a number of questions that arose when comparing the characteristics. Including the main one: which smartphone is the most productive at the moment.

Equipment

The smartphone arrived to us in a test box, different from those that will be on the counter. Alas, it was not a beautiful suitcase at all, like our colleagues from Poland, but just a white cardboard package. However, the packaging inside appears to be in line with what shoppers will get in store.

This is a charger with Quick Charge support, a Micro-USB - USB cable, a key for removing the SIM card and memory card cradle, an OTG adapter (for connecting external USB drives with a full-size plug), as well as headphones in a separate plastic box and with an additional a set of rubber ear pads.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ had the same headphones, and, admittedly, it was not for nothing that the manufacturer included them again. They have a tangle-free flat wire, a very comfortable ear pad shape, and most importantly, decent sound. We tested it on the FLAC version of the new Massive Attack EP "Ritual Spirit" (by the way, the smartphone plays FLAC tracks without any problems) and were pleasantly surprised by the transmission of deep bass in the songs Dead Editors and Take It There.

As for the charger, we will talk in more detail about all the issues related to the battery and recharging in the second part of the article, but for now we will report only one result: in 15 minutes, using the included charging unit, the smartphone was charged by 20%. Quite a good result!

Design

In terms of appearance, the differences between the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and the S6 Edge+ and 6S Edge are minimal - first of all, they relate to slightly changed dimensions. And yet, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge can without any doubt be called one of the most beautiful modern smartphones.

Almost the entire front panel is occupied by a screen that effectively wraps around both edges along the long sides. And this is not only admirable in itself, but also creates the illusion of a complete absence of frameworks. In fact, of course, there are frames, but they are already quite thin, and thanks to the rounding of the screen they seem quite insignificant.

Both the front and rear panels are completely covered with glass. They are quite easily soiled, especially if we are talking about the black version of the smartphone (silver and platinum versions will also be on sale), but they still look great. Very narrow zones below and above the screen are also a plus. Thanks to this, with the same screen sizes, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is significantly more compact than the iPhone 6s Plus. True, the iPhone is just a little thinner, but this is completely unnoticeable. And thanks to the narrowing of the side edges, the Samsung smartphone seems even thinner than the Apple device.

In general, the size of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is optimal. The S6 Edge+ was still a bit big and didn’t feel as comfortable in the hand. But the S7 Edge is just right! Of course, because of the glass in front and behind, it is slippery, you are afraid to drop it, but it is still pleasant to hold in your hand.

All edges, like its predecessor, are made of metal, as are the buttons. They press with pleasant elasticity. The layout of buttons and connectors is similar to the previous model. On the right is the power button, on the left are separate volume buttons.

On the bottom edge there is a speaker, a Micro-USB connector with OTG support (it’s strange that Samsung is not switching to USB Type C, unlike many other manufacturers), a 3.5 mm headset jack and a built-in microphone hole. Interestingly, the location of this hole has changed, meaning that the internal layout of the components appears to have undergone significant changes. As for the speaker, its maximum volume is quite sufficient not to miss a call/alarm clock, and for watching movies or videos, but, of course, it should not be used for listening to music due to unnecessary overtones and the not very pleasant nature of the sound in in general. However, it would be strange to expect something different from a device of such a form factor.

On the top edge we see another microphone hole and a combined slot for a SIM card and a microSD memory card. Yes, as we already said, Samsung has fixed one of the main shortcomings of the Galaxy S6 Edge and S6 Edge+ by adding memory card support to the Galaxy S7 Edge. And considering that the manufacturer is especially proud of the smartphone’s camera, this is especially relevant, since 32 GB of internal memory for a camera phone that shoots video in 4K is frankly not enough.

At the top of the front panel, next to the eyes of the front camera and sensors, there is an LED event indicator. The large round dot lights up in different colors depending on the battery charging status or incoming messages. This element was there before, but I’m glad that Samsung didn’t sacrifice it.

The rear camera lens still protrudes quite a bit above the glass of the rear panel, but this can hardly be considered a serious drawback.

The Home button on the front panel also protrudes. But this is even a plus, since it is easier to find it by touch. And you will have to do this every time you turn on the smartphone, since this button contains a fingerprint sensor. It works very quickly, the recognition rate is very good, so there are no complaints here.

Despite the fact that the external design has changed minimally, the new smartphone has one very important quality: water resistance according to the IP68 standard. At the same time, there are no plugs on the ports here. That is, moisture protection is ensured thanks to the design and materials. This is, of course, a wonderful and unexpected gift, a real feat of engineers!

Overall, the design deserves the highest marks. Of course, its subjective perception depends primarily on how much you, in principle, like the screen that bends on the edge. There are people who don't like it. But even they are unlikely to argue with the fact that the design of the Galaxy S7 Edge is certainly original (except, of course, for its predecessors), and thanks to the excellent ratio of dimensions and display size, the smartphone is also very practical. It will fit into any pocket without any problems and will fit comfortably even in a small hand. As a huge plus, we note the appearance of a slot for memory cards, and among the minuses is the absence of a green option. For the Galaxy S6 Edge, it was the green (“emerald”) version that was one of the most attractive, original and stylish.

The color options for the new member of the Edge family are also quite good. But here is a strange situation: only black, gold and silver options are available for pre-order in Russia. But white - no. Although we saw it at the exhibition and, to be honest, it was the one we liked the most. It has a very interesting pearl shade. The black device that we are currently testing seems a little less advantageous and practical (due to fingerprints), although the color is still interesting, deep, and not banal.

Performance

The smartphone runs on the new Exynos 8890 Octa SoC, made using a 14 nm process technology, improved with FinFET LPP (Low-Power Plus) technology. It uses new Mongoose CPU cores (four cores with a frequency of 2.6 GHz) and the already familiar four Cortex-A53 cores with a frequency of 1.6 GHz.

The Mali-T880 acts as a graphics accelerator.

Samsung has not used this SoC before, meaning this is our first look at it. Therefore, it is necessary to compare it with the main competing solutions: Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 and Apple A9. Of course, it would be even more interesting if the comparison involved the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, but we have not yet had devices with this SoC. So we’ll be content with what we have, and at the same time we’ll try to answer the burning question that worries the Internet community so much: who is more powerful – the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge or the Apple iPhone S6 Plus?

Let's start with browser tests: SunSpider 1.0.2, Octane Benchmark, Kraken Benchmark and . We used the Chrome browser on all Android devices and Safari on iOS. If there is a dash in the table field, it means that the corresponding smartphone was not tested in this benchmark (or in this version of this benchmark).

As you can see, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is confidently ahead of its Android competitor and its own predecessor, but the iPhone is still ahead in the overall standings.

Now let's see how the gadget performs in complex benchmarks - AnTuTu 6 and Geekbench 3.

Unfortunately, we do not have AnTuTu 6 results for the previous Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, since we tested it in the fifth version of the benchmark, and it was radically different in the principles of scoring, so it is incorrect to compare the results. But AnTuTu finally worked fine on iOS. So we added the iPhone to the table too.

And again the picture repeats itself, although the superiority of the iPhone is already less, and in the multi-core Geekbench 3 mode, the Apple smartphone is completely inferior to the new Samsung product.

In addition to our ongoing testing methodology, we decided to compare the Galaxy S7 Edge and iPhone 6s Plus in the cross-platform Basemark OS II benchmark. The results are in front of you. The screenshot on the left is Samsung, on the right is Apple.

As we can see, Samsung lost here. Although not in all subtests (see Memory).

The last group of benchmarks is dedicated to testing GPU performance. We used 3DMark, GFXBench and Bonsai Benchmark. All of them show real 3D scenes and allow you to clearly see how the devices cope with them.

Let's start with GFXBench. Let us remind you that Offscreen tests involve displaying images in 1080p, regardless of the actual screen resolution. And Onscreen tests mean displaying a picture in the resolution that matches the device screen resolution. That is, Offscreen tests are indicative from the point of view of the abstract performance of the SoC, and Onscreen tests are indicative from the point of view of the comfort of the game on a specific device. Additionally, this year's Android devices featured a new Car Chase scene using OpenGL ES 3.1. This standard is not supported on iPhone, so this scene is not available there, nor is the Manhattan version of the scene with ES 3.1. However, there is enough data to draw conclusions.

As we can see, the Galaxy S7 Edge and iPhone 6s Plus performed approximately equally. The difference in Onscreen mode is naturally explained by the higher screen resolution of the Galaxy S7 Edge. As for comparison with other Android smartphones, the picture here is clear and requires no comment.

The next tests are 3DMark and Bonsai Benchmark. In 3DMark, the Sling Shot scene ran in OpenGL ES 3.1 on Android devices, and in OpenGL 3.0 on iPhones.

One can immediately say about Bonsai Benchmark that it is no longer indicative for such productive SoCs - in particular, this is evidenced by the results of two Samsung smartphones. But with 3DMark it’s more interesting. And here the iPhone is still in the lead.

In general, the benchmarks allow us to draw the following conclusions. Undoubtedly, this is a powerful device that has no equal among Android smartphones. At least until the appearance of devices powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. However, Samsung’s new product failed to surpass the iPhone 6s Plus - Apple’s flagship is the leader in most tests. Although the gap is minimal and is rather of theoretical interest. The practical result (performance in games) will depend primarily on how well the game is optimized for a specific SoC.

In the second part of the article you will find detailed testing of the screen, a story about battery life, a description of the software, as well as a test drive of the camera in field conditions - on the Kola Peninsula, including during underwater shooting! Do not miss!