Same but better. Overview of the smartphone Samsung Galaxy S7

Part 1: Introduction and performance comparison with iPhone 6s Plus and Moto X Force

The announcement of Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge at Mobile World Congress 2016 has become one of the main IT events of recent weeks. And although in general there is nothing revolutionary in these smartphones - it is rather an evolution in relation to and S6 Edge, and not a revolution, nevertheless, from the first impressions and from the totality of the voiced information about the new products, the impression was that it really was almost the best flagships of the first half of 2016. Now that we've received the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge for testing, it's time to check if it's 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 argue the difference in price between the S7 and S7 Edge. According to pre-order in Russia, smartphones cost 49,990 and 59,990 rubles, respectively. 10,000 rubles difference only 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 to be much more interesting.

We especially note that when pre-ordering, the user receives a helmet as a gift Samsung Gear VR of the second generation, which separately 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 @2.6GHz (4 cores) + Cortex-A53 @1.6GHz (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
• Support for 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 2.4GHz and 5GHz
• GPS with A-GPS, Glonass
• Sensors: accelerometer, geomagnetic sensor, gyroscope, ambient 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 Samsung specifications Galaxy S7 Edge and its immediate predecessor Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge +, and also added Moto X Force and iPhone 6S Plus to the table - the most obvious competitors of the novelty.

*according to manufacturer's official data

The table clearly shows what major changes have occurred in the novelty 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 can confuse those who choose between the Galaxy S7 Edge and S6 Edge+. Firstly, the novelty 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 are justified by some technological features, which we will discuss later, so you should not immediately write it down as a minus.

As for the comparison with the Moto X Force, the smaller amount of RAM is noteworthy here. And, of course, the screen does not have a curve (although, according to Lenovo, which owns the Moto brand, it is also plastic). As for the rest of the differences (SoC and camera parameters), here you need to test. The same is true for the iPhone 6s Plus, where a direct comparison of characteristics is generally pointless due to different operating systems. But it is 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 not smaller (only thickness).

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

Equipment

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

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

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge + had the same headphones, and, admittedly, it was not in vain that the manufacturer put them back. They have a tangle-free flat wire, a very comfortable shape of the ear pads, and most importantly, a 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 deep bass transfer in the songs Dead Editors and Take It There.

As for the charger, we will tell you in more detail about all 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 with the help of the supplied charging unit, the smartphone was charged by 20%. A very 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 concern slightly changed sizes. 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 wraps effectively on both sides along the long sides. And this is not only delightful in itself, but also creates the illusion of a complete lack of frames. 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 frontal and back panel completely covered with glass. They are quite easily soiled, especially if we are talking about the black version of the smartphone (there will also be silver and platinum versions on sale), but they still look great. Very narrow zones above and below the screen is also a plus. Due to this, with the same screen size, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is significantly more compact than the iPhone 6s Plus. True, the iPhone is quite a bit thinner, but it's 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. S6 Edge + was still too big and in the hand was not so comfortable. But S7 Edge - just right! Of course, because of the glass in front and behind it is slippery, you are afraid to drop it, but still it is pleasant to hold it in your hand.

All faces, like its predecessor, are made of metal, buttons too. They are pressed with a 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 is strange that Samsung does not switch to USB Type C, unlike many other manufacturers), a 3.5 mm headset jack and a hole for the built-in microphone. It is curious that the location of this hole has changed, that is, inside, apparently, the internal layout of the components has undergone significant changes. As for the speaker, its maximum volume is quite sufficient not to miss a call / alarm clock, and to watch movies or videos, but, of course, you should not use it to listen 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 this form factor.

On the top side we see another microphone hole and a combined slot for a SIM card and a microSD memory card. Yes, as we 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 given that the manufacturer is especially proud of the smartphone’s camera, this is especially true, since 32 GB of its own 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 before, but I'm glad that Samsung did not sacrifice it.

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

There is also a home button on the front panel. But this is even a plus, because 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 has a fingerprint sensor. It works very quickly, the recognition rate is very good, so there are no complaints here.

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

In general, the design deserves the highest marks. Of course, its subjective perception depends primarily on how much you basically like the screen, bending 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, its predecessors), and thanks to the excellent ratio of dimensions and display size, the smartphone is also very practical. It will easily fit into any pocket and will fit comfortably even in a small hand. As a huge plus, we note the appearance of a slot for memory cards, and the absence of a green option should be noted among the minuses. In 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 is not. Although we saw him at the exhibition and, to be honest, we liked him the most. It has a very interesting pearl shade. The black device that we currently have for testing seems a little less winning 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 the 14 nm process technology, improved with FinFET LPP (Low-Power Plus) technology. It uses the 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.

Before Samsung did not use this SoC, that is, now we have the first acquaintance with it. And 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 Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 participated in the comparison, but we have not yet had devices with this SoC. So we will be content with what we have, and at the same time we will try to answer the burning question that worries the Internet community: who is more powerful - Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge or Apple iPhone S6 plus?

Let's start with browser benchmarks: SunSpider 1.0.2, Octane Benchmark, Kraken Benchmark and . On all Android devices, we used the Chrome browser, on iOS - Safari. 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 Android competitor and its own predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, outperforms confidently, but in the overall standings, the iPhone is still ahead.

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

Unfortunately, we don't have AnTuTu 6 results for the previous Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, as we tested it in the fifth version of the benchmark, which was radically different in terms of scoring principles, so it's not fair 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 mode of Geekbench 3, the Apple smartphone loses to the new Samsung.

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

As you can see, here Samsung lost. 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 demonstrate real 3D scenes and allow you to visually see how devices cope with them.

Let's start with GFXBench. Recall that Offscreen tests are a display of a 1080p image on the screen, regardless of the actual screen resolution. And Onscreen tests are the output of a picture in the resolution that corresponds to the screen resolution of the device. That is, Offscreen tests are indicative in terms of the abstract performance of the SoC, and Onscreen tests are indicative of the comfort of playing on a specific device. In addition, this year's Android devices used the new Car Chase scene, which uses OpenGL ES 3.1. This standard is not supported by the iPhone, so this scene is not available there, nor is the ES 3.1 version of the Manhattan scene. However, there is enough data to draw conclusions.

As we can see, the Galaxy S7 Edge and iPhone 6s Plus were about equal. The difference in Onscreen mode is naturally explained by the higher screen resolution of the Galaxy S7 Edge. As for the comparison with other Android-smartphones, here the picture is unambiguous and does not require comments.

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

About Bonsai Benchmark, we can say right away that it is no longer indicative for such productive SoCs - in particular, the results of two Samsung smartphones testify to this. But with 3DMark - more interesting. And so far, the iPhone is in the lead.

In general, benchmarks allow us to draw the following conclusions. Undoubtedly, we have before us the most powerful device, which has no equal among Android smartphones. At least, until the advent of devices based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. However, Samsung's new product failed to outdo the iPhone 6s Plus - Apple's flagship is in the lead 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 will be 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 when shooting underwater! Do not miss!

Camera, battery, design, functionality, Super AMOLED Quad HD screen

Minuses

Average phone speaker quality

Review

My husband and I chose a phone for him, went around a lot of stores and decided to go to M.video. Our eyes immediately fell on 2 phones: iPhone 6s and Samsung s7. For a very long time we thought about which one to choose, read user reviews, watched video reviews. Highlighted the pros and cons of these two devices. Pluses iPhone 6s: - good operating system; - good camera; - high-quality sound both in the phone's speakers and in the headphones; - it is possible to turn on the sound of the phone and put it on silent mode with one click; - 3D Touch. Cons iPhone 6s: - problems with listening to music from the social. networks (VKontakte); - the phone turns off in the cold; - there is no way to expand the phone's memory; - it is possible to insert only 1 SIM card; - a closed operating system (you cannot change application icons, theme, photos can be uploaded to a computer only via iCloud, music from the application cannot be transferred to another phone for free, it is impossible to change the ringtone for free to a non-standard one). Advantages of Samsung s7: - you can insert either 2 SIM cards or 1 SIM card and a memory card up to 200 GB; - very versatile camera; - phone optimization (maximum capabilities with minimal power consumption); - fast charging; - design; - Super AMOLED (black pixels consume 0% power); -Always On Display (on the lock screen, the time is always on, the calendar is always on, notifications are also visible, this function consumes only about 1% per day); - there is a pulse sensor, etc.; - there are 2 power saving modes; - you can change the performance modes (gaming, high performance, optimized and entertainment); - there is Samsung Pay; - Smart View (view device screen or content on a large display using a wireless connection); - ip 68 dust, moisture protection; - it is possible to divide the screen into 2 parts (in one, for example, you can watch a video, in the other, reply to messages); - there are still a lot of features that simplify the use of the phone. Cons Samsung s7: - operating system (sometimes lethargy); - little low frequencies on the speaker of the phone, but this is due to the fact that the phone has ip68 without any plugs. Despite the fact that the iPhone 6s is a worthy competitor for the Samsung s7, we still chose Samsung, because some of the disadvantages of the iPhone seemed critical to us. The husband has been walking with the phone for 3 months already, he likes everything, everything suits him, he does not regret the purchase. Thank you for your attention, we hope our review was useful for you.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are the most popular Android releases of 2016. The manufacturer did not make any breakthroughs in terms of design when developing these models, but made many noticeable changes that helped them to rise above the previous phones of the Galaxy series.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Reviews

If you're familiar with 2015 Samsung Galaxy devices at all, you know exactly what to expect from the Galaxy S7. This year, even more refined.

The S7 has a sleek, sporty design with a brushed metal frame and 3D glass back and front. The design improvement has also affected the camera on the back of the case, which still protrudes, but about twice as much as last year's model.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 has a 5.1-inch flat AMOLED display that is the envy of any other smartphone. Thanks to the soft curve of the back, S7 is very comfortable to hold in the palm of your hand. It's nearly identical in size to last year's Galaxy S6 (and Galaxy S5). All in all, this model is a comfortable size unless you're into small phones like the old iPhone 5S.

Always On and Android Marshmallow

Following in the footsteps of innovation, Samsung and LG this year added Always-On mode to the screens of their flagship devices. For example, the Galaxy S7 always shows the clock when the phone is in sleep mode. This feature should be turned off as soon as the smartphone is in your pocket. You can also replace the clock display with a calendar.

The manufacturer did not add many innovations in terms of software to the Samsung Galaxy S7. Samsung made this model of the phone on Android 6.0 Marshmallow (Marshmallow), but at the same time retained the bubbly, colorful TouchWiz interface and the old menu from the S6. The interface is easy enough to use, but a bit resistant to change. For example, Samsung smartphones still don't have a navigation button on the screen, instead they have tactile buttons on either side of the "Home" button below the screen, the location of which can also be called an outdated option, unless of course you are an iPhone user. Competitors such as the Xperia Z5, LG G5 and Nexus 6P have found better places to put the home button.

Battery, video camera, and more

The battery capacity of the Galaxy S7 has been upgraded to 3,000 mAh this year, a few hundred mAh more than the S6, but time battery life still did not become longer than one day.

Samsung provides its own battery holder for the Samsung Galaxy S7, which can increase battery life by about 3,100 mAh. Since the battery is non-removable, this portable charger is the best option for those days when you need an extra charge.

In addition to the battery, Samsung has upgraded the main camera lens body with an amplifier (Olloclip type) and upgraded the wireless charging pad, which can charge the Galaxy S7 at a fast speed.

This is a powerful and pleasant smartphone

The Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone is powered by a new 2.15GHz + 1.6GHz quad-core processor, but the manufacturer will vary depending on the region where the chip is sold. In the United States, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor is used, while in the rest of the world, Samsung uses the Exynos chip, which is its own design. Samsung claims the new processors are about 30 percent faster than the Galaxy S6 and the integrated GPU is 64 percent faster.

One of the features of the Samsung Galaxy S7 is that it is noticeably warm in most cases, despite the new cooling system.

In addition to the processor, the Galaxy S7 is equipped with 4 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal memory and a Nano SIM tray, there is also a Micro SD card slot, in which you can install a card of any capacity (up to 200 GB). Samsung even made a deal that the S7 and S7 Edge are the first phones to work together with the Vulkan API to help develop high-quality games.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Improved Camera

The Samsung S7 has a 12-megapixel rear camera, which is faster thanks to its F1.7 lens (compared to last year's F1.9), and focuses faster thanks to its "two-pixel" hardware. Samsung claims that each pixel in the lens also acts as a focus, a first for smartphones.

In direct sunlight, low light, and dark conditions, the S7 outperformed the iPhone 6S in photo quality. Samsung's camera was able to capture sharper images in the dark by lighting up areas that the iPhone couldn't. The focus speed also helps it capture great shots of moving scenes.

However, the Galaxy S7's camera isn't perfect. Photos taken with the new Samsung smartphone often come out warmer (more yellow and orange) than in reality and than on the iPhone.

Selfies on the S7 come out just as good or as good as competing phones.

Guarantee

The Samsung Galaxy S7 has a standard one-year limited warranty that covers the device and battery, unless they have been damaged. Samsung, at its sole discretion, may replace or repair the device if it is found to be defective from the factory.

Outcome

The Galaxy S7 looks fantastic and is more comfortable to hold than last year's Galaxy S6. The main advantages of this model are a new camera from Samsung, increased battery capacity, accessories and a waterproof case, add to this an AMOLED screen and a more powerful processor.

The biggest concern is its fragility. The Samsung Galaxy S7 has more curved glass than any other model, so in case of damage, glass replacement can be very expensive. Therefore, when purchasing this smartphone, do not forget about the cover, which also protects against annoying fingerprints, and also allows you to block some of the heat generated by the smartphone.

If its fragility bothers you, you can buy the Galaxy S7 Active instead. It has all the same features but in a more durable case that can survive a drop without breaking. In addition, Active is equipped with a larger battery. However, the Active's external design is nothing compared to the stylish Galaxy S7.

Despite the deservedly high marks of the “critics” and the status of the main Android smartphone in the visible universe, the Samsung Galaxy S6 could not boast of record sales, not only in Russia, which could be explained by the financial crisis, but also in the rest of the world too. No memory card slot? Weak battery? Lack of moisture protection? It seems that the engineers sorted out the reasons for the lack of success of the S6 in the same way, simply “filling up” the missing in the new Galaxy, without touching its very essence.

Samsung also got rid of the strange abundance of smartphone variations, throwing out the version with a curved display of the same diagonal as the “normal” one. Now there's the Samsung Galaxy S7 with a 5.1-inch display and the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge with a 5.5-inch display; edge+ version is not planned. We got a “simple” S7 for the test, which differs from the edge, in addition to the price, only in dimensions, a less capacious battery, the size and design of the display. And, of course, design: many people love edge for its uniqueness and elegance; I, in turn, just like the usual version with the display that is ideal for me in size. However, all this is taste, let's move on to a more substantive conversation.

⇡ Specifications

⇡ Appearance and ergonomics

Externally, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is very similar to the Galaxy S6. Similar, but not identical - due to the beveled and slightly rounded edges, it looks a little lighter and weightless than its predecessor, despite the fact that it is thicker and heavier. This is helped by the 2.5D glass on the front panel, slightly beveled at the edges. But the essence itself has not changed - tempered Gorilla Glass front and back, a metal edge, tiny frames around the screen, a mechanical Home key with a built-in fingerprint scanner.

Samsung Galaxy S7 front panel. Above the screen: earpiece, front camera, light and proximity sensors, as well as a status indicator. Under the screen: Home button with a fingerprint scanner and touch keys "Back" and call the list of open applications

This is one of the most pleasant modern smartphones to use - it only looks slippery, which is a little scary (won't it slip out? won't it fall?), but in fact, it's okay, the metal frame around the edges allows you to grab it tenaciously. A little more than a five-inch screen is optimal in terms of the combination of diagonal and ease of operation with one hand, you don’t have to stretch your finger to the corners, as well as intercept the gadget with the second hand. There are complaints about the volume keys located too high - but these are, firstly, completely trifles, and secondly, I have them right under the index and middle fingers, no problem.

Tempered glass theoretically allows you to carry a smartphone in your pocket along with keys and small change - but in practice you should not do this, scratches are still inevitable. One of the most important differences between S7 and S6 is the camera lens that almost does not protrude above the body. This is the merit of both a new smaller camera module and a thicker body - new flagship more than a millimeter thicker than the old one (7.9 mm versus 6.8 mm), - in such a case it turned out to pack the camera almost completely. But, by the way, a slightly protruding camera is good, I am an apologist for such a decision: due to the fact that it is easy to grope blindly, you are less likely to run your finger over the lens and the chances of getting it dirty, respectively, are less.

But nothing will save you from “slamming” the back panel - the glass looks good, but it also collects fingerprints well. This is a noticeable drawback of the light colors of the Galaxy S7 ("dazzling platinum", "titanium silver"). The option that I had a chance to get to know closely, the “black diamond”, looks good even without constant wiping with a cloth.

Samsung Galaxy S7, bottom: microUSB port, 3.5mm mini headphone jack and main speaker

The most important feature of the Samsung Galaxy S7 is the IP68 waterproof (up to half an hour at a depth of one and a half meters) case, splashes and accidental drowning in a puddle or thunderstorm of all smartphones, a toilet, you can not be afraid. This, along with a larger capacity battery, resulted in a thicker body. In my opinion, more than a reasonable fee.

While software support for a fingerprint scanner is built into Android 6.0 Marshmallow by default, it didn't work great in a test Samsung Galaxy S7, almost never recognizing a fingerprint on the first try. I attribute this to the peculiarity of the pre-production copy - the idea that Samsung “did not finish such a trifle” simply disgusts when talking about the S7. Using the scanner is the easiest. In practice - to unlock the device with one touch, in theory - also for payment, including through the Samsung Pay application (which will someday appear in Russia, we believe).

Samsung Galaxy S7, like its predecessor, flaunts only one mono speaker, located on the bottom. It is not too loud, but in order to “finish off” the call to the next room, it is enough; Also, the call is clearly audible when the smartphone is on the table. The problem is different - it is easily blocked by a finger with a horizontal grip, and it is often simply impossible to hear its soundtrack and voice acting during the game. The only way out is to use headphones - the sound path here is quite good.

⇡ Software

Samsung Galaxy S7 runs under Android control 6.0 Marshmallow with TouchWiz proprietary shell. Since last year, this is no longer an advantage or disadvantage of Samsung smartphones, but only their feature - the shell has become very close in appearance and logic to pure Android. But at the same time with a lot of add-ons and a large set of pre-installed software.

The most important feature of TouchWiz and, programmatically, S7 is the AlwaysOn function, which allows you to keep the display constantly on with minimal power consumption. A kind of screensaver where you can display the necessary information (clocks, notifications, reminders) in various graphic styles.

Added a couple of new service programs. Galaxy Care contains all sorts of “questions and answers” ​​about the smartphone, partly Russified, partly not. With this program, you can also check the performance of various smartphone systems.

Galaxy Labs allows you to access experimental features by becoming a focus group to test solutions that may be implemented on a permanent basis in the future. For example, I installed a profile on a permanent basis that removes a separate menu for applications, scattering them on home screens (in the style of iOS or shells for Xiaomi, Huawei devices).

Another function familiar from Huawei is the ability to take a “long” screenshot - when taking a regular one, you can select an item in the drop-down menu, and the smartphone will rotate the screens until you get all the information you need in one “panoramic” file.

Visually, the shell can be changed almost as you like - there is a branded theme store in which not only backgrounds for screens are sometimes changed, but also all other information, up to icons; if you want, you can download the SDK and start creating themes yourself.

There are many minor differences from pure Android - from a different organization of contacts to working with gestures to call certain functions (in particular, you can take a screenshot by moving the edge of your palm across the screen). In most cases, they, at least, do not spoil the picture, but there are also weaknesses. For example, the Game Launcher game management service, which is rather cumbersome and intrusively looming from the edge of the screen during the game - sometimes you hit it with your finger and display an unnecessary menu at the most crucial moment. In essence, this service does not provide any advantages, but it helps Samsung to promote partner projects.

Another not very pleasant feature of the proprietary shell is a large amount of pre-installed software, including the one protected from deletion (!). The latter includes, in particular, Instagram and Facebook from a preferred partner of a Korean company. It looks a little intrusive, although no one bothers to shove everything into folders and not pay attention to it. Already at the start, for example, a special one for Samsung branded applications is provided.

TouchWiz works very smoothly, looks nice - lovers of "pure" Android should look towards Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, but it will not create any problems for the average user. Rather, on the contrary - you will like it with almost all its bells and whistles.

⇡ Display

In terms of characteristics, the display has not changed compared to last year - and that's good: 5.1 inches, resolution of 2560 × 1440 pixels (576 ppi), AMOLED matrix. No flirting with 4K, the resolution is already sufficient. And the use of organic LED technology guarantees remarkable image quality with infinite black depth. The main thing for manufacturers is not to screw up with the settings. Samsung didn't screw up again.

The viewing angles are large - the brightness remains practically unchanged at any position of the screen relative to the viewer, but color reproduction distortions are noticeable when deviating from the perpendicular. However, in ordinary situations, for example, while watching something on the smartphone screen together, the image looks great.

The display is not too bright, which is typical for AMOLED: maximum brightness - 388 cd / m 2, minimum - 26 cd / m 2. This is quite enough to use your smartphone day and night, you don’t have to complain about a lack or excess of brightness, especially if you turn on auto-tuning. The situation is a little more complicated when it comes to color reproduction and gamma.

There are several presets for the S7 display. The main one, which is by default, is “adaptive”, which allows the screen to adapt to the surrounding conditions not only in terms of brightness, but also in terms of saturation and sharpness of the picture; the results of measurements in this mode are highly dependent on the ambient light, the conditions in which the measurements are taken - and the display does not show impressive performance. Gamma is 2.23, Delta E avg is 5.23 (far out of range), color temperature hovering around 8000K (very cold).

But it is worth switching, for example, to “AMOLED Movie” or an elementary main mode, as the indicators immediately approach the reference ones.

Gamma - 2.28, the average deviation of Delta E - 2.6 (within the normal range), color temperature - on average a little over 7000 K, it's colder than normal, but not so much. And pay attention to the color gamut - how much wider it is in adaptive mode, but at the same time how much further color values ​​are from the reference than in normal, where the gamut, in turn, almost corresponds to the sRGB standard with a slight offset.

It is almost impossible to find fault with the display - if not the best mobile screen to date, then one of the best at least. The picture looks great, especially if you switch from adaptive mode to the main one (color reproduction will become more natural in most situations), the contrast, as usual, is impressive, there are no and cannot be any complaints about the detail: pixelation will not be noticeable even when using a smartphone as a screen wearing a Gear VR virtual reality helmet.

⇡ Hardware and performance

There are two versions of Samsung Galaxy S7: with Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, the top processor of the leading American chipmaker, it will be supplied to the American market; and with a system-on-a-chip of its own production, Exynos 8890, in Russia, the rest of Europe and Asia it will be just that.

The Samsung Exynos 8890 is a revolutionary processor in many ways. First of all, because this is the first Samsung chip with Exynos M1 computing cores of its own design: they are built on the ARMv8 architecture with support for 64-bit instructions. The processor has a common big.LITTLE configuration: Samsung's own cores up to 2.6 GHz are combined into a powerful big block, while the LITTLE module contains a quartet of Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.6 GHz. At the same time, Heterogeneous Multi-Processing technology is implemented, which allows you to simultaneously use all eight cores. The processor is made according to the 14-nm process technology.

One of the key problems of modern computing systems, overheating, in this case received a solution in the form of a heat pipe - the technique is not new, we have already seen it on Microsoft and Sony smartphones. Be that as it may, I did not feel any performance sags or overheating noticeable to the touch during testing.

Comparing the Samsung Galaxy S7 system-on-a-chip with last year's top solutions and even with the latest Kirin 950 installed on the Huawei Mate 8, we see a confident and, one might even say, relaxed superiority in all benchmarks. But we have not yet compared it with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 - our colleagues did it for us, and Exynos is no longer the leader there, although it holds up very well.

The ARM Mali-T880MP12 controller with a clock frequency of 850 MHz is responsible for the graphics. As you might guess from the name, the controller uses 12 graphics cores; It is made using the 16nm process technology. The kernels support the OpenGL ES 1.1-3.1, OpenCL 1.1 and 1.2 APIs, as well as DirectX 11. In other words, you will not have any problems with any games either in the near future or in a year or two.

In the WebXPRT Browser Performance Test, the Samsung Galaxy S7 scored the best Android smartphone to date with a score of 122. Prior to this, the leader among the smartphones we tested was Huawei Mate 8 - 117 points. And Microsoft Lumia 950, for example, earned 101 points. Apple iPhone 6s, however, plays in a separate league with 196 points.

RAM - 4 GB. Quad HD display, multitasking, heavy gaming? Enough for everything. By the way, LPDDR4 modules manufactured by SK Hynix are used - however, it cannot be said that this is the case on all smartphones: it is quite possible that some use the "RAM" of their own production. Flash memory on board is 32 or 64 GB, and this is more than enough, because the S7 returned the memory card slot. At the presentation of the smartphone at the Mobile World Congress 2016, this was emphasized, which made the audience laugh a little - a year ago we were told that there was no need for "slow" memory cards in smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy S7, as befits the flagship device of the market leader, demonstrates impressive performance, there are no questions to it in this regard, and there cannot be.

⇡ Communications and wireless connections

The most important thing to know about the Samsung Galaxy S7 wireless modules is that the Exynos 8 Octa 8890 has an integrated LTE Rel.12 Cat.12/13 modem. It provides download speeds up to 600 Mbps (Cat.12) and upload speeds up to 150 Mbps (Cat.13). At the start of S7 sales, we are talking about LTE Cat.9, Cat.12 support will be added with future firmware - but finding points with the right speed is still a big problem. As for the SIM card, there is only one slot for it, in the future there will be a version with two SIM cards (the second one will take the place of a memory card). I did not find any problems with voice communication - the device picks up the signal more than confidently, the speaker is loud, gives a clear sound, everything is fine with the microphone.

There is a standard set of wireless modules: NFC, Bluetooth 4.2 LE and Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac. But now there is no infrared port - in principle, this is not an essential thing, but useful, and it is strange that it has disappeared.

Navigation supports both GPS and GLONASS satellites, and even Chinese BeiDou. Everything works fine - in 20 seconds the smartphone finds 18 satellites and determines the coordinates with an accuracy of 4-8 meters. If you want to use Galaxy S7 as a car navigator - please.

⇡ Camera

A fact doomed to hot discussion - Samsung went to reduce the resolution of the flagship camera from 16 to 12 megapixels. Discussion, but not condemnation: we are already used to the end of the megapixel race, and the start of another race - the size of a single pixel. So nothing particularly new, a smooth search is being made for the optimal solution in terms of the “resolution - work in the dark” ratio. Something else is more interesting: for the Samsung Galaxy S7, two different modules are used - with luck, you can get either a module of your own design, or a Sony IMX260 module specially created for the Galaxy S7. According to their characteristics, they do not differ: 1 / 2.5-inch sensors, a lens with a f / 1.7 aperture record for smartphones. They give out almost identical picture quality, but there are some differences, a small comparison has already leaked to the Web. The sensor uses ISOCELL technology with pixels isolated from each other, which eliminates mutual illumination - we saw this in the Samsung Galaxy S6.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 camera, regardless of the module used, uses Dual Pixel phase detection autofocus: each pixel consists of two photodiodes that are read separately for phase detection autofocus or together to create an image; as a result, the entire surface of the sensor is used for focusing, and not a small percentage of it, like many competitors. We, in particular, can observe a similar solution on Canon cameras, for the first time it appeared on the EOS 70D model. The autofocus of the Galaxy S7 works very well as a result - both quickly and accurately; subjectively, this is the sharpest autofocus I've ever seen on smartphones.

Specifications

• Android 6.0.1, TouchWiz 2016
• Display 5.1 inch, QHD-resolution, 576 ppi, SuperAMOLED, automatic backlight control, Always On function, different modes work, Corning Gorilla Glass 4
• 4 GB RAM, 32/64 GB built-in, memory card up to 200 GB
• nanoSIM (there will be options for 2 SIM cards)
• Exynos 8890 chipset, 8 cores up to 1.8 GHz per core, MALI T880 MP12 GPU (Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 variant in some countries)
• support for LTE cat12/13 with software update, operator support is also required
• Front camera 5 megapixels, flash (screen), BRITECELL main camera, 12 megapixels, time lapse, 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
• In-body wireless charging (WPC1.1(4.6W Output) & PMA 1.0(4.2W)
• 3000 mAh Li-Ion battery, extreme power saving mode, fast charging in one hour up to 70 percent
• Water proof, IP68 standard
• Dimensions - 142.4x69.6x7.9 mm, weight - 152 grams

Contents of delivery

• Telephone
• Charger(Fast Adaptive Charge) with USB cable
• USB adapter, microUSB-USB
• Instruction
• Wired stereo headset
• Clip for SIM tray

Positioning

In 2015, there was a reshuffle inside Samsung that affected the positioning of devices, the schedule for their release, and what the company does. In particular, they went on an experiment for flagships when they abandoned memory cards (Apple doesn’t have it, and no one complains!), They made the cases monolithic, and this scared many consumers away. The fact that two models appeared on the market at once - S6 and S6 EDGE, in the same case size, but one with a side edge, and the second without, confused the situation even more.

The very first sales showed that the fashion 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 at EDGE was noticeable during the first three months, the company did not have time to produce matrices for them and was forced to start additional production.

But then something happened that was supposed to happen, the S6 with a flat screen took its toll, this device, due to the price, pulled over sales. For example, in Russia the cost of S6 is about 35 thousand rubles in the basic version, while a similar EDGE costs 10-12 thousand more. On the Russian market, it was S6 that became the most massive flagship on Android, one of the best-selling models from Samsung. I am sure that the same will happen with the S7 over time, this device has a long life cycle and over time and with price adjustments will gain more and more fans.

What is the beauty of this model? For me, the screen is always a priority in a phone, you get used to a large diagonal quickly, and it's hard to refuse it. Last year I had a pair of two phones - S6 EDGE and Note, then smoothly moved to Note 5 and EDGE Plus. It so happened that my choice settled on two flagships with a large screen diagonal. In addition to the screen, the main reason was the operating time, the “small” EDGE did not allow me to comfortably survive until the evening, despite the fact that it was the second device, in pair with the big Note. It is clear that my scenario of using the phone is different from the vast majority of people, I use smartphones to the fullest, I have different devices connected to them, a wireless headset, a hands-free kit and various sensors.

But many people use only one device and at the same time they do not want it to be large, they strive for compactness. In my opinion, the golden mean of the modern market is 5 inches, this is the vast majority of smartphones sold, about half of all devices in the world come out in this diagonal. And this is precisely the Galaxy S7, which offers the very golden mean.

Who is interested in this phone? First of all, these are those who change from the iPhone and strive to keep the body compact, but at the same time get more battery life and a better screen. Going from Samsung's previous generation of sixes doesn't make much sense, unless you've got extra cash and itching to see a model out there that's better in a lot of ways. Among the flagships, the S7 looks like a balanced solution, on the one hand, this is a typical cost for the basic version (the most affordable flagship 2016), on the other hand, maximum technology and noticeably improved ergonomics of the solution. Despite my love for phablets, I now again consider the S7 as the second phone paired with the S7 EDGE / S6 EDGE Plus, as it is more compact and at the same time is not inferior to its older brothers in anything other than the screen diagonal.

Design, body materials

Time passes, and yesterday's ideas of beauty evaporate like fog. Remember, until recently we considered thin devices with a thickness of one and a half centimeters, but this was some ten years ago. Exactly the same situation with what is considered a compact phone today, in my opinion, these are models with a diagonal of 4.5-4.7 inches, while the most popular are devices with a screen of 5 inches. And gradually people are switching to such phones, considering their size to be convenient, today this is the majority of smartphones on the market. The same S7 fits perfectly into the cohort of such devices, has a good size for them - 142.4x69.6x7.9 mm, weight - 152 grams.

Ergonomics of the device is what we worked on day and night, the impressions of the model in comparison with the S6 vary greatly. This device fits in the hand like a glove. Compared to the S7 EDGE, by not having a bevelled front edge like it does, you feel the S7 is much more comfortable. No slippage in hand, lays down like it's always been there. Of course, these impressions are individual, someone may not like the device, it all depends on your habits and hand size. But it suited me perfectly. And most importantly, there are no difficulties in dialing a number with one hand on the go, this is quite possible without acrobatic numbers.

Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge

Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S6 Edge

For Samsung in 2015, the redesign of the flagships was successful, now they are all built on a metal frame, have a back surface of Corning Gorilla Glass 4. In 2016, nothing changes, except that the glass on the front and back becomes 2.5D ( this is fashion and only, now all companies make such rounded glasses). Samsung, in order to position itself differently from competitors, calls 3D glass, for this they have a reason, no one uses such bends for Gorilla Glass 4 in their products.

As you can see, outwardly these smartphones completely repeat the flagships of 2015, 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 them they will try to emphasize older models. But it is difficult in life to distinguish the saturation of the color of the case, to notice what kind of apparatus a person uses. A successful design, which is reproduced in a dozen models, quickly becomes boring. And, perhaps, it is this moment that will stop many, people will find that it will be difficult to stand out with the help of such an apparatus. As I see the situation, Samsung switched to a two-year design cycle, like Apple, but decided to play the opposite, that is, change the look of handsets not in the same year as Apple. This year, the iPhone 7 will get a different look, but the Galaxy S7 will resemble its predecessor.

From the point of view of color schemes, the black (Black Onyx) phone looks more interesting, the gold color is somewhat boring in the previous model. And most people order the phone in black or silver, it's also good.

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

Now a few words about dreams about a collapsible case. It is not and will not be in this model, the design itself does not involve replacing the battery yourself. But this can be done at any service center. The second point is water protection. Just like in the Galaxy S5, it returns to Samsung devices, and to all flagships. The protection standard is IP68, phones can be drowned, and nothing will come of it. There is impregnation of the components on the board with a special solution that repels water (it is often used 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 still happens from a blow, then there is a special controller that prevents a short circuit.

All metal surfaces have undergone additional anti-corrosion treatment. In the picture you see the painted parts, which are additionally protected from water.

We did an IP68 test and the phone passed it with ease. There are no problems with it, watch the video. I want to note right away that in order for the speakers to not sound muffled after water, it is necessary that the device is dry, this is a simple logic, which for some reason is not clear to certain people.

Pay attention to how the tray for the SIM card and memory card is arranged, it has a rubberized insert, which 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 is affected. Someone may not like it from an aesthetic point of view, but there are no problems with this, since dust does not penetrate into the case, it cannot get there.

The case has grown slightly in size, both as a result of the larger battery in the S7 and a different frame design, made stronger to withstand serious drops (6013 aluminum alloy). I have absolutely no complaints about the resistance to drops for the latest generations of Galaxy. Immediately, the location of the components and parts of the phone was completely recalculated to ensure even greater survival and safety of the glasses that cover the screen and the back surface. There are no miracles in the world, and you can break any device, but users of the Galaxy / Note line know that they have very reliable devices that are difficult to break.

Of the minuses of the black version, I note the speaker grille, which is also painted black. The paint wears off in a few weeks in the pocket, white metal appears. In the golden color of the case, this is simply imperceptible, it seems that everything is correct, but here it is clearly visible. In my opinion, this is a clear drawback, but it cannot be called critical.

Overall, the S7 is very good in terms of materials and feel. Fits perfectly in the hand, good in pockets.

In order for the device not to heat up, a special cooling system was created inside. Look at her description.

Type of memory, RAM, memory cards

When Samsung started refusing to manufacture its flagships with memory cards, the company reasoned that the memory capacity of 32, 64 and 128 GB is enough in theory for any person. In practice, the company got confused in logistics, and 32 GB devices appeared first, then 64 GB, but 128 GB models turned out to be difficult to find, and few 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 are back in all flagships, you can use them in almost any size. The 200 GB card is recognized and works. Later, support for 2 TB memory cards may appear, there are no reasons not to do this, there are no technical restrictions.

The main models will be those that offer 32 GB of internal memory, while devices with 64 GB will not be very common. I think that there is nothing wrong with this, and users will choose just such solutions.

Since Samsung smartphones use fast UFS 2.0 memory, the company had to abandon the Android 6 proprietary function, combining memory cards and internal memory into a single array. This is necessary for those who are not going to use their memory card somewhere else, but only in one phone. The risks of this are quite large, if the memory card fails, you will lose most of your data, if not all of it, except for what is 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 the 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 the smartphone. As a result, there are no de facto restrictions, you can use your smartphone as you please.

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

The memory manager that appeared in the previous generation and caused complaints from many users that it unloaded applications from the memory remained. But we added an operating mode in which the latest applications are kept in RAM, unloading them only when necessary. That is, a sort of mixed mode has turned out: while memory is not required, 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 load time for applications from the cache has been reduced by at least half, it seems that they are hanging in memory. Visually, and on sensations, this is a big increase in the speed of work in this aspect.

Chipset and performance

In 2015, Samsung abandoned the use of Qualcomm in their flagships, the processors were 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 abandonment of it, crashed Qualcomm's stock and even caused a wave of layoffs and a reorganization of the chipset maker.

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

The vast majority of countries will receive flagships from Samsung on the Exynos version, and not on the Qualcomm 820. Operators who, for some reason, want to get the Qualcomm version, do so consciously and for their own reasons. Of the minuses of the Qualcomm version, I note about 10 percent less time in various modes, which, with the same performance, looks like a huge difference. Also, less integration of the Qualcomm chipset with the Samsung camera may affect the speed of the autofocus (but you probably won't notice it). The predominant version of the flagships will be the one that uses the Exynos 8890 inside.

Depending on the operator and / or the chipset used, the letters in the model markings will differ, the standard name is SM-G930. Let's dwell a little on this processor. So, it is made according to the 14 nm FinFET process technology, it has eight cores, as well as a new MALI T880 MP12 graphics coprocessor. In the graphics area, the processor is claimed to be 80 percent faster than the MALI-T760 and energy efficient by 40 percent at maximum load.

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

In synthetic benchmarks, the Exynos version shows better performance.

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

I want 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. Devoting a separate, dedicated processor to this is justified. At the moment, S Health has an erroneous step count when moving in a car, shaking is perceived as walking. This oversight will be corrected in the coming months.

Display

The phone has a SuperAMOLED screen, 5.1 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 outdated by several generations from Samsung only speaks of how good this technology is.

DisplayMate traditionally conducted screen research in S7/S7 EDGE, and the result is quite interesting, the previous leader in the face of S6 EDGE Plus lost the crown, the best screens in mobile devices, displays from the latest generation are named, nothing better simply does not exist in the world. , it is quite detailed and thorough.

Let's focus on a few technologies, each of which is not obvious, but improves the use of these devices in Everyday life. So, let's start with how the screens behave in bright sunlight. The S7 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 screen content 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 a 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 appear lighter. Miracle? Just the arrangement of the elements.

The screen for the Galaxy S7 took care of this "little thing" 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 trifles for the screen have been thought out.

Another thing that has changed for the screens and appears for the first time in the S7/S7 EDGE is the personal auto-brightness setting. What does it mean? How can setup be personal and automatic at the same time? 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, which we consider a comfortable level for ourselves. And this data is used in order to subsequently adjust the backlight in a way that is convenient for you. It is enough to use both manual backlight adjustment and automatic for about one week, so that the phone understands what you like and works in automatic mode. I absolutely love this feature as it predicts what I want to see, what the brightness of the screen should be in 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 choose topics in which these images will differ.

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

Cameras - front and rear

The front camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels, 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 the geometry of the face. Face enhancers will definitely appeal to girls.

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

The Galaxy S7/S7 EDGE uses the Sony IMX260 camera module (previously IMX240), which was created specifically for Samsung. On the Sony website, such products usually do not receive descriptions, moreover, they cannot be bought by other manufacturers.

I did not manage 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 (f/1.9 a year earlier), while also increasing the pixel size to 1.4 microns, which makes it possible to get 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 clear, let's try to figure it out.

To begin with, the S7 is the first device on the market that has focusing over the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe 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, the current flagships shoot very well). Here increased the possibility of shooting in the evening and in the dark. There are new scenes and plots, camera settings. Samsung was able to improve the camera, although it seemed that it was impossible to do so.

Photo examples

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 on the left there is a picture without a filter, on the right - with it.

Ordinary	Food mode

For video recording, a slow-motion mode has appeared, as well as a 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 very high quality. And I'm tired of constantly answering the question on social networks, what this picture was taken for. In S7/S7 EDGE, the camera has become even better, which makes these devices the undisputed leaders. Now the time has expanded when you can be guaranteed to get a high-quality picture, this is not only a day, but also twilight, evening. In short, the camera is, as before, one of the strengths of these devices.

extracurricular reading

Battery

Slightly increased dimensions are associated, among other things, with the battery capacity - 3000 mAh. The operating time of the device is always a combination of factors, in particular, the stability and optimization of software, the quality of components, and the power consumption of the screen. It is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to consider the 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 use case, for example, I use phones to the fullest - take pictures, listen to podcasts on a wireless headset, watch social networks, movies, web pages, every fifteen minutes I receive mail from different mailboxes. My EDGE Plus lives with three to three and a half hours of screen operation from morning to late evening with about 70 percent backlight. And this is a good indicator. For many, the operating time of this device is an average of two days. Some manage to make it work for up to three days, and say that this is enough for them for active use. It should be noted here that the word “active” is different for everyone, everyone puts their own worldview into it.

For S7, I get a full day, from morning to evening, there are no restrictions here. The screen time with automatic backlighting is from 3.5 to 4.5 hours (brightness is 50-60%, which is quite noticeable, this is considered full brightness by competitors). It is the operating time that becomes one of the advantages compared to the S6 / S6 EDGE.

The 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 any. There is support for fast wireless charging. There is also fast wired charging - in 90 minutes you will charge the device to 100 percent. It takes less than half an hour to get half a charge. Many flagships from other companies can only dream of such a fast charging technology that saves you, even if you forgot to charge the device in the morning, it only takes a few minutes in the morning.

The most important improvement of the current flagships, and indeed of all 2016 models from Samsung, is the increased battery life. A gigantic work has been done here, and it should be noted. On average, they will work 1.5-2 times longer than previous devices of the same segment. The reason is the increase in battery capacity, but also the optimization of software and hardware.

A few words about the microUSB connector, which the progressive part of humanity has already decided to send to the scrap and is waiting for USB Type C. Personally, I am tired of carrying a second cable, I constantly forget it, and therefore some phones I only charge at home, where there are such cables. 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. Samsung has now considered that the compatibility of all accessories is much more important than the support of a fashion trend.

Speaking of AMOLED, Exynos and battery life. Meizu Pro 5 used this combination of components from Samsung to achieve maximum battery life in its flagship. Other companies are starting to learn from Samsung, it's 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 special changes, new profiles have appeared, energy consumption has improved. Let me remind you that there is something interesting in the new standard.

Firstly, this is an extended range, which can reach several tens of meters, depending on the settings of the devices 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 the technical points, the interaction between Bluetooth and LTE has been improved, now within the same device the operation of these technologies is synchronized, mutual interference is not created (for our LTE frequencies it is irrelevant). Plus, Bluetooth devices can now access the cloud and transfer their results directly, bypassing the companion device, as was necessary before.

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

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

For 802.11n, HT40 mode of operation is supported, allowing you to double the Wi-Fi throughput (requires support from another device).

WiFi Direct. A protocol that aims to replace Bluetooth or compete with its third version (it also uses Wi-Fi version n to transfer large files). In the Wi-Fi settings menu, select the Wi-Fi Direct section, the phone starts searching for devices around. 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 the 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.

WiFi repeater.

It is impossible to write a review when you use the phone for a few minutes at the company's booth and this device is not your main one. Then there are materials that lack many "chips" that the manufacturer himself did not talk about, just as others did not find 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 talk about one of these chips.

Usually, when you turn on the hotspot on your phone, it instantly turns off Wi-Fi, you can’t use both at the same time.

On the Galaxy S7/S7 EDGE, I suddenly found that when Wi-Fi is turned on, it connects to the wireless network, but your hotspot does not turn off. There are two icons in the status bar.

Further - more and even more interesting. All phones connected to the Galaxy S7 start using its Wi-Fi connection instead of mobile transmission 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 very often encounter a limit on the number of connected devices in hotels. With the help of the Galaxy S7 features, these restrictions on the number of devices are a thing of the past, now I am writing a text, and a dozen of my phones are hanging on one connection through the Galaxy S7 EDGE. And most importantly, I don’t need to waste time at all and enter my last name, room number and postal address on each one. 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 finish off. At the same time, check whether it is worth buying a regular Wi-Fi repeater and whether it will work.

As always, I believe that it is better to have additional features in the device that are not required so often, but when they are needed, you will be grateful for them than not to have such 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 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 and authorize phones, but the second is used to transfer the files themselves. The creatively redesigned way to use Wi-Fi Direct is much easier than using the connection on two devices, selecting files, and so on.

Software - Android 6, TouchWiz and more

Inside Android 6.0.1, 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 will go on sale. As before, this device has TouchWiz, but it has been heavily redesigned for the style of Android, and now the whole 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 brakes. Again, it all depends on personal perception, someone sees the brakes in what other people consider instantaneous.

There are a lot of features in the software, you will need to talk about them separately, which I did, read the full review and watch a video about this software.

Additional accessories

A new wireless charging will be available for these models, it is different from old topics, which has a slope of 50 degrees and you can put your phone on it. There will be leather bumpers (leather back) as well as a case with two interchangeable lenses.

From what I managed to try, I will note standard book cases, including those with an LED screen. Look at the pictures of these accessories, then you can also watch the video where I explain and show you how they work.

Comparison with Galaxy S6

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

Impression

There are no complaints about the quality of speech reproduction, 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 so good. However, as we saw in the review, they do this for many components of their flagships.

It is a thankless task to evaluate new devices by pictures or even photographs. In the case of the S7/S7 EDGE, it is doubly ungrateful. It seems to be the same materials, the same design, but you need to take the device in your hand to realize the difference. And it is not in favor of the previous generation. These devices need to be touched live and see how they work, how responsive the menu is, how the camera shoots, and it is advisable to do this at dusk in order to realize the differences.

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

The new camera module gives a great result, it's a breakthrough in a direction where no one expected major improvements. I did not expect that the difference would be visible in real life. And this is a serious claim to maintain its advantage in this area, other devices are approaching Samsung in terms of the photo part, but they still cannot catch up.

From an engineering point of view, these devices are small masterpieces, stuffed with the latest technology and made them work. What are the improvements in the display, which are not visible, but make our life better and easier. It is not superfluous to note that other companies, and primarily Apple, reach the use of such 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 dispersed 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 sense in this. But everything is gradually changing, slowly and confidently, 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 of Galaxy will be very successful, there are all the prerequisites for this, the devices turned out to be interesting.

The cost of S7 is 49,990 rubles, this is the most affordable flagship of the latest generation, the price has not changed compared to how the S6 came out a year ago. You can choose S7 EDGE as an alternative to this device.

Considering that the S7 EDGE comes out at a price of 59,990 rubles, this can be considered an additional payment for a larger screen, battery and a better image component.

The choice between S7 and S7 EDGE is obvious, I like the older model more, it looks more interesting. Another thing is that, perhaps, you are an adherent of more compact sizes.

But as a final word, I can say that Samsung has turned out models that are head and shoulders above the competition, and they are not just solid, they are the best on the market today. And without compromise.