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Samsung Galaxy S7 Specs & Features: Se7en Things To Expect!
Samsung will be launching the new Galaxy S7 flagship in Q1 2016 – here’s what you should expect to see!
The Samsung Galaxy S7 is coming; we know this for a fact. We know this because it’s inevitable and the smartphone industry is predictable. Just as there’s going to be an iPhone 7 in 2016, there will also be a successor to the Samsung Galaxy S flagship series. The crucial difference there, however, is that while both phones are certainly in development simply by virtue of the way the development cycle works (it’s all part of a long-term plan that starts well in advance), Apple isn’t going to launch its next device until the end of next year. Samsung, on the other hand, will be presenting a new phone in Q1
That’s why there are so many detailed rumours in circulation, the handset is already well into testing and being prepped for launch in the early part of 2016, and, in case you haven’t noticed, Christmas and the beginning of 2016 are not too far away now at all!
The rumours are such that we now have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Samsung come the big unveiling. Let’s take a look at 10 features you will likely see when the wraps are taken off.
There Will Be Two Designs – A Samsung Galaxy S7 & A Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
Firstly, Samsung has already established a pattern of dual-launches of multiple device variants, particularly when it comes to ‘edge’ variants of whatever new handset it is releasing. So far we’ve had the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note edge, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, and the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge +, all as dual-launches.
Secondly, multiple rumours, some from highly credible and reliable sources, have repeatedly stated there will be two design variants more-or-less from the beginning, and one of these will be an ‘edge’ model with a curved display.
All-in-all then, we think it’s looking pretty likely Samsung will follow its now well-established MO and the Galaxy S7 will be a dual-launch of both the standard, flat-display Galaxy S7, and a curved-screen Galaxy S7 edge.
There Will Be Two Processor Variants
Historically Samsung has followed a pretty standard MO when it comes to processors, particularly with regards to flagship models. For a long time it was predictable that the firm’s own Exynos processors would be put into Galaxy S flagship models ditributed in its home market of Asia, while the rest of the world gets a version fitted with whatever Qualcomm’s current flagship Snapdragon chip is at the time.
That did get switched around recently, however, with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, due to spreading concerns over Qualcomm’s then-flagship Snapdragon 810 chip and issues with overheating. It also emerged that Samsung was stepping up its own processor production game, and there was talk of the firm distancing itself from its long-time chip partner.
However, more recently launches from Samsung have returned to the two processor type distribution model, so it seems relations with Qualcomm are in fact healthy, and the Galaxy S6 was a minor hiccup. Rumours have also persisted that there will be an Asian-facing Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge using Samsung’s latest home-brew Exynos 8890 processor; this is the first chip Samsung has engineered its own core architecture for and built from the ground up, complete with a built-in 4G LTE modem. These rumours also say that the versions of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge coming to the non-Asian markets will use Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 820 chip.
The Galaxy S7 edge Will Have A New Display Design
There have been varied rumours about new design approaches for the Galaxy S7, including some ideas about genuine flexible display panels, however, these seem to have largely dropped off in favour of dominant leaks and rumours suggesting a broadly similar design language to the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. However, there appears to be one key difference for the Galaxy S7 edge; a persistent rumour that it will feature curved display edges along the top and bottom of the handset as well as the side edges seen on the Galaxy S6 edge. In other words, the edge is about to get edgier.
The Exynos 8890 Model Will Be INSANELY Fast
It seems Samsung is prepping quite a debut for its first completely home-made Exynos processor. As well as sporting the firm’s own core architecture on its 14nm FinFET semiconductor production, built-in superfast RAM and a built-in LTE modem, the Exynos 8890 appears to deliver blisteringly fast performance unmatched anywhere else, if recent leaked benchmarks are to be believed.
A set of AnTuTu benchmark results were handed to PhoneArena, which showed the Exynos 8890 powered SM-9300 (Galaxy S7), utterly dominating everything else on the chart with a score of 103,692 – considerably higher than the next best Huawei Kirin 950 which has ranged from 79,000-94,000.
There Will Be Advanced Camera Hardware
Samsung always seems keen to up its camera game and the last several generations of Samsung Galaxy top-enders have had some of the best camera capabilities on the market. What’s not clear yet is precisely how Samsung plans to improve things, but what we do know is that it has been scoping out a few options. There have been multiple rumour reports surrounding possible camera hardware setups.
The two most compelling so far suggest that, firstly, Samsung has been in talks with Sony to acquire the use of its 23MP IMX300 camera – the one exclusively used inside the Xperia Z5 flagship.
The second isn’t really just one rumour, it’s several, and relates to Samsung using its own technology. Samsung has been working on its own brand ISOCELL sensors for a while and one or two variants have made their way into launched Samsung devices. One set of rumours suggested Samsung would opt for a 12MP sensor but would use a very large sensor with a larger pixel size in a bid to improve image quality. Earlier rumours have suggested a 20MP ISOCELL sensor, but it seems that some new info points to a newly licensed Samsung BRITECELL brand, pegged as an improvement on the ISOCELL tech – this has also been suggested as a 20MP setup.
So, broadly then, we’re either looking at a 23MP Sony sensor or a Samsung ISOCELL/BRITECELL sensor in some advanced configuration using larger sensor size and/or pixel size, ranging from anywhere between 12MP and 20MP. One way or the other you’re looking at high quality optics and a very carefully honed setup!
It Will Launch In Late-ish February (Circa Feb 22)
Samsung’s fairly predictable on this front. Aside from a brief flirtation with launching stuff whenever the hell it wanted a few years back, Samsung has more-or-less stuck to having its own little launch party a day or two before major tech expos at key points in the calendar – most notably Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona during every February-March period, and IFA in Berlin around September. The Galaxy S flagships have consistently launched ahead of MWC, which this year is kicking off around February 23, leading many pundits to look at February 21/22 as a probable “Samsung Unpacked” event date. Plenty of rumours have backed all this up too.
MicroSD May Be Reintroduced
The wildcard of the bunch. There have been rumours of the re-introduction of microSD ever since it left the Galaxy flagship range and so far it has failed to materialise. A recent rumour did suggest it would return on the Galaxy S7, but whether this is legit is anybody’s guess. What we wonder is whether Samsung is still reeling from its lower-than-expected Galaxy S6 sales and if re-adding microSD might be a bid to regain some lost kudos with its core fanbase, many of whom seem to be vocally disappointed in the loss of microSD (and removable battery cells, but that’s a whole other kettle of fish!).
14:04, 1 Dec 2015