The Samsung Galaxy S7 is largely being viewed as a refinement over Galaxy S6, but in the first 10 days that we have held it, it has proved to be much more than that. It takes after Galaxy Note5 design, but since it’s more compact than both Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6, it is instantly appealing to anyone who prefers compact, easily manageable handsets or perhaps anyone who feels those curved edges (on S7 Edge) are more distraction and less value. Let’s explore Samsung Galaxy S7 further in our full review.
For More Details Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 FAQ, Benchmark Scores and Camera Samples
Samsung Galaxy S7 Key Specifications
| Model name | Samsung Galaxy S7 |
| Display size, type & resolution | 5.1-inch QHD Super AMOLED display, IP68 resistance |
| Operating system | Android Marshmallow with TouchWiz skin |
| Processor | Exynos 8890 64-bit octa-core (Quad-core 2.3 GHz Mongoose + quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53), Mali-T880 MP12 GPU |
| Memory | 4GB RAM, 32GB Internal Storage, expanded up to 200GB via micro SD card |
| Camera | 12MP rear camera, Dual AF, OIS, 100 percent PDAF, and 5MP front camera with autofocus |
| Battery | 3,000mAh battery, Fast Charging and wireless charging support |
| Connectivity | Dual-SIM card slots, 4G LTE support, Bluetooth, dual band Wi-Fi ac, NFC, and micro-USB port, Fingerprint sensor |
| Price | 48,000 INR Approx (Lowest price) |
Pros
- Awesome design
- Great display
- Powerful performance
- Consistently good camera performance
Cons
- Average speaker output
Makes the Galaxy S6 look Cheap
Samsung’s Galaxy S6 launched last year was revolutionary in many ways, but when placed next to Galaxy S7, it feels surprisingly cheap. The curves Samsung has added on the rear glass plate, the frosted hue on the side metal frame, recessed camera bump, recessed fingerprint sensor (Comparatively) – All add up perfectly to make Galaxy S7 more enchanting than any other handset that I have held in a long time.
One might argue that all these refinements were already implemented in Note5 last year, so what makes Galaxy S7 unique? The front glass could be an answer. The touch glass gently slopes on all sides. This might appear to be a trifling change, but it isn’t. These curves are not as well-pronounced as the Edge variant, but go a long way in adding class to the Galaxy S7.
The Narrow side bezels, however, come with a penalty. Whenever I try and reach the far end of the display or even otherwise, a flap of my palm skin comes in contact with the display leading to inadvertent accidental touches in Galaxy S7. This occurs rather frequently and can be a huge pain at times.
Also the glass on the front and back still attracts loads of finger grease, and the fingerprint sensor is prone to scratches. So, be cautious whenever the front-surface rests on a flat table.
Also Read: Meizu m3 Note First Impression – Meticulously Designed Budget Handset
Photo Gallery: Galaxy S6 VS Galaxy S7
AMOLED tech at its best
The 5.1-inch display with QHD resolution is as sharp as it gets. Other aspects of display quality are pretty good too. I have personally steered clear of AMOLED panels in the past because of unnaturally oversaturated tones and blue-ish whites, especially when observed from an angle. The Galaxy S7 display, however, is free from all such blemishes (well, almost). It’s easily one of the best smartphone displays that I have come across.
Maximum brightness is high enough for stellar outdoor visibility and the minimum brightness is low enough for comfortable night time reading.
Also Read: Beginners Guide for Choosing The Perfect Smartphone Display
Best Smartphone Camera?
The Samsung Galaxy S7 camera is consistently accurate. For commoners like me, it delivers wonderful images with little effort. All that dual pixel talk holds water as the focus and shutter speed is stunningly fast. The elaborate pro mode has ample toggles and options if shooting manually is your thing.
I didn’t pitch it against all notable flagships, but yes, the camera feels better than iPhone 6s in my opinion. Compared to Galaxy S6, the low light performance has significantly improved.
Videos are crisp and sharp (up to 4K). You can record slow motion videos at 240fps as well.
The best way to launch camera app is by double pressing the home button. The gesture launches camera app in no time and has become a second nature to us by now.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Camera Samples
Software
The software is what you actually interact with, and in our books, a good one should be easy to navigate, have good iconography, have customization options, with some gesture support, and should be intuitive. Samsung’s software used to be way too cluttered, but that’s all in the past now.
The new Samsung UI is aesthetically appealing, light, doesn’t look cartoony and has many features that add value, but it still has its quirks for power users. I would have liked some gesture supports, better app drawer, support for Marshmallow features like System UI tuner for adding more quick setting tiles (if not adoptable storage), and maybe a more intuitive settings menu. Basic and moderate users shouldn’t feel such inhibitions though.
Samsung Galaxy S7 UI Gallery
The best part, in my opinion, is seamless multi-tasking. You can pop out apps like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc to a smaller floating window, or squeeze them to a bubble altogether, and switch between apps very conveniently. Also just long press the recent apps key and the screen splits in two halves allowing you to work with two apps simultaneously. You can simultaneously watch YouTube and catch-up with a friend on WhatsApp. Samsung deserves some credit for execution of these features, for without proper integration, these could easily be discarded as gimmicks.
Performance and Battery
In India, Samsung Galaxy S7 is powered by Exynos 8890 with Mali T880 MP12 GPU and UFS 2.0 fast storage. The word on the street is that the Exynos variant is cracking benchmarks harder than the Snapdragon 800 counterpart. But those are just numbers. Both chipsets are powerful enough to handle whatever you throw at them.
Exynos 8890 tends runs warmer, but doesn’t throttle. We didn’t run into any lag even with heavy multitasking. There was no issue with RAM management on Samsung Galaxy S7 either. For gaming enthusiasts, the new Game Launcher shall be a value addition. You can use it to lock recent apps and back keys, to pause alerts during gaming session, to record gameplay and more.
The fingerprint sensor is very fast, but you have to be particularly careful when you are registering your impression for better accuracy. After a few hiccups we did manage to get it work accurately.
The Always On Display is good for when you need to check time on your phone. You can also customize it to an extent by downloading a different Theme from Theme Store. You can’t interact with it or peek into the stuff you missed. So after a few days I turned it off and it has been off ever since. The battery penalty simply didn’t seem worth it.
Speaking of which, the battery isn’t anything impressive, but it can last for a day with moderate to heavy usage. With Always On display turned on, mid-day charging felt necessary. Fast charging tops the 3000 mAh battery to 50 percent in no time. Total charging time is around 1 hour 50 Minutes. Even if you are a heavy user, battery back-up shouldn’t be a deal breaker.
Call quality is excellent. The mono speaker on the bottom is loud and clear, but overall the audio quality falls short of what you can get with decent stereo-speaker smartphones.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy S7 is a thoroughly impressive handset, as a flagship should be. Every inch and corner reeks of Samsung’s expertise. A consistently impressive camera, flagship grade performance, stunning display, and beautiful design – all add up to make it the best compact smartphone that you can buy today.
