Same, but better. Review of the Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone. Samsung Galaxy S7 review: a smartphone without weak points Samsung Galaxy s7 edge tests

The main competitor of the seventh iPhone, which entered the market a little earlier - the Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone - is very often cited by opponents of Apple technology as a standard. But is he really that good? Both the authors of articles on well-known testing portals and many users in reviews do not agree with this. Let's listen to their arguments, brought together in our review.

Disadvantages of the Samsung Galaxy S7, which are written about in reviews and tests

Stainless and fragile body

New design of Samsung Galaxy S7 , In addition to visual advantages, as it turns out, it also has disadvantages. The back panel is made of glass, which turns any drop of the smartphone into a potential headache with serious expenses. And if the device falls onto the asphalt with the screen down, get ready for very large expenses: repairing the screen can cost half the cost of the gadget.

At the same time, the glass body is constantly grabbed by your fingers, which also does not add to a good mood.

Non-removable battery

Photo: tutmobile.ru

You can’t take your new Samsung with you on a trip to places where there is no electricity. To the mountains, for example, or on a long hike through the forests. Or rather, you can take it, but the charge is only enough for one time, there is no replaceable battery here. You won’t be able to urgently reboot the device if something happens; you won’t be able to increase the charge by installing a more capacious battery.

No Dual SIM

A common disease of all top smartphones of our time. The owner has to choose: either a lot of memory or two SIM cards. A common slot for a SIM card and microSD significantly saves space inside the gadget, but such savings can hardly be considered justified.

You cannot use microSD as built-in memory

It would seem that you are pairing two slots, so let the user at least enjoy expanding the smartphone’s memory to his heart’s content! But no. Galaxy 7 does not have the ability to use microSD cards as internal memory. This function was used in Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but for some reason they didn’t want to include it in the seventh Samsung model. Unfortunately, you won't be able to install games on a microSD card. And this significantly limits the functionality of the basic models, where out of a modest 32 GB of internal memory, only 24 GB is available to the user, the rest is occupied by the operating system and God knows what else.

MicroUSB connector instead of USB-C

Photo: www.techwire.co.ke

Let’s say right away that this is a drawback only for fans of new technologies. USB-C, like the Lightning connector on the iPhone, allows you to insert the plug in any direction and transfers data at hellish speed. But in the new model, the Koreans decided to remain conservative in this sense. The reason is simple: too many accessories produced by Samsung are tied to microUSB, and users are not yet ready to just drop everything and start using the new interface.

Excessively power-hungry Always On feature

Photo: cdn03.androidauthority.net

This function looks beautiful, nothing to say. Its essence is that in sleep mode, part of the display is active - notifications and a clock or calendar are displayed on it. It is both convenient and functional. Press releases from Samsung stated that the technology takes up no more than 1% of battery capacity per hour. As it turned out, it was a marketing ploy. Authors of the review on hi-tech.mail.ru calculated: under various conditions, disabling the Always On function saves from 20% to 30% of the smartphone’s charge.

Fast charging restrictions

Compared to the seventh iPhone, the Galaxy S7 has fast charging. However, when compared with the Galaxy S6, no major breakthroughs were noted. Still the same Quick Charge 2.0 Qualcomm. Meanwhile, after the release of Quick Charge 3.0 (charging up to 80% in just 35 minutes), it was logical to assume that Samsung would also use this technology in the Galaxy S7. But that did not happen. Fast charging is still intended only for emergency situations, and not for full-fledged operation if necessary.

Disadvantages of the Samsung Galaxy S7, which are written about in reviews

Glass is susceptible to scratches

Gorilla Glass does not delight users. And most of the complaints are about susceptibility to scratches. Owners of the new Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone compare it with previous models and come to a disappointing conclusion: the S7 is less resistant to external influences, for example, than the S5 by two or more times. And in the case the “seven” looks rather poor.

Fingerprint scanner errors

Photo: www.icover.ru

Apple, after suffering, finally brought to life the Touch ID fingerprint scanner. But Samsung decided not to strain itself and used last year’s module in the new Galaxy S7. Users immediately noticed that the unlocking speed was no different from the Galaxy S6, and the number of errors when scanning a fingerprint even increased. In some cases, the smartphone requires significantly more time to process biometric information.

Bad headphones included

“They fall out of your ears”, “it’s impossible to move with them”, “cheap and unreliable”, “disgusting sound transmission” - these are just a small part of the complaints about the standard headphones that come with the Galaxy S7, which buyers indicate in reviews of the Samsung Galaxy smartphone S7. Marketers of a Korean company should think: maybe none is better than these?

Inconvenient interface for switching SIM cards

In cases where users use not a microSD, but a second SIM card, they are simply indignant: why, why did the manufacturer decide to change the convenient SIM card switching algorithm used in the S6? Now, in order to switch from one SIM card to another, you have to delve into the menu and constantly remind yourself and the Korean engineers that the best is the enemy of the good.

Is it really that bad?

Photo: img.tyt.by

A reader who has not held a Galaxy S7 in his hands may get the impression that this is some kind of terribly inconvenient unit. Of course not. The "seven" has a lot of advantages. The Super AMOLED screen gets better with each generation. In S7 its resolution reached 2560x1440 pixels. The 12 MP camera is good because the size of each dot in it is 1.4 microns (the S6 had 1.2 microns). Therefore, the aperture ratio has increased significantly, and improved optics have further enhanced this effect.

Let's add here a fresh eight-core Exynos 8890 processor, Mali T880 M12 graphics and as much as 4 GB of RAM, of which 1.5 GB is always available to the user.

The battery capacity has increased noticeably: in the regular Galaxy S7 it is 3000 mAh (the same as in the top-end “six” with a 5.7″ diagonal!), in the Edge - 3600 mAh.

And just a huge advantage of the new smartphone from the Korean company is the minimum of third-party software.

At the moment, the Galaxy S line is represented by two current smartphone models. Slim and not too big, the S7 is positioned as a classic smartphone for everyone. The 5.1-inch screen diagonal does not cause problems even when held with tiny female hands, and the absence of any specific bells and whistles in the design does not scare away the audience accustomed to the standard form factor.

The S7 edge phablet, on the contrary, acts as a sophisticated older brother for the sophisticated. Not only is it 0.4 inches larger, but it also offers a special body design with a screen that is curved on the sides.

The Galaxy S7 doesn't really seem big, especially compared to other modern smartphones. Look, it is noticeably more compact than even the Nexus 5X, which is not outstanding in size, and definitely does not deserve to be called a shovel.

We are sure that if you gather a hundred people and ask them to choose between S7 and S7 edge, the classic will win unconditionally. Few people will decide to buy a larger, more expensive and problematic device in terms of convenience.

Performance and quality

It's very easy to fall in love with the Galaxy S7. Seriously. Just take it in your hand and you will immediately understand everything. Handle the Galaxy S7 and your criteria for build quality will change dramatically. The smartphone does not look like something consisting of hundreds of parts, and is perceived exclusively as a whole, monolithic, skillfully polished piece of glass without a hint of sharp corners or lines, with a neatly fused layer of metal in the middle. There’s no need to even talk about backlashes and squeaks. Everything fits perfectly. It is so neat and smooth that you want to lick it.

Galaxy S7 is made in accordance with the IP68 standard, that is, it is not at all afraid of dust and is friendly with water. Please note that such high moisture resistance does not require any removable plugs or other nonsense. The smartphone can withstand a 30-minute immersion in water up to a depth of 1.5 meters with an open USB port and headphone jack. We did not test the water resistance in practice, since there are already enough videos on YouTube confirming the level of water protection claimed by Samsung.

Samsung's decision to move away from plastic can be called the best thing that ever happened to the flagship Galaxy line. Plastic, even high-quality one, is always associated with something cheap, but metal and glass look and feel luxurious. For a flagship, this is it. In the case of the Galaxy S7, a fashionable method of glass processing, which received the marketing name “2.5D glass,” is added to the premium set of materials.

Take a look at the front and back of the Galaxy S7. The glass on them is rounded towards the edges. The screen under the glass is absolutely flat. The point of this treatment is to increase the streamlining of the body at the junction with the side panels. The transition becomes smooth, sharp angles dissolve, blur and are replaced by what is called conjugation in drawing.

In addition to smoothness, 2.5D glass adds a very beautiful optical effect, which is further enhanced by the dark matte surface around the screen and on the back of the smartphone.

Take another look at the photos of the device. Do you notice some color unevenness, as if in some places the smartphone is lighter, with a grayish tint? This is how the light hitting the surface through the uneven glass is refracted, and when you turn the device, the glare jumps around the body like sunbeams.

Unfortunately, 2.5D glass also has its downsides. In case of excessive lighting and especially under the sun, you can always position the flat screen so that the light is not reflected into the eyes and the contents of the screen are visible. In this case, glare is almost impossible to avoid. The rounded edges will still reflect, which is noticeable even in smartphone photographs under artificial lighting, and the blinding summer sun will certainly worsen the situation.

The second objective disadvantage of glass is its soilability. The case quickly becomes covered with fingerprints, and although they can be removed quickly and easily, you will have to get used to the permanent staining of the device.

Design and equipment

It seems that Samsung has finally found the ideal arrangement of control buttons and other external elements of the smartphone. Sound, power, speaker, headphone and USB jacks are in the same place as the predecessor.

Only the SIM card slot has moved to the top side panel, and there is a reason for that.

Yes, the Galaxy has a microSD slot again, which is great. No more guessing and suffering regarding the optimal amount of internal storage.

Do you need another 32 GB to add to the built-in 32 GB of memory? We place the card and rejoice. Need 128 GB? No problem. Drives with capacities up to 200 GB are supported. The memory card is incomparably cheaper than older smartphone models with increased internal storage.

If additional space is not required, a second SIM card can take the place of the microSD card. Simultaneous operation of the second SIM and memory card is not provided.

The fingerprint sensor located in the Home button has become noticeably faster and more accurate in fingerprint recognition, and the button itself is now flush with the body. There will be no more false alarms when a smartphone is accidentally pinched in a pocket.

The Galaxy S7 comes with a power adapter, a USB cable, standard earbuds with replaceable earplugs, as well as a microUSB adapter designed for quickly and completely transferring data from an old smartphone via the built-in Smart Switch utility.

Screen

Displays have always been Samsung's strong point, and the Galaxy S7 continues to hold its own. The smartphone is equipped with a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED Quad HD display (resolution 2560 × 1440) with a density of 577 pixels per inch. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 4 with anti-reflective coating.

The most interesting innovation is the Always On mode, in which the display displays user-selectable information in a locked state without any noticeable impact on battery power. This is possible thanks to the autonomous power supply of each pixel of the AMOLED display. Energy is spent only on illuminating the working pixels. The rest of the screen area is black, in this place the pixels are turned off and do not consume battery power. If desired, Always On can be disabled in the settings.

Other indicators of the Galaxy S7 screen are not much different from its predecessor. It is just as bright and sometimes overly rich, adapts a little better to excess or lack of light, but in general it is still the same cool display inherent to Samsung, which is criticized only for excessive color saturation.

Cameras

If before the Galaxy S7 it might seem to you that your smartphone takes photos quickly and coolly, then after the Galaxy S7 any other camera suddenly becomes slow and “not very good at all.”

Samsung chose the right path, and instead of a stupid marketing race for megapixels, the company worked closely on the quality, functionality and, what is also important, the speed of operation and focusing (Dual Pixel technology - two photodiodes for each pixel of the matrix) of the camera module. The camera module itself has become more compact and practically does not protrude from the body.

Focusing and photographing happen literally instantly, and after a tiny fraction of a second the smartphone is ready to take the next photo. No delays, no freezes or slowdowns during shooting. You can use manual multi-shooting mode and take clear frames without stopping at all.

To improve the quality of low-light images, the Galaxy S7 uses a combination of a fast f/1.7 lens and an individual pixel size increased to 1.4 microns.

Some will think that 12 megapixels is somehow not enough for a 2016 flagship. In fact, this resolution of the main camera is enough for any task. Still, the vast majority of photos are mercilessly shrunk and end up on social networks, and therefore, for the end user, quality and easily applicable additional features are more valuable than the original size of the image. The Galaxy S7 camera offers as many as 10 shooting modes.

By default, the standard automatic mode is launched, when the smartphone itself adjusts everything, and the user only selects a filter (if, of course, he wants) and presses a button.

In contrast to the automatic mode, there is a professional mode with the ability to fine-tune each shooting parameter manually.

Selective Focus lets you take an interactive photo with variable focus.

Do you need to make the main object clear? Select “Near Focus” from below.

Would you like to see the background? Tap “Far Focus”.

Among other shooting modes, “Live Broadcast” also deserves a separate explanation. It allows you to connect your YouTube account and stream what is happening on the screen simultaneously with the image from the front camera. Fashionable mobile YouTuber gamers will definitely appreciate this feature.

The last mode worthy of mention is “Virtual Shooting”. We catch the object of interest to us in the center of the lens, start shooting and walk around the object in a circle. The resulting animation is tied to the smartphone’s gyroscope and allows you to re-examine the captured object from any angle.

Other photo modes, such as fast and slow motion, panorama, video collage, and Food, are quite popular and self-explanatory.

The Galaxy S7 can shoot Full HD video at 60 frames per second and 4K video at 30 frames per second. Stabilization is supported in all modes.

The front camera does not have exciting characteristics.

Standard 5 megapixels combined with adjustable face lighting and correction tools do their job and produce excellent selfies.

Features and performance

Versions of the Galaxy S7 for Russia and Europe are equipped with an 8-core Exynos 8890 processor made using a 14-nm process technology (4 proprietary Samsung Mongoose cores 2.3 GHz and 4 Cortex-A53 1.6 GHz cores) and Mali-T880 MP12 graphics.

The top-end processor, combined with 4 GB of high-speed LPDDR4 memory, effortlessly handles the heaviest 3D applications. The AnTuTu Benchmark 6.0.1 test showed the following results:

In addition to current types of communication, Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S7 with a Wi-Fi repeater function. In this mode, the smartphone can connect to any available Wi-Fi point and distribute the Internet through itself.

System

Out of the box, the Galaxy S7 runs on Android, with the proprietary TouchWiz shell installed on top.

There is a pre-installed basic set of applications from Samsung, a full set of Google applications and services, social networks and a set of software from Microsoft.

Uninstallable applications, of course, are detrimental to the device from an optimization standpoint, but if you don’t want to spend a certain amount of time searching and downloading applications from Google Play or the Samsung app store, then a large set of pre-installed software is even useful.

The transition to two-window operating mode occurs by long-pressing the “Menu” button.

In addition to some changes in the interface associated with the transition to , special attention is drawn to the new game center, which accumulates all the user’s games in one interface and optimizes the gameplay. You can disable any notifications while a gaming application is running, block system buttons, prevent the gaming application from being unloaded from RAM when minimized, and forcefully reduce the resolution and number of frames in the game.

Working hours

Galaxy S7 is equipped with a 3,000 mAh non-removable battery with fast charging function. Obviously, depending on the intensity of use and other factors, the battery life can vary significantly, and in our scenario the results turned out to be quite acceptable.

Before testing, we did a full reset to factory settings, cleared the memory, and left the display brightness automatically adjusted. The smartphone offered initial setup, updated applications and downloaded the Android 6.0.1 update.

In total, during the first intensive hour of work, which included performance analysis via AnTuTu, the battery lost 15% of its charge. Then standard operations were carried out: photographing, video shooting, checking all types of communications, the operation of applications and branded Samsung chips. Thus, about another 20% of the battery charge was consumed. According to the built-in battery monitoring tool, in this mode the smartphone would last 8 hours, which is very good. In passive mode with Wi-Fi running and the Always On screen, the smartphone lost about 13% of its charge per day.

Power consumption is partially optimized due to the built-in utility, but in total, after almost a day and a half of operation, the battery retained 41% charge.

Conclusion

The life hacker thanks Samsung for providing the device for testing. We really enjoyed. In terms of performance and technical characteristics, there is no fault with the Galaxy S7. The build quality and materials are super. The design is nice. The screen, as always, is excellent, and even shows the necessary things without draining the battery. The camera is fire. The battery is durable. The power is excessive, the productivity is off the charts. The system is up to date, there are pre-installed applications. It would take a long time to list the advantages; the flagship has no weak points. But as soon as we touch upon the issue of price, problems begin. Paying 50 thousand rubles for a smartphone is difficult, very difficult. What do you think?

This is not to say that in terms of design, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is radically different from the Samsung Galaxy S7 - the 5.1-inch screen and glass body make it similar to its predecessor. True, there are still noticeable differences, and besides, the new product has become a little thicker and noticeably heavier.

The dimensions of the flagship are 142.4x69.6x7.9 mm, weight - 152 grams. It is smaller in size than Huawei Honor 7, but larger and thicker than its predecessor. The smartphone is quite heavy, comparable in weight to the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016). The new product has become a little thicker, but thanks to the rounded edges of the case it is practically not felt in the hand. The front and back panels of the device are covered with protective glass Gorilla Glass 4, and the edges of the smartphone are framed by a metal frame. The device fits comfortably in the hand, but the glass body quickly collects marks and fingerprints. At the same time, it is surprising that it is almost non-slippery and lies quite securely in the palm of your hand. At the front, it differs from its predecessor in that the glass on the front panel is more curved at the edges. The side bezels are quite narrow, with a screen-to-surface ratio of 72%. Directly below the display is the main Home key, and it has a built-in fingerprint scanner. It works quickly, but not always right the first time; the point here is rather in the geometry of the sensor. For example, in the same Huawei P9 it is square and large, so when you put your finger on the sensor, you will almost certainly hit it with the desired area of ​​the pad. But the Samsung Galaxy S7 has a narrow and small area, which is where these “extra”, unsuccessful unlocking attempts can come from.

At the rear are the most interesting changes in terms of design. Lo and behold, the camera no longer sticks out from the body and no longer causes aesthetic displeasure. Although for this we should thank the thickness of the phone, which has increased slightly this year. Another change is the shape of the back: in the center it is flat, but closer to the side ends, tapering and smoothly bending. This not only looks impressive, but is also very comfortable - thanks to this shape, the phone fits more comfortably in your hand.

There is nothing to say about the build quality; it is at the maximum level. In addition, this year the phone received protection against water and dust, which disappeared after. Some people won’t like the fact that the phone is non-separable and the battery is not removable, but that’s the price to pay for a metal case. Despite the protective glass on all sides, the smartphone cannot be called shock-resistant, like the Samsung Galaxy S7 Active.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone is available in three colors: Diamond Black (black), Dazzling Platinum (gold) and Titanium Silver (silver).

Screen - 4.6

The display of the Samsung Galaxy S7 is one of the best on the smartphone market today; it is juicy, bright, ultra-clear and perfectly readable in the sun. True, many colors on it may seem too saturated.

The device received a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560×1440 pixels and a density of 577 ppi. AMOLED technology provides excellent sunlight readability, maximum viewing angles and infinite contrast.

The measured brightness range turned out to be very wide - from 2 to 396 cd/m2. And if you set auto brightness and go outside with it, then it will be all 525 cd/m2. The display is easy to read in the sun, but will remain comfortable for the eyes even in the dark. The color rendition of the screen is very accurate - the color deviation does not exceed three units. If the screen seems too juicy to you, then in the display settings you can switch to the “Basic” image mode. In it, the color gamut of the device is narrowed from the unusually wide to the narrower sRGB standard.

One of the innovations regarding the display is the Always on Display function - it means the active screen throughout the day. Even if the device goes to sleep, the display will always show information about missed calls, time or date. However, it significantly affects the autonomy of the device, “eating” about 1% of the charge per hour.

The only pity is that there is no separate mode for working with gloves. Since this is already a flagship that tries to incorporate everything it can, we expected to see this function. It must be said that the display is already quite sensitive, but you can only work with it with very thin fabric gloves, and even then this is not very convenient.

Camera

Samsung Galaxy S7 received top-end cameras of 12 MP and 5 MP. They can be called one of the best among mobile devices, if not the best.

The company suddenly stopped chasing the number of megapixels (by the way, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S5 had 16), and began to improve the quality of shooting through the use of instant phase autofocus and changing the quality of pixels. Thus, the physical size of the sensor has not changed - 1/2.6", but the size of the pixels themselves has increased from 1.12 to 1.4 microns, which allows you to “capture” more light and brightness even in low light conditions. However, this figure is not the highest on the market. So, with the same resolution, the Huawei Nexus 6P has a larger sensor - 1/2.3", and the pixels themselves are slightly larger - 1.55 microns. But the Samsung Galaxy S7 also received an optical stabilization system (which the Nexus does not have) and a wider f/1.7 aperture to let in more light. For comparison, the LG G5 and Lenovo Vibe Shot have at same, f/1.8 and f/2.2 respectively.

So how does all this affect in practice? In fact, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is one of the leaders in mobile photography. In our opinion, on average it shoots better than phones like the Motorola Moto X Force, Huawei P9 or iPhone 6s. It focuses correctly and almost instantly. Because of this, there is even a feeling that everything happens somehow by itself, as a matter of course. The camera takes pictures with an excellent level of detail; even small fonts or inscriptions located far from the camera can be read in the photo, although some small details are still blurred. The smartphone copes well with difficult lighting conditions, and in the dark it is an order of magnitude less noisy than most smartphones. However, sometimes the camera can be a little off with the white balance, producing cool shots or making greens unnaturally saturated. It’s not that this is a big problem, rather, it’s an acquired taste; Samsung phones often embellish the reality.

The camera interface is familiar and understandable. At the top there is a quick settings bar, at the bottom there are buttons for taking photos and videos (you can take photos simultaneously with videos), going to the photo gallery and selecting one of many modes. Manual or “Pro” shooting will please you with the following selection of adjustable parameters:

• Exposure (−2 to +2)
• Shutter speed (1/2400 to 10)
• ISO (50 to 800)
• White balance (from 2300 to 10000 K)
• Focus (from macro to infinity)
• You can add any filter from a small list.

In fact, such a choice is not so wide; for the same LG G4 it was somewhat wider, inferior only in the range of color temperatures.

The main camera also boasts the ability to record video in 4K resolution and slow-motion HD (1280x720 pixels) at 240 frames per second, similar to the iPhone 6. At the same time, the phone can shoot with the “Hyperlapse” effect (accelerated video with a large number of frames skipped) and in the “Virtual shooting” mode of objects from all sides.

The 5 MP front camera does an excellent job of taking selfies, they don’t look blurry even indoors. Its arsenal includes a decoration mode, group selfies (mini-panoramas), an HDR mode, virtual shooting, and even a flash using the screen in the manner of the iPhone SE. It's funny, but the front camera can also shoot video not only in Full HD, but also in QHD resolution (2560x1440 pixels).

Photo from camera Samsung Galaxy S7 - 4.8

Photos from the front camera of Samsung Galaxy S7 - 4.8

Comparison of HDR feature of Samsung Galaxy S7

Working with text - 4.0

The Samsung Galaxy S7 uses a proprietary keyboard, and we find it convenient for working with text.

It provides continuous text input using strokes (Swype) and a separate row of numbers. True, for most additional characters, including the comma, you will have to call an additional menu each time. But the keyboard has the ability to access the so-called clipboard, which can store many individual phrases or even sentences. If you wish, you can adjust the height of the keyboard on your smartphone or select a keyboard of the old 3x4 format (looks like on old push-button phones).

Internet - 3.0

The browsers in the Samsung Galaxy S7 are convenient and well suited for browsing the Internet. Thus, the smartphone does not slow down when working with at least ten tabs at once. Initially, it comes pre-installed with Google Chrome and its own Internet browser. The first one can synchronize with the desktop version of Chrome and adjust the text to a pre-selected size. And the proprietary Internet browser does not offer any interesting settings, except perhaps saving pages. There is no automatic adjustment of text to the width of the screen or reading mode.

Communications - 5.0

As expected, the Samsung Galaxy S7 received a top-end set of communications:

• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, high-speed and dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct available
• Bluetooth 4.2, energy efficient, supports A2DP profile and Apt-X codec
• LTE Category 9 support (up to 450 Mbps)
• A-GPS with support for GLONASS and Chinese BeiDou
• NFC with Samsung Pay proprietary function.

It’s not clear where the IR port that the predecessor had went to. Perhaps he is destined to “die out” again, as happened ten years ago. Also, some may not like the lack of FM radio. The device supports two NanoSim cards, but the slot for the second is hybrid, it is combined with a slot for a MicroSD card. The presence of a memory card slot in itself is another advantage of the new product (the Samsung Galaxy S6 did not have it). But the fact that it is combined with a SIM becomes a “minus to plus”, which irritates many consumers who are faced with the problem of choice. Many probably expected to see a new USB Type-C connector, but instead the still more common MicroUSB 2.0 is used. Why did the company abandon such an innovation? There are three reasons for this - firstly, some accessories (for example, Samsung Gear VR virtual reality glasses) do not support USB type C, secondly, the low prevalence of the new connector on the market is reflected, and thirdly, the Galaxy S7 is already fast charges (fast charging is one of the advantages of USB Type-C). Separately, we note that the connector supports USB OTG for connecting flash drives and other peripherals. Moreover, a small OTG adapter is already included with the phone - this is just some kind of unprecedented generosity.

Multimedia - 4.6

The company traditionally pays attention to the issue of supporting audio and video codecs, so the Galaxy S7 can be called almost omnivorous. In tests, it performed almost the same as the Samsung Galaxy S6. The phone was unable to play only audio in AC-3 and DT-S formats, as well as some MPG and RMVB videos.

The Google Play Music music player is pre-installed on the phone, it is equipped with an equalizer with settings for different frequencies, sound effects and various “improvements”. The proprietary video player displays subtitles, can play only sound without images (listen to a movie or video lecture in the background) and show videos in a small window on top of desktops and applications. It is also equipped with a simple editor - cropping, adding effects (blur, color filters) and adjusting sound volume.

Battery - 4.4

Compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy S7 received a more powerful battery, and along with it, autonomy increased. True, some new functions negatively affect the operating time, but if you wish, you can disable them - then the phone will last you for one and a half to two days of operation.

The smartphone has a non-removable battery with a capacity of 3000 mAh (remember, the Galaxy S6 had 2550 mAh). The phone showed an almost record operating time in video mode - 14 and a half hours of watching HD video at maximum brightness. For comparison, the large Samsung Galaxy Note 4 lasted “only” 12 and a half hours. In other tests, the time was also at a high level, but not so outstanding. So, in audio player mode, the Galaxy S7 worked for 85 hours, a little longer than its predecessor, but less, for example, than the LG Nexus 5X. In an hour of playing games, the battery lost about 16% of its charge, therefore, the phone can last about 6 hours, and this is one of the best results. It took only 3% to shoot a 10-minute Full HD video, also a kind of record. It is worth special mentioning the new Always On Display feature, which we talked about above - if you use it, it will drain approximately 1% per hour. Personally, we didn't find it that useful, so we turned it off and ran all our tests without it. Still, an additional 24% per day is already a significant drain on the battery.

Samsung Galaxy S7 supports Quick Charge 2.0 and wireless charging of two types common on the market - Qi and PMA. It's a bit of a shame, but the latest type of fast charging (QuickCharge 3.0) is not supported by the phone. But you are immediately given a network adapter that supports accelerated charging. With its help, the phone is fully charged in about an hour and a half, which is really fast for a large battery capacity.

Performance - 4.6

The new flagship immediately received 4 GB of RAM and runs on a fast processor that copes well with everything that can be thrown at a smartphone. At the same time, the phone does not overheat and remains cool.

Samsung Galaxy S7 is equipped with a powerful top-end 8-core Exynos 8890 processor (4 cores at 2.3 GHz + 4 cores at 1.6 GHz), which is made using a 14 nm process technology. The phone immediately received 4 GB of RAM, the same amount as, for example, Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML. Although, up to half of this memory will always be occupied by the system itself. Based on the specifications alone, we can assume that the Galaxy S7 is an extremely powerful device. The manufacturer claims that the computing power of the GPU has increased by 60%, and the central one by 30%. And judging by various tests, this is indeed the case.

The smartphone works quickly and smoothly and copes with any task. In addition, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is the first flagship to work with the Vulkan graphics API. It provides higher performance, gives a deep level of access to the hardware and helps you use it most efficiently. Although in daily use you won't notice any particular difference between the Galaxy S7, last year's Galaxy S6 or any other top-end smartphone. By and large, only synthetic benchmarks see the difference, and in them the new product showed almost maximum results, again “breaking through the ceilings”:

• GeekBench 3 - 6336 (Galaxy S6 received about two thousand less)
• AnTuTu 6.0 - 129,842 (for example, Apple iPhone 6s gets a little more)
• 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited - up to 29,036 (Sony Xperia Z5 Premium - up to 26,114 points).

You can rest assured that the Samsung Galaxy S7 is one of the leaders in terms of performance and speed. Only the latest iPhones, for example, work faster. We were a little annoyed that at times, about once a day, the smartphone still manages to “choke” in its own interface and suddenly become thoughtful simply when switching between applications or somewhere in the settings.

We also checked to see if the device overheats during operation, like some 2015 Android flagships. It turned out that no, in half an hour of playing NOVA 3 the case temperature did not exceed 37 degrees. In fact, the smartphone heats up more during fast charging, but we no longer take this into account.

Memory - 5.0

So far, a model with only 32 GB of internal memory is presented in Russia. The 64 GB version is still not on sale, it seems that it will not be available in our country at all. 32 GB is not that much for a phone with a top-end camera that shoots both slow-motion and 4K video. But the memory can be increased using a MicroSD card (up to 256 GB). Apparently, the company listened to the criticism of experts and consumers that fell upon the Galaxy S6 due to the lack of a slot for a MicroSD card, and finally returned it. Really, first spoil it, and then put it back the way it was, so that everyone is happy. True, we were still unhappy with the fact that applications cannot be installed on the memory card. Why and why? It’s not clear, apparently the manufacturer doesn’t trust “third-party” cards; after all, they work slower than the flagship’s internal memory.

Peculiarities

The Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone runs on the latest Android 6.0 and its own proprietary TouchWiz UI interface.

This phone has special features - a cart and a small cart, perhaps it is one of the most special on the market. Moisture and dust protection has returned. I returned because I was already on the Samsung Galaxy S5, but disappeared on the Galaxy S6. By the way, the protection has now been updated to the IP68 standard. We would not recommend swimming with it, but if you accidentally spill liquid on it or use it in the rain, it will not be harmed. The phone has an unusual body - it is made of metal and covered with glass on both sides, curved at the edges (2.5D) on the front panel. Even the shape of the back is not simple - it gradually tapers closer to the side ends. Perhaps the most unusual thing is the abundance of sensors - a fingerprint scanner, a heart rate monitor and even a blood oxygen level meter. Yes, the Galaxy S6 had all this, but it didn’t become commonplace a year later. The only sad thing is that the last two can only be used in the S Health application, that is, a person who does not know and does not use this software may never come across such functions on their phone. Other features include an extremely, even overly clear display, as well as a number of features such as an always-on screen (although this does drain the battery quite a bit during the day), fast wired and wireless charging, and top-end performance. In addition, we note the extended package - the manufacturer did not spare you a charger with support for fast charging, good headphones and even a USB OTG adapter for connecting peripheral devices. Samsung is actively promoting an expensive ecosystem in addition to the device - VR virtual reality glasses, the Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch and the Gear S360 camera. We think these are nice bonuses, but they belong to separate product categories. Still, the smartphone is self-sufficient without them.

Samsung Galaxy S7 is the iconic smartphone of 2016. It sets the rules of the game and serves as a guide for all its competitors, including Apple. However, based on the example of this smartphone, it is already becoming clear that we should not expect any breakthrough this year. There are a lot of positive changes, a lot of retouching, but it’s all evolution. I have already said in that the development of the market is moving towards services and accessories, and S7 is further confirmation of this.

Equipment

The following was found in the Samsung Galaxy S7 kit:

• charger with Fast Adaptive Charge function
• Micro USB cable
• wired headset (in my case there was none)
• SIM card eject tool
• USB to Micro interface adapter

The latter is designed to copy data from an old smartphone to a new one. There was even a corresponding software function in the menu. The only thing I don’t understand is what kind of devices we are talking about: any Android smartphone or only “Samsung” solutions.

Immediately regarding the fact that Samsung decided not to equip its brainchild with USB Type-C, but limited itself to the version with Micro USB. From the point of view of the desire to get the very latest, this is, of course, a drawback. In practice, there is no real need for a new type of cable. Micro USB is like Nokia charging in its heyday. Type-C is something new, tempting and not clear why it is needed. Well, it's true!

Design

The first thing that catches your eye is the design, or rather, the lack of fundamental changes in it. The new product has been retouched in the spirit of the times, but the designers did not bring anything new to the appearance of the device.

Is this good or bad? I don't think you need to chase something new every year. This meaningless race, which is already too much in our lives. Updating the appearance every two years, as they do at Apple and now at Samsung, is a small island of stability that should be appreciated and not scolded. And our savings will be intact.

Samsung Galaxy S7 turned out to be chubby. It is thicker than its predecessor by as much as 1.1 mm.

It would seem that just one millimeter and a tenth is what all the fuss is about? In practice, this matters. I didn’t have the S6 on hand, however, even after many months, when I last held the Essence in my hands, I immediately determined that the new product was noticeably thicker.

	Length	Width	Thickness	Weight
Samsung Galaxy S7 (5.1’’)	142,4	69,6
Samsung Galaxy S6 (5.1’’)	143,4	70,5
iPhone 6S (4.7’’)	138,3	67,1
LG G5 (5.3’’)	149,4	73,9

Of course, this does not negatively affect the experience of using the device. Well, more by a millimeter. And what? Never mind! We use and enjoy the benefits of modern civilization, especially since the Galaxy S7, believe me, allows you to do this 100 percent.

However, if thickness is critical for you and you experience something similar to ecstasy when holding a thin smartphone in your hands (for example), then the S7 will seem awkward to you. Another thing is that I have never met such aesthetes in my life, and I myself cannot classify myself in this category.

The developers sacrificed thickness in favor of installing a more capacious battery, as well as rounded protective glass. The intentions are good, so at this moment you can safely close your eyes.

Samsung broke down and installed a truly curved protective glass on the front panel. This is Corning Gorilla Glass 4, by the way.

I never tire of repeating that 2.5D glass comes in different forms. On the one hand, a similar panel was already in the Galaxy Note 4, but in comparison it is not at all the same. In S7 it has very steep edges, thanks to which the light plays very beautifully on the front surface of the device.

The same glass is installed on the back, but a little more easily soiled than we would like, and more curved. There is a good oleophobic coating, however, fingerprints and other traces of use will always accompany the device. Previously, many men only carried a shoe brush with them; now they will also have to carry microfiber to keep not only their shoes, but also their phone in proper condition. Times like these.

Personally, I like the use of glass on both the front and back instead of an all metal body. This is practical simply because you are less likely to drop the device. The same iPhone 6 or 6S tries to slip out of your hands. It seems that the creators made the case so “soapy” on purpose so that we would break the screens and replace them at our own considerable expense.

Fingers cling to the glass more reliably, so the safety for the handset is higher here.

And besides, glass provides the proper level of gloss. You certainly can’t refuse this new product. In my opinion, it shimmers with different colors so glamorously that it’s even too much. Perhaps a more matte shade would have looked much more impressive and discreet. However, this is a matter of personal preference.

All standard front elements are located above the screen. No additional flashes, second cameras and other nonsense pulled from the finger. However, when taking self-portraits in the dark, the display briefly turns up the brightness to illuminate the face. The technology is not new and we first became acquainted with it back in .

The ambient light sensor is working strangely. More precisely, slowly and sharply.

The screen changes brightness level with a delay of about 3-4 seconds and one jump. There is no talk of any smoothness. Perhaps this is exactly the case that is associated with a non-final sample. I had exactly such a device.

There is evidence that over time, the device learns to determine the level of ambient light and display brightness depending on the user’s preferences. Unfortunately, I was not able to check this, since I did not test the device for much time.

The metal rim around the perimeter of the case is now completely rounded. Previously there were partially flat edges, but now they are not. No corners. At all! It is stated that the metal here (aluminum alloy 6013) is resistant to falls and is very durable.

The SIM card slot here has a composite design. The outer part that sticks out flush with the body is metal, and the inner part is plastic. The design, admittedly, is flimsy. I would like more reliability, although in principle it is not needed if you are not going to constantly change cards from one to another.

The multimedia speaker is located at the bottom and I didn’t like it.

Quite weak for a device of this level, both in volume and quality. The mids and highs disappear into a hiss, and you will definitely miss the volume on a noisy street. It costs nothing to miss a call.

But the vibration motor here works as it should. If the device is in your trouser pocket, then I don’t know what should distract you so much that you won’t feel the vibration. I rarely encounter such a strong vibration response. It’s great that in the settings you can adjust its intensity to suit your needs.

The rear camera still protrudes above the body, but now much smaller.

This fact even became an independent reason for pride on the part of the manufacturer. Check out the official image below.

Cool, I guess. The most interesting thing is that with the release of iPhone 7, the fact of a non-protruding camera will be actively exploited by Apple. Wow, there's going to be some hype. I'm already looking forward to it.

One of the main features of the new product is protection against moisture and dust according to the IP68 standard.

Previously, such protection was already present and the company actively exploited this point. Then, with the release of Six, they somehow delicately forgot about it, because the phrase “Can your smartphone do that?” suddenly became a joke in the direction of its own, more advanced and modern device. It turned out funny, in my opinion.

Now the device can officially be heated for 30 minutes at a depth of 1.5 meters. Let me remind you that there was no information regarding the relationship that the same could be done with him. The phone was splash-proof, but it was strongly not recommended to dip it in water, although it withstood such tests perfectly. Now everything is without restrictions. Everything is grown-up.

Firstly, the motherboard itself has a special, water-repellent impregnation. Secondly, the case does not allow moisture to pass inside, to its components.

Fingerprint's scanner

Unfortunately, the scanner doesn't work when you just touch it. To unlock your smartphone, you need to press the button while holding your finger on it. This behavior is typical for , but not for Android devices. In the latter case, it is usually enough just to touch the scanner and the device will unlock.

There is no need to worry about the latter - out of 10 attempts, 10 will be successful. The reading speed, and as a result the unlocking speed, is maximum: no more than half a second per eye, but maybe faster.

Display

The device received a Super AMOLED screen, one of the best to date, in terms of its characteristics, of course:

• diagonal 5.1 inches
• resolution 2560 x 1440 pixels (QHD)
• dot density 576 ppi

Yes, the screen has a very good brightness reserve, it is very contrasty and perfectly conveys the richness of colors. Perhaps even too much. On the other hand, this moment is quite simply configured in the menu, where you can choose a color scheme that is comfortable for you. The only pity is that the choice of presets is not too large.

Traditionally, AMOLED screens tend to turn greenish when tilted. Previously it was very noticeable, but now it is not noticeable. There is also a small leapfrog with other colors if you rotate the device at different angles. High-quality IPS matrices, in my opinion, bypass Samsung solutions in this regard.

If you look at the screen at the right angle, then perhaps this is the best matrix I have ever come across.

Extremely pressure sensitive. There is no “glove” mode in the settings, so this moment cannot be configured. You will have to get used to the fact that the display will recognize clicks even if you have not yet touched the surface of the protective glass. This is normal for many Samsung devices. On the other hand, this is not the worst thing you can get used to. It would be much sadder if the situation were exactly the opposite.

Always On Display

This is a completely new setting that only new flagships received. Surprisingly, along with Samsung, . The screen in it can also be always active and display service information. It’s as if someone leaked something from someone else at the stage of device development.

The set of preset pictures that can be displayed on the display in sleep mode is strictly limited to a specific topic. You cannot add your own drawing. At least not for now.

The collections of these very pictures are not common. Install a third-party theme, activate it, and in addition to standard images, third-party ones also appear in the menu. And if the regular shell is activated, then third-party images are not visible. This is a pun.

In any case, this is a very useful feature that does not waste much energy on the device. For example, they said that this feature consumes no more than 0.8% of energy per hour, which ultimately amounts to approximately 30 percent of the charge. Not a little, but the hero of our review has one strong advantage - the Super AMOLED display. Firstly, this screen consumes incomparably less energy. And secondly, it can only highlight individual pixels. If the picture is black and white, then energy is wasted like crazy.

Specifications Samsung Galaxy S7 (model SM-G930F)

It’s logical to compare the device’s specifications with last year’s model. This will be much more clear and will help people on S6 decide whether they need the update or not.

	Samsung Galaxy S6 SM-G920x	Samsung Galaxy S7 SM-G930x
CPU	Samsung Exynos 7 Octa 7420 up to 2.1 GHz (octa-core, 64-bit, Cortex-A57 and Cortex-A53) or Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994	Samsung Exynos 8 Octa 8890 1.8 GHz (64-bit, 4 native cores and 4 Cortex-A53) or Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996
Video chip	Mali-T760 MP8 or Adreno 430	Mali-T880 MP14 or Adreno 530
RAM	3 GB LPDDR4	4 GB LPDDR4 speed up to 3.2 Gbps, free after reboot 1817 MB
Built-in memory	32, 64 or 128 GB	32 (free on a clean device 23.91 GB) and 64 GB UFS 2.0
Memory card support	No	Micro SD up to 2 GB
Display	Super AMOLED, 5.1 inches, 2560 x 1440 pixels, pixel density 577 ppi	Super AMOLED, 5.1 inches, 2560 x 1440 pixels, pixel density 576 ppi
Main camera	16 MP (F/1.9, matrix size 1/2.6’’, pixel size 1.12 µm)	12 MP (f/1.7, matrix size 1/2.5’’, pixel size 1.4 µm)
Front-camera	5 MP	5 MP
Battery	2550 mAh (fast charging Quick Charge 2.0)	3000 mAh (fast charging Quick Charge 2.0)
OS at the time of release	Android 5.0 (5.1, 6.0) + TouchWiz shell	Android 6.0.1+ TouchWiz shell (updated)
Networks	LTE Cat. 6	LTE Cat. 12/13
Wireless interfaces	Wi-Fi (802.11 ac), Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, IR port	Wi-Fi (802.11 ac), Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, no IR port
SIM card format	Nano (1 or 2)	Nano (1 + Micro SD or 2)
Geolocation	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BeiDou	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BeiDou
Sensors		Light and proximity sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, digital compass, hall sensor, barometer, fingerprint scanner, heart rate sensor
Connectors		Micro USB 2.0 (OTG), 3.5 mm audio output
Case colors	Black, blue, white, gold	Black, grey, white, gold
Water and dust protection	No	IP68

A little more about the most important thing - the processor. Exynos 8 Octa 8890 is installed in both new flagships - S7 and S7 Edge. There are no differences between them here.

The “stone” is made using 14-nanometer technology at Samsung’s own facilities. The processor architecture is based on the big.LITTLE configuration. For the first time, it includes four cores of the South Korean giant’s own design, and the other four are the Cortex-A53, which we have long known. Of course, at peak load all eight cores can be turned on, and for other scenarios a number of different scenarios are provided: 2:3, 1:2, 3:1 and so on. Very diverse operating algorithms.

In terms of performance, the new “brains” are 80% faster than their predecessor (graphics), and energy consumption at peak loads is reduced by 40%. All this is great, but it doesn’t mean that the Galaxy S6 and its peers belong in a landfill. These are still very powerful devices that will be relevant for two years - absolutely.

An LTE Cat modem is also part of the system on a chip. 12/13 of Samsung's own production. It provides data download speeds of up to 600 Mbit/s, and upload speeds of up to 150 Mbit/s.

In addition, the new chip is capable of supporting 4K Ultra HD video playback or 4096 x 2160 pixels. This is even higher than the resolution of 4K video that is recorded on the built-in camera.

This time, the system on a chip has acquired a separate Exynos M1 processor, which is the nodal point for collecting and analyzing all data received from sensors. Such solutions are found in both . Moreover, it’s been a couple of years now.

Performance

Do you think you can find something interesting here? Whatever the case! S7 works as expected and reactively, period. Although no, a couple of times I was still able to detect barely noticeable animation brakes. This was in the deep Wi-Fi settings and then when switching to the browser. Something flashed, or rather, a little thought, but nothing more.

Naturally, all these are trifles and you shouldn’t pay attention to them. In addition, it is worth knowing that I did not have the final sample in my hands, so, most likely, updates will be released that will close these holes, if you can call them that.

Performance test results in system benchmarks are again the highest available at the moment.

Many people often argue that it’s all synthetic and doesn’t mean much. I strongly disagree with this. A device that scores 35,000 points in AnTuTu cannot run Unkilled at maximum and not sag in difficult scenes. This is impossible.

The operation of standard animation and interface has nothing to do with peak performance and, of course, benchmarks have nothing to do with it.

During the test, I managed to catch only one glitch - Google Play Market unexpectedly decided to self-destruct. Considering that this problem is widespread and appears on a large number of different devices, I think the error is on Google's side, not Samsung.

Games and Game Tools

I only tested one game - the 3D shooter Unkilled. And in my memory there are only two devices that swallowed the toy at ultra and didn’t even hiccup: and now the Samsung Galaxy S7. Other devices begin to drop to 15-20 fps in battles, but not these two monsters.

And now about a new bonus - Game Tools.

This is an end-to-end system function with which you can take screenshots of the game, record the game process itself, overlay the window from the front camera, adjust the sound and much more. The thing is really, very interesting.

Below is a video of what happened when I activated the game recording, video from the front camera.

Cameras and image quality

There is not much to say about the front module. It shoots well, there are different settings in the spirit of all the main competitors.

I wouldn't say that the quality of the images stands out in any way compared to the competition. The manufacturer clearly did not pay any special attention to this point.

The front sensor records good video in a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels at 30 frames per second. Here's an example.

The rear camera is a separate matter. First of all, there are many innovations in theory. The Sony IMX260 module with quite specific characteristics is used:

• 12 megapixels
• maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 pixels
• aperture f/1.7 (a kind of record)
• pixel size 1.4 µm

Unfortunately, during testing in Moscow, the weather was frankly crappy and it was impossible to get bright, beautiful shots. On the other hand, this is even a plus, because with sufficient lighting, many cameras shoot very well. Now go and make a masterpiece in cloudy weather! I’ll say right away that I got what I got.

The capabilities of cameras built into smartphones have long outgrown fairly budget point-and-shoot cameras, and Samsung does not stand still and is trying to improve something else.

However, I didn't notice any significant differences. The point is that you need to compare both generations head-on and, perhaps, only then will it be possible to isolate the difference. The S6 took excellent pictures, the S7 takes pictures no worse - that's for sure.

If you are chasing the quality of the camera built into your phone, then it’s definitely not worth replacing your old S6 or Note 5 with a new one. There are very few differences, in my opinion.

The HDR mode, traditional for Samsung devices, works great. The system can independently turn on this function when it deems it necessary. As a result, photographs turn out more saturated, without going into overexposure or, conversely, into blackness. Usually HDR means the contrast is extremely high and the photos are not realistic. Here these nuances are more or less smoothed out, so the pictures turn out even pleasant.

Of course, the device can record 4K video (resolution 3840 x 2160 pixels) at 30 frames per second and at a speed of 50 Mbps. Quite impressive parameters.

Here are some video recordings on the street.

And this is a video shot indoors.

Chips

Samsung, as a rule, adds several new features with the release of each new flagship. Some of them are useless, some, on the contrary, can be very useful in one situation or another. In general, let's get acquainted with the most interesting functions.

Galaxy S7 as a Wi-Fi repeater

Our hero can connect to wireless networks and transfer the same network to other devices. For example, there is a public network with the Internet “A”, our S7 connects to it and becomes an access point for transmitting the signal from network “A” further. So devices “B”, “C”, “D” and so on (up to 10 pieces) can connect to S7 and use the same Internet that is distributed by point “A”. A very cool and useful feature.

Where will it be useful? For example, in a hotel, when the Internet is paid and costs significant money, and there are many hungry mouths around (see devices) that need access to Instagram. You buy a subscription for one device and connect your whole family to the same access point via your S7, and at the same time you can earn extra money from your neighbors by offering them to chip in a little bit. Thus, you can use paid Internet and repay the same service. Such is the Jewish trick. Don't thank me.

As a boundary wall, you can set not only a traditional Wi-Fi password, but also create a list of allowed devices. They are marked by the device by MAC address. This way, unnecessary gadgets will not get through.

Desktops and more

Many manufacturers are slowly giving up and transferring all installed applications to desktops, but not the Koreans, or rather, not Samsung. LG failed to resist the trend.

The S7 still only has the essentials on the home screen, including app skins for ads (like Instagram, Facebook, etc.).

The matrix with the remaining icons is located in the menu item.

Themes

Yes, it is now possible to install third-party themes. To download and manage additional skins, you need a Samsung account. The thing is generally useful if you have a device from the company of the same name. In general, I advise you to get one.

Of course, the system has new wallpapers and a background animation effect when the device is tilted to different angles. Everything is stylish and cool. The only downside is that there are not many officially sanctioned pictures that are loaded into memory at the factory. They are beautiful, but I would like to have a more extensive collection.

Dictaphone

There are several operating modes: normal, interview (two microphones on the bottom and top are activated), as well as “voice”. What exactly is “voice” is unclear: the inscription goes beyond the boundaries of the screen and is still not readable in landscape orientation.

However, I liked the last mode the most. This is a voice dictation mode that automatically converts voice to text. Moreover, it does it quite well even in a noisy place. The main thing is to speak clearly, intelligibly and keep the smartphone close to your mouth.

Below is the result of my efforts using a small example:

Samsung Galaxy s7 review Today is Wednesday the second of March 2016

Below I suggest taking a look at the screenshots of other places in the updated TouchWiz shell for 2016.

Battery life

Unfortunately, I used the smartphone for quite a short time: so that I could test the device to its fullest (from 100 to 0 percent). However, in terms of energy efficiency, the device pleased me. Well, how? Regarding battery life in the modern sense, which is 1-2 days for any smartphone (flagship or not).

Thus, the device will definitely survive under load on all fronts for one day.

By this I mean 4-5 hours of screen operation, background notifications via 4G/Wi-Fi, calls, shooting with built-in cameras, surfing the Internet for 2-3 hours, listening to music through headphones, and so on. This is a pretty cool result. Compared to the Motorola E398, it’s nothing at all, but compared to modern competitors, everything looks more than decent.

The device charges up to a full hundred percent in less than two hours. This is how fast charging works.

As always, Samsung pays special attention to the issue of energy saving. And this is despite all the other characteristics, which in themselves are very effective in saving charge (for example, Super AMOLED display, smart and extreme saving modes, and so on).

So, in the settings there was a menu item where you can manage installed applications. Some utilities hang in the system and periodically do something on their own. As a result, energy is wasted. The system evaluates that such programs have not been used for some time (configurable in days) and automatically switches them to energy saving mode, that is, restrictions on their operation. This is convenient, since we install dozens of applications and use many of them from time to time, but at the same time they continue to dig around and consume battery power.

Samsung couldn't resist and installed a cleaner in their product - SmartClean Master SDR, it's called. It is called differently in the menu. This is a kind of center for monitoring the main components of a smartphone: power supply, memory, and so on.

In general, the thing is convenient and you could even make a separate shortcut on the desktop for it.

Wireless charging is, of course, supported and built into the back of the device. However, the accessory for this is sold separately.

Bottom line

I remember what thoughts came to my mind when I was preparing a large-scale comparison of the iPhone 6 and 6S. My conclusions regarding the flagship from the Koreans will be the same. And all thanks to the strategy that Samsung follows when developing its products.

If you don't have a Samsung Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge, but have enough money for an upgrade, then buy the S7 or its extremely curved brother. You can't go wrong. From all points of view, these are the best smartphones that can be found today, and I think nothing will change for sure in the next six months.

Yes, the iPhone 6S has a very cool 3D Touch - perhaps the only advantage in the direction of the brainchild of an American corporation. In terms of performance, both competitors are very close, as they offer unprecedented graphics and processing power. In all other respects, the 6S is inferior to its competitor from Asia (camera, communications, OS and technology in general).

If you have an S6 or S6 Edge, then it's not worth upgrading to the new generation. You won't notice anything fundamentally new. Your requirements must be very specific, or you play mobile toys at some geek level, so that there is an objective need to upgrade to the “seven”. Of course, again it is worth considering the absence of financial problems.

There is another category of users who read this review and think about the topic. This paragraph is for you. If you are tired of iOS and would like to try something new, then welcome to the real, diverse and very interesting world of Android and purchasing a Galaxy S7 right out of the gate is like suffering from an allergy to citrus fruits throughout your childhood, and then grow up, buy yourself 5 kilograms of oranges and eat them at once. Interesting? Not that word!

In conclusion about what is reasonable in our lives. New flagships are expensive (S7) and very expensive (S7 Edge). This is a fact and we will not discuss the reasons. I just want to remind you that you need to know who you are, where you belong and what you can afford. There is absolutely nothing offensive about earning 20-30 thousand rubles a month. On the contrary, there is excellent motivation to develop and achieve success, which will certainly be accompanied by financial returns. Four people chipping in to buy a BMW or buying an S7 on credit, provided that there are issues with employment, is the utmost stupidity. And it is precisely this behavior that one should be ashamed of. However, this is just my opinion and the author may be wrong. This is the “disclaimer”.

Specifications

• Android 6.0.1, TouchWiz 2016
• Display 5.1 inches, QHD resolution, 576 ppi, SuperAMOLED, automatic backlight adjustment, Always On function, different operating modes, Corning Gorilla Glass 4
• 4 GB RAM, 32/64 GB internal memory, memory card up to 200 GB
• nanoSIM (there will be options for 2 SIM cards)
• Exynos 8890 chipset, 8 cores up to 1.8 GHz per core, MALI T880 MP12 graphics coprocessor (in some countries there is an option for Qualcomm Snapdragon 820)
• LTE cat12/13 support with software update, operator support also required
• Front camera 5 megapixels, flash (screen), BRITECELL main camera, 12 megapixels, time-lapse shooting, slow-motion, video effects, 4K video
• Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), HT80 MIMO(2x2) 620Mbps, Dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Mobile hotspot, Bluetooth®: v4.2, A2DP, LE, apt-X, ANT+, USB 2.0, NFC
• Wireless charging built into case (WPC1.1(4.6W Output) & PMA 1.0(4.2W)
• Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery, extreme power saving mode, fast charging in one hour up to 70 percent
• Water protection, 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
• Instructions
• Wired stereo headset
• SIM tray clip

Positioning

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

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

But then what was supposed to happen happened, the S6 with a flat screen took its toll, this device, due to its price, pulled sales to itself. For example, in Russia the cost of the S6 is about 35 thousand rubles in the basic version, while the similar EDGE costs 10-12 thousand more. On the Russian market, it was the S6 that became the most popular flagship on Android, one of the best-selling models from Samsung. I am sure that the same thing will happen with time with the S7; 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 first priority in a phone is always the screen; you get used to the large diagonal quickly, and it’s difficult to give it up. Last year I had a pair of two phones - S6 EDGE and Note, then gradually switched 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 paired with the large Note. It is clear that my phone usage scenario 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 overwhelming majority of smartphones sold; about half of all devices in the world come in this diagonal. And that’s exactly what the Galaxy S7 is, which offers that golden mean.

Who is this phone interesting for? First of all, these are those who are switching from the iPhone and want to maintain a compact body, and at the same time get longer operating time and a better screen. Switching from the previous generation of sixes from Samsung does not make much sense, unless you have extra money and are itching that a model has appeared that is better in many respects. Among the flagships, the S7 looks like a balanced solution; on the one hand, this is a typical price for the basic version (the most affordable flagship of 2016), on the other hand, it has maximum technology and noticeably improved ergonomics of the solution. Despite my love for phablets, I am now again considering the S7 as a second phone in pair with the S7 EDGE/S6 EDGE Plus, since it is more compact and at the same time is not inferior to its older brothers in anything except the screen diagonal.

Design, body materials

Time passes, and yesterday's ideas about beauty evaporate like fog. Remember, not long ago we considered thin devices with a thickness of one and a half centimeters, and this was only ten years ago. Exactly the same situation is 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 5-inch screen. And gradually people are switching to such phones, considering their size convenient; today this is the majority of smartphones on the market. The same S7 fits well into the cohort of such devices, has a good size for them - 142.4x69.6x7.9 mm, weight - 152 grams.

The ergonomics of the device is something that we worked on day and night; impressions of the model in comparison with the S6 vary greatly. This device fits into your hand like a glove. Compared to the S7 EDGE, due to the lack of a chamfered front edge as it does, you feel the S7 is much more comfortable. No slipping in the hand, fits as if it was always there. Of course, these impressions are individual, some may not like the device, it all depends on your habits and the size of your hands. But it suited me perfectly. And the most important thing is that there are no difficulties in dialing a number with one hand on the go; this is quite possible without acrobatic performances.

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 made of Corning Gorilla Glass 4. In 2016, nothing changes, except that the glass on the front and back panels becomes 2.5D ( this is fashion and nothing more, now all companies make such glass with a curve). Samsung, in order to position itself differently from its competitors, calls 3D glass, they have reasons for this; no one uses such bends for Gorilla Glass 4 in their products.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall, the S7 turned out to be very good in terms of materials and feel. Fits perfectly in the hand, good in pockets.

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

Memory type, RAM, memory cards

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chipset and performance

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

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

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

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

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

In synthetic benchmarks, the Exynos version shows better performance.

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

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

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

Display

The phone has a SuperAMOLED screen, 5.1 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 from Samsung that are several generations old only shows how good this technology is.

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

Let's look at several technologies, each of which is not obvious, but improves the use of these devices in everyday life. So, let's start with how screens behave in 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 the contents of the screen will be readable. But it depends on your preferences, however, more on that later.

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

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

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

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

This is simply a wonderful feature, since, unlike competitors, the picture is displayed in color, it is always visible, whether at night or during the day, and is quite bright. For those who are afraid that this will affect the operating time of the device, on the 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 watch in front of your eyes, and this sharply distinguishes this phone from all others.

Cameras – front and main

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sample photos

Comparison with S6 Edge+

S7 Edge	S6 Edge+

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

Ordinary	Food mode

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

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

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

extracurricular reading

Battery

The slightly increased size is also due to the battery capacity – 3000 mAh. The operating time of a device is always a combination of factors, in particular, software stability and optimization, quality of components, and screen power consumption. It is difficult and sometimes impossible to consider operating time in isolation from these parameters.

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

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

Video playback time at maximum brightness is from 13 to 14 hours on average (the radio module is not disabled).

The phone has two built-in wireless charging standards, you can use either one. There is support for fast wireless charging. There is also fast wired charging - in 90 minutes you will charge the device to 100 percent. To get half a charge, less than half an hour is enough. Many flagships from other companies can only dream of such fast charging technology, which saves you even if you forgot to charge the device the night before, in the morning it will only take a few minutes.

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

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

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

USB, Bluetooth, communication capabilities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wi-Fi repeater.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Software – Android 6, TouchWiz and other things

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

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

Additional accessories

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

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

Comparison with Galaxy S6

Samsung has 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 or call volume; these devices are excellent; perhaps, their radio path quality is one of the best on the market. And this has long become a kind of mania; Samsung is finishing off what is already good. However, as we saw in the review, they do this for many components of their flagships.

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

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

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

From an engineering point of view, these devices are small masterpieces, they were stuffed with the latest technologies and made them work. What are the improvements in the display that are not visible, but make our lives better and easier? It would not be amiss to note that other companies, and primarily Apple, get to the point of using similar technologies only years later; they simply do not have the opportunity to do something similar. They are too far behind in development, and this can be seen in almost every piece of hardware. I have a very positive perception of the new flagships, and the fact that the previous generation sold well in Russia says a lot about the changed orientations of people during the crisis. The same S6, thanks to its affordable price, has become the most popular flagship, followed by the iPhone 5s 16 GB. The choice of a three-year-old model remains a mystery to me, but people see some meaning in it. But everything is gradually changing, slowly and surely ordinary people are realizing what fast charging is in real life, what high-quality screens look like and why Android gives freedom of use. I have no doubt that the seventh generation Galaxy will be very successful, there are all the prerequisites for this, the devices turned out to be interesting.

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

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

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

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