The rumor mill has recently gone into overdrive, and it’s very likely that the new Samsung Galaxy S7 will be released in the next few months. A possible February 2016 release date has been reported by a few outlets, with some even specifying that it could be out on the 20th. It should also be noted that others have reported that the phone could have been made available even earlier if it was released during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. (Unfortunately that came and went with no major updates.) For now, we can only wait and hope. Despite the S6 only being released in April 2015, the world seems ready for a new S range. Here’s a roundup of everything we know about the new Samsung Galaxy S7, as well as rumors and images of the latest leaks.
What We Know
According to Sam Mobile, there will be three models, with an S7 edge and an S7 edge + to compliment the normal Galaxy S7 model. The standard phone will likely come in at 5.2-inches, while the larger model should come in at 5.5-inches. (This is just a little larger than the S6, which sizes up at 5.1-inches.) Hopefully, it will still be comfortable to use.
The Edge model is expected to be the pick of the bunch, but it’ll understandably be slightly more expensive. A potential render was made by the team at uSwitch, but it’s unlikely to be wholly representative of the final product, despite supposedly being based on a leak. We’ll include the video anyway so you can get a rough idea; It shouldn’t be taken too seriously, (as you can see by the like/dislike bar) but until we get more concrete information, there isn’t much we can do but wait.
Galaxy S7 Specs
What sort of specs should we expect from the new S7? It’ll likely have 4GB RAM, with a great processor (the Snapdragon 820), and a sharp display, on a large 5.2-inch screen. It should also be running on (at least) 5.1.1 firmware when released. It would be great to see it sporting Marshmallow right out of the gate, though. As for what it looks like? It’s hard to say, and the concept images vary a lot depending on the source. Here’s one of the (many) S7 concept images available online.
It’ll probably look a lot more like the S6 than these images suggest. Here’s an image of a front panel that was supposedly leaked in early January 2016;
It’s definitely more familiar to the eye when compared to some of the concept models, which should cause most of us to breath a small sigh of relief. (Although the image hasn’t been officially confirmed as of the time of writing.) The sound quality is also expected to be improved, thanks to a new Stereo D/A converter, if reports from China are to be believed. Nearly anything would be an improvement over the S6 sound quality, which is a letdown to quite a large number of users because it was just too quiet. The camera has also received a lot of attention over the past few months, and it’s suggested that the rear camera could be a 20MP Isocell, which is a clear improvement on the 16MP output found on the S6.
Potential Features
The Galaxy S7 has a number of unconfirmed potential features, ranging from iris scanning to USB-C charging. It could also have a pressure-sensitive 3D touchscreen—like the one found on the Apple iPhone 6S and 6S Plus—which could really set it apart from similarly priced Android devices. The pressure sensitive touch panel is particularly interesting, as it was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in December. It could open the phone up to a number of touch-sensitive actions as found on the latest iOS devices. Here’s a video that shows off some of the things you can do with this screen technology; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9lcaL-UqIk Here’s another concept image, first posted on Twitter;
It could also have a microSD slot, which was sorely lacking from the Galaxy S6. (Again, Samsung has refused to comment on these features at the time of writing.) Since most of the previous premium Galaxy models of the past allowed for extra memory, here’s hoping that the reports are true. It’s also rumored that the new S7 will be slightly cheaper at launch when compared to the S6. It’s still going to be a premium priced smartphone, but it should be slightly more manageable for your wallet. (Then again, it’s also been reported that it will debut at the same MSRP, so it’s unlikely to be the biggest of savings either way.)
A larger battery has also been mentioned, and it will be a welcome addition. The S6 doesn’t have the best performing battery, and the new S7 will have a 3,000mAh battery, which should greatly outperform when compared to the older 2,550mAh version. It’s also possible that the battery could be removable, which is always handy in case you have any issues, or you need to hard reboot your device. (As you can see in this video, it’s pretty hard to remove the battery on the S6. There’s no doubt that the insides will be much improved, and the device will have high specs, but it probably won’t deviate that far from the blueprint set by last year’s model.
Conclusion
Whether or not you believe the rumors, the new S7 is incoming, and it’s likely to be here sooner rather than later. If all three devices are released simultaneously, it could be a worthy challenger and one of the best phones of the first half of 2016. For now, it’s definitely a contender. (Especially the S7 Edge.) If you’re still unsure, we don’t blame you. Rumors should always be taken with a pinch of salt, but there will always be leaks when it gets close to the proposed release date of the device. (It’s also a good way to drum up a bit of publicity, not that the S7 needs it.) If you’re still clamoring for information about new phones, here’s a list of the best upcoming phones during 2016. What do you think of the new S7? If we’ve missed some great info about the new Galaxy phone, or you have any questions, let us know in the comments below, or you can send us a message on Facebook or Twitter. Featured Image Credit
