Make it sleek, make it sexy
Update: New rumors suggest the Galaxy S7 will look mostly like the Galaxy S6, with only a few tweaks to the design and a new 3D Touch-like screen technology. A new spec leak suggests the Galaxy S7 will feature a 2K display, 4GB of RAM,Android Marshmallow and a 12MP camera.
Samsung's Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge reinvigorated the flailing smartphone brand, giving it a new lease of life with a fresh design and some brand new features.
Samsung is going to have to do a lot of work to be able to repeat the trick – but there's much more that can be improved on in the new phone, so there's plenty of scope.
It's closing in on February, with MWC 2016 in Barcelona happening at the tail end of the month and that's where we expect to see the Galaxy S7 launched.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The next flagship phone from Samsung's Galaxy S line.
- When is it out? Very likely Mobile World Congress at the end of February.
- What will it cost? Expect expensive – it's bound to be one of the more costly phones to buy this year.
Samsung Galaxy S7 release date
China Mobile put a post up on social media showing all the big phone launches it expects to see in the coming months and the Samsung Galaxy S7 was included under MWC 2016. It suggests the network knows a little bit more than it should be telling us.
Samsung has recently been unveiling its Galaxy S flagships at MWC and releasing them shortly after. This year MWC is held between February 22-25, but if it follows last year, then the 21 will be the likely launch date.
We'd put our money on a Mobile World Congress announcement, so all that remains now is to wait for an official press conference invite.
Samsung Galaxy S7 design
Given that Samsung has only just overhauled its flagship design for the Galaxy S6 we're not expecting massive changes in the Samsung Galaxy S7, with sadly only minor design tweaks likely.
A source close to Samsung told The Korea Times, "As the S6 and S6 Edge represented progress, the S7 will have improvements both in picture quality, performance and other some new features. The key point is can consumers enjoy content with enhanced viewing quality and boosted processing speed."
There may be a few tweaks to the look of both the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, but it seems Samsung wants to keep a largely similar design language across the board. However, while the look is likely to be similar, it's possible that the S7 will be IP67 certified dust and water resistant, just like the Galaxy S5.
One rumor has suggested Samsung will be dropping the Galaxy S7 Edge from its range and instead releasing a new phablet called the Galaxy S7 Edge+. It's expected to feature a 5.7-inch display with a 2K resolution as well as being a generally bigger handset. However, according to a more recent rumor Samsung will offer both the Edge and the Edge+.
On top of that the Galaxy S7 may be built of a different type of metal. Sources claim the company is experimenting with a magnesium based alloy that will make the phone stronger whilst keeping it light and allow the heat out when the processor is working hard. This rumor has popped up again recently, so it could be accurate.
What we think: A slimline design made of metal and glass as per usual, with a non-removable battery to keep the design sleek. There might be a touch of the Galaxy Note's refined rear, curving away from the screen, but ultimately, this could well be more 'Galaxy S6S' rather than Galaxy S7.
Samsung Galaxy S7 screen
A benchmark believed to be for the Samsung Galaxy S7 claims it has a 5.7-inch display, although that's likely to be more for that larger, phablet version. It lists a 1440 x 2560 QHD one though rather than 4K that some had predicted.
That said, another spec leak suggests the Galaxy S7 will come with a 5.1-inch display and a pixel resolution of 1440 x 2560, which will probably be the 'normal' variant.
It looks like Samsung could adopt a similar feature to the iPhone 6S' 3D Touch technology. A company called Synaptics has a technology called ClearForce that allows for different functionality depending on how hard you're pressing on the screen.
The Wall Street Journal also spoke to "sources familiar with the matter" who claim the technology will debut on the Galaxy S7. There's no word on a name for the technology yet, but it's looking more and more likely that Samsung is preparing its own version of the screen tech for the next flagship phone.
A curved screen has again been mooted more than once - but a flexible display rather than just the standard curve, with Samsung said to be ordering a large amount of the tech from a Taiwanese manufacturer.
And it could have super-strong display technology called Turtle Glass from Samsung, set to replace Corning's Gorilla Glass 3.
What we think: A 5.1-inch and 5.7-inch screen for the two variants of Galaxy S7, probably with a 3D Touch-rivalling screen, with appear with QHD resolution - evolution, not revolution.
Samsung Galaxy S7 camera and battery
Samsung's unveiled a new BRITECELL camera, which is designed to be both better in low light and smaller in size than the snapper on the Galaxy S6. It's not been confirmed whether it's heading for the S7, but it seems pretty likely.
On the other hand there are also reports of Samsung speaking to Sony to get a hold of the IMX300 sensor that is included in the Xperia Z5 series, which has impressed the South Korean brand.
A new rumor also suggests Samsung is looking to mimic Live Photos from the iPhone 6S. A software engineer within the company has claimed the feature will be called Vivid Photos and won't include sound clips, so it's easier to upload to your social media accounts, working much like a GIF.
How many megapixels? It could be lower than the S6, with Samsung focusing on low-light performance to make a more useful sensor, rather than pointless sharpness. According to a tipster on Weibo, Samsung will drop the Galaxy S6's 16MP camera down to a 12MP one on the Galaxy S7.
However, an AnTuTu benchmark showed a possible S7 as having a 16MP rear camera and a 5MP front-facing one, so Samsung might well be experimenting with different options.
Battery size is more of a mystery, but as this rumor suggests it won't be removable.
What we think: A lower MP camera would be a weird move from Samsung, so we think it'll stay at 16MP to avoid the marketing backlash, but make sure it's improved in terms of low light and speed. Battery size will be largely the same, but we're praying Samsung solves the battery issues that can affect some S6 models.
Samsung Galaxy S7 OS and power
The Samsung Galaxy S7 will almost certainly launch with Android Marshmallow. In fact snaps of supposed internal Samsung documents appeared on social networking site Weibo, and appear to confirm the rumored Galaxy S7 codename 'Jungfrau' and the new Android OS coming at launch.
A new rumor coming out of China suggests Samsung will be adding liquid cooling to the Galaxy S7. It would act against the phone overheating and draining the battery, making sure things stay cooler and better-performing, with the possibility of higher-spec components.
Samsung's Galaxy S7 is rumored to come in two different variants – one with an Exynos chipset and another with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. That Snapdragon 820 rumor has since been echoed by other sources and in a benchmark.
According to rumoured benchmarks, the Galaxy S7 Snapdragon version will be almost as powerful as the iPad Pro, but nowhere near as fast as Samsung's own chipset, which will likely be kept for Asian variants.
What we think: The Galaxy S7 will come with the Snapdragon 820 in Europe and US, with the higher power saved for Asia, where specs are far more important to sales - with Marshmallow on board both. The speed and battery life will increase as a result, and the S7 is going to be one fast little phone.
Samsung Galaxy S7 other features
A report out of South Korea suggests the Samsung Galaxy S7 might have serious audio skills, as it could use a chip from ESS Technology which features a 32-bit mobile audio DAC and has 129 dB signal to noise ratio... that means loud and clear sound, which is what we all want really.
It's also been rumored that the Samsung Galaxy S7 will support USB Type-C, allowing it to charge faster and meaning you can plug the cable in either way round. We'd say this is one rumor that's almost guaranteed to be true, as more and more phones are adding USB Type-C support and Samsung won't want to be left behind.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 is bound to have a fingerprint scanner, just like the Galaxy S6, while another rumor has suggested the Galaxy S7 may come with microSD support - something the Galaxy S6 didn't offer - and it'll apparently have support for cards of up to 128GB.
What we think: The Galaxy S7 could well come with a microSD slot, as Android Marshmallow can absorb them in and make them part of the internal OS. A fingerprint sensor and USB Type-C will be on board for better security and faster charging - and you won't even need to worry which way your charger plugs in.
Samsung Galaxy S7 cost
There's no word yet on what the Samsung Galaxy S7 will cost but we can tell you right now that it will be very expensive. While a price cut would be nice we'd be surprised if Samsung launched it for any less than it initially charged for the Galaxy S6. If we had to guess we'd say it could start at up to around £600 / $650 / AU$1,100.
SOURCE: TechRader
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