Samsung just unveiled the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge. We know you’ve grown tired of seeing leaks and renders. What you’re really interested in seeing are photos of the actual devices and we have many official photos of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge here for you. Gawk for as long as you’d like, we won’t judge.
The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are logical evolutions of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, and both come with a smattering of features that should make for an amazing smartphone experience. The two flagships have also been accompanied by the new Gear 360 virtual reality camera, and we were mighty impressed with all three when we went hands-on with them. But how much will these new devices cost if you’re thinking of getting one?
Well, like we exclusively revealed many weeks ago, the Galaxy S7 starts at Euro 699 while the Galaxy S7 edge will cost Euro 799. The Galaxy S7 edge is cheaper than the Galaxy S6 edge at launch by 50 Euro, but for the Galaxy S7 you can expect the same launch price as the Galaxy S6 in your particular market. That is impressive, given the two devices have so much to offer compared to their predecessors.
As for the Gear 360, this cute little camera will set you back by Euro 419. It’s a bit on the higher side, but then that’s not surprising considering it’s not everyday you come across a camera that can record 360 degree photos and videos, at least not one from Samsung.
The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge will go on sale in mid-March (March 11), while the Gear 360 will launch sometime in the second quarter of 2016.
What do you think about Samsung’s pricing for the three devices?
Together with the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, Samsung announced the Gear 360. This is a camera that can shoot pictures or videos in 360 degrees. Equipped with two 15-megapixel f/2.0 fisheye lens cameras, IP53 certification for dust and water resistance, and a light and compact design, the Gear 360 is made to be carried with you wherever you go. There’s a microUSB port for charging and a small 1,350 mAh replaceable battery inside this little camera. MicroSD cards of up to 128 GB are supported.
We couldn’t test the product ourselves but Samsung did it for us. How does it work? Well, it’s rather easy! After you connect the camera to your smartphone using Bluetooth you can open the Gear 360 app and hit the photo or video button. After you’re done you can send your files to your phone, which happens quickly through Wi-Fi Direct. Thanks to Samsung’s latest Exynos processor, you can watch the 360 degree photo or video on your phone. The camera makes a sequence of photos and stitches them together seamlessly into one image. Again, the Exynos SoC helps here thanks to its horsepower, as otherwise the process would need a PC. All these photos and videos can be shared on Facebook, YouTube and other networks.
Of course, these 360 degree photos and videos can also be viewed on the Gear VR. You can use motion control or swipe the screen for navigation through the images. Overall, the product looks promising, somewhat cute and similar to BB-8 from Star Wars. We think it’s great to have with you on vacation or special moments like your wedding. Heck, even for Samsung’s Unpacked event, which is being streamed live from four different angles.
The Gear 360 goes on sale in the second quarter of 2016 with a price tag of Euro 419. It’s not exactly cheap but not very expensive either in our opinion, for what it is offering its users.
Last year, Samsung announced the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge. Both devices were the start of a new standard for premium, purposeful design. The S6 and S6 edge were finally delivering the (long-awaited) high-end look and feel of a flagship device.
This year, Samsung is trying make things even better with the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge! Not just in terms of exterior design, but also in terms of software. Samsung gave SamMobile the opportunity to test their new devices just before the event, and you can read our hands-on experience with them down below.
In terms of design, the main focus for Samsung was to improve the Galaxy S6 device range and make something good even better. Because of this, the Galaxy S7 device range comes with the curved back that is also found on the Note 5.
With this move, Samsung has given appropriate attention to one of the main usability issues of Galaxy S6 edge and S6 edge+ - the sharp edges where the Edge screen ends. Combined with the rounded edges and the use of 3D glass (produced using Samsung’s 3D Thermal Forming technique), the Galaxy S7 devices are a pure pleasure to hold in your hands. Without compromising design, Samsung has also increased utility by adding back IP68 water and dust resistance similar to the Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy S Active lineup, but in a sleek and fashionable way. The devices still feature a non-removable battery, and just like on last year’s flagships, the IR blaster is no longer present.
Just like last year, Samsung is using a 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED in the regular Galaxy S7. The big change however is to be found in the Galaxy S7 edge. This device now features a 5.5-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED screen, while last year’s S6 edge also had a 5.1-inch screen size (and later on, its bigger brother, the S6 edge+, came out with a 5.7-inch screen). Like all of Samsung’s Super AMOLED displays, this one has vivid colors and great viewing angles, and it’s an amazing display overall.
The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are based on Android 6.0.1 with a security patch of February 2016. Both devices have the same interface as Samsung’s latest beta/official Android Marshmallow update for the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. The software includes new Edge panels and an overall new interface.
New in Samsung’s interface is the Always On display. When your display is off, you are able to see the clock or calendar combined with notifications. Theme designers will be able to theme the Always On Display as well. Samsung told us they won’t bring the Always On display to current devices which makes the S7 and S7 edge more unique. The Always On display’s content moves around every few seconds, to make sure the screen won’t burn in. Also, if you put your device in a pouch or your pocket, it will detect this and turn the screen off completely after one minute.
Samsung has added its own Game Launcher and Game Tools apps (for example, to record, pause or screenshot your game). They also enable players to have a longer playtime by offering a Downscale option to downscale performance in games, thus keeping your device cool and making the battery last longer.
Samsung has improved the audio chip in their 2016 flagship range. The audio chip should be comparable to the one used in LG’s flagship devices. Unfortunately, we were unable to do proper testing of the audio chip at the time of our hands-on meeting. We will update this post at our earliest convenience to add this information later on.
The Galaxy S7 range has an improved camera design, thanks to the camera protrusion being less than half a millimetre (0.46mm to be exact). The device features a 12-megapixel rear camera that features the world’s first Dual Pixel sensor on a smartphone, that will allow for better and faster autofocus, as it uses all the pixels in the camera for focussing on the subject, instead of only using 0.78% of the pixels like on last year’s Galaxy S6 device range.
Each pixel is now 1.4 micron and the sensor aperture is F1.7. The front camera is a 5-megapixel sensor with F1.7 as well.
A new feature in the Camera app is the ability to do instant sharing. If you enable this option, after taking a photo, a preview of the image will come sliding onto your screen, enabling you to share it right away or delete it if you dislike it. It’s somewhat similar to LG’s camera app, which shows a preview of your selfies if you bring the device close to your face after taking a photo.
The consumer favorite feature, expandable storage via a microSD card slot, has returned! The removal of the microSD card slot in the Galaxy S6 device range was probably the biggest problem with last year’s Galaxy flagships. We are very happy that Samsung decided to add back the microSD card slot to the S7 and S7 edge. The microSD card slot supports cards up to 200 GB. By default, the Galaxy S7 devices will feature either 32GB or 64GB internal storage, depending on which version you are able to buy in your country.
The Galaxy S7 devices are both packed with wireless charging technology out of the box. As expected, the devices come with every other form of connectivity a flagship smartphone should have, including LTE Cat 9 (up to 450 Mbps download speeds). The wired connectivity is still provided by a microUSB 2.0 port, both for fast wired charging and for data transfer.
One major issues with smartphones nowadays is that the battery doesn’t last long enough, sometimes hardly a single day. Fortunately, Samsung has come up with a solution for this in the Galaxy S7 duo. Whereas last year’s Galaxy S6 was sporting a 2,550 mAh battery, the Galaxy S7 will be released with a 3,000 mAh battery. This means you should be able to at least get one day of battery life without breaking a sweat. The Galaxy S7 edge will have an even larger battery; it will be 3,600 mAh, which in turn is even more than last year’s Galaxy S6 edge+. This will obviously make the devices a little bit thicker and heavier, but we personally think this is worth the trade-off.
Samsung has managed to improve a lot of the shortcomings from the Galaxy S6 lineup and has worked towards making the devices close to perfect flagships. The return of the microSD slot, improved ergonomics, the water resistance, and other top-of-the-line hardware should be among the key reasons that drive the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge to the success we think they deserve.
One disadvantage is that the glass on these devices is still a fingerprint magnet given its glossy nature, and the increased screen size on the Galaxy S7 edge might be a let-down for many, especially those who were wishing to upgrade from their Galaxy S6 edge to a similarly sized successor.
The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge will be available globally starting mid-March, and we are pretty excited about the two devices. Samsung has truly managed to create wonderful smartphones, and we can’t wait to get our hands on them for a full review.
Along with the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge, Samsung has also announced its first 360-degree camera at its Unpacked 2016 event today. Dubbed Gear 360, the camera lets anyone create 360-degree images and videos easily. The company claims that the content created using its 360-degree camera is perfect to capture any moment, be it a party or a trip. Later, the captured media can be enjoyed in virtual reality using the Gear VR headset and a compatible smartphone.
The Gear 360 is equipped with dual 15-megapixel CMOS camera sensors, each with its own wide-angle fish eye lens. Both the sensors are accompanied by bright ƒ/2.0 lenses, so low-light conditions shouldn’t be a problem. Combined, these camera sensors help users in capturing 360-degree videos with a resolution of 3,840 x 1,920 pixels (30fps) or 30-megapixel (7,776 x 3,888) still images. There’s also an option to use one camera sensor to click 180-degree wide-angle images with a resolution of 15 megapixels.
The device sports a 0.5-inch PMOLED display that is used to show bits of information such as the number of images clicked, video recording duration, and other things. Samsung is using a DRIMe5s image processor that helps the device in saving videos in MP4 format (H.265). There’s a microSD card slot, and the device is compatible with upto 128GB cards. Connectivity wise, the Gear 360 features dual-band Wi-Fi ac/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v4.1, NFC, and a microUSB v2.0 port.
Another great aspect of this device is its portability, and it’s water- and dust-resistant upto a certain extent (IP53 certification). Samsung made this spherical-shaped camera small and light, so portability shouldn’t be a problem. Accelerometer and gyroscope are present as well. The removable battery in the Gear 360 has a capacity of 1,350 mAh, but the company hasn’t mentioned anything about its battery life yet.
Samsung has provided some basic options like sharpness, white balance, EV, and ISO limit. The ‘Wind Cut’ options cuts out wind noise from videos. The Gear 360 connects to smartphones using the Samsung Gear 360 app. The Gear 360 ActionDirector app for the PC comes in handy for editing images and videos. Not only this, when synced with a Galaxy device, users can preview the images and videos in real-time.
Users can also capture HDR images, time lapse videos, and looping videos. There will also be an option to either save the content on the connected smartphone or share it directly over social media services like Facebook, YouTube and Google Street View. It is compatible with the Galaxy S6, the Galaxy S6 edge, the Galaxy S6 edge+, the Galaxy Note 5 as well as the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge (obviously). The Gear 360 will be available starting Q2, 2016 in select countries.
Samsung will sell a tripod accessory, but the camera will also be compatible with various camera accessories and mounts that are already available in the market. Samsung’s aim was to create a complete ecosystem to help Galaxy users in easily creating compelling content and enjoying self-created content using the company’s mobile products, Galaxy smartphones, the Gear 360 camera, and the Gear VR headset.
The rumors and leaks had pretty much put everything out in the open, and today Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. The good news? The two devices are everything we were expecting them to be. So there’s no pressure-sensitive display (though Always On functionality is on-board), but the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge take everything from the 2015 flagships and add numerous improvements for a perfect package.
Let’s start with the camera. Samsung has left behind the megapixel race by putting a 12-megapixel camera on the two devices, but the drop in resolution is accompanied by some amazing features. The S7 and S7 edge feature the world’s first Dual Pixel sensor on a smartphone. In layman terms, Dual Pixel allows for better and faster autofocus, as all of the pixels in the camera are used for focusing on the subject, compared to just 0.78 percent pixels on the S6′ camera.
Furthermore, each pixel is now bigger (1.4 micron) and the sensor has an aperture of f/1.7, which means the two devices will also excel at taking snaps in low-light. The camera module has been made slimmer and doesn’t protrude as much as it did on the S6 and Note 5 (the hump is only 0.46mm in size). The front camera remains a 5-megapixel sensor, though the lower aperture (f/1.7, like the back camera) means your selfies will come out considerably brighter.
Yes, the microSD slot is back, with support for up to 200 GB cards. In some markets, the phones will come with a hybrid slot that will allow users to either use a microSD card or use their device as a dual SIM phone (hopefully the Note 6 and future flagships will be dual SIM and have expandable storage). 32GB and 64GB will be the internal storage options, and 4GB of RAM will take care of the multitasking needs.
Big batteries are on-board as well. The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge have a 3,000 mAh and 3,600 mAh battery respectively, with support for fast charging on both wired and wireless chargers. Compared to the Galaxy S6, these batteries can be wirelessly charged in 130 minutes and 150 minutes. Both devices are water-resistant thanks to IP68 certification and can survive under 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes.
Samsung has also improved on the glass and metal design. The two phones come with a curved back for a better grip, and the form factor has been produced using Samsung’s “3D thermal forming” technique to give it the ergonomic curves it was so badly missing last year. The edges on the devices are rounded, and the front and back are made of 3D glass. Add water-resistance to the mix, and it’s clear to see the Korean giant has worked a lot on the design front.
The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge will be powered by either the Exynos 8890 (octa-core, maximum clock speed of 2.3GHz) or the Snapdragon 820 SoC (2.15GHz, quad-core). Both chips are 64-bit and made on the 14 nm process, and Samsung is touting CPU and GPU performance improvements of 30 and 60 percent respectively compared to the Galaxy S6. LTE Cat 9 (up to 450 Mbps download speeds) is supported on the connectivity front, in addition to every other form of connectivity that we expect from a flagship smartphone (well, except for a USB Type-C port).
Taking advantage of the increased horsepower will be the new Vulcan API for gaming introduced on Android 6.0. The new API offers greater fidelity for graphics in mobile games, and Samsung is adding a couple of its own tools to improve the gaming experience. One of these is Game Tools, which will let you record, pause or take screenshots in a game. For better battery life and improved cooling, the visuals in games can be lowered, a feature already offered by the company’s Game Tuner app.
The 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED displays on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge come with Always On functionality, which will let users display the time, notifications and calendar events on the screen at all times. To save battery life, this feature will turn off a minute after the devices are put inside a pouch or a pocket.
The Always On feature will also support theming, so third-party themes from the Themes store will be able to change the look of the Always On screen, something that was revealed earlier this weekend. The Galaxy S7 edge comes with all the new Edge features that we saw on Marshmallow on the Galaxy S6 edge, and Samsung is also offering an Edge SDK so that third-party developers can add more functionality to the Edge display.
There’s a lot that the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge offer; both devices are the culmination of the new direction Samsung took with its smartphone lineup in 2015, with every feature imaginable making it into the spec list. The pricing hasn’t changed despite the additions – the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge will start at Euro 699 and Euro 799 respectively in Europe, and matching prices in other parts of the world.
Color options include silver, gold, white and black, and the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge will go on sale in mid-March. March 11 to be exact, with pre-orders starting in many countries starting today.
What do you think of Samsung’s newest Galaxies?
Samsung’s MWC 2016 event is going to start in just a few minutes, the company has opened the doors and has allowed the media to come inside and take their seats. They’re walking into a surprise. Samsung has hooked up every single seat – and there are hundreds of them – with the Gear VR. It’s actually going to conduct the entire presentation in virtual reality which is why people in the audience have to have the headset on, they’re most certainly in for a very unique experience.
You can see our team down below sporting the headsets, don’t they look fabulous? The event is just about to start, here’s how you can stream it online for free. This is also the first Galaxy Unpacked event to be covered in multiple angles and in 360 degrees, you can tap into that stream as well by following the instructions provided here.
جميع الحقوق محفوظة لمدونة الغريب 2013
تصميم :zouia mohamed تطوير :عمرو محمد
