Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review: Next-Generation Android is Now

[Scorpus]

It’s immediately apparent when you hold the S7 Edge that this phone has been immaculately constructed. Unlike the somewhat sloppy and plasticky Samsung designs from several years ago, the glass and metal seamlessly meet on the Galaxy S7’s body. The slight curve to the front glass panel on all edges means you’ll never feel the metal join, while the curved glass back feels just as good here as it did on the Galaxy Note 5.

The Galaxy S7 is still a 5.1-inch handset with a 1440p AMOLED display, but the dual-curved-edge Galaxy S7 Edge has increased in size to 5.5-inches. This sensibly transforms the Edge from a direct competitor to the Galaxy S6, to a device that sits between the S7 and Note 5 in Samsung’s product stack.

There’s no removable battery, but users should be extremely pleased to see the return of the microSD card slot, which is found in a tray along the device’s top edge with a spot for the nano-SIM as well. Water resistance has also returned as a no fuss feature you probably won’t even realize is part of the S7 Edge’s package.

Read the complete review.

 

[VitalyT]

I probably wouldn't list the return of micro-SD card as a plus for this phone. That's just Samsung trying to fix the huge screw up they did with the previous generation when they removed it.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

The S7 will be the nicest phone released this year but still, it's nothing special.

 

[jasonbross9130]

Tim, thanks for the excellent review. Did you drop the phone? I am curious about it's durability or will we have to cover it with a serious case?

 

[andrewdoyle88]

I'm looking to buy a camera and it happens that my iPhone 5s is getting slower and out of contract. A new phone might be the best for both worlds since I don't want to drop serious money on a DSLR I'll never have one me.Still on the fence about getting a 6s or an S7. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[BSim500]

LOL at the funny reviewers on various tech sites now praising the return of the same SD card slot "because expandable storage is cheap, fast, efficient and immune to data caps and online storage limits" that they previously praised the removal of "because the cloud is the future for everyone and local storage is like papyrus & cave paintings, man"...

 

[toooooot]

I'm looking to buy a camera and it happens that my iPhone 5s is getting slower and out of contract. A new phone might be the best for both worlds since I don't want to drop serious money on a DSLR I'll never have one me.Still on the fence about getting a 6s or an S7. Anyone have any suggestions?

I played with both. Not much difference. If you wanna save money and have cash on hands, buy s6. If you can get it discounted with2 yr plan, get s7, I mean why pass on waterproof and sd card? Btw, tmobile has a promo now, buy one s7 or edge and get rebate for the second one with addition of a new line.

 

[toooooot]

I'm looking to buy a camera and it happens that my iPhone 5s is getting slower and out of contract. A new phone might be the best for both worlds since I don't want to drop serious money on a DSLR I'll never have one me.Still on the fence about getting a 6s or an S7. Anyone have any suggestions?

I played with both. Not much difference. If you wanna save money and have cash on hands, buy s6. If you can get it discounted with2 yr plan, get s7, I mean why pass on waterproof and sd card? Btw, tmobile has a promo now, buy one s7 or edge and get rebate for the second one with addition of a new line.

Error, you meant 6s not s6 . I sold 6s plus recently. Not sure it is fair to compare android and IOS, so much more freedom with android. I like Samsung screens better than apple. And then again, if you go with 6s, you ll have to pay extra for more built in storage. So if I was choosing between 6s and s7, I d go with s7 because of the screen, android, waterproof, and of course cheaper expandable storage.

 

[Jack Reacher]

LOL at the funny reviewers on various tech sites now praising the return of the same SD card slot "because expandable storage is cheap, fast, efficient and immune to data caps and online storage limits" that they previously praised the removal of "because the cloud is the future for everyone and local storage is like papyrus & cave paintings, man"...

Yes, Bsim, but "obviously" we were too stoopid to realize it then.

 

[andrewdoyle88]

Error, you meant 6s not s6 . I sold 6s plus recently. Not sure it is fair to compare android and IOS, so much more freedom with android. I like Samsung screens better than apple. And then again, if you go with 6s, you ll have to pay extra for more built in storage. So if I was choosing between 6s and s7, I d go with s7 because of the screen, android, waterproof, and of course cheaper expandable storage.

Thanks, I am leaning towards s7. Unfortunately I live in Canada and we have some of the highest cell phone rates in the world. Our top 3-4 companies have a monopoly and price fix, I don't know how they still get away with it!

 

[Oscar G]

The screen is seriously always on? WTF? What an outrageous waste of battery life, running the backlight 100 percent of the time. And OLEDs fade over time.

And the continued use of essentially proprietary versions of Android and stupid "skins" is just depressing.

With Apple apparently getting rid of the headphone jack on its phones, it will be the last straw for a lot of iPhone users sick of *****ic design decisions that have rendered Apple's products essentially useless much of the time. Therefore I'm looking to one of these phones as I switch away from Apple.

But Android has failed to deliver its promise as the great "open-source" mobile OS that would free us from vendor tyranny. We STILL can't install Android updates on the day of release? We're STILL stuck with bullshit skins and bloatware? What's the point then, except to flee Apple's ever-worsening battery life and *****ic port elimination?

 

[Scorpus]

The screen is seriously always on? WTF? What an outrageous waste of battery life, running the backlight 100 percent of the time. And OLEDs fade over time.

I haven't done testing yet but it doesn't consume much battery life. OLED screens don't have a backlight, so it only requires power to display the illuminated pixels (the rest are black). Also the touchscreen is off.

As for OLED fade, that hasn't been an issue since early generation units. I doubt you'd notice any fading during the reasonable lifespan of this device. (Also, the always-on segment moves around and can be disabled when its in your pocket or bag)

 

[p51d007]

Another "fashion statement" phone, overpriced. Hey, if that's what you like to spend your
hard earned money on, it's your right, but these "flagships" are only king of the hill for around
1 year, to be replaced by another flagship, with 1 or 2 extra bells and whistles, and of course
a HIGHER price. When a PHONE costs upwards of 700 dollars OR MORE, that's just ridiculous
in my opinion, considering what they do, but, hey, it's not MY money.

 

[Rj5555]

The screen is seriously always on? WTF? What an outrageous waste of battery life, running the backlight 100 percent of the time. And OLEDs fade over time.

- you can activate / deactivate it in settings
- The display is not on when in a pocket, purse or display down on the table
- it uses about 1% battery per hour
- it does not uses 100% brightness, more like 10%
- no backlight on amoled displays
- always on information moves every minute to avoid uneven aging

 

[Theinsanegamer]

So all samsung needs to do is bring back the removable battery, and they will finally have a successor to the galaxy s5.

And the price of these things are just rediculous. $700+ for a device thatll get updates for a year.

 

[Arturo]

On the edge of perfection... Sometimes I feel as if the reviewers receive money from Samsung. Other brands never receive this kind of flattery. I don't see anything tremendously cool in this phone, and it's price is just ridiculous.

 

[Technician]

Immaculately constructed? Are you kidding, it was built by machines in a factory. Bentleys are immaculately constructed, these are cheap off the shelf talk and toss phones.
All phones need removable batteries leaving that feature out to cut costs and speed production is a bad choice.
They also need to address the refraction problems of the rounded screen causing distortion in the image.
The one years worth of support puts the price realistically at around $125.00 to $150.00 over that price point is just Samsung reciting PT Barnum's old motto, "There's a sucker born every minute."

Some questions:
How does it look in direct sunlight?
How long does the battery last under use (like watching videos and running a couple background operation until it dies)?
How big a drop does it take to break it on concrete?
On a wood floor?
On ceramic tile?
On Porcelain tile?
On terracotta?
How much water will it hold up to?

If you didn't break it, you didn't test it enough.

BTW, you can't have next generation software now, if you have it now, it's current generation software.

 

[Coodu]

Thanks for the review Tim, very well put together as always. Looking forward to upgrading my S6 for the S7 Edge I think!

 

[Scorpus]

Some questions:
How does it look in direct sunlight?
How long does the battery last under use (like watching videos and running a couple background operation until it dies)?
How big a drop does it take to break it on concrete?
On a wood floor?
On ceramic tile?
On Porcelain tile?
On terracotta?
How much water will it hold up to?

- The screen is really easy to see under direct sunlight. Brightness over 500 nits is great
- Battery life information can be viewed in that section. You can expect at least 8 hours of continuous use at a reasonable brightness level
- Samsung didn't give me 5 phones to drop test so obviously I didn't attempt to break it
- It doesn't hold any water, it's not a cup. However it will withstand 30 minutes in 1.5m deep fresh water.

 

[JB Hickok]

Was this review unbiased? That is did you buy the phone for full retail price making the review believable?
I have heard a lot of negatives about the phone you seemed to miss.

 

[user1223]

I'm looking to buy a camera and it happens that my iPhone 5s is getting slower and out of contract. A new phone might be the best for both worlds since I don't want to drop serious money on a DSLR I'll never have one me.Still on the fence about getting a 6s or an S7. Anyone have any suggestions?

I am in the same position of deciding a phone for an upgrade from a 5s. I'm currently looking at the 6p and the s7e (I'm mainly looking to switch to android for the many many customization features and just other features, ios is becoming too plain). I'm leaning towards the s7e and I strongly recommend that you get that one...

 

[Badelhas]

Very nice review.
Tell me something, Tim: why does the HTC One_M8 appears in some charts and in others it doesn't?

 

[Badelhas]

I'm looking to buy a camera and it happens that my iPhone 5s is getting slower and out of contract. A new phone might be the best for both worlds since I don't want to drop serious money on a DSLR I'll never have one me.Still on the fence about getting a 6s or an S7. Anyone have any suggestions?

I am in the same position of deciding a phone for an upgrade from a 5s. I'm currently looking at the 6p and the s7e (I'm mainly looking to switch to android for the many many customization features and just other features, ios is becoming too plain). I'm leaning towards the s7e and I strongly recommend that you get that one...

Is the S7 really as smooth and fast in real life like the benchmarks show or does TouchWiz still lags? I had the S3 the Note 2 and the S4 and when I got my still great htc one m8 the difference was night and day.