Samsung Galaxy S7 reportedly in testing at AT&T ahead of Q1 launch

Shawn Knight

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Samsung pushed the launch date of its current batch of flagship handsets – the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and the Galaxy Note 5 – up by several weeks in an effort to beat Apple’s iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to market. It would appear as though the South Korean electronics giant plans to execute a similar strategy in launching the Galaxy S7.

AT&T, the nation’s second largest wireless provider, is already testing two variants of Samsung’s Galaxy S7 according to tech industry leaker extraordinaire Evan Blass. The admission adds credibility to earlier rumors suggesting Samsung may launch the handset as early as January.

Samsung traditionally unveils its new Galaxy SX smartphones at Mobile World Congress in late February / early March. A trade show of that magnitude seems like the perfect place to unveil new products but in actuality, it’s a bit of a double-edged sword as it’s somewhat easy to get lost in the flood of announcements from other exhibitors.

In addition to the standard Galaxy S7 and an Edge variety, we’re also hearing that Samsung may launch a “premium edition” S7. This model is rumored to feature a 4K display, a dual-lens rear camera from Sony and a special version of the octa-core Exynos 8890 SoC that’s said to utilize a Mali-T880 GPU with 14 cores (up from 12 cores in the “standard” edition).

It’s worth pointing out that the Exynos 8890 will power the Galaxy S7 models in all markets expect China and the US where the handsets will instead use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 SoC.

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Can't wait to read about the specs! Would it be too much to hope for a microSD card slot and removable battery?
Also...Techspot!! still waiting for the numbers on the Note 5!! :D really want to see how "well" they did.
 
Can't wait to read about the specs! Would it be too much to hope for a microSD card slot and removable battery?
Also...Techspot!! still waiting for the numbers on the Note 5!! :D really want to see how "well" they did.
Way too much to ask for those. How else would samsung convince you to upgrade in two years, outside of their complete inability to push updates or stop screwing up their software?
 
Can't wait to read about the specs! Would it be too much to hope for a microSD card slot and removable battery?
Also...Techspot!! still waiting for the numbers on the Note 5!! :D really want to see how "well" they did.
Removeable battery? SD card acceptance? I reckon you've got more chance of platting your own pee than seeing that.
No my friend, selling devices with varying amounts of memory at extortionist prices is just a far too lucrative market to not cash in on.
A mid/low range device? Yes. Not a flagship device and you can probably count LG in on this too with their G5 and V Plenty next year.
 
If it doesn't have a removable battery and microSD I will not be interested. Happy with my LG G4 for the time being.
The micrOSD I agree with, but on my note 4 with its fast charging, I found I rarely ever use the spare battery. Just plug it in for 30min & boom 50% battery power is back.
 
The micrOSD I agree with, but on my note 4 with its fast charging, I found I rarely ever use the spare battery. Just plug it in for 30min & boom 50% battery power is back.

What happens to the battery when you decide to keep your Note 4 for a few years (or really had it down to family..maybe your kid)? Wouldn't it be better to just replace the battery for a new one instead of having to upgrade to an entirely new phone just because the old one doesn't hold a charge anymore?
 
Wouldn't it be better to just replace the battery for a new one instead of having to upgrade to an entirely new phone just because the old one doesn't hold a charge anymore?

Better for you, yes, not better for Samsung. This year saw two big revelations in the smartphone market. Apple finally clued to something Samsung has known for years - that customers wanted bigger phones. And Samsung realized that if your battery stops working well it's a good reason to upgrade - something Apple has been profiting off of for years.

Samsung wont' go back. Not when their biggest competitor (Apple) isn't offering it. I'm surprised Samsung doesn't offer a discount model Galaxy 6d (D for Discount) with a SD/removable battery and plastic back, but maybe they saw how poorly the iPhone 5c did.

Luckily there's still LG, who puts out a top of the line flagship for hundreds less than a Galaxy or iPhone, and even throws in the extra battery for free with a rebate (or at least, they used to when the G4 was new). The only thing you sacrifice is that 'premium' metal - as if you weren't going to use a case...
 
Why not wait till Q3 and get the S8? At least it seems they pump them out that fast anyhow...
 
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'Premium Edition' also comes with a car battery that you will have to carry at all times on your person.
 
So now wait for S7. Must be a dramatic entry. I need to check its specification. but please Samsung, improve battery conditions at least provide 4000 or 5000 mAH
 
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