Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – the new Samsung Galaxy S7 takes on the new Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. Just what makes these two devices different from one another and is one distinctly better than its brethren? Does the Galaxy S7 Edge really justify the extra $100 price tag or are you better off saving your money and simply purchasing the Galaxy S7?
The Galaxy S7’s are merely evolutionary devices after Samsung had their big makeover last year with the Galaxy S6 series. It is difficult to tell them apart from last year’s models with just a cursory look – just a couple of subtle changes. However, inside there are all of the necessary updates to the latest technology and wants – sans the non-removable battery…which is not an issue for me, but a huge deterrent for some. We will take a look at what makes these two devices the same, which will make this section a little larger than usual. We will then follow that up with a closer look at each individual device to see exactly what makes them different.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, despite their different display sizes, they are very similar in size with the S7 Edge just 8mm taller, 3mm wider, 0.2mm thinner and 5 grams heavier. They both use Samsung’s Super AMOLED display technology with a QHD resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and ‘always-on’ technology to save battery life. They both use one of two processors depending where you purchase them – in the US you will get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core with two cores clocked at 2.15 GHz and two cores clocked at 1.6 GHz with an Adreno 530 GPU handling the graphics. While just about anywhere else you will get Samsung’s homegrown Exynos octa-core processor with four cores clocked at 2.3 GHz and four cores 1.6 GHz with a Mali-T880-MP12 GPU for graphics. Both devices come packed with 4GB of faster DDR4 RAM, a choice of 32GB or 64GB of faster UFS 2.0 internal memory and both offering expansion of that memory via a 200GB microSD card. Both are running the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow with TouchWiz UI on top.
The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge use the same camera setup, which is completely different from last year. Gone is the excellent 16MP main camera and in comes a new Dual Pixel 12MP with a 1/2.6″ sensor size and a large 1.4 µm pixel size designed to let in more light and detail of your photo subject. It uses a huge f/1.7 aperture, phase detection autofocus (PDAF), OIS and LED flash. Both use a 5MP front-facing camera with an f/1.7 aperture, 22mm wide-angle lens and auto HDR for great selfies and video chatting. Both devices have a bottom-mounted speaker and the usual suspects found on a Samsung device – WiFi, v4.2 Bluetooth, GPS, NFC and a microUSB v2.0 port. They both have a fingerprint sensor for unlocking the device as well as authorizing mobile payments – either Samsung Pay or Android Pay and it is PayPal approved. The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge each sport a heart rate sensor, oxygen saturation sensor, IP68 dust and water resistant rating and a non-removable battery, rapid charging and built-in quick wireless charging.
Please take a deliberate look at the detailed Specifications Comparison chart below and here you will see just how these two great devices stack up against one another – click on the “View Full Comparison” link at the end of the chart to expand the details. After that, we will look at each individual device in greater detail and point out some of its pros and cons.
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy S7
This section will be quite a bit shorter for both devices since they have so much in common, which are listed in the above section. The ‘basic’ Samsung Galaxy S7 is constructed out of sculptured metal and Gorilla Glass 4 – a combination that makes it look premium, but it’s also a fingerprint magnet and a bit fragile if dropped.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 measures 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm and weighs in at 152 grams and will cost you about $672 off-contract. It sports a 5.1-inch QHD Super AMOLED display with 577 pixels-per-inch (PPI) and goes up against the 5.5-inch dual-curved edged display and 534 PPI found on the Galaxy S7 Edge. It has a smaller 3000mAh non-removable battery with fast charge – 60-percent of battery life with 30 minutes of charging and quick charge wireless charging. Samsung is saying that it will be available in Black, White, Gold and Silver depending where you make your purchase.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
The Galaxy S7 Edge is also constructed out of sculpted metal and Gorilla Glass 4, but adds to its looks with a dual-curved display which ups the premium look and adds that ‘WOW’ factor, but still retains its ‘fragile factor,’ maybe even more so.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge measures 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7 mm, weighs in at 157 grams and will cost you about $770 off-contract. It sports a 5.5-inch QHD Super AMOLED display with 534 PPI, which goes up against the Galaxy S7’s 577 PPI – due to the smaller display size the pixels are denser. The display is the main differentiating factor between the two devices – the S7 Edge has the dual curved display, which adds a true ‘cool’ factor to the device as well as offering an active edge that is capable of harboring extra features. For instance, you can have instant access to ten of your favorite contacts, use it for notifications or even a night clock. The Galaxy S7 Edge has a larger non-removable 3600mAh rapid charge battery – 60-percent of battery life with 30 minutes of charging and quick charge wireless charging. Samsung says that it will be available in Black, White, Gold and Silver depending where you make your purchase.
…And The Winner Is…
Summary
I had to pick this comparison as a draw for obvious reasons. The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is without question the best looking of the two devices – it has a slightly larger dual-curved display (5.1-inch vs 5.5-inch), a larger battery (3000mAh vs 3600mAh) and a $100 higher price tag. Other than those differences, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are identical with all other features. The question is whether you want to pay the extra money for the display, larger battery and the extra ‘cool’ factor that definitely is present with the Edge model.
For myself – I would want to tote around the Galaxy S7 Edge because I like a larger display and the dual-curved display, though not as functional as it could be, is just so damn good looking – it really differentiates it from other smartphones, including the Galaxy S7. If you are more comfortable with the smaller display as your daily driver, then the Galaxy S7 would be the one for you – it is still extremely stunning and premium looking and you will save yourself a $100.
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