The widely anticipated Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge were finally unveiled at Samsung's Unpacked event, which took place Sunday in Barcelona, a day ahead of the Mobile World Congress. Based on initial impressions, the device seems to take the best parts of the Galaxy S6 and Note 5, and fuse them together with new pleasant features, a number of them driven by clamor from fans.
Samsung executives introduced the device along with its new Gear VR product, which attendees used to view the demonstrations. Many S7 features are no longer surprising, as they have been leaked heavily in the past weeks leading to the event. For example, both devices are waterproof and have significantly faster camera modules with improved low-light performance through what Samsung touts as dual-pixel technology.
The S7 and the Edge have different size footprints, sporting 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch screens, respectively. The company has brought back expandable storage, confirming what industry observers have long expected. The spec sheet is also close to what has been reported so far. There is the super-AMOLED screens and upgraded processors, which are the most powerful for the S range ever, Samsung claimed.
The new devices will also have higher battery life so strong that it could reportedly play video nonstop for 13 hours. The TouchWiz interface was improved significantly, such as the changes made to the Edge panel app menu. The Always On ambient display feature that shows basic information such as the date, time and notifications without waking up the display also makes an appearance.
Design-wise, both Galaxy devices resemble their predecessors but with softer edges, making them more comfortable to hold and easier to pick up.
"I was impressed at how good a job Samsung has done in making it simpler to use and most of the additions are positive," a reviewer for the Daily Mail said. "'Samsung said a proprietary 3D thermos-forming engineering process has been used to ensure the tight curve fits into a slimmer chassis, hence its smaller feel."
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO, was also on hand to talk about its partnership with Samsung, particularly in the area of virtual reality development. His appearance made quite a stir, according to The Verge. This has highlighted the fact that Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are optimized to work with VR headsets. They will, in fact, ship with free Samsung Gear VR for those who will pre-order by Feb. 23.
The promo runs until supplies last.
