What maybe dubbed the best smartphone on the market comes from the house of Samsung. The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is a refinement of its Galaxy S6 Edge predecessor giving you back so much you may have missed and taking away virtually nothing in return. Samsung has gone through their last few smartphones trying to decide what’s good and what consumers will miss and they definitely let their voices be heard last time. It looks like they have learned from their mistakes and given you the mobile device you need to have in your pocket.
Style
The Galaxy S7 Edge is a marvel to hold in the hand. While the S6 Edge(& Edge+) had curved bodies they had flat back panels which made it a little hard to hold. This time around the S7 Edge still has its curves in the front but there is some slight curves in the back for better grip in the hand. Of course both sides are coated in Corning Gorilla Glass 4 which is to help out with those oops moment. Now mind you that won’t save your phone from peril as I have seen some freak accidents across the net still. But besides that the craftsmanship on this device is top-notch. It has a metallic border that goes around the device which show off the microUSB port, audio jack and speaker on the bottom while you have the dual card tray on top for changing adding microSD storage once again and changing sims. Samsung figured out how to bring us back that lovely storage option and still keep the smartphone water and dust resistant. Those last few things I mentioned have come and gone since the S5 Samsung saw fit for them to return and they are sorely missed. Volume controls are on the left while the power button is on the right.
Hardware
Seeing as Samsung brought back microSD storage they thought it was fitting to give us one option for internal space with 32GB. Associated with that you will also get a whopping 4GB RAM,Adreno 530 GPU and yes a 3,600mAh battery. That’s a round of applause from the S6 Edge that had 2,600 and S6 Edge+ with 3,000. All this balled up makes for a speedy running system that has produced virtually zero lag from me using it. Also this phone doesn’t heat up like a hotpocket as the Galaxy S6 did thankfully. I don’t think they will ever go back to removable batteries but I don’t think it’s really needed. If it makes the Galaxy smartphones run smooth and sufficient then keep it out. Fast Charging and Wireless Charging are here to stay and its great having the option to use either one or both(if you have the Fast Wireless Charger). I do see myself getting from 20% back to 100% in alittle over an hours time.
Display
The most appealing part of the Galaxy S7 Edge is of course the curved edges on the device. Like the last couple of models you have curved glass on each side rounding out to a 5.5″ Super AMOLED display with 534ppi. This screen can get pretty vibrant and bright when on its highest settings. Sometimes I do have turn it out a bit as it can be overbearing depending on what’s being displayed on-screen. It is of course a QHD display like prior models so its great for watching some flicks or playing some mobile games. This year Samsung has instituted an “always-on” display which is reminiscent of other devices such as those from the Moto X series. It’s not supposed to take a hit on battery and I haven’t seen it do that much. Of course if it does start to annoy you or want to conserve as much as possible it can be turned off. Besides that Samsung has upped their “Edges” shortcuts to utilize it for tasks, apps, and phone contacts. Personally I don’t use it as much but I can see those that would value it for its potential. I do find the screen to be pretty sensitive at times, maybe its me touching the edges but things will randomly pop up at times. Also sometimes holding it to take a picture if your hand is pressed on that edge it might not snap.
Software
Android 6.0 aka Marshmallow runs underneath of Samsung’s TouchWiz OS and helps takes it to a smooth experience. It brings a pleasant experience with asking you for permissions for just about any app and security settings(if enabled). I would have liked to see Android’s Doze feature on here but instead Samsung opted for its Optimization feature it’s used for the past couple of handsets. Realistically thanks to TouchWiz you might not even know what OS is actually under the hood on the S7 really. But in the end we are getting a snappy device and that’s all I ever really want from a Samsung smartphone and it hits on all cylinders.
Camera
This year Samsung scaled back the megapixels on the Edge series from 16MP to 12MP but you most likely won’t notice the difference. Remember pixels don’t matter if the right software and camera lens is being used. In this case Samsung can still claim to take some of the best pictures in the smartphone market even if they can come out looking super vibrant and colorful at times. There might be a slight hint of exaggeration in their photos but they still beat just about all the competitors. Also that double tap on the home button makes it the fastest camera launcher out of all other manufacturers I used. It just can’t be matched and is a life saver. Low light is pretty good on this device and being able to snap photos in some not so well lit areas saved me from using the sometimes blinding flash. 5 megapixels is still on the front camera and nothing has really changed much with that. Video recording is still available in up to 4K shooting on the back and 2K on the front. As always I have some sample shots with the S7 Edge ranging from landmarks to lots of delicious food.
Usage
I put this phone through its paces and used it to do just about everything. Snapping photos at will, playing some Candy Crush Soda Saga(don’t judge me) and watching some movies here and there. It’s great to have the ability to add storage now if Samsung would make Adoptable Storage easily accessible in the OS. It syncs great with bluetooth as I have used it with a multiple of wireless cans and hasn’t skipped a beat.
This model of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is being on Verizon’s 4G LTE network. Service has been on point and have been able to get speedy uploads and downloads in the busy streets of New York City. You can check here to see how Verizon’s coverage works in your area.
Verdict
Samsung has once again created a magnificent piece of mobile art with the Samsung Galaxy S7. It runs smooth, takes great pictures and battery life is decent. They brought back old favorite microSD storage but left out removable batteries but you couldn’t have that and this design either. There really isn’t much to dislike about the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge other than its price. At full retail you are looking at close to $800 and makes it one of the most priciest on the market. But sometimes you got to pay to look good.
