Samsung Galaxy S7 review - hands on, specs, price (£569) and release date (11th March)
Screen
As with last year's S6, the new S7 has a flat 5.1in Super AMOLED display with a QHD resolution (2,560x1,440). This gives the S7 a pixel density of 577ppi, which is one of the highest on the market and higher than the S7 Edge (it has the same resolution, but its larger 5.5in screen slightly reduces pixel density). Needless to say, the screen is super sharp, plus it's bright and colourful, too.
Samsung has traditionally made some of the best smartphone displays that I've ever tested, so I'm expecting the S7's screen to be equally as good, although I'll need to wait until I get the phone into the Expert Reviews labs before I can verify this. Unfortunately, at the time of doing the hands-on, Samsung was unable to provide any more information about the screen, such as brightness: I'll update this article as this information becomes available.
As with the S7 Edge, the S7 has an Always On Display (AOD). This can be used to display information permanently on the screen, such as a clock, calendar or recent notifications. It's a neat trick that lets you see information at a glance. Samsung has promised that battery life is not affected, as the Super AMOLED screen means that only the pixels being used to display information draw any power; in addition, the AOD shows a cut-down and simplified screen, so only a fraction of the display is used. Again, I'll have to wait until I've got the final phone in for review to test if this new mode does make a difference.
Build quality and a waterproof design
From the outside, there's very little to tell the S7 from the S6, as both phones use the same materials and colours. It's a great choice, in my opinion, as the S6 was clearly one of last year's best-looking and best-made smartphones. Using roughly the same design for another year makes loads of sense and it is what Apple has been doing for years.
Size and weight are quite similar, too, with the S7 measuring 142x70x7.9mm and weighing 152g, while the S6 measures 143x70x6.8mm and weighs 132g. The weight and thickness difference are likely to come from the bigger battery: a perfectly acceptable compromise in my opinion.
While the new handset might not look that different from the outside, there have been some clever design tweaks that make the phone waterproof and dustproof (IP68 certification). This means that the S7 can survive being submerged in up to 1.5m of water for 30m. As the waterproof design is integral to the phone, there's no need for rubber caps to block the phone's ports.
As with the S7 Edge, Samsung has also reduced the camera bump on the back, so that the lens protrudes by just 0.46mm. It's an improvement, but I'd definitely like to see a design with the camera flush with the phone's body.
The SD card slot is back
Fans of expandable storage rejoice: Samsung has listened to your feedback and has reinstated the microSD card slot. When you remove the SIM drawer from the top of the phone, you'll see that there's a slot for a microSD card, so you can cheaply and easily expand your phone's storage. Samsung has said that the phone will take memory cards up to 200GB. In addition the phone comes in 32GB and 64GB built-in storage models.
Battery life
Everyone wants their phone to last longer and the best way to do that is to fit a bigger battery, which is exactly what Samsung has done with the S7. While the old S6 had a 2,550mAh battery, the new S7 has a 3,000mAh battery: that should prove to give the phone a healthy boost, although Samsung was unable to confirm figures. I'll update this article with the latest information when it's available, although the Expert Reviews battery tests will give us the real picture when I've got the final phone in for review.
Samsung has promised that fast charging will let you get to 50% battery in 10 minutes, while wireless charging will be quicker than before, although I wasn't given any figures.
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