Klutzes of the world should rejoice Friday, as Samsung officially starts
sales of its new water-resistant Samsung Galaxy S7 and Samsung Galaxy
S7 Edge. The phones, which the company first unveiled last month, are
now widely available in all their dunkable glory.
The latest two
Samsung's high-end smartphones are supposed to be able to withstand
submersion up to five feet for as long as 30 minutes. So you're in luck
if you drop your phone in the drink - as long as you fish it out
reasonably fast.
Samsung provided me with a review unit of the
Galaxy S7, a 5.1-inch smartphone. Once I opened the box, I duly dropped
the high-performance, expensive phone into my sink while doing the
dishes. Apart from the mild palpitations I gave myself, there was no
damage at all. The phone's touchscreen didn't work under water, but it
continued on without a hiccup and was unharmed and still working
perfectly when I pulled it out. It was just as impressively zippy as
ever and no worse for wear.
(Also see: Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge First Impressions)
Of course, there's more to this phone
than its ability to withstand water. Overall, I'd also say that the
design of the S7 is better than its direct predecessor, the Samsung
Galaxy S6. The new phone feels a little stockier, likely due to its big
battery. But its shape is also a little sleeker, thanks to engineering
that's shaved some girth from the Galaxy line's unsightly camera bump.
At any rate, I'm not worried about the camera getting caught on the lip
of a pocket or the edge of a table - something that has happened with my
S6. And, with its metal and glass construction, it feels like a
high-end phone. It's also a little curvier than the Galaxy S6, more like
the latest versions of the iPhone, which makes it fit a little better
in your hand.
(Also see: Samsung Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge Launched in India)
I have no complaints about performance, either. Even
while playing games or watching video, the phone seemed to handle
whatever I threw at it. Here are some features that have stood out about
the S7 in my brief time with the phone:
Always-on screen:
Samsung's screen can stay on all of the time and display basic
information like the clock or a calendar. This may seem like a small
feature, but it's a great one for folks like me who often use their
phone as a desk clock throughout the day. It can't display notifications
in this mode - for that, you go back to the traditional lock screen -
but it's nice to be able to glance down and see something other than a
black, dead screen.
Battery life: While I haven't had the phone
long enough to truly put it through its battery paces, it can easily
make it through a day of normal use and then some without needing to be
plugged in even with the always-on feature. The S7's battery, which is
larger than its precessor's, should fit the needs of most people, and
possibly exceed them. Even while testing the phone out, it still didn't
need to be charged until late in the night - something I can't always
say of the S6 or the iPhone 6s.
Camera: Samsung has been heavily
touting the camera on its latest models, particularly their performance
in low light. The camera is high-performance and is noticeably crisp
with dark shots. Samsung has also added some extra modes to the camera,
including one called "motion panorama," which lets you take a panoramic
shot that will animate when you scroll over it - a feature similar to
Apple's Live Photos.
Expandable memory: One of the greatest
returns to form from Samsung is the inclusion of expandable memory on
its new devices, making it possible for users to add in their own SD
card and supplement the 32GB or 64GB of storage that comes standard
with the phone. With the quality of the pictures this phone takes, it's a
welcome addition. However, the integration between the phone and SD
card isn't quite as close as it has been on past models; if you want to
move something to the SD card, you'll have to do that explicitly rather
than just having the phone treat the card as part of its own storage.
Apps:
No review of this phone would be complete without a short complaint on
apps that come already installed on the device. Bloatware is a problem
with all smartphones, and while there aren't quite as many pre-installed
programs on this model as there have been in the past, Samsung has
still loaded this phone with more apps than you probably want. There are
still multiple e-mail apps and multiple music stores that you'll have
to contend with, as well as apps that come from your carrier. (The
Verizon model Samsung sent me has eight "Verizon" apps installed.) It
doesn't affect the performance of the phone, but it is still kind of
annoying.
(Also see: Samsung Galaxy S7 vs. Samsung Galaxy S6)
Samsung has also released a higher-end version of the
S7, called the Galaxy S7 Edge, which has a larger screen at 5.5-inches.
That phone has the same curved screen edges as the Samsung Galaxy S6
Edge, along with the upgrades - water-resistance, expandable memory,
etc. - Samsung brought to the Galaxy S7.
The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge
are available on all the major US carriers as well as at major retail
outlets such as Best Buy and Target. The S7 has a $699 (roughly Rs. 47,000) suggested price
tag, while the S7 Edge generally costs $100 (roughly Rs. 6,700) more. However, you should
check with your carrier or retailer - many are offering deals and
discounts from those prices.
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