Unveiled during the development of the Mobile World Congress 2016 in Barcelona, ​​the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is a great evolution in the Korean manufacturer's line of smartphones. Samsung took the smartphone from 2015, which was already good, and improved the little details for the new edition.

This review has not been sponsored by Samsung or any other company since they do not give us the sample. We have bought the product for personal use and on the way give you our opinion about the smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge technical characteristics

Unboxing and design

Samsung makes us a presentation similar to the one we have seen in other similar issues of the Samsung A5 (2016) series with a black box and silk-screened letters that indicate the exact model inside.

Once we open the box we find:

There are two versions of the S7 Edge, each with a different processor. The model that Samsung distributes in most countries is the one that uses a latest-generation eight-core Exynos processor, produced by the company itself. The chip features two sets of four cores; one of the sets is responsible for heavy tasks, which require higher performance, and the other is dedicated to lighter tasks, optimizing battery use. With 4 gigs of RAM, you won't notice any lag, crashes, or slowdowns.

The design of the Galaxy S7 Edge is the best in the smartphone category in 2016: aesthetic, ergonomic and light. The smartphone, which comes in three colors (black, silver and gold), has a glass and metal finish. The infinity edge on the sides is something unique.

It is a very slim device, only 7.7mm thick. On the right of the device is the on/off button and on the left is the volume rocker.

The microSD card slot is located on the top of the smartphone, in the same slot as the operator's SIM card. It is the same location that Motorola has been using for some time on its Moto X, by the way. The slot on the S7 Edge, however, seems more fragile because it's made of plastic.

The glass finish gives the smartphone a more refined look, but it's impractical. Glass is finger-marking, leaving the device slippery and brittle, forcing the user to wear a protector, which negates the aesthetic advantage of the material. The only design evolution compared to the previous year is the curvature at the back which allows for a better fit in the hand.

It is important to note that there are changes in relation to the previous model. The main one is on the back of the Galaxy S7 Edge, which now has a buckle to favor the footprint. This design detail, which made its debut on the Galaxy Note 5 and was so loved, Samsung decided to bring it back to this new device. The result of this is an ergonomic and comfortable device to handle for several hours, which is quite normal today.

The other important change is in relation to the thickness. The Galaxy S7 Edge has grown 0.7mm compared to the Galaxy S6 Edge, and 0.8mm compared to the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, which ended up being reflected in the rear camera bump.

Another cool feature of the new Samsung smartphones is the ability to interrupt power operation via the micro USB cable when the device is detected to be damp or wet. The solution is ideal to avoid possible accidents between water and electricity.

hardware and performance

Equipped with 4 GB of RAM and a very powerful octa-core processor (Samsung Exynos 8 Octa 8890). Of course, there is nothing to complain about the performance offered by the new devices from the South Korean company.

It is necessary to mention an important difference between the variants of the Galaxy S7 Edge distributed internationally and those sold in the United States. In the US market, the device will be powered by the Snapdragon 820 processor, the most powerful chipset available from Qualcomm.

Instead, in the international version, Samsung uses its own chipset, the Exynos 8890. There is a significant difference between the two models, which ended up generating some controversy. It also has an Arm Mali-T880 Mp12 graphics card at 650 Mhz that is capable of moving any current game with 2K resolution.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has an impressive internal storage capacity of 32 GB, which is enough to install a good number of applications. For those who want to store more files, such as photos and videos, it is possible to use a micro SD card of up to 200 GB.

5.5″-inch screen with 1440p resolution

The screen remains one of Samsung's strongest points. The company confirmed the resolution of 2560 x 1440, which is more than enough pixels for a 5.5-inch panel. The model features excellent saturation, contrast, brightness, and color. The fact of being an AMOLED panel also allows the resource in which the screen is always connected showing the time, since few pixels must be turned on to show this information.

The QuadHD Super AMOLED screen is quite sharp and responsible for the high battery consumption of the Galaxy S7 Edge. Finally Samsung has implemented something they call "Always-on display", which is that small customizable screen that is activated when the smartphone is on a table, for example.

The infinity edge thing, with sides flowing down the phone, adds functionality (albeit only to one side) and gives a very cool effect to the wearer.

The only problem with this is that, depending on the position in which the smartphone is held (for example, lying on the bed), one of your fingers can interfere with the touch and confuse the operation of the S7 Edge a bit.

The company has created a platform that allows developers to create features in these spaces, allowing you to view news and sports results. However, the functions are still few, and the curvature of these edges is still basically aesthetic. It also causes usability issues, as the palm tends to rest on the corners of the screen and cause unwanted panel tones, even with Samsung's software working to try to override this kind of accidental touch.

quality sound

Regarding the audio of the Galaxy S7 Edge, there is nothing new. The smartphone has the same audio output as its predecessor, capable of providing a fairly clean and loud sound. However, we expected larger investments in this aspect.

It would have been interesting, for example, the inclusion of stereo speakers to improve the sound experience of the Galaxy S7 Edge. This would have been a good addition and would have become the mobile that is most in line with its price range and with the top smartphone category. The headphones that come with the model are the same as those of the last generation, a nice and quality accessory.

Perfection turned into a camera

First of all, its viewfinder at the rear was diminished relative to the S6 Edge. Second, the camera includes 12-megapixel Dual Pixel technology. Dual Pixel means that, on the sensor, Samsung managed to fit two pixels instead of just one. So in theory your final image has better quality and sharpness.

Another important point is the lens with f/1.7 aperture, very bright. In the professional photography world, f/1.7 lenses are often very expensive. The question of light is important. Flash is not always the best option. It is always better to use it in the latter case only in night scenes.

The rear sensor's megapixel count has dropped, but everything else has improved a lot. The camera is very fast, allowing for good photos even with moving objects, and the autofocus adjusts to both distant and close objects almost instantly. Optical stabilization is also capable of resolving and correcting hand shake when taking photos and recording videos.

The S7 Edge's camera impresses in auto mode, but it really shines when the user explores the manual mode options. There it is possible to find options that allow a very delicate adjustment of the photographs, controlling the details of focus, white balance and adjustment of the exposure time of the photograph.

An extra battery

It was the Achilles heel of the Galaxy S6 Edge, and it continues to be the problem of the S7 Edge, even with a higher capacity (more than 3,600 mAh). In daily use tests, the phone spends 16% of the charge in 9 hours and 24 minutes. Despite this, the S7 Edge does come with a fast charger: it can go from 16% to 100% charge in just over an hour and a half.

The models with the Exynos chip have a much higher autonomy than those with the Snapdragon 820 chipset, and several tests with the Galaxy S7 Edge make this very clear: the Exynos 8890 is shown to be much more energy efficient than the Snapdragon 820, remembering that both variants have a 3600mAh battery.

Despite the fact that many users prefer the variant with Snapdragon 820 processor on account of the Mali graphics card with the theoretical higher power in games, the results show that a slightly lower score in benchmark tests such as AnTuTu will be rewarded for a while. greater independence from the support for recharging.

But we have seen it falter with the Pokemon Go game when we had been walking for almost 2 and a half hours, the battery had consumed up to 65%, and that we had deactivated the augmented reality of the application.

Software: TouchWiz and Android Marshmallow

The software remains a weak point for Samsung. The TouchWiz UI has evolved aesthetically in recent years, but using a cleaner and more efficient launcher like Nova or Google Now Launcher is still recommended. The company has also greatly reduced the number of unnecessary pre-installed useless apps, but there are still more than there should be. Most of them cannot be fully uninstalled, and at most can be disabled, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Office applications that should be free to remove.

Interface

Already updated to Android Marshmallow 6, the Galaxy S7 Edge brings subtle changes from previous versions of the operating system. TouchWiz brings some visual changes, like the re-pagination of the notification panel, which is now prettier and can be expanded to display even more tools.

However, despite bringing few changes, Samsung deserves praise for the optimization it has managed to deliver with the latest versions of Android. We still do not find the same experience offered by the pure operating system, which is not really the original intention of the manufacturer. But now it is possible to use the smartphone without bothering with the blockages and the slowness of the interface. Something interesting is the possibility of organizing lines with five icons on the main screen.

The most interesting thing about the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, after all, is the integrated system that Samsung has been creating around its devices, such as cameras, virtual reality glasses and the Samsung Pay payment system.

If the competition does not manage to move much in that direction, mainly that of payments, it will be difficult for them to compete as equals against Samsung. The smartphone giant considered investing more in design, using glass and metal in the construction of the mobile. The trade-off was the loss of the microSD card slot and the impossibility of removing the battery, which upsets the company's oldest fans, who saw these features as an advantage over the great rival iPhone.

IP68 certification: Protection against water and dust is one of the great highlights of the new generation of Samsung smartphones. Both the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are now IP68 certified, which means the phones are resistant against water and dust.

According to the IP68 rating, the Galaxy S7 Edge can withstand up to 30 minutes in water, with a depth of 1.5 meters. The manufacturer does not recommend wetting the smartphone with other types of liquids, although the models can still withstand this test.

Compatibility with Samsung Gear VR virtual glasses

During the official presentation event of the Galaxy S7 Edge, in which Samsung has revealed the price and release date, the South Korean company has also confirmed a novelty for those who want to take advantage of the presale period. Between March 18 and April 1, consumers who bought a smartphone also brought the Gear VR as a gift to enjoy all the features of the gadget. Too bad he didn't follow up on the offer!

The Gear VR is Samsung's virtual reality headset that works with some Samsung devices. It offers an immersive experience for 3D recording, as well as a new way to enjoy games, movies and photos.

Game Launcher

An interesting novelty for game lovers is the resource called Game Launcher, a kind of game manager that brings together all the titles in one place. Through this manager, it is possible to block alerts and calls during the game, receive suggestions of new popular games at the moment and activate some power saving modes for those who venture to play when the battery is low, but not they want to end all the burden of the smartphone.

The Game Launcher also allows you to lock the capacitive buttons of the Galaxy S7 Edge, in addition to taking a screenshot or even recording a section of the game. Despite the benefits, we felt the lack of some of the most useful tools, such as the ability to allocate hardware resources or suspend background activities that would allow a boost in gaming performance.

Always On Display

Another novelty in the new generation of Samsung smartphones is the presence of Always-On Display, a function that allows you to see information on the screen while it is deactivated. Thus, it is possible to display the time, the calendar or even some simple images when the phone is idle.

According to Samsung, the Always-On Display is supported by the use of a technology that does not consume much energy. This means that even with uninterrupted content displayed, the battery of the Galaxy S7 Edge is not easily lost. This feature is smart enough to turn off the feature in case the phone is turned upside down or when it is inserted into the pocket.

Samsung Pay & Samsung Concierge

As Samsung had promised, Samsung Pay came along with the Galaxy S7 Edge. Several banking entities are going to receive the payment system and this involves some of the largest in the world, but it is still far from covering the entire population. Now, bank customers and owners of Samsung phones with Pay support will be able to make purchases and payments much more easily.

Samsung also launches a new service to serve consumers. The Samsung Concierge is a personalized service for customers who purchased these smartphones, giving them the chance to resolve technical problems or even answer questions over the phone.

The Samsung Concierge service is also offered through an app where consumers can talk to a concierge specialist. Problems can be solved through advance instructions from customers, remote access or through technical support in the event of the need for smartphone repairs.

Final words and conclusion

If we tell you that the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is one of the best smartphones of 2016, we are not going to discover anything new. But it is true that its 5.5″-inch size is barely noticeable due to its exquisite design and quality finishes. Really when we have it in our hand it looks like a 5.2″ terminal because of how comfortable it is.

We have loved the performance regarding power, it can handle everything and shows that with 4GB of well-distributed RAM, it is better than 6GB poorly designed. Incorporating Android 6 and great support for updates benefits us in having a safe and quality device.

The camera is without a doubt another of its strong points, the quality of the photos and the focus have nothing to envy the iPhone 6S Plus that we analyzed a few months ago. We really liked the experience.

Although the battery for daily use is more than enough, having a resolution of 2506 x 1440p and in games that require a lot of resources, it runs out too much. We think that a 1080p resolution would have benefited us greatly in the new Pokemon Go game.

Its price in the store is seen at around 620 to 650 euros free of origin. What we believe is that now it can become a much more advisable purchase than at its launch. If you are undecided, buy it you will not be disappointed.

And after carefully evaluating both the tests and the product, Professional Review awards it the PLATINUM medal:

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

DESIGN

PERFORMANCE

CAMERA

AUTONOMY

PRICE

9.5/10

THE BEST 5.5-INCH SMARTPHONE