Samsung Galaxy The S6 was the best smartphone of 2015, but even the biggest fans of the South Korean manufacturer did not agree with the removal of the microSD card slot and did not like the impossibility of removing the battery. The next generation, that is Galaxy The S7, however, offers support for microSD cards, but that's all - it is still not possible to remove the battery and the situation will not change in the future.
This is a very small change, but an important one. For starters, it means you don't have to pay extra for more capacity, á la Apple iPhone. Instead, you can simply buy a microSD memory card (supports cards up to 200GB) and insert it into your phone. You will save several thousand crowns. Samsung Galaxy The S7 is available on the market in only two variants – 32 and 64 GB.
Samsung has also implemented IP68-certified technology into its current flagship, which means the phone can survive in water up to 1,5 meters deep for 30 minutes. Of course, the larger S7 Edge sibling also has this technology.
Design
I read on the Internet even before the actual testing that many users were facing problems related to fine scratches in many places - on the display and the fingerprint reader. Fortunately, I didn't experience this problem and the device looked great even after two weeks of daily wear without the cover. Anyway, the back is literally a magnet for fingerprints, so if you want to keep your "sweetie" looking great, you'll have to polish it several times a day. You'll probably want to invest in some kind of cover though, as the rounded sides can cause some slipping out of your hand.
Gallery
Samsung Galaxy The S7 has a new metal frame that is a bit smoother and less angular. Unfortunately, it is a fraction of a millimeter thicker and heavier than the S6. The "Es-seven" has a thickness of 7,9 mm and weighs 152 grams, while the S6 is only 6,8 mm and 152 grams. However, it's not something that you'll notice significantly in day-to-day use.
The manufacturer has also worked brilliantly on the raised rear camera, which now protrudes only 0,46 mm. This makes the camera far less noticeable and the phone itself a bit more stable. However, the S7 still tends to "jump" when tapping the top half of the display. But compared to last year's model (2015), it's a lot better, especially if you use the wireless charging pad.
Fingerprint reader
Fortunately, Samsung was not inspired by competing models (such as the Nexus 6P) and Galaxy The S7 retained the home button with the fingerprint reader. This means that the fingerprint sensor is located in the same place as in previous models, i.e. on the front of the device. And that's something I have to commend the engineers for, because it's perfect!
However, I would have a few reservations. Since the phone has a relatively large structure and an even larger display, sometimes it is difficult to reach the fingerprint reader at all, because it is located too low. Unfortunately for Samsung, it is also not possible to unlock the phone just by placing your finger like the Nexus 6P. To unlock it, you need to first press the home button and then place your finger. Anyway, I can't complain about the sensor anyway - everything works as it should and very quickly.
Display
Samsung's Super AMOLED displays are clearly among the best on the global market. Not even competitive, dare I say Apple cannot (currently) offer better display panels. Galaxy The S7 has this display and it is really perfect. The diagonal of the display is 5,1 inches with a resolution of 2 x 560 pixels (with a density of 1 ppi). The quality is truly first-class, as it also has a super-high contrast ratio, so watching videos will make you feel like you're in the cinema.
Display Galaxy The S7 also has the advantage of being enriched with Always-on technology. This means that even when the device is locked, it is possible to track certain informace, such as date, time and phone battery status. The S7 displays these informace permanently, which is definitely much more useful than the competing Moto X. However, the function can of course be turned off.
The function called Always-on display also has an energy consumption of no more than 1%, mainly thanks to Super AMOLED technology.
Battery
Like it or not for battery life Galaxy You simply don't have to worry about the S7. It is also a phone that lasts for several days, but at maximum load it can last even a whole day. All this mainly thanks to the battery capacity of 3 mAh. It lasted a full 000 hours and 17 minutes in my hands at maximum power. Last year's model, that is Galaxy The S6 had a slightly smaller battery capacity, so the S7 can be expected to last a few hours longer. In addition, Samsung has equipped the phone with fast charging technology, so it is possible to charge up to 10% of the battery in 50 minutes.
Performance
Galaxy The S7 has a very powerful Exynos 8890 octa-core processor. But there are two variants on the market - for Europe and Great Britain, a model with an Exynos 8890 is available, for other parts of the world a model with a Snapdragon 820. The Exynos 8890 consists of several cores, while two have a frequency of 2,3 GHz and the other two 1,6 GHz. In AnTuTu Benchmark, our tested variant scored 132 – 219 (single-core) and 1 (multi-core).
Know that you will have enough performance even when playing the most demanding and modern games. The phone is simply very difficult to breathe in any way, even if you have several applications running at the same time. Performance and stability, everything has been fine-tuned by Samsung.
System
Galaxy S7 drives Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and an update for our market is coming soon. Samsung Galaxy The S7 is the first ever phone to receive the new system. Of course, the South Korean company always adapts the system from Google to its own liking, calling the entire interface as TouchWiz. And that, in a way, is something Samsung has done to find millions of new and loyal customers.
Camera
The camera is one of the most important parts of any phone. Last year's model Galaxy The S6 had an excellent camera, but the S7 takes its quality three steps further. The camera chip has a resolution of 12 MPx. The camera does a great job with contrast and overall color gamut. The photos are very detailed and sharp.
Gallery
The resulting verdict
There is no doubt that it is Galaxy The S7 is another excellent effort from Samsung. In my opinion, you will like the battery life, speed and performance, the camera and even microSD card support the most. It is a big question whether it is still worth buying a de facto one-year-old model, or to wait for the new flagship, which we will see on March 29. Personally, I would recommend waiting to see what Samsung will show at its press conference. One way or another, the prices of current "ace-sevens" will plummet. In our market, the price ranges from 15 crowns.
