After months of speculation from eager consumers, Samsung (SSNLF) confirmed the date it will unveil its new Galaxy S7 smartphone: Feb. 21. We know how critical this release is to Samsung. The only thing left is whether the details will match up.
While we won’t know all of those details until Feb. 21, there have been plenty of Samsung Galaxy leaks, including photos of the new smartphones. Heck, Samsung itself even accidentally leaked features of the new Galaxy S7 Edge on its own website.
With the big reveal coming on the eve of Mobile World Congress 2016, here’s what to expect from the new Samsung Galaxy S7.
Samsung Galaxy 7 Changes Battery, Storage, More
It appears that Samsung is largely focused on addressing criticisms of the switch from the plastic Galaxies of previous years to last year’s Galaxy S6. The move to a thin, metal and glass body won praise from critics and the premium design put the Samsung Galaxy series on equal footing with Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iPhone (even if it did look an awful lot like the iPhone 6); however, many long-time Samsung Galaxy fans were upset. That sleek new design meant no more user replaceable batteries, plus the end of water resistance and microSD cards for cheap storage.
With the Galaxy S7, Samsung is working hard to win back the faithful, without retreating on its new look. The Samsung Galaxy S7 is expected to move to a 3,000 mAh battery (up significantly from 2,550 mAh); this isn’t quite the same as being able to swap out batteries, but the increased capacity should go a long way toward not needing to swap the battery, even after a long day of use.
How to you solve the memory card dilemma when the new smartphone is essentially a sealed unit? According to Droid-Life, Samsung engineers have incorporated a microSD card slot into the SIM tray, allowing Galaxy S7 owners to add memory cards up to 200GB in capacity. Finally, Samsung is expect to announce that the Galaxy S7 is IP67 rated for dust and water resistance.
In addition, it looks as though Samsung is ditching its own Exynos processor — used exclusively in last year’s Galaxy S6 — for Qualcomm’s (QCOM) flagship Snapdragon 820 CPU with 4GB of RAM on tap.
The Bigger Picture
Perhaps the most controversial feature change expected for the Galaxy S7 is its camera. Current generation smartphones — including the Galaxy S6 and iPhone 6s — have been criticized for their prominent camera bumps. Engadget and other sites published leaked photos showing Samsung has smoothed that bump out this time around.
What’s likely to raise eyebrows, though, is the rumor that the Galaxy S7 uses a 12MP camera sensor, down from last year’s 16MP. The trade-off is that the Galaxy S7’s camera would use larger pixels (the same approach used by Apple in its iPhone cameras), along with optical image stabilization and an f/1.7 lens. The result would likely be class-leading low-light photo capabilities.
The Galaxy S7 could also incorporate force-sensitive display technology to compete with Apple’s 3D Touch.
Overall, the new Samsung Galaxy S7 will be visually similar to last year’s model, although its back may be slightly more rounded to accommodate the larger battery. Screen size and resolution is expected to remain the same, with Galaxy S7 test models being detected by online benchmarking website AnTuTu with the same 5.1-inch QHD resolution display as the Galaxy S6.
Where things differ is with the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. It seems likely that Samsung is going to follow Apple’s strategy of offering a bigger flagship. So while the Galaxy S7 remains the same size as last year, the Galaxy S7 Edge would grow to a 5.7-inch display.
Some rumor sites are even speculating Samsung might drop the price of the Galaxy S7 in order to goose sales, but consider that a long shot. The Galaxy S7 is extremely important to Samsung’s bottom line, and it’s facing more high end/low price Android competition than ever. But launching at a discount would risk devaluing the Samsung Galaxy brand — not to mention cutting into profit margins.
Bottom Line for the Samsung Galaxy S7
The Galaxy S7 may well be Samsung’s most important smartphone release to date. The Galaxy S6 marked a new beginning for its flagship phones, but managed to alienate many long-time fans in the process. At the same time, mid-range Android smartphones like the Nexus 6P have upped their game, making it tougher to justify the premium price of the Samsung Galaxy series.
As a result, sales dropped last year, instead boosting the way Samsung had hoped for.
With the Galaxy S7, Samsung is looking to regain customers who may have passed on the Galaxy S6, while adding features that keep it on top of the Android pack — and address advances Apple has made. And with Apple expected to take the wraps off a new, smaller iPhone in March, the Galaxy S7 will likely only have a few weeks to make an impression before Apple starts making headlines again.
Stay tuned for Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2016 coverage, where all the Galaxy S7 details, pricing and release date will be confirmed.
As of this writing, Brad Moon did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
