The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge released in early March as Samsung’s answer to the shortcomings of the previous Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. However, the 2016 flagship devices come with a host of flaws of their own.
Fans have applauded Samsung for reintroducing features like expandable storage and water resistance. But critics note outside of hosting a new processor and very slight design tweaks, there’s not much different between the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S6.
While no device is perfect, there are some features that are a little more irksome than others. Here’s a rundown of some of the most annoying aspects of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.
Always on display
Certainly users don’t need to know the time at every given moment. While the Galaxy S7 always on display is an admirable effort at simplifying a user’s experience, we’ve found this particular feature to be more distracting than functional. It can also contribute to battery drain. Luckily, it is not a permanent feature and can be disabled. Learn how here .
Huge battery doesn’t equal improved battery life
Many Samsung fans rejoiced when it was announced the Galaxy S7 would have a 3,000mAh battery, while the Galaxy S7 Edge features a 3,600mAh battery cell. However, many features, including the Quad HD display and Samsung’s clunky TouchWiz user interface, continue to contribute to pretty consistent battery drain. Light useage may allow the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge to retain a decent charge. However, if users play a game or stream a video, they may see their battery deplete a little too quickly for comfort, especially if features like always on display are enabled.
Samsung told iDigitialTimes it opted to retain a non-removable battery on the Galaxy S7 because it made sealing the device for water resistance easier. It seems that non-removable batteries and unreliable battery life will unfortunately continue for yet another Galaxy S generation.
Most Edge features can simply go on the home screen
The Galaxy S7 Edge sure is pretty, but it's become more apparent than ever than the curved display is more about design than function. Most Edge features are just as easily accessed through the apps tray or the home screen. For example, Samsung as introduced a weather Edge panel for the Galaxy S7, which is rather redundant, considering most handsets now ship with the weather widget on the home screen. Users can customize Edge features to suit their needs; however, the shortcuts don’t vastly improve a the overall user experience.
We’ve found accessing the Edge tab can still be a bit cumbersome. Users can easily launch a neighboring home screen application instead of the Edge tab if they’re not swiping properly.
Galaxy S7 doesn’t come in silver
Samsung introduced its gorgeous silver color option on the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ in August 2015, but the silver handsets weren’t available in the U.S. They were available largely in Asian markets or as international unlocked models from online retailers like Amazon.
Samsung threw U.S. consumers a bone in 2016 by making the Galaxy S7 Edge available in Titanium Silver, in addition to Gold Platinum and Black Onyx. Customers can buy the silver model at several major carriers and retailers. But the Galaxy Galaxy S7 is available only in Gold Platinum and Black Onyx. Samsung has not commented on why it’s flat-screen flagship isn’t available in silver. Perhaps it wants to bolster Galaxy S7 Edge sales by offering an exclusive feature.
Fingerprint authentication is essentially a two-step process
The fingerprint authentication on the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge is more quick and accurate than ever. However, users still must wake up their Galaxy S7 handset by holding down the home button before they can authenticate with a fingerprint. Perhaps we’re just spoiled by the Nexus 6P, which allows users to wake up a device and authenticate at the same time. Users can place their authenticating finger on the Nexus 6P fingerprint scanner and go from idle screen to home screen in one motion and with little delay. Samsung seems hellbent on keeping the home button as part of its industrial design, so we guess it must retain some sort of functionality.
App trays within app trays
Samsung has made an effort to declutter its user interface by sorting certain application shortcuts together into folders. Within the main app tray, apps for Amazon, Google, carrier apps and many of its own stock applications are grouped together in folders. Google also has its own app folder on the home screen. This somehow makes the interface look even more busy. Luckily, users have the option of removing their most used apps from their various folders or disbanding the folders all together. Simply drag an icon out of its folder to place it somewhere else on the home screen or main app tray or long press a folder and drag it to the trashcan to delete.
All U.S. carrier models have locked bootloaders
Those who enjoy tweaking Android devices to their own specifications through rooting are used to AT&T and Verizon devices shipping with locked bootloaders, which are often hard to bypass. This is why many opt for T-Mobile devices. However, with the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, even the T-Mobile models are shipping with locked bootloaders, making it near impossible for tech enthusiasts to customize handsets to their exact specifications. This issue has been so frustrating to many users that it has even been addressed by T-Mobile CEO John Legere , who says T-Mobile's engineers are urging Samsung to reconsider the software lockdown.
Verdict
Most users likely won’t consider these any annoying features deal breakers, and should keep in mind that many Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge grievances can resolved by simply disabling a certain feature.
Regardless, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge have many redeeming qualities. The devices’ cameras alone would make either worth the purchase. And did we mention the silver Galaxy S7 Edge?
