MWC 2016 – The Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge were announced Sunday evening in Barcelona, largely confirming months of leaks and rumors. The 2016 Flagship devices bring back to the Flagship line, features including expandable storage, water resistance and a high power battery.
Samsung also introduced on the devices, features including always-on display, a dual pixel camera and Vulkan API for smartphones, which brings PC gaming quality to mobile devices.
Samsung has said its main focus for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge has been hardware upgrades and the amount of internal overhaul well justifies the lack of variation on external design, according to IHS mobile analyst Ian Fogg. Design tweaks on the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge include a curved back panel, similar to what is seen on the Galaxy Note 5 and a thin camera module that barely extends out of the device.
Samsung has also opted to keep its color options for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge simple, offering black, white, gold and silver at launch.
The devices will be available for preorder Feb. 23 and will hit markets March 11.
Check out our hands on shots of the new devices below.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 always on display displays time, date and notifications as a default.
Samsung equipped the Galaxy S7 with a 3,000mAh and the S7 Edge with a 3,600 battery to support the feature.
With its unibody design, the battery on the Galaxy S7 remains un-removable.
According to Samsung, smartphone power users check their devices over 150 times a day, which was the inspiration for this feature.
Users can customize the always on display with downloadable wallpapers.
Samsung rival LG also announced an always on display on its LG G5, which was also announced Sunday.
Samsung also announced the Gear 360 camera as a companion device to both the Galaxy S7 and Gear VR.
Users can record video, transfer it to a Galaxy S7 handset for editing and sticking and view the experience on a Gear VR.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 camera is 12-megapixels with a f/1.7 aperture and a dual pixel lens, specifically designed for increased accuracy in auto focus and low-light photography.
The Galaxy S7 back panel was curved to make the device easier to hold.
The curved sides of the Galaxy S7 Edge have less depth than on the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, another aesthetics choice.
Samsung's Onyx black color option is now actually black, rather than a tinted dark blue.
The Gear 360 connected to handsets via Bluetooth and transfers files via Wi-Fi Direct.
The Galaxy S7 is certified water and dust resistant with an IP68 Ingress protection rating.
The handset can be submerged in up to 5 feet of water for 30 minutes.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge includes several updates to the Edge UX, including a task edge, which users can customize and a third party, introduced after Samsung opened its Edge SDK to developers.
A new accessory for the Galaxy S7 is the standing wireless charger.
Other Galaxy S7 accessories, including the lens over.
Custom design for always-on display.
The Galaxy S7 Edge compared to the Galaxy S6 Edge+
The Galaxy S7 retains USB 2.0 ports despite rumors suggesting Samsung would introduce USB-Type C.
The Galaxy S7 includes one slot for a SIM card and a MicroSD card.
