The Samsung Galaxy S7 is still a few months away and though there are many rumors circulating for the 2016 flagship, some are more plausible than others. Of course, no rumors will be confirmed until Samsung announces the Galaxy S7, which will likely happen during World Mobile Congress in late February, but based on previous launch trends, some rumors are more likely than others.
Here’s a rundown of some popular Samsung Galaxy S7 rumored specs and features and our thoughts on their likelihood on ending up on the device.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 And Exynos 8890 Models
Possibility: Very likely
Rumors suggest that Samsung will release at least two models of the Galaxy S7, featuring either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 or its own Exynos 8890 chips. Though Samsung released all of its 2015 flagships, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 5, among others, with only the Exynos 7420 chip, reports indicate the manufacturer is once again collaborating with chip maker Qualcomm. The companies have worked together in the on several Galaxy flagships, with most units on the market featuring Qualcomm chips. But Samsung opted to only use its own chip in 2015 after the Snapdragon 810 chip was plagued by overheating issues. Working with Qualcomm on the Galaxy S7, would likely help Samsung get the device to market faster and would also help Samsung provide the handsets to more markets.
128GB Internal Storage
Possibility: Unlikely
Samsung introduced 128GB storage in the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge in March; however, the memory option wasn’t popular among consumers and was quickly axed for the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge +. Additionally, recent rumors suggest Samsung is working to reestablish expandable storage through microSD for the Galaxy S7, which would negate the need for a 128GB model of the smartphone.
USB Type-C
Possibility: Uncertain
Many smartphone manufacturers are implementing USB Type-C onto new smartphones, which provides faster data transfer speeds USB 3.1 and as well as universal compatibility. Devices including the OnePlus 2, the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P and the Huawei Mate S all feature USB Type-C. It remains unknown whether Samsung will implement the latest input protocol, mostly because consumers have seen the manufacture back track on its ports. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S5 both featured USB 3.0 port; but went back to USB 2.0 for the Galaxy S6 and later devices, largely due to the lack of backwards compatibility. While Type-C is backwards compatible with other protocols, users will require a converter port to unable compatibly.
It would seem to be in Samsung’s best interest to stick with USB 2.0, especially with Samsung doubling down on its wireless charging technology. However, Samsung has also been known to jump in the mobile trends bandwagon so this is one we will simply have to wait to confirm.
Flat Display And Curved Display Models
Possibility: Very Likely
Since Fall 2014 consumers have seen Samsung release flat display and curved display smartphones at flagship launches. These include the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge and the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge +. This trend leads us to believe Samsung will similarly launch a Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge (Plus?). Rumors indicate the Galaxy S7 will be a standard sized smartphone at 5.2-inches, while the Galaxy S7 Edge will be a phablet with a 5.7 or 5.8-inch display.
12-Megapixel BRITECELL camera
Possibility: Uncertain
Rumors about the Samsung Galaxy S7 camera are easily the most conflicting of all reports about the upcoming device. There are rumors that the Galaxy S7 could feature either a 20-megapixel camera with RAW image support or a 12-megapixel lens with a 1/2-inch sensor, according to various reports. There have even been rumors of the Galaxy S7 featuring the 25-megapixel Sony Exmor RS IMX300 lens; however, these rumors have largely faded in recent weeks.
Samsung has also announced the BRITECELL camera technology, which many originally thought was the 12-megapixel lens, but the manufacturer refuted these claims, indicating its new technology is intended to take on Sony on the imaging business. Currently, specific details about the Galaxy S7 camera remain a mystery.
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Possibility: Very Likely
Android 6.0 Marshmallow is the newest Google operating system. Samsung outfits its upcoming smartphones with the newest Google operating systems. This one is pretty cut and dry.
ClearForce
Possibility: Likely
With Apple having announced Force Touch for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in September, it’s not surprising that Samsung is hitting back with a haptic feedback technology of its own. October reports have indicated Samsung has patents for a mechanism called “Touch Input Apparatus and Electronic Device Having Thereof,” which will likely be known by the marketing moniker ClearForce. We imagine this feature is a shoe in for the Galaxy S7 considering how Apple introduced Touch ID on the iPhone 5s and the Galaxy S5 promptly launched with its own fingerprint scanner months later.
