In just a couple of days from now, Samsung will be unveiling its new flagship handsets to take on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus: the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.
Looking at consumer trends, Samsung has this year decided to go with a larger 5.5-inch curved screen on the Galaxy S7 edge, while the Galaxy S7 will come with a 5.1-inch display. This will allow Samsung to put the Galaxy S7 edge right against the iPhone 6s Plus, which also features a 5.5-inch display albeit not a curved one.
Like it has done in the past, Samsung is copying taking inspiration from Apple for some of the features that it will be introducing on its flagship handsets this year. Both the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, are expected to come with a pressure-sensitive display akin to 3D Touch on the new iPhones, though since Android does not natively support this technology, it will be interesting to see how Samsung implements it in its apps and UI.
Another interesting feature that Samsung will reportedly be introducing with the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge this year is an ‘always-on’ display. Not much is known about this feature, so it is unclear how exactly it will work and without affecting battery life greatly.
Taking another cue from Apple, Samsung seems to have decided not to revamp the design of its flagship Galaxy handsets this year. Instead, just like Apple, the company seems to have decided to tweak their design to address issues which its predecessor had, which in this case means making the S7 and S7 edge less slippery and more ergonomic friendly. However, Samsung is one-upping Apple this year by adding water resistance capabilities to the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge and this is without introducing any flaps for ports. The addition of water resistance capabilities alone will be a big enough feature for some people to switch from their iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus to the Galaxy S7 (or S7 edge).
Similarly, Samsung is dropping down to a 12MP shooter on both phones with larger individual pixel size, which is similar to what Apple did with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. However, rumors indicate that Samsung will be using an f/1.7 aperture lens that should give its handsets an advantage over the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in low-light situations. The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge featured a 16MP camera, so Samsung is actually going to use a lower resolution sensor on the S7 and S7 edge. Rumors point that the lower resolution sensor features larger individual pixel size which when combined with the wide f/1.7 aperture will allow the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge to deliver outstanding image quality.
And once again, showing that it is not afraid of copying Apple, Samsung is rumored to introduce its own take on Live Photos on the S7 and S7 edge. It is unclear how Samsung has implemented this feature, though its functionality will be pretty much similar to Apple’s.
The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge might not be able to beat the iPhone 6s Plus in the battery life department, but they have two other ace up their sleeve: fast charging and wireless fast charging. With the Galaxy S6, Samsung introduced wireless charging to its flagship Galaxy lineup that allowed them to be charged from 0-100 percent in just over 80 minutes. This year, it is rumored to further improve the charging speeds of its devices. And just like the Galaxy Note 5 last year, the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge will come with fast wireless charging, which means that even when charged wirelessly, these handsets will go from 0-100% in less than two hours.
Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge rumor roundup
Learning from its mistake last year, Samsung will also be reintroducing a microSD card slot on the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge this year. And unlike Apple, the base variant of both phones will come with 32GB of internal storage, with the company also offering a 64GB variant.
Lastly, Samsung plans on offering the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge in three colors, including gold thereby once again confirming how it will never be ashamed of copying Apple’s successful moves.
Do you think Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge will give iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus a run for their money?
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