MWC 2016: Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 EDGE – the launch

Before journalists gathered at the press conference they got to know all the ins and outs of new equipment, everyone got the virtual reality goggles - Gear VR. Then the show began...

Referring to the title of the event - "unpacked", the conference began with the opening of ... a big box located in the middle of the room. Then appeared the next lecturers and followed presentations of both models, dedicated to the solutions and accessories. During the presentation a lot of time was devoted to VR technology and its presence in social media. Hence, among other things, the presence of the head of Facebook, who was saying that VR Samsung will change our lives, and also announced the ability to watch and publish on the portal videos in 360 degrees.

The most important, however, were the phones. – "We believe in a world that is brighter, sharper, more convenient, and more fun. We strive to deliver on that vision with the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge by marrying elegant design with functionality and providing a seamless mobile experience,” said DJ Koh, President of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics.. - “We empower consumers with technology to help them get more out of life and will continue to push the frontier of what’s possible.”

Samsung Galaxy S7 (SM-G930) in four colours (black, white, silver and gold) equipped with a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED WQHD display. Its resolution is 2560x1440 pixels, which gives the density of 576 ppi. Attention was also given to the thin bezel. The dimensions of the device are 69,6x142,4x7,9 mm and it weighs 152 g. The design of the smartphone is a combination of glass surfaces (protected by Gorilla Glass 4) and a metal frame.

The main camera in S7 will not be strongly protruding above the surface of the housing - only 0.46 mm, so we can say that in practice it is hidden in the housing. The main 12-megapixel camera can boast with Dual Pixel Technology (double photodiode 2PD, which means two separate photodiodes in each pixel). This refers to the autofocus, while sharpening connecting the detection phase and the possibility of hybrid AF. Time of sharpening is expected to reach 0.15 seconds.

The aperture has been improved to F/1.7, which should ensure that the perfect images even in low light conditions. Additionally OIS, and among the software: moving panorama and timelapse. Photos in full resolution (ie. 4032x3024 pixels) will be recorded in 4:3 ratio. Video, in turn, can be recorded with maximum quality UHD (3840x2160 pixels). Samsung describes the camera as the world's first mobile DP device. On the front there is, in turn, a 5-megapixel camera with aperture F/1.7.

Smartphones will be running Android Marshmallow. During the first contacts of journalists with devices all worked perfectly smoothly. The widgets on the locked screen (clocks, calendars) that are not to charge more than 1 percent of energy per hour, are to be an interesting fact.

Let's get to the inside - Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge sold on the European market will be equipped with the Exynos 98890 processor with the Mali T880 GPU – it is a system 50 percent more efficient compared to that from the model S6 (GPU by 77 per cent. compared to the GPU from S6). In the US, on the other hand there is to appear the version with the processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 820.

Galaxy S7 is equipped with a non-replaceable battery with a capacity of 3000 mAh. Wireless and fast loading is supported here. In the wired option, charging the battery to full is expected to be 95 minutes, the wireless version - 130 minutes.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (SM-G935) is equally impressive device with a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display and the same resolution as the S7 model. In the case of Edge density of pixels is 534 ppi. Guts and capabilities are substantially similar to S7. Edge features a battery with a capacity of 3600 mAh. Fast and wireless charging is supported technologies here as well. In 115 minutes the smartphone will be charged by AC charger (ie. via cable), and the wireless charging time is estimated at 155 minutes.

The smartphones are resistant to adverse weather conditions – they meet IP68 standards. This means that they can withstand up to half an hour at a depth of 1.5 meters. The waterproof rubber seals around the USB ports and the tray for SIM cards and Gore Tex layer that protects the microphone and speaker are responsible for that. On the other hand, one of the safeguards against unauthorized access is the fingerprint reader in the main button, which can be used to login to the site, to verify your Samsung account when shopping and to unlock the device.

We were also presented the concept of a graphical interface Vulkan API, designed for gaming (although due to the lack of installed games there was no possibility of its test, and smartphones did not have the final software yet - therefore we were not presented the benchmark results). However, this interface will not only ensure the improved performance of the device while gaming - the user in addition will not have to stop the game because of incoming notifications and will be able to influence the energy consumption while playing eg. the weaker performance graphics at the expense of extending the operating time.

We also know that both models will exist in the version with the dual-SIM hot-swap (a hybrid tray - or dual SIM, or SIM card and microSD). First there will appear the black and gold version, later there is expected silver and white version.

The phones are already available in presale. Such a set will probably be enlarged with additional accessories that will not appear with the models sold in "normal" mode - that is, after March 11. Certainly each set will have attached a dongle, allowing the transfer of data (max. 4 GB) to the S7 / S7 Edge from any phone.

The new Galaxy will also be available with a set of optional extras: the new headphones, covers (eg. with lens) and keyboards.

During the conference we also saw another new product - a spherical camera Gear 360 with two F/2.0 lenses. It supports cards up to 128 GB, records a video in 3840x1920 pixels and offers images at a resolution of 7776x3888 pixels (giving 30 megapixels). It meets the requirements of IP53 standard, but you can buy an optional housing with increased resistance (IP68).

Samsung Gear 360 is equipped with two lenses, a "fish eye", which is accompanied with sensors with a resolution of 15 megapixels. The device also allows you to obtain still images with a resolution of 30 megapixels. Another feature is taking 180-degree shots with just one lens.

The lightweight and compact design, and spherical shape of Gear 360 make it easy to carry the device, which can be used both outdoors and indoors. To Gear 360 has in a set an easy-to-use tripod.