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Sunday 21 February 2016

MWC 2016: Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Galaxy S7 Edge

MWC 2016: Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Galaxy S7 Edge

Where the S6 and S6 Edge from 2016 shared nearly everything bar a curved display and a very slight difference in battery power, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are rather different devices indeed.

While they are both fundamentally based on the same design and spec list, there's a lot to differentiate between the two this year, meaning Samsung fans are going to have a real decision when choosing between them.

We've gone through both in pretty heavy detail already, which you can see in our hands on: Galaxy S7 review and hands on: Galaxy S7 Edge review, but ultimately if you're torn between which to buy then you'll want to see the specs laid bare side by side. Luckily for you, we've done the hard work already.

Design

Where the S6 duo from 2015 was very similar apart from the curved edges, these two phones are rather different indeed. The Galaxy S7 is the smaller of the two, coming in at 5.1-inches n the screen to make it the more 'standard' of the two phones.

While we'll skip over the fact just five years ago a handset that big would have been considered truly gigantic, it's definitely the more compact of the two, with the Galaxy S7 Edge's larger 5.5-inch display pushing it more into the phablet territory.

Galaxy S7 vs Galaxy S7 Edge

The resolution of both screens remains the same – QHD, or 2560x1440 pixels – the larger display of the Galaxy S7 Edge is the more visually appealing, thanks to being much bigger and all curvy at the edges and disappearing away at the sides more than ever thanks to an even bendier machine in the Samsung manufacturing process.

Both phones have the same curved back nabbed from the Note 5, and the result is that they feel great in the hand – the S7 Edge is just on the cusp of comfortable in the hand, but the extra screen you get offsets this heft.

What's the same?

Most of the internals on these phones are the same: both use the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU (or an Exynos variant in some territories) and offer 4GB of RAM.

In short, this is a ridiculous amount of power to stuff into a phone, and offers blistering pace when prodded by your fudgy digits. It allows the S7 and S7 Edge to be able to stitch together 360 video on the fly, which is actually a rather onerous task for a phone and shows the power pretty well.

Both are running Android 6 Marshmallow, with a refined user interface as a result (much flatter and cleaner again) and offer a microSD slot for removable memory, which will please a huge amount of fans.

Galaxy S7 vs Galaxy S7 Edge

The camera is identical on both too, with a 12MP sensor that packs in superfast auto-focus ability and improved low light capabilities to help it slug it out on the snapping front with the best in the business – although the smaller frame of the S7 will make it less unwieldy and therefore easier to take pictures with.

And they're both waterproof to a depth of 1.5 metres for 30 minutes, so you can splash around with them both in the bath without a care. Other than the moment you realise you're doing that with two expensive smartphones.

Battery

While size is the big difference between these phones, that extra space has been put to good use by Samsung by cramming a 3600mAh battery into the S7 Edge, although the S7 has a not-to-be-sniffed-at 3000mAh power pack too.

While that sounds like it should be enough to last days on a single charge, Samsung's never been great at keeping its phones going all day – and there doesn't seem to be any special functionality mentioned that will help the phones drain less battery.

Galaxy S7 vs Galaxy S7 Edge

However, with Android Marshmallow's new Doze Mode, that could help the phone ease through to the evening before you can shove a charger in to fill it back up with electricity.

Price

We're still awaiting final confirmation on prices, but early leaks have suggested that there will be a 15-20% premium to pay to get the larger S7 Edge.

Both of these phones will start out at a huge price initially (we're talking easily £500 or more) but by not having a range of memory sizes (that functionality taken care of by the expandable storage) it'll help to keep the prices down.

Early verdict

The Galaxy S7 is the safe bet of the two phones here. It's got all the power and functionality that the larger Edge packs, but does it in package that will fit more nicely in the palm – not everyone wants a phablet.

But if you're hell bent on getting yourself one of the new Galaxy S7 range, don't do yourself the disservice of not at least trying the S7 Edge – once you've plopped it into your hand, you'll struggle not to want to walk out of the shop with it.

Galaxy S7 vs Galaxy S7 Edge

The curved edges look better and more immersive than last year and the larger screen doesn't feel that big in the hand – as long as you're up for owning a phone that's encroaching on tablet territory.

Also don't forget: if both have the same internals, then that extra battery pack will have no more extra work to do, meaning you'll more time between charges (in theory).

The choice is design versus portability if you're stuck here – just make sure you try both first before you make your choice.










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