Samsung Galaxy S7 – review – Eurogamer.it

Damien McFerran Posted ​​04/12/2016

Last year, we It made an apparent willingness acclaim from Samsung to listen to criticism and change the way they carry smartphones. The result of this approach was the wonderful Galaxy S6, a premium device with a metal case and glass able to deal face to face with Apple in the range of the most desired devices, as well as one of the most powerful phones of 2015. The positive reception to the model indicates that Samsung listen to feedback, and explains why he has decided to take a cue from Apple and HTC design for the second year in a row, albeit with some minor changes. Oh, and those elements that Samsung had removed dall’S6, such as expandable memory, and water resistance, are back. These elements return a feel from “S6S”, but then Apple’s strategy has been proven to work over the years, so it’s hard to fault Samsung for having adopted the same approach.

We do not mean to say that the Galaxy S7 is a copy of the previous model. The back side of the device now has a curved surface that can accommodate a larger battery and also reduces the large amount of shock to which was subject the rear chamber dell’S6 whenever he was resting on a table. A higher thickness may seem like a step back, but the curved lines mentioned above return a result altogether identical to its predecessor. The rear window has a similar appearance to that dell’S6, and is also resistant to breakage (a protective case, however, is highly recommended when you purchase, although it would be to hide the wonderful design of the device).

Although Samsung is restoring its partnership with the manufacturer of Qualcomm SoC after the disaster of Snapdragon 810, European consumers will not receive the Galaxy S7 with the brilliant new SoC Snapdragon 820. At this market is expected instead the proprietary chip Exynos 8890, which offers similar performance. Also they included 4GB of RAM, a staggering amount, that perhaps some might consider it superfluous for a mobile device. The internal storage is available in the amount of 32GB and 64GB, depending on the amount that you intend to spend. All S7 technology is wrapped with a mixture of metal and glass body with IP68 certification, which makes it resistant to dust and water.

• Size: 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9mm
• Weight: 152g
• Chipset: Exynos 8890 (European model – reviewed here), Snapdragon 820 ( North American model)
• Snapdragon 820 CPU: Dual-core 2.15GHz dual-core 1.6GHz more Kryo Kryo
• Exynos 8890 CPU: Quad-core 2.3GHz Mongoose more quad-core 1.6GHz Cortex-A53
• Snapdragon CPU: Adreno 530
• Exynos GPU: Mali-T880 MP12
• RAM: 4GB
• Display 5.1-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 2560×1440 pixels , 577ppi
• Storage 32GB internal (also available with 64GB), support micro SD cards (up to 200GB)
• House: Rear 12-megapixel camera with video recording 4K30 / 1080p60, front 5-megapixel camera with video recording 1440p30 room
• Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, Bluetooth v4.2
• Other features: Android 6.0.1, 3000 mAh battery, NFC, Nano SIM, fingerprint scanner, quick charge, wireless upload, Certification IP68

at the top you will find that the IR transmitter dell’S6 has unfortunately been removed, while the front of things have remained almost identical to the previous year’s model, with the same Super AMOLED display to 2560×1440 pixels. The absence of an increase in the resolution could be a reason of disappointment for some fans, even if it is almost impossible to tell the difference with the naked eye, and use the daily S7 display is fantastic: it offers rich colors and deep blacks that rarely found on AMOLED screens. The only real reason to regret a higher resolution is the use of virtual reality, you’re avid fans. But we will see later in the review.

Samsung is advertising much the feature “always on” display of the S7, which takes advantage of the information always on top on the AMOLED screen of the phone. The particular characteristics of the AMOLED screen allow you to turn off blacks pixels, so the feature always-on impacts only minimally on battery consumption, less than 1% per hour, according Samgung. In any case, the battery consumption is balanced by the fact that you no longer have to turn on the screen to see the time, and this results in increased durability throughout the day. The missed calls or SMS messages notifications are also displayed, but unfortunately you can not see the unread email notifications, which would surely proved more useful. When the phone is in your pocket or have the display facing on a table, turn off the screen completely, saving further energy.

Return the excellent fingerprint reader last year, this time supported by Android 6.0 , instead of from Samsung proprietary software. This means that not only can use the fingerprint scanner to unlock the phone, but also to make payments on the Google Play store and other compatible apps, as well as contactless payments using Samsung Pay Pay and Android, features that should be available this year UK.

A broader use of the fingerprint scanner is a welcome addition, but even more attractive is the return of other features present in other previous Galaxy, water resistance and support for micro SD cards , both absent sull’S6, because of the premium design that, according to the manufacturer, it would not allow its implementation. Samsung has clearly worked hard to rectify this oversight, and the result is that the Galaxy S7 is a much more effective device. The IP68 certification making it resistant to dust and water to a depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes, and Samsung has managed to achieve this without adding plastic to cover the slot for headphones and USB port.

Although you might think that the last thing a sane person would do with a smartphone from 700 € is to soak it in water, accidents occur, and it is comforting to know that the S7 is capable of surviving to an unplanned dip in the bathtub, toilet, or in the pool. The micro SD cards are inserted into the SIM slot, a solution that makes this feature less practical to use.

	Galaxy S7	Galaxy S6	Galaxy S5	Google Nexus 5X	Google Nexus 6	iPhone 6S	iPhone 6
Geekbench Single-Core	2171	1233	972	1263	1053	2552	1605
Geekbench Multi-Core	6465	3964	2949	3436	3081	4464	2901
3DMark Graphics	32404	22954	17464	22074	24668	41968	22824
3DMark Physics	17730	17795	15541	12641	17259	12998	9385
3DMark Icestorm Unlimited	27370	21565	18524 ​​	18934	23205	28067	17304
GFXBench T-Rex	87.0	58.0	27.4	38.0	37.0	79.7	42.8
GFXBench Manhattan	29.0	25.9	11.4	16.2	18.0	40.3	18.1

support for micro SD is a matter to be treated a bit ‘ in more detail, given that Samsung has chosen a quite different approach than many expected, especially regarding the new features of Android, the adoptive storage. The micro SD have been for many years relegated to devices to store music and photos, but Google has finally introduced a feature that allows external memories to be treated in the same way as the internal flash memory, so a 32GB micro SD 32Gb adds to your interior space, rather than be seen as a separate space. But Samsung has decided not to use this new feature of Android, preferring to keep the hot swap of the card (micro SD used as adoptive storage can not be used with other devices). It is a fragile enough motivation, since it’s more intuitive to simply copy the data directly from the phone rather than remove the micro SD to connect it via a card reader. There is a possibility that Samsung introduces the adoptive storage via an OTA update in the future, but at the moment this seems like a missed opportunity.

Considering what was capable from the point of view of pure computing power the Galaxy S6, it seems almost absurd to go looking for more performance. The problems with the unfortunate Snapdragon 810 chipset have forced Samsung to use their own Exynos 7420 chipset in the phone last year, a commendable decision that allowed to show how valuable silicon of South Korea. But with the Galaxy S7, Qualcomm and Samsung were withdrawing after and the device is one of the first to use the Snapdragon 820, or at least in some areas. The European model which we reviewed was the Samsung Exynos 8890 proprietary chip, it will not be as advanced as the new chip from Qualcomm, but according to the comparative benchmark, offers virtually identical performance. 4GB of RAM is also helpful in multitasking and, in general, the user experience is flawless, without any lag or shot found, even with your smartphone under heavy load, running multiple processes simultaneously without slowing down.

An increase in power naturally implies a better performance in the games, and all the titles we tested on the phone turned smoothly as you’d expect. The usual problems of optimization of Android games remain, but overall this phone offers a compelling mobile gaming experience. However, Samsung has more ambitious plans for its Galaxy, which are not limited to the mobile games. Late last year the company launched its technology for virtual reality, created in collaboration with Oculus, called Gear VR. Although this headset is also compatible with S6, S6 Edge and Notes 5, Samsung wants to push on Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, also giving the headset to those who buy the new smartphone in North America. The unit itself has a fairly limited technology, but it works in tandem with the IMU phone to ensure accurate headtracking.

Managed entirely by telephone and totally free of annoying cables, the Gear VR is clearly the point of more sustainable access to virtual reality at the time, an aspect that the Oculus CTO, John Carmack, should hold much into account. The wireless may be the best chance to bring casual players to VR, and the upcoming port of Minecraft for Gear VR could be the killer app of which Samsung Mobile VR headset needs.

We’ve tested a lot of games on the device and found that offer simple experiences, but very effective. Land’s End ustwo angle makes full use of the Gear VR 360 ° movement, requiring at times to turn around 180 degrees to see the next target, while EVE Gunjack offers a simple arcade action combined with stunning visuals. It is using the Gear VR that you will regret for the decision to Samsung for not having implemented a 4K display in the Galaxy S7. The image is quite grainy, a situation which is not surprising given that the display is very close to your eyes and that is magnified by the Gear VR lenses. It must be said that a 4K resolution would have a major impact on performance. Maybe you have to wait another year.

From a software point of view, it’s all pretty ordinary. The phone comes from the factory with Android 6.0.1, the latest version of Google’s operating system that introduces some interesting features, but which in many respects is virtually identical to the last version, Lollipop. Google Now On Tap makes the Google Virtual Assistant even more useful, allowing you to scan each screen searching for keywords to start more research and get more information.

Doze is another new element, which aims to extend the battery life by allowing the phone to get into deep sleep mode when not in use: as soon as the phone is idle on a table and do not take into hand for a while ‘, Doze is activated. The energy you save by turning off all notifications, except the most important: you will then receive SMS messages and calls, but not receive any notifications of apps that do not fall into the “high priority” circle. Google has taken the necessary precautions to prevent app developers do not bypass this system by passing all of the app high priority from a Google Cloud Server, a situation that will allow the company to track down any abuse of the system. Doze is a fantastic feature that can increase the battery life when your phone is placed on the table next to you, but in normal use its benefits are much less relevant, unless you’re the classic type of user you forgets their mobile phone on a table or on the bed for a long period of time.

As always, Samsung has applied its own user interface on top of the basic version of Android. TouchWiz is not as aggressive as in past models and some of the most invasive characteristics have been resized (Flipboard is not found anywhere, and his replacement Upday can and must be disabled as soon as you turn on the phone), making the experience of ‘much more pleasant use. There are still some annoying app that can not be uninstalled – the ones Microsoft mainly thanks to a recent agreement between the two companies – but Samsung is moving in the right direction. For example, there is an integrated audio player, since Samsung has probably realized that users want to use the Google Play Music app for your musical needs. This implies less duplication of capabilities that we have experienced in previous smartphone Galaxy line, although they are still present S Health, S Voice and S Planner, each of which was useless for anyone who has used an Android device in the past.

on paper, it would seem that the area where the S7 fails to bring progress with respect all’S6 both the camera. The last year’s model was equipped with a 16-megapixel sensor, but the S7 it mounts an only 12-megapixel. The reason for this decrease is the willingness to enhance photos in low light conditions. The sensor is the same size but the small number of pixels means that each pixel can be larger and more struck by light, a situation that allows pictures to be brighter in dark conditions. According to Samsung, these larger pixels, combined with a wider focal aperture of f / 1.7, offering the ability to capture more light than 95% compared to the Galaxy S6.

But the good news does not end here. The S7 is also the first smartphone to mount a dual-pixel sensor. Instead of using a small percentage of 5% of the sensor made of special sub-pixels to manage the auto focus as much of the smartphone, use the 100% of the pixels for the focus. The result is an incredibly fast autofocus nailing the image regardless of the nature of the object to be focused. Add the usual range of shooting modes and manual settings options, the ability to save images in lossless RAW format, and the photo package is also better than that offered dall’S6, an incredible achievement considering valid when the photographic industry on that device. This is undoubtedly the best camera that a smartphone has to offer, regardless of the price.

A sensor with lower number of megapixels may seem disappointing but these pixels are bigger, factor implies better shots in low light conditions. It is remarkable how clear the images are in dark environments, there is no grain would normally find in this genre of photography on mobile phones.

The 2250mAh battery of the Galaxy S6 was one of greatest weaknesses, but again, Samsung has heard the criticism and made improvements here too. The curved rear houses a 3000mAh battery, assisted by the features mentioned above, Doze. The power-saving mode of Samsung power saving and power-saving ultra allow you to make the most of every single charge, but on average, we found that the phone arrives safely at the end of the day.

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The fast loading allows you to recharge the battery in one hour, while wireless charging is slower and you’ll have to buy a compatible charger seen that is not included. There is no disappointment in the choice of Samsung not to go to the Type-C USB system as was done by other manufacturers. It might seem a disadvantage, but it will still take at least 12 months before the new system is adopted on a large scale, and Samsung is well aware that many people have yet myriads of Micro USB cables scattered around the house. For now, it seems the logical choice.

In conclusion, the Galaxy S7 repeats rather than reinvent. The S6 was a really successful device, but Samsung has taken the opportunity to solve the great little defects that users complained in that phone, such as the lack of a water-resistant case and support for micro SD. Improvements however are not limited to these two aspects: we have a better camera, a more powerful CPU, an improved design, a more capacious battery, and a more advanced software. The elements that made the phone last year a must-buy are still present, as an excellent Super AMOLED display, a scanner accurate fingerprint, and fast charging cable and wirelessly. Samsung has cleverly made significant finishing touches to what in 2015 was considered one of the best terminals, and created probably the best Android smartphones currently available on the market.