After announcing the Galaxy Note 5 ahead of its regular launch schedule, Samsung is now gearing up to unveil its next-gen Galaxy S7 in January. The Korean electronics giant has traditionally announced its flagship Galaxy S line phones at the Mobile World Congress in late February or early March. The earlier launch would help Samsung better compete with Apple’s new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.
Samsung to launch two variants of Galaxy S7
Citing inside sources, South Korean publication Electronic Times said the device will likely be announced on January 19th. Research firm TrendForce estimates that Samsung’s total smartphone shipments will decline by 1% this year. The Korean publication adds that there will be two versions of Galaxy S7, one “premium” and another “sub-premium” variant. Their designs were finalized last month.
That’s in-line with a recent report from SamMobile, which claimed that the two variants are SM-G930 and SM-G935. The former features a flat screen while the latter would come with a dual-edge display. The premium model will use Exynos 8890 chipset that will house the modem and the processor on a single chip to improve efficiency. The sub-premium version is expected to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC.
Galaxy S7 to feature ClearForce technology
Earlier this month, rumors surfaced that Samsung would also launch a third variant of Galaxy S7 powered by Exynos 7422, the same chip that was rumored to power the Galaxy Note 5. This version will be sold in the Indian market. The Galaxy S7 is likely to use ClearForce pressure-sensitive touchscreen technology developed by Synaptics to rival Apple’s 3D Touch in iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.
Other expected features include a USB Type-C port and a unique dual-camera setup with a 20-megapixel primary sensor. The Galaxy S7 is likely to come with UFS 2.0 storage like its predecessor Galaxy S6. The official launch is still a few months away, so the Korean company may change its features and hardware configuration.
