The biggest mobile release of the early months of 2016 will be the Galaxy S7, and an early concept of the Samsung handset has recently emerged. Concept designs, of course, are not necessarily accurate, and are to some extent known for their speculative nature. But some of the cannier designers and analysts out there have produced concepts that have been rather close to final finished smartphones, so it is always interesting and informative to look at examples of this craft.
Samsung Galaxy S7 – Early release date
Although there has been no official word from Samsung on when the next generation smartphone will release, the consensus of opinion seems to be that it will be earlier than previous Galaxy S devices. Analysts are increasingly suggesting that the Galaxy S7 will be unveiled in January ahead of a February release date. This could mean that the handset is available at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
It seems that the motivation for this earlier release date than usual is that Samsung wants to head off Apple at the pass. The iconic iPhone range can usually rely on some residual sales in the post-Christmas period, and it is suggested that Samsung intends to blunt this process by releasing the Galaxy S7 earlier than is usually expected.
This latest Galaxy S7 concept has been produced by Jermaine Smit, a name well-known in the mobile world. Smit has produced numerous concepts of various handsets previously, and his latest effort focuses on the forthcoming Samsung offering. Smith has previously produced concepts of both Apple and HTC smartphones, and is extremely experienced in this department.
The Galaxy S7 concept builds on both recent trends regarding Samsung smartphones and the general direction of the industry. It is worth noting that not that long ago Samsung was willing to produce Galaxy S devices with a plasticky feel, but has certainly moved away from this with contemporary releases. This largely reflects the predilection of the public for metallic smartphones, and Smit predicts that this will continue with the Galaxy S7.
Not only has Smit produced some engaging images for his concept design, but also supplied what he believes to be viable specifications for the smartphone. Thus, this concept is driven by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 SoC, and it runs off Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The 12-megapixel rear-camera is armed with f/1.8 aperture, and these early images will definitely engage fans of the Samsung range in particular, and Android devices in general.
Galaxy S7 Price
One of the interesting recent rumors coming out of China about the next generation Galaxy S7 is that it may be priced at a cheaper level than previous Galaxy S devices. There has certainly been pressure bearing down on Samsung in recent months, and indeed the Japanese consumer electronics giant recently went several consecutive quarters with declining profits. With Samsung looking to significantly increase its market share in 2016, amid a pincer-movement of pressure from the market-leading Apple and affordable Android alternatives, the Japanese company may consider pitching the Galaxy S7 at a more affordable price.
Thus, Chinese sources suggest that the Galaxy S7 will be 10 per cent cheaper than the Galaxy S6 when it is launched. It should be noted that the previous years have seen a similar rumors floated, and these murmurings have not necessarily come to fruition. But there is certainly market logic in Samsung cutting the price of the Galaxy S7, and this could help them to achieve the additional market penetration that the company so desperately desires.
So although the Korean corporation has probably yet to set the price range of the Galaxy S7 smartphone, we should expect it to be set at somewhere between $600 and $700.
Display
Another aspect of the Galaxy S7 which is very much up for debate is the display that the Japanese corporation opts to include in the smartphone. This is naturally an extremely important aspect of any handset, but it is arguably particularly important for Samsung considering the fact that the Korean company has become particularly associated with screen technology.
It was strongly suggested at one time that Samsung may decide to debut 4K resolution technology in the Galaxy S7. These calls were particularly intensified by Sony’s recent decision to release the world’s first ever 4K smartphone. But it now seems increasingly unlikely that the Galaxy S7 will be a 4K handset, with the Korean electronics behemoth more likely to opt for a quad HD resolution. Samsung may instead debut 4K in the next Galaxy Note release.
There has been some speculation, though, that Samsung that might opt for a slightly larger panel than last year’s Galaxy S6. Market trends indicate that ever larger smartphone displays are becoming popular, and this could motivate Samsung to slightly increase the size of the Galaxy S7 screen to 5.3-inches.
Previous reports have also indicated that Samsung will place a much greater emphasis on curved screen technology when of the Galaxy S7 is released. With curved displays proving to be extremely popular for the Korean corporation, Samsung will produce large quantities of this variant of the Galaxy S7 when the handset is released. Reports from close to the East Asian supply chain of the company suggest that there will be a roughly 50-50 ratio between the flatscreen and curved screen models of the Galaxy S7.
Camera
Elsewhere, the Wall Street Journal has gone against the suggestions of Smit’s concept design, suggesting that Samsung will significantly improve the photographic capabilities of the Galaxy S7. In particular, Samsung will focus on improving the low-light shooting of the Galaxy S7 camera, and possibly also bump up the megapixel rating of the snapper to 20-megapixels.
Regardless of the precise specs of this Samsung smartphone, the only concept image from Smit gives us a tantalising glimpse of what to expect from the handset when it is released early next year.
