Early reports related to the Galaxy S7 suggest that the smartphone might feature a unique camera setup. A prototype of the smartphone was spotted in benchmarking this week, and this has led to a lot of speculation online regarding the forthcoming handset. Samsung is expected to unveil this device in March of next year at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, with an April release likely for the flagship smartphone.
Galaxy S7 plans leaked
Sources in Korea have apparently got hold of the company’s plans for the device, and thus have a real insight into how the Galaxy S7 will turn out. In particular, there have been many reports in East Asia regarding the camera and the display that will be included in the smartphone, with the Korean media ablaze with murmurings on these elements of the handset.
It is suggested that Samsung will take a novel approach to the Galaxy S7, which will differ from previous versions of the smartphone. Interestingly, the Korean publication suggests that its native company will release a new version of the Galaxy S7 featuring a much larger 5.7-inch display. This will be significantly bigger than the 5.1-inch screen that Samsung included in the Galaxy S6.
Additionally, Samsung will look to make use of a dual-camera setup when the Galaxy S7 is released. This concept had been linked with the iPhone 6s earlier this year, ahead of its release, but Apple has opted for a more conservative approach with this iteration of its major mobile series.
HTC has previously attempted to push the dual-camera approach into the mainstream with the HTC One M8, although it must be said that this was largely unsuccessful. But Samsung has been a pioneer in recent years in terms of introducing new technology to smartphones, notably with its curved screen handsets. And it seems that the Korean consumer electronics giant is currently contemplating this dual-camera approach with the Galaxy S7.
Sources in Korea have also suggested that the Galaxy S7 will be released in two separate hardware configurations. One of these will be powered by the Snapdragon 820, and the other one by the fabled Exynos M1 SoC. This is nothing particularly new to the Korean manufacturer, as it has frequently released different devices with the two major processor types in different regions of the world. However, Samsung will be departing from its generally accepted strategy by ensuring that the ratio between the two models will strongly favor the Exynos M1 variant.
Reports from East Asia also suggest that the Galaxy S7 could benefit from 6 GB of RAM memory. This was a quantity that was suggested for the Galaxy Note 5, but it is not something that has come to fruition in the Samsung phablet. It does seem, though, that Samsung could be ready to arm the Galaxy S7 with this impressive quotient of memory, and this would blow away the iPhone in this department.
Pressure on Samsung
There is certainly pressure on Samsung to deliver an outstanding Galaxy S7 device, as the corporation has unquestionably fallen behind Apple in its core marketplaces. It is not that long ago that Samsung was bullishly suggesting that it would overtake Apple as the most significant consumer electronics company on the planet, but this seems unlikely for the foreseeable future.
Not only has Apple achieved a significant lead at the head of the mobile marketplace, but Samsung is also being challenged by affordable Android variants. Samsung had been particularly dominant in its native East Asian marketplace in the past, but this picture is beginning to change. Apple has been the most successful consumer electronics company in China, and now Samsung is facing obstacles to its market supremacy in Korea via these affordable Android handsets.
Samsung has already begun the process of evolving in order to meet the changing market conditions. Indeed, the hierarchy of the corporation acknowledged last year that its recent device releases have missed the mark somewhat. The Galaxy S7 was noticeably different from previous iterations of the series, as Samsung realized that it needed to update the design of the Galaxy S6 in order to bring it in line with trends in the mobile marketplace.
This seems to have reaped reward to a certain extent, with the Galaxy Note 4 having also established itself as a particularly critically acclaimed product. Certainly Samsung has achieved a more favorable relationship with the critical community in recent device releases, and it would seem from this that the consumer electronics giant is back on track in terms of its overall strategy.
But the reality is that the Galaxy S7 will be released into a far more complex marketplace, and one in which Samsung is no longer guarantee of its desired market share. The pressure will be on the Korean company to deliver something truly outstanding when the Galaxy S7 is released, in order to preserve its position at the apex of the mobile niche.
Galaxy S7 benchmarking leaked
While bloggers, Android fans and the critical community await the release of the Galaxy S7, tech blogger Steve Hemmerstoffer uncovered an AnTuTu benchmark that listed a Samsung device codenamed “Lucky,” earlier this week. It is widely believed that this is indeed the Galaxy S7, and thus we now have an excellent idea of what to expect from this device.
Aside from the specifications mentioned previously, the listing also suggests that the Galaxy S7 will feature a quad HD display, seemingly ending suggestions that Samsung will embrace 4K resolution with this device. The Galaxy S7 will also have a 16-megapixel rear camera allied to a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter, while Samsung has seemingly decided against offering a 128 GB storage option in this generation. On the other hand, considering previous Galaxy releases, it could be that the 64 GB storage figure that came out of the benchmarking is the minimum available.
The Galaxy S7 should certainly be an interesting smartphone release when it hits the stores, and we now have a very good idea of what to expect from it.
