Reports suggest that Samsung may be about to release three separate models of the Galaxy S7 when it goes public. The next generation Samsung smartphone will be considered a flagship for the Korean corporation, and will play its usual role of competing with the Apple iPhone series. This has become an increasingly challenging task for Samsung in recent years, and this is reflected in the fact that the company has experienced a decline in profits for the last seven consecutive financial quarters.
Samsung optimism
However, Samsung is optimistic about breaking this trend in the existing fiscal quarter, as the Korean corporation benefits from a positive response to its recent device releases. Nonetheless, there is pressure on sales of Galaxy devices, and the Galaxy S7 in particular, with the iPhone series still considered the world’s premier smartphone, and affordable Android variants eating into its market share in the East Asian marketplace in particular.
With this in mind, it seems that Samsung is shaping up to release three variants of the Galaxy S7 simultaneously, with the idea of broadening the appeal of the Galaxy S range. This idea has been leaked from sources close to the Vietnamese supply chain that is essential to the Samsung operation, with Android-centric media picking up on the rumor.
According to the suggestions from close to the Samsung supply chain, three units, mooted to be entitled Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy S7 Edge+, we’ll all be released at the same time. Each of the three handsets will be intended to appeal to a different sector of the market, with the Galaxy S7 Edge+ possibly considered the premium handset of the three. Reports last year indicated that Samsung is intending to significantly ramp up the number of curved screen units that it produces in the next generation of the Galaxy S7, and that this will become an increasingly mainstream technology.
iPhone advantage
By grouping its consumer devices together in the early part of the year, there is the possibility that the Korean electronics giant could gain a significant advantage over the iPhone 7. Certainly this will be central to Samsung’s thinking, with the iPhone 7 expected to follow late in Q3. This would then enable Samsung to concentrate on the development of the Galaxy Note 6 in the latter half of 2016, very much branding this phablet as a business phone against the iPhone range.
The problem with this particular plan would seem to be that it makes the Galaxy S6 Edge+ obsolete rather rapidly. Samsung would, of course, argue that to describe the device as ‘obsolete’ was something of an exaggeration, and this is perhaps a fair point. But considering that the handset was released just six months ago, Samsung would have to engage in some effective PR if it is not to alienate people who purchased that device believing it to be state of the art.
Indeed, releasing a sequel to the Galaxy S6 Edge+ so quickly would communicate something of a worrying message to fans of the Android series. One of the advantages of the iPhone is that Apple ensures that the range is only updated on an annual basis. This makes the smartphone an extremely dependable option for its legions of users. By releasing the Galaxy S7 Edge+ so quickly, Samsung is effectively indicating that it may choose to upgrade any device range at any time; hardly an encouraging message for consumers wanting value for money.
The decision would also represent an alteration in the general Samsung policy of separating releases into smartphones and phablets. This would be another change in policy for Samsung, which may not seem hugely significant in itself, but this is becoming a repetitive story for the corporation. Generally speaking, consumers are encouraged by seeing a consistent policy from a company; frequent fluctuations suggest instability and a lack of direction.
Triple Galaxy S7 release logical
It does seem, though, that there is a certain logic in grouping all of the Galaxy S7 releases together. If Samsung has had a weakness in recent years, it is that its product ranges have become too obtuse. Everyone knows what to expect from the iPhone series, whereas the Samsung Galaxy range has been somewhat haphazard over the last couple of years. Although this would be another change to the Samsung strategy, it does seem to be a natural one, and a decision that could simplify the range in the eyes of consumers.
Although Samsung may be looking to unify the Galaxy S7 series, it seems that there is still room for diversity within its ranks. Reports have already indicated that there will be more than one variant of the Galaxy S7 when it is released, with a model featuring the Exynos 7422 processor to be released in India. Other murmurings have suggested that models released in Korea, China and even Europe will be equipped with the Exynos 8890 chipset. Other territories are being linked with the Qualcomm Snapdragon range.
Galaxy S7 camera and spces
It has also been reported by the IBTimes that the Galaxy S7 may feature a dual-camera setup. Camera technology is set to be even more important than usual in 2016, with Apple supposedly considering a similar dual-camera approach as one of its possible options for the iPhone range. The iPhone 7 has also been linked with a professional standard DSLR snapper, as well as a unique periscope design.
The 20-megapixel sensor that is being linked with the Galaxy S7 will be packed with 1.0 micron-sized pixels. It is thought that this technology will have the ability to utilize less power, and Samsung has already been working on ensuring that its low-light shooting capabilities are also improved.
We could also see a Galaxy S7 featuring a magnesium alloy and glass exterior, as Samsung rebuild the concept following on from the Galaxy S6 series. Rumors abound that this flagship smartphone may appear before the Mobile world Congress in Barcelona, indicating a January launch for the new Samsung handsets.
