With Samsung working away behind the scenes on future mobile releases, much murmuring is taking place regarding the Galaxy S7. This future Samsung smartphone will be a critical release for the Korean corporation, and there are already a stack of rumors circulating about this device. So here is a rundown of all of the latest gossip, leaks and assumptions about this next generation Samsung smartphone.
Galaxy S7 build
Samsung has been moving away from the plastic construction of its previous devices in recent years, and this resulted in a Galaxy S6 which was pretty well received both commercially and critically. It is likely that Samsung will not diverge from this model too strongly with the Galaxy S7, with the device expected to strongly resemble its predecessor.
One interesting rumor which has emanated recently is that the Galaxy S7 could feature at least one model which can fold from its own display. Samsung originally debuted this technology back in 2008, but production costs have proved prohibitive for its inclusion in the Galaxy S series. However, this could change with the release of the Galaxy S7.
Curved screen
However, although the Galaxy S6 Edge debuted curved screens, it is probable that Samsung will be greatly increasing the manufacturing process related to this curved screen variant of the range. Already reports have emerged which suggest that Samsung is expecting to sell a much larger number of Galaxy S7 Edge devices when it releases next year, and the Korean manufacturer is reputedly making supply chain preparations to fulfil this demand.
Thus, we can expect to see the emphasis of the series shifted in this next generation, with the curved screen model of the Galaxy S7 no longer considered a premium version of it, but instead very much a mainstream variant of the smartphone.
Resolution
Samsung is renowned for arming its mobile devices with some pretty impressive specifications, and it is a certainty that the Galaxy S7 will continue this trend. In fact, even if the smartphone simply froze the specs from the Galaxy S6, it would still be an extremely competitive smartphone, but some significant improvement is absolutely baked into the cake.
This will begin with the display of the device, which is another area in which Samsung is particularly renowned for excelling. With the Galaxy S6 having featured an outstanding display, it is possible that the Galaxy S7 will become the first mainstream, mass-market handset to be built around 4K technology.
There is still some debate in analyst circles as to whether a 4K resolution display will be both practical and advisable for Samsung to include in the Galaxy S7. There is no doubt that a 3,840 x 2,160 pixel AMOLED display would offer stunning visuals, but there have to be question marks regarding whether the battery and processor compromises which would be required in order to deliver this resolution would be worth the hassle.
Specs
Aside from the display of the device, Samsung has also been linked with some outstanding specifications for other aspects of the Galaxy S7. Some reports have suggested that Samsung will arm this device with 6 GB of RAM. This would perhaps enable it to support 4K resolution, or it would at the very least ensure that the Galaxy S7 is an extremely competitive device in terms of processing speed.
Another aspect of the device which is very much up for debate is whether or not Samsung will continue to utilize its own-brand Exynos processors in the Galaxy S series. It was generally assumed that this would be the case, but the company’s mobile chief, JK Shin, has recently suggested that it is considering reverting to a Qualcomm CPU for the Galaxy S7.
It is not know precisely what has provoked this comment, and whether it can be considered a red herring. However, there are probably logistical issues underpinning it, as the level of production required for the Galaxy S7 series will be quite significant, and Samsung may believe that delegating the manufacturing of these critical aspects of the smartphone will be in its best interests.
The Galaxy S7 camera will also probably be significantly improved from the current generation lens. There have already been suggestions that the smartphone will feature a 20-megapixel snapper when it is released in 2016. Optical image stabilization is also expected to get a boost in the new device, and thus Samsung will be very closely monitoring developments at Apple in this department. The consumer electronics giant has been linked with both a dual-lens camera and a unique periscope device for the iPhone 7, and Samsung will want to ensure that it is in the same ballpark to its great rival with its developments in this region.
Release date
In terms of a release date for the device, it is still highly likely that we will see the Galaxy S7 around April 2016. This has been the traditional release date for Galaxy S devices in the recent past, with Samsung usually choosing to unveil its latest flagship smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona which predates the release by a few weeks.
However, Samsung’s plans are very much fragmented at the moment, as both Samsung and Apple attempt to establish their product ranges for the next couple of years. With Samsung intending to release both a new Galaxy Note 5 phablet and Galaxy Gear A smartwatch in the coming months, as well as potentially refreshing its tablet range, the Korean manufacturer has a lot on its plate to deal with.
One of the factors that Samsung will take into account is the fact that Apple is also expected to release a second Apple watch, and possibly several variants of the iPhone, including a revolutionary iPhone 7 and a smaller 4-inch iPhone 6c. This means that the release date schedule for the Galaxy S7 becomes complicated.
It has even been suggested that Samsung may put back the release of the Galaxy Note 5, and instead release the Galaxy S7 first. Whether this report has any validity is difficult to ascertain at this stage, but what is certain is that Samsung will be placing a significant emphasis on the Galaxy S7 in 2016.
