Samsung Galaxy S7 review – best in the premium class

The Samsung Galaxy S7 that was launched in India is powered by Samsung Exynos Octa Core processor loaded with 4GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage. S7 is a dual SIM handset sporting a 5.1 inch Super AMOLED screen and running Marshmallow out of the box, is this premium handset worth it?

Galaxy S7 Unboxing

Box pack contents : handset, user guide, warranty card, SAR Info, other guides, SIM tray ejector pin, data cable, USB adapter, travel charger (fast charger 9V / 1.67A) and premium quality earphone. SAR : 0.322 W/Kg head.

Design

The S7 looks beautiful, it is a perfect blend of metal and glass. Galaxy S7 is using a metal frame surrounded by glass on the front as well as on the back. The glass is also well protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 4. Weight with non-removable battery is 151 grams and dimensions are 69.52 x 142.25 x 7.88 (mm).

Galaxy S7 is IP68 certified – dust and water resistant. Will survive immersed in water for up to 30 minutes up to 1.5 meters depth.

Build quality and the finishing is so good that when you move your finger from glass to metal you hardly feel the difference, it is so smooth. Though the handset sports a 5.1 inch screen it feels smaller in size, fits comfortably in your hand and that makes it easier to operate.

Power button is on the right, volume rocker on the left, SIM tray+ Secondary mic on the top and audio jack, micro USB port, mic and speaker out vent is at the bottom. S7 front screen is flat and the rear side is curved.

This is a dual SIM handset – SIM 1 is a nano SIM slot and SIM 2 is a hybrid slot. You can either use nano SIM or a micro SD card (200GB max) in SIM 2.

There is LED notification and following sensors – accelerometer, light, proximity, gyro, barometer, magnetic and hall.

Display

As mentioned the Samsung Galaxy S7 sports a 5.1 inch super AMOLED screen with corning gorilla glass 4 protection and supporting 2560 x 1440 pixels (Quad HD) resolution. The screen is using always on technology that hardly consumes any battery juice. Colour reproduction, viewing angles and touch response are excellent.

Memory, Storage and OS

There is 4GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage space, you will get around 1.9GB free RAM and 20 GB free internal storage on the first boot. Apps are getting installed on internal storage by default; there is no option to move them to external storage. OTG is supported.

This handset is running Touch WizUI over Marshmallow Android 6.0.1.

Performance

S7 Indian version is powered by Exynos 8890 64 bit octa core chipset clocked at 2.6GHz and coupled with Mali T880 GPU. This smartphone is using liquid cooling technology that helps reduce heat buildup. This smartphone hardly heats with heavy usage, max temperature I encountered was 38 degrees.

S7 Benchmark

• Quadrant – 50704.
• Antutu (64 bit) – 88506 | 3D score – 19487
• Antutu (64 bit) version 6.1.2 – 127192 | 3D score – 37654
• Nenamark 2 – 58.6fps
• Internal storage Speed – Read (332MB/s), Write (139MB/s)
• Multi Touch – 10 Point.

Gaming

I played Asphalt 8 (the latest version that got installed on internal storage). I played this game is high visual quality mode. The S7 also comes with some advance features that includes gaming. When enabled you will get an icon on the left side during game play. If you tap that icon you get option like no alerts during gaming (this will block all notifications etc so you don’t get disturbed when playing games), screen shot, lock back and recent keys and record option.

The best part is that when you tap this icon and you get the menu – the game that you might be playing will not pause, you can select option while playing the game. This feature does not have any impact on the gaming performance, when using it you will not notice any lags.

Galaxy S7 Camera

S7 houses a dual Pixel 12MP Samsung make camera packed on the rear and 5MP camera on the front. Rear camera comes with LED flash support and can shoot max 4K videos. Some new modes have been added (food/ hyperlapse). Both front and rear cameras come with f/1.7 aperture.

This dual pixel technology (professional graded dual pixel sensor) captures excellent shots in low light conditions. Focusing is really fast and accurate.

Camera quality is excellent, do check the sample images and videos and don’t forget to check the video shot using the Gimbal.

S7 rear camera sample

Front camera sample

4K video sample

Video shot using S7 Edge with Zhiyun Smooth-C Gimbal

Others

There is build in heart rate sensors on the back and finger print sensor on the front (home button). You can unlock the phone directly using finger print sensor, but you will need to press the button once and keep your finger on the button for about a second.

Loudspeaker sound is loud and clear, in call sound is also great. No issues found with networks. 4G, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and NFC worked well without any issues.

S7 Battery

The Samsung Galaxy S7 houses a 3000 mAh non-removable battery with fast charging capabilities (with fast charger or wireless charger). Battery performance is very good you can expect 4 to 7 hours of continuous moderate to heavy usage on a single charge.

I got one and a half day of battery backup with normal to moderate mixed usage – with always on screen enabled.

Battery Performance (time / battery % drop / battery temperature)

• Running Benchmark app – 10 minutes / 4% / 38 degrees
• Played Asphalt 8 – 20 minutes / 6% / 36 degrees
• 4K video playback with full brightness (WiFi /4G on) – 21 minutes / 5% / 35 degrees

Handset charging (wall charge using fast charger) – 1 hour 12 minutes from 16% to 100%.

Verdict

Galaxy S7 is the best handset in the premium category. If you have the budget, go ahead. The handset is available in 3 different colour options and priced decently at ₹48,900. A very good premium buy for this price tag, but if you can spend some extra better opt for the S7 Edge.

Rating : [4.5 out of 5] – cannot use decimals in rating box below.

Samsung Galaxy S7 is available for ₹48,900.

S7 Image Gallery

Samsung Galaxy S7 video review