Is Samsung looking to fix all the shortcomings that it introduced to its flagship lineup in its quest for a premium design last year? It would certainly seem so, if the latest rumor about the Galaxy S7 duo is to be believed. Venture Beat has revealed numerous interesting details about the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, with the information coming from “a person briefed on the company’s plans.”
The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge will reportedly feature a 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch display. Apparently, the 5.7-inch S7 edge rumors aren't correct, with Samsung deeming such a large difference in screen sizes inappropriate for devices that are “companions” to each other. That certainly makes some sense, as it would allow the Korean giant to keep the 5.7-inch screen size exclusive to its phablet lineup and not alienate its Galaxy S consumer base. Samsung could also introduce “always-on display (AOD) functionality” – probably not just on the Edges but on the main display itself, as battery usage of just one percent per hour is quoted.
But what is more interesting is the fact that the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge might both be water-resistant. It's a feature that was seen on the Galaxy S5 and is also present on the Galaxy S Active lineup. Everyone thought Samsung had done away with this feature because it wasn't popular enough, but maybe the company only skipped it for the S6 lineup because it didn't have any experience with making glass flagships? Sony's Xperia series has been glassy and water-resistant for a long time now, and it would be great to see Samsung bringing back the protection against water to the main Galaxy S lineup once again.
That's not all. This particular source says both the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge will feature a microSD slot (something we had said in our exclusive leak all those months ago, though a previous rumor said only the non-edge model would have it), and Samsung will be employing larger batteries. 3,000 mAh on the S7 and 3,600 mAh on the S7 edge, to be exact, which means the S7 duo might fix the battery life woes faced by users of the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. Wireless charging times for the two phones reportedly sit at 2 hours and 2.2 hours respectively.
There's more. Venture Beat says the S7 and S7 edge will indeed feature a 12.2-megapixel camera on the back instead of a 16-megapixel sensor. The lower megapixel count will be offset by an extremely low aperture of f/1.7, and the camera is reportedly very capable in low-light situations. The back camera is said to sit flush with the body instead of protruding out, and the 5-megapixel camera on the front is said to be making a return untouched.
The source also confirms some other specs that are already known – the S7 and S7 edge will be powered by the Exynos 8890 processor, have 4GB of RAM, and come in 32GB and 64GB storage variants. It's a lot to take at one go, and frankly, we wouldn't get too hopeful about seeing all the aforementioned features on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. We would certainly love to see those features, but the varying reports on what Samsung is planning leave a lot of room for baseless claims.
What do you think?
