It was bound to happen at some point, and it just did: We're getting our first look at a live version of what could be the Galaxy S7. A leaked image shows the back of the Galaxy S7 in the flesh, and the source of the image has also revealed – confirmed, more like – numerous specs of the device.
The image certainly looks legit – the camera hump is gone, as rumors had suggested, and the phone curves at the back to either side. The camera module is colored like the phone itself, which is something Samsung started doing with its flagships in 2015, though the back doesn't look like it is made of glass. That is likely because this is a prototype – after all, Samsung has been doing a great job at confusing people with various prototypes for a while now. It's mentioned that the phone now has a magnesium metal frame instead of an aluminium frame.
According to the source, the Exynos version of the S7 has 15 percent better performance for both CPU and GPU, and both the Exynos and Snapdragon variants will come with a high-quality audio DAC (ESS Sabre 9018, the same as the one on the LG V10). The battery life is on par “with last year Note's line”, and the battery can charge from 0 to 80 percent in an astoundingly low 30 minutes, making the recently rumored 100 minute charging time from zero to full a little hard to believe, unless the phone really does take 70 minutes to reach the final 20 percent of charge. It's certainly possible though, if you are getting 80 percent of charge in just 30 minutes.
Water-resistance is once again mentioned, and also mentioned is the f/1.7 aperture of the 12-megapixel Britecell rear camera sensor. The Galaxy S7 will be priced at 16.49 million dong (roughly $740) and the S7 edge at 19.9 million dong (roughly $890), at least in Vietnam; the prices more or less match what we had exclusively leaked. The country will reportedly see an official introduction of the two devices on March 3, followed by a release on March 18th. According to previous leaks, the US and Europe are set to see a release a week earlier on March 11.
Vietnam has been the source of a few such leaks before, so we are inclined to believe this is indeed an actual Galaxy S7, even if it is a prototype. It's also interesting to note that all the rumored features – like water-resistance and great battery life – have been iterated again and again, so it does look like all of it will make it into the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.
What do you think of that purported Galaxy S7 in the image above? Go ahead and discuss in the comments!
Update: Here's another live image of the Galaxy S7 edge (SM-G9350) scoring 134,704 points in the AnTuTu benchmark test. The device in the above image also looks like the S7 edge, given its really thin edges around the volume buttons.
Update 2: Here's a photo of the Galaxy S7 from the side. See how the camera barely protrudes out of the phone?
