Galaxy S7

[jamezr]

It's werid cause it finally showed up about an half hour later, and also shows "2 min on screen". Which is false cause I been on the settings screen a bit over 10 minutes. And yes, off the charger. Does it poll instead of instant stats?

Its not realtime.......i think it only displays somewhat accurate data every 24 hours?
[doublepost=1460228922][/doublepost]

Some of those do run with the screen off, like the phone app.

I also said, "awesome battery life", when talking about the S7 Edge, never said it was better than the iPhone Plus. The 6hrs screen time has been the best I ever had on an android phone, it has dethroned the Note 2 for that honor. But the iPhone Plus still get me better battery life.

The S7 Edge battery life though isn't terrible compared to the iphones, I know I DO have both. At the end of the day the iPhone would have an extra 10%-15%.

You can't compare "usage time" on the iPhone with "screen on" time with android, not the same thing. I played audio podcasts for a couple of hours the day I took that screen shot, and the screen was off while they played so that time didn't count, but on the iPhone it would. That's why you can't compare them like that. I had both, and used both at the same time so I can tell you the battery while better on the iPhone, it doesn't make the S7's terrible looking in comparison.

Those are my experiences as well. My iphone 6s+ gets better battery life than my N5 and S7e. But my Mate 8 is battery king. It can get 2.5 days between a charge and have 12 hours or more SOT. But then trade off is it's a heavier phone too.

 

[MRU]

Ohh another update of 163.6MB on the International Versions

Strange. We both got the previous update same day, but nothing showing up for mine when I check. Oh well.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Strange. We both got the previous update same day, but nothing showing up for mine when I check. Oh well.

I may of been a couple of days late on the other one, I'm guessing but this may be very new as it took ages to DL assuming servers or something was very busy, bet you get it in the next 24hrs

 

[yui4]

Up to now I can't really fault this phone. I've had most of the last few Samsung flagships, except the note 5 and they've all annoyed me in certain ways within a day or two. Besides a couple of a mistake touches on the edges, there's been nothing to moan about, I've condensed the dpi using nova, set up nova launcher and themed the phone to my taste.
Only thing taking time to get used to is the reduced size of the phone. I've had iPhone 6 plus and 6s Plus for the last 2 years as my main phones and this so compact in comparison.
Samsung done good this year, finally my friend who buys Samsung every year can say he told me so!

 

[Fernandez21]

Up to now I can't really fault this phone. I've had most of the last few Samsung flagships, except the note 5 and they've all annoyed me in certain ways within a day or two. Besides a couple of a mistake touches on the edges, there's been nothing to moan about, I've condensed the dpi using nova, set up nova launcher and themed the phone to my taste.
Only thing taking time to get used to is the reduced size of the phone. I've had iPhone 6 plus and 6s Plus for the last 2 years as my main phones and this so compact in comparison.
Samsung done good this year, finally my friend who buys Samsung every year can say he told me so!

Yeah, this is the best phone Samsung has ever made IMO, I hope they keep up this momentum with the Note 6.

 

[Mxbzz]

Up to now I can't really fault this phone. I've had most of the last few Samsung flagships, except the note 5 and they've all annoyed me in certain ways within a day or two. Besides a couple of a mistake touches on the edges, there's been nothing to moan about, I've condensed the dpi using nova, set up nova launcher and themed the phone to my taste.
Only thing taking time to get used to is the reduced size of the phone. I've had iPhone 6 plus and 6s Plus for the last 2 years as my main phones and this so compact in comparison.
Samsung done good this year, finally my friend who buys Samsung every year can say he told me so!

Be sure to use Nova Launcher to the fullest potential. I didn't realize I could set tap gestures (double-tap on screen to sleep), or add an extra page in the icons dock until recently. Definitely my favorite launcher and well worth the price!

 

[yui4]

Be sure to use Nova Launcher to the fullest potential. I didn't realize I could set tap gestures (double-tap on screen to sleep), or add an extra page in the icons dock until recently. Definitely my favorite launcher and well worth the price!

Extra customisation is superb with Nova prime.

 

[MRU]

I prefer action launcher 3 myself and it's colour matching facilities. Likewise the quick widgets you can launch swiping up on the app icon.

Other than that much same customisation as Nova.

 

[epicrayban]

I prefer action launcher 3 myself and it's colour matching facilities. Likewise the quick widgets you can launch swiping up on the app icon.

Other than that much same customisation as Nova.

View attachment 626024View attachment 626025

Dat search bar color! Very nice.

Might give action launcher a go...

For me, I'm on the Google now launcher. I do own nova prime though. Just a bit too lazy to get into it.
[doublepost=1460245116][/doublepost]@MRU ,what do the equal signs mean in action launcher? I can't seem to figure it out...I might have misunderstood the prompt.

Edit: oh Shutters. Got it. Wow. Neat. Feels like 3d touch functionality. But with a swipe.
[doublepost=1460245734][/doublepost]I don't mind the Samsung logo on front on the other colors, but it's a damn shame about the black one. They did the right thing by making the home button ring black. They should've done the same for the Samsung logo. Would've been super sleek.

On the others, it looks subtle and fine. The logo in real life of my silver one is actually pretty small. I never notice it. But shame about the black.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Samsung Gear 360 US price revealed

$350 is a good price. I'll be getting one as soon as it's released. Can't wait.

 

[epicrayban]

Samsung Gear 360 US price revealed

$350 is a good price. I'll be getting one as soon as it's released. Can't wait.

Too pricy for me to get into this, but awesome and exciting tech. Hope it reviews and sells well. Samsung is really trying to get VR tech into people's hands and homes to not just watch but play with. And that's cool.

 

[tbayrgs]

Samsung Gear 360 US price revealed

$350 is a good price. I'll be getting one as soon as it's released. Can't wait.

Seems a little on the high side, at least if Samsung was hoping that it would be an impulse or casual purchase. And couple the fact that I believe it requires one of their latest Galaxy's for full functionality, that's a pretty limited audience. I'm honestly not sure about the compatibility requirements so if the 360 video can easily be processed using any computer, I retract some of this criticism.

I can pick up something like a Ricoh Theta S for the same price and it's not tied to any specific model of phone.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Seems a little on the high side, at least if Samsung was hoping that it would be an impulse or casual purchase. And couple the fact that I believe it requires one of their latest Galaxy's for full functionality, that's a pretty limited audience. I'm honestly not sure about the compatibility requirements so if the 360 video can easily be processed using any computer, I retract some of this criticism.

I can pick up something like a Ricoh Theta S for the same price and it's not tied to any specific model of phone.

$350 is a good price compared to others that are either the same price with lower specs, or very expensive with higher specs.

As for the Ricoh Theta S, both are the same price ....

The Ricoh Theta S doesn't have a removable battery, H.264 video coding, no SD card slot with only 8gb internal, up to 1920 x 1080 video record. Software for iPhones and Android.

The Gear 360 records up to 3840x1920, H.265 video coding, IP53 water/dust resistant, removable battery, SD card slot. Also software features like time-lapse. Software for recent Galaxy phones and Windows. And one of the main things for me is the shape. I don't plan to use this like a hand held.

 

[nj1266]

It's still a guessing game though. It doesn't show the mAh used, nor show awake/background times, nor specific sent/recieve usage.

Also, it ONLY shows usage for select items. A lot is missing. For example: On my iPad mini, last 24 hours is only showing the percentage and on screen time of "Safari" and "Home & Lock Screen". It will not show me the 15 mintues I was within settings with the screen on. And that's just one example.

It shows all the apps that had the screen on for the past 24 hours. It shows background time too is there was one. You add up all the app screen on time and you get about 7 hours of SOT on average per 24 hours. That is for the 6s plus. I have done the math multiple times now.

 

[tbayrgs]

$350 is a good price compared to others that are either the same price with lower specs, or very expensive with higher specs.

As for the Ricoh Theta S, both are the same price ....

The Ricoh Theta S doesn't have a removable battery, H.264 video coding, no SD card slot with only 8gb internal, up to 1920 x 1080 video record. Software for iPhones and Android.

The Gear 360 records up to 3840x1920, H.265 video coding, IP53 water/dust resistant, removable battery, SD card slot. Also software features like time-lapse. Software for recent Galaxy phones and Windows. And one of the main things for me is the shape. I don't plan to use this like a hand held.

I'm not discounting the potential quality of the Samsung 360--I was quite interested until I saw that is really needs to be used with a Galaxy S7, just rather that having it tied to recent galaxy phones at that price is severely limiting their potential audience and impulse buys, which I think a sort of crucial to pushing this type of tech to the front of the industry.

At that price, it's not going to sell extra S7 phones---you're looking at laying out $1100 for the pair. The Gear VR headset didn't fly off the shelves when it was first priced at $199 or even $99--adoption has been because they've bundled it for free. Now the reviews are pretty glowing for it and at $99, many more people will consider it. I just think Samsung could make some real headway if they made the Gear 360 a sort of loss leader by pricing it much lower and accommodating more platforms. Get people using it, seeing how cool it is. Then maybe on gen 2, those customer are going to be more likely to consider a Samsung flagship phone to further enhance the experience. Or just take the lead in the consumer end of this burgeoning industry and be then able to set the terms for its competitors. Who do you think people are more familiar with, a company like Ricoh, or Samsung?

Yes, the Ricoh isn't the hardware that the 360 appears to be but I don't have to lay out another $700-800 to use it. I don't see the Gear 360 being worth that extra cost.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I'm not discounting the potential quality of the Samsung 360--I was quite interested until I saw that is really needs to be used with a Galaxy S7, just rather that having it tied to recent galaxy phones at that price is severely limiting their potential audience and impulse buys, which I think a sort of crucial to pushing this type of tech to the front of the industry.

At that price, it's not going to sell extra S7 phones---you're looking at laying out $1100 for the pair. The Gear VR headset didn't fly off the shelves when it was first priced at $199 or even $99--adoption has been because they've bundled it for free. Now the reviews are pretty glowing for it and at $99, many more people will consider it. I just think Samsung could make some real headway if they made the Gear 360 a sort of loss leader by pricing it much lower and accommodating more platforms. Get people using it, seeing how cool it is. Then maybe on gen 2, those customer are going to be more likely to consider a Samsung flagship phone to further enhance the experience. Or just take the lead in the consumer end of this burgeoning industry and be then able to set the terms for its competitors. Who do you think people are more familiar with, a company like Ricoh, or Samsung?

Yes, the Ricoh isn't the hardware that the 360 appears to be but I don't have to lay out another $700-800 to use it. I don't see the Gear 360 being worth that extra cost.

The Gear 360 app is compatible with only .. S6, S7edge, S6 edge+, Note 5, S7, S7edge.

But you don't even need a phone to use this with. You can use as a stand alone camera, and process the videos with Windows which Samsung will include software for called 360 ActionDirector.

 

[tbayrgs]

So compatible with 100 million phones (I'm blind guessing at that number so don't quote me) or a few billion phones. And yes, you can use Windows but half the beauty is being able to use your phone as a live viewfinder and such.

Again, I'm not saying the Ricoh is better tech...just that Samsung is short changing themselves by first, limiting the best functionality to their latest phones AND pricing it that high. By all accounts, it's appears to be the best consumer level 360 camera...why not take control of this relatively new market by opening it up and pricing it a bit lower? What's the benefit to locking this down? I'm sorry but very few people that don't already have a newer Galaxy are going to now get one because of this camera. As an analogous example...Apple is entire different beast of a brand and I don't think even they had many customers deciding to get an iPhone because they wanted the Apple Watch. Samsung's first smart watches that were limited to only their newest phones were a huge bust, and the Gear VR, initially priced significantly cheaper than this camera didn't move the needle until they were free. You want to lure people to your ecosystem, IMO, this isn't the way to do it. And limiting processing to Windows is not the ideal way to possibly entice your biggest competitor...customers who may live in the Apple camp.

Now if they bundled it far cheaper with a Gear VR...that could be an enticing proposition to get people interested.

 

[Sevanw]

I'll be getting a 360. I'll consider the 360 and the Gear VR a bundle deal since I got the Gear VR for free.

 

[tbayrgs]

I'll be getting a 360. I'll consider the 360 and the Gear VR a bundle deal since I got the Gear VR for free.

Definitely look forward to hearing impressions from those who get it. I'd like to bring a quality 360 camera on vacation in June but sadly this isn't an option for me as I don't have a Galaxy or a Windows machine. Have they announced a release date yet?

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

So compatible with 100 million phones (I'm blind guessing at that number so don't quote me) or a few billion phones. And yes, you can use Windows but half the beauty is being able to use your phone as a live viewfinder and such.

Again, I'm not saying the Ricoh is better tech...just that Samsung is short changing themselves by first, limiting the best functionality to their latest phones AND pricing it that high. By all accounts, it's appears to be the best consumer level 360 camera...why not take control of this relatively new market by opening it up and pricing it a bit lower? What's the benefit to locking this down? I'm sorry but very few people that don't already have a newer Galaxy are going to now get one because of this camera. As an analogous example...Apple is entire different beast of a brand and I don't think even they had many customers deciding to get an iPhone because they wanted the Apple Watch. Samsung's first smart watches that were limited to only their newest phones were a huge bust, and the Gear VR, initially priced significantly cheaper than this camera didn't move the needle until they were free. You want to lure people to your ecosystem, IMO, this isn't the way to do it. And limiting processing to Windows is not the ideal way to possibly entice your biggest competitor...customers who may live in the Apple camp.

Now if they bundled it far cheaper with a Gear VR...that could be an enticing proposition to get people interested.

I hear what you're saying, but it's still a niche market. If they allow the app on just any Android device, the minimum spec requirement to process 360 videos smoothly would still limit it to the recent top tier smartphones in order to run smoothly. Samsung doesn't plan to sell the Gear 360 like hotcakes, they just want to brand their name on new consumer technology in a positive light. And they want to do that without users that have lower spec phones complaining how unstable the software or processing is.

Have you looked at the Ricoh reviews? So many are complaining about the software, wifi connection, and etc. Samsung would get those complaints and it would be magnified to the 100th power, just cause it's Samsung. Samsung doesn't want that.

 

[aneftp]

Best Buy is continuing their s7 (not s7 edge) promo where u can trade in almost any junk post paid smartphone and get $200 Best Buy credit.

So I got a old Verizon Nokia Lumia 822 windows phone that's like 3.5 years old and essentially worthless on the resale market.

I am tempted to get the $200 Best Buy credit (it's like cash to me anyways since Best Buy price matches most stores these days) and Amazon charges sales taxes in Florida as well. So I still shop at Best Buy a lot (Best Buy elite plus member).

So I figure essentially for the S7 (att version). It's $696 msrp. Around $50 sales taxes plus that bogus $20 att next fee. So about $770 total minus the $200 Best Buy gift card.

So like $570 out the door effectively.

Ain't no one gonna to give me more than $50 for the Lumia 822 (if that at all) anyways. Plus the charging port barely works. I have to Jerry rig it and not touch it at all while it's charging or the charging will stop if someone even shakes it a little.

 

[nviz22]

Which tempered glass screen protector is the best right now?

 

[jayiw]

Does anyone know of a clear "skin" that would be applied to the rear of the S7 Edge that would essentially stop all the smudging? I know someone from the Samsung store at Best Buy had one on his and I never had a chance to ask him where he got it or what exactly it's called. I went there a couple of times and have not seen him there. It's similar to one of those stick on screen protectors but applies to the back of the phone.It was slightly textured as well but clear.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Definitely look forward to hearing impressions from those who get it. I'd like to bring a quality 360 camera on vacation in June but sadly this isn't an option for me as I don't have a Galaxy or a Windows machine. Have they announced a release date yet?

My little knowledge of these devices (360 camera's) is they are not limited to just Windows or Samsung. You can create 360 video on any platform and upload to YouTube etc .

What it seems to me is Samsung are trying to make the integration and live streaming aspects easier or more compatible with their phones, VR headsets and bundle windows software free. OSX is not excluded its just not out of the box as it would be with most 360 cameras similarly I understand there are IOS apps to watch 360 video.
[doublepost=1460345177][/doublepost]

Does anyone know of a clear "skin" that would be applied to the rear of the S7 Edge that would essentially stop all the smudging? I know someone from the Samsung store at Best Buy had one on his and I never had a chance to ask him where he got it or what exactly it's called. I went there a couple of times and have not seen him there. It's similar to one of those stick on screen protectors but applies to the back of the phone.It was slightly textured as well but clear.

No as the back skin is the same as a the front material, they all collect fingerprints/smudges

 

[Sevanw]

Display scaling goes official in latest update.

http://www.sammobile.com/2016/04/13/galaxy-s7-edge-display-scaling-official-feature/