Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,370
8,952
a better place
  • Like
Reactions: Surf Donkey

epicrayban

macrumors 604
Nov 7, 2014
6,517
5,353
I'm pretty sold too. At the very least, it should be a better experience than the S6, which is already great. Just the battery life and camera improvements should already make it better, but then you factor in an even smoother/cleaner TW, microSD (I'm wary of it, but understand it's for the better for the majority of people), and waterproofing, I can't imagine the experience not being better. Likely significantly better.

Plus, I may go up to the Edge variant this time because the device is not much larger than the the regular S6, so I'd be adding an even larger battery and an even more advanced screen.

I'm merely waiting for a price break as the deals aren't as appealing to me. One free year of Netflix with Tmo is pretty sweet though. Gear VR is interesting, but I'm not going to jump the gun just to get it for free.

Also, I'm really hoping Best Buy will have unlocked units. Does no one know when Best Buy gets unlocked Galaxies?
[doublepost=1456329243][/doublepost]
http://www.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7-unlocked/

According to this:
http://www.devicespecifications.com/en/comparison/3aac65cbd

That means Tmobile is getting the Exynos and AT&T is getting the Snapdragon for the non-edge model? Has Samsung ever done this before? Must be a misprint.

Isn't the 820 > Exynos this year? That's unfortunate if true for Tmo customers like myself. =T
 

BlueGoldAce

macrumors 68000
Oct 11, 2011
1,951
1,455
http://www.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7-unlocked/

According to this:
http://www.devicespecifications.com/en/comparison/3aac65cbd

That means Tmobile is getting the Exynos and AT&T is getting the Snapdragon for the non-edge model? Has Samsung ever done this before? Must be a misprint.

That is really interesting. It seems the T-Mobile S7 is getting the exynos, and the S7 edge is getting the snapdragon. From what I have read, the snapdragon might be preferable this time around. I don't know about power efficiency, but the adreno graphics is superior this time...as is the processor scores I have seen. I doubt there will be any real world differences.
[doublepost=1456330595][/doublepost]
I'm pretty sold too. At the very least, it should be a better experience than the S6, which is already great. Just the battery life and camera improvements should already make it better, but then you factor in an even smoother/cleaner TW, microSD (I'm wary of it, but understand it's for the better for the majority of people), and waterproofing, I can't imagine the experience not being better. Likely significantly better.

Plus, I may go up to the Edge variant this time because the device is not much larger than the the regular S6, so I'd be adding an even larger battery and an even more advanced screen.

I'm merely waiting for a price break as the deals aren't as appealing to me. One free year of Netflix with Tmo is pretty sweet though. Gear VR is interesting, but I'm not going to jump the gun just to get it for free.

Also, I'm really hoping Best Buy will have unlocked units. Does no one know when Best Buy gets unlocked Galaxies?
[doublepost=1456329243][/doublepost]

Isn't the 820 > Exynos this year? That's unfortunate if true for Tmo customers like myself. =T
I highly doubt you will see a bit of difference in real world usage.

Its likely the s7 exynos may be a BIT more efficient with the battery, due to the little.BIG design of the chip. I know with the note 4, the exynos version had better battery then the snapdragon.

Personally, I would ignore it and just enjoy the phone. Similar to the iPhones 6s(+) TSMC vs Samsung ordeal. Who cares...better to just ignore it. Multisourcing has been a reality for most other industries, including laptops, etc.


Neat news: http://www.sammobile.com/2016/02/24...ike-feature-samsung-just-didnt-talk-about-it/

Not that I really care, I disabled the live photo feature on my 6s+. I considered it a gimmick, and I don't expect to feel any different with the s7 edge.
 

epicrayban

macrumors 604
Nov 7, 2014
6,517
5,353
That is really interesting. It seems the T-Mobile S7 is getting the exynos, and the S7 edge is getting the snapdragon. From what I have read, the snapdragon might be preferable this time around. I don't know about power efficiency, but the adreno graphics is superior this time...as is the processor scores I have seen. I doubt there will be any real world differences.

Wow. All the more reason to get the Edge variant...!
[doublepost=1456330654][/doublepost]Question: Has there been anything on the fingerprint scanner being better/faster?
 

Surf Donkey

Suspended
May 12, 2015
1,541
1,434
Its likely the s7 exynos may be a BIT more efficient with the battery, due to the little.BIG design of the chip. I know with the note 4, the exynos version had better battery then the snapdragon. Personally, I would ignore it and just enjoy the phone. Similar to the iPhones 6s(+) TSMC vs Samsung ordeal. Who cares...better to just ignore it. Multisourcing has been a reality for most other industries, including laptops, etc.

Exynos is also said to be the hot chip this year vs the 820, could lead to more throttling. Time will tell. And if you are into any custom ROMs, chip type is important.
 

gotluck

macrumors 603
Dec 8, 2011
5,717
1,260
East Central Florida
My wager is exynos is faster but worse on battery and snap dragon is slower but better in battery

Mostly because I don't think Samsungs modem will be as efficient as qualcomms

Calling it!
 

BlueGoldAce

macrumors 68000
Oct 11, 2011
1,951
1,455
My wager is exynos is faster but worse on battery and snap dragon is slower but better in battery

Mostly because I don't thing Samsungs modem will be as efficient as qualcomms

Calling it!
CPU and graphix benchmarks already put the 820 ahead of the exynos. Don't know about user experience though.

Hopefully the liquid cooling helps with any throttling.
 

gotluck

macrumors 603
Dec 8, 2011
5,717
1,260
East Central Florida
CPU and graphix benchmarks already put the 820 ahead of the exynos. Don't know about user experience though.

Hopefully the liquid cooling helps with any throttling.

Interesting, if history is any indication battery will probably be better on snap dragon too, akin to the better battery life we saw on the Verizon gs6 with qualcomm modem versus the others with Samsungs Shannon modem

You have a point with big little but I'm going to side with the modem being a bigger deal
 

LIVEFRMNYC

macrumors G3
Oct 27, 2009
8,878
10,987
That is really interesting. It seems the T-Mobile S7 is getting the exynos, and the S7 edge is getting the snapdragon. From what I have read, the snapdragon might be preferable this time around. I don't know about power efficiency, but the adreno graphics is superior this time...as is the processor scores I have seen. I doubt there will be any real world differences.

At first it was rumored .... AT&T and Tmobile to get Exynos, while Sprint and Verizon gets Snapdragon.

But on both AT&T and Tmobile sites, it states Snapdragon 820 for both the S7 and S7 edge.

It's possible their web designers don't even truly know.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jamezr

epicrayban

macrumors 604
Nov 7, 2014
6,517
5,353
I watched the video just to see more of the S7/Edge in action. Having concluded, I think I can safely say Samsung won this one.

Samsung vs LG:
http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/24/11105188/samsung-galaxy-s7-vs-lg-g5-specs-comparison-mwc-2016

Props to LG for being creative with the module thing, but the S7/Edge trounces it in virtually everything else, including screen, camera, and battery. Add waterproofing and it's a solid win on Samsung's side, in my opinion. Software-wise, I prefer TW, too, especially since LG decided that removing the app drawer isn't an option.

Aesthetically, I also much prefer Samsung. The LG looks almost bulky in a weird way.

And I noticed that even the S7 regular has the slightest slope at the side edges of the screen. I assume it's for waterproofing. The rounded build just looks great. The best part is that, so far, every video/hands-on I have seen or read has said that the new Edge is comfortable to hold. This is very promising.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jamezr

Tig Bitties

macrumors 603
Sep 6, 2012
5,517
5,692
I watched the video just to see more of the S7/Edge in action. Having concluded, I think I can safely say Samsung won this one.

Samsung vs LG:
http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/24/11105188/samsung-galaxy-s7-vs-lg-g5-specs-comparison-mwc-2016

Props to LG for being creative with the module thing, but the S7/Edge trounces it in virtually everything else, including screen, camera, and battery. Add waterproofing and it's a solid win on Samsung's side, in my opinion. Software-wise, I prefer TW, too, especially since LG decided that removing the app drawer isn't an option.

Aesthetically, I also much prefer Samsung. The LG looks almost bulky in a weird way.

And I noticed that even the S7 regular has the slightest slope at the side edges of the screen. I assume it's for waterproofing. The rounded build just looks great. The best part is that, so far, every video/hands-on I have seen or read has said that the new Edge is comfortable to hold. This is very promising.

I would have get the G5 over the S7 Edge, if the G5 followed the original rumors, of having a 5.6" screen, and like a 3,300mAh battery. But the 2,800mAh sucks for a QHD screen, and why is the phone so thick, for having such a small battery ? The Samsung has a frigging HUGE 3,600mAh battery, and it's the exact same thickness of the G5. Plus the Samsung is waterproof, and has the #1 best display on the market. I am no Samsung fanboy, but those spec's are hard to argue, they kick ass.

I do like the front design on the G5 better, the top looks really cool, with the screen just blending into the frame, not seeing where the display stops, they just seamlessly merge together, with no logo or shiny speaker parts. It's a clean and classy look. Whereas the S7 looks too busy on the front, with the Samsung logo, the speaker grille, and the high gloss paint finish. I much prefer the design of the G5, but again it's too thick for what it needs to be, and the hardware on the S7 Edge is just top of the food chain.

I want all my future smartphones to be as thin as the S7 Edge with a 3,600mAh battery, that large battery is just the way to go, and the S7 Edge is a fairly thin phone still. So let's see all manufacturers who make 5.5" sized screens or little higher, pack in a huge battery like that, but still keep the phone light and thin.
 
Last edited:

Sevanw

Suspended
Sep 13, 2014
1,361
2,086
For a long time, the iPhone and its retina screen was regarded as the best screen on the market. And that was a big deal. Many argued it was enough to make an iPhone an easy buy. And I agree/agreed. iPhone was top of its class in many areas. Now that they're beat on that department, we get people back-peddling. "Who needs that much DPI?" etc etc.

Same can be said about the camera.

Heck, same can be said of the iPhone entirely. We never had any problem calling the iPhone the best smartphone on the market. We did so for years. Myself, tech journalists, the general public. But now if we say Samsung or anyone else is the best, we get so many arguments about what constitutes getting such a title. Or is it perfect? (When did we say the iPhone had to be perfect to be the best at the time?) Or the argument that there's no such thing as "best" anymore; it's just people's preferences, etc. Suddenly it's taboo to use the word "best" when it describes another phone.

: shrug : Oh well.

Been saying this for a while now. For some reason, people now seem to say, it depends on your needs to consider something the best. As in, the best "for you." So laughable. And the tech media are the worst offenders. You don't have to be a tech head to read reviews on something you're looking to buy. So when your casual shopper looks at these reviews, they're no longer song that definitive, "the best smartphone" rating like when the iPhone was declared, The Best. Just look how much better the display on the Galaxy had to get before the tech journos had to call it the best display. IPhone goes around with a 720P LCD display and they have the nerve to even mention the damn thing in the same sentence as a 2K Amoled screen? Gtfoh..
 

Tig Bitties

macrumors 603
Sep 6, 2012
5,517
5,692
OMFG "Retina display" how I HATED that BS marketing term, F you Apple. ( makes me think Apple thinks their customers are too stupid to know what retina display even really means, but it sounds great in marketing and promoting it )

Today I am shocked beyond belief the iPhone is still as popular as it is. Why would anyone want one, compared to the likes of the Nexus 6P, or new Galaxy S7 Edge, or Note 5, etc... The screen sucks, the speakers suck, the OS totally blows chunks, feels like something stuck in 2008, the design and build quality are really the only thing going for it, but now Android manufacturers have woken up, making competitive designs themselves.

I think Apple has most of it's buyers brainwashed years ago, thinking the iPhone is some super premium phone or some bull crap ? And that idea has stuck even today, that the iPhone is the "it" phone to get, and a lot of people still look down on Android as some cheap offering, and lesser phone.

Whatever, I do love the competition, and this year, the 2016 Android flagships look to be kicking butt, let's hope this wakes up Apple to produce an truly award winning awesome smartphone this Summer. But if the iPhone 7 is just a thinner and slightly revised design of the iPhone 6S with worse battery life, I'll laugh at all the sheep who will still wait in line for hours to be the first to get one.
 

epicrayban

macrumors 604
Nov 7, 2014
6,517
5,353
IPhone goes around with a 720P LCD display

To this specific point, I no longer really worry about Apple getting ahead in hardware. There's nothing that they're really doing that no one else can do. There are exceptions, of course, but most of the time, other OEMs will catch up and then either do it more affordably or simply do it better (if not right away then certainly over time). It's happened with the camera and screen, happened with the battery, happened with the industrial design (nevermind the Edge software features, the screen itself is just gorgeous) and with virtually everything else hardware-related that Apple once held dominion over.

Apple sometimes sets the bar -- I have great respect for that -- but too often they end up trailing behind when everyone else catches up and then surpasses them (and currently, they're trailing not only in things they used to lead in, but also in things that others are doing that they're not). And if history is any lesson, the iPhone 7 won't be bringing anything too drastically new either because it's a design year. The most exciting thing they're rumored to bring -- proximity wireless charging -- likely won't be ready until the 7S. And by then, where will the competition be with that specific feature? Who knows.

I always warned and argued ad nauseum that Apple's consistent record breaking sales should not be used as defense or an excuse to not compete at the same pace others are. Yet that's precisely what is constantly brought up when you have these sorts of discussions. It's not good. Not good for Apple in the long run, and not good for the Apple fans like myself.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: BlueGoldAce

nj-morris

macrumors 68000
Nov 30, 2014
1,897
804
UK
OMFG "Retina display" how I HATED that BS marketing term, F you Apple. ( makes me think Apple thinks their customers are too stupid to know what retina display even really means, but it sounds great in marketing and promoting it )

Today I am shocked beyond belief the iPhone is still as popular as it is. Why would anyone want one, compared to the likes of the Nexus 6P, or new Galaxy S7 Edge, or Note 5, etc... The screen sucks, the speakers suck, the OS totally blows chunks, feels like something stuck in 2008, the design and build quality are really the only thing going for it, but now Android manufacturers have woken up, making competitive designs themselves.

I think Apple has most of it's buyers brainwashed years ago, thinking the iPhone is some super premium phone or some bull crap ? And that idea has stuck even today, that the iPhone is the "it" phone to get, and a lot of people still look down on Android as some cheap offering, and lesser phone.

Whatever, I do love the competition, and this year, the 2016 Android flagships look to be kicking butt, let's hope this wakes up Apple to produce an truly award winning awesome smartphone this Summer. But if the iPhone 7 is just a thinner and slightly revised design of the iPhone 6S with worse battery life, I'll laugh at all the sheep who will still wait in line for hours to be the first to get one.

I'm surrounded every day by people who the vast majority of which have and use iPhones. Two and a half years ago less than half did, most with 4Ss (this was in the era of the 5S and 5C) , the others with Blackberrys and Androids. Here's what happened: The people with iPhones loved their phones. That's just the effect that iOS has. Because it's just so easy to adapt to, and it did everything that they wanted them to do so easily. I'll even go as far as to say that I prefer iOS over Android. The people who didn't have iPhones, although used to their own phones, envied the iPhone users, and got their own. That effect has pretty much spread over that time, and for a while now, everybody has an iPhone.
But I feel the craze is dying. I'm one in the crowd of iPhone users who has an Android phone. I have people admiring it, praising the screen, design and camera. I'm not the sort of guy who goes around saying, 'that has been available on Android phones for 2 years now', or 'I can't believe your phone only has 326ppi'. But I am getting people to realise that there are great Android phones, that they have abandoned the ugly design that they had with KitKat and lower, and that they are super well-built (or at least some are). I think that, in a matter of years, Android will become more mainstream. We've reached a period of time where Android users are no longer vilified, and we're not seen as people who just can't afford an iPhone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tig Bitties

Fernandez21

macrumors 601
Jun 16, 2010
4,840
3,183
Seems like Samsung has fought up in ois video recording, my 6s plus is less shaky when recording video compared to my note, but this shows the s7 is about the same.

 

nj-morris

macrumors 68000
Nov 30, 2014
1,897
804
UK
IPhone goes around with a 720P LCD display and they have the nerve to even mention the damn thing in the same sentence as a 2K Amoled screen? Gtfoh..

That's exaggerated and you know it. I'm not the kind of guy who says that you can't see beyond 300ppi, but in the end, a display is something which has millions (I just have to stress how much that actually is) of tiny lights, which are measured in micrometers in length. And the S7's ones are smaller, big deal. It really isn't that great.
 

Fernandez21

macrumors 601
Jun 16, 2010
4,840
3,183
I'm surrounded every day by people who the vast majority of which have and use iPhones. Two and a half years ago less than half did, most with 4Ss (this was in the era of the 5S and 5C) , the others with Blackberrys and Androids. Here's what happened: The people with iPhones loved their phones. That's just the effect that iOS has. Because it's just so easy to adapt to, and it did everything that they wanted them to do so easily. I'll even go as far as to say that I prefer iOS over Android. The people who didn't have iPhones, although used to their own phones, envied the iPhone users, and got their own. That effect has pretty much spread over that time, and for a while now, everybody has an iPhone.
But I feel the craze is dying. I'm one in the crowd of iPhone users who has an Android phone. I have people admiring it, praising the screen, design and camera. I'm not the sort of guy who goes around saying, 'that has been available on Android phones for 2 years now', or 'I can't believe your phone only has 326ppi'. But I am getting people to realise that there are great Android phones, that they have abandoned the ugly design that they had with KitKat and lower, and that they are super well-built (or at least some are). I think that, in a matter of years, Android will become more mainstream. We've reached a period of time where Android users are no longer vilified, and we're not seen as people who just can't afford an iPhone.
I've been carrying both for a couple years now (since the HTC One X) and android has come along way and has caught or passed Apple in several areas, the latest being build. But it's not like, as some have said, they left Apple in the dust. In most cases the competition is much better on paper but that only translates into a small perceivable improvement. The screen of my Note 5, on paper, is far superior than the screen on my 6S and 6S Plus, but holding my phones side by side the difference is negligible with the plus and slightly more with the 6S. I notice more the deep blacks of the Note more than the increase in resolution.

The places where Apple still holds a strong lead are in its services and apps, very rarely do I find an app that's designed better and performs better on android than on iOS.
 

spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,488
5,413
The LG G5 looks like an older phone to me. The bezels seem kind of large and they are the ones who pioneered tiny bezels, plus the 2 tone silver on the bottom and the capacitive buttons make it seem much larger and busy than it is. I'm not sure if it's the pictures or reflections, but the frame seems to rise above the screen a little and I can see that being annoying if I'm holding it. I'm just not impressed with it looking at it from the front, certainly nowhere near how much I was impressed with the G3 when it was first released in relation to its competition.
[doublepost=1456345638][/doublepost]
That's exaggerated and you know it. I'm not the kind of guy who says that you can't see beyond 300ppi, but in the end, a display is something which has millions (I just have to stress how much that actually is) of tiny lights, which are measured in micrometers in length. And the S7's ones are smaller, big deal. It really isn't that great.

Put em both in a VR situation and you'll see the difference. Heck there are people out there who complain about pixels with the Note 5 in VR. Granted it's not the majority of consumers, but they are pushing it hard. It may be much more relevant in 2016 with the release of the Vive/Oculus and if they continue to push the Gear VR as they have been.
 

epicrayban

macrumors 604
Nov 7, 2014
6,517
5,353
The modular thing of the LG G5 is interesting. Can't say it's good yet, but it's interesting. However, beyond that, not much else interests me. It's an easy decision for me.

The harder decision is whether to upgrade to the regular S7 or go up to the Edge.

In the long run, Samsung made the right call to remove user-replaceable battery. I rather take the superb design and large battery and quick charge and wireless charging (which regularly tops off my phone) over the choice to swap out a user-replaceable battery when I'm low on batts. It means I have to carry a spare, too.

Is the module even easy to remove/replace?
 
Last edited:

Fernandez21

macrumors 601
Jun 16, 2010
4,840
3,183
The modular thing of the LG G5 is interesting. Can't say it's good yet, but it's interesting. However, beyond that, not much else interests me. It's an easy decision for me.

The harder decision is whether to upgrade to the regular S7 or go up to the Edge.
Yeah, that is a tough decision especially with how well Samsung has shrunken the bezels on both. The S7 Edge is even smaller than the G4, very impressive especially considering Samsung kept the home button which frees up screen real estate. While the S7 is almost the same size as the iPhone 6S.
 

Surf Donkey

Suspended
May 12, 2015
1,541
1,434
The modular thing of the LG G5 is interesting. Can't say it's good yet, but it's interesting.

The camera thing is pretty cool. And a physical gamepad would be neat too. That said, it kind of reminds me of Wii remote peripherals. Just a bunch of plastic stuff lying around that will be worthless after a revision or two. I really don't want more of that.
 

Fernandez21

macrumors 601
Jun 16, 2010
4,840
3,183
The camera thing is pretty cool. And a physical gamepad would be neat too. That said, it kind of reminds me of Wii remote peripherals. Just a bunch of plastic stuff lying around that will be worthless after a revision or two. I really don't want more of that.

Yeah, the only way those slots will be successful is if every LG phone from here on out is compatible with the same slot. If they can do that, then suddenly it makes much more sense.
 

nj-morris

macrumors 68000
Nov 30, 2014
1,897
804
UK
Put em both in a VR situation and you'll see the difference. Heck there are people out there who complain about pixels with the Note 5 in VR. Granted it's not the majority of consumers, but they are pushing it hard. It may be much more relevant in 2016 with the release of the Vive/Oculus and if they continue to push the Gear VR as they have been.

Fair. I have a Gear VR on my S6 Edge+, and the pixelation is probably my main gripe with that thing. But I still don't really expect any better. Not now, anyway.
 

AppleRobert

macrumors 603
Nov 12, 2012
5,729
1,133
Samsung rep was at BB when I was looking at the devices on display. He was absolutely certain US was getting Snapdragon and it did not matter what carrier.

What's not to like? Well nothing really, I have to decide on the color and it would be the Edge for me or nothing cause it would be too much of a change from the latest screen sizes I have gotten accustomed to for me to go to the S7. It will come down to if I want to spend the money, I would not get the goodies if I buy outright from Best Buy.

1.5GB was free on the S7 I tried with 10 apps opened, included in those were Subway Surfers and Temple Run.

The device never ran hot, matter of fact I never noticed any increase in temperature at all so it never was even getting warm.

One odd thing is I changed the screen mode to basic and it never registered with those two games, it started in that screen mode and then you can see it switch to adaptive almost immediately when the games started. That did not happen when I demoed other Samsung smartphones in the past.

The sound output onboard built in was fine, maybe a little on the low side but it was noisy in the store but I did not notice any distortion. With earphones, a pair of Sonys, the quality was very good with youtube videos, games and music with no hissing with the latter even with rather low mellow music. Cranked up, the device never vibrated.

The always on is pretty neat, you have different options for choosing and supposedly not much battery drain if you leave it on. The "Edge" with more available options to view is neat as well.

The biggest thing for me would be the overall device size change which would be a plus. I have no other issues with my current Edge + really. I don't need more storage and never had to worry about it being waterproof (in fact the S5 was a pain in the arse with the port covered having to remove to charge though I know that isn't the case here but I'd never put this in water to test). One handed operation would still be an issue as the Edge still isn't small but I don't concern myself with that really.

The camera improvement I'd never really would take advantage of to tell the truth. I don't snap much with any smartphone I've owned.

If I think of more later, I'll add. Why did I try the S7 more instead of the Edge? Well cause I wanted to really see how much I'd miss the screen size.

Don't go to the stores or carriers if you are leading towards keeping what you already own cause Samsung did a great job with these and you will end up pulling the trigger! :)

It would be black for me as a preference really, it has sort of a stealth look to it.
 
Last edited:
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.