- Samsung's reintroduced water resistance feature as seen in 2014 flagship
- Those who pre-order in the US and Europe will get a free Gear VR headset
Samsung has officially launched the new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge phone at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona - with a little help from Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.
the S7 was an awesome phone that never cracked under the pressure of being the only way I take pictures and navigate completely unfamiliar terrain, all while keeping battery life going during long days out. And it did so with more finesse than existing phones. I'd call it the best all-around phone out there, better even than the excellent Google Nexus 6P and iPhone 6S. (But not quite as sexy as its fraternal twin, the larger curvy-screen S7 Edge, my top pick if you want to splurge.)
The S7 Edge has a 5.5-inch (14cm) screen, while the S7 has a smaller 5.1-inch display, with both handsets boasting water resistant features that were missing on the S6 and S6 Edge.
the phones feature an 'always-on' display so users can see basic phone information, such as time, date and notifications, without having to wake it up and use up battery life.
Both devices are waterproof up to a depth of 5ft (1.5 metres) for as long as 30 minutes, with an IP68 Ingress Protection rating alongside what Samsung says is 'a zero compromise on design'.
WATERPROOF RATINGS EXPLAINED
Both devices are waterproof up to a depth of 5ft (1.5 metres) for as long as 30 minutes, with an IP68 Ingress Protection rating.
IP stands for Ingress Protection, created by the International Electrotechnical Commission.
It is used to classify how much a coating provides protection.
The rating is typically followed by two numbers - the first is the level of dust resistance, the second is water resistance.
Dust resistance ranges from zero to six, and water resistance ranges from zero to nine.
If an X is included, the device doesn't offer a classified rating for that substance.
A rating of seven on the waterproof scale means: 'Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water (up to one metre).'
The waterproof feature was first introduced in the Galaxy S5 two years ago but disappeared when Samsung ushered in the Galaxy S6. Samsung has made sure the devices’ metal bodies are fully water tight, locked within the design of the phone. On the inside, the S7 and S7 Edge tout more powerful central and graphics processors than the S6 versions. Samsung wouldn’t confirm the make of these chips but said they’d be joined by 4GB of RAM, making them 'the most powerful processors in an ‘S range’ ever'.
Both devices are waterproof up to a depth of 5ft (1.5 metres) for as long as 30 minutes, with an IP68 Ingress Protection rating alongside what Samsung says is 'a zero compromise on design'.
The waterproof feature was first introduced in the Galaxy S5 two years ago but disappeared when Samsung ushered in the Galaxy S6.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S7 AND S7 EDGE
Lee Bell tested the handsets for MailOnline.
'I was impressed with the design and found it noticeably more solid than past handsets.
'I also liked the S7 Edge’s user interface, which features an extended Edge panel app menu that doubles the number of apps compared with the S6 Edge.
'It is brought up with a left swipe of the right side of the screen
'The camera is super-fast at focusing on different objects in different lighting conditions thanks to the double lens design
'Vibrancy on both screens is amazing, and photos appear very rich in colour.
'Balance levels are great, viewing angles are wide and text and icons are crisp.
'The Samsung Edge UI user interface is much cleaner than we’ve seen from Samsung phones in the past.
'I was impressed at how good a job Samsung has done in making it simpler to use and most of the additions are positive.
'The Edge S7 also doesn’t feel as big as other 5.5-inch smartphones I've used due to the ergonomics.
'Samsung said a proprietary 3D thermos-forming engineering process has been used to ensure the tight curve fits into a slimmer chassis, hence its smaller feel.
'Overall, both devices feel much more luxurious than previous models thanks to their updated design and simpler user interface.
HOW 'ALWAYS ON' WORKS
The concept of always-on is not new.
It has already featured on the Nexus 6P and Motorola Moto X, which both use always-on ambient display in a bid to save battery life.
Ambient displays work by only showing the pixels that are needed to display a particular notification at the top of the screen, for example.
For instance, on Google's Nexus 6P smartphone, when a notification arrives, it appears in a black and white on a small portion on the screen.
This means the phone doesn't have to use its battery's energy powering up all of its pixels.
However, previous phones sporting ambient screens have only showed limited information on the screen.
- THE GOOD: Polished design. Awesome camera. Long battery life. microSD storage slot and water-resistant (again!).
- THE BAD: Annoyingly reflective. Smudge magnet. Plastic-looking selfies even with no filter. No removable battery, which isn't surprising, but is still a compromise compared to 2014's S5.
- THE BOTTOM LINE: The fast, powerful, beautiful Galaxy S7 phone is 2016's all-around phone to beat.
