Page 8 : Our Verdict & Award

Our Verdict On The Galaxy S7 edge

Superficially, the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon) looks like an evolutionary upgrade of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge. Like its predecessor, it is a work of art – a beautiful combination of glass and metal. It sports the characteristic curved edges in the front, which is now complemented by slightly curved edges in the back.

Users of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge (Amazon) though will be familiar with the downsides of the curved edges – accidental triggering of the touchscreen when you hold the Galaxy S7 edge. Samsung appears to have improved this but it will still occur. The curved edges also prevent the use of the popular tempered glass screen protectors, with TPE screen protectors being your only choice. Of course, the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon) is protected on both front and back by the latest Corning Gorilla Glass 4, so you can probably do without screen protectors.

The Galaxy S7 edge‘s Super AMOLED display is sharp, brilliant and vivid with a pixel density of 534 ppi. Even though it is no different from the slightly smaller Super AMOLED display used in the Galaxy S6 edge (Amazon), it remains the best smartphone display in the market. Even though this is a 5.5″ smartphone, it doesn’t feel that large. This is because it is taller, and only a little wider. It fits our hands very well although single-handed use is quite a stretch.

Even though the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge swapped a 16 MP sensor for a lower-resolution 12 MP sensor, it has a much better rear camera. Due to the larger pixels and a faster f/1.7 lens, it has better low-light performance. The new sensor also supports Dual Pixel technology, allowing for faster and more accurate auto-focus performance. This is arguably the best smartphone camera in the market today.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge‘s killer feature is probably its IP68 rating for dust- and water-resistance. You can dunk it into water without any preparations – it will survive depths of up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes. However, it is not waterproof. You have to be careful about subjecting it to water under pressure. We have a more detailed article on its IP68 certification in our article, Samsung Galaxy S7 IP68 Engineering Explained.

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Another feature that was warmly welcomed was the reintroduction of the microSD slot. That was a misstep in the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge (Amazon) and the Samsung Galaxy Note5 (Amazon). The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon) introduced it in the form of a hybrid SIM slot, allowing you to either use a microSD card or a second SIM card, but not both at the same time. This is not as convenient as a dedicated second SIM slot and a dedicated microSD slot, but it beats having a single SIM card slot with no microSD slot.

We are also glad to report that Samsung corrected another weakness in the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge – its short battery life. The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon) comes with a large 3,600 mAh battery – 1,000 mAh (38.5%) extra capacity over its predecessor. That allowed it to last almost 11 hours of non-stop heavy use in our stress test!

There is no doubt that the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (Amazon) is the best smartphone Samsung has ever made. They took the best features of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge, corrected its weaknesses and added dust- and water-resistance. What’s not to like? We love it so much, we are awarding it our coveted Editor’s Choice Award! Congratulations, Samsung!

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