Samsung Galaxy S7 Review

The S7 strikes a surprising first impression. Like last year’s Galaxy S6, the new S7 is coated in glass on the front and back (3D glass no less), but unlike last year’s phones, the new handsets are curved across the back, giving the handset a more comfortable fit in the hand. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help keep it in the hand that much, and the glass covering is pretty slippery.

It is also a phone that you will find yourself constantly wiping down (especially if you have a touch of OCD when it comes to how your phones look, like I do). We’ve long complained about how fingerprints smudge glass touchscreen, but now we have the same problem on the back of the phone, too. Given this, and the slipperiness, the S7 is a phone you will want to slip a cover on soon after you take it out of the box.

In 2016, Samsung reverses the trend towards ever-larger phones and the standard S7 model is now slightly smaller than before, with a 5.1-inch touchscreen and slim bezels around it. And, for what’s it worth, we love these trimmed down dimensions. It is so much more comfortable to use and the smaller screen offers a higher pixel density, so things on screen appear a little sharper.

The real highlight in the Galaxy S7 is the camera. This really is a big year for photography buffs who’d prefer to leave their kit at home. There are a number of technical enhancements we could discuss, including larger pixels on the image sensor and an impressive F1.7 lens, but what you really need to know is that the photos we’ve taken are superb. Really, truly wonderful.

The larger pixels are an essential element in these outstanding results. Simply put, image sensors work by interpreting light as information, and the larger the pixels, the more accurately the sensor can work. One of the most obvious benefits from this new approach is how much better the S7 is at shooting in low-light. If you love snapping pics of friends on nights out, the S7 is the phone for you.

The Galaxy S7 absolutely nails the core elements of a smartphone with its great design, performance and camera, but being a Samsung phone you can also be sure there is a bevy of neat features beyond what you get with a more basic model.

The S7 ships with Android Marshmallow preinstalled, and though it is mostly hidden under Samsung’s TouchWiz UI, there are still a few neat tricks to check out. Our favourite is the new ‘Google On Tap’ feature. You access it by holding the Home button on any screen and the software will read the screen and launch a Google search for what it finds. Incredibly, it works on any screen. So if a friend texts you the name of a restaurant you can use Google On Tap to bring up a map or make a reservation.

Overall

We’re just months into 2016 and already the Samsung Galaxy S7 is the phone to beat. There’s plenty more to come; the LG G5, the HTC One M10, and of course, whatever Apple has in store for the iPhone 7. And yet, it’s hard to imagine that any of these other models will do much to surpass what Samsung has on offer here.  For as much as the changes in the S7 feel like evolutionary refinement, this does feel like a new phone.

We used the Galaxy S6 a lot last year, and while the similarities are there, this doesn’t feel like a minor upgrade; it seems more substantial than that.  The 12-megapixel camera is the standout here, and will be a major drawcard for anyone looking for a premium phone who isn’t married to the idea of buying an iPhone. This is the year many photogs will agree that smartphone cameras are good enough to leave the massive kit bags at home.