The Samsung Galaxy S6 was undoubtedly one of the hit devices of 2015, especially the edge model(s). Samsung needed to shift-up design and it did, refining the appearance of the handset, as well as making essential tweaks to the user interface.
But the day of the SGS6 is done and attention turns to Samsung's next Galaxy. It'll presumably be called the Galaxy S7, considering Samsung tends to keep its phone-naming conventions pretty steady, and we're also pretty sure we know when the Galaxy S7 will be released (again, based on history/Samsung's pattern of releasing flagship smartphones). There is of course still plenty we don't know.
Like, what will the Galaxy S7 feature? What does it look like? What kind of specs does it have? As we learn more about Samsung's next phone, we will update this piece. This is your go-to place for finding the latest answers to all your Galaxy S7-related questions, be that the Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, or Samsung Galaxy S7 edge+.
Samsung Galaxy S7: Release date
The Galaxy S6 launched at MWC 2015 and the Galaxy S5 at MWC 2014. We therefore think the Galaxy S7 will release during MWC 2016 in February. If that happens, you can expect the phone to hit store shelves five weeks later, towards late March or early April.
A semi-reliable source from Twitter claimed Samsung's plans coincide with Mobile World Congress 2016, with the an event set for 21 February, the Sunday before MWC formally kicks off.
Nowehreelse.fr also says the device will appear on 20 or 21 February. Some sources think that the SGS7 will make an early appearance, with SamMobile suggesting the Galaxy S7 will be released earlier than usual, pegging a January announcement and early February release date.
During a China Mobile conference in December, the launch date of the Samsung Galaxy S7 looks to have been leaked. The leak showed a chart, which was photographed by a Weibo micro-blogger, announcing the phone's reveal date will be in February.
uSwitch
Samsung Galaxy S7: Design
One of the biggest surprises with the SGS6 was the launch of two models. All the rumours so far predict that Samsung will again be launching multiple models, offering flat and curved "edge" displays.
SamMobile said Samsung will continue to release two variants of its flagship smartphone. One has the model number SM-G930 and a flat display, while the other has the model number SM-G935 and a dual-edge curved display. Both variants are codenamed Project Lucky and are being internally referred to as the Hero and Hero2, respectively.
The Galaxy S6 brought an overhauled design to the flagship line, so we're not expecting any radical changes for the next cycle upgrade. There's been a rumour that claimed it'll be built from a different type of metal, a magnesium-based alloy, to be specific. These claims are supported by leaked cases from ITSkins that shows the S7 looking similar to the current S6, although this could be the case manufacturer trying to grab some headlines.
There's been plenty of talk about multiple handsets, with regular tipster @evleaks tweeting a graphic of the three names Galaxy S7, S7 edge and S7 edge+, making a strong case that we'll see all three of these models from Samsung this year.
Renders based on schematics that were sent to third-party case manufacturers back up some of the claims and designs we've seen touted before. They appear in a video posted online, although it is claimed that the rendered phone in question is a Samsung Galaxy S7 Plus, rather than a standard version, with a 6-inch screen.
A more recent leak - this time of a few images purportedly of an SGS7 chassis - shows a slot that looks suspiciously like a USB Type-C connection port. The Wall Street Journal also reports that sources reveal it'll definitely come with USB Type-C, although others suggest it will have Micro-USB.
Samsung Galaxy S7: Display
One report from Asia Today claimed the Galaxy S7 will come in two sizes: 5.2-inches and 5.8-inches. A possible AnTuTu benchmark for an unknown Samsung phone (codenamed "Lucky") indicates Samsung has made a device with a 5.7-inch 1440 x 2560-pixel screen.
This 5.7-inch, 1440 x 2560 screen rumour is backed up by a leaked data sheet on nowhereelse.fr.
Samsung.hdblog.it again claimed the Galaxy S7 will have two versions: a phone with a "flat" 5.2-inch display, and another with an "edge" 5.7-inch display. The edge version will have a slight curve on the side edges, top, and bottom. There are also reports of an SGS7 edge+ with a 6-inch screen. The rumours are running amok, it seems.
Shifting down from the larger 5.7 or 5.8-inch rumours, according to a report from South Korea's ET News (via Reuters) the regular version will feature a flat 5.2-inch display, the second "edge" variant will feature a curved, 5.5-inch screen.
This information has been expanded on by Android Authority, claiming that indeed it will be two models - the flat SGS7 at 5.2-inches and the SGS7 edge at 5.5 inches, supplying possible dimensions for these devices.
Android Authority
According to a recent leaked benchmark on nowhereelse.fr however, the SM-935A, which is thought to be the edge model, will offer a 5.1-inch display with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, putting other rumours into question once again.
We've also seen talk of a ClearForce display. This display from Synaptics offers the sort of pressure sensitivity that the iPhone 6S and Huawei Mate S introduced. Samsung is always keen to include the latest technologies and this is an obvious area to target. A report from the Wall Street Journal, based on insider source information, also claims that there will be a pressure sensitive display.
Overall it looks like it will break down like this: Samsung Galaxy S7 - 5.1 or 5.2-inch display, Samsung Galaxy S7 edge - 5.5-inch display, Samsung Galaxy S7 edge+ - 6-inch display.
Samsung Galaxy S7: Power and hardware
Supposed internal Samsung documents posted to Chinese social networking site Weibo appear to confirm the SGS7 (though it has the codename "Jungfrau") is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor, although Samsung avoided Qualcomm in 2015.
According to SamMobile, Samsung will release two variants of its flagship smartphone. One will arrive with an Exynos 8890 processor, while the other will have Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 SoC. This might be a strategy to appeal to different customers in different territories and we've seen other manufacturers do this before.
A separate benchmark on Geekbench - supposedly for two variants of the Galaxy S7 - shows one Galaxy device with 3GB of RAM and another LTE version with 4GB of RAM. Both of these devices go by the codename Lucky.
That 4GB model has also appered on a leaked datasheet backed by the Snapdragon 820. Supporting this, a leaked benchmark on nowherelese.fr suggests the new edge model will come with the Snapdragon 820, Adreno 530 graphics and 4GB of RAM with 64GB of internal memory.
At the moment it's unclear exactly what Samsung might offer. With few complaints about the Exynos chipsets, it might make more financial sense for Samsung to stick with in-house hardware.
Audio quality is expected to be impressive with a Korean report suggesting Samsung will use the Sabre 9018AQ2M chip for superior sound. This should mean the 32-bit audio DAC delivers near analogue quality sound and supports formats like DSD. With rumours suggesting Samsung is looking to buy Jay-Z's Tidal music streaming service, the Galaxy S7 may come with some serious audio offerings.
Samsung Galaxy S7: Camera
An AnTuTu benchmark possibly for the Galaxy S7 shows it having a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, which are the same camera specs found on the Galaxy S6. But another AnTuTu benchmark revealed a duo-camera on the phone, so at this point it is unclear what the phone sports.
According to SamMobile, Samsung is testing a dual-camera setup in some prototypes as well as a 20-megapixel ISOCELL sensor. This could be backed up by Samsung's patent of the term "Duo Pixel" which is expected to appear in the S7.
Samsung has officially unveiled a new 20-megapixel sensor so that could appear in the handset. The new sensor, dubbed Britecell, will offer new phase detection autofocus for faster, more accurate placement of object even when moving at speed. One of the changes wrought by this new sensor is size, with the Britecell being slimmer, potentially reducing the need to have the camera jutting out of the back of the phone. Samsung.hdblog.it also backed up talk about the inclusion of Britecell.
Slash Gear has taken a different approach to the "Duo Pixel" idea in that it speculates that the SGS7 could adopt a modular camera, like Google's Project Ara handset. That way you would be able to buy add-ons to make the phone more Galaxy Camera-like. We're less sure on this concept though.
The new type of camera could explain the lower 12.2-megapixel camera leaked on a data sheet. This also showed a 5-megapixel front-facing selfie camera. This was also supported by the leaked benchmark on nowherelese.fr, also suggesting 12-megapixel and 5-megapixel snappers.
Google
Samsung Galaxy S7: Software
We expect the Galaxy S7 to launch with Android Marshmallow, the latest version of Google's mobile OS - and supposed internal Samsung documents posted to Chinese social networking site Weibo appear to confirm that it will.
However, Samsung likes to stamp its own identity on its devices, so we'd expect the SGS7 to come with a tweaked version of TouchWiz. The SGS6 was something of a triumph, in many ways taming the flaws of TouchWiz, while still maintaining its Android identity. We'd hope that the offering sticks to this ideal.
We're sure there will be plenty of talk about SmartThings too, with the SGS7 leading the charge into Samsung's smarthome offering.
Samsung Galaxy S7: Other specs and features
There's no word yet on the battery, but a rumour posted to Weibo claimed Samsung will add a microSD card slot to its flagship phone. The phone is rumoured to have internal storage of 32GB or 64GB, but one of the great features of Android 6.0 Marshmallow is Flex Storage, where you can use microSD as integrated storage, rather than limiting it to media and documents. This would be a popular addition for the SGS7.
SamMobile said Samsung Galaxy S7 feature UFS 2.0 storage and maybe microSD slots. Samsung.hdblog.it also backed up these rumours, claiming the next flagships will feature a microSD slot and possibly USB Type-C. Android Authority's information suggests that microSD will only feature on the regular 5.2-inch Samsung Galaxy S7 model and not the larger 5.5-inch device.
Leaked case maker renders from ITSkins suggest the larger of the two handsets will feature USB-C while the smaller could stick with micro-USB, although we suspect this is just the case maker trying a number of options.
Want to know more?
Check out Pocket-lint's Samsung Galaxy S7 hub for all the latest.
Publicis Groupe SA is weighing a bid for a controlling stake in Samsung Group’s advertising agency Cheil Worldwide Inc., people with knowledge of the matter said.
The French company is considering a tender offer for about a 30 percent stake in Seoul-based Cheil Worldwide, which would make it the single largest shareholder, one of the people said. Any deal would probably see Samsung Group keep a significant holding in Cheil Worldwide, which has a market value of $1.9 billion, the person said, asking not to be identified as the information is private.
Publicis, which owns ad agencies including Leo Burnett and Saatchi & Saatchi, has struggled since a merger with Omnicom Group Inc. unraveled in May 2014. Last month, it lost most of the North American media business for Procter & Gamble Co., the world’s largest advertiser, as well as L’Oreal SA’s North American media planning and buying.
“Publicis has been distracted with acquisitions, while the main issue for them is defending and winning accounts,” Alex Wisch, an analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence, said by phone Wednesday. “It’s not the right timing or strategy at this stage.”
Consolidation Push
Shares of Publicis were little changed at 11:49 a.m. Wednesday in Paris. The benchmark CAC 40 index rose 1.7 percent.
The French company wants to structure the potential transaction to ensure Cheil Worldwide continues handling Samsung Group advertising, according to the people. Samsung Electronics Co., the maker of Galaxy smartphones, spent 2.73 trillion won ($2.3 billion) on advertising globally in the nine months through September 2015, according to a regulatory filing, which didn’t specify which agencies the expenditure benefited.
The deliberations are at an early stage, and Paris-based Publicis may decide against making an offer, the people said.
Cementing Control
Samsung Electronics and engineering affiliate Samsung C&T Corp. own about 25 percent of Cheil Worldwide, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Representatives for Publicis and Samsung Group declined to comment, while a spokeswoman for Cheil Worldwide said she’s not aware of the issue.
In September, Samsung Group completed a merger of its de-facto holding company Cheil Industries Inc. and Samsung C&T, with the merged entity keeping the Samsung C&T name. The deal helped the founding Lee family cement control by allowing the group to strengthen its cross-ownership structure since the merged affiliates had stakes in other companies.
Publicis unveiled a new management structure in December designed to drive revenue. That followed the company’s decision to cut its full-year sales forecast in October, saying it recorded no growth the month before as clients canceled and postponed campaigns.
Samsung is definitely no stranger to showmanship, as evident by its grand unveiling events. However, those are usually reserved for its top of the line models, like the annual Galaxy S and Note editions. The rest of the OEM's lineup typically gets a formal announcement as well, but it seems the Korean giant has decided to skip the formalities with the new 2016 edition Galaxy J1.
The phone went from leaks and renders, straight to sales as it's now available at a number of electronic stores in Dubai. On the plus side, this surprise arrival does eliminate the need for any more speculation regarding the handset's specs and price tag.
The new Galaxy J1 retains the budget-friendly nature of its predecessor. It is equipped with a 4.5-inch display, with a resolution of only 480 x 800 pixels, but still using Super AMOLED technology.
Running the show is a quad-core chipset, clocked at 1.3 GHz, probably the Samsung Exynos 3475 SoC. Memory is set at 1GB and there are 8GB of onboard storage. The camera setup of the 2016 J1 consists of a 5MP main shooter and a 2MP front one, just like its predecessor. Powering the show is a 2,050 mAh battery. The new Galaxy J1 also comes with 4G connectivity in its base version – a feature you could get with the old J1 as well, but only if you spring for the J1 4G or J1 Ace.
Speaking of which, while a bit more powerful, the new J1 2016 comes quite close to what the latter J1 Ace has to offer. The local price for the J1 2016 is AED 499, or around $135 and the J1 Ace can be found for $10 to $20 less. So, if you have your sight set on one of them, be sure to shop around for offers on either handset, as you could end up saving even more.
