Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy S7 Plus rumors and news
Leaked Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge looks stunning in silver
After offering just one Edge phone in 2014, the Galaxy Note Edge, Samsung surprisingly offered two of them in 2015. In doing so, however, the company moved the series to the Galaxy S line, calling them the Galaxy S6 Edge and the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus. The Galaxy S6 Edge sports a 5.1-inch display, while the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus features a display that is a more phablet-like 5.7 inches. Now, rumors are heating up about the Galaxy S7 Edge and S7 Plus.
The question on many people’s minds is — will there will be one, two, or more Galaxy Edge models in 2016? Here’s everything we know so far.
What will it look like?
Samsung launched Silver Titanium colors of the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus last year, so it wouldn’t be a shocker if the company uses the same color as an option for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.
Turns out that Samsung could do just that. In early February, famous leaker, @evleaks, tweeted out a press image of the Galaxy S7 Edge dressed in silver, and it looks stunning.
If Samsung does release the Galaxy S7 Edge in this color, we’re not sure if the Silver Titanium name will be used.
With just a few weeks away until it’s expected to be officially announced, a Weibo user by the name of JKwan uploaded an image in early February of what appears to be the front of the Galaxy S7 Edge.
You can see the rounded, but rectangular home button on the all-black device, but more importantly, it looks as though the Samsung logo is no longer on the top of the phone. Take this image with a grain of salt, though, as we are unable to verify it. It’s likely that is a test unit as well, and the logo could still make it to commercial devices when it hits the market.
Earlier this month, an official-looking render was said to show both the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, and it was posted on Twitter by @evleaks. The design is very reminiscent of the S6 and S6 Edge, with perhaps a slightly more pronounced curve to the corners, and a different shaped Home button. Anyone hoping for a complete overhaul in design may be disappointed. This design below does match the latest leak by JKwan. However, the @evleaks image is not an official picture, and the leak may not turn out to be accurate.
Same specs as regular Galaxy S7
The departure of the removable battery on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge left fans disappointed, especially since the non-removable battery was too small. However there could be some good news for the Galaxy S7. While it’s unlikely that it will sport a removable battery, it will feature a much bigger one. An FCC filing confirms that the Galaxy S7 Edge will have a whopping battery capacity of 3,600mAh.
This affirms a previous leak from a tipster on Weibo, who said in early January that Samsung will fit the Galaxy S7 Edge with a 3,600mAh battery.
This is a huge increase over the Galaxy S6 Edge, which had a 2,600mAh battery, but that isn’t a fair comparison since that phone had a 5.1-inch display. The Galaxy S7 Edge is expected to have a 5.5-inch display, which is the same size as the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus. That phone had a 3,000mAh battery, so 3,600mAh would still be a substantial increase.
Most reports agree that the screen size and curve (or lack thereof) will be the only real differences between the S7 and the S7 Edge.
A prototype of what appears to be a Galaxy S7 Edge appears to have gotten into the hands of one Reddit user. He did capture the phone on camera in early January 2016, and although it doesn’t reveal any design elements, it does reveal some of the hardware specifications.
This model (SM-G93) has a 5.7-inch display, which differs from previous leaks indicating that the Galaxy S7 and Edge models would come in 5.1-, 5.5-, and 6.0-inch varieties. The resolution comes in at 2,560 x 1,440, which agrees with previous reports. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 is also present along with 4GB of RAM, which isn’t surprising.
Reports in November 2015 indicated the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 will reportedly power at least the U.S. variants of the S7 Edge, it could sport 4GB of RAM, Type-C USB, and a 20-megapixel camera. A fingerprint sensor or iris scanner has also been rumored. You can catch up on all the Galaxy S7 rumors, many of which apply to the S7 Edge, here.
The HDBlog.it report also states that the MicroSD card slot could return, and the top and bottom edges of the screen may be curved.
When is it coming?
While it’s unknown when the Galaxy S7 Edge will be released, there’s a good chance that it will be sooner rather than later. A brand new Samsung phone cleared the FCC in early February, and it appears to be the Galaxy S7 Edge. This is an important step, since Samsung wouldn’t be allowed to sell the phone in the U.S. until the FCC gave its blessing.
Although the FCC documents don’t specifically refer to the device as the Galaxy S7 Edge, the model number of SM-G935 is a strong indication that it is the S7 Edge, since it was leaked previously.
Unfortunately, an image of the phone wasn’t offered up, but the FCC ID Label and Location page gives us a general idea of its shape.
Assuming SM-G935 is indeed the Galaxy S7 Edge, we now know the model numbers of the U.S. carrier versions, thanks to the documents. They are SM-G935A (AT&T), SM-G935P (Sprint), SM-G935T (T-Mobile), SM-G935R4 (U.S. Cellular), and SM-G935V (Verizon). Again, we can’t confirm these model numbers are for the Galaxy S7 Edge, but it’s very likely.
The Galaxy S7 Edge is likely to be announced alongside its less-curvy sister phone, the Galaxy S7. Samsung will hold a press event on February 21, just ahead of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where it’s likely the S7 and the S7 Edge will be revealed. However, while it’s a distinct possibility, we won’t know for sure until the day.
Prior to this, there were rumors the phone would launch a little earlier in the year, breaking with Samsung’s traditional MWC announcement. Additionally, a report from Sam Mobile in early January 2016 indicates that pricing for the Galaxy S7 Edge is likely to be about the same as the Galaxy S6 Edge.
Will there be an S7 Edge?
There’s some confusion over Samsung’s possible plans for an S7 Edge. Initially, it sounded like Samsung would release two Galaxy S7 devices of different sizes, but neither of them would sport an Edge display. However, later reports suggested that there will be an S7 Edge, but disagreed on whether there will be an S7 Edge Plus as well.
In mid-January 2016, a tweet from well-known phone leaker @evleaks appeared to clarify the situation. It showed a graphic listing a Galaxy S7, a Galaxy S7 Edge, and a Galaxy S7 Edge+. Apart from potentially showing Samsung’s intention to continue the Edge line in 2016, the presence of theS S7 Edge+ model may mean it’ll arrive alongside the new S7, rather than with a new Note model later in the year. This would make the current S6 Edge+ less than a year old before it’s replaced in the range.
However, in a twist of events, @evleaks followed up with a tweet in late January 2016 with updated information. It included a revised graphic that only lists the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. The text of the tweet, “And then there were two,” is a clear indication that he believes Samsung will not release the Galaxy S7 Edge Plus.
We can only assume that he means that it won’t launch alongside the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, but it’s unclear whether Samsung could still release the device at some point in the future.
Unfortunately we will never know for sure what Samsung has in store for us until the actual Unpacked Event, which will hopefully take place in February 2016.
A higher quality camera with less megapixels
A Samsung phone with a model number of SM-935A recently appeared in the AnTuTu benchmark database in mid-January. This phone is believed to be the AT&T Galaxy S7 Edge. Assuming the benchmark is valid, it confirms a 12-megapixel camera on the Galaxy S7 Edge, and more than likely the Galaxy S7.
In early January, a tipster on Weibo reported the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge will not only have the previously rumored 12-megapixel rear camera, but the aperture would be f/1.7. It would be much larger than the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge’s aperture of f/1.9, and should offer even better low light performance.
A Reddit user allegedly captured the Galaxy S7 Edge on camera in early January 2016, and the Reddit user revealed some of the specs of the phone, including a 12-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Those cameras would seem like a downgrade from the Galaxy S6, which has 16-megapixels at the rear. However, based on reports from November 2015, the change isn’t shocking. It was rumored that Samsung would increase the sensor size to 1/2.0 inch from 1/2.6 inch and could utilize a 12-megapixel lens to make it happen. The increased sensor size would mean even better performance in low-light shots.
Samsung is also rumored to equip the Galaxy S7 and Edge models with dual-PD (dual-photodiode) technology, which would increase the accuracy of the auto focus with phase detection. So the drop in megapixels doesn’t necessarily mean that the camera won’t be improved on the Galaxy S7.
There will be more than one Galaxy S7 Edge model
An AnTuTu Benchmark of the Galaxy S7 Edge (model SM-G935A) appeared in mid-January (see Camera section for screenshot). While it seems to confirm most of the previously rumored specs, the display size listed is 5.1-inches, which is believed to be the size of the non-edged Galaxy S7. Could this mean there will be two edge models released alongside the Galaxy S7?
A fresh report from Sam Mobile in early January 2016 supposedly confirms the Galaxy S7 Edge’s display size at 5.5-inches. There was no mention about a Galaxy S7 Plus though, but the same source said the non-edged Galaxy S7 will be 5.1-inches.
Over the course of December, rumors have been all over the map with varying screen sizes for the Galaxy S7 and the S7 Edge, but a new schematics leak from casemaker ITSKINS might put the numbers in place.
According to GSMArena’s sources at ITSKINS, the Samsung Galaxy S7 will not be curved and will sport a 5.1-inch screen. The report claims that the S7 Edge will only come in a 5.5-inch screen size and will be curved. Surprisingly, the Galaxy S7 Plus will feature a massive phablet-approved 6-inch screen.
In 2015, Samsung introduced two Edge models at different times of the year. The smaller Galaxy S6 Edge arrived in March at MWC, while the larger Galaxy S6 Edge Plus came along with the Note 5 in August.
This year, Samsung might launch the S7 and S7 Edge at the same time again, but with different screen sizes. Previous leaks from Korea’s ETNews claims that the S7 may feature a 5.2-inch display, which would be larger than the 5.1-inch screen on the S6. Meanwhile, the S7 Edge will reportedly boast a larger 5.5-inch screen.
Such a size would be much larger than last year’s S6 Edge, which had the same screen size as the regular S6, but it would also be smaller than the 5.7-inch screen that Samsung put on the S6 Edge Plus. ET News also mentions that mass production is set to start in February, hinting at a possible February launch date.
Other previous rumors of two display sizes originated from Samsung Viet in mid-October, which claimed that two display sizes, 5.2 and 5.8-inch, were being tested. The report said that both devices were non-Edge, but a more recent report from HDBlog.it claims that the S7 display will be 5.2-inches, while the S7 Edge will have a 5.7-inch display instead. That report correlates with information given to ETNews, though the reported screen sizes are different in all three reports.
Read more: Tech Crunch
