I pre-ordered it even before it was launched and writing this review after 6 weeks of usage. I used S6 Edge which was already a very good device but with a few shortcomings and my expectation from the S7 Edge was that those shortcomings are fixed, sticking to what were already good and it happened to be exactly so. My major requirements from a mobile apart from being a phone are camera, battery life, ergonomics and performance. And it excelled in all the four departments when compared to it predecessor S6 Edge.
- CAMERA:
Although the mega pixel count has reduced to 12MP from S6’s 16MP it doesn’t have any bearing when it comes to the practicality with S7 clearly dominating the S6’s camera. Camera on S7 was rated at 88/100 by DxOMark the best compared to any existing phone which sets the new benchmark for mobile cameras. The best in class for low light photography. For a casual photographer like me who normally shoots in auto mode, this mobile delivers almost close to the output that a DSLR delivers if it is set in auto mode too.
- BATTERY:
With the similar pattern of usage the battery life on S7 Edge is about almost double the S6 Edge and I consider this as a superb upgrade. I normally get 5 hours SOT and around 3 hours voice calls before it drops to zero percent or I must say 1.5 - 2 days of moderate usage. Even for a heaviest user it will suffice for a full day’s usage. It supports fast charging and the time taken to fully charge the battery from 0 to 100 is just 99 minutes.
- DISPLAY:
Display is the department something that Samsung has always been topping among Android devices and this time it’s no exception either. The display is crisp and clear.
The Auto Brightness feature, on S7 Edge, has improved tremendously over S6 Edge and you don’t have to adjust it every time you go out in bright sun or into dark unlike the S6 Edge. Once you leave it at auto, it takes care of the adjustment without you having to do anything. And this was one feature I always wished I had on S6 Edge.
- EASE OF USE:
Coming to the ergonomics I’m honestly frustrated by almost all the Android phone makers as they are totally getting into insane sizes making it extremely difficult to hold the phone single-handed or to put it in a pocket. Although boasts of a 5.5 inch screen this mobile has been crammed into just 72 mm width which is the least compared to any of those 5.5 inch display mobiles in the market. This makes it relatively easier to hold the handset with one hand. However you may not be able to operate it one-handed unless you set it up to one-handed operation by going into ADVANCED FEATURES from settings.
- PERFORMANCE:
You throw anything at it and it’ll handle smoothly and I don’t have any complaints in this regards.
- FEW OTHER KEY FEATURES:
a) Always On Display that lets your display show you the time always instead of powering on the device but uses considerable amount of battery.
b) Gorilla Glass 4 front and rear panels
c) IP68 certified which means dust proof and water resistant which was dearly missing on S6 Edge.
d) 32/64GB of built-in storage along with microSD slot up to 200GB. The microSD slot can also be used as a second SIM slot.
e) Heart-rate monitor and barometer
f) Wireless charging
Coming to the CONS as per my personal opinion:
It often drops the WiFi connectivity and needs to switch it off and then on most of the times you operate it which is by all means terrible when you have bought a phone worth 57k. I’m eagerly waiting for Samsung to release a update to fix this issue.
Body and the screen attract lot of finger prints but you may however use a screen guard and a case you can overlook this one.
All in all if I’ve to overlook the only major con( WiFi), I must admit that this is the best device I have ever used. Without any doubts just go for it and you’ll not be disappointed no matter how high you have your expectations set for this. ITS A WINNER.