Samsung Galaxy S7 photos from the camera. Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone camera review

Specifications

• Android 6.0.1, TouchWiz 2016
• Display 5.1 inches, QHD resolution, 576 ppi, SuperAMOLED, automatic backlight adjustment, Always On function, different operating modes, Corning Gorilla Glass 4
• 4 GB RAM, 32/64 GB internal memory, memory card up to 200 GB
• nanoSIM (there will be options for 2 SIM cards)
• Exynos 8890 chipset, 8 cores up to 1.8 GHz per core, MALI T880 MP12 graphics coprocessor (in some countries there is an option for Qualcomm Snapdragon 820)
• LTE cat12/13 support with software update, operator support also required
• Front camera 5 megapixels, flash (screen), BRITECELL main camera, 12 megapixels, time-lapse shooting, slow-motion, video effects, 4K video
• Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), HT80 MIMO(2x2) 620Mbps, Dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Mobile hotspot, Bluetooth®: v4.2, A2DP, LE, apt-X, ANT+, USB 2.0, NFC
• Wireless charging built into case (WPC1.1(4.6W Output) & PMA 1.0(4.2W)
• Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery, extreme power saving mode, fast charging in one hour up to 70 percent
• Water protection, IP68 standard
• Dimensions – 142.4x69.6x7.9 mm, weight – 152 grams

Contents of delivery

• Telephone
• Charger (Fast Adaptive Charge) with USB cable
• USB adapter, microUSB-USB
• Instructions
• Wired stereo headset
• SIM tray clip

Positioning

In 2015, there were changes within Samsung that affected the positioning of devices, their release schedule and what the company was doing. In particular, for flagships they experimented when they abandoned memory cards (Apple doesn’t have one, and no one is complaining!), made the cases monolithic, and this scared off many consumers. The fact that two models appeared on the market at once - S6 and S6 EDGE, in the same body size, but one with a side edge and the other without, confused the situation even more.

The very first sales showed that the fashionable EDGE is in overwhelming demand, while the simple S6 is not so popular. The difference in demand did not affect the total sales volume, but rather their distribution in the S6/S6 EDGE pair. The shortage at EDGE was noticeable during the first three months; the company did not have time to produce matrices for them and was forced to launch additional production.

But then what was supposed to happen happened, the S6 with a flat screen took its toll, this device, due to its price, pulled sales to itself. For example, in Russia the cost of the S6 is about 35 thousand rubles in the basic version, while the similar EDGE costs 10-12 thousand more. On the Russian market, it was the S6 that became the most popular flagship on Android, one of the best-selling models from Samsung. I am sure that the same thing will happen with time with the S7; this device has a long life cycle and, over time and with price adjustments, will gain more and more fans.

What is the beauty of this model? For me, the first priority in a phone is always the screen; you get used to the large diagonal quickly, and it’s difficult to give it up. Last year I had a pair of two phones - S6 EDGE and Note, then gradually switched to Note 5 and EDGE Plus. It so happened that my choice settled on two flagships with a large screen diagonal. In addition to the screen, the main reason was the operating time; the “small” EDGE did not allow me to comfortably survive until the evening, despite the fact that it was the second device paired with the large Note. It is clear that my phone usage scenario is different from the vast majority of people, I use smartphones to the fullest, I have different devices connected to them, a wireless headset, a hands-free kit and various sensors.

But many people use only one device and at the same time they do not want it to be large, they strive for compactness. In my opinion, the golden mean of the modern market is 5 inches; this is the overwhelming majority of smartphones sold; about half of all devices in the world come in this diagonal. And this is precisely the Galaxy S7, which offers that golden mean.

Who is this phone interesting for? First of all, these are those who are switching from the iPhone and want to maintain a compact body, and at the same time get longer operating time and a better screen. Switching from the previous generation of sixes from Samsung does not make much sense, unless you have extra money and are itching that a model has appeared that is better in many respects. Among the flagships, the S7 looks like a balanced solution; on the one hand, this is a typical price for the basic version (the most affordable flagship of 2016), on the other hand, it has maximum technology and noticeably improved ergonomics of the solution. Despite my love for phablets, I am now again considering the S7 as a second phone in pair with the S7 EDGE/S6 EDGE Plus, since it is more compact and at the same time is not inferior to its older brothers in anything except the screen diagonal.

Design, body materials

Time passes, and yesterday's ideas about beauty evaporate like fog. Remember, not long ago we considered thin devices with a thickness of one and a half centimeters, and this was only ten years ago. Exactly the same situation is with what is considered a compact phone today, in my opinion, these are models with a diagonal of 4.5-4.7 inches, while the most popular are devices with a 5-inch screen. And gradually people are switching to such phones, considering their size convenient; today this is the majority of smartphones on the market. The same S7 fits well into the cohort of such devices, has a good size for them - 142.4x69.6x7.9 mm, weight - 152 grams.

The ergonomics of the device is something that we worked on day and night; impressions of the model in comparison with the S6 vary greatly. This device fits into your hand like a glove. Compared to the S7 EDGE, due to the lack of a chamfered front edge as it does, you feel the S7 is much more comfortable. No slipping in the hand, fits as if it was always there. Of course, these impressions are individual, some may not like the device, it all depends on your habits and the size of your hands. But it suited me perfectly. And the most important thing is that there are no difficulties in dialing a number with one hand on the go; this is quite possible without acrobatic performances.

Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge

Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S6 Edge

For Samsung in 2015, the redesign of the flagships was successful; now they are all built on a metal frame, have a back surface made of Corning Gorilla Glass 4. In 2016, nothing changes, except that the glass on the front and back panels becomes 2.5D ( this is fashion and nothing more, now all companies make such glass with a curve). Samsung, in order to position itself differently from its competitors, calls 3D glass, they have reasons for this; no one uses such bends for Gorilla Glass 4 in their products.

As you can see, these smartphones are completely identical in appearance to the 2015 flagships; it will be difficult to see the differences. Moreover, the same A-series of 2016 looks similar to these devices, only the colors will differ, due to which they will try to highlight the older models. But it is difficult in real life to distinguish the richness of the color of the case, to notice what kind of device a person uses. A successful design, which is reproduced in a dozen models, quickly becomes boring. And, perhaps, it is precisely this moment that will stop many; people will think that it will be difficult to stand out with the help of such a device. As I see the situation, Samsung switched to a two-year design cycle, like Apple, but decided to play counterbalance, that is, change the appearance of the handsets not in the same year as Apple. This year, the iPhone 7 will get a different appearance, but the Galaxy S7 will resemble its predecessor.

From the point of view of color solutions, the black device (Black Onyx) looks more interesting; the gold color is somewhat boring in the previous model. And most people order a black or silver phone, which is also good.

In total, these are the colors available for now, but they will not appear in all markets at the same time.

Now a few words about dreams about a collapsible body. This model does not and will not have it; the design itself does not involve replacing the battery yourself. But this can be done at any service center. The second point is protection from water. Just like in the Galaxy S5, it is returning to Samsung devices, and to all flagships. The protection standard is IP68, phones can be drowned, and nothing will happen to them. There is impregnation of the components on the board with a special solution that repels water (they like to use it in Motorola phones), but the design itself does not allow water to get inside; there are special membranes on the speakers and microphones.

And this is how they protected the microUSB connector so that water does not get inside, and if this does happen due to an impact, then there is a special controller that prevents short circuits.

All metal surfaces have undergone additional anti-corrosion treatment. In the picture you can see painted parts that were additionally protected from water.

We conducted an IP68 test and the phone passed it with ease. There are no problems with it, watch the video. I would like to note right away that in order for the speakers to not sound dull after water, the device must be dry; this is a simple logic that for some reason is not clear to some people.

Pay attention to how the tray for the SIM card and memory card is designed; it has a rubberized insert that is lower than the top edge. As a result, dust from pockets quickly accumulates here, but it does not penetrate inside the phone. The peculiarity of its protection affects it. Some people may not like this from an aesthetic point of view, but there is no problem with this, since dust does not penetrate inside the case and cannot get there.

The case has increased slightly in size, this is a consequence of both the larger battery in the S7 and a different frame design, it was made stronger so that the device could withstand serious falls (6013 aluminum alloy). I have absolutely no complaints about the latest generations of Galaxy regarding resistance to falls. They immediately completely recalculated the location of the components and parts of the phone to ensure even greater survivability and safety of the glass that covers the screen and back surface. There are no miracles in the world, and any device can be broken, but users of the Galaxy/Note line know that they have very reliable devices that are difficult to break.

One of the disadvantages of the black version is the speaker grille, which is also painted black. The paint wears off in a few weeks in the pocket, and white metal appears. In the gold color of the case it is simply not noticeable, it creates the feeling that everything is correct, but here it is clearly visible. In my opinion, this is an obvious drawback, but it cannot be called critical.

Overall, the S7 turned out to be very good in terms of materials and feel. Fits perfectly in the hand, good in pockets.

To prevent the device from heating up, a special cooling system was created inside. Look at her description.

Memory type, RAM, memory cards

When Samsung decided to stop producing its flagships with memory cards, the company reasoned that memory capacity of 32, 64 and 128 GB would, in theory, be enough for anyone. In practice, the company got confused in logistics, and the 32 GB devices appeared first, then the 64 GB ones, but the 128 GB models turned out to be difficult to find, and few of them were produced. This is a fundamental difference from Apple, where you can buy a device with any amount of memory and they are always in stock. Therefore, the experiment inside Samsung was considered unsuccessful, and the groan of consumers turned out to be so loud that all Samsung top managers felt it.

Apparently, in order to please people, you must first take something away from them. This happened with memory cards; they were removed in 2015 and they realized what a mistake it was in 2016. Now memory cards have been returned to all flagships, you can use them of almost any size. The 200 GB card is recognized and works. Later, support for 2 TB memory cards may appear, there is no reason not to do this, there are no technical restrictions.

The main models will be those that offer 32 GB of internal memory, while 64 GB devices will become less common. I think there is nothing wrong with this, and users will choose exactly such solutions.

Since Samsung smartphones use fast UFS 2.0 memory, the company had to abandon the proprietary Android 6 feature of combining memory cards and internal memory into a single array. This is necessary for those who do not intend to use their memory card anywhere else, but only in one phone. The risks of this are quite high, if the memory card fails, you will lose most of your data, if not all of it, except for those stored in the cloud.

As a result, Samsung decided to make an intermediate solution. You get 24 GB of space out of 32 GB, while 8 GB contains system and space for working with external memory, for example, it is used as a buffer for video recording, cache and other system functions. But, as before, you can transfer most of the applications to a memory card without storing them in the internal memory of your smartphone. As a result, there are no de facto restrictions; you can use your smartphone as you please.

The type of RAM has not changed; these are chips built on 20 nm technology; we first saw them a year ago. The peak data transfer speed is 3.2 Gb/s, which can be considered the maximum speed in mobile devices in the next year, or even a year and a half. The amount of RAM has increased to 4 GB.

The memory manager, which appeared in the previous generation and caused complaints from many users because it unloaded applications from memory, remains. But they added an operating mode in which the latest applications are kept in RAM and unloaded only when necessary. That is, it turned out to be a kind of mixed mode: until the memory is needed, applications hang in it, and as soon as it is needed, they go into the buffer.

But due to the speed of the processor, the time it takes to load applications from the cache has been reduced by at least half; it seems that they are hanging in memory. Visually, and in feel, this is a big increase in speed in this particular aspect.

Chipset and performance

In 2015, Samsung stopped using Qualcomm in its flagships; the processors got very hot and had many flaws. In particular, it was the Snapdragon 810, which Qualcomm was able to finalize only a year after the first samples. This processor and Samsung's rejection of it brought down Qualcomm's shares and even caused a wave of layoffs and a reorganization of the chipset manufacturer.

Until 2015, the prevailing stereotype said that Exynos versions of flagships were noticeably worse than their Qualcomm counterparts. Often this was not the case; they were equivalent from the point of view of the average consumer. Qualcomm has traditionally been stronger than Samsung's own solutions in LTE modems. In 2016, the difference is leveled out even more, since modems on Exynos also received an update and began to work better. Are they inferior to Qualcomm? I think yes. Will you notice this difference in real life? I think no.

The vast majority of countries will receive flagships from Samsung with the Exynos version, and not with the Qualcomm 820. Operators who want to get the Qualcomm version for some reason do so consciously and for their own reasons. Among the disadvantages of the Qualcomm version, I note that the operating time in various modes is approximately 10 percent shorter, which, with the same performance, looks like a huge difference. Also, the lesser integration of the Qualcomm chipset with the Samsung camera may affect the autofocus speed (but you most likely won’t notice it). The preferred version of the flagships will be the one that uses the Exynos 8890 inside.

Depending on the operator and/or chipset used, the letters in the model markings will differ; the standard name is SM-G930. Let's dwell a little on this processor. So, it is made on a 14 nm FinFET process, it has eight cores, and also has a new MALI T880 MP12 graphics coprocessor. In the graphics department, the processor is claimed to be 80 percent faster than the MALI-T760, while power efficiency is 40 percent higher at maximum load.

Among the interesting features of the chipset, I note support for LTE cat.12/13, which ensures data downloads at speeds of up to 600 Mbit/s (a 1 GB movie can be downloaded in one minute if your operator supports these categories). Check out the infographic on this processor.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Exynos version shows better performance.

The S7 wins in the tests, it is the fastest device at the moment (my phones are Exynos). Look at the test results.

I would like to separately note that the new processor is very fast. In every sense, this is one of the best processors on the market, and at the same time it has good energy efficiency, reduced power consumption, which, together with other technical solutions, makes these models very interesting.

The phone also has an additional Exynos M1 processor, which is responsible for calculating movements. Dedicating a separate, dedicated processor for this is justified. Currently, S Health has an erroneous count of steps when moving in a car; shaking is perceived as walking. This defect will be corrected in the coming months.

Display

The phone has a SuperAMOLED screen, 5.1 inches, QHD resolution. There is simply nothing better on the market, and the fact that all companies are trying to switch to AMOLED and are ready to buy screens from Samsung that are several generations old only shows how good this technology is.

DisplayMate traditionally conducted a study of screens in S7/S7 EDGE, and the result is quite interesting, the previous leader in the person of S6 EDGE Plus lost the crown, displays from the latest generation were named the best screens in mobile devices, nothing better simply exists in the world. , it is quite detailed and thorough.

Let's look at several technologies, each of which is not obvious, but improves the use of these devices in everyday life. So, let's start with how screens behave in bright sunlight. The S7 has no problems with this, no glare, no reflections, the brightness in automatic mode can be set to such a level that you will see bright and colorful colors, all the contents of the screen will be readable. But it depends on your preferences, however, more on that later.

Now let's imagine the unimaginable. Many people use sunglasses in the summer, many of them have polarized lenses. The problem with most screens in portable electronics is that they are difficult to see, especially in normal, portrait orientation. The screen of the same iPhone 6/6s becomes darker than it actually is. Flip the screen to landscape orientation and it will be brighter. Miracle? Just the arrangement of the elements.

The screen for the Galaxy S7 took care of this “little detail” and placed the polarizing filter at an angle of 45 degrees, so that no matter how you look at the screen with glasses, the picture remains bright. This is the first device on the market in which even such little things for the screen were thought through.

Another thing that has changed for screens and appears for the first time in the S7/S7 EDGE is personal automatic brightness adjustment. What does it mean? How can tuning be both personal and automatic? The answer lies in the fact that we are all different and perceive the brightness of screens, their colors and other parameters differently. Samsung has implemented an intelligent system that evaluates the level of ambient light and what lighting options we choose, what we consider a comfortable level for ourselves. And this data is used to subsequently adjust the backlight in a way that is convenient for you. It is enough to use both manual and automatic backlight adjustment for about one week for the phone to understand what you like and work in automatic mode. I'm really excited about this feature because it predicts what I want to see, what the screen brightness should be under different conditions.

The screen also has an Always On mode, when the time is constantly shown, as an option, a picture or a calendar, and you can select themes in which these images will be different.

This is simply a wonderful feature, since, unlike competitors, the picture is displayed in color, it is always visible, whether at night or during the day, and is quite bright. For those who are afraid that this will affect the operating time of the device, on the S7 EDGE, 12 hours of display operation in this mode consumes from 1 to 2% of the battery (depending on external lighting conditions, the picture changes in brightness automatically). This is nothing, but you always have a watch in front of your eyes, and this sharply distinguishes this phone from all others.

Cameras – front and main

The front camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels, and light sensitivity has been slightly increased. The screen itself can act as a flash. It is possible to improve complexion, remove artifacts on the skin, and at the same time correct facial geometry. Girls will definitely like these facial enhancements.

But there is no intrigue here, everything is clear and familiar. The intrigue is what happened to the main camera, because in the S6 its resolution was 16 megapixels, and in the S7/S7 EDGE the camera suddenly became 12 megapixels.

The Galaxy S7/S7 EDGE uses the Sony IMX260 camera module (a year earlier IMX240), which was created specifically for Samsung. Such products usually do not receive descriptions on the Sony website; moreover, they cannot be purchased from other manufacturers.

I was unable to find a sane description of the IMX260, and this is not so important, since the main innovations were explained during the presentation of the Galaxy S7. So, the company increased the lens aperture f/1.7 (a year earlier f/1.9), while also increasing the pixel size to 1.4 microns, which makes it possible to obtain more information on the matrix. In Britecell, the pixel size is one micron, and it immediately turns out that this technology is not used in the IMX260, judging by the information that we had before. But everything is not so simple, let's try to figure it out.

Let me start with the fact that the S7 is the first device on the market that has focusing over the entire area of ​​the matrix, that is, one hundred percent of the pixels are involved in phase detection autofocus.

But, perhaps, the most important thing is the increased clarity and brightness of the picture (although, to be honest, I don’t know which is better, current flagships shoot very well). Here the possibilities of shooting in the evening and in the dark have increased. New scenes and stories, camera settings have appeared. Samsung was able to improve the camera, although it seemed impossible to do so.

Sample photos

Comparison with S6 Edge+

S7 Edge	S6 Edge+

For example, the “Food” mode has appeared, this is a kind of filter in which the background is blurred; note that the picture on the left is without a filter, on the right – with it.

Ordinary	Food mode

For video recording, a slow-motion mode has appeared, as well as time-lapse, examples of which you can see in the video below.

And here is an example of a regular video on this camera.

From year to year I say that Samsung flagships shoot better and better, they are of very high quality. And I’m tired of constantly answering the question on social networks about what this photo was taken with. In the S7/S7 EDGE the camera has become even better, making these devices the undoubted leaders. Now the time when you can be guaranteed to get a high-quality photo has expanded; this is not only during the day, but also at dusk and evening. In short, the camera is, as before, one of the strengths of these devices.

extracurricular reading

Battery

The slightly increased size is also due to the battery capacity – 3000 mAh. The operating time of a device is always a combination of factors, in particular, software stability and optimization, quality of components, and screen power consumption. It is difficult and sometimes impossible to consider operating time in isolation from these parameters.

A typical scenario for using a modern smartphone involves running various programs in the background, not only browsing pages, but connecting a wireless headset, and so on. Everyone has their own usage scenario, for example, I use my phones to the fullest - I take photographs, listen to podcasts on a wireless headset, watch social networks, movies, web pages, receive mail from different mailboxes every fifteen minutes. My EDGE Plus lives with three to three and a half hours of screen operation from morning to late evening with the backlight at about 70 percent. And this is a good indicator. For many, the operating time of this device is on average two days. Some manage to make it work for up to three days, and say that this is enough for them to actively use. It should be noted here that the word “active” is different for everyone, everyone puts their own worldview into it.

For S7 I get a full day, from morning to evening, there are no restrictions here. The operating time of the screen with automatic backlighting is from 3.5 to 4.5 hours (brightness is 50-60%, which is very noticeable; among competitors this is considered full brightness). It is the operating time that becomes one of the advantages compared to S6/S6 EDGE.

Video playback time at maximum brightness is from 13 to 14 hours on average (the radio module is not disabled).

The phone has two built-in wireless charging standards, you can use either one. There is support for fast wireless charging. There is also fast wired charging - in 90 minutes you will charge the device to 100 percent. To get half a charge, less than half an hour is enough. Many flagships from other companies can only dream of such fast charging technology, which saves you even if you forgot to charge the device the night before, in the morning it will only take a few minutes.

The most important improvement in the current flagships, and indeed all 2016 models from Samsung, is the increased operating time. A huge amount of work has been done here, and this should be noted. On average, they will work 1.5-2 times longer than previous devices in the same segment. The reason is an increase in battery capacity, but also optimization of software and hardware.

A few words about the microUSB connector, which the progressive part of humanity has already decided to scrap and is waiting for USB Type C. Personally, I am tired of carrying the second cable, I constantly forget it, and therefore some phones are charged only at home, where such cables are available. The value of Type C is still greatly overestimated; such a connector is needed by a small audience that considers itself technology enthusiasts. Therefore, it was not used in mass products. A gradual transition to it will begin in the fall of 2016, and even then, this is an issue that has not been fully resolved. Now Samsung has decided that the compatibility of all accessories is much more important than supporting a fashion trend.

Speaking of AMOLED, Exynos and operating time. Meizu Pro 5 used this combination of components from Samsung to achieve maximum operating time in its flagship. Other companies are starting to adopt Samsung's experience, this is becoming a trend.

USB, Bluetooth, communication capabilities

Bluetooth version 4.2, it was created for the Internet of Things and works great with various sensors. Otherwise, there are no significant changes; new profiles have appeared and power consumption has improved. Let me remind you that there are some interesting things in the new standard.

Firstly, this is an extended range, which can reach several tens of meters, depending on the device settings and how the manufacturer configured this option. Secondly, the IP protocol is used for addressing, that is, devices now have their own unique addresses and communication with many such devices is supported.

From technical points, the interaction between Bluetooth and LTE has been improved; now the operation of these technologies is synchronized within one device, and mutual interference is not created (LTE is not relevant for our frequencies). Plus, Bluetooth devices can now access the cloud and transmit their results directly, bypassing the companion device, as was previously necessary.

USB connection. USB 2.0 is used here, that is, the data transfer speed is about 20 Mb/s. These are not theoretical, but real results on devices. They may vary depending on the operating system and the computer you connect your phone to. Both up and down.

WiFi. The 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standard is supported, the operation wizard is similar to that for Bluetooth. You can remember selected networks and automatically connect to them. It is possible to set up a connection to the router in one touch; to do this, you need to press a key on the router, and also activate a similar button in the device menu (WPA SecureEasySetup). Among the additional options, it is worth noting the setup wizard; it appears when the signal is weak or disappearing. You can also set up Wi-Fi on a schedule.

802.11n supports HT40 mode, allowing you to double your Wi-Fi throughput (requires support from another device).

Wi-Fi Direct. A protocol that is intended to replace Bluetooth or begin to compete with its third version (which also uses Wi-Fi version n to transfer large files). In the Wi-Fi settings menu, select the Wi-Fi Direct section, the phone begins to search for devices around. We select the desired device, activate the connection on it, and voila. Now in the file manager you can view files on another device, as well as transfer them. Another option is to simply find devices connected to your router and transfer the necessary files to them; this can be done from the gallery or other sections of the phone. The main thing is that the device supports Wi-Fi Direct.

Wi-Fi repeater.

It's impossible to write a review when you only use the phone for a few minutes at the company's stand and this device is not your main one. Then materials appear that lack many “tricks” that the manufacturer himself did not talk about, just as others did not discover them. I am constantly working with the Galaxy S7; I have already discovered many “little things” that distinguish Samsung flagships from other Android smartphones and will later become part of Android itself. I want to tell you about one of these features.

Usually, when you turn on an access point on your phone, it immediately turns off Wi-Fi; you cannot use both at the same time.

On the Galaxy S7/S7 EDGE, I suddenly discovered that when I turn on Wi-Fi, it connects to the wireless network, but does not disable your access point. There are two icons in the status line.

Further - more and even more interesting. All phones connected to the Galaxy S7 start using its Wi-Fi connection rather than using mobile data from it. Until now, the Wi-Fi router scenario in mobile phones has never been used so widely.

Who might need it and why? For example, when traveling, I often encounter restrictions on the number of connected devices in hotels. With the Galaxy S7 features, these restrictions on the number of devices are a thing of the past; now I'm writing text, and a dozen of my phones are hanging on the same connection through the Galaxy S7 EDGE. And most importantly, I don’t have to waste time at all and enter my last name, room number and postal address on each one. It's the same story in restaurants, cafes and other places where I can share my connection without having to enter Wi-Fi settings on each device. Cool? Undoubtedly.

Another question is that this function is not so necessary for the vast majority of people. At home, this is an opportunity to distribute your Internet to those corners of the apartment where your router does not reach. At the same time, check whether it’s worth buying a regular Wi-Fi repeater and whether it will work.

As always, I think it's better to have extra features that you don't need very often, but will be grateful for when you need them, rather than not have those features. Do you need a Wi-Fi repeater function?

NFC. The device has NFC technology, it can be used with various additional applications.

S Beam. A technology that allows you to transfer a file of several gigabytes in size to another phone in a few minutes. In fact, we see in S Beam a combination of two technologies - NFC and Wi-Fi Direct. The first technology is used to bring up and authorize phones, but the second is used to transfer the files themselves. The creatively redesigned way to use Wi-Fi Direct is much simpler than using a connection on two devices, selecting files and so on.

Software – Android 6, TouchWiz and other things

Inside Android 6.0.1, the current flagships and two-year-old models will receive the same software, at the same time or a little later than the S7/S7 EDGE goes on sale. As before, this device has TouchWiz, but it has been heavily redesigned to suit the Android style, and now the entire system is perceived as very airy and light, everything looks organic together. The speed of the UI is excellent, it flies, there are simply no slowdowns. Again, it all depends on personal perception, someone sees brakes in what other people consider immediate.

The software has a lot of features, you will need to talk about them separately, which is what I did, read the full review and watch the video about this software.

Additional accessories

A new wireless charger will be available for these models; it differs from the old one in that it has a 50-degree tilt and you can place your phone on it. There will be leather bumpers (leather back), as well as a case with two interchangeable lenses.

From what I was able to try, I would like to note standard book covers, including those with an LED screen. Look at the pictures of these accessories, then you can also watch the video where I explain and show how they work.

Comparison with Galaxy S6

Samsung has prepared an infographic showing why the new device is better than the S6, everything is very clear in it.

Impression

There are no complaints about the quality of speech reproduction or call volume; these devices are excellent; perhaps, their radio path quality is one of the best on the market. And this has long become a kind of mania; Samsung is finishing off what is already good. However, as we saw in the review, they do this for many components of their flagships.

It’s a thankless task to evaluate new devices based on pictures or even photographs. In the case of S7/S7 EDGE it is doubly ungrateful. It seems to be the same materials, the same design, but you need to take the device in your hand to realize the difference. And it is not in favor of the previous generation. You need to touch these devices in person and see how they work, how responsive the menu is, how the camera records, and it is advisable to do this in the twilight to understand the differences.

We are accustomed to the fact that each new generation of flagships from Samsung provides new technologies and sets the bar for performance, as well as for what can be built into the devices. Today these are the most functional solutions of all, but last year the refusal of memory cards upset many. Now this flaw has been corrected, and everything is back to normal. But they also added enhanced shock protection, IP68 protection against drowning. Plus, we increased the battery and optimized the system so that the operating time increased by 1.5-2 times. All this together suggests that the models turned out to be not very successful, but extremely successful.

The new camera module gives excellent results; it is a breakthrough in a direction where no one expected serious improvements. I didn’t expect at all that the difference would be visible in life. And this is a serious bid to maintain its advantage in this area; other devices are approaching Samsung in terms of photography, but they cannot catch up.

From an engineering point of view, these devices are small masterpieces, they were stuffed with the latest technologies and made them work. What are the improvements in the display that are not visible, but make our lives better and easier? It would not be amiss to note that other companies, and primarily Apple, get to the point of using similar technologies only years later; they simply do not have the opportunity to do something similar. They are too far behind in development, and this can be seen in almost every piece of hardware. I have a very positive perception of the new flagships, and the fact that the previous generation sold well in Russia says a lot about the changed orientations of people during the crisis. The same S6, thanks to its affordable price, has become the most popular flagship, followed by the iPhone 5s 16 GB. The choice of a three-year-old model remains a mystery to me, but people see some meaning in it. But everything is gradually changing, slowly and surely ordinary people are realizing what fast charging is in real life, what high-quality screens look like and why Android gives freedom of use. I have no doubt that the seventh generation Galaxy will be very successful, there are all the prerequisites for this, the devices turned out to be interesting.

The cost of the S7 is 49,990 rubles, this is the most affordable flagship of the latest generation, the price has not changed compared to when the S6 came out a year ago. You can choose the S7 EDGE as an alternative to this device.

Considering that the S7 EDGE comes at a price of 59,990 rubles, this can be considered an additional payment for a larger screen, battery and better image component.

The choice between S7 and S7 EDGE is obvious; I like the older model better, it looks more interesting. Another thing is that perhaps you are a fan of more compact sizes.

But as a final word, I can say that Samsung has produced models that are head and shoulders above their competitors, and they are not just good quality, they are the best that is on the market today. And without compromise.

The comparison includes: Samsung Galaxy S7 (bottom left), Samsung Galaxy Note 5 (top left), Huawei Nova (top right; selfie only), Samsung Galaxy S6 (bottom right), Samsung Galaxy S8 (center).

Good day. I've been writing about smartphones for a long time, and the main thing for me is their photo capabilities. I became interested in how the cameras of one of the market leaders are developing. After I got my hands on the Galaxy S8, I decided to compare pictures taken in the same conditions on flagships over the past three years. And let me tell you, there is something to see.

I’ll make a small digression about mobile photo capabilities. For me, a camera in a smartphone (and a digital camera in general) is not just a hole in the body, but an attempt by a person to recreate the eye, one of the most complex organs of perception of the world. A camera in a smartphone is a mutual and simultaneous operation within a matter of milliseconds of the matrix, optics, processor, memory, ISP chip, focusing elements, stabilization, etc. And, of course, the work of the software.

If in hardware terms the development of the camera in a smartphone is limited due to its compactness, then on the software front things are much better. Many developers are constantly working to perfect smartphone photo processing so that you get a good result.

An interesting fact is that with relatively the same hardware, different smartphones can shoot with completely different quality. This is thanks to the software part, which Samsung has at a high level.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 became one of the best camera phones in the history of smartphones in 2016 and remains so to this day. Will the next flagship Galaxy S8 be able to surpass its predecessor, and how the pictures from the previous top-end devices of the Korean company look compared to them, we will find out in this material.

I will award points for each story (from 1 to 4) and ultimately reveal the winner. There you will also find a link to the original photographs at the end of this article.

Samsung Galaxy S7

Overall plan

In the photo below, the sun is opposite, but not included in the frame. Such conditions are not ideal for a smartphone, but they are not critical either.

Samsung Galaxy S6 and Note 5, the flagships of 2015, coped with the task the worst and at about the same level. Color rendering is poor due to the opposite sun, and the colors are muted. The Note 5's beam was completely reflected, exposing an area of ​​the image. I assume this problem is due to the optics.

The Galaxy S7 and S8, released in 2016 and 2017, are doing much better. The colors are saturated, the dynamic range is wide, as the blue sky clearly tells us, which is completely overexposed in previous opponents.

Let's look at this photo in more detail.

The Galaxy S6 and Note 5 smartphones take sharper pictures, and this is not surprising. After all, they have a 16 MP matrix, unlike the 12 MP in the Galaxy S8 and S7. But as the general plan showed, this does not give them an advantage.

The fact is that the number of pixels plays an indirect role in the overall quality of a photograph. In photo quality, the size of these pixels, the size of the matrix itself, and the aperture play a major role. The diaphragm or aperture is the hole in the camera itself through which light enters the sensor. The wider it is, the more light falls on the matrix, as a result of which the camera can cover a larger range of light; in more difficult shooting conditions, a good picture will be taken (light differences or poor lighting). Accordingly, the larger the pixel, the more correct color it can absorb in a shorter period of time.

Samsung Galaxy S8

The other side of the coin is that the larger the pixel, the fewer pixels will fit on the matrix, since its size in smartphones is limited. As a result, the picture will be less detailed when enlarged.

It's time to compare the camera characteristics of the reviewed smartphones:

Well, let's sum up the results of the first production. If you need a smartphone with which you will photograph objects from afar, and for better image clarity at high magnification, then the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Note 5 are your choice. But such a scenario will be useful to few people, right?

If you want to see the best overall shot with color reproduction and contrast, then the S7 and S8 will not let you down in this regard.

The points were distributed as follows (let me remind you, the more the better):

1. Samsung Galaxy S8 – 4 Korean carrots;
2. Samsung Galaxy S7 – 3 Korean carrots;
3. Samsung Galaxy S6 – 2 Korean carrots;
4. Samsung Galaxy Note 5 – 1 Korean carrot.

Product photography (macro)

Here the result surprised me, and the 2015 flagship phablet Note 5 showed more rich details and correct color reproduction. We figured out the details in the last section, but it surpassed both the S6 with the same number of pixels, and the newer and more advanced Galaxy S7 with S8.

Maybe this is a matter of chance, but we have what we have. The Galaxy S6 completely fell into darkness, unable to adjust the exposure; even its detail is noticeably lower than the others. The Galaxy S7 is overexposed, and some noise is visible in the shadow of the leaf. The details are slightly better than the S6.

The new product of 2017 (S8) showed good detail and color reproduction, but was still one step behind the Note 7.

Why did it happen? I admit, this is a difficult question for me. But I believe that the software that is responsible for processing the image played a big role here.

If you need a camera phone for macro and subject photography in good lighting (!), then the Note 5 should not let you down. Of course, we can say that the S8 has a new processor, and an update has not yet arrived that will make the camera better. But you see, this is far from a fact, and it is unknown how much time will pass for this to happen, and whether it will happen at all.

Samsung Galaxy S6

Let's get back to the carrots:

1. Galaxy Note 5 – 4;
2. Galaxy S8 – 3;
3. Galaxy S7 – 2;
4. Galaxy S6 – 1.

And now we come directly to the camera software.

Shooting in HDR mode

I won’t explain for a long time how it works and what HDR mode is in a smartphone. I will say that this mode directly reflects the quality of work of the software with the semiconductors responsible for shooting.

Shooting with the sun in the frame is difficult conditions for any camera. Let's see how smartphone software was able to cope with this task.

I'm increasingly inclined to believe that buying a Galaxy S8 just for the camera is not worth it. If the update improves the situation for the better, I don’t think it will be by much. Galaxy S7 is my favorite.

The points were distributed as follows:

1. S7 – 4;
2. S6 – 3;
3. Note 5 – 2;
4. S8 – 1.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Scenery

The following shooting conditions can be called the most ideal, the only thing missing is clouds. But the weather was like that. Any device, even a budget one, can handle landscapes in good lighting. But when comparing, someone may have poor color rendering or detail.

The winner here is the Samsung S6. Not only is the clarity better, but the orientation of the original photo itself is more suitable for landscapes. If 12 megapixels in the seven and eight have an aspect ratio of 3 to 2, then their predecessors with their 16 megapixels have an aspect ratio of almost 2 to 1.

But that’s not the only thing I liked more. The Samsung Galaxy S6 has close to natural color rendering of the sky and grass. The “seven” and “eight” are also fine with colors, but the most noticeable is oversharpening (excess contrast achieved by software), but the latter flagship has less of it.

Note 5 did a poor job with color reproduction; the gradient in the sky from clear at the top to gassy at the bottom is least visible. And the grass seems withered, which is not the case in reality. That's why I give him the lowest score.

So, the pile of oriental delicacy was distributed like this:

1. Galaxy S6 – 4;
2. Galaxy S8 – 3;
3. Galaxy S7 – 2;
4. Note 5 – 1.

Shooting in low light

The best quality of smartphone photography can be determined in low light conditions in automatic mode. This kind of shooting is actually the most popular, since most of us take photos in the evening. At night, if the camera is good, the pictures will turn out more interesting and mysterious. Some objects are emphasized with shadows, while others are highlighted with light. What can we say about sunsets or sunrises?

But for such shooting you need a good light-sensitive camera in your smartphone. This is exactly what the modules in the Galaxy S7 and S8 look like on paper. They have a wide aperture and large pixels, but in practice, not everything worked out smoothly for the latter.

In poor lighting, the number of pixels this time did not save the 2015 flagships. There is both the amount of noise and sharpness, and the color rendition of the Note 5 is completely poor. The Galaxy S6 showed the worst detail.

The S8 smartphone is not far behind them. There's a little bit of everything here, but the redness is not all over the picture, but more on the right edge, gradually leveling out to the left. The picture turned a little red with shame. But I was pleased with the S7. Everything is as befits a flagship.

I consider this scenario to be the most important and indicative in this material, so I do x2 with points:

1. Galaxy S7 – 8;
2. Galaxy S8 – 6;
3. Galaxy S6 – 4;
4. Note 5 – 2.

Selfie camera

Taking selfies is very popular in the east, and in their markets, manufacturers (Oppo, Vivo, Huawei and others) pay a lot of attention to the front camera. In most cases, we have it in our smartphones, and it’s good. Only this year, Samsung began to pay special attention to narcissistic natures, and introduced 16 MP cameras into its A series (2017) at the beginning of the year. This was of little use, since the pixels there were small and the aperture ratio was small.

The Galaxy S7 also has noise, but to a much lesser extent. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is the best of the four, and the result is obvious, literally. There are even details visible on the skin that are not seen in other photographs. Color rendition is excellent.

So, smartphones are distributed in the following hierarchy:

1. Galaxy S8 – 4;
2. Galaxy S7 – 3;
3. Galaxy S6 – 2;
4. Note 5 – 1.

You may have noticed that in the preview of the article there is a Huawei Nova smartphone, and it is not there for symmetry. I have already done a comparative test of this smartphone earlier, and compared it with its closest competitors in the price category (about $400). It performed well, and the manufacturer lists this line as a smartphone with a good selfie camera.

That's why I decided to compare the Nova's selfie camera with flagships, but upon closer examination I see only software processing. The image turned out as if painted with paints, without small details. Beautiful, to say the least, but not really. Huawei Nova gets 1 point for a good try.

Determination of the winner

We got to the most interesting part. I admit, I don’t know the result myself yet, and it’s wildly interesting. We count:

1. Galaxy S7 – 22 points;
2. Galaxy S8 – 21 points;
3. Galaxy S6 – 16 points;
4. Note 5 – 11 points.

YES! This is exactly the result I wanted to see. The Galaxy S8 not only performs as well as the S7, but in some scenarios it performs worse.

I don’t want to talk about the fact that the software has not yet been optimized, and perhaps in the future the camera in the S8 will take better pictures. If a company releases a smartphone on the market, then it should be regarded as a finished product, and no concessions should be given for any updates. And it’s not a fact that they will appear.

My result

As I said at the beginning of the article, the camera in a smartphone is the most important thing for me. Now the moment has come when I'm looking at a new smartphone, and my favorites at the moment are Google Pixel, Galaxy S7 and the new HTC U11, which scored the highest score in the test of the authoritative laboratory DxOMark. HTC has not yet gone on sale, but I have no reason not to trust the experts.

Why not iPhone 7 Plus? I've already done a comparison between Google Pixel and iPhone 7 Plus, and the latter lost that battle. Although it’s difficult to call his camera bad.

The Galaxy S8 cannot be said to be a failed product. The smartphone is actually good, but this is a story for a separate article, which Alexander Navagin wrote in his article.

These original photographs were used for comparison.

Are you looking for a camera phone? Ask your questions in the comments!

Part 2: we study in detail the screen, camera, battery life and other features

We continue the story about the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. In the first part of the article, the performance of the device was tested in detail, and its design was also described. Now we will study other key aspects, first of all, the quality of the screen and camera, battery life. And finally, we will share with you our experience of using a smartphone in extreme conditions.

Screen

As we already noted in the first part of the article, in the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge the manufacturer decided to rely on a medium screen diagonal - smaller than in the Galaxy S6 Edge+, but larger than in the Galaxy S6 Edge. At the same time, the resolution remains ultra-high (2560×1440). And visually the screen really makes a great impression. Instrumental testing of the display was carried out by the editor of the “Projectors and TV” section, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Below is his conclusion.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected when the screens are turned off (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is slightly darker (photo brightness is 103 versus 111 for the Nexus 7; glare from the curved edges of the tested screen is excluded) and does not have a pronounced tint. The ghosting of reflected objects on the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge screen is very weak, indicating that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, screens without an air gap look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. On the outer surface of the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a lower speed than in the case of regular glass.

When the white field was displayed in full screen and with manual brightness control, its maximum value was 410 cd/m², the minimum was 1.6 cd/m². You also need to take into account the fact that in this case, the smaller the white area on the screen, the brighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. As a result, readability during the day in the sun should be at a fairly good level. The reduced brightness level allows you to use the device even in complete darkness without any problems. Automatic brightness adjustment works based on the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front speaker slot). You can make adjustments to the operation of this function by moving the settings slider. Below, for three conditions, we present the screen brightness values ​​for three values ​​of this setting - for 0%, 50% and 100%. In complete darkness in automatic mode, the brightness decreases to 1.6, 7.9 and 7.9 cd/m², respectively (the first is too dark, the second and third - after adaptation of the eye it may be normal), in an office illuminated by artificial light (approximately 400 lux) brightness is set to 1.6, 130 and 405 cd/m² (dark - just right - bright, which corresponds to the specified correction), in a brightly lit environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20000 lux or a little more) - increases to 520, 540 and 540 cd/m². These values ​​are greater than the maximum for manual adjustment and this brightness should definitely be enough for the image on the screen to be clearly visible in any natural conditions. In general, the result of the automatic brightness adjustment function is as expected. Note that even with automatic brightness correction disabled in a dark environment, the smartphone does not allow you to set the brightness above 190 cd/m². At any brightness level there is significant modulation with a frequency of approximately 60 or 240 Hz. The figure below shows brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis) for several brightness settings:

It can be seen that at maximum and close to it brightness, the modulation amplitude is not very large, and as a result, there is no visible flicker. However, as the brightness decreases, modulation with a large relative amplitude appears. Therefore, the presence of such modulation can already be seen in a test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, this flickering may cause increased fatigue.

This screen uses a Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic light-emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are twice as many green subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphotograph:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

In the fragment above you can count 4 green subpixels, 2 red (4 halves) and 2 blue (1 whole and 4 quarters), and by repeating these fragments, you can lay out the entire screen without breaks or overlap. For such matrices, Samsung introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer calculates the screen resolution based on the green subpixels; based on the other two, it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this version is close to the case of the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and some other newer Samsung devices (and not only) with AMOLED screens. This version of PenTile RGBG is better than the old one with red squares, blue rectangles and stripes of green subpixels. However, some unevenness of contrast borders and other artifacts are still present. However, due to the very high resolution, they have a minimal impact on image quality.

The screen has excellent viewing angles. True, the white color, when deviated even at small angles, alternately acquires a light blue-green and pinkish tint, but the black color remains simply black at any angle. It is so black that the contrast setting is not applicable in this case. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the white field is excellent. For comparison, here are photos in which the screens of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (profile Basic) and the second comparison participant, identical images were displayed, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to approximately 190 cd/m², and the color balance on the camera was forced to switch to 6500 K. White field:

We note the excellent uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field (with the exception of darkening and changes in hue towards the curved edges). And a test picture (profile Basic):

Color rendition is good, the colors are moderately saturated, the color balance of the screens varies slightly. Note that in this case, the image occupies the height (at this screen orientation) of the entire area available for image display and extends onto the curved edges of the screen, which leads to darkening and color distortion. Also, in the light, these areas almost always glare, which makes it even more difficult to view images displayed on the entire screen. And even the picture of films with an aspect ratio of 16:9 bends, which greatly interferes with watching movies. The photo above was taken after selecting a profile Basic in the screen settings, there are four of them:

Profile Adaptive display differs in some kind of automatic adjustment of color rendering to the type of output image and environmental conditions, which is obtained by selecting the two remaining profiles shown below.

Movie AMOLED:

Saturation and color contrast are noticeably increased.

Photo AMOLED:

Saturation is still high, but color contrast is closer to normal. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen (profile Movie AMOLED). White field:

The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed has been increased compared to previous photographs), but in the case of Samsung the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness, the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge visually looks much brighter (compared to LCD screens), since you often have to look at the screen of a mobile device from at least a slight angle. And a test picture:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness of the Samsung at an angle is noticeably higher. Switching the state of the matrix elements is performed almost instantly, but at the switching edge there may be a step with a width of approximately 17 ms (which corresponds to a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz). For example, this is what the dependence of brightness on time looks like when moving from black to white and back:

In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing behind moving objects. However, dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high clarity and even some “jerky” movements.

For profiles Photo AMOLED And Basic constructed using 32 points with equal intervals according to the numerical value of the shade of gray, the gamma curve did not reveal any blockage in either highlights or shadows, and the index of the approximating power function is equal to 2.14, which is slightly less than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma -the curve deviates little from the power-law dependence (the captions in parentheses show the exponent of the approximating power-law function and the coefficient of determination):

For profile Movie AMOLED The gamma curve has a pronounced S-shaped character, which increases the visible contrast of the image, but in the shadows the distinguishability of shades remains.

Let us recall that in the case of OLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for generally light images. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely slightly does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen.

Color gamut in the case of a profile Movie AMOLED very wide, it almost covers the Adobe RGB gamut:

When selecting a profile Photo AMOLED coverage is adjusted to Adobe RGB boundaries:

When selecting a profile Basic coverage is compressed to sRGB boundaries:

Without correction, the spectra of the components are very well separated:

In case of profile Basic with maximum correction, the color components are already noticeably mixed with each other:

Note that on screens with a wide color gamut, without appropriate correction, the colors of regular images optimized for sRGB devices appear unnaturally saturated. Hence the recommendation - in most cases, watching movies, photographs and everything natural is better when choosing a profile Basic, and only if the photo was taken on an Adobe RGB setting, does it make sense to switch the profile to Photo AMOLED. Profile Movie AMOLED, despite the name, is the least suitable for watching movies or anything else.

The grayscale balance is good. Color temperature in profile Movie AMOLED noticeably above 6500 K, in the remaining two - close to 6500 K, while in a significant portion of the gray scale this parameter does not change very much, which improves the visual perception of color balance. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) across most of the gray scale remains below 10 units, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device, and also does not change very much:

(The darkest areas of the gray scale can in most cases be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

Let's summarize. The screen has a very high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. It is acceptable (and in bright light it is necessary) to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works quite adequately. The advantages of the screen include a good oleophobic coating, as well as a color gamut close to sRGB and an acceptable color balance (when choosing a profile Basic). At the same time, let us remind you about the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected in the screen), excellent uniformity of the white field, noticeably less than that of LCDs, and a drop in image brightness when viewed at an angle. Disadvantages include modulation of screen brightness. For users who are particularly sensitive to flicker, this may cause increased fatigue. However, overall the screen quality is very high. Separately, we note that from the point of view of image quality, curved edges are only harmful, since this design discovery introduces very noticeable distortions of the color tone and reduces the brightness at the edges of the picture, and also leads to inevitable glare along at least one long side of the screen in ambient light conditions .

Playing video

We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). In the tests we used the MX Player video player in the “Hardware” mode. The test results are summarized in the table:

File	Uniformity	Passes
4K/30p	Fine	No
4K/25p	Fine	No
4K/24p	Fine	No
1080/60p	Great	No
1080/50p	Great	No
1080/30p	Great	No
1080/25p	Fine	No
1080/24p	Great	No
720/60p	Great	No
720/50p	Great	No
720/30p	Great	No
720/25p	Great	No
720/24p	Great	No

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with playback of the corresponding files.

According to the criterion of frame output, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the device itself is very good, since frames (or groups of frames) can be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, going to the bends. The clarity of the picture is high, but not ideal, since there is no escape from interpolation to the screen resolution. However, for the sake of experimentation, you can switch to the one-to-one mode by pixel; there will be no interpolation, but the features of PenTile will appear - the vertical world through the pixel will be in a grid, and the horizontal one will be slightly greenish. This is only true for viewing test worlds; the described artifacts are absent in real frames. The brightness range displayed on the screen actually corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows and highlights, only a couple of shades merge with black and white, respectively.

The experience of using the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has shown that the curved edges do not in any way harm the image when watching a movie - you soon forget about them completely, and the headphones do an excellent job of outputting sound: even in conditions of road noise at low volumes, the speech of the characters is intelligible, while your neighbors they don't hear the film.

Camera

On the occasion of the release of the new flagship, Samsung decided to gather journalists and take them to the “nearest Moscow region” so that they could appreciate the smartphone in harsh conditions, without being distracted by work, social networks and other machinations of dark forces. However, the closest Moscow region that corresponded to the required harsh conditions turned out to be the Karelian coast of the Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea - in fact, the Arctic. There, our editor of the “Digital Photo” section, Anton Soloviev, tested the smartphone’s camera. Below is his detailed report.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has an updated camera module as part of an overall consumer improvement program, as is the case with many other features of this model. The lens is now characterized by an aperture ratio of 1:1.7, the pixels on the sensor have become even larger and reached a size of 1.4 microns (you can even remember the “famous” HTC ultrapixels), while each one has become double for faster focusing. The number of pixels was reduced to 12 million, which is the golden mean in this form factor (just remember the history of the development of compact cameras in the 1/2.3″ format).

However, the hardware innovations had little effect on the camera menu.

An interesting feature of the camera is the presence of a manual mode, in which it is possible to shoot in RAW. In general, manual mode, like RAW, on a smartphone are far from essential tools. Moreover, the manufacturer tries to hone and maximize the auto mode, and the built-in converter often works much more adequately than third-party ones, so in most cases it is more advisable to use it for shooting.

However, in difficult lighting, problems with white balance may arise, which can be solved by manually setting the temperature.

RAW will also be a nice bonus for those who like to tinker with processing, but don’t forget that to get it you need to turn the corresponding toggle switch in the camera settings, which is active only in Pro mode and is periodically reset after using other modes.

The camera has well-implemented panoramas. Moreover, the power reserve during wiring is enough for more than 360 degrees. In addition, in panorama mode you can get interesting compositions if everything you would like does not fit into the frame. However, it is worth considering that panoramas are less clear than simple photographs. Unfortunately, the HDR mode does not work when shooting panoramas, but it would be very nice.

Keeping IP68 protection in mind, you don’t have to worry about your smartphone if it falls into snow or water. And although the manufacturer does not offer to shoot underwater, it would be a shame to miss such a chance, because we tested it not just anywhere, but on the shores of the White Sea (we will tell you more about our overall impressions of using the smartphone in extreme conditions below). There were a lot of problems when shooting with a smartphone underwater: the sensor starts to go crazy, the volume buttons set to release are not very conveniently located, and the water is cold and salty. The first problem was solved by turning on the display after lowering it under water or by partial immersion, the second and third had to be endured, and the smartphone had to be “desalinated” after swimming in sea water in the snow. He endured all these actions with dignity.

Examples of underwater photography

Since we are talking about convenience, it is worth noting the problems when shooting with one quite standard hand. Since we were using the Edge modification, we had to be careful with sensitive edges. (In general, these “edges” often create some discomfort when using, although if you want, you can get used to them for the sake of design.) If you grasp the smartphone as you have to do with most tablet phones, your fingers often “occupy” the sensor and the shutter button stops responding to presses.

Example of a standard one-handed grip

For such cases, you can use the volume buttons in the settings and use them as a shutter button. However, they are located in such a way that it will not be very convenient for right-handers, and it is difficult to compose a frame across the remaining third of the display. In vertical orientation, problems arise with the fact that part of the index finger periodically ends up in the corner of the frame.

The last option is to turn the smartphone over, holding it by the top so that the volume button is under your index finger. However, this is inconvenient from the point of view of general use - you still have to connect a second hand to turn it over. In addition, the smartphone is too thin and with such a grip it tends to slip out, and the fingers of the right hand constantly get into the lens.

	Good sharpness across the field of the frame, and car license plates are distinguishable in such twilight hours.
	Good sharpness in distant shots.
	There is not much noise in the shadows, although the work of the noise reduction is visible.
	The camera pays attention to small details.
	The camera does macro photography well.
	The camera copes well with details in fairly complex scenes.
	The camera copes well with night photography, but only in manual mode.
	The sharpness across the frame is not always uniform, but the area of ​​blur at the top in this case can be attributed to composition problems.

In addition to testing in real conditions, we tested the camera on a laboratory bench using our method.

The camera turned out to be quite a flagship camera, although a little crude, which, I would like to believe, will be corrected in serial firmware. First of all, the rather obvious sharpening and the presence of blur zones in very unexpected parts of the frame are confusing. In addition, a slight soapiness is noticeable, which, however, we are already accustomed to from Samsung smartphones. Otherwise, the camera behaves very well and allows you to take pictures at the level of a good compact, both from a technical and artistic point of view.

As can be seen from the graph, in terms of resolution the camera is almost at the level of its predecessors, but the overall quality of the images has undoubtedly increased, although not much.

Focusing in a smartphone is implemented so well that you stop paying attention to it. Double pixels essentially implement the principle of phase focusing, and their presence over the entire sensor area ensures good accuracy. It's difficult to say whether the camera focuses much faster compared to other smartphones, but there were no problems with searching for sharpness, waiting for focus, or missing shots during testing. In any case, in this regard, using the camera did not cause discomfort, so we can say that focusing is quite fast.

I would like to note video shooting separately, since this time its implementation in a smartphone really does not raise any questions. The rolling shutter effect and other artifacts are practically absent. The image is stable, sharp, without twitching or ripples, despite only 30 fps. Focusing when shooting video is as fast as when shooting photos.

The smartphone features a slow motion mode that allows you to record in 720p format at 240 fps with sound. When viewing, you can slow down a certain fragment. Below is a video made up of various recordings taken on a smartphone during testing.

More examples of shooting with the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge camera are presented below in the gallery.

Photo gallery

Software and communications

The smartphone runs on the latest version of Android OS - 6.0.1. On top of it is installed a proprietary Samsung shell, optimized specifically for the Edge modification. We are talking about an auxiliary menu that can be pulled out from the right side, as well as the ability to use curved edges for color alerts.

By and large, there is nothing new here compared to previous Edges, and, frankly, we still think that all these features are more of an artificial attempt to justify the presence of curved edges and make this design find at least somewhat useful, rather than really useful features. After all, hypothetically, the same thing could be done with a regular screen.

A much more valuable innovation is the updated file manager. Now you can easily transfer files from your smartphone to a flash drive and back; unnecessary files can be deleted both from a flash drive and a microSD card.

As befits a flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge supports all the latest technologies and communication standards, including Wi-Fi 802.11ac 5 GHz, LTE Cat.9, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, NFC, ANT+. The latter is valuable because it makes it possible to connect a smartphone with various fitness accessories (for example, chest heart rate monitors) using an energy-efficient protocol.

We also note that the smartphone supports two SIM cards. At least that's what Samsung claims, but we couldn't verify it. In our copy (engineering sample), the slot did not allow inserting a second Nano-SIM; the space for it was slightly less than necessary. Apparently, this should be attributed to the peculiarities of the engineering model. But if you buy a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge at a dealership, ask a consultant to show you how and where to insert the second SIM card.

Autonomous operation and heating

The smartphone is equipped with a significantly larger battery than the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge - 3600 mAh versus the previous 2600 mAh. Even the larger S6 Edge+ has only 3,000 mAh.

Of course, such an increase had the most positive effect on battery life: the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is one of the leaders in this regard, and it is capable of operating on battery power even with moderate active use for much longer than the standard time of one day.

During active photo and video shooting, the smartphone sat down by about 50% in one busy day, working in “airplane” mode and with automatic screen brightness. Under the same conditions, watching an MP4 movie loaded into the internal memory drains the battery by about 10% per hour.

In addition, we tested the battery life of the smartphone using our method, with the brightness set to 100 cd/m².

As you can see, the less stressful the scenario, the better the smartphone performs. Thus, in the gaming scene it is inferior to the iPhone 6s Plus in terms of operating time, but in video playback it is superior. And finally, let's pay attention to the excellent results in reading mode. By the way, among the Android smartphones that we have ever tested, in this scenario the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has no competition!

Below are thermal images of the rear surface taken after 10 minutes of running the battery test in the GFXBenchmark program (the lighter, the higher the temperature):

It can be seen that the heating is highly localized above the center and close to the right edge, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat camera, the maximum heating was 44 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), which is higher than the average value in this test for modern smartphones.

Separately, it is worth noting the charging speed of the smartphone. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge supports QuickCharge fast charging technology and, when using the included power supply (9 V 1.67 A), is fully charged in about an hour and a half. The device charges up to 50% in 40 minutes, half an hour is enough to fill the battery by 38%, and 15 minutes - by 22%.

During charging, both the smartphone and the power supply heat up noticeably, but this does not go beyond comfortable values, that is, you won’t burn your hands.

In general, despite the situation with load conditions, we can recognize the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge as one of the best (if not the best) Android smartphone in terms of battery life. And, of course, the charging speed is a very big plus compared to the iPhone, since there are cases when you urgently need to charge your smartphone, but you only have a few minutes, especially when traveling or if you forgot to charge your smartphone at night.

conclusions

Well, we carefully got acquainted with one of the main smartphone innovations of this year, tested it both in the laboratory and in real life (and in extreme conditions). Based on the results of studying the device, we can safely admit that at the moment this is the real pinnacle of “smartphone manufacturing”. The device combines innovation, practicality and uncompromisingness in almost all respects. For the fourth model in the Edge line (and the third among the S Edge), Samsung found an almost ideal ratio of screen diagonal and body size, equipped the smartphone with support for memory cards and two SIM cards, and was also able to implement full-fledged moisture protection without sacrificing the dimensions of the device or external view (no plugs - hello Sony!). On top of that, the battery capacity has increased significantly, and now it is one of the best smartphones in terms of battery life.

The curvature of the screen and its functional use, of course, still remain controversial points (for the convenience of everyday use this is more of a minus than a plus), but one cannot argue with the fact that this feature makes the Samsung smartphone unique, which is perhaps truly valuable in our time of clones. And advanced photo capabilities and high performance make the new product an ideal choice for enthusiasts. Of course, all this could not but affect the price: the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, with a price tag of 60 thousand rubles, occupies the highest price category. However, it is also cheaper than the iPhone 6s Plus even with the smallest amount of internal memory. And therefore, this is a very, very formidable competitor to the flagship of the apple company.

Finally, we bring to your attention a video review, where we share our main impressions of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and clearly demonstrate some of its features (including water resistance).

P.S. For the excellent combination of appearance and design functionality (above all, the implementation of water resistance), we award the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge our editorial Original Design award:

Much has been written about the excellent cameras on both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge flagships. They are capable of taking great pictures, and are able to offer the user a lot of really interesting features, like Hyperlapse, which we have already talked about on our website. But what does it take to create impressive images without all the fuss?

First of all, the Galaxy S7's camera is great without any user intervention. Samsung made sure that the automatic mode copes with most of the tasks assigned to it. The user thus only needs to press the shutter button. This is not everything you should know about the new camera, so we suggest you familiarize yourself with the basics.

Quick start

Both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge have a feature that can quickly launch the camera by double-clicking the Home button. The camera app will be ready to take pictures in less than one second. This feature is enabled out of the box by default, but there have been cases where users had to enable it manually.

Tap the gear icon in the top left corner of the Camera app screen and make sure Quick Launch is turned on.

HDR

There was a time when HDR (High Dynamic Range) mode on phones was slow, rendering it virtually useless. Now, with the release of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, this mode has become truly useful, and there is no reason not to use it by default.

On the Camera app toolbar, click on HDR to activate this mode.

Using the volume buttons as a shutter release

Another typically included feature out of the box is the ability to use the volume rocker as a shutter button. There is no need to press the shutter button on the screen. When you hold the smartphone horizontally, the volume buttons are either on your thumb or under your index finger, and are actually comfortable to press lightly.

Of course, you can use these buttons to zoom in and out. Open the camera settings, scroll down and set the desired value next to the volume buttons.

Quick exposure adjustment

The camera app on the new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge lets you adjust exposure almost instantly. There is no need to use a slider anymore. Just swipe down or up on any area of ​​the screen, just like you would to adjust the brightness in a video player.

You can also lock the current exposure value by holding your finger on the screen for a few seconds. This is the simplest way to manually overwrite automatic exposure settings without having to get familiar with the complex Pro mode.

Viewing Images

If you're familiar with Galaxy devices, you might have noticed that many of these features aren't just available on the new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge flagships. They have appeared on various models of Galaxy devices. And even some exclusive features are available on last year's Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 5 after updating them to Android Marshmallow. One of these functions is “Image Viewer”.

For those who prefer speed over quality, “Image Viewer” is best left turned off. But if you often run into the problem of your gallery being filled with multiple versions of the same photo, then this feature will be more useful than ever. Open the Camera app settings again and turn on Image Viewer.

Results

After familiarizing yourself with all the above options, you can use your smartphone’s camera in automatic mode, and the photos will delight you with excellent quality. You don't need to understand all the parameters of the complex Pro mode.

While the South Korean manufacturer's mid-range lineup is undergoing significant changes, its luxury counterpart continues to stubbornly hold its position as Samsung's flagship flagship. The model being reviewed today is one of the oldest representatives of the country of Morning Freshness on the smartphone market. And this is not only for the beautiful design. Find out more in our review of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge smartphone.

Specifications of Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

It is quite logical that from a smartphone that proudly bears the title of the most expensive among its fellows, one should expect decent technological equipment. And in comparison with younger models, this is true. Even despite significant changes in the 2017 A-line smartphones, last year's Galaxy S7 Edge is in no way inferior, and in many ways superior to the middle class.

Frame

Like its predecessors S6 edge and the similar edge+ model, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has a curved display at the edges. However, this time the developers did not rush from one extreme to another and made the size of the flagship average and quite acceptable. The case width is 72.6 mm, length is 150.9 mm, and thickness is only 7.7 mm. The weight of the phone is 157 g.

The buyer has three color options to choose from: black diamond, dazzling platinum and silver titanium (black, gold and silver in common parlance).

The case itself looks quite standard for most Samsung models. Most of the front part of the smartphone is occupied by the screen, below it there is a mechanical “Home” button with a built-in fingerprint scanner and touch “Return” and “Context menu”. On top, as you might have guessed, is a speaker, a front camera lens with its built-in flash, a proximity sensor, and, of course, the logo of the South Korean company.

The Samsung s7 ebge case is made of 3D glass and metal. The developers abandoned the edge that cuts into the hand

In the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, the creators decided to abandon the metal edging around the edge of the most visible Home button. Quite a good solution that wins the device a few style points. However, at the same time, the aluminum frame around the entire perimeter of the phone remained in its place and, overall, it became slightly thicker compared to its predecessor. No matter what, I absolutely don’t want to let go of my smartphone. And the reason for this is the curved 3D glass covering the flagship on both sides.

Corning Gorilla Glass 4, in turn, has an oleophobic coating, which means that your gadget is now reliably protected from dust and scratches, and also does not glare in the sun like a polished basin. Many users, however, noted that the phone has a small drawback, namely, it is very soiled. In other words, any fingerprint remains a very noticeable stain on the case.

Technical stuffing

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge rightfully takes a leading place among its peers. The phone is equipped with the most advanced technological developments, and you will not see such powerful and advanced “filling” in any of the company’s younger models. This flagship has an eight-core Exynos 8890 Octa processor with a clock frequency of 2.3 GHz. The device copes well with many resource-intensive costs due to the competent distribution of tasks between the 2.3 GHz and 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 cores. The Mali-T880 MP12 graphics accelerator is responsible for a decent picture, which, in comparison with the Mali-T780 in the S6 Edge model, produces 80% (!) better results.

The S7 Edge is equipped with the Google Android 6.0.1 operating system and the TouchWiz shell. The latter adds some lightness and simplicity to the overall appearance of the system. At the same time, its traditional “sticking” has not gone away. True, they are not very noticeable.

Photo: technical capabilities of the smartphone based on tests

In Samsung s7 edge you can even customize the color schemes of the turned on display

Protection from moisture and dust

The S7 Edge can also boast that its body, among other things, is made according to the IP68 standard. You can safely take your smartphone with you to the bathroom, pool, or take it out of your pocket in heavy rain or a sandstorm. After all, the IP68 standard guarantees your favorite device protection from moisture and dust getting inside it. It is important to note that not only the monolithic design protects the “organs” of the flagship. The components of its board are carefully impregnated with a special water-repellent solution. By the way, you won't find any plugs. All vulnerable areas (for example, speakers, microphones and the USD connector) are reliably protected by special moisture-proof membranes.

Fast and wireless charging

The convenience of the phone is added by the possibility of both accelerated wired and wireless charging. As the developers promise, your device will be half charged in just half an hour, and it will take another 60 minutes to fully restore the battery. However, such fast charging has its own conditions: the screen must be in sleep mode all this time. Otherwise, the current drops noticeably and the rate of battery replenishment is greatly reduced. The same effect is observed with wireless charging (Qi and PMA standard) - 100% in 1 hour 40 minutes.

Working with games

The phone also has one interesting application called Game Tools. As you might guess, it allows the user to optimize the game process as much as possible. You can temporarily block the touch buttons at the bottom of the panel, minimize the game, or take screenshots. And now the most amazing part. The phone's power is enough not only for resource-intensive games. It is enough to record gameplay and even stream.

The front camera is good, but not ideal

Other goodies

The choice of quality for recorded video is truly varied. Here you have GA, and HD, and 1:1, and Full HD, and Full HD with 60 fps. The available resolution doesn't end there. The phone can record in QHD and even UHD, better known as 4K resolution.

The extensive settings of the video camera will appeal not only to amateurs, but also to professionals. It’s hard to imagine why a camera on a phone needs 4K quality, but you must admit, its presence definitely cannot but please

Add to this several recording modes (slow motion and time lapse), as well as the ability to create a video collage and conduct live broadcasts. And don’t forget that all this can be done in low light conditions without loss of quality.

Video: example of time-lapse filming

Video: example of slow motion on Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

In general, the camera in the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge gives its owner simply incredible capabilities. Despite the fact that the lens resolution has decreased, the shooting quality has not suffered at all. A big advantage is the ability to separately configure each parameter, the choice of preset modes, as well as their variety. It should also be noted how clear and detailed the pictures are obtained even in low light conditions. Undoubtedly, the phone stands out from most of its peers. And it is thanks to its excellent camera that it can claim a leading position among flagships.