It is March 2016, and Samsung has reached the pinnacle of its craft. The Galaxy S7 Edge is the refinement of everything that made the S6 Edge beautiful, while technically correcting every single one of its flaws. It is a 157g masterpiece of curved glass and metal that features a larger 5.5-inch screen but remains incredibly compact thanks to its nearly bezel-less ‘Infinity’ design. In the UK, it has arrived as the undisputed king of Android, a device that manages to be both a fashion statement and a rugged, waterproof powerhouse with an IP68 rating.
The technical headline is the return of the ‘Power User’ holy trinity: the microSD slot is back, the battery has been boosted to a massive 3,600 mAh, and the device is fully water-resistant without the need for clunky port flaps. The 5.5-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display (2560 x 1440) is breathtaking, and now features an ‘Always-On’ mode to show the time and notifications without waking the phone. Under the hood, the UK model is powered by the Exynos 8890 octa-core processor and 4GB of RAM, featuring a ‘Liquid Cooling’ system, a technical first for the brand, to keep the phone frosty during heavy 3D gaming.
Imaging has taken a radical technical turn. Instead of chasing more megapixels, Samsung dropped to 12 megapixels but used ‘Dual Pixel’ technology, a feature previously found only in high-end DSLR cameras. Every single pixel on the sensor is used for phase-detection autofocus, resulting in focus speeds that are near-instant, even in pitch black. Combined with a massive f/1.7 aperture, it is the best low-light camera on the market. Connectivity is exhaustive, featuring 4G LTE Cat 9, NFC for Samsung Pay, and fast wireless charging. The Galaxy S7 Edge is the definitive smartphone of 2016; it is a flawless blend of high-end aesthetics and uncompromising technical utility.
