Galaxy S7 vs Galaxy S7 Edge: What You Need to Know

Samsung’s impressive new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge both have a lot to offer potential buyers as the release date arrives. With phones shipping early and users trying to weight their options, here we’ll be taking a look at both and detailing the differences.

Unlike last year there are notable differences between the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, rather than one just being slightly curved. We have a bigger screen, more features, different software and the battery is something else to consider.

Read: Galaxy S7 Release Date, Specs, Features & Video

On February 21st Samsung took the stage in Spain and unleashed two brand new phones, once again dividing their flagship Galaxy and making the upgrade decision hard for buyers. And while you can’t go wrong with either phone, only one will be bought, and below is everything that makes these phones different.

As expected, many of the Galaxy S7 rumors that were floating around since as far back as September and October were extremely accurate. We didn’t get tons of different sizes for the new device, but there is one big differences between the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, and that’s the size of the screen.

Samsung unveiled two phones that look similar to last year but are vastly improved. From a similar design that’s IP68 water resistant, micro-SD slots, a great new camera, and the bigger 5.5-inch Galaxy S7 Edge. Samsung really came through this year. Here’s what you need to know about both.

Release Date

The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge will both be released in the United States and most regions around the globe on March 11th. This has been 100% confirmed. Select carriers outside the US are shipping early on the 8th, and starting with T-Mobile and eventually other US carriers many who pre-ordered have the phone already.

On March 11th buyers will be able to try out and buy the phone in carrier and retail stores, and they will be all over the TV. Samsung’s clearly pushing the Galaxy S7 Edge as the flagship, and below are a few reasons why.

Galaxy S7 Design & Display

The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge look very similar to the Galaxy S6 from last year. There are a few very subtle changes though, like a rounded edge on back making it easier to hold and feel thinner. That said, it will be a very different phone that’s better, faster, more powerful, has better battery life and more.

Last year both phone were identical, but the Galaxy S6 Edge had curved edges. This year we have a somewhat similar situation but the screen is much bigger, as is the battery and some of the software, but more on that in a moment.

Samsung’s Galaxy S7 has the same all glass and aluminum design, camera on back, fingerprint scanner in the home button and bottom facing speaker. It’s really hard to see the difference from last year unless you look really close. The camera also doesn’t protrude as much, sits more even, and has a new 12 Dual Pixel camera inside.

Samsung kept the same 5.1-inch 2560 x 1440 Quad-HD S-AMOLED display for the Galaxy S7, but increased the Galaxy S7 Edge to 5.5-inches for those that want a bigger display. It’s the same resolution.

This is probably the biggest thing buyers need to decide on. How big is the size of your hand, and your wallet. Because that’s the biggest difference with these phones. The large 5.5-inch screen is surprisingly small in the hand, and much easier to hold than the 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 5. Samsung managed to make the screen much bigger, without making the phone very big, or hard to hold.

It really is impressive. Add in the fact that it’s IP68 water resistant, has a micro-SD slot again, a better camera, and a bigger battery, and you’ll see why so many users want this phone.

The “Edge”

Last year the Galaxy S6 curved edge had a few nice things, but most of them were gimmicks. Like a ruler, quick controls, shortcuts to access certain contacts or even swipe to quickly find apps like the camera or phone app. They were nice, but nothing groundbreaking. The edge did glow custom colors for certain contacts during incoming messages, if laying face-down on a desk. Overall they were nice, but nothing groundbreaking.

In 2016 and with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and the S7 Edge Samsung has added much more to make the Edge useful. The Edge has doubled in width, and now the slide-out tray comes out nearly halfway in some cases, instead of just a small amount. The Apps Edge and People Edge have more information. Samsung has added nine different panels to swipe between and customize. From contacts, quick launch certain apps, sports or Twitter updates, news and more. There are more settings, additional options, names below contact icons and more. Basically the Edge is actually useful now, rather than just cool to look at. This is only available on the Galaxy S7 Edge, not the regular model.

Galaxy S7 vs Galaxy S7 Edge: Specs

They look the same as last year only one is bigger, have similar features, so what’s actually different? Well, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are nearly identical in every way, but there are a few things that users need to be aware of. This could also be the main reason to choose one or the other.

Galaxy S7 Specs

• 5.1-inch 2560 x 1440 Quad-HD Display
• Quad-Core Qualcomm 820 Processor with 4GB of RAM (Exynos outside the US)
• 32 GB of storage with a micro-SD slot
• New 12 “Dual Pixel” Rear Camera with f/1.7 aperture, OIS and more
• 3,000 mAh battery with Fast Charging, Wireless Fast Charging
• Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with TouchWiz
• Fingerprint Scanner
• IP68 Dust & Water Resistance
• Always-on display feature
• Flat Design (nearly no camera bulge)
• more

Galaxy S7 Edge Specs

We know they have Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, fingerprint scanners, IP68 resistance and more, but here’s the Galaxy S7 Edge specs. If you look close, you’ll notice the differences.

• 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 Quad-HD Display
• Quad-Core Qualcomm 820 Processor with 4GB of RAM (Exynos outside the US)
• 32 GB of storage with a micro-SD slot
• New 12 “Dual Pixel” Rear Camera with f/1.7 aperture, OIS and more
• 3,600 mAh battery with Fast Charging, Wireless Fast Charging
• Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with TouchWiz
• Fingerprint Scanner
• IP68 Dust & Water Resistance
• Always-on display feature
• Flat Design (nearly no camera bulge)
• more

As you can see the Galaxy S7 Edge has a bigger 5.5-inch display, and a much larger 3,600 mAh battery. Those are the two things buyers need to take away from this. If you want a bigger screen, but not too big, and also would enjoy longer usage thanks to a bigger battery, the Galaxy S7 Edge is the perfect solution.

Galaxy S7 Camera

Yes, the Galaxy S7 camera is only 12 megapixels, compared to the 16 megapixel camera everyone raved about and loved in the Galaxy S6. However, Samsung’s new camera has some impressive technology that could make it the best camera inside any smartphone ever released.

The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have the same camera, which is the first “Dual Pixel” camera sensor in a smartphone. It has a huge 1.4 or 1.5um pixel size, and a blazing fast f/1.7 aperture that could potentially rival some DSLR cameras. It’s that good. The phone uses all of the pixels to have an extremely fast and accurate auto-focus, image stabilization for clear photos, and a huge 12 Dual Pixel sensor that can capture more light faster than most smartphone cameras available today.

Samsung actually claims it captures nearly 95% more light than other competing smartphone cameras, and does it faster. Meaning stunning photos, great indoor or low light photography, and image stabilization to cap it all off for amazing videos in 4k and more. Both phones have identical features as far as how the camera will perform, so this doesn’t concern someone trying to decide on one vs the other.

Galaxy S7 Battery Life

As we mentioned above, battery life is one thing users need to be aware of. One of the biggest complaints last year about the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge was battery life. For a big powerful phone Samsung only added a small 2,550 mAh battery. Even the Galaxy S5 from 2014 had a bigger 2,800 mAh battery inside. This was unacceptable, and the Galaxy S6 didn’t last nearly long enough.

Samsung completely fixed that this year. The screen, new Snapdragon 820 processor, Android 6.0 and more are all more efficient, so battery life should be much improved. Add in the fact that the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 now have a 3,000 and 3,600 mAh battery, this phone should last far longer than the model last year.

We still have Quick Charging, which recharges the phone from 0-50% in less than 25 minutes, and fully recharges in about 80 minutes. Samsung also employed a similar Fast Wireless Charging technology as the Galaxy Note 5. Meaning these phones are better in every way, yet will last longer and recharge faster. Want one yet?

The Galaxy S7 Edge having a larger 3,600 mAh battery should result in longer usage times, but it also has a larger screen draining that battery. So it’s a toss up. We’ve yet to try them both, but my Galaxy S7 Edge easily lasted for 24 hours, with nearly 5 hours of the all-important “Screen-On” time before I needed to put it on the charger. And even then, it still had 22% remaining. That’s far better than either phone last year.

What this all means is both the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge should have great battery life, but power users may want to consider the Edge for the extra juice inside.

Galaxy S7 vs Galaxy S7 Edge: Price

Again, all carriers will release the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge on March 11th. And many have the phone already. Those buying outright will notice a pretty big difference, but for US carriers offering payment plans, a few dollars more will get you the bigger, better, longer lasting Galaxy S7 Edge. As long as your hands are big enough.

The Galaxy S7 will be $199 with a 2-year contract if you can find one, and $299 for the Galaxy S7 Edge. Most carriers have trashed 2-year deals though. Which means it looks like the Galaxy S7 costs around $680 (vary by carrier) and the Galaxy S7 Edge is $760 or more. Sprint is asking the least overall, while AT&T is cheaper on a month-to-month basis.

• AT&T: Galaxy S7 is $23.17 per month for 30 months = $695.10
• Verizon: Galaxy S7 is $28 per month for 24 months = $672
• T-Mobile: Galaxy S7 is $27.91 per month for 24 months = $669.84
• Sprint: Galaxy S7 is $27.09 per month for 24 months = $650.16
• US Cellular: Galaxy S7 is $28 per month for 24 months = $672

Read: Best Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge Deals

Galaxy S7 Edge Price

Similar pricing is in place for the Galaxy S7 Edge. It comes with a bigger 5.5-inch curved display and a larger 3,600 mAh battery. The Galaxy S7 Edge is arguably the better phone, and it only costs a few dollars more a month, or about $100 extra in the long run. However, not everyone wants the curved screen. Here is current pricing.

• AT&T: Galaxy S7 Edge is $26.50 per month for 30 months = $795
• Verizon: Galaxy S7 Edge is $33 per month for 24 months = $792
• T-Mobile: Galaxy S7 Edge is $32.50 per month for 24 months = $780
• Sprint: Galaxy S7 Edge is $31.25 per month for 24 months = $750
• US Cellular: Galaxy S7 Edge is $32.50 per month for 24 months = $780

All said and done the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge look to be a worthy successor to the Galaxy S6. The design might be rather similar, but these are completely different phones on the inside.

When it comes down to which one a buyer should choose, we can’t answer that. They’re nearly the same in every way, although one has a bigger curved screen, shortcut apps on that curved glass, and a bigger battery that should get you improved battery life and longer usage. At the end of the day though, buyers need to head to a carrier or retail store and try it themselves. See if that 5.5-inch screen is too big for your hands, and if not, spend a few more dollars every month and enjoy the best Samsung has to offer.

Galaxy S7 S-View Flip Cover

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As expected, the popular S-View case is also available for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, and comes in multiple different colors. For the Galaxy S7 there's Black and Gold, the two colors being offered, then for the Galaxy S7 Edge it comes in Black, Gold & Silver. The S-View has been popular for years, and protects your device while letting you interact with it without ever opening the case. Basically offering full protection even while you answer calls, take pictures and more. When closed, the S-View cover offers instant access to critical features through a unique window interface, thanks to the Samsung ID chip. View the home screen to check the time, weather and other status items. Accept or reject incoming calls with just a swipe, or reject calls with a preset message. Control your music playback directly on the S-View screen. If you miss anything, notifications are shown in the recent activity menu of your S-View cover. It works even better with the new always-on display feature. Buy it Now for $49.99

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