Samsung Galaxy S7 Leak Reveals Small Changes

Leaks and rumors about Samsung’s upcoming new Galaxy S7 smartphone have been everywhere as of late, but this weekend we may have received our first real look at the front of the Galaxy S7. This new image reportedly confirms earlier reports, and suggests some small changes to Samsung’s flagship smartphone.

Reports starting to surface back in September about the new Galaxy S7, but over the course of the past month and all throughout December we learned a lot of new details. However, the french site NoWhereElse leaked an image showing the front panel of the phone. Read on for more details.

Read: Galaxy S7 Release: 3 New Details Emerge

In 2015 Samsung released the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge in April, then the Note 5 and a bigger Galaxy S6 Edge Plus with a 5.7-inch screen in August. For 2016 we’re hearing at least three Galaxy S7 versions are coming, but there won’t be nearly as many changes as many expected.

Above is reportedly the first actual photo of the Samsung Galaxy S7. Or at least the front panel or glass that will be covering the 5.2-inch 2560 x 1440 Quad-HD display, just like the Galaxy S6. Thus far all rumors have suggested the design will be nearly identical to last year, but with small software and hardware changes, as well as an improved camera and internals. This though, shows a few small changes most didn’t expect.

Lining up with earlier leaked case renders, this image shows Samsung’s edge-to-edge display will have very thin bezels, keeping the physical size of the new Galaxy S7 to a minimum, not to mention a redesigned home button. As you can see, the home button is skinny, long, and thin. More rectangle compared to the shorter and rounded edges from the Galaxy S6 and Note 5 from 2015.

Users can still expect a fingerprint scanner inside the dedicated hardware home button, but it could be scrapped completely in favor of Samsung’s new Iris (eye) recognition technology to unlock the phone, make wireless purchases, and more. Which was a detail that emerged last week from reliable sources.

Read: Galaxy S7 Plus Release Rumored

From the photo above we can see the fingerprint scanner and home button has changed, the sensors and front-facing camera have all been moved to the top right, which could be making room for the new eye scanner. It will instantly unlock the phone while doing everything and more that the fingerprint scanner from earlier phones had to offer. That is, if rumors are right and Samsung finally employs the technology in the Galaxy S7.

Recent reports from the Wall Street Journal, Korean Times, and popular leaksters like @evleaks or @onleaks have all shared information, and this image aligns with most of those reports.

That all said, we don’t have too many other details aside from leaks and rumors. From what we’re hearing though, the Samsung Galaxy S7 could come in three different variations, but look extremely similar to last year despite the small changes to the home button shown above.

If all the reports and rumors are accurate users can expect a 5.2-inch Galaxy S7, a 5.5-inch Galaxy S7 Edge with a curved display, then a massive Galaxy S7 Plus with a 6-inch display. All could come with a powerful 8-core Snapdragon 820 processor with Quick Charge 3.0 technology, 4GB of RAM, up to 128GB of storage, a micro-SD card slot (maybe) and an improved 16-20 megapixel BRITECELL camera.

We’re hearing Samsung looks to announce and release the Galaxy S7 in February, a full two months earlier than last years model. We saw a similar early release with the Galaxy Note 5, which arrived in August of 2015 instead of October. If true, more details will continue to surface all month long before the inevitable February unveiling and release. Stay tuned for more details.