Samsung Galaxy S7 Vs Galaxy S6: Price, Specs, Design and Availability COMPARED

Samsung’s flagship Android smartphone, Galaxy S7, will be released in a few months, so we put it head to head against the current Galaxy S6 handset.

Getting the latest generation of smartphones from a certain series does not always go hand in hand with owning the best smartphone in the market as well. There are many cases in which the new additions to some series are more or less the same with their predecessors if not worse, in terms of specs, design or availability.

Now combine the above with the fact that Samsung has been on a produce spree of its Galaxy S series and you might end up with the same question that we’ve been troubling ourselves with for the last few weeks: Given that the Korean smartphone manufacturer has not announced any major technological achievements, will the overall value of the Samsung Galaxy S7 be higher than the current Galaxy S6?

It’s a question worth answering. We could have put the S6 Edge or the S6 Edge + in the place of the S6, but let’s leave those aside, in case the tech giant decides to make those series a tradition as well.

Design

Galaxy S7 concept.
Galaxy S7 concept.

The Galaxy line has been overdue for a design refresh, and the S6 brings with it a bevvy of aesthetic changes. It tends to feel a little harsh in your hand, partially because of the bezels along its sides, and in part because the gap between glass and metal is just wide enough to irritate your fingers if you swipe the edge.

But make no mistake. From the metal-trimmed home buttons with integrated, omnidirectional fingerprint scanners, to the identical placements of headphones jacks and speaker grilles on the bottom, the Galaxy S6 is definitely far better than the plastic that Samsung’s customers had to put up with before it.

Not a lot have been disclosed on the S7’s design, so we’re still pretty much based on rumours. Those rumours, however, suggest that the Galaxy S7 will feature a magnesium alloy unibody design, instead of the glass body seen on the S6. This would make the S7 a lot more resistant than its predecessors.

Moreover, according to some other rumours coming straight from the Korean outlet K-bench, Samsung may leave aside the Corning’s Gorilla Glass that it’s been using so far and go with its own display saving tech, known as Turtle Glass.

Display

Galaxy S7 concept.
Galaxy S7 concept.

The Korean colossus has never disappointed its fans when it comes to screen technologies and quality. Each of their higher end smartphones were one more reason to brag about, whenever it came to the display. So in that sense, the S6 rolled out with a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED screen and a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels, not to mention the latest Corning Gorilla Glass 4 screen protection.

When it comes to the display, we can talk about the S7 based more on facts rather than simple rumours. Samsung has not been shy about its curved screen technology that we’ve already admired on the S6 Edge and S6 Edge +. But how likely is it really, to see the same type of screen on the S7?

Our guess is not that likely, since the Edge series is a long term investment so the company will probably add some later models. As for the Galaxy S7, VIP.MK prepares us to see a 5.7-inch display and a rumoured 4K resolution which is neither a fact nor a veto.

Galaxy S6 Edge.
Galaxy S6 Edge.

Specs

Android phones with 64-bit processors have been a fact for quite some time now. But the S6 is more than that. It sports two side by side processors with four cores each (1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 and 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57), essentially serving as an octa-core with the Exynos 7420 chipset on.

When it went through a series of benchmark tests, its scored higher than every other smartphone. Geekbench, Quadrant, AnTuTu, Vellamo, 3D Mark, Basemark; every synthetic test was dominated. And, of course, that couldn’t be without the 3GB RAM and the 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB of internal space.

samsung-exynos-7-octa-1

As for the S7, Samsung has confirmed that the absence of a Qualcomm processor in the previous models does not necessarily mean that the two partners have put an end to their collaboration. So who’s to say that the company’s next flagship smartphone, won’t embody a Snapdragon version.

On April 9, 2015, Samsung’s mobile chief, J K Shin, said:

“We have to use the best engines to make our products competitive, which is why we opted to use our own chips.” He added: “But we may very well end up using products from Qualcomm again in the next Galaxy phone.”

If that’s not the case, then the Exynos 8890 will be the most likely scenario. According to benchmark results on Geekbench, all that will come in two variants; one with a 3GB RAM and one with a 4GB one. There have been rumours for a 6GB RAM, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Storage may or may not remain at 32GB, but, what’s more important to find out, is what’s the company’s plans concerning internal memory extension with a microSD.

Hopefully, they heard customers’ suggestions and they will provide this option.

Camera

Again, that’s one more field that Samsung holds the lead, along with Sony. With a 16MP sensor, the S6 has more than enough photographic real estate to capture beautiful pictures. And as for the front facing camera, it’s capable of snapping 5MP selfies and recording 1440p video, four times the resolution of 720p HD.

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Galaxy S6 Edge.

So how much higher can the company go after that, in such a short notice? Surprisingly enough, the S7 is rumoured to sport a 20MP main shooter that uses 1.0-micron pixels, making it more compact and able to fit in a thinner smartphone.

It also features a lower power draw than the 16 MP 1.2-micron sensor used in current Samsung flagships. In other words, it was about time! No words have been spread on the secondary camera, but we hope it won’t be worse than the S6 in terms of pixels, quality and technology.

Pricing and availability

That is no science. The S6 is available at an official price of $559, while the Galaxy S7 could ultimately roll out for $750 unlocked, judging by the company’s pricing pattern over the last few generations.

Galaxy S6.
Galaxy S6.

The smartphone will be announced sometime before or after MWC 2016 (most likely March) and hit the shelves a month after.

Update: Due to complaints shared in the comments’ section below, we felt that we should clarify -in case it is not clear already-, that the intel written in this article are rumors at the current moment, meaning that it is not confirmed to be featured in the final product. Though, we assure you that all the given info has been accumulated from a variety of reliable sources, including analysts close to Samsung and respective reports from other major tech publications. – Orestes Papanastassiou, editor-in-chief of Technology News Extra

Senior reviews editor at Technology News Extra.

24 comments

Josh Ortega says:

Finally, a comparison with the S7! Thanks 🙂

Rodney Moore says:

You said “…….the Galaxy S6 is definitely far better than the plastic that Samsung’s customers had to put up with before it.”
You shouldn’t speak for Samsung’s customers like that. I don’t consider that I am “putting up with” the plastic in my S5. I, like the majority of people, use a case so that plastic backing doesn’t matter to me. I didn’t buy the S6 because I “couldn’t put up with the lack of a SD card” like what you are having to do with your glassy new phone. And I buy a new phone yearly. In fact, if my current phone was to get lost or destroyed I would buy another S5 instead of the S6 even if the S5 were to cost significantly more.
The removal of the SD card and replaceable batter was a bad thing. Next month I am going to a concert and luckily I have an sd card to shoot plenty of video and a freshly charged battery that I can pop in during the middle of the concert.
I hope the S7 has a SD card or else I will have to get a phone that does and this is coming from someone that has owned two S3’s and a S5. The reason the S6 had disappointing sales is because Samsung took away the very things that differentiates it from the iPhone.
Let’s hope that this time Samsung ignores the articles and reads the comment section. I sure hope they don’t see your comment about us having to “put up with” plastic and think that it is an accurate assessment of the public’s feelings.

Orestes Papanastassiou says:

Hello,

Since you are paying approximately $500 for a smartphone, you should have much higher expectations, and not just settle with it by putting a case on. Samsung is obligated to offer premium building quality with its Galaxy S series, since it is its flagship line-up. In addition to that, constantly making remarks that the Galaxy S5 is the best phone without any tangible proof that support your statement constitute a rather biased point of view.

At least get your facts straight before making an argument.

-Orestes Papanastassiou, editor-in-chief Technology News Extra

Rodney Moore says:

I should have higher expectations? I am not “settling” with putting a case on the plastic one. In fact, if the S7 had an sd card and a removable battery I would buy it. And guess what? I’d promptly put a case on it just the same as I do now. “Settling” is what I would be doing if I bought the S6 with the lack of important options that are missing. You mention that I am constantly making remarks that the S5 was a better phone. Where have I said that? As far as getting facts straight : I have never said that. If you read the comments section on the various phone articles you’ll see that the majority of the people are unhappy with the removal of the sd card and replaceable battery. It is the people that write the articles that have caused Samsung to make this mistake. The article writers should have just bought an iPhone instead of ruining things for the rest of us.
This article is an opinion piece that is written as if it were something other than that and you don’t seem to take constructive criticism of it very well.

Orestes Papanastassiou says:

Hello,

I never mentioned that the removal of the SD card slot and the waterproof resistance were insignificant. On the contrary, I agreed with all the readers complaining about this bold move.

When it comes to my ‘settling’ comment, I was referring to this:

“I, like the majority of people, use a case so that plastic backing doesn’t matter to me”

A user who cares about the physical integrity of his or her smartphone would put a case on regardless if the phone is made of glass or polycarbonate plastic.

Despite that, a good user should apply constructive criticism – a term that you misuse- on the manufacturer of the device that he owns, in order for it (Samsung in this case) to incorporate the lacking feature in the next generation.

The fact that Samsung had been offering devices with a building quality equivalent to a mid-range Huawei smartphone, for five consecutive generations, is preposterous and a rip-off for consumers’ wallets. If Apple can, then they are obligated to offer a smartphone that stands up to its $500+ price tag.

Moreover, the aforementioned constitutes the most substantial factor that made former Samsung users switch to Xiaomi and Huawei, as they are offering equally good smartphones- opposed to users like yourself who are fruitlessly struggling to make a point.

Thanks.

-Orestes Papanastassiou, editor-in-chief Technology News Extra

lui says:

Believing in the feed back, believing in the market. The sd card and removeable bat are the main selling points , the main impt. features if to sell well, beside others std requirements with other makers.
Hope SUMSUNG bother to read the market and the feed back.

Thanks

Orestes Papanastassiou says:

Hello,

Totally agreed.

-Orestes Papanastassiou, editor-in-chief Technology News Extra

Jreno says:

Kind of like writing an article about a phone that’s still months away from released. Where’s your tangible proof? Have you seen an S7, or held one in your hand?…. I didn’t think so. Your article is no more opinion than that guy’s comment about his S5… At leat his S5 is waterproof!

Orestes Papanastassiou says:

Hello,

As we have pointed out in the article, all the given intel are relying on rumors that stem from trustful sources, which include major tech publications or analysts close to Samsung. We never claimed that the written info will be definitely featured in the final product.

Thanks.

-Orestes Papanastassiou, editor-in-chief Technology News Extra

Brian Owen says:

Paying $500 for a smartphone, I don’t want less options than the previous model line for more money. I also have a S5, the omission of the SD card option, water resistant feature and the removable back and battery options alone are why I won’t purchase another Galaxy. I might as well buy an Iphone if I wanted to conform with the manufacturer’s tastes, instead of the other way around.

Orestes Papanastassiou says:

Hello,

Point taken and definitely agreed.

-Orestes Papanastassiou, editor-in-chief Technology News Extra

Bing says:

I’m seconding this. I still have my S5 and I will NOT be getting the S7 if the battery isn’t replaceable (without any tools), and possibly waterproof, too. These are KILLER features on the S5, and Samsung ditching them makes it look like they’re more interested in mimicking Apple than in pushing new features to the market.

Orestes Papanastassiou says:

Hello,

We are on the same page.

-Orestes Papanastassiou, editor-in-chief Technology News Extra

lui says:

me too, omission of sd card and removeable bat are the main reasons for my holding back for upgrading.

lui says:

totally agreed. disappointing sales due to lack of replaceable sd card and removeable battery. Did Samsung sees those hard real fact ??

Osalt36 says:

If the new S7 does not have Micro SD support it has a good chance of becoming a complete flop. A flagship phone without SD support is akin to a day without sunshine.

Orestes Papanastassiou says:

Hello,

I certainly agree. If Samsung does not bring microSD back, then Xiaomi and Huawei will steal an even larger number of customers during the upcoming season.

-Orestes Papanastassiou, editor-in-chief of Technology News Extra

Johnny says:

I agree with the S5 being better. I have rooted my phone and have the “pen windows” of the note 3. Also, I have a lifeproof case. So, more or less, I have a Note 4 mini active! Oh, and one more thing, I have a 200 gb micro sd card. As far as I’m concerned, I have the best phone in the world!

Johnny says:

I need to follow up with the stylus/ s pen replacement, I use a metal barrel ink pen, but a simple #2 pencil will work also.

Rob says:

My line in the sand is a removable battery and an SD card. I loved Samsung’s smart phones and have been a loyal user. However, when the S6 came out and did not have these simple features, I am gone! I will vote with my dollars.

Orestes Papanastassiou says:

Hello,

Agreed.

-Orestes Papanastassiou, editor-in-chief Technology News Extra

Jeremy Arthur Belpois says:

Hello, as far as I am communicating with Samsung on Twitter, they haven’t revealed the S7 features and design yet but after questionning them to “stop designing unibody phones” they told me that they transmitted that to their designers… Let’s hope that the designers will go-back to s5ish and Note4ish designs. Another point about these 2 phones:
1.MicroSD Card (adds ROM Memory to the phone)
2.Removable Battery (can be replaced)
3.Removable back cover (can be replaced)

These 3 are flagship killers.

Best Regards, Jeremy A. Belpois, IT Engineer

gallito2004 says:

I agreed without the SD card option Samsung is going to miss me. That option being taken away from us I am totally unhappy.
Hope someone takes note of all this comment from all the loyal Samsung costumer that are complaining because you guys won’t see us again.

Billy chase says:

I can careless about removable battery nor expandable storage via sd card. As long it can last a day and comes with at least 32 gig (preferably 64….but 32 is more than enough). If you ask me, people are over analyzing phones these days. I understand samsung had a little rough patch in sales in 2015 but thats business. Profit margins wasnt up to par but they still made money. At least through all of that they produce one of the best phones to date and they are seeking to enhance it further in the next couple of months. I cant stomach iphones but to literally have iphones and galaxies constantly being compared shows how highly rated samsung is. Therefore i cant went for the release.

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