Samsung Galaxy S7 Draws Mixed Reactions: Is It Better Than The iPhone 6s?

As expected, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge were announced on Sunday. Bloomberg has the news.

“Samsung Electronics Co. showed off virtual reality hardware alongside its latest Galaxy S7 smartphones, in its latest attempt to breathe life into its premium line and wrest ascendancy back from Apple Inc.”

The article adds that the new waterproof phones will start selling on March 11. The S7 has a 5.1-inch screen and the S7 Edge has a 5.5-inch screen. Both phones look identical to the s6 line, except Samsung is adding a microSD memory card slot. The battery life, especially on the Edge version, is said to be spectacular.

A Samsung announcement used to cause a lot of excitement. The S7 and S7 Edge have caused some excitement, but some indifference and snarky comments as well. The comments at BGR after an article about Samsung’s announcement are quite insulting.

“So the same phone they launched last year,” VapidRapidRabbit commented sarcastically.

“Samsung will be so lucky to have a quarter of the sales volume of the S6 that flopped. This phone is so S5 in an S6 body,” comments Jurnomeo.

Android Authority claims that those hoping for an updated design of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge will be disappointed.

“Those who were hoping for a complete redesign will be disappointed here, as the Galaxy S7 looks a lot like its predecessor, the Galaxy S6. It’s not so similar to where you’d get the two devices confused with one another, but Samsung did a good job at making minor tweaks to ensure it stuck with the same design language this year.”

However, Tech Insider listed a bunch of things the Galaxy S7 series can do that the iPhone 6s series can’t: The S7 is water-resistant, the S7 can charge very quickly, the S7 can charge wirelessly, the S7 can take better photos in the dark, the S7 allows you to add extra storage with microSD card, and both S7 units have a larger battery.

The reaction on Twitter has been more positive than it has been on several tech blogs.

New #SamsungGalaxy looks amazing! | Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge https://t.co/qNsHYAtLer #samsunggalaxys7

— ByssMobile (@ByssMobile) February 22, 2016

I want #GalaxyS7 soooo bad! ???

— Lauren (@laurenstarr97) February 22, 2016

There is good news for people pre-ordering the Samsung Galaxy S7. According to Tech Insider, those who pre-order the Galaxy S7 will be given a very special gift.

“You’ll get a free Gear VR headset if you pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge…The Gear VR is a virtual reality (VR) headset that uses Samsung’s latest flagship devices, including the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+, and Note 5, to play VR content.”

According to the Verge, Samsung also introduced the Gear 360 camera, which will allow users to take 360 degree pictures and videos. Once taken, the videos can be transferred to the Galaxy S7, which can then be used with the Gear VR. TheVerge says that the stitching of pictures and videos is pretty noticeable when the subjects are close. However, when they are more than a couple feet away, things look fine.

Samsung’s Galaxy S series of smartphones sell less each year. Do you think Samsung can turn things around with the Galaxy S7? Let us know in the comments section.

[Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images]