Samsung S7 edge vs. iPhone6s Plus review: What about Xiaomi 5? Introduction: As the two major smartphone manufacturers in the world, Apple and Samsung naturally attract much attention for their annual flagship products. On March 7, Samsung held a press conference in Shanghai to officially release the latest 2016 flagship Galaxy S7/S7 edge in mainland China. Compared with last year’s Apple flagship iPhone6s Plus, which flagship makes you more excited? How far is the gap between Xiaomi Mi 5 and the two flagships? As the two major smartphone manufacturers in the world, Apple and Samsung naturally attract much attention for their annual flagship products. On March 7, Samsung held a press conference in Shanghai to officially release the latest 2016 flagship Galaxy S7/S7 edge in mainland China. Compared with last year’s Apple flagship iPhone6s Plus, which flagship makes you more excited? How far is the gap between Xiaomi Mi 5 and the two flagships? Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have arrived as expected. There is no cool black technology. It is expected that the National Bank version is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor. However, the balance of its overall experience and the great improvement in photography of this generation are unexpected. When every brand flagship phone is released, in addition to the price, people will always pay attention to its hardware configuration immediately. But what I care least about this time about the Samsung S7 and S7 Edge is precisely its performance, because I am used to Samsung’s flagship series being among the strongest Android phones at the moment. Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 Edge Moreover, this machine was actually released during the MWC2016 exhibition. The S7 is equipped with a 5.1-inch display, while the S7 Edge has a 5.5-inch 2K screen. The biggest change in the hardware of this National Bank version is that Samsung’s own chip has been replaced by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. The memory combination is still 4GB RAM and 32GB ROM. 12-megapixel rear lens For photography, there is a rear 12-megapixel lens with a large aperture of F/1.7, and the front lens is 5-megapixel. There is no increase in pixels, but the area of ??a single pixel has been increased to 1.4μm, and SLR-level full-pixel dual-core (Dual Pixel) focusing technology has been adopted. In addition to supporting memory card expansion, Samsung S7 and S7 Edge have two other features returning this time. One is to support memory card expansion up to 200GB (dual cards are not supported after the expansion card is inserted), and the other is to support memory card expansion. Supports IP68 level waterproof and dustproof. Next, let’s take a look at the exterior design, which doesn’t seem to have changed much compared to the S6. There are not many changes compared to the S6, but the feel is much improved. To be honest, the appearance of this generation of S7 and S7 Edge has not changed much compared to the previous generation, which is a bit similar to the feeling of the iPhone 6S to the iPhone 6. Samsung did not go out of its way to create an innovative appearance design this time, but polished the details to improve the feel based on the previous generation. This approach is actually worthy of recognition. The S7 Edge is equipped with a 5.5-inch curved side screen. The S7 and S7 Edge still have a double-sided glass and metal middle frame design. It may not be the best-looking Samsung phone to date, but it must be the best-feeling S series phone. Especially the S7 Edge with a hyperboloid side screen. If you have used the first-generation curved screen S6, you will definitely feel that this generation of S7 Edge feels so good in the hand. The original design inspiration of Samsung’s series came from round pebbles. Whether it is S7 or S7 Edge, the roundness is vividly displayed. Some people may not like this rounded shape design, but it is undeniable that this design can give users a good grip. Double-sided curved processing These two mobile phones feel light in the hand. In order to increase the grip, the borders on both sides of their backs have been curved, making it fit more closely into the palm of the hand when holding it.

At the same time, the connection between the borders on both sides of the two products and the screen is also well handled, especially the S7 Edge with a curved side screen. The screen and metal widen and transition smoothly, with basically no irritation and no gaps visible. Of course, there is no impressive black border on the screen. The Chinese version of S7 Edge cancels the front logo. There is a small detail worth mentioning. Compared with the European version released at the previous MWC, the Chinese version of the two products has a small change in appearance, that is, the front top logo is cancelled. "SAMSUNG" LOGO. From my normal aesthetic point of view, the National Bank version has no LOGO on the front, and the S7 looks fine. However, the S7 Edge with a larger screen always feels empty on the front, which looks a little awkward. The return of waterproof and dustproof functions is also worth mentioning. Samsung has equipped this function on the previous S5, but compared with that time, Samsung has done a better job of waterproofing this time. It can be placed under 1 meter of water for about 30 minutes. The S7 and S7 Edge this time The appearance looks the same as an ordinary mobile phone. The buttons and interfaces of the mobile phone are exposed normally, and the inside of the mobile phone is treated with water-proof treatment. The IP68 waterproof and dustproof design does not destroy the beauty of the phone's appearance, but it should be noted that if the water in the USB interface is not dry, for safety reasons, it is better not to plug in the data cable to connect to the power supply (mobile phone systems will also have corresponding prompts). The rear lens is no longer as protruding as the Micro USB interface. By the way, this time we are finally happy to see that the rear lens of Samsung S7 and S7 Edge is no longer like a "fire boil". Although it is still slightly protruding, It's really flattened out a lot. In addition, there is no Type-C, it is still a Micro USB interface. Localized Touchwiz, this time a screen-off reminder has been added. Main interface. In terms of system, the localized Touchwiz system based on Android 6.0.1 has also not changed much this time. According to the content at the press conference, these four functions are worth mentioning: screen off reminder, side screen application, Samsung Pay and game launcher. Screen-off reminder setting We know that Samsung’s Super AMOLED screen has the characteristic of actively emitting light. Therefore, Samsung has developed a screen-off reminder function based on its characteristics. Its core lies in Always-on-Display, which allows a small part of the screen to remain on. , for notifications, calendar, time and other reminders. Actual display What is the significance of this function? According to Samsung's survey, many users turn on their mobile phone screens, but in fact, many times they do nothing other than check the time. So it’s better to keep the time displayed on the screen, and don’t worry that doing so will consume more power on your phone. On the contrary, this will save more power than if you regularly light up the screen to tell the time. Side screen applications Side screen applications are only available on Samsung S7 Edge. This time it adds a dual row of application icon display. In addition to adding some gadgets, you can also add contacts and third-party applications. To evaluate in one sentence: Not only does it look like a 13, but it also has certain practical value. Samsung Pay is very easy to use, but there are too few supporting banks. The second point worth mentioning is Samsung Pay (Samsung Smart Pay). This is also a new feature launched with the release of S7 and S7 Edge. As the name suggests, this is a payment function on Samsung mobile phones. Samsung Pay is different from WeChat Pay and Alipay payment. It supports two different technologies based on NFC (Near Field Communication) and MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission). Compared with Apple Pay which relies solely on NFC, Samsung Pay has wider support for POS machines. . In other words, as long as it is a POS machine that supports UnionPay Quick Pass and magnetic stripe card swiping, Samsung Smart Pay can support it. The models it currently supports are: Samsung Note 5 and S6 Edge, and then the latest S7 and S7 Edge. At present, Samsung Smart Pay supports too few bank cards compared to Apple, and we hope to increase the number after it is officially launched.

Only supports: Industrial and Commercial Bank of China credit card/China Construction Bank credit card & debit card/Guangfa Bank credit card Everbright Bank credit card/Minsheng Bank credit card/Ping An Bank credit card CITIC Bank credit card & debit card Yes, to use this function, you also need to The system is upgraded to the latest version, and the phone cannot be ROOT, even if it has been nearly ROOT (this setting is essential to protect the user's property security). When all the conditions are met, you still can't happily use Samsung Pay because it is not officially launched yet (expected to be within this month). Support MST Fortunately, Phoenix Technology has obtained the public beta qualification of Samsung Pay. Judging from the actual test experience, Samsung Pay has two aspects worthy of recognition. The first point is that the pull-up call operation is convenient, and the design that allows users to choose a payment bank card before payment is very user-friendly; the second point is that payment can be made almost anywhere there is a POS machine (the mobile phone does not need to be connected to the Internet). Of course, the biggest disadvantage is that there are too few banks currently supported. For example, my colleague’s CMB Golden Sunflower Card can only be viewed. You can take selfies and record your screen while playing games, making you one step closer to becoming an internet celebrity? Mobile games have developed rapidly in recent years, and mobile phone manufacturers have to pay attention to the function development of their own systems in this area. Samsung S7 and S7 Edge not only added a game launcher to improve users’ gaming experience, but also developed new functions such as screen recording. function. The game screen can be recorded. When you are playing the game, you can set it so that if a call comes, it will not interrupt the game interface, but will provide a message notification at the top of the phone. Interestingly, if you want to share your gameplay experience, you can also record the screen, and you can also use the front camera to explain the gameplay. However, just adding these functions to the system is not enough. The memory usage of localized Touchwiz should be further reduced. In addition, Samsung’s own app store has few resources and slow application updates, which is also an area in urgent need of optimization. Regarding taking pictures, this may be the strongest Samsung mobile phone. Taking pictures is not about the higher the pixels of the lens, the better. Samsung has interpreted this sentence very well this time. The S7 and S7 Edge use a 12-megapixel lens with lower pixels, but the aperture reaches F/1.7, which is currently the highest in the industry. In addition, its single pixel area has reached 1.4μm. Coupled with fast and accurate full-pixel dual-core focusing technology, the S7 and S7 Edge have excellent imaging performance in dark light environments. For details, let’s take a look at the actual sample photos! Note: The rear lens specifications of the S7 and S7 Edge are the same, and the sample photos are from the S7. Outdoor proofs Outdoor proofs Macro proofs Night shot proofs Indoor proofs From the proofs, we can see that the imaging of Samsung S7 did not disappoint us. The outdoor proofs have natural colors and good details. Night photography is the most challenging task for mobile phones, and the Samsung S7 performs exceptionally well. With its large aperture and large single pixel area, the S7 has very good control over image noise and glare when taking night shots. It is no exaggeration to say that it is currently Samsung’s most powerful camera phone. Even among smartphones currently on the market, this performance is sufficient. Be among the best. Snapdragon 820, AnTuTu benchmark score of 12W, ranking first. The Chinese version of Samsung S7 and S7 Edge are equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, supporting all Netcom, while the European version is Samsung's own Exynos 8890, which does not support CDMA Network format. Currently, major manufacturers' flagships are vying to be equipped with Snapdragon 820, which is reflected in the S7 and S7 Edge, which has relatively strong performance in terms of performance and power consumption. S7 Edge AnTuTu Benchmark It is Qualcomm's first processor to adopt self-designed ARM 64-bit architecture and is manufactured using Samsung's 14nm FinFET process. It is equipped with four Kryo CPUs with a maximum frequency of 2.2GHz and the top-end Adreno 530. GPU, DSP digital signal processor Hexagon 680, supports third-generation fast charging Quick Charge 3.0 (S7 and S7 Edge only support QC 2.0).

The Geekbench 3 running score of the S7 Edge. Judging from the AnTuTu running score, the Samsung S7 Edge scored nearly 130,000 (the European version of the Samsung processor is also 120,000). Under the Geekbench 3 test, its single-core and multi-core performance Excellent too. Let’s talk about the battery life that everyone is concerned about (note: mobile phone battery life actually depends more on the user’s actual usage habits). The rear battery capacities of these two products are 3000 mAh and 3600 mAh respectively. I have experienced the European version of S7 and S7 Edge (Samsung Exynos 8890 processor) for two or three days before, and the S7 Edge can be used very well under moderate use. A good one can last a day, and the S7 can barely last a day on a single charge. As for the National Bank version of S7 Edge and S7, the time to get started is too short, so it is difficult to evaluate. Summary: This generation of Samsung S7 and S7 edge can be said to have made up for some shortcomings of the previous generation S6, such as the return of memory card expansion and waterproofing. Secondly, it lies in the polishing of the details highlighted in the previous article and the further improvement in photography. Today's smartphones, whether innovation is weak or development has reached a bottleneck, will not make any big breakthroughs in the past few years. At this time, manufacturers might as well go back to their basics, polish the details, and improve the actual user experience. Anyway, in terms of hardware, there will be stronger processors and larger running memory every year. In my opinion, Samsung’s strategy of not making any rash advances this time is correct. And we can also see that it is paying more attention to the Chinese market and making changes to cater to Chinese consumers, including the previous 20% off S code sale. In fact, it is already making changes in marketing. This time, Samsung S7 and S7 Edge can score 90 points. They don’t give higher scores because they are afraid of being proud. Comprehensive comparison between Samsung S7 edge and iPhone 6s Plus Size: Let’s make a mark here first so that we can have a more intuitive comparison when we see the screen size comparison part later. The front dimensions of the iPhone 6s Plus are 5 inches taller and 7 inches wider than the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. In terms of thickness, the iPhone 6s Plus is thinner, 5 times thinner than the Galaxy S7 Edge. The Edge adopts a curved design on the front and rear sides of the fuselage. According to the thickest part of the fuselage, it is measured at 7.7mm. The actual hand experience may be different. Weight: The Galaxy S7 Edge is 18% lighter than the iPhone 6s Plus. Material: Plastic materials are no longer used on these two flagship models. The Galaxy S7 Edge uses smooth Corning Gorilla 4 Glass (back of the fuselage) and an aluminum metal middle frame, while the iPhone uses a unibody aluminum frame. Alloy material. Color options: The Galaxy S7 Edge currently comes in three colors, and the iPhone 6s Plus released in September last year also added rose gold, which is commonly known as the pink version. Screen size: Here, let us go back and take a look at the body size comparison of the two flagships: the front size of the iPhone 6s Plus is 5 inches taller and 7 inches wider than the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. In terms of screen size, both use the same 5.5-inch screen. From a screen-to-body ratio perspective, the Samsung Galaxy S series is the winner. Screen resolution: In terms of pixel density, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is once again the winner. In terms of pixel density, the S7 Edge is 33 points higher than the iPhone 6s Plus. Although the latter does not appear visually grainy, and the Apple's white balance, brightness and viewing angles are very impressive, the Samsung screen is sharper and more detailed. Screen material: This is a standard comparison project between two flagships. It is a showdown between Super AMOLED and IPS. Both screen materials have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Always-on screen: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is equipped with Always-On screen technology, so users can always see the time, date and various notification information, and said it has very little impact on battery life. Curved screen: Samsung’s Edge series adopts a double-side curved screen design. This curved screen design has become Samsung's big killer, allowing you to quickly find application shortcuts and various plug-ins when sliding on the edge. Pressure-sensitive display: When using iPhone 6s Plus, when you press harder, a new interface "Peek" will appear. This function allows the information you need in pictures, emails, and messages to float to the surface of the screen. At the same time, other content will appear blurred. The content highlighting effect changes with the pressure of your finger. When pressing harder, the "Pop" interface will appear, allowing you to quickly switch between applications. This new way allows you to find the apps you need as quickly as possible, and all operations on iPhone will become faster and more direct. Camera pixels: Although the 2016 Galaxy S7/S7 Edge has lower camera pixels than the 2015 model, it has better performance in low-light environments due to the increase in pixel size. Samsung officially stated that the new mobile phone lens can let in 97% more light than the S6. Usually the iPhone's camera capabilities are considered the industry benchmark, but this year we (foreign media editors) believe that it has very strong capabilities to shake the iPhone's status. Camera aperture (rear): Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has a wider aperture, which is another important factor in improving shooting results in low-light environments in addition to increasing pixel size. Optical image stabilization (OIS): iPhone 6s Plus has optical image stabilization. During the shooting process, it can effectively offset undesirable factors such as photo blur caused by hand shake. Physical shortcut to activate the camera: Samsung’s shortcut operation of double-clicking Home to activate the camera has returned, allowing users to better respond to emergencies. On the iPhone, you need to wake up the lock screen, then press and hold the camera part to slide. Battery: Battery life has become one of the bottlenecks in the development of smartphones, so the battery capacity of the Galaxy S7 Edge is 31% higher than that of the previous generation. However, the specific battery life performance needs further evaluation. Fast charging: Almost all high-end Android devices are equipped with fast charging technology, but the iPhone still does not. The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is still equipped with Qualcomm’s old standard Quick Charge 2.0, not the QC 3.0 version of the LG G5. Wireless charging: Apple’s iPhone 6s also does not support wireless charging, but it can be supported through other accessories. As for the Galaxy S7 Edge, if you purchase an additional $70 Samsung fast charging panel, you can enjoy faster wireless charging than traditional wireless charging. Removable battery: Neither flagship supports removable battery. If you want a removable battery, go for the LG G5. Liquid cooling: Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S7 Edge with a liquid cooling system that can help the device dissipate heat during long gaming sessions. VR equipment: Virtual reality is very popular this year, and both flagships have jumped on this wave. If you pre-order the Galaxy S7 Edge before March 18, you'll get a $99 Gear VR and six games for free. On the iPhone side, there are third-party mobile virtual reality devices that support virtual reality. Processor: Performance has never been a consideration for flagship devices. In terms of performance, the Galaxy S7 Edge has received a huge improvement and has re-adopted a dual-processor sales model.

Consumers in the United States, China and Japan will get Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, while consumers in other regions will get Samsung's own Exynos 8890 processor. The iPhone 6s is equipped with a brand new A9 processor, which can bring a very smooth experience when paired with the iOS system. Memory: The Galaxy S7 Edge has twice the memory capacity of the iPhone 6s Plus. Built-in storage: U.S. carriers currently only offer the 32GB storage version of the Galaxy S7 Edge, but 64GB and 128GB are also available elsewhere internationally. What's very bad is that Apple was still selling the 16GB version from 2015 to 2016, which caused considerable storage problems for users. MicroSD card expansion: Although this feature was missing on the Galaxy S6, this feature returns on the Galaxy S7 Edge this year, which is very good news for those who choose the 32GB storage version. The Galaxy S7 Edge supports MicroSD card expansion up to 2TB, but it cannot support Android's adaptability function (Adoptable Storage). After the matching external storage is installed, it will become part of the internal storage. However, it should be noted that if you plan to choose a virtual reality device for Galaxy, you may face such a problem. However, users can save images or adaptations to the expansion card, and then store applications and Gear VR games to internal storage. Mobile payment: Both flagships are equipped with their own mobile payment solutions-Samsung Pay and Apple Pay. The advantage of Samsung's solution is that it can support regular credit card terminals and does not require an additional NFC adapter like Apple Pay. Fingerprint sensor: Both devices have integrated touch fingerprint sensors on the home button. Waterproof Features: Although Samsung upgraded to a higher-end design in 2015, it lacked the waterproof feature of the 2014 model. This three-proof function returns again in the 2016 flagship, with IP68 level waterproofing. It means that the equipment can work normally under 1.5 meters of water for more than 30 minutes. Operating System: The Galaxy S7 Edge is equipped with TouchWiz UI based on Android Marshmallow, while the iPhone 6s runs iOS 9. Release date: Galaxy S7 Edge landed in the United States on March 11, while iPhone 6s has been on sale for 6 months. Starting price (bare metal) In terms of selling price, the bare metal retail price of the Galaxy S7 Edge is expected to be no more than $790, although most American consumers will choose the two-year contract price.