Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge vs Galaxy S7 Edge comparison
The Galaxy S6 Edge was a gamble for Samsung because it employed a unique and unproven design. But it paid off – speculation at the time even suggested that Samsung couldn’t fulfill demand for the new device. Now its successor, the Galaxy S7 Edge, has been released by Samsung and reviewed by AndroidPIT. Is it a credible improvement? Find out in our Galaxy S6 Edge vs Galaxy S7 Edge comparison.
Galaxy S6 Edge vs Galaxy S7 Edge: design
The Galaxy S6 Edge was a revolutionary device. Its dual-sided display had an aesthetic purpose – some people just prefer the look of this handset over the simultaneously released Galaxy S6 – but it also offered unique functionality.
The Galaxy S7 Edge doesn’t look radically different from the S6 Edge. Given the success of the original, Samsung decided to keep the S7 Edge design similar to its predecessor, refining it only slightly.
The S7 Edge is noticeably bigger than the S6 Edge, which makes it better for watching videos on but worse for carrying in your pocket. It has a 5.5-inch AMOLED display and measures 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7 mm, while the S6 Edge has a 5.1-inch screen is 142 mm tall and 70 mm wide, although it does have a larger counterpart in the form of the Galaxy S6 Edge+.
Unlike the S6 Edge, the Galaxy S7 Edge is waterproof and dustproof to IP68 certification. That means it can survive 30 minutes submerged in 1.5 m of water. These details were missing in the S6, despite having been present in the S5.
The S7 Edge has a slot for a microSD and nano SIM; the phone’s memory is expandable up to 200 GB via microSD, which is not the case with the S6 Edge. This is feature was well received by Samsung enthusiasts who longed for exapandable memory in the S6 Edge.
Galaxy S6 Edge vs Galaxy S7 Edge: display
The Galaxy S7 Edge features a dual-sided display (meaning that it slopes on the right and left-hand sides). The S7 Edge has not improved on the S6 Edge display, at least not from a resolution standpoint. As we suspected, the Galaxy S series didn’t get the 4K treatment; the S7 Edge display has the same QHD resolution as its predecessor.
The screen edge software, though, offers a more discernible difference between the handsets. More on that below.
Galaxy S6 Edge vs Galaxy S7 Edge: software
The Galaxy S6 Edge arrived with its own set of software features (which you can read about in the Galaxy S6 Edge review), afforded by the curved display. Some argued that these were merely novelty additions, so we were not surprised that Samsung updated them for the S7 Edge (as it has done each year with the Galaxy Note series' Air Command software). Some of the less-used features have been chopped, others improved, and there are some new additions.
Some of the software features available on the S6 Edge were afforded by its curved display
For example, the Galaxy S7 Edge display can make use of two side columns rather than one, meaning even more information can be displayed on the edge of the screen. What's more, the API has been made available to third-party developers to create their own unique functions for Samsung's edge panels.
TouchWiz has not changed in a significant way since the S6 Edge+ or the Note 5. The phone comes with about seven Samsung apps, five from Microsoft, plus some from Google, as well as Facebook and WhatsApp. In total, the Galaxy S7 Edge has 25 pre-installed applications. Aside from the new edge display features, the user experience is much the same as before.
The S7 Edge comes running Android Marshmallow. The S6 Edge was upgraded to Marshmallow in the first quarter of 2016.
Galaxy S6 Edge vs Galaxy S7 Edge: performance
The European Galaxy S7 Edge variant contains the Exynos 8890 chipset, which has four cores with a maximum speed of 2.4 GHz and four with 1.6 GHz.
According to Samsung, the CPU and GPU are 30 percent more powerful than the ones in the S6, which gives an idea of the power that this phone can produce in comparison with its predecessor.
Galaxy S6 Edge vs Galaxy S7 Edge: camera
The S6 Edge camera technology is the same as on its counterpart, the Galaxy S6, and it is impressive. The S7 camera, unfortunately, has a lower resolution, but its low light capabilities, dynamic range and color representation are an overall improvement from the S6 Edge.
The S7 Edge uses dual-pixel technology, which means that for each pixel, there are two light-sensitive photodiodes working in tandem. This means that an impressive 24 million photodiodes work together simultaneously. Its focus speed is four times faster in low-light conditions than on the S6.
It seems that with the S7 Edge, Samsung aimed for something more like Apple’s camera tech, which favors balance and contrast over high resolution. And this time, the camera doesn't stick out of the back of the handset like a goth at a pep rally as did the camera of the S6 Edge.
Galaxy S6 Edge vs Galaxy S7 Edge: battery
Battery life was generally pretty good on the S6 Edge and is even better on the S7 Edge. The S7 Edge and the S6 Edge alike are also now able to take advantage of the battery-saving features that Android Marshmallow offers.
The Galaxy S7 Edge battery has a decent capacity of 3,600 mAh, which is 1,000 mAh larger than the S6 Edge battery. Samsung has used new flexible battery technology that's able to take advantage of extra space inside the body so that the S7 Edge did not need to be too much larger than the S6 Edge.
Galaxy S6 Edge vs Galaxy S7 Edge: price and conclusion
The price of the S7 Edge started at US $800 when it was released, that's more expensive than the S6 Edge was upon its launch.
The Galaxy S6 Edge was groundbreaking, but it could be argued that it lacked a unique feature to really sell the benefit of the curved display. Features such as Edge Lighting were ultimately unessential and provided only minor aesthetic value.
The S7 Edge has made some improvements in key areas, such as the inclusion of microSD card support and water-resistance. It has managed to increase the size of the battery without greatly increasing the size of the body: no small feat. It has decreased the size of the camera bump on the back of the device: a notable blemish on the S6 Edge.
Read more about the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge at the link and let us know in the comments why you are or aren't interested in upgrading to the Galaxy S7 Edge.
"Goth at a pep rally." Nice
I have a 6 edge and love all samsung products. However my edge has had some issues. I will have full service then all of a sudden no service. Says I have full bars however phone calls will not ring through. Voice mails are not being delivered until 3 hours after they have been left. I am not the only person that has had this issue. At work we have compared other phones and none of them have any of these issues. When the 6 edge is showing 2 bars 3 other phones are full service. I am looking at the 7 but worried I will have the same problems,
Hi Sir. Thank you for this helpful article. I'll be buying my new phone and I actually need your guys help on which one is better if the Samsung S6 Edge or the Samsung S7 Edge. Thank you.
Thank you Ranee, I'm happy to hear that we helped.
Why buy a flagship phone for a small fortune and then keep dropping it on the pavement. Absolute muppets.
What does the muppets reference imply there butter fingers?
S6 edge is best.It is starting point.S7 is just a shadow of s6
Ive been using the s6 edge for a few months now and i dropped it once face first on the pavement,terrified, i picked it up and to my suprise it was fine.I now have a case on it and i can assure you it is a strong and durable phone.It gets slippery when you sweat etc but overall it's a great phone.
Phew, glad it's okay :)
Do you think you will upgrade to the S7 Edge?
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Admin
Feb 22, 2016 Link to commentAny idea what it's going to to cost ??
Read under price and conclusion and it tells you.
It's unconfirmed but could be around US$799
why on was the edge a best seller I've no idea because it was of no real functionality just looked different and is very fragile and prone to breakages
If theres oen thing I can say about the S6 Edge after a year of using it, besides that its an amazing phone, is that it is not fragile/prone to breaking at all. I've dropped it multiple times on pavement, all that was left was some scuffs on the corners
I've had my S6 edge for about 9 months now and as Pat references it is a VERY robust phone! I have dropped the phone several times with no issues; I've sat on it and put stress on the screen that would have demolished other models yet the S6 edge lasted. In addition, I use the edge as a clock next to my bed (how awesome is the minimized display) and most importantly as a quick reference for the 5 or so super important contacts I use for business. If you get a bunch of updates, the edge's people reference is awesome because you set the six spots up with contacts you wish to monitor and you get THEIR updates only at that point not a convoluted mess. And with my carrier's 6-month worry-free trade in program going for the S7 is not an issue.
Its all maybes and could bes... This guy dont know anything about the phone..
S6, S6 Edge, Note 5 and more is now on sale only on BestAndroidPhoneDeals:com
Lobster on a birthday cake? See I have no idea what you're trying to imply. A lobster on a B-Day cake to me is out of place and sticks out like a sore thumb. That doesn't describe the camera on my s6 Edge by any stretch of the imagination. That's why I'm perplexed.
"out of place and sticks out like a sore thumb" -- you're saying this does NOT describe the S6 Edge rear camera?? :)
Yeah I don't even notice it. It's slightly raised and barely noticeable. A far cry from lobster on a cake and a sore thumb? Whomever would use that term has never had a sore thumb.