The Samsung Galaxy S6 is still one of the best Android phones you can buy, but it's already time to look ahead to the next smartphone - in fact, it could be here within weeks. Based on internet rumours, here's what we know so far about the Galaxy S7 UK release date, price, specifications, features and more. See: 26 best new upcoming phones 2015.
Latest rumour: The Galaxy S7 will be unveiled at a Samsung press event on 21 February 2016, and go on sale on 4 March.
This is our complete guide to the Galaxy S7 and will be updated regularly all the way up to its launch with news and rumours as and when they become available. We'll also add our own thoughts and expert predictions since we've been writing about the Galaxy range since the very beginning.
On this page you can read about the rumoured Galaxy S7 UK release date, how much it might cost, and what's the difference between S6 and S7 in terms of design, hardware, specifications and features. You can also vote in our polls to tell us what you'd most like to see from the Galaxy S7.
We've split the article up into small sections focusing on different aspects of the Galaxy S7 so you can easily find what you're looking for. Please bear in mind that what you're reading is rumours and speculation so it may be wrong – we advice a healthy pinch of salt, but we will try and point out which things are more likely and less likely as we go. Read our Samsung Galaxy S6 review and learn more about the Samsung Galaxy S6 here.
Samsung Galaxy S7 UK release date: When is the Samsung Galaxy S7 coming out?
Usually, the flagship Galaxy S smartphone launch is pretty easy to predict. Samsung tends to announce the phone very close to MWC, the smartphone- and tablet-focused tech show in Barcelona that this year runs from 22 to 25 February. Samsung usually holds a press conference on the Sunday prior to the event (21 February) when it announces its latest Galaxy S-series flagship.
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Our source didn't tell us which Samsung handset it would be, and it is true we are still waiting for a UK launch of the Galaxy Note 5, but judging by the song and dance around it we can't imagine they were talking about anything other than the new Samsung Galaxy S7.
This goes against an earlier rumour from etnews.com, however, which expects the Galaxy S7 to arrive this month (January). We saw Samsung launch the Note 5 outside the UK in August 2015, a couple of weeks ahead of IFA, which was allegedly an effort to get out ahead of the new iPhones - etnews thinks it will do the same with the Galaxy S7. (It has been rumoured that Apple will announce a 4in iPhone and an Apple Watch 2 in March, so there may be some truth to this.)
The Verge is sticking to the MWC theory, however, reporting that the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are set for a 'mid-March US release after an announcement timed for Mobile World Congress in late February'.
Samsung Galaxy S7 UK price: How much will the Galaxy S7 cost?
The price of the Galaxy S7 is always going to be debatable and the cost of a smartphone rarely gets leaked before its announced. Samsung, and other phone makers, tend not to announce prices for phone anyway, so we normally get the price from retailers which is how much you'll have to pay anyway.With the Galaxy S6 hitting the market at £599 we'd be surprised if the Galaxy S7 is priced dramatically different – unless it does have curved screen technology as standard (see below) then it might be more like £649. In fact, our money is on the exact same price so we'll have to wait and see if we're right.
Samsung Galaxy S7 design and build
We feel like Samsung finally got the design of the Galaxy flagship right with the Galaxy S6 by moving to a combination of metal and glass resulting in a device that really feels premium and like you spent £600 on it.We hope that Samsung sticks with this new stylish design for the Galaxy S7 - although some upgrades could be beneficial. According to Korean site Kbench, Samsung has filed a trademark request for a new type of protective glass that's stronger than Gorilla Glass - the new Galaxy S7 could come with Turtle Glass. inews24.com also says Samsung is experimenting with a lighter yet just as tough magnesium-based alloy for the Galaxy S7.
After months of rumours we finally have something visual to show you on the Galaxy S7 and it comes in the form of renders courtesy of GSMArena. The source is case maker, ITSKINS, which has plausibly been sent the info in order to get accessories ready - still have a pinch of salt with this information though.
To put those numbers in context, the huge Nexus 6 with its 5.96in screen is 159.3 x 83 x 10.1mm. This points towards Samsung launching a Galaxy S7 Plus (or +) alongside the regular model.
We'd like to see the microSD card slot back, as would many users, but it's impossible to tell with the render. The SIM-card slot has been moved to the left-side but our gut feeling is that Samsung won't add expandable storage back - hopefully we are wrong.
You'll notice that the renders do not show the curved edge screen which Samsung has offered on two Galaxy S6 models. It was thought that this would be a standard feature of the S7 but the firm could easily continue to offer it as a premium model alongside. We'll have to wait and see.
The following FlexiSheild cases by Olixar match up with the design shown above and can be pre-ordered from MobileFun.
Samsung Galaxy S7 poll - design
Samsung Galaxy S7 processor, memory and storage
It's very much up in the air as to whether the Galaxy S7 will use one of Samsung's own processors or move back to Qualcomm. Although the firm is using an own-brand Exynos chip in the Galaxy S6 models, a u-turn back to the Snapdragon range is certainly on the cards.Indeed, according to Sammobile the company is already testing the Snapdragon 820 for use in the Galaxy S7. This processor is said to have a 35 percent improvement over the Snapdragon 810. It also says the new phone, codenamed Jungfrau, will benefit from Adreno 530 graphics and LP-DDR4 RAM support with this chip inside.
“We have to use the best engines to make our products competitive, which is why we opted to use our own chips,” aid JK Shin, head of Samsung Mobile. “But we may very well end up using products from Qualcomm again in the next Galaxy phone.”
In fact, Samsung is thought to be working with Qualcomm on manufacturing the Snapdragon 820 with 3GHz Kyro CPU cores so it could be a joint effort on this one.
There are some slightly crazy rumours suggesting the Galaxy S7 will feature a whopping 6GB of RAM but we think that 4GB is far more likely. Storage is likely to remain at 32GB like the Galaxy S6 and the microSD card slot is unknown but we can only hope Samsung has noticed the response to this change and acts on it.
Update: The Wall Street Journal states via one source, that the regular Galaxy S7 will have expandable storage, but the Edge model will not.
Samsung Galaxy S7 screen
The screen size of the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S6 is 5.1in so it seem likely that Samsung will stick to this with the Galaxy S7 and it will almost certainly continue with its favoured AMOLED technology. After all, the Galaxy Note range is designed for those wanting a larger display.As mentioned in the design section, it's quite possible that the curved display technology found on the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge will be a standard feature of the Galaxy S7. A Samsung official said the company is looking to substantially increase its monthly output of flexible displays to prepare for S7's release.
The latest rumours from Weibo also suggest the Galaxy S7 will have an iPhone-like Force Touch display using a technology called ClearForce, which able to differentiate between a tap and a press to trigger different actions.
We'll have a better idea of what screen technology the Galaxy S7 will offer once the Galaxy Note 5 comes out later this year. It's rumoured to be the first 4K or Ultra HD (2160 x 3840) smartphone and if it is, the Galaxy S7 is likely to follow suit.
Update: According to the Wall Street Journal, the Galaxy S7 will have a pressure-sensitive screen similar to 3D Touch on the iPhone 6S. The site also says that it will look similar to the S6 but have no 'bump' for the camera - despite the above leaked renders.
Samsung Galaxy S7 extra specifications
In the past, Samsung has adding various gizmos and gadgets to its phones, especially the Galaxy S range so we expect the Galaxy S7 to continue this. We'd expect it to come with the fingerprint scanner found of the S6 models plus the usual heart rate monitor and IR blaster for controlling devices around your home.One area Samsung hasn't really pushed compared to competitors is audio so we're wondering whether it might up the game on the Galaxy S7 here.
Samsung Galaxy S7 cameras
There is an outlandish rumour which proposes that the Galaxy S7 will sport a whopping 30Mp camera, which isn't completely out of the question but we're putting it very much in the maybe not pile.Samsung is known to be working on a 20Mp ISOCELL sensor for its Galaxy S7. However, the latest rumour (from Phone Arena) suggests Samsung is so impressed with the IMX300 sensor in the Sony Xperia Z5 that it could use that technology in its next Galaxy S smartphone. It's possible Samsung will use both sensors, and which version you get will be dependent on region.
The Wall Street Journal report mentioned above, claims that there will be no bump for the camera on the back of the Galaxy S7.
Samsung Galaxy S7 software
There's little to say about software at the moment apart from that it's fairly easy to predict that the Galaxy S7 will come pre-loaded with Android M. Google will launch the new version of its mobile operating system later this year so that should be plenty of time for Samsung to get it on the next flagship model.TouchWiz, Samsung's customer user interface, will almost certainly be on-board too and we expect it to be similarly stripped back like the current version.
That's everything we know and think about the Samsung Galaxy S7 so far but we will be updating this article regularly. Make sure you let us know what you want from the S7 in the comments below and by voting in the poll.
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