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Earlier this calendar week, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S7, with a host of refinements and improvements, including improved water protection, a larger bombardment, and the return of a microSD slot. While nosotros recommend waiting for device reviews before cartoon conclusions on whether or not to upgrade, we now the basic specs and positioning of the new hardware. If y'all've already got a Galaxy S5 or S6, should you lot be planning to jump for the new model?

This is a much easier to call to make if you're still using a Galaxy S5 or an fifty-fifty earlier device. The Milky way S7 is 64-chip, whereas these older products were based on 32-flake processors. It uses ARM SoCs built on Samsung's second-generation 14nm fries, while the Milky way S5 was built on previous-generation 28nm HKMG. The quad-core Snapdragon 801 / 805 CPUs at the heart of the S5 are still capable processors, but they'll exist thoroughly outperformed by the Snapdragon 820 and the Adreno 330 can't hold a candle to expected performance on the Adreno 550.

GalaxyS5

Samsung's Milky way S5

The Galaxy S7 has sealed ports (the S5 used flaps for water protection), improved resolution (1440p, up from 1080p), and a somewhat larger screen if you opt for the S7 Border (v.five inch, versus 5.one-inch for both the S5 and S7 standard). The base storage on the S7 is twice that of the S5 (32GB vs 16GB) and the forepart camera is 5MP, up from 2MP.

If you're currently using an S5 or earlier device, the S7 should evangelize a noticeable improvement across multiple domains. If you're comparing against the S6, however, the situation is a flake murkier.

Development, not revolution

The S7 is generally perceived as an evolution of the S6, just as Apple's "S" smartphones are typically refined versions of the previous model. The S7 will almost certainly be significantly faster than the S6, but that's just going to matter if you're the blazon of user that's pushing a mobile device for everything it can handle correct now.

The S7 offers superior water protection (IP68 certification vs. IP67 for the S6), a larger battery, the much-love microSD slot, either Samsung's Exynos viii 8890 Octa or Qualcomm'southward Snapdragon 820 depending on your market, and 4GB of RAM, up from 3GB. The photographic camera bulge is gone on this model, and every bit we've already covered, the overall display quality is amazing. Outburst performance should likewise be better, cheers to the integrated heat pipe.

The Galaxy S6 Edge

The Milky way S6 Edge

On the whole, however, the S7 is an evolutionary stride frontward from what the S6 offered. That's not unique to Samsung — as the pace of technological advance has slowed, then has the need to replace devices on a yearly or even bi-yearly basis.

VR could throw a wrench into some of these arguments, and I call back it's telling that Samsung is including a free Gear VR headset with pre-orders for the Galaxy S7. If y'all're already going to buy the telephone no thing what, I agree, the VR headset is a great added value. If you're on the debate about it, it may be worth waiting to encounter if Samsung tin create a library of compelling VR content effectually the hardware. VR on Android hasn't received the same attention as VR on Windows, and some reports accept suggested that mobile bombardment life takes a serious chirapsia when VR is in-employ.

If yous don't accept an awarding that seriously pushes the Milky way S6, I don't recollect the S7 volition be a necessary upgrade — only users on older devices will see significant improvements, and cutting-edge users who want to use VR headsets should also do good.