Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Review

Year after year, Samsung usually develops my favorite Android phones that aren’t Nexus devices. Last year I felt a little let down as the Samsung Galaxy S6 made tremendous strides as far as design, but lost points when it came down to performance.

Plagued by battery life issues, and software bugs, the Galaxy S6 never really caught up with the quality and feel of the iPhone, although Samsung was so obviously trying to. This year, Samsung came out swinging and they left the things that worked relatively unchanged, while fine tuning the things that didn’t. I recently got the chance to check out a Verizon Wireless Galaxy S7 Edge and put it through the wringer to see if it was really as good as I’d heard.

The design of the Galaxy S6 was easily one of my favorite things about it and thankfully, that’s been left unchanged. With the Galaxy S7 Edge, that design is taken to the next level. The S7 Edge has dual curved edges that both enhance and detract from the experience of holding the device, while adding extra features for the user. While the design is solid, it does lend way to a little bit of awkwardness while holding it. Because of the curved screen, the S7 Edge feels a little sharp in your hand, and to the glass finish on the back of the device, it’s also really slippery. The S7 Edge comes in three different colors: Gold, Silver, and Black but all three finishes are super shiny and end up catching all the oil from your fingertips. Pro Tip: Buy a case, you’ll thank me later.

Let’s talk a bit about what’s inside the S7 Edge shall we? For starters, the S7 Edge rocks a slightly larger screen than the standard S7 or S7 Active. While the S7 and S7 Active have 5.1” screens, the S7 Edge screen clocks in at 5.5”. While I don’t specifically hate the smaller screen on the S7 and S7 Active, I do prefer the larger screen on the Edge. Anytime you can squeeze more screen onto a device without astronomically increasing its size, I’m all for it. In addition to being bigger, the S7 Edge also takes full advantage of Samsung’s Super AMOLED technology, brilliantly showcasing the vibrancy and color depth capability on this device. Watching movies or checking out photos on my Instagram proved to be a bit more enjoyable on the S7 Edge largely because of how much better the screen is than most other devices.

Samsung stuffed a 2.1 GHz Quad Core processor, 32GB of memory, an SD slot, AND a 3,600 mAh battery into the S7 Edge. The processor inside the device took most of my challenges like a champ, never stopping once to buffer or slow down while I played Wrestling Revolution 3D. Speaking of my obsession with that game, the battery inside this device was also impressive and lasted above and beyond what I was expecting from it. I’m usually scrambling for a charger about halfway through my day, but after using the S7 Edge for almost a month, I averaged about 13 hours between charges. On the days where my usage was heavier than usual, the Samsung Adaptive fast charging really came in handy. Using the supplied charger, I could boost my battery from zero to 50% in about 30 minutes.

The camera system has been the one saving grace for Samsung for the last 3 years and I’m glad to report they’ve actually improved upon it. Spec-wise, the cameras are 12MP on the back and 5MP up front, and both are really good. I recently took a trip to northern Michigan (where Verizon works staggeringly well), and I was really excited to get to test out the camera. I took several pictures and videos and I have to say, it was kind of hard to take a bad photo with this phone. Even in dark or poorly lit areas the cameras performed exceedingly well, consistently churning out great photos. Videos were just as great too, although wind noise seemed to be amplified quite a bit whilst moving about 35 mph on a boat (relax guys, that’s sarcasm).

Once again Samsung has developed a solid Android device that will sit proudly atop the Android food chain. In terms of capability, there’s not another phone that even comes close to the S7 Edge does in terms of being consistently good across the board. Add in the fact that this phone is also water-resistant and you have all the makings of a truly great phone. If you’re in the market for a new phone, looking to switch from an iPhone, or just want a great camera on a smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is the way to go. The S7 Edge is available right now from Verizon Wireless and other major carriers.