25 reasons why you should get the Samsung Galaxy S7

Mobile World Congress 2016 is over, and now the question is which smartphone manufacturer will come out on top as the handsets go on sale.

Samsung is leading with its trump cards in the form of the Galaxy S7 and the S7 Edge. These two smartphones are the dual flagships of the South Korean company’s attack on the 2016 smartphone market.

Given the falling revenue and profits of the mobile division (in part down to the weak sales and lukewarm critical reception of the S6 family), the Galaxy S7 family has a lot of work to do.

I’ve been cautiously optimistic about Samsung’s work around the launch of the devices at MWC last month. As more details of the handset come out and the story around the devices that Samsung wants to tell becomes clear, the bullet points the S7 will address are coming in to focus.

This is a critical year for Samsung’s mobile team. With that in mind, here are the 25 reasons why the Galaxy S7 family could win over the smartphone market in 2016?

Also read: Apple vs Samsung: which is best?

1. Samsung’s Galaxy S7 is more than a smartphone.

Note the MWC presentation brought in a standalone 360 degree camera and Samsung’s virtual reality headset. The two S7 models are smartphones, but they are being sold as something more than a smartphone – they are the hub of a new wave of desirable technology.

2. Samsung is not relying on specification Top Trumps.

These two handsets may have the latest technology on board with some of the highest specifications on the market, but the reliance on ‘the biggest number in everything’ is fading away. The focus is less on raw power and more on what an S7 can do for its owner. Real world examples, not abstract numbers, are the touchstones.

3. The name recognition of SnapDragon.

The S6 family fell back on Exynos across the world, and while the numbers game suggests that a bigger SnapDragon system on chip is better there is something more powerful. ‘SnapDragon’ is one of the few terms that has made the leap into the minds of western smartphone consumers. Shipping with ‘SnapDragon On Board’ means another recognisable name and increases the comfort levels of consumers looking to buy a new device.

4. It feels better in the hand and looks easier on the eye.

The Galaxy S6 handsets had very angular backs, with hard edges between the bezels and the rear glass. That’s no longer the case, with a touch of a curve on the back glass. Coupled with the camera lens assembly sitting almost flush to the back (it juts out by 0.45mm) the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge look much better and have a better tactile feel in the first few moments of picking one up.

5. The S7 family is for the S5 user.

Given the typical two-year product cycle of smartphones (thanks to network contracts) the real goal of the Galaxy S7 is to appeal to the users of the Galaxy S5. Going from the S4 (or the S5) to the S6 saw beloved features removed. That’s not the case with the S5 to the S7 upgrade – everything the S5 users loved about their phones can be found in the S7 family.

6. Lots of battery power.

Stepping up with a 3000 mAh battery, the Galaxy S7 has buckets of energy storage. Couple the larger battery with the optimised code in Android and you have a package that should allow any user to last a full day while using all of the smartphone’s capabilities. And if you need more time longer, just activate the S7′s battery endurance mode to increase the standby time.

7. Wireless charging.

It’s a simple technology in practice, but the increased usability that wireless charging offers is revolutionary when you first experience it. It’s also one of the first things I check for in any new smartphone, and a high-end smartphone without it is perilously close to being rejected out of hand.

8. MicroSD support returns

MicroSD expansion has returned, but with a slight twist. Samsung has made the decision to not use the adaptive storage technique in Android which allows the card and the internal storage to be seen as a single block by the OS, instead using the microSD card for media storage – although you can install and transfer apps to run from the card. This means the card is removable and exchangeable with other devices. I can only assume Samsung’s customer data shows a lot of exchanging of cards going on, as opposed to being inserted once and then left alone.

Also read: Game-changing products Apple will launch in 2016

9. Take it into the water.

Also returning from the Galaxy S5 is a waterproof (and dustproof) rating for the handsets. Something unlikely to be specifically used (except for a quick demonstration in the pub), yet utterly practical. Technology should be invisible and out of mind. Waterproofing does that.

10. The best parts of the S6 remain.

The S7 family addresses all the perceived mistakes of the Galaxy S6 range and fixes them, but crucially everything that was great about the Galaxy S6 and the S6 Edge remains in the new package. That means the handsets retain the curved screen of the Edge, the new design ethos, the large Super AMOLED screens, and the wide range of sensors including the accelerometer, heart rate, gyro, proximity, compass, and barometer.

11. One camera to rule them all.

The Galaxy S6 camera was seen by many (including myself) to be the best smartphone camera on the market, and it could comfortably outshoot the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. Although the megapixel count has dropped from 16  to 12 megapixels, Samsung has not held back with the imaging technology. I expect the quality of the photography to be a key selling point of the S7 family – again a feature that is practical and can be seen in the real world by anyone.

12. Android Marshmallow.

Out of the box the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge ship with the latest version of Android. While the Marshmallow update is working through the upgrade certification process for older Samsung handsets, you are guaranteed to get version six of Google’s mobile operating system with these handsets.

13. Samsung’s Edge software has been updated.

One of my complaints about the S6 Edge was the software that was specific to the edge was never updated after the first release. Samsung has addressed this now and the S7 Edge now comes with new widgets and improved support for the edge. These are being backdated to the S6 Edge but are tied into the OS upgrade, so if you want them now the safest answer is the S7 Edge.

Also read: Samsung, Apple clash with rollout of new products

14. The always-on screen.

Thanks to the AMOLED technology, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge can display information on the idle screen with very little power draw. This function was inexplicably not turned on in the S6 family, allowing the competition to build a selling point for their devices that Samsung did not have. That has been rectified, and your S7 can show you relevant information with just a quick glance at the screen.

15. Welcome home with TouchWiz.

Much as the geekerati like to denigrate TouchWiz, Samsung’s UI layer is familiar to many millions of users. Switching on an S7 handset will offer a comfortable environment to anyone picking up the handset in store. And a comfortable customer is likely to purchase a new device and carry on being a customer.

16. The Galaxy S7 is at the heart of VR.

Virtual Reality is the big buzzword topic of 2016, and Samsung has managed to place the S7 family at the very heart of an accessible consumer package that lets them engage with VR. If you want to get involved, the S7 is the place to be . With suggestions that some S7 pre-orders will get a Gear VR unit thrown in as well the S7 becomes the gateway to a whole new world.

17. Look around you with the Gear 360.

As well as the improvements to the built-in cameras, the S7 also has the Gear 360 camera available as a peripheral. This might not be suited to everyone, but a strong range of peripherals and add-on devices will help boost Samsung’s financial return from the S7 ecosystem, and build on the idea of the S7 being ‘more than a smartphone.’

18. Don’t forget about wearables.

Smartwatches and fitness trackers may feel like last year’s geek toy, but the benefits of wearable technology have not gone away. With the S7 family continuing the role as the hub device to control your smaller devices, the idea of the S7 being more than a smartphone has many angles. More connections, more personal moments, more practical impact… and more sales for Samsung.

Also read: Apple iPhone7 launch: seven things to expect

19. Samsung’s software play.

While the Google Play licence ensures that Google’s choice of software will be shipped in the handset, don’t forget about Samsung’s own software. Take the improvements to the Samsung browser, offering privacy modes and ad-blocking on your device – two areas Chrome is weaker in. These all work alongside Samsung’s cloud services, and provide more features to customers at the expense of a soft lock-in, helping customer retention.

20. Third-party peripheral support.

One thing that is noticeable after the reveal of the two S7 devices is the volume of third-party cases and accessories that are available. Because the S7 and S7 Edge are going to sell in significant volumes, there is enough of a market for the third-party accessory manufacturers to start working on products to be available on day one of handsets’ public release. The handsets may be robust, but people love their cases and holders. A wide range of accessories at launch will help sell the S7 range as must-have devices with significant retail support.

21. Samsung’s distribution channels.

Part of the battle in keeping costs down is reducing the cost of getting handsets from the factory floor to the customer’s hand. Samsung is a huge corporation and the control it has over the logistics of shipping and selling is part of its success. Unlike smaller manufacturers, Samsung has depth and expertise that keeps the costs down. As handset prices fall, any savings made here will be key.

22. Samsung’s trusted name.

Because of its size, Samsung is a known name to consumers. Those looking for a new phone this year may not want to switch to a Huawei, may not want to risk an ‘online only’ company like OnePlus and may have reservations about manufacturers like Sony who seem to be pulling back from supporting Android whole-heartedly. Samsung, so the feeling goes, will always be there and can be relied on.

23. Upselling to the S7.

The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are not entering the market alone. They stand on top of a huge portfolio of devices. Consumers already happy with an existing Samsung device and looking for something a little bit more special can be steered towards the S7 and S7 Edge devices, either from a casual inquiry in a retail store or from existing mid-range handset owners looking to stretch their wings.

Also read: Mobile drives soaring Facebook ad sales

24. The halo effect of marketing.

And of course that portfolio works the other way for Samsung. Any marketing of the Galaxy brand name for the S7 and the S7 Edge should have a halo effect to help sell mid-range devices like the Galaxy A9. If you can’t sell someone the flagship, the South Korean company still has the opportunity to push a mid-range device and retain the customer.

25. The chance to get ahead of Apple.

And finally, with Apple pushing back the expected reveal of the iPhone SE to March 21st, Samsung has around two weeks where the Galaxy S7 is the biggest thing in the smartphone space. It’s an opportunity to gain customers, to build on expectations, and to get ahead of Apple with smart PR, aggressive marketing, and lots of sales. There is a window that the South Korean company can use to maximise the initial flush of success for the S7 family. Master that, and the momentum gained will keep the handsets selling for the rest of the year.

Source: Forbes