The Galaxy S6 was one of the best phones of 2015, but Samsung's decision to drop the microSD card slot upset a surprisingly large number of fans, as it made the phone's storage capabilities less flexible than its competitors. It also meant you had a shell out a lot more money to get one of the higher capacity models (much like Apple's iPhones), but this could all be a thing of the past if the latest rumours are to be believed, as a new report from VentureBeat claims that both the Galaxy S7 and its curved companion the Galaxy S7 Edge will indeed come with microSD card slots.
According to "a person briefed on the company's plans", both of Samsung's top end 2016 smartphones will be compatible with cards up to 200GB. They will also be rated as IP67 dust and water resistant, meaning that Sony's Xperia Z5 might not be the one of the only waterproof smartphones on the market any more. Of course, without concrete confirmation from Samsung itself, it's difficult to say for certain whether these details are actually correct. Still, microSD card support would certainly go a long way to appease fans who felt slightly put out by the Galaxy S6, and the added protection against water and dust would be an excellent bonus in terms of everyday practicality.
While two rumours don't make a fact, yet another leak points at the return of the SD card slot, plus a couple of surprises. According to a spec sheet posted on Weibo, the Chinese social networking site (see below), and discovered by PhoneArena, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge will have a microSD card slot. In addition, the leaked sheet suggests that the S7 Edge will have a 5.5in screen, making it he same size as the existing S6 Edge+. To me, this move makes a certain amount of sense, as the Edge+ was really just a big version of the existing S6 Edge.
Interestingly, the camera resolution is being predicted to drop from 16-megapixels to 12-megapixels. However, while the resolution may be lower, f/1.7 lens will let in more light (the current S6 has an f/1.9 lens). Rumours abound that the new sensor will be comparatively large at 1/2". A larger sensor means that each pixel gets more light, so noise is reduced and quality is improved. I'm a big fan of quality of specs, so if this turns out to be true, it's a good move from Samsung.
Release date
To be honest, it doesn't take a genius to work out roughly when the S7 will be launched: one year, or so, after the S6 made its debut. Now, it appears as though we have our first confirmation on this, with the China Mobile, reported on by SlashGear, showing a chart that states that the S7 will hit the network in March. The image, captured be a Weibo user and show below, seems to be legit. So, what can we learn from that?
Well, if March is when the networks are going to get the phone, then it means that Samsung will definitely have announced the phone at some point earlier in order to generate interest and to get the pre-orders going. The most likely scenario, then, is that Samsung will announce the Galaxy S7 at an event in February. Given the company's most recent form, the most likely date is going to be during MWC 2016, which takes place between the 22nd and 25th February. However, there is an outside chance that Samsung will decide to avoid the other MWC releases and have its own event sometime before the show; some Galaxy S handsets have had their own dedicated events before, so the company has been known to do this. As it is, all I can say is that it looks likely we'll see the phone in February and I'll bring you more details as I have them.
Samsung's latest smartphone, and the update to the existing Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge
| It should be announced at MWC (22-25 February 2016), with the phone hitting the shops in early April, although we may get a surprise launch in January | |
| Don't expect a lot of differences from the outside, but we may see 4K displays (not that likely), a return to Qualcomm processors (more likely) and Android Marshmallow (very likely) |
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