Every phone by Samsung has been worth the wait, and the Galaxy S7 Edge is no exception. The Galaxy S7 Edge has a larger battery capacity, and built with a microSD slot that also works as a hybrid SIM card tray with dual SIM card slots. It’s perfect for both photos and videos; you get 32GB of internal storage with up to 200GB of expandable storage. To top it off, it also comes with an in-built cooling system to combat the notorious Android-overheating problem.
While the specs seem really impressive, what really makes a phone great is how practical it is in your daily life. Is it a phone you can do without? Perhaps you can get something similar, for a cheaper price? What’s so great about the Galaxy S7 Edge?
I tried the phone out for 3 weeks and came to realise that this is indeed a phone that I cannot do without. Here’s why:
Size matters. And looks too.
It’s slim, sleek, and stylish. The curved edges makes it distinct and easily recognisable, anyone could tell I was holding a Galaxy S7 Edge. More importantly, we looked great together. It settled comfortably in my hands; one-hand operation was not a problem. It nestled nicely in my clutch on days when I didn’t want to carry a handbag; with no annoying bulge. It didn’t even get in my way when I placed it in my pocket and attempted indoor rock climbing. When I placed it on the table, I also realised that its almost as slim as my access card!
The sound of music
For me, life revolves around music. When I’m in the car, in the shower, at work, at the gym; I need music. I need to hear every word of the song, every strum of the guitar, every drum–even the bass line. This phone was made audiophiles like me. The sound quality is crisp and excellent. The speakers are located at the bottom of the phone, next to the charging port and audio jack. On speaker mode, it can please up to six people in a noisy room. That’s pretty impressive!
It loves live bands too
I love spending my Saturday nights in a bar, watching live bands play. Usually, it’s hard to get a good shot of the band because they’re constantly moving and it’s hard to focus. It’s not their fault, I don’t expect them to stand still while performing. Even if I do get a shot, it requires a lot of editing due to the conventional dim lighting at bars.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge tackles this problem like Cristiano Ronaldo would tackle a football. Because the phone is equipped with Duel-Pixel technology, taking photos in low-light places was not a problem anymore. After the taking a photo, all I had to do was tap the auto-fix icon to give it a DSLR-like quality, with a 1440 x 2560 resolution.
Check out this photo I took of one of the bands that night, Infiltrate. Although they were constantly head banging and prancing on stage, I easily got this photo–thanks to the camera’s fast shutter speed and quick auto-focus.
I could also record the performance and click for photos simultaneously, so there was no need to switch back and forth.
Another feature I love about the camera is that it knows when you’re taking a selfie–it auto-snaps your picture when you’re ready–so no more trying to awkwardly balance the phone in your hand while struggling to hit the button with your thumb.
Late night companion
After a long day at work and gym, I like to unwind by watching some stand-up comedies and catch replays of Jimmy Kimmel shows on You Tube. With its 5.5 inch Super AMOLED screen coupled with excellent sound quality, it made even low-quality videos look great. No complaints about this one. You get the whitest of white, the blackest of black, and the most vibrant of colours. It does the job.
Poolside buddy
You know how paranoid we get about bringing our phones near a swimming pool? Nope, can’t relate to that anymore. It’s so relieving to know that I can just place the phone next to the pool instead of wrapping it up in a towel and securing it at least 100 metres away. Whenever I want, I can swim over to the edge, pick up the phone with wet hands and check my messages, or even return a call. Since it’s only IP 68, you can’t take it underwater, but you can nail those poolside selfies without worrying about water splashes!
And no, threatening me like this does not work anymore.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge retails at RM 3,099. Prices vary according to your service providers, data plans and packages. For more information, visit Samsung’s official website.
