NEW YORK—Those in the market for a new smartphone will soon have more options to choose from thanks to several launches expected at this week's Mobile World Congress.
As in recent years, Samsung is expected to use the event to announce its latest Galaxy phones, the Galaxy S7 and curved S7 Edge.
Similar to any anticipated announcement, there have been an abundance of rumors popping up on what will be in these new devices. Here’s a roundup of what to expect.
Design
Last year’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge were a radical departure for the South Korean tech giant, dropping the lines' previous plastic-y frame, removable battery and expandable storage in favor of a sleeker, more premium glass and metal finish.
The move garnered mixed reception, with the design being praised but many maligning the dropping of the swappable battery and storage. According to reports, Samsung will bring back the microSD card slot to the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, incorporating it into the phone’s metal casing.
In addition, VentureBeat reports Samsung will also add the water and dust-resistance it brought to 2014’s Galaxy S5 but removed from last year’s model.
Battery
While they won’t be removable, both the S7 and S7 Edge are expected to sport beefier batteries that should provide much improved battery life. A recent FCC filing of a device said to be the S7 Edge, which is likely getting a screen size increase to 5.5 inches (up from 5.1 inches), suggests an impressive 38% jump in battery life with a 3600 mAh battery inside (up from 2600 mAh in the S6 Edge).
The regular S7’s display will remain at 5.1 inches, though its battery will rise to 3000 mAh (up from 2550 mAh).
As with last year’s models fast charging and wireless charging are expected to remain as well.
Improved specs
In addition to boasting large high-resolution displays, Samsung is said to be adding pressure sensitivity to its new devices, similar to Apple’s 3D Touch feature found on the the latest iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.
The phones are also said to sport an improved 12-megapixel rear camera, which while lower in megapixel count than last year’s 16-megapixel shooters, is said to offer increased speed and better low light performance.
A teaser page posted on Samsung Indonesia’s website (uncovered by phone news site Phone Probe) late Monday night seems to confirm the company’s plans for an improved low-light camera and a water-resistant design.
Both phones are also said to run the latest version of Android, 6.0 Marshmallow, atop Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of RAM.
Virtual Reality
It remains unclear if Samsung will switch the USB port on the new devices to the emerging USB-C standard or if the company will instead continue using the currently more ubiquitous microUSB, which is also the connector found on the company’s $99.99 Gear VR virtual reality headset created in conjunction with Oculus.
Since its release late last year the company has been promoting the Gear VR heavily, including numerous TV spots with NBA star LeBron James as well as featuring a virtual reality headset in the teaser video for the Mobile World Congress announcement.
Virtual reality is expected to be such a key feature for the new phones there are reports that the company may try to entice buyers to pre-order the new phones by bundling in a free Gear VR.
The S7 and S7 Edge are expected to be available in black, gold, or silver, though pricing remains to be seen. According to famed phone leaker, @evleaks the devices are slated to go on sale March 11.
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