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Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Smartphone Review

Sets standards! The Galaxy S7 Edge is certainly not a bundle of groundbreaking innovations, but it fuses state-of-the-art premium technology in its casing and is presently rightly considered as the reference model of its class. However, there are some points of criticism and we would have wished Samsung had been a bit more intrepid in some points.

For the original German review, see here.

There are now two versions of the Galaxy S lineup, and even three of the S6 at the end. In addition to the Galaxy S6, an Edge version (both 5.1-inches) and an S6 Edge Plus model (5.7-inches) exist. However, we are not expecting the latter for the new S7 lineup because the Galaxy S7 still features a display diagonal of 5.1-inches in contrast to the larger screen of the S7 Edge. It has a screen diagonal of 5.5-inches and has the well-known dual-edge on both sides. Those are the only differences since the Galaxy S7 is also powered by an Exynos 8890 SoC with 4 GB of working memory and even the camera modules are identical.

Unfortunately, only the 32 GB UFS 2.0 flash memory model will be available in Europe. The 64 GB model is reserved for the Asian market. The 128 GB model has been axed, but the optional storage expansion via micro-SD card has returned to Samsung's flagship. The price for the Edge model has dropped and can now be purchased for 799 Euros (~$892, RRP). It is also again dust and water-proof, which was part of the Galaxy S5's specifications for the first time.

Rivals are found throughout the entire premium range. Among them: Microsoft's Lumia 950 XL, Apple's iPhone 6s Plus, Google's Nexus 6P, Motorola's Moto X Force, Huawei's Mate S and Mate 8, LG's G4, Sony's Xperia Z5 Premium, OnePlus' 2, and HTC's One M9. The HTC and LG comparison devices are models from last year, and particularly LG's G5 is deemed a hot opponent for Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (Galaxy Series)
Processor
Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa 8 x 2.6 GHz, Mongoose / Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
ARM Mali-T880 MP12, Core: 650 MHz, Vulkan, OpenGL ES 3.1
Memory
4 GB 
, LP-DDR4 RAM
Display
5.50 inch 16:9, 2560 x 1440 pixel, capacitive touchscreen, 10 multi-touch points, dual-edge screen, Super AMOLED, glossy: yes
Storage
32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash, 32 GB 
, 24.4 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: combo headphone and microphone jack (3.5 mm), Card Reader: micro-SD max. 200 GB (SD, SDHC, SDXC), 1 Fingerprint Reader, NFC, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: proximity sensor, accelerometer, position sensor, ambient light sensor, rotation sensor, orientation sensor, g-sensor, digital compass, barometer, heart rate monitor, OTG, Ant+, MST
Networking
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.2, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 7.7 x 150.9 x 72.6 ( = 0.3 x 5.94 x 2.86 in)
Battery
13.86 Wh, 3600 mAh Lithium-Ion, 3.85 volts
Operating System
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Camera
Primary Camera: 12.2 MPix (Sony-IMX260 sensor, f/1.7, auto focus, image stabilizer, tracking focus, HDR, UHD video, slow motion, fast motion, RAW support)
Secondary Camera: 5 MPix (fix focus, f/1.7, HDR, Beauty Mode
Additional features
Speakers: mono speaker, Keyboard: virtual, power supply, data cable, OTG adapter, headset, quick start guide, security notes, TouchWiz UI, Gear, Galaxy apps, S Health, S Voice, voice recorder, S Planner, myGalaxy, upday, 24 Months Warranty, IP68 certified, head-SAR: 0.264 W/kg, body SAR: 0.507 W/kg, Quick Charge, wireless charging (WPC/PMA), fanless
Weight
157 g ( = 5.54 oz / 0.35 pounds) ( = 0 oz / 0 pounds)
Price
799 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge has not changed much in terms of appearance. Besides the bigger screen, primarily the rounded edges are noticed. The aluminum bezel looks good and also feels great. The same is true for the Corning Gorilla Glass 4 that is on both the front and the rear. The device is really comfortable to hold although the S7 is even a touch more pleasant because its narrow aluminum bezel on the sides simply feels a bit more edgy than the round curve of the S7 Edge.

The Galaxy S7 Edge is now a bit taller and, according to Samsung, has grown by 0.7 millimeters to 7.7 millimeters. However, we measured 7.85 millimeters in the device's center, 8.1 millimeters in the home button area and 8.5 millimeters at the camera. It is nevertheless extremely slim. Pleasingly, the camera bulge has decreased visibly.

The stiffness and build quality of the Galaxy S7 Edge are also very good. The gaps are even and not too wide. Only the SIM slot could be a bit more flush with the rest of the casing. Besides that, it is too bad that it is completely made of plastic because that not only affects the tray's stiffness, but it could also discolor with time. The European model conceals both a nano-SIM slot and a micro-SD card slot behind this recess. A dual-SIM model is also available in other countries.

The smartphone's rigidness does not give any reason for complaint, either. Although a quiet cracking is heard under high pressure, wave formation does not at all appear on the screen thanks to the used OLED panel.

As to user-friendliness, our colleagues at iFixit examined Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge closer. They praised the fact that many components in the device are easy to replace; for example, replacing the non-removable battery is now easier. In return, the display has to be removed for replacing the USB port. Besides that, the glass on both sides makes it difficult to open the smartphone at all, especially since glue has been used massively on the back. Consequently, the Galaxy S7 Edge only achieves 3 of 10 possible points here.

159.3 mm / 6.27 inch 77.8 mm / 3.06 inch 7.5 mm / 0.2953 inch 178 g0.3924 lbs158.2 mm / 6.23 inch 77.9 mm / 3.07 inch 7.3 mm / 0.2874 inch 192 g0.4233 lbs154.4 mm / 6.08 inch 76 mm / 2.99 inch 7.8 mm / 0.3071 inch 181 g0.399 lbs151.8 mm / 5.98 inch 74.9 mm / 2.95 inch 9.85 mm / 0.3878 inch 178 g0.3924 lbs154.4 mm / 6.08 inch 75.8 mm / 2.98 inch 6.9 mm / 0.2717 inch 153 g0.3373 lbs151.9 mm / 5.98 inch 78.4 mm / 3.09 inch 8.3 mm / 0.3268 inch 165 g0.3638 lbs149.8 mm / 5.9 inch 78 mm / 3.07 inch 9.2 mm / 0.3622 inch 169 g0.3726 lbs148.9 mm / 5.86 inch 76.1 mm / 3 inch 9.8 mm / 0.3858 inch 155 g0.3417 lbs150.9 mm / 5.94 inch 72.6 mm / 2.86 inch 7.7 mm / 0.3031 inch 157 g0.3461 lbs149.89 mm / 5.9 inch 75.35 mm / 2.97 inch 7.2 mm / 0.2835 inch 156 g0.3439 lbs142.1 mm / 5.59 inch 70.1 mm / 2.76 inch 7 mm / 0.2756 inch 132 g0.291 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity

Samsung has made some cutbacks in connectivity. The FM radio was already omitted in the Galaxy S6 Edge, and we hoped that the manufacturer would have the courage and install a DAB+ receiver like, for example, LG does in the Stylus 2.

Like in the Galaxy S6 Edge+, the infrared transmitter has also been axed. Upon inquiry, Samsung answered that simply not enough buyers use this feature.

The Galaxy S7 Edge presents itself as a bit old-fashioned with its USB port. It is still a micro-USB port in standard 2.0. Since Samsung strongly markets its newest smartphone in conjunction with the Gear VR that we extensively looked at in the review of the Galaxy S7, the lack of a USB Type-C port will likely be founded here. The Gear VR needs a micro-USB port to connect with the smartphone. Nevertheless, a weak reason for using an outdated interface that is inappropriate for a high-end smartphone anno 2016.

Beyond that, this port only has limited capabilities because it does not support SlimPort or MHL, making it impossible to transmit content to a larger monitor via a cable. DLNA is also absent. In return, at least Wi-Fi Direct and Miracast are supported (Smart View). We tested the latter using an Amazon Fire TV Stick. Although that functioned quite well in practice, playing a Full HD video would unfortunately likely bring the combination to its limits. The image displayed a multitude of artifacts and stuttered permanently. However, the given performance is sufficient for presenting photos.

Support for Ant+, Bluetooth 4.2 and NFC are also present.

Upper edge: card slot, microphone
Upper edge: card slot, microphone
Left: volume
Left: volume
Right: power
Right: power
Lower edge: audio, USB, microphone
Lower edge: audio, USB, microphone

Software

The software configuration of the Galaxy S7 Edge is identical with that of the standard S7 model. Google's Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow is installed. It had the security patch level from February 2016 at test time. It will be interesting to see how well Samsung will maintain this patch level. Samsung's KNOX 2.6 is also on board. The manufacturer relies on its proprietary TouchWiz UI user interface so that Samsung users will not see much of a difference despite the newer operating system.

Samsung's own app store is also preloaded again. Some users complained that Samsung Music is no longer installed, but it can be easily downloaded via Galaxy Apps. Unfortunately, the manufacturer also preloads many applications on the smartphone that can be faded out but not completely uninstalled. Among them we find Facebook, WhatsApp as well as Microsoft's Office apps. A modernized news app dubbed upday is also integrated. Well known apps, such as S Health, S Voice, Samsung Gear and S Planner, can be used directly.

The side screen is a unique selling point of the Galaxy S7 Edge. It again provides all features found in the Galaxy S6 Edge and has been expanded slightly. The side screen can be used on either the right or left edge. The side screen arrow can be set in three different sizes and in different positions. It is also possible to select a transparency up to invisible.

The features of the Edge screen have been extended a bit. In addition to only displaying up to ten favorite apps directly, short cuts for specified tasks, such as writing messages, making appointments or taking selfies, can be created. Favorite contacts, the weather, calendar and so-called Quick Tools are also options. The latter is known from the Galaxy Note 4 Edge, and contains a ruler, a compass and quick access on flashlight with five levels, among other things. A few, additional bars can be downloaded, some for an extra charge.

The Edge can also be used for visual status notifications about calls when the smartphone is placed on the screen. Besides that, additional content can also be displayed there in standby. The features have been extended slightly, but a lot of scrolling will be necessary when many bars are used, making it still faster to manage things via the home screen.

Communication & GPS

Unfortunately, Samsung does not make any exact specifications about the LTE modem installed in the Galaxy S7 Edge. The known specs identify it as a Cat. 9 model (max. download: 450 MBit/s, upload: 50 MBit/s). Presumably, the WWAN module by Samsung is used, which was also used in the Galaxy S6 Edge+. It would then have a wide frequency configuration. Samsung has not yet confirmed that, though. The S7 Snapdragon model has an advantage here because, according to Qualcomm, the new X12 LTE modem promises both better reception qualities as well as higher data rates (max. 600 MBit/s download, 150 MBit/s upload), providing the mobile network supports that. The smartphone presented a decent connection to the mobile network in real-world use; we did not notice any unusual interference.

The Wi-Fi module in Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge supports the IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standards, and can transmit in both the 5.0 and 2.4 GHz networks. It also provides MIMO antenna technology. The smartphone's reception quality is very good. The device still displayed a decent signal at approximately 14 meters away from the access point (Devolo dLAN 1200+ Wi-Fi ac, 2.4 GHz), through two indoor walls, and the signal attenuation of -61 dBm was low. No limitations were experienced when browsing the Internet or streaming HD videos.

GPS Test: indoors
GPS Test: indoors
GPS Test: at a window
GPS Test: at a window
GPS Test: outdoors
GPS Test: outdoors

Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge uses the GPS, Glonass and BeiDou satellite networks for localization. It finds satellites very quickly indoors with an accuracy of up to four meters. A feat that gave us hope for the comparison test with Garmin's Edge 500.

Unfortunately, it was not as good as expected but is still on a good level. The deviations over the total route remain below 2%. That is mainly because the smartphone does not update its position as frequently as the bike computer. However, minor irregularities are also observed in the area of the bridge. Primarily the iPhones regularly prove that even smartphones can do better. The given performance is more than sufficient for navigating, and the Galaxy S7 Edge is well-equipped for geocaching and fitness tracking.

Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

Telephone & Call Quality

Compared with the predecessor, the phone app in Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge has not been modified, and its structure is very similar to that of Google's stock app. It is positive that the smartphone does not have to be rebooted when swapping the SIM card and/or micro-SD card.

The smartphone's call quality appealed to us. We made test calls via Skype and the mobile network. The contact was well-intelligible and we were also understood clearly. Samsung could only work on improving noise suppression a bit. Although the Galaxy user's voice was much louder, the background was still well-audible. The quality is poorer via the speaker. The microphone apparently does not have a long range, and thus we were only heard quietly at an arm's length. The included headset surprised us positively; although our contact's voice sounded a bit stifled, the integrated microphone transmitted our voice very clearly.

Cameras

The camera equipment is identical with that of the Galaxy S7 model. However, Samsung uses different sensors for the primary lens; one is its own sensors and the other Sony's IMX 260. The latter is installed in our review sample. We cannot conclusively say whether it also features dual-pixel technology. We are waiting for Samsung to answer this. Unlike previously, the camera's resolution has not been increased further, but shrunk to 12 megapixels. However, that does not affect the outstanding quality. In addition to multiple features, the imaging performance and comparatively high range of dynamics are compelling. The photos are very sharp and very bright. The big aperture of f/1.7 promises high light sensitivity without major haziness at the edges of the photo. Outlines are sharper than, for example, from the iPhone 6s Plus, but Apple's smartphone has a slightly better color reproduction.

The S7 Edge can fully present its strengths in low-light conditions and brightens the surroundings very strongly (scene 3) - even brighter than reality, although the outlines are then also lightly frayed. Settings can be selected manually in the Pro Mode, and RAW format is supported. The light sensitivity can be set from ISO 100 to 800, and the shutter speed from 1/24000 to 10 seconds. Users who work with the Pro Mode will have to acclimatize a bit at first though because the Live View display was not always reliable in the test. Samsung will have to improve this with an update.

Front-facing camera photo
Front-facing camera photo

The front-facing camera has the same aperture as its rear-facing counterpart, but it only has a resolution of 5 MP. An automatic HDR mode is used here. Diverse Beauty modes can also be selected. We really liked the photos; the lens definitely belongs to the better of its kind.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3

Color Accuracy & Sharpness

Screenshot of ColorChecker colors. Reference colors are displayed in the lower half.
Screenshot of ColorChecker colors. Reference colors are displayed in the lower half.

We took a closer look at the imaging performance of Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge under controlled light conditions. The test chart is photographed as full-screen as possible, and the photo is not edited afterward. The degree of sharpness is tremendously high primarily in the image center. Areas with shifting colors are no problem for the smartphone, either. Blurriness only starts at the corners and outmost edges, but that is absolutely legitimate.

We photographed the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport under identical conditions. The photo was not edited afterward in this case, either. Unlike the practical photo (scene 2), a slight oversaturation of reproduced colors is seen here, which gives the photos a higher brilliancy. The white balance is relatively warm, but it is on a good level.

Videos

Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge can record videos in multiple video formats. Starting at 480p, Full HD and QHD over the small HD resolution (1280x720 pixels) and 1:1 recordings (1440x400 pixels), Full HD and QHD up the latest Ultra HD (3840x2160 pixels, 30 fps, 47 MBit/s). However, Samsung still uses conventional Full HD (1920x1080 pixels, 30 fps, 17 MB/s) for the focus since it is the highest possible resolution that is available for features like HDR, tracking auto-focus and different video effects. That is unfortunately not available for 1080p at 60 fps (27.5 MBit/s). The frame rates are also highly optimized for non-European markets. 24, 25 or 50 fps do not exist.

The image quality is impressive, and the optical image stabilizer even functions freehandedly on a bicycle (1080p @30 fps) very well. Unfortunately, the unedited sample videos on YouTube do not look as good as the originals. They presented a good image sharpness and good scope of dynamics. The sound is also compelling.

Accessories

Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge smartphone comes with a modular power supply that has a nominal output of 10 watts (5 volts, 2 ampere), an in-ear headset with earplugs in different sizes, a small tool for opening the card slot and folder with a quick-start guide, security notes and warranty conditions. An OTG adapter that can be used for transferring data from the old phone as well as a conventional OTG adapter is also in the smartphone's box.

Covers, additional batteries, sleeves, chargers and more items tailored for the S7 Edge are optionally available in Samsung's Shop.

Warranty

Samsung includes a 24-month warranty on its smartphone. The accessories are covered for six months, and the battery for twelve months.

Input Devices & Handling

Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge has a 5.5-inch capacitive touchscreen that is extremely sensitive and which can detect up to ten fingers simultaneously. The inputs are implemented fast and reliably. The S7 Edge does not feature a pressure sensitive screen like in the iPhone 6s Plus. We also looked at the touchscreen's behavior under water since the smartphone is water and dust-proof in accordance with IP8. Inputs can be prompted on the screen when water touches it, which is nothing unusual. That does not function as well under water; the camera can be launched by double-clicking the home button, and the volume buttons can be used as the release.

The physical buttons make a very high-quality impression. Their pressure point is crisp and accurate, and they do not give reason for complaint. Tapping the home button three times consecutively launches single-hand mode, which has to first be enabled in the settings. Unfortunately, it cannot be used in landscape mode, where it directly changes back to default use. A fingerprint scanner is integrated into the home button that functioned reliably and fast in the test. Unfortunately, it does not offer any additional features like the case in Huawei's Mate S.

Samsung installs its well-known keyboard layout that supports swiping and voice inputs. Other layouts can also be downloaded from Google's Play Store. Another useful feature is the extended screenshot functions (pressing power and home buttons simultaneously). The user can subsequently decide whether more content, e.g. a website, or only a section is to be captured.

Display

Subpixel screenshot
Subpixel screenshot

Compared with its predecessor, Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge has grown a bit and now has a size of 5.5-inches. It has a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels (QHD), which results in a lush pixel density of 534 PPI. Only Sony's Xperia Z5 Premium (Ultra HD, 801 PPI) outshines that. The offered resolution is more than sufficient for routine use; the displayed content always looks razor-sharp. However, anyone who uses Samsung's Gear VR will wish that the Korean manufacturer had opted for a higher-resolution screen. Single pixels become visible when looking closer since only half the pixel count is available to each eye and the device is very close to the visual organ.

Samsung touts the screen's Always On function as an additional feature. It allows permanently displaying the time, calendar and notifications when the device is in standby. Actually nothing new seeing that the Lumia 950 XL and some of its predecessors have a similar feature (Glance).

In terms of brightness and contrast, the Super AMOLED screen by Samsung delivers top rates. We measured it with an enabled brightness sensor. The smartphone just achieves 264 cd/m² in the panel's center when manual mode is selected. The evaluation of equally distributed dark and bright areas is more relevant for practice (APL 50). The Galaxy S7 Edge achieves up to 728 cd/m² in this scenario, which is even slightly higher than that of the smaller S7 model (max. 684 cd/m²). The brightness distribution is also on an excellent level.

555
cd/m²
557
cd/m²
555
cd/m²
543
cd/m²
554
cd/m²
557
cd/m²
532
cd/m²
557
cd/m²
554
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 557 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 551.6 cd/m² Minimum: 1.77 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 96 %
Center on Battery: 554 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.59 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 2.01 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
99.98% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
82.12% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
93.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
86% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.01
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Super AMOLED, 2560x1440, 5.50
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Super AMOLED, 2560x1440, 5.10
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
IPS, 3840x2160, 5.50
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
AMOLED, 2560x1440, 5.70
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.50
Google Nexus 6P
AMOLED, 2560x1440, 5.70
Huawei Mate 8
IPS-NEO, 1920x1080, 6.00
Screen
-21%
-202%
-35%
-36%
-14%
-79%
Brightness middle
554
343
-38%
560
1%
297
-46%
583
5%
363
-34%
514
-7%
Brightness
552
338
-39%
541
-2%
297
-46%
560
1%
365
-34%
513
-7%
Brightness Distribution
96
94
-2%
85
-11%
93
-3%
91
-5%
90
-6%
94
-2%
Black Level *
0.45
0.46
0.35
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
1.59
2.2
-38%
9.19
-478%
2.67
-68%
3.55
-123%
2.34
-47%
5.08
-219%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
2.56
15.01
-486%
3.98
-55%
8.28
-223%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
2.01
2.37
-18%
10.58
-426%
2.81
-40%
3.88
-93%
1.03
49%
5.49
-173%
Gamma
2.01 109%
2.41 91%
2.7 81%
2.08 106%
2.2 100%
2.23 99%
2.08 106%
CCT
6321 103%
6425 101%
9760 67%
6379 102%
7280 89%
6429 101%
7254 90%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
82.12
87.77
7%
73.19
-11%
66.31
-19%
59.05
-28%
79.95
-3%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
99.98
99.79
0%
92.8
-7%
99.84
0%
Contrast
1244
1267
1469

* ... smaller is better

We closely examined the Super AMOLED panel in Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge with our photospectrometer and CalMAN analysis software. Samsung has managed to also improve the predecessor's already good rates here. Users who prefer natural colors on the screen should select the display profile "Photo" since the deviations to each reference color space are lowest here. However, they are slightly oversaturated to add more brilliance to the images. The profile "Basic" offers the lowest saturation, but the colors are also very accurate here. A bluish haze covers the image in "Cinema" and the colors are strongly oversaturated. The smartphone adapts to the displayed content when the used app supports that in the default profile "Adaptive". In total, the S7 Edge achieves very accurate color reproduction without severe slips. This screen is very likely the best that can be found in a smartphone at present.

Grayscale (profile: Basic, target color space: sRGB)
Grayscale (profile: Basic, target color space: sRGB)
Grayscale (profile: Photo, target color space: sRGB)
Grayscale (profile: Photo, target color space: sRGB)
Grayscale (profile: Cinema, target color space: sRGB)
Grayscale (profile: Cinema, target color space: sRGB)
ColorChecker (profile: Basic, target color space: Adobe RGB)
ColorChecker (profile: Basic, target color space: Adobe RGB)
ColorChecker (profile: Photo, target color space: Adobe RGB)
ColorChecker (profile: Photo, target color space: Adobe RGB)
ColorChecker (profile: Cinema, target color space: Adobe RGB)
ColorChecker (profile: Cinema, target color space: Adobe RGB)
ColorChecker (profile: Basic, target color space: sRGB)
ColorChecker (profile: Basic, target color space: sRGB)
ColorChecker (profile: Photo, target color space: sRGB)
ColorChecker (profile: Photo, target color space: sRGB)
ColorChecker (profile: Cinema, target color space: sRGB)
ColorChecker (profile: Cinema, target color space: sRGB)
Saturation Sweeps (profile: Basic, target color space: sRGB)
Saturation Sweeps (profile: Basic, target color space: sRGB)
Saturation Sweeps (profile: Photo, target color space: sRGB)
Saturation Sweeps (profile: Photo, target color space: sRGB)
Saturation Sweeps (profile: Cinema, target color space: sRGB)
Saturation Sweeps (profile: Cinema, target color space: sRGB)
Colorspace sRGB: 99.98% (color profile: Photo)
Colorspace sRGB: 99.98% (color profile: Photo)
Colorspace AdobeRGB: 82.12% (color profile: Photo)
Colorspace AdobeRGB: 82.12% (color profile: Photo)
Colorspace ProPhoto RGB: 40.03% (color profile: Photo)
Colorspace ProPhoto RGB: 40.03% (color profile: Photo)

Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge benefits from its tremendous brightness and extremely strong contrast of the Super AMOLED technology outdoors, and thus there should be no problems here in routine use. It will only get difficult to recognize something on the screen in direct sunlight. The reflections on the glossy surface only distract in flat viewing angles.

In the sun using enabled ambient light sensor (left to right): iPhone 6s Plus, Galaxy S7 Edge, Huawei Mate S
In the sun using enabled ambient light sensor (left to right): iPhone 6s Plus, Galaxy S7 Edge, Huawei Mate S

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
12 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 6 ms rise
↘ 6 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 26 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
20 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 14 ms rise
↘ 6 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 27 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 240.4 Hz

The display backlight flickers at 240.4 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) .

The frequency of 240.4 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Viewing-angle stability is not a big issue for Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge thanks to the underlying OLED technology. Color inverting or ghosting are never a problem. A light greenish tint covers the image starting at an angle of 45 degrees and intensifies up to approximately 80 degrees. The Edge's sides also look brighter than the rest of the screen or some content disappears behind the curves depending on the viewing angles.

Viewing-angle stability: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Viewing-angle stability: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

Performance

Like the Galaxy S7, Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge (SM-G935F) is furnished with Samsung's newest Exynos 8890 SoC. Its CPU again has eight cores and is based on the big.LITTLE design. Four Cortex A53 cores (max. 1.6 GHz) and four Samsung M1 cores are installed. The latter four clock at up to 2.6 GHz in dual-core mode, and at a maximum of 2.3 GHz when all are utilized. The clock rates have been strongly increased to provide more power. The system finds support in 4 GB of LPDDR4 working memory and the integrated ARM Mali-T880 MP12 graphics unit. Smartphone versions based on Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 820 quad-core SoC (GPU: Adreno 530) also exist in the United States and some other countries. No-one could tell us where which model is available. We are still waiting for an answer from Samsung, and this article will be updated accordingly as soon as this information is available.

Samsung's SoC places itself up front in the benchmarks and fulfills the high expectations. Only the Snapdragon 820 on a reference system by Qualcomm consistently delivers better results in the benchmarks. That does not inevitably mean that this will be the case in devices ready for market.

Only the iPhone 6s Plus and the Snapdragon 820 are faster in the Geekbench 3 single-core test. Samsung's SoC takes the lead when all cores are utilized. Other CPU-driven benchmarks show a similar picture. However, it can happen that models with the older Snapdragon 810 achieve better results, like in for example GFXBench 3.1 (onscreen), as soon as the GPU is added. However, it should also be kept in mind that the S7 Edge has to cope with a higher resolution.

The S7 Edge also delivers top rates in the system benchmarks. The review sample falls into the lower third in PCMark for Android, which is considered as very consistent, and it even remains slightly behind its predecessor. That could certainly be due to the performance throttling TouchWiz UI. The system runs very smoothly in routine use and only minor stutters are observed after computing-intensive tasks.

Geekbench 3
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
2170 (2120min) Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
1503 Points -31%
Huawei Mate 8
1721 Points -21%
Huawei Mate S
941 Points -57%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
2538 Points +17%
OnePlus 2
1140 Points -47%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
1335 Points -38%
Google Nexus 6P
1335 Points -38%
LG G4
1107 Points -49%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
2376 Points +9%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
6480 (6415min) Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
5619 Points -13%
Huawei Mate 8
6265 Points -3%
Huawei Mate S
3970 Points -39%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
4429 Points -32%
OnePlus 2
4804 Points -26%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
4492 Points -31%
Google Nexus 6P
4587 Points -29%
LG G4
3556 Points -45%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
5500 Points -15%
3DMark
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
2710 (2421min) Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
1505 Points -44%
Huawei Mate 8
1244 Points -54%
Huawei Mate S
373 Points -86%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
3316 Points +22%
OnePlus 2
1734 Points -36%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2009 Points -26%
Google Nexus 6P
1877 Points -31%
LG G4
1324 Points -51%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
3015 (2895min) Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
1492 Points -51%
Huawei Mate 8
1092 Points -64%
Huawei Mate S
315 Points -90%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
4557 Points +51%
OnePlus 2
1854 Points -39%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2336 Points -23%
Google Nexus 6P
2302 Points -24%
LG G4
1399 Points -54%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
2002 (1539min) Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
1553 Points -22%
Huawei Mate 8
2432 Points +21%
Huawei Mate S
1052 Points -47%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
1697 Points -15%
OnePlus 2
1414 Points -29%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
1348 Points -33%
Google Nexus 6P
1142 Points -43%
LG G4
1115 Points -44%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
2204 (1923min) Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
1186 Points -46%
Huawei Mate 8
945 Points -57%
Huawei Mate S
311 Points -86%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
2318 Points +5%
OnePlus 2
938 Points -57%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
1132 Points -49%
Google Nexus 6P
1519 Points -31%
LG G4
513 Points -77%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
2207 Points 0%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
2229 (2043min) Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
1152 Points -48%
Huawei Mate 8
801 Points -64%
Huawei Mate S
259 Points -88%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
2601 Points +17%
OnePlus 2
846 Points -62%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
1074 Points -52%
Google Nexus 6P
1589 Points -29%
LG G4
440 Points -80%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
2773 Points +24%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
2121 (1594min) Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
1320 Points -38%
Huawei Mate 8
2552 Points +20%
Huawei Mate S
1051 Points -50%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
1676 Points -21%
OnePlus 2
1517 Points -28%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
1402 Points -34%
Google Nexus 6P
1317 Points -38%
LG G4
1216 Points -43%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
1288 Points -39%
PCMark for Android - Work performance score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
4660 Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
5050 Points +8%
Huawei Mate 8
7344 Points +58%
Huawei Mate S
4872 Points +5%
OnePlus 2
4282 Points -8%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
5094 Points +9%
Google Nexus 6P
4716 Points +1%
LG G4
4579 Points -2%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
6590 Points +41%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
2074 Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
1821 Points -12%
Huawei Mate 8
2046 Points -1%
Huawei Mate S
1222 Points -41%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
2206 Points +6%
OnePlus 2
1681 Points -19%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
1649 Points -20%
Google Nexus 6P
1405 Points -32%
LG G4
1596 Points -23%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
2410 Points +16%
System (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
4080 Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
3989 Points -2%
Huawei Mate 8
4064 Points 0%
Huawei Mate S
2129 Points -48%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
3925 Points -4%
OnePlus 2
2536 Points -38%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2737 Points -33%
Google Nexus 6P
1798 Points -56%
LG G4
2368 Points -42%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
3600 Points -12%
Memory (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
2072 Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
1426 Points -31%
Huawei Mate 8
2339 Points +13%
Huawei Mate S
1304 Points -37%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
1124 Points -46%
OnePlus 2
1297 Points -37%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
876 Points -58%
Google Nexus 6P
1136 Points -45%
LG G4
1558 Points -25%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
2035 Points -2%
Graphics (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
2203 Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
2489 Points +13%
Huawei Mate 8
1636 Points -26%
Huawei Mate S
962 Points -56%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
4299 Points +95%
OnePlus 2
2631 Points +19%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
3137 Points +42%
Google Nexus 6P
2424 Points +10%
LG G4
1995 Points -9%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
4710 Points +114%
PassMark PerformanceTest Mobile V1
System (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
8049 Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
8438 Points +5%
Huawei Mate 8
6990 Points -13%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
7975 Points -1%
OnePlus 2
6462 Points -20%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
7332 Points -9%
LG G4
7695 Points -4%
CPU Tests (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
225427 Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
176225 Points -22%
Huawei Mate 8
270825 Points +20%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
47850 Points -79%
OnePlus 2
126720 Points -44%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
127736 Points -43%
LG G4
103512 Points -54%
Disk Tests (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
36364 Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
68872 Points +89%
Huawei Mate 8
74503 Points +105%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
96768 Points +166%
OnePlus 2
44133 Points +21%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
34121 Points -6%
LG G4
67837 Points +87%
Memory Tests (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
6136 Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
6924 Points +13%
Huawei Mate 8
7338 Points +20%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
18062 Points +194%
OnePlus 2
6632 Points +8%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
6631 Points +8%
LG G4
6223 Points +1%
2D Graphics Tests (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
6382 Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
5274 Points -17%
Huawei Mate 8
6747 Points +6%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
4818 Points -25%
OnePlus 2
5395 Points -15%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
5907 Points -7%
LG G4
4850 Points -24%
3D Graphics Tests (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
2131 Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
2345 Points +10%
Huawei Mate 8
1548 Points -27%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
1972 Points -7%
OnePlus 2
1534 Points -28%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
1857 Points -13%
LG G4
2179 Points +2%
Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal - offscreen Overall Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
733 Points
Huawei Mate 8
347 Points -53%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
858 Points +17%
OnePlus 2
427 Points -42%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
478 Points -35%
Lightmark - 1920x1080 1080p (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
13.31 fps
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
9.97 fps -25%
Huawei Mate 8
7.9 fps -41%
OnePlus 2
15.68 fps +18%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
14.52 fps +9%
LG G4
8.74 fps -34%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
22.7 fps +71%
AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
128749 Points
Huawei Mate 8
93767 Points -27%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
133626 Points +4%
OnePlus 2
65936 Points -49%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
78324 Points -39%
Google Nexus 6P
79502 Points -38%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
131327 Points +2%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
15 fps
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
6.1 fps -59%
Huawei Mate 8
11 fps -27%
Huawei Mate S
4.4 fps -71%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
28 fps +87%
OnePlus 2
19 fps +27%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
19 fps +27%
Google Nexus 6P
9.5 fps -37%
LG G4
5.7 fps -62%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
15 fps 0%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
28 fps
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
13 fps -54%
Huawei Mate 8
10 fps -64%
Huawei Mate S
3.9 fps -86%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
28 fps 0%
OnePlus 2
19 fps -32%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
18 fps -36%
Google Nexus 6P
16 fps -43%
LG G4
10 fps -64%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
31 fps +11%
GFXBench
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
7.9 fps
Huawei Mate 8
6.7 fps -15%
OnePlus 2
11 fps +39%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
6.1 fps -23%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
9.4 fps +19%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
15 fps
Huawei Mate 8
6.2 fps -59%
OnePlus 2
11 fps -27%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
5.8 fps -61%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
18 fps +20%

Legend

 
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa, ARM Mali-T880 MP12, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
 
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Samsung Exynos 7420 Octa, ARM Mali-T760 MP8, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
 
Huawei Mate 8 HiSilicon Kirin 950, ARM Mali-T880 MP4, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Huawei Mate S HiSilicon Kirin 935, ARM Mali-T628 MP4, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Apple iPhone 6S Plus Apple A9, Apple A9 / PowerVR GT7600, Apple AP0064K (iPhone NVMe)
 
OnePlus 2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994, Qualcomm Adreno 430, 64 GB eMMC Flash
 
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994, Qualcomm Adreno 430, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Google Nexus 6P Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994, Qualcomm Adreno 430, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
LG G4 Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 MSM8992, Qualcomm Adreno 418, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996, Qualcomm Adreno 530,

We used Samsung's preloaded browser for the browsing benchmarks, which achieved a very good performance. It takes second place, behind the iPhone 6s Plus, in almost all benchmarks. Huawei's Mate 8 also defeats the Galaxy S7 in Basemark OS II. Consequently, it delivers an outstanding performance that is also reflected in real-world use.

WebXPRT 2015 - Overall (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Mali-T880 MP12, Exynos 8890, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
163 Points
Huawei Mate 8
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
139 Points -15%
Huawei Mate S
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 935, 32 GB eMMC Flash
73 Points -55%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
A9 / PowerVR GT7600, A9, Apple AP0064K (iPhone NVMe)
190 Points +17%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
80 Points -51%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
106 Points -35%
Google Nexus 6P
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
116 Points -29%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
82 Points -50%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996
108 Points -34%
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
113 Points -31%
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Mali-T880 MP12, Exynos 8890, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
13191 Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
8650 Points -34%
Huawei Mate 8
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
11329 Points -14%
Huawei Mate S
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 935, 32 GB eMMC Flash
4106 Points -69%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
A9 / PowerVR GT7600, A9, Apple AP0064K (iPhone NVMe)
15967 Points +21%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
6955 Points -47%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
8851 Points -33%
Google Nexus 6P
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
8804 Points -33%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
7832 (6791min) Points -41%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996
10559 Points -20%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996
8395 Points -36%
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
8059 Points -39%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Mali-T880 MP12, Exynos 8890, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
75.1 Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
49.19 Points -35%
Huawei Mate 8
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
65 Points -13%
Huawei Mate S
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 935, 32 GB eMMC Flash
25.41 Points -66%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
A9 / PowerVR GT7600, A9, Apple AP0064K (iPhone NVMe)
118.7 Points +58%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
44.29 Points -41%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
48.2 Points -36%
Google Nexus 6P
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
47.4 Points -37%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
43.12 Points -43%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996
64 Points -15%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996
55 Points -27%
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
46 Points -39%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Mali-T880 MP12, Exynos 8890, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
2564 ms *
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
4037 ms * -57%
Huawei Mate 8
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
3643 ms * -42%
Huawei Mate S
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 935, 32 GB eMMC Flash
11029 ms * -330%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
A9 / PowerVR GT7600, A9, Apple AP0064K (iPhone NVMe)
1743 ms * +32%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
6585 ms * -157%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
4377 ms * -71%
Google Nexus 6P
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
4193 ms * -64%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
4771 ms * -86%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996
6310 ms * -146%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996
2460 ms * +4%
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
5553 ms * -117%
BaseMark OS II - Web (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Mali-T880 MP12, Exynos 8890, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
994 Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
778 Points -22%
Huawei Mate 8
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1127 Points +13%
Huawei Mate S
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 935, 32 GB eMMC Flash
834 Points -16%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
A9 / PowerVR GT7600, A9, Apple AP0064K (iPhone NVMe)
1199 Points +21%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
923 Points -7%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
986 Points -1%
Google Nexus 6P
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
791 Points -20%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
881 Points -11%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996
985 Points -1%
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
837 Points -16%

* ... smaller is better

The UFS 2.0 flash memory by Samsung still belongs to the fast storage types. The performance has increased particularly in data read by approximately 50% compared with the predecessor and now achieves absurd rates of up to 487 MB/s in AndroBench. The S7 Edge only shows a slight weakness in writing small data blocks (4k) and is slower than the S6 Edge and Mate 8.

The smartphone's user has 32 GB of flash memory available. Approximately 25 GB gross of that is left. The 64 GB model is currently not intended for the European market. Expanding the storage by up to 200 GB is possible via a micro-SD card. Although Android 6.x Marshmallow supports managing the smartphone's flash memory and the micro-SD's storage as a virtual drive, Samsung has disabled it. The manufacturer reasons that memory cards are considerably slower than the flash memory and that would slow down the system. That appears to be a reasonable argument in view of the fast UFS 2.0 storage, although this decision should not be made for the buyer. Especially since the integrated micro-SD card slot in the Galaxy S7 is not at all that slow. We tested its speed with our Toshiba Exceria Pro M401 reference card (max. read: 95 MB/s, write: 80 MB/s), and the outcome of 76.43 MB/s (read) and 50.36 MB/s (write) makes it one of the faster kinds in smartphones even if the test card's potentials are not fully utilized.

AndroBench 3-5
Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Mali-T880 MP12, Exynos 8890, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
487.3 MB/s
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
319.3 MB/s -34%
Huawei Mate 8
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
238.3 MB/s -51%
Huawei Mate S
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 935, 32 GB eMMC Flash
144 MB/s -70%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
234.2 MB/s -52%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
256.8 MB/s -47%
Google Nexus 6P
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
236.3 MB/s -52%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
251 MB/s -48%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996
439 MB/s -10%
Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Mali-T880 MP12, Exynos 8890, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
145.1 MB/s
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
139.1 MB/s -4%
Huawei Mate 8
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
124.8 MB/s -14%
Huawei Mate S
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 935, 32 GB eMMC Flash
103.4 MB/s -29%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
125.5 MB/s -14%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
99.4 MB/s -31%
Google Nexus 6P
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
122.5 MB/s -16%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
153 MB/s +5%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996
142 MB/s -2%
Random Read 4KB (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Mali-T880 MP12, Exynos 8890, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
86.7 MB/s
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
77.4 MB/s -11%
Huawei Mate 8
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
24.98 MB/s -71%
Huawei Mate S
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 935, 32 GB eMMC Flash
27.25 MB/s -69%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
21.87 MB/s -75%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
19.11 MB/s -78%
Google Nexus 6P
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
20.1 MB/s -77%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
31.5 MB/s -64%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996
101 MB/s +16%
Random Write 4KB (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Mali-T880 MP12, Exynos 8890, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
15.79 MB/s
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
19.84 MB/s +26%
Huawei Mate 8
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
15.74 MB/s 0%
Huawei Mate S
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 935, 32 GB eMMC Flash
17.74 MB/s +12%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
13.94 MB/s -12%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
14.53 MB/s -8%
Google Nexus 6P
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
11.79 MB/s -25%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
15 MB/s -5%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996
12.9 MB/s -18%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Mali-T880 MP12, Exynos 8890, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
76.4 MB/s
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Mali-T880 MP12, Exynos 8890, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
50.4 MB/s
PassMark PerformanceTest Mobile V1 - Disk Tests (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Mali-T880 MP12, Exynos 8890, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
36364 Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
68872 Points +89%
Huawei Mate 8
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
74503 Points +105%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
A9 / PowerVR GT7600, A9, Apple AP0064K (iPhone NVMe)
96768 Points +166%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
44133 Points +21%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
34121 Points -6%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
67837 Points +87%
BaseMark OS II - Memory (sort by value)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Mali-T880 MP12, Exynos 8890, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
2072 Points
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
1426 Points -31%
Huawei Mate 8
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
2339 Points +13%
Huawei Mate S
Mali-T628 MP4, Kirin 935, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1304 Points -37%
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
A9 / PowerVR GT7600, A9, Apple AP0064K (iPhone NVMe)
1124 Points -46%
OnePlus 2
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 64 GB eMMC Flash
1297 Points -37%
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
876 Points -58%
Google Nexus 6P
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1136 Points -45%
LG G4
Adreno 418, 808 MSM8992, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1558 Points -25%
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MDP
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996
2035 Points -2%
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
1945 Points -6%

Games

Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge presently sports one of the strongest SoCs. The GPU also provides a lot of power and supports the new Vulkan API. The touchscreen responds very fast and accurate, and the sensors also function impeccably. Only the speaker's positioning is unfavorable in landscape mode because it is easily covered by a hand. The benchmarks also show that the smartphone does not have any problems with up-to-date games. However, the frame rates seem limited in Asphalt 8 because they remain at pretty exactly 30 FPS. Nevertheless, there is more than enough power for all current games.

Beyond that, Samsung offers useful features for gamers with Game Launcher and Game Tools that we described extensively in the review of the Galaxy S7. It makes it possible to disable notifications during games or make a video of the game. However, the recording is a bit jerky and could have a higher resolution.

Asphalt 8: Airborne
 SettingsValue
 high31 fps
 very low30 fps
Real Racing 3
 SettingsValue
 high44 fps
Temple Run 2
 SettingsValue
 default60 fps
Dead Trigger 2
 SettingsValue
 high56 fps

Emissions

Temperature

Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge behaves exemplary in terms of surface temperatures. While the rates never exceed 28.3 °C in idle mode, they remain comparatively low during permanent load. We measured a maximum of just 40.0 °C. That is excellent in view of the SoC's extreme power. Other smartphones get palpably warmer, for example the Lumia 950 XL that reaches up to 45.8 °C in some places.

It is also relevant what it looks like under the hood. We therefore tested the SoC's performance stability during permanent load with the battery test of GFXBench. The T-Rex test is performed 30 times in succession, and the frame rates are recorded in addition to the battery state. Throttling started after two-thirds of the test, and the performance dropped by approximately 54%. The system recovered slightly a bit later, and the performance fluctuated from 58 to 69% of the initial performance.

Max. Load
 40 °C
104 F
39.8 °C
104 F
37.2 °C
99 F
 
 39 °C
102 F
38.7 °C
102 F
35.5 °C
96 F
 
 37.3 °C
99 F
36 °C
97 F
33.6 °C
92 F
 
Maximum: 40 °C = 104 F
Average: 37.5 °C = 100 F
35.4 °C
96 F
37.6 °C
100 F
39.1 °C
102 F
34.7 °C
94 F
36.7 °C
98 F
35.4 °C
96 F
33.9 °C
93 F
34 °C
93 F
34.3 °C
94 F
Maximum: 39.1 °C = 102 F
Average: 35.7 °C = 96 F
Power Supply (max.)  30.4 °C = 87 F | Room Temperature 21.8 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 37.5 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 40 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 39.1 °C / 102 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.1 °C / 81 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.

Speaker

Pink Noise diagram
Pink Noise diagram

Like the S7, the mono speaker in Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge offers a comparatively good sound and achieved a maximum volume of up to 88.66 dB(A) in our test. As expected, the sound is very treble-heavy and already distorts slightly at medium volume. That is more audible when the smartphone is turned up to maximum. We also perceived a light background noise in quieter music pieces. The frequencies are very treble-heavy, but the super high tones are excluded from this; the mids are only very weak and are massively drowned out, and bass is not at all rendered. The speaker is absolutely sufficient for everyday use - but a better sound experience is achieved with connections via Bluetooth or the audio jack.

The latter makes a good impression with the included headset. The bass could be a bit more powerful and be more present. Purely subjectively, the jack makes a positive impression and shines with clean and low-noise transmission when using high-quality headphones.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The power consumption of Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge is very low and does not give reason for complaint. Even the power supply can stay connected to an outlet since it has an energy requirement of just 0.005 watts.

It should be noted that using the Always On Display in standby strongly affects power consumption. Depending on what is displayed, the power consumption ranges from 0.21 to 0.82 watts, which is sometimes higher than when the panel is permanently used in minimum brightness. The maximum standby power consumption is only short when the display changes its position.

The smartphone supports Quick Charge and can be fully recharged within 98 minutes using the included power supply. 26% is reached after just 20 minutes, 50% after 40 minutes, and 80% is reached after 66 minutes. Using a wireless charger will increase this time slightly.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.01 / 0.09 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 0.63 / 1.1 / 1.56 Watt
Load midlight 5.95 / 6.7 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Gossen Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Mali-T880 MP12, Exynos 8890, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Mali-T760 MP8, Exynos 7420, 32 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
Motorola Moto X Force
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
A9 / PowerVR GT7600, A9, Apple AP0064K (iPhone NVMe)
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
Adreno 430, 810 MSM8994, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Huawei Mate 8
Mali-T880 MP4, Kirin 950, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Power Consumption
18%
-22%
-9%
-144%
-21%
Idle Minimum *
0.63
0.5
21%
0.96
-52%
0.5
21%
2.85
-352%
0.85
-35%
Idle Average *
1.1
0.9
18%
1.35
-23%
1.9
-73%
2.95
-168%
2.07
-88%
Idle Maximum *
1.56
1.3
17%
1.4
10%
2.2
-41%
3.26
-109%
2.28
-46%
Load Average *
5.95
3.8
36%
6.11
-3%
3.2
46%
8.92
-50%
3.91
34%
Load Maximum *
6.7
6.8
-1%
9.43
-41%
6.4
4%
9.39
-40%
4.69
30%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
27h 43min
WiFi Websurfing
12h 12min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
15h 14min
Load (maximum brightness)
6h 32min

Battery Runtime

Compared with the predecessor, the battery's capacity has increased massively, and Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge takes advantage of that. With 3600 mAh, the battery is incredibly strong and is only surpassed by the Mate 8.

The review sample does an outstanding job in our runtime tests and clearly outruns most rivals. Only the Mate 8 can stand up to the combination of low consumption and high-capacity battery.

It is also possible to extend the runtime a bit more with the ultra-energy-savings mode. However, the features are then also limited.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
13.86 Wh, 95
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
10 Wh, 92
Samsung Galaxy S7
11.55 Wh, 92.6
Huawei Mate 8
 Wh, 96
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
13 Wh, 89.8
Apple iPhone 6S Plus
10 Wh, 91.9
Motorola Moto X Force
 Wh, 91
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
13 Wh, 91
Battery Runtime
-36%
-17%
0%
-43%
-26%
-21%
-43%
Reader / Idle
1663
1349
-19%
1810
9%
1872
13%
1078
-35%
1655
0%
1610
-3%
1277
-23%
H.264
914
417
-54%
892
-2%
963
5%
611
-33%
714
-22%
710
-22%
411
-55%
WiFi v1.3
732
534
-27%
456
-38%
865
18%
369
-50%
513
-30%
426
-42%
372
-49%
Load
392
224
-43%
242
-38%
256
-35%
179
-54%
197
-50%
330
-16%
210
-46%

Pros

+ superb camera
+ lightning-fast SoC
+ expandable storage
+ dust and water proof (IP68)
+ outstanding screen
+ great battery life
+ Quick Charge and wireless charging
+ voice quality
+ good headset included
+ OTG adapter included

Cons

- no infrared sensor
- no radio receiver
- Live View in Pro Mode not always reliable
- micro-USB 2.0 only
- no MHL or SlimPort support

Verdict

In review: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. Review sample courtesy of Notebooksbilliger.de
In review: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. Review sample courtesy of Notebooksbilliger.de

Samsung has developed an outstanding smartphone visually and technically, and it sets standards. The Korean manufacturer could have offered more in connectivity in terms of more modern LTE and also primarily in terms of interfaces. Particularly the lack of USB Type-C has to be criticized here.

Otherwise, Samsung does almost everything right. The screen is the best that we have ever tested in a smartphone up to the time of writing, and the camera shoots great photos even in low-light. Above all, the exceptionally good battery life boosts the added value over that of the standard Galaxy S7. The dual-edge screen looks good, but is a matter of taste. A curved screen is needed in the fewest cases to offer these additional features.

Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge fuses fast performance, brilliant screen, superb camera and strong battery life in one device.

Samsung can therefore rightly defend its top position among the smartphones with its new Galaxy S7 lineup. However, these models can sooner be seen as product maintenance rather than shining with innovative power.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge - 12/09/2016 v6(old)
Daniel Schmidt

Chassis
94%
Keyboard
72 / 75 → 96%
Pointing Device
92%
Connectivity
51 / 60 → 85%
Weight
92%
Battery
95%
Display
92%
Games Performance
59 / 63 → 93%
Application Performance
60 / 70 → 86%
Temperature
91%
Noise
100%
Audio
69 / 91 → 76%
Camera
94%
Average
82%
91%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

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Daniel Schmidt, 2016-03-27 (Update: 2018-05-15)