I feel like a broken record when I say this, but the Galaxy S7 edge is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best smartphones you can buy in Malaysia now. Mostly because when it came to Samsung’s two new flagship devices, only one made its way onto our shores…until now.
But, why would you want to pick up the “little brother” Galaxy S7 smartphone instead of just going the extra mile for the bigger, more prestigious S7 edge? Well, now we’re going to tell you.
Cost
Sure, when I say “go the extra mile” it sounds like an insignificant amount, but if you really do the math (there isn’t actually that much math, it just sounds more dramatic like this), picking up the Galaxy S7 over the edge variant will save you RM400.
That’s a lot of dough no matter how you slice it. Let’s say you have RM3,099 to spend on a smartphone, you could just pick up the Galaxy S7 edge and that will be the end of it. But, if you were to opt for the Galaxy S7 (RM2,699) instead, you would have enough money to pick up a 128GB microSD card and still have about RM150-RM170 leftover to splurge on a case and screen protector of your choice.
All the power, none of the drawbacks
You’ve probably heard of the Galaxy S7 edge’s problems with palm rejection and accidental presses due to the dual-edge screen. Well, the Galaxy S7 doesn’t have any of those problems plus it comes in a smaller form factor so that makes one-handed usage all the easier.
What’s more, the smartphone loses none of the power packed into its larger sibling. It still has that magnificent Exynos 8890 octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM and that gorgeous quad-HD SuperAMOLED display. In fact, the display looks even better because the same amount of pixels are placed on a smaller 5.1-inch panel which translates to a higher pixel density of 577ppi.
The higher pixel density doesn’t only mean a better viewing experience in normal circumstances, it is also better for VR content consumption.
Sure, you must be thinking: “But wait, the S7 has a smaller battery, shouldn’t that impact battery life?”. Well, yes, but it also has a smaller display which allows the device to be more frugal than its larger sibling so we should see roughly the same battery performance despite the smaller 3.000 mAh cell.
It still packs that awesome rear camera
Yup, all 12-megapixels of Dual Pixel glory. Easily one of the strongest highlights of Samsung’s new flagship smartphones comes mounted to the back of their devices. The primary camera is something absolutely remarkable not only because of how well it takes photos but also how easy and snappy it is to just point and shoot.
The Dual Pixel technology allows near instantaneous focusing in almost all lighting conditions and the larger 1.4micron pixels paired with a super fast f/1.7 aperture lens translates to an epic low light performance. What’s more, with the smaller footprint, it makes one-handed snapshots that much easier.
Better for smaller hands
People often complain that smartphones don’t come in small sizes anymore. I agree with that, but I’m someone who likes big smartphones so that really doesn’t bother me at all.
I do know that there are many people with small hands who really want a smaller smartphone. While I don’t think this smartphone is reasonable enough to use on the daily, the Galaxy S7’s 5.1-inch form factor hits a sweet spot.
You get a large enough display to enjoy all the awesome things a smartphone has to give but it’s small enough to fit in one hand. The S7 also has a much more noticeable curve on the back (think Note5) so that makes it even easier and more comfortable to hold in the hand.
You really don’t lose much of anything by picking up the Galaxy S7. Unless you’re hard pressed on the larger 5.5-inch display, I would definitely say pick up the regular S7 and save yourself a considerable chunk of cash without losing any of the magic that makes the S7 edge the amazing smartphone that it is.
