Both ordinary mobile users and fans of the products of the South Korean brand Samsung could not help but notice that when releasing new top-end devices, the manufacturing company tries to equip them as much as possible with new technical innovations.
The current gadget in the branded line is the Galaxy S7 model. It is quite natural that many people immediately asked the following question: “So what is the difference between the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the S6, what are its advantages over the previous hit?”
Of course, you can simply base your purchase on the feasibility of the purchase, taking into account factors such as the cost and functionality of the phone.
But, if you are used to “weighing” everything before purchasing, then it is important for you to compare these two devices. So what are the differences between the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S6? Let's figure it out.
Price
The prices for these models differ. Thus, the Samsung Galaxy S6 can now be purchased at a price starting from 26,000 rubles, and the official cost of a smartphone in company stores is no less than 35,000 rubles.
You'll have to pay a lot more for the Galaxy S7. In small online stores the price starts from 39,000 thousand rubles, in official stores – 50,000 rubles.
Characteristics: comparison
If you are interested in how the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S6 differ in terms of characteristics, then it is immediately impossible not to note that the “newbie” has many advantages over the “old man”. And the benefits are obvious.
- The new smartphone has a faster processor.
- The S7 has an excellent camera, recognized as one of the best among all other flagships.
- An important parameter is support for MicroSD memory cards.
- Protection not only from pollution, but also from moisture. The smartphone can withstand immersion in water for half an hour at a depth of up to one meter.
- The device works in the most modern 4G LTE networks, even those that are just being tested.
- There is Always-on display technology. This is accelerated access to notifications and time.
- The Galaxy S7 has a unique curved back surface.
- Energy saving technologies have been improved.
- The battery has become noticeably more capacious.
Differences in external parameters
The developers of the manufacturing company introduced a lot of innovations into the design of the “newbie”, despite their commitment to tradition.
Thus, the shape of the new smartphone has become closer to the Note 5. This has made the smartphone smaller and more ergonomic compared to the S6 model.
On the “seven”, the back side almost does not protrude against the background of the back cover, in contrast to the “six”, where this module is clearly noticeable.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 has become heavier and a little thicker due to the fact that it has a more reinforced body.
This was done to achieve the IP68 waterproof standard. The size of the flagship was also influenced by the use of a more capacious battery. It now has 3000 mAh.
In any case, what to buy is up to everyone to decide for themselves. In my opinion, purchasing a Galaxy S7 is much more practical.
Even if you are short on funds, you can look for acceptable offers at very attractive prices in branded stores.
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It’s strange that we still haven’t made a comparison between Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Galaxy S6: how much is the “newbie” superior to its predecessor, which smartphone will ultimately become the best buy now?
Based on the feasibility of the purchase, the main factor of choice will be the price/capability ratio of the smartphone. At the moment, the Samsung Galaxy S6 in Russia can be purchased starting from 27,000 rubles, while the official price in Samsung branded showrooms and stores of its retail partners is 34,990 rubles.
In this case, we are considering the basic version of the Galaxy S6 32 Gb without Dual-SIM. For the Duos option you will have to pay a little more - from 33,500 rubles, since these handsets are officially supplied to Russia only with a memory capacity of 64 GB.
The Samsung Galaxy S7 has minimal variety of choices. In fact, we have one model with a memory capacity of 32 GB and support for two SIM cards. Now Samsung Galaxy S7 32 Gb can be purchased at a price of 39,000 rubles in small online stores, but the official recommended price is still 49,990 rubles.
Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Galaxy S6: comparison of characteristics
In terms of technical characteristics, the new Samsung Galaxy S7 is clearly superior to its predecessor:
- Much faster processor (for Russia and CIS countries - Exynos 8890).
- Excellent camera, the best among smartphones at the moment.
- MicroSD memory card support. This is actually a very important parameter.
- Work in the most modern 4G LTE networks, even those that are only being tested even in South Korea itself.
- A noticeably more capacious battery and better energy-saving technologies.
However, this superiority cannot be called overwhelming. For example, compared to the Galaxy Note 3, its “successor” Note 4 was a much more technically advanced product, literally crammed with innovation, which cannot be said about the Galaxy S7. Rather, it is a very high-quality and well-thought-out product, during the creation of which a lot of work was done to correct errors and a number of interesting features were introduced, such as a new camera.
Buyer decides
However, in any case, the buyer puts an end to the Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Galaxy S6 dispute. In our opinion, it makes sense to buy a Galaxy S6 now only during promotions, when its price can be reduced even in reputable retail outlets to 30,000 rubles; in all other cases, buying a Galaxy S7 will definitely be more practical. Even if you are short on funds, there are many offers from reliable stores at very attractive prices.
(No ratings yet)
Both phones are actively sold on the domestic market and are receiving positive reviews. They cost approximately the same and are flagship models from different manufacturers’ lines.
Competitors
Both the sixth iPhone and the Galaxy S7 have their competitors who are in the same price category. These are the famous iPhone 6s Plus, OnePlus 3T and even the older version from Samusng – S8. Let's share links of phone reviews with competitors:
iPhone 6s comparison:
- vs 6S plus
- vs Xiaomi Mi5 – .
Samsung S7 comparison:
- vs OnePlus 3T – available
- vs S8 – .
- vs iPhone SE – .
- vs iPhone 6s plus – .
- vs Huawei P9 – .
If you are in doubt about your choice, be sure to consider all possible competitors for the phone you are choosing. Don't focus on just one thing.
Parameter table
In the table we indicate the main characteristics of both models and cost. The comparison involved phones with 32 GB of memory “on board”.
| iPhone 6s | Galaxy S7 | |
| Price | 39-40 thousand rubles | 35-38 thousand rubles |
| Display | 4.7 inches, 1334x750 | 5.1 inches, 2560x1440 (QHD) |
| CPU | Apple A9 | Exynos 8890 |
| Graphic arts | MALI T880 MP12 | |
| RAM | 1 GB | 4 GB |
| Disk | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| Rear camera | 12 MP, f/2.2 | |
| Battery | 14 hours talk time | 3000 mAh |
| Dust and water protection |
These 2 smartphones are fundamentally different, so comparing them is not entirely appropriate. But we'll try.
Displays
The first obvious difference is the displays, their diagonal, resolution. Many users are unknowingly disappointed when they see the resolution of the iPhone 6S, which is not FullHD, but only HD in 2017! But in reality, with a diagonal of 4.7 inches, the FullHD display is simply stupid. Apple finds a balance between screen size and resolution. As a result, the resolution of 1334x750 fits perfectly into the specified diagonal: there is absolutely no pixelation, unnecessary load on the processor is eliminated, unnecessary battery consumption is also eliminated, the picture is as comfortable as possible for the user. In addition, there is a Retina display, which means colors will look natural even at the widest viewing angles, and the brightness margin is huge. In two words – the display is beautiful.
The screen on the Samsung Galaxy S7 is also great. This is a SuperAMOLED display with QHD resolution and a diagonal of 5.1 inches. SuperAMOLED technology is supposed to be the best technology today and many other manufacturers are trying to get their hands on it for use in their smartphones. In our opinion, the resolution of 2560x1440 is unnecessary here; simple HD or, at most, FullHD would be enough. QHD is, of course, cool, but it has little practical use. You won’t notice the difference in the picture on such a small diagonal (even just HD will look good on a 5.1-inch display), and the load on the processor and battery increases greatly. Therefore, here QHD is a simple marketing ploy, and not the most successful one.
But it’s worth paying tribute to: the display in the Samsung Galaxy S7 is good: it behaves well in the sun (there are no glares or reflections), there is a large brightness reserve, and the color rendition is natural. Samsung specialists even took care of users who are used to wearing glasses with a polarizing filter. A regular screen, when viewed with these glasses, turns black at a certain angle, but not the Galaxy S7 display. This is the first display to provide such a detail.
And finally, the highlight is the Always On Display technology, which displays the clock, date, battery charge or anything else of your choice on the locked screen. Now you don’t need to press buttons for the screen to light up and display the necessary information. At the same time, this technology consumes extremely little electricity. For a whole day of work, supporting Always On Display technology takes only 2-3% of the battery charge.
It's difficult to draw conclusions. Both the iPhone 6S and Galaxy S7 have cool screens. But thanks to some new technologies, Samsung's SuperAMOLED display wins. Important: this victory is not at all due to the higher resolution. To some extent this is a disadvantage here.
Processor: Apple A9 vs Exynos 8890
CPU in Galaxy S7
Two different chips can be used here: Exynos 8890 or Snapdragon 820. The most commonly used proprietary processor is Exynos 8890, and models with SD 820 are extremely rare. Therefore, locally look towards the Exynos 8890. This is a pretty cool processor for the flagship Samsung line. It can also be used in later phones: Galaxy S7 Edge+ or Galaxy Note 6.
This chip runs on ARMv8 architecture and has eight cores: 4 high-performance M1 cores, 4 energy-saving cores - Cortex-A53 (low performance). There is also ARM Mali T880MP12 graphics.
The Snapdragon 820 processor, which this flagship can also use, shows similar results in the performance test. But due to higher power consumption, it will have approximately 10% less battery life, and the camera's focusing speed will be slightly slower, which is a disadvantage of the Snapdragon 820. Therefore, we recommend choosing the Galaxy S7 with Exynos processor.
Apple A9
Without going into technical details, the performance of the iPhone 6S can be characterized as follows: all sites open extremely quickly, the interface works without the slightest slowdown or freezes, applications and games show high FPS.
According to the Antutu benchmark, the iPhone 6S scores 132,606 points and takes 32nd place in the overall rating among all smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy S7 is in 22nd position in the ranking with a score of 140,407 points.
These results were published on the official Antutu blog. It follows that the Galaxy S7 is more powerful, and the Exynos 8890 outperforms the Apple A9. The winner is a Korean-made Samsung product.
Camera comparison
Let's start with S7. The camera used here is the Sony IMX260, which was originally developed specifically for this flagship. The lens aperture is f/1.7, which is good (compared to the standard f/2.0). Unlike other cameras, focusing in the Sony IMX260 is carried out over the entire area of the matrix (the technology is called Dual Pixel), which means that each pixel takes part in focusing, which increases the brightness and clarity of the image. This is especially noticeable in evening photos in low light. The camera cannot be called strong, but it is definitely better than the cameras of many competitive flagships.
Examples of photos on S7
Now about the iPhone 6S. We were unable to find accurate information about the iPhone 6S sensor. It has a resolution of 12 megapixels, an aperture of f/2.2 (which is worse compared to the S7), the presence of an HDR mode, and True Tone Flash. But there is no optical stabilization (like in Samsung).
Examples of photos on iPhone 6S
It is difficult to determine the winner in this pair, because... The photos on both smartphones are decent. Subjectively, we will give the victory to the Samsung Galaxy S7. Visually it seems that the quality is better there, although it is very difficult to notice the difference by eye.
Autonomy
According to the manufacturer, the iPhone 6S can withstand 14 hours of talk time, 11 hours of video viewing and 50 hours of music. Of course, these are approximate figures, but it can be argued that every evening or night the phone will have to be charged. This is the "standard" for a modern phone.
The battery capacity of the Galaxy S7 is higher – 3000 mAh, but this is indirectly related to autonomy. After all, the operating time of phones is also about optimization, the correct consumption of energy by components. Samsung does a good job with this: video playback at maximum brightness is 13 hours. This indirectly confirms autonomy. Some users claim that in “economy mode” the phone lasts 2 days, and there are those who manage to use up the charge in 3 days, but this is already a perversion.
Be that as it may, the S7 has a little better battery life, so the winner is the flagship from Samsung.
Other differences
IP68 dust and water protection is a feature of the S7. You can drown it and nothing will happen to it. Not only can water not get inside, but also the components are protected with a special solution (impregnation) that repels water. USB connectors are also protected.
Today we will compare Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S7: in what ways the new flagship is superior to its predecessor and is it worth paying for these advantages.
Of course, the new Samsung Galaxy S7 is in many ways ahead of the Galaxy S6 released last year. Otherwise, what would be the point of releasing a new product? However, in detail the superiority is not entirely overwhelming, and in many cases the old flagship is not far behind the new one. Moreover, not all the bells and whistles of the “seventh galaxy” will be in demand in practice. However, everything is in order.
So, the main advantages of the new Samsung Galaxy S7 compared to the Galaxy S6.
Firstly, the new Exynos 8 Octa 8890 processor with custom cores developed by Samsung Exynos M1. Currently, it is the leader in multi-threaded computing, and in terms of single-core operations it has practically caught up with the Apple A9 (Apple processors are traditionally strong in the latter “discipline”).
Secondly, a large amount of RAM and the ability to install a MicroSD memory card. With the release of the Galaxy S7, Samsung corrected last year's mistake.
Thirdly, the new Samsung Galaxy S7 by default comes in the Duos version with the ability to install two SIM cards, which is not the case with the Galaxy S6.
Fourthly, the “seven” has a higher data transfer speed in 4G LTE networks - with a great reserve for the future.
Fifthly, despite almost the same screen as the Galaxy S6, the new Samsung Galaxy S7 has an interesting Active-On Display option, which allows you to display various useful information on the display even when the smartphone is in standby mode. In this case, the battery charge is practically not wasted.
Sixthly, the Samsung Galaxy S7 has an incredible camera that is head and shoulders above its predecessor. And that already says it all.
Seventh, the new battery has a capacity of 3000 mAh, while the Galaxy S6 has only 2550.
It would seem that the price remains on the side of the “good old” Samsung Galaxy S6, but you can hardly even now buy the official “six” for less than 35,000 rubles, and the new Galaxy S7 can be found for only 40,000. The difference is very small, but how many new possibilities!
Comparison of Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S7 parameters
| Samsung Galaxy S6 | Samsung Galaxy S7 | |
|---|---|---|
"Iron" |
||
| Chipset | Exynos 7 Octa 7420 | Exynos 8 Octa 8890 |
| CPU | Octa-core, 2100 MHz, ARM Cortex-A57 and ARM Cortex-A53, 64-bit | Octa-core, 2300 MHz, Exynos M1 and ARM Cortex-A53, 64-bit |
| Graphic arts | Mali-T760 MP8 | Mali-T880 MP12 |
| RAM | 3072 MB RAM | 4096 MB RAM |
| Storage device | 32/64/128 Gb | 32/64 Gb |
| Memory expansion | No | microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC up to 200 Gb |
Connection |
||
| GSM | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz |
| UMTS | 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz | 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz |
| LTE frequencies | 700 (band 12), 700 (band 17), 800 (band 18), 800 (band 19), 800 (band 20), 850 (band 5), 850 (band 26), 900 (band 8), 1700/ 2100 (band 4), 1800 (band 3), 1900 (band 2), 2100 (band 1), 2600 (band 7) MHz | |
| Data transfer | LTE-A Cat 6 (300/50 Mbit/s), HSPA (unspecified), HSUPA, UMTS | LTE-A Cat 9 (450/50 Mbit/s), HSPA (unspecified), UMTS |
| SIM card format | nano-SIM | nano-SIM |
| Dual-SIM | Optional | Yes |
| Navigation | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass (Russia), BeiDou (China) | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass (Russia) |
Screen |
||
| Diagonal | 5.1 inches | 5.1 inches |
| Permission | 1440 x 2560 pixels QHD | 1440 x 2560 pixels QHD |
| Pixel Density | 577 ppi | 576 ppi |
| Technology | Super AMOLED | Super AMOLED |
| Ratio to dimensions | 70.48 % | 70.63 % |
Communication capabilities |
||
| Bluetooth | 4.1 | 4.2 |
| WiFi | 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, dual-band | |
| USB | USB 2.0 (microUSB) OTG | USB 2.0 (microUSB) OTG |
| Mobile payments | Samsung Pay (NFC + MSF) | Samsung Pay (NFC + MSF) |
| Other options | NFC, DLNA, Miracast, ANT+, Infrared, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync | NFC, DLNA, ANT+, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync |
Camera |
||
| Main camera | 16 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
| Flash | LED | LED |
| Diaphragm | F1.9 | F1.7 |
| Focal length (35mm equivalent) | 28 mm | 26 m |
| Sensor dimensions | 1/2.6″ | 1/2.5″ |
| Pixel size | 1.12 μm | 1.4 μm |
| Possibilities | Optical image stabilization, autofocus, touch focus, manual focus, face and smile detection, voice control, timer, Geo tagging, HDR | Optical image stabilization, autofocus (every second pixel), touch focus, manual focus, face and smile detection, voice control, timer, Geo tagging, HDR, RAW |
| Video recording | 3840×2160 (4K) (30 fps), 1920×1080 (1080p HD) (60 fps), 1280×720 (720p HD) (120 fps) | 3840×2160 (4K) (30 fps), 1920×1080 (1080p HD) (60 fps), 1280×720 (720p HD) (240 fps) |
| Front-camera | 5 megapixels | 5 megapixels |
Battery and power |
||
| Battery capacity | 2550 mAh | 3000 mAh |
| Wireless charger | Qi, Powermat | Qi, Powermat |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
Other options |
||
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall, Barometer | |
| OS | Android 5.0 Lollipop (upgrade to Android 6.0.1 available) | Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow |
Price (32 Gb version) |
||
| Starting price (USA) | € 899 | $ 699 |
| Starting price (Russia) | RUB 46,990 | RUB 49,990 |
Samsung Galaxy S7 - one of the most anticipated smartphones of the first half of 2016 - fully met the expectations of fans of the South Korean manufacturer and was generally liked by the majority of interested users. Along with this, many potential buyers have a completely logical question: is it worth upgrading from the S6 model, or are the differences between the two smartphones not so significant? More on this later.
Design Features
The materials used to produce the smartphone, as well as the design of the device, are superior in all respects to those of the S5 model. In the new product of 2016, the manufacturer decided not to stray from the chosen path and retained the best features of the S6 without making almost any noticeable changes. The list of these includes only the following points:
- part of the camera no longer protrudes above the back cover;
- the edges of the rear panel have become rounded, like Samsung Note 5;
- a slot for microSD flash cards has appeared;
- the case became waterproof;
- The thickness of the case has increased slightly, primarily due to an increase in battery capacity.
Overall, the 2016 model fits more comfortably and ergonomically in the hand, without slipping or causing any other inconvenience.
Display
Samsung Galaxy S6 was equipped with a QHD display with a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels. Overall the screen is still one of the best on the market.
How are things going with the S7 model? The new product is equipped with a similar QHD Amoled display with a diagonal of 5.1 inches. Among the innovations, the Always On mode should be noted: when activated, indicators of time, battery charge, notifications of missed calls and received messages, etc. are beautifully and compactly placed in the center of the display. You can select different options for displaying image data.
For example, the G5 and V10 models from LG are equipped with similar displays.
Camera
The predecessor was equipped with a 16 megapixel camera, allowing you to take high-quality photos with realistic color reproduction and shoot excellent videos. The number of megapixels in the S7 model is 12, but the quality has increased significantly. The whole secret lies in the Britecell module: the resolution of the physical matrix is 24 megapixels, but the finished image is formatted into 12 megapixels by combining adjacent dots. As a result of such processing, the sharpness of the image increases and higher clarity is provided.
According to the manufacturer, the Galaxy S7 has an almost instantaneous autofocus function, which is also a serious advantage for users who prefer to take photos and shoot videos using a smartphone.
Battery
The battery capacity has increased by 400 mAh compared to the Galaxy S6 and is now 3000 mAh. Just like its predecessor, the 2016 flagship has super battery saving features and quick battery life recovery. On average, it takes 80-90 minutes to fully charge the Galaxy S7 battery. Additional benefits include wireless charging.
Processor and operating system
The 2016 model is powered by Exynos 8890 or Snapdragon 820 processors, depending on the recipient country. The Galaxy S6 was powered by an Exynos7420 processor, the characteristics of which roughly correspond to those of the Snapdragon 810.
The amount of RAM also differs: the new product has 4 GB versus 3 GB for the Galaxy S6 model.
The 2016 flagship initially runs on the latest version of Android Marshmallow at the time the device was released. Along with this, a new version of the mobile operating system is also available to owners of the Galaxy S6.
Samsung's proprietary custom shell, TouchWiz, has undergone virtually no changes compared to the shells of the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+.
Price
But here, the Galaxy S6 has a clear advantage. This smartphone can already be found within 30,000 thousand rubles, when as a new product in 2016 it will cost an average of 40,000 rubles, and in the case of the Galaxy S7 Edge you will have to pay about 50,000 rubles.
Thus, in our opinion, there is no need to rush out and exchange the Galaxy S6 for a brand new flagship. And the biggest difference between one and the other is the new memory card slot and moisture protection. If these indicators are not very critical for you, you can safely take the Galaxy S6 - its power is still quite enough for all tasks, and the money saved on the purchase will not be superfluous. Or choose something else - the 7th “Galaxy” with other gadgets.
P.S. Give a like if you think it’s too early to write off the “old S6”! Or write in the comments why you think differently!
