Sketchy Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Plus case leak suggests very little design change from S6

With only a couple of months (or possibly weeks) left until Samsung reveals its Galaxy S lineup for 2016, a bunch of cases for the unreleased phone have shown up online. Some cheap cases now on sale from DHGate.com allegedly fit the S7 and S7 Plus…

If the dummy unit shown inside the cases is anything close to accurate, we’ll most likely see a phone which barely departs from the S6, although the appearance of a ‘Plus’ model is slightly puzzling. With Samsung already selling the Note 5 and S6 Edge+, launching a new plus-sized flagship would surely make the market place more confusing for the average consumer than it already is.

With the cases — spotted by Steve Hemmerstoffer and GizmoChina — only costing less than $2 each wholesale, we’re not expecting these particular accessories to be of the highest quality in materials or fit and finish. In this case (pun not intended) it’s probably best to save your money and wait until the likes of Spigen, Incipio and Otterbox show off their wares.

With all that said, it’s important not to look for too much detail within the dummy model sat inside the cases. It’s so rough-looking, it’s hardly likely to give us any indication of the finer details within the phone’s design. Apart from assuming the phone will look similar to the Galaxy S6, we’re hesitant to comment on any of the other details shown. These early dummy leaks are rarely entirely accurate in regards to sensor placement, button shape or coloring. In fact, the case itself might be a complete guess from the maker, and might not fit the phone at all.

We’re expecting Samsung to announce its next flagship phones at MWC in Barcelona next year, although there have been rumors we could see an earlier launch. Possibly even as early as January. Regardless of when the phone is due to arrive, the one specification we’re fairly confident on is that the Galaxy S7 will be powered — once again — by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

The newly announced SD820 chip hosts only four cores, but Qualcomm promises it’s not only more powerful than the octa-core 810, it’s also more efficient and has a much better image processing for stunning camera shots. We’re only expecting the Snapdragon 820 processor-equipped versions to land in the US and China, while other markets will get the version equipped with Samsung’s own newly announced Exynos 8890 chip.

With competitive handsets being available at more affordable prices, companies like Samsung are struggling to sell their most powerful handsets at traditional flagship prices. At least, when compared to sales of previous years, it’s taking more effort to convince consumers to cough up $600-$700 when you can get a great phone for less than $500 these days. With that said, all eyes are on the upcoming Galaxy S7. Can it bring back some much needed consumer attention to Samsung, or will we continue to see the likes of Huawei clawing chunks of market share away from the big-name manufacturers?