Report: Galaxy S7 to come in 5.2-inch and 5.5-inch ‘Edge’ models

According to a report from Korean publication, ETNews, Samsung is planning to launch two versions of the Galaxy S7. Similar to this year’s Galaxy S6, there will be a regular version and a dual-curved ‘Edge’ model, but they won’t be the same size…

The site’s sources claim the phones have been developed using code-names ‘HERO1’ and ‘HERO2’. The former of those is the regular Galaxy S7 with a 5.2-inch display, while the latter is an ‘Edge’ model featuring a curved 5.5-inch screen. Like the S6 Edge and S6 Edge Plus, the ‘HERO2’ will feature secondary curved screens on both sides of the main display panel.

Earlier this year, Samsung opted to make the S6 and S6 Edge the same size. Both had a 5.1-inch Quad HD display. If true, this rumor would see Sammy move away from that strategy.

This does bring in to question what the purpose is for the existence of the S6 Edge Plus. If ETNews‘ sources are accurate in their predictions, the S7 Edge’s screen will be just 0.2-inches smaller diagonally than the S6 Edge Plus. In which case, the phone which launched alongside the Note 5 just a few months ago will be made redundant by a more powerful device within 5 months.

Rumors have suggested Samsung could launch the S7 range of devices as early as next month, although it’s more likely we’ll see them introduced at MWC at the end of February.

While nothing is official yet, we still have a relatively good idea about what to expect from Samsung when it unveils its next flagships. The S7 family is expected to feature the Snapdragon 820 processor in the US and China, while other markets will likely get phones powered by Samsung’s own newly-announced Exynos 8890 processor. Both chips have improved image processing capabilities, suggesting we might see even higher resolution cameras on the back. We’d also be surprised if the phones weren’t equipped with a USB Type-C connector and launched running Android Marshmallow out of the box. Design is expected to remain the same, with little aesthetic change from this year’s smartphones.

Whatever Samsung releases within the next few months, we’re expecting them to be the Android phones to beat this year. The big question is whether consumers will buy them in the numbers of previous years. The rise of affordable flagship-specced Android smartphones has left Samsung with its overly expensive devices in a tricky situation. Meaning that, perhaps, the best thing about the upcoming S7 launch is the drop in price of its current Galaxy S6 range.