Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge review: Now only £355 and with Android Oreo

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge review: Camera

On the back, you have Samsung’s new 12-megapixel camera. This might seem like a step down from the S6‘s 16-megapixel sensor, but more megapixels doesn’t always necessarily mean better image quality. With the S7 Edge’s camera, Samsung’s actually increased the size of each individual pixel from 1.12um on the S6 to 1.4um, allowing each pixel to ‘see’ more light and reduce the amount of noise in low light shots. It’s also widened the aperture to f/1.7, letting even more light into the sensor to produce higher quality shots.

It’s a risky move, but the S7 Edge definitely delivers. In our outdoor test shots, the S7 Edge produced beautifully detailed shots that had plenty of contrast and bright, accurate colours. Certain parts of the frame were a little overexposed, particularly in the bright sunshine, but this is easy to rectify thanks to the camera’s onscreen exposure compensation slider. This appears whenever you tap the screen to focus, but you can also switch to HDR mode as well if you prefer.

^ GALAXY S7 EDGE: Outdoors, the camera produced brilliant images that were full of detail and rich colours

Indoors, the S7 Edge’s camera performs even better. Not only was there a very high level of detail on show, but I also couldn’t see any visible noise in our low light test, which is pretty impressive for a smartphone camera. That said, when you compare these test shots to those we took on the S6, you might say they look almost identical.

This is true, at least at first glance, but when you drill down into the shutter speed information, the S7 Edge reveals itself to be the superior camera, as it was able to take this low light shot below at 1/25 sec rather than 1/15 sec on the S6. This means the S7 Edge will be more reliable in low light situations, as its faster shutter speed is less likely to blur moving objects, giving it the edge, so to speak, overall.

^ GALAXY S7 EDGE: Indoors, the S7 Edge performed equally well, but it’s a close-run race with its immediate predecessor^ GALAXY S6: Looking at the S6 and the S7’s indoor shots side by side, you can’t see much difference; it’s only when you look at the shutter speeds that the differences start to become clear

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge review: A virtual reality

One thing to quickly mention before we round things up, the Galaxy S7 Edge has a perfect companion in the new Gear VR headset. Provided you’ve already got the phone, it’s a relatively affordable way of experiencing virtual reality as you won’t have to fork out for an expensive PC and similarly pricey HTC Vive or Oculus Rift headset. It’s a little basic, but it does the job with plenty of entertainment apps such as virtual rollercoaster rides and even some first person shooters such as Suicide Squad: Special Ops VR. Not only that but pair it with the fancy new Gear 360 camera, and you’ll even be able to record your own VR video footage that you can view through the headset itself too.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge review: Conclusion

At present, the S7 and S7 Edge are two of the best Android smartphones you can buy – the very best is Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7. However, when all three phones are so similar in terms of performance, screen and camera quality, the big question is whether the S7 Edge is worth paying more for over the regular S7. Like last year, the curved edges do look lovely, and no doubt the big screen alone will be enough to convince some that this is the superior handset, especially when you take into account its better battery life.

However, the Edge Screen software still hasn’t really convinced me that the curved sides are any more useful than a normal flat screen, and the amount of time you spend swiping through each Edge screen doesn’t really make it any more practical than having everything on the home screen.

For me, I still think the S7 is the better buy. While there’s no denying the S7 Edge is a great smartphone, the normal S7 is a more convenient size, it’s just as powerful and its battery life is still pretty incredible. If you want the best-looking smartphone money can buy, then, by all means, go for the S7 Edge, but those after a more practical proposition should stick with its flat sibling.