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Earlier this week, Samsung unveiled the Milky way S7, with a host of refinements and improvements, including improved water protection, a larger battery, and the return of a microSD slot. While we recommend waiting for device reviews earlier drawing conclusions on whether or not to upgrade, we now the basic specs and positioning of the new hardware. If you've already got a Galaxy S5 or S6, should you be planning to bound for the new model?

This is a much easier to call to make if you're still using a Galaxy S5 or an even earlier device. The Galaxy S7 is 64-bit, whereas these older products were based on 32-fleck processors. It uses ARM SoCs built on Samsung'south second-generation 14nm chips, while the Galaxy S5 was congenital on previous-generation 28nm HKMG. The quad-core Snapdragon 801 / 805 CPUs at the center of the S5 are still capable processors, merely they'll be thoroughly outperformed past the Snapdragon 820 and the Adreno 330 can't hold a candle to expected performance on the Adreno 550.

GalaxyS5

Samsung's Milky way S5

The Galaxy S7 has sealed ports (the S5 used flaps for water protection), improved resolution (1440p, upward from 1080p), and a somewhat larger screen if you opt for the S7 Edge (5.v inch, versus 5.1-inch for both the S5 and S7 standard). The base storage on the S7 is twice that of the S5 (32GB vs 16GB) and the front photographic camera is 5MP, upwards from 2MP.

If you're currently using an S5 or before device, the S7 should deliver a noticeable improvement across multiple domains. If you lot're comparing confronting the S6, however, the situation is a bit murkier.

Evolution, not revolution

The S7 is generally perceived as an evolution of the S6, merely every bit Apple tree's "Southward" smartphones are typically refined versions of the previous model. The S7 volition most certainly exist significantly faster than the S6, just that's only going to matter if you're the blazon of user that's pushing a mobile device for everything it tin can handle right now.

The S7 offers superior water protection (IP68 certification vs. IP67 for the S6), a larger battery, the much-beloved microSD slot, either Samsung's Exynos eight 8890 Octa or Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 depending on your market, and 4GB of RAM, up from 3GB. The photographic camera bulge is gone on this model, and as we've already covered, the overall display quality is astonishing. Outburst performance should also exist better, cheers to the integrated heat pipe.

The Galaxy S6 Edge

The Galaxy S6 Border

On the whole, however, the S7 is an evolutionary step forwards from what the S6 offered. That's not unique to Samsung — every bit the pace of technological accelerate has slowed, so has the need to supervene upon devices on a yearly or even bi-yearly ground.

VR could throw a wrench into some of these arguments, and I think it's telling that Samsung is including a gratis Gear VR headset with pre-orders for the Galaxy S7. If you're already going to purchase the phone no affair what, I concord, the VR headset is a dandy added value. If y'all're on the contend well-nigh it, it may be worth waiting to see if Samsung tin can create a library of compelling VR content around the hardware. VR on Android hasn't received the same attention every bit VR on Windows, and some reports have suggested that mobile battery life takes a serious chirapsia when VR is in-use.

If you don't have an application that seriously pushes the Milky way S6, I don't think the S7 will exist a necessary upgrade — but users on older devices will run across pregnant improvements, and cutting-edge users who want to utilise VR headsets should also benefit.