Welcome to my first impression of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. In this first impression I will discuss my initial findings on the camera and how the camera compared versus my Apple iPhone 6S Plus.

Unfortunately, it was not possible to extract the photos for this post but I will have another article up focusing specifically on the S7 Edge camera with loads of camera samples.

But first let’s talk about the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge hardware. Historically, I have always preferred the Edge version of the earlier Samsung models. Not so with the S7 range. I was examining a black S7 and a gold S7 Edge. In black, the S7 looked stunning and so much better than the older S6 too. 

The S7 is curvier, fits better in the hand, and in black was super cool. Now bear in mind I don’t like black phones. I prefer white, silver or gold. So for me to say black looks stunning, it really does! The Edge was finished in the gold option and it just didn’t look right or good either. It is a slightly different shade of gold to the S6 range. It also is not as comfortable to hold as the standard S7 nor does it look as good. Now my verdict could be tarred by the gold finish, and maybe in black the S7 Edge will look a lot better. I compared the S7 to a S6 and whilst there is similarities, the S7 does look different and classier.

Touchwiz. It’s present but not overpowering and I like the lighter skin provided by Samsung. It really is a lot lighter. Many apps are not installed versus previous Samsung phones. For example, the only music app is Google Play by default. There is even an option to remove the app drawer in the settings to make the S7 look just like an iPhone. I tried to slow down the phone and I couldn’t. No lag was present. It obvious that the android app drawer is going to finally become obsolete across all android phones and this is fine by me. 

Camera. The 12mp rear camera shoots at 4:3, or 9.1mp at 16:9 aspect ratio. Lower resolutions are available. The takeaway aspect of the camera that I witnessed was its focusing speed. Blisteringly fast. Even in diminishing light. I snapped people walking and it kept them on the whole in focus and produced a good shot with little blur. I noticed that reduced light shots were brighter and clearer than those from my iPhone 6S Plus. However the iPhone shots could be edited in photos and made brighter although the quality was not as good. 

The level of detail in lower light on the S7 was overall better than my iPhone. This advantage should pay off with kids or pets moving around, enabling a shot to be snapped in focus and look light enough to use as well i.e. not too dark. The f/1.7 versus the iPhone f/2.2 does make a difference in lower lighting. As soon as the lighting improved to more daylight type conditions, I found it was harder to spot the differences.

For those curious the Pro mode allows a max of 10 second shutter speed. 

I loved the double pressing of the home button to launch the camera and take a shot. Super fast. 

BUT.

I did manage to trip the S7 camera up several times when it came to macro. Several times it just could not focus and the macro shots did not look as pin sharp as I would have expected. I need to retest the macro shots again. However, when it did focus, it was fast again as with all the photos.

Final thoughts. I was left in no doubt the S7 camera is really fast to focus and that it will also produce great quality photos in most lighting conditions. The black finish in my preferred choice and currently I wouldn’t buy the Edge, I would buy the standard S7. I might change my mind when I receive the S7 Edge in Black, so watch this space. I can’t recommend the gold finish. Samsung have done a good job and produced great looking flagship.

But how will it compete against the likes of the LG G5? How far can I push the boundaries of the S7 Camera? Stay tuned as all the comparisons and tests and photographic results are coming soon.