The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge were announced in February 2016, and are currently Samsung's flagship camera models. They both feature a dual pixel 12 megapixel rear camera that has a wide f/1.7 aperture. The S7 Edge has a 5.5 inch 534 ppi scereen and the S7 features a 5.1 inch 577ppi screen. Both are Quad HD. Here, we review the S7.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Features
Samsung has big things to say about the Samsung Galaxy S7's camera. The rear camera has a 12 megapixel dual pixel sensor which they say allows you to take clear photos even in the dark, and the f/1.7 aperture is one of the brightest available on any smartphone camera, even the front "selfie" camera has a bright f/1.7 aperture.
The phone features a new custom CPU that's 30% faster than the Samsung Galaxy S6, a powerful GPU that's up to 64% faster than the predecessor and 4GB of RAM, increased from 3GB on the S6. This will aid with the smoothness of video and allow you to capture high res shooting without issue. It also means that the phone is capable of running photo editing apps without it being slowed down.
There is the capability to insert a microSD card into the phone, allowing for much greater storage when you're taking lots of pictures. The phone can support a whopping 128GB microSD. The S7 is also dust resistant and water resistant, with Samsung claiming it can withstand a half - hour dunking up to 1.5m down. It's also covered if you drop it - Corning Gorilla Glass 4 is used on both the screen and the back panel, making it really tough.
You should be able to keep shooting for longer too, with the S7 housing a bigger battery. The battery also takes just 90 minutes to charge fully.
Back to the camera on the S7. It's said to have incredibly fast autofocus, thanks to every pixel on the dual pixel sensor being used for phase detection. This means that the autofocus of the phone is blisteringly fast, capturing sudden movements even in low light.
The 12 megapixel back camera has 1.4um pixels, which are quite large for a smartphone, and allow the sensor to gather more light, and the camera also has optical image stabilisation. Touch focus can be used and 4K video can be recorded whilst simultaneously capturing 9-megapixel images.
Other shooting modes include motion photo and hyperlapse, and the selfie camera will use the screen as a flash for low-light selfies.
There is a built-in LED flash and a 5-megapixel front selfie camera complete with Auto HDR.
As with all smart devices these days, it's simple to share your images via Wi-Fi or on social media through the various apps available.
On the front of the phone you'll find the home button which has a fingerprint sensor. On the left-hand side are volume buttons and on the right-hand side is the power button.
Key Features
- 12 megapixel Dual Pixel rear camera, 1.4micron pixels
- f/1.7 aperture, 26mm equivalent lens with Optical Image Stabilisation
- 5 megapixel front camera with f/1.7, 21mm equivalent lens
- Auto HDR (front and rear cameras), Raw shooting possible in Pro mode
- 4K video capability whilst capturing 9 megapixel stills
- Dustproof and waterproof to 1.5m for up to 30 mins
- 5.1inch QuadHD screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 (Edge: 5.5inch)
- 3000mAh battery (Edge: 3600mAh)
- MicroSD slot, Fingerprint sensor
- Available in a number of colours
Samsung Galaxy S7 Handling
The Samsung Galaxy S7 has a premium design and look, with a stylish metal surround, and a curved glass back that looks almost like an optical illusion. Although it's difficult to tell the difference between the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S6 at first glance, unless you're already a Samsung Galaxy S6 user, particularly from the front, where there are very subtle differences in design (including a black frame around the home button, and a black speaker grill, instead of silver). On the back of the Galaxy S7 it's the curved rear and flatter camera lens that lets you know it's the S7.
The screen is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 4, which means it should survive being in a pocket with keys without scratching, and this version is designed to withstand drops much more effectively than Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The back is also protected by the same glass, but for anyone who's ever dropped a phone and seen the screen break, having a glass back could make you quite nervous, so a case is definitely recommended. The rear glass is also quite prone to fingerprints and smudges, so if you like your phone to stay clean this might soon become annoying.
There's no dedicated camera shutter release button on the S7, but the camera app opens up extremely quickly and responds almost instantly to presses of the on screen shutter button. In fact, the speed at which the Galaxy S7 operates is very impressive! Focus is impressively quick, quicker than the iPhone 7 / 7 Plus, and also the Sony Xperia XZ.
There are a number of shooting modes available including: Auto, Pro, Selective focus, Panorama, Video Collage, Live broadcast, Slow motion, Virtual shot, Food, Hyperlapse and you can even download additional (free) shooting modes from Samsung, including sports shot, beauty face, surround shot, dual camera and more.
The camera app is easy to use and it's quick and easy to find options, and change settings. The screen looks good whether used inside or outside, and it has an impressive resolution.
Battery life - The Samsung Galaxy S7 has a 3000mAh battery, which is not-removable. The phone should last at least a day, and the battery life appeared good even though the smartphone has an always on display that shows the time on screen.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Performance
The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Other sample images
Camera Performance -The camera copes well with both flare and low light, and we were able to capture some lovely sunset images that still had plenty of detail despite the impending dusk. Despite the brightness of the setting sun, as demonstrated in the above images, lots of detail was kept in the crops and trees, and flare wasn't intrusive on the image, rather adding to it in an artistic way. Colours were lovely and vivid, and there was little evidence of fringing / moire present.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Lens test images
Lens Performance - Photos are sharp and detailed, and sometimes over sharpened if you view images at 100%. There was more detail compared to iPhone 7 Plus photos, with the iPhone 7 Plus photos looking a little bit more natural with slightly softer images, and less colour saturation.
Vignetting is not an issue, but there is some barrel distortion, and some pincushion distortion, although this can be fixed using the "Shape correction" option in the settings. For most shots it was difficult to create flare in shots unless shooting directly into the sun, and the camera was impressively resistant to flare the rest of the time. If you shoot using the Pro mode, you can select raw shooting, and the camera will record Adobe DNG files, as well as JPEG images.
You can select "Selective Focus" and this will give you an image with a blurred background, but in playback you also get the option to choose the front focus, rear focus or pan focus (with everything in focus), these can then be saved as new images.
Samsung Galaxy S7 ISO test images
ISO Noise Performance - Noise is low from ISO50 to ISO200, with some appearing at ISO400. Above ISO400 and at ISO800 noise becomes more noticeable, and detail suffers. With a bright f/1.7 lens, and optical image stabilisation, for most shots you shouldn't need to use the higher ISO speeds. To get access to higher ISO speeds above ISO800, you will need to use a third party app, such as Adobe Lightroom Mobile, and then ISO speeds up to ISO1600 become available.
Samsung Galaxy S7 White-balance test images
White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance (AWB) performs well under Tungsten lighting with a slightly warm result, and using the Tungsten preset gives a slightly cooler result. AWB also performs well under fluorescent lighting, with the fluorescent preset giving a slight magenta colour cast.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Digital filters
Digital Filters - There are 8 effects built-in to the camera app, and you can adjust the strength of effect as well as a vignette. You can also download additional effects, or use any number of third party apps to edit images.
Panoramic | f/1.7 | 4.2 mm
Panorama mode - The camera has an automatic panoramic mode that automatically stitches the image as you pan from one side to another. The results are well stitched, and if you get the smoothness and speed right you get a very high resolution image, with images we took between 38 and 53 megapixels.
Video - The camera records 4K (UHD), QHD, Full HD video with stereo sound, and optical image stabilisation is available in all modes. When recording in UHD, 1:1 or VGA resolution only optical image stabilisation is available, not both electronic and optical stabilisation. Results are very good, with good detail, and you can also take 9 megapixel images when recording 4K video. Image stabilisation works very well, although it can take a while for stabilisation to settle. You also have the option for continuous AF while recording.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Underwater
Value For Money
The Samsung Galaxy S7 is available for around £499-£549 sim-free if you shop around, which is around the same price as other premium smartphones such as the Sony Xperia XZ (£539) and HTC 10 (£495), and it's also cheaper than the Google Pixel (£599) and iPhone 7 (£599).
If you're a Samsung Galaxy S6 user, then the MicroSD card slot, waterproofing, improved camera with brighter lens, and improved design may make this an ideal upgrade. If you're in the market for a new smartphone, and looking for one of the best cameras in a smartphone, then it's possible you may have just found it, in the Samsung Galaxy S7.
Here's a round-up of some of the alternatives to look at:
| Sensor | Lens | OIS | Screen | WP | GB | Price | |
| Kodak Ektra Smartphone | 21mp | f/2.0 | Y | 5.0 | N | 32 | £449 |
| Samsung Galaxy S7 | 12mp | f/1.7 | Y | 5.1 | Y | 32 | £549 |
| HTC 10 | 12mp | f/1.8 | Y | 5.2 | N | 32 | £495 |
| OnePlus 3 | 16mp | f/2.0 | Y | 5.5 | N | 64 | £330 |
| LG G5 | 16mp | f/1.8 + | Y | 5.3 | N | 32 | £420 |
| Sony Xperia XZ | 23mp | f/2.0 | Y | 5.2 | Y | 32 | £399 |
| Sony Xperia X Compact | 23mp | f/2.0 | Y | 4.6 | N | 32 | £430 |
| Moto Z | 13mp | f/1.8 | Y | 5.5 | N** | 32 | £499 |
| iPhone 7 Plus | 12mp | f/1.8 ++ | Y ++ | 5.5 | Y | 32 | £719 |
| iPhone 7 | 12mp | f/1.8 | Y | 4.7 | Y | 32 | £599 |
| Google Pixel | 12mp | f/2.0 | N * | 5.0 | N | 32 | £599 |
+ LG G5 - has two (rear) camera, a standard 16mp, and an ultra wide-angle (8mp) camera.
++ iPhone 7 Plus - has two (rear) cameras, a wide-angle (28mm equivalent with OIS) and a telephoto (56mm equivalent without OIS) lens
* Google Pixel features electronic image stabilisation, using a gyro sensor
** Moto Z features a "water repellent coating" but is not classed as waterproof
Have a look at more smartphones in our Top 10 Best Smartphones for Photographers. You'll also need to buy a MicroSD memory card and a case or bag to keep your smartphone safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags, or have a look at the Best Samsung Galaxy S7 Cases.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S7 is an excellent smartphone, which has been refined over the years, with improvements made in the smartphone, as well as improvements made in the camera, every year. The Samsung Galaxy S7 has one of the best cameras on a smartphone available today, with not only the brightest lens available at an impressive f/1.7, it's also sharp producing detailed images that look great. With optical image stabilisation, ultra-fast phase-detection focus, and a 12 megapixel sensor, combined with a bright aperture, the S7 is likely to be one of the best smartphones available for low-light photography.
Some of the main complaints made against the previous version, the Samsung Galaxy S6, are now fixed, with the smartphone once again waterproof, and you can also add additional storage by adding a MicroSD card. If you want to shoot with your smartphone, and want the best possible camera available, then the Samsung Galaxy S7 certainly delivers. For those that don't like the recent trend of smartphones growing in size, the Samsung Galaxy S7 maintains a relatively compact size, with a high resolution 5.1inch screen.
The camera app gives excellent control, particularly in the Pro mode, where you can change manual settings, and shoot raw images. There are numerous shooting modes and effects, as well as the option to download additional features straight in to the camera app. Add in the fact that you can use the camera underwater if the opportunity comes about, and you have an extremely capable camera, and smartphone, at your disposal.
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The Samsung Galaxy S7 impresses with it's rapid performance, advanced shooting controls, and high image quality. |