Samsung's upcoming S7 is a Galaxy not so far away.
The current Galaxy S6 was announced just before Mobile World Congress earlier this year in March. The freshest rumors surrounding the Galaxy S7 pinpoint an even earlier announcement for the device next year.
In 2016, Mobile World Congress will run earlier from Feb. 22 to Feb. 25. As such, Samsung is expected to follow last year's schedule and hold their usual Unpacked event just ahead of MWC.
Further confirming the earlier debut of Samsung's flagship phone are reports that the Korean conglomerate has already started development of the device's firmware (also a month in advance compared to the S6). Other reports also reveal that there would be two different versions of the S7 just like the S6 - one with regular flat screen and another with a curved screen.
Presumably the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, both devices are expected to have a display measuring either 5.7 or 5.8 inches. That's significantly larger than the current S6's screen size of 5.1 inches and would make it just as large as Samsung's high-end flagship device, the Note 5. Because of that, other tipsters are saying there may even be third variant of the S7 that will come in a more handy 5.2-inch screen.
Depending on the variant of the S7, one will be powered by Samsung's latest Exynos 8890 chipset (also known as the Exynos M1) and the other by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 SoC (most likely for the North American market).
Regardless of variant, all S7 models are expected to be made of a stronger magnesium alloy body than the current S6. It's not yet known, however, if the device will retain the same unibody design as its predecessor as whispers of the return of a replaceable battery and a microSD card are also floating around.
Speculation surrounding the S7's other specs include an ESS Technology Stereo D/A converter, Cat.12 modem capability, and a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera with a BRITECELL sensor.
Until the launch of the device next year, most of the rumors will remain as such. In fact, no one even knows what kind of battery the phone will be packing to power all those impressive but rumored specs. At best, the date of the debut of the Galaxy S7 may be more correct than not.
Photo: Maurizio Pesce | Flickr
