Samsung Galaxy S7 Philippines Price, Specs, 2016 Flagship Model Key Features

2016 flagship model Samsung Galaxy S7 has just been officially announced by the Korean Giant through keynote presentations by the company representatives at Mobile World Congress 2016 currently being held in Barcelona, Spain.

The landmark event was video-streamed live here in the Philippines for tech bloggers and members of the media at an intimate gathering here in Ascott Hotel at the Fort BGC, Taguig City starting at around 2 o'clock in the morning.

Many of the phone's key features had been accurately predicted by 'insiders' over the past three months. Highlights include the IP68 Water and Dust Resistant Certified construction, 5.1-inch Quad HD SuperAMOLED display, Gorilla Glass 5 scratch-resistant touchscreen, 12 MegaPixel Dual Pixel camera, 5 MegaPixel front cam for selfies, 3,000 mAh battery pack, 64-Bit Octa Core Exynos 8 Octa 8890 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset, 4GB of RAM, and the TouchWiz-skinned Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system.

32GB Samsung Galaxy S7 Dual SIM version (via hybrid nanoSIM suppoting microSD card memory expansion) will become available in the Philippines starting on March 11, 2016 with official suggested retail price of Php 34,990. Smart Communications will likewise offer it as a bundled handset with Smart Postpaid Plans.

Without further ado, here are actual unit photos of Samsung's top-of-the-line smartphone model this year:

Samsung Galaxy S7 has the exact same screen size, display type, and resolution as its 2015 predecessor; That's 5.1-inch SuperAMOLED 1,440 x 2560 pixels resolution. This one, though, is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 versus Gorilla Glass 4 on the S6.

As shown in earlier leaked shots, the back panel of the Galaxy S7 is indeed flush -- thanks to the flatter camera module. 

This is a 12.1 Dual Pixel camera with larger aperture, dual photodiode sensor, and bigger resulting pixels, which - simply put - delivers faster image focus and clearer, more crisp photos even in low light conditions.

Despite being as slim as the 2015 flagship, the new high-end Galaxy has a far bigger non-removable 3,000 mAh battery pack - versus 2,550 mAh on the SGS6 - which should result in extended uptime. We've yet to prove that via tests, though.

One of the biggest and most appreciated 'enhancements' implemented on the SGS7 is that it now has  microSD card memory expansion support via the hybrid secondary nanoSIM slot, which users missed on the SGS6. There's obviously a compromise here, however, as the phone loses Dual SIM capability when microSD card is in place.

The 3.5mm Audio Jack, microUSB 2.0, microphone, and loud speaker are all still located at the rear of the device; Exactly like what's on the Galaxy S6.

Although Galaxy S7 looks almost the same as its the S6 and is crafted from largely the same materials, it's build is more 'air-tight'. The 2016 top-of-the-line model is IP68 Certified Water and Dust Resistant that means it is protected against the entry of liquid even when submerged in 1.5 meters of liquid for up to 30 minutes. Nonetheless, I still don't recommend that you use the phone while you're swimming; Just think of this feature as additional protection against accidental splashes and spills.

Frankly, I think Samsung Galaxy S7 is one of the best-looking smartphones ever released; Something that I can also say about the older Galaxy S6, which looks almost exactly like it.

I have to commend Samsung's efforts to constantly improve the imaging capabilities of their handsets via larger apertures and more powerful sensors. Even the A-Series has more than decent camera performance compared to competitors in the midrange price bracket.

Galaxy S7 is also great for users who love to take selfies -- like me. The 5 MegaPixel front cam performs well indoors and still has wide-angle lens - so you can include your friends in your shots - as well as Beauty Mode that instantly evens out skin tone and contours the face for selfies that you can immediately share on your social media accounts.

The combination of Samsung's new 64-Bit Octa Core Exynos 8890 processor (or even Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 chipset), 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of ROM make the SGS7 one of the most powerful Android smartphones in the world today; A handset that delivers top-notch 3D gaming performance and multitasking experience. Perhaps, given its beastly specs, it is even the one to be beat this year when it comes to raw power.

Again, Samsung Galaxy S7 will be up for purchase locally starting on the March 11, 2016. As yet, Samsung Mobile has announced but one variant for our country, which is the Dual SIM version with 32GB of internal storage that will sell for Php 34,990.

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Table (TSTST)
Name	Samsung Galaxy S7
Type	Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen)
Price Category	High-End (Flagship Level)
Dimensions	142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm
Weight	152 grams
Available Colors	Black, White, Gold, Silver
Operating System	Android 6.0 Marshmallow with TouchWiz Skin
Display	5.1 inches (~72.1% screen-to-body ratio), Quad HD 1440 x 2560 pixels (~577 ppi pixel density), Super AMOLED, Gorilla Glass 5 capacitive toucscreen, Always On Display, 16M colors
Processor, GPU, Chipset	64-Bit Octa Core Exynos 8890 Octa or Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820
RAM	4 GB RAM
Internal Storage	32 GB expandable via hybrid nanoSIM slot that doubles as microSD card slot supporting up to 200GB
Camera	Main: 12 MegaPixels, f/1.7 aperture, Phase Detection Autofocus, Optical Image Stabilization, LED flash, 1/2.6' sensor size, 1 µm pixel size, Touch Focus, Geo-tagging, Face detection, Auto HDR, Panorama Front: 5 MegaPixels, f/1.7, Dual Video call, Auto HDR
Video Capture	Main: 2160p @ 30fps, 1080p @ 60fps, Optical Image Stabilization, Auto HDR Front: 1080p @ 30 fps, Auto HDR, Dual Video Recording, Live Panorama
Audio and Video Playback	Video: H.264, MPEG-4, H.263, VC-1, WMV7, WMV8, Sorenson Spark, MP43, VP8, HEVC, Full HD (1080p), UHD (depends on variant) Audio: MP3, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA, AMR-NB/WB, Vorbis, FLAC(*), WAV(*) (*) Ultra High Quality Audio (~192KHz, 24 bit) support
Ports	microUSB v2.0, TV-out (via MHL 3.0 A/V link), 3.5 mm audio jack
Connectivity, Sharing	4G LTE Cat9, 3G HSPA+, WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), HT80 MIMO(2x2) 620Mbps, Dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Mobile Hotspot, Bluetooth v4.1, A2DP, LE, apt-X, ANT+, NFC, S Beam, Samsung AllShare Play and Control, Samsung AllShare Cast (WiFi Display), Mirroring and Extension, Samsung AllShare Framework
Sensors	Accelerometer, RGB Light, Digital Compass, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer, Temperature, Humidity, Gesture, Heart Rate Monitor, Touch-Type Finger Scanner, UV
GPS	A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
Network	2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100, 4G Network LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 (TBC)
SIM Card Type	Dual nanoSIM = nanoSIM 1 (LTE) + nanoSIM 2 (2G, Hybrid)
Battery	Non-Removable Li-Ion 3,000 mAh battery, Wireless Charging compatible, Fast battery charging: 83% in 30 minutes
Uptime	TBD
Value-Added Features	Flagship Release, IP68 Certified, Dual Pixel Camera
Announcement	Worldwide: February 22, 2016 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona
Availability	Official: Philippines - March 11, 2016
Price	Official SRP: 32GB - Php 34,990

(Accurate) Leaked Information Round-up:

I just want to share all the insider information that we've gotten so far about the 2016 top-of-the-line smartphone model, Samsung Galaxy S7, which will be announced by the Korean company in the Philippines tonight, February 21, 2016 at 11 in the evening.

Let's start with the handset's design. As you can see in these press photos, the 2016 refresh looks largely identical to its predecessor. Users will still get front and back scratch-resistant glass panels, rounded corners, anodized aluminum mid-frame, which makes the phone both durable and sleek, and the same 5.1-inch Quad HD SuperAMOLED display.

Insiders claim that the Galaxy S7 is IP68 Certified Water and Dust Resistant, which means that it is protected against water ingress when submerged in 1.5 meters of liquid for up to 30 minutes. However, I really wouldn't suggest that you use any smartphone underwater without a completely waterproof plastic sleeve.

The main difference in terms of looks is that Samsung Galaxy S7's back panel can now sit flat on a table -- thanks to the flush camera module. According to insiders, this year's flagship will feature a thinner 12 MegaPixel camera module in lieu of the 16 MP shooter on the Samsung Galaxy S6. At first, this may seem like a terrible downgrade, but then the new snapper will have a better f/1.7 aperture compared to f/1.9 on previous models - resulting in improved low light performance - as well as the world’s first dual photodiode sensor (2PD) on a mobile device providing superfast autofocus.

Now, as for they technical specifications, the new Galaxy S7 is expected to run its TouchWiz-skinned Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system with the powerhouse 64-Bit Exynos 8 Octa 8890 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 in some territories, to have 4GB of RAM for ultra-smooth multitasking, and 32GB or 64GB expandable storage options. Yes, insiders say that the microSD card memory expansion slot is returning on this year's flagship, which is certainly great news; If anything, that I think is the main highlight of this model considering that it looks almost entirely the same as the handset it is superseding. The S7 - they say - is also receiving a major battery size bump as it will have a a bigger non-removable 3,000 mAh pack compared to just 2,550 mAh on the Galaxy S6; Will that result in much-needed longer uptime? Well, that remains to be seen.

Other notable features include the 5 MegaPixel front camera for selfies, fingerprint scanner for unlocking the phone and making supported password-free purchases, and pressure-sensitive 'force touch' screen that's more or less similar to that of Apple iPhone 6s.

Tonight, Samsung Galaxy S7 will be announced alongside the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, which - interestingly - is far larger compared to Galaxy S6 Edge from last year that had the same screen size - albeit curved - as the regular version. This year's Edge flagship - according to various sources - will flaunt a 5.5-inch Quad HD SuperAMOLED display versus 5.2 inches on the 2016 model.

Oh, and both models will support Samsung's Gear VR headset, if you're into that.

So when is the Galaxy S7 arriving in the Philippines and how much will it be? Last year, the S6 Dual SIM was launched in the Philippines on the 18th of April with official SRP of Php 35,990. There's a big chance that we'll also get the Duos version of the Galaxy S7 - in Black, Gold, and Silver - and that it will become available in our country within that same month, with similar price tag. I'm still hoping that S7 will be slightly more affordable -- but I'm not really holding my breath for it.

I'll update this entry once we get more official information about Samsung Galaxy S7 here in the Philippines within the coming days.