The 10 Big Rumors About Samsung’s Upcoming Galaxy S7

Although we loved the look and feel of the Galaxy S6, there was undoubtedly a lot of pushback to Samsung’s design and feature choices. Gone were the two things many Android folks love most about their devices: expandable storage and a removable battery.

Samsung will be putting out a new Galaxy S device this spring, and new leaks have got the rumor mill going about some features that we are going to see on the new smartphone.

1. The Options

There’s never a shortage of Galaxy S options—and it looks like this year we’re getting more of them all at once this time around. We’re going to be getting a 5.1-inch display on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, while the S7 edge+ has a 5.5-inch display. The surprise here is that the S7 edge+ will get an update so soon after the S6 edge+ being released just last fall. The S7 will no doubt be the cheapest of the bunch.

2. Some Level of Water Resistance

Many fans of Samsung smartphone saw it as a huge step backward when Samsung didn’t mention the popular water resistance features from the S5. Samsung is known for making a big deal about its new features and disregarding the ones from just a year or two ago. However, after the outrage over the S6 losing waterproofing and after seeing how many other smartphones have done this, word on the street is that this feature will be coming back to the Galaxy S7.

3. A Bigger Battery

Just face it: you’ll never get your removable battery back. You’ll have to look elsewhere for that. However, rumors are pointing to Samsung putting a larger battery in the Galaxy S7 to make up for it. The S7 is rumored to have a 3000 mAh battery, while the S7 Edge is getting a bump up to a 3600 mAh battery. It’s an increase, but it matches the batteries of some of the late 2015 smartphones.

4. Thicker Design with Flat Back

Along with the bigger battery is a slightly bigger design. Rumors point toward a flat back that runs flush with the camera, which used to have a slight bump. Other than that, expect a very similar design of glass and metal that we saw on the S6 and Note 5.

5. MicroSD Slot

One of the biggest points of contention with the S6 was the subtraction of the MicroSD slot. Samsung may actually be listening to the feedback though. Rumors are pointing toward the microSD slot returning on the Galaxy S7, allowing for users to inexpensively expand the storage options of their device.

6. Super Fast, Lower Megapixel Camera

Samsung isn’t shy about following Apple’s lead—and with its new smartphone it looks like the company wants to emulate what the camera on the iPhone does. While the Galaxy S6 had an excellent 16-megapixel camera, many people (including myself) still preferred the lower-megapixel camera on the iPhone 6s Plus. This time around, rumors are circling that Samsung may go down to 12-megapixels with an increased f/1.7 aperture and 1/2.0-inch sensor size. Pair that with some new image sensor technology and you just might have the best smartphone camera ever.

7. Pressure Sensitive Touchscreen

Speaking of following Apple’s lead, it looks like we may be getting a 3D Touch competitor on the Galaxy S7. We don’t know much about it yet, but I would have been surprised if Samsung didn’t include some kind of pressure sensitive screen that allow for the new kind of contextual touch interaction that we saw get implemented on the iPhone 6s.

8. USB-Type C

OnePlus 2 with a USB-Type C port pictured above.

This one isn’t all that surprising either considering that most of the new smartphones, laptops, and tablets coming in 2016 will feature the new USB port connector. Having a USB-Type C port will allow for faster charging and data sharing and will match the direction that mobile technology is heading in 2016.

9. Chipsets

In the US and in China, we’re expecting the Galaxy S7 to carry the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. Meanwhile, European and Asian countries will be use Samsung’s proprietary chip, the Exynos 8890.

10. To Launch at MWC

We’re expecting to see the Galaxy S7, S7 edge, and S7 edge+ all get announced in late February at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. That means it’ll probably hit store shelves at the end of March or early April.