Apr 15

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge AT&T Smartphone Review
Galaxy S7 Edge Smartphone With AT&T 4G LTE Review

Samsung’s Galaxy S7 edge is one of the most unique smartphones on the market with a screen that has two wrapped sides made of glass, a big 3,600 mAh sealed battery and a IP68 water resistance rating. This premium smartphone comes with a quad HD dual edge Super AMOLED 5.5” screen, a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core CPU and many other top specs. It is designed like the previous Galaxy S6 edge with a larger screen that fits well in the hand and comes with access to AT&T’s 4G LTE network.


Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Smartphone With AT&T 4G LTE Unboxing

Overview

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge SIM Tray Micro SD Slot
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge SIM Tray Micro SD Slot

The Galaxy S7 edge Android smartphone includes the latest in mobile engineering. The model I tested came with an innovative SIM tray that included a micro SD card slot capable of holding a 200GB card. AT&T’s 4G LTE network around Las Vegas have shown impressive speed improvements, even in rural areas.

Premium materials were utilized in the making of the Galaxy S7 edge along with a polished Android skin named TouchWiz. It has become a highly sought after Android smartphone around the world. A recent announcement has shown that the smartphone is bolstering sales for Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 12MP Dual Pixel Camera
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 12MP Dual Pixel Camera

I received the mostly Gorilla Glass fourth generation covered phone with a titanium silver color that included a 12MP dual-pixel rear facing optically image stabilized camera and a 5MP front facing camera. Both cameras offer auto HDR.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 3600 mAh Battery
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 3600 mAh Battery

Disclaimer: I received a loaner Samsung Galaxy S7 edge at no cost for review. I have not been compensation for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Photos are courtesy of Samsung and AT&T or unless otherwise stated.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Antenna Design
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Antenna Design

The metallic band around the smartphone requires design elements for antennas. Similar to the Galaxy S6, the Galaxy S7 edge has antenna lines on the top and bottom that wrap from the back to the front. The microphone on the bottom has moved from the bottom edge to the top edge.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Wireless Charging
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Wireless Charging

It does not come with a case but one should be purchased to protect it from drops. The metal edges feel comfortable and are not sharp like on less expensive phones with chamfered metallic edges.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Screen Brightness
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Screen Brightness

Screen brightness from the Galaxy S7 edge is great even in bright sunlight and one of the best on the market. The quad HD dual edge Super AMOLED screen provides an excellent experience for watching videos. Taking photos in multiple lighting conditions, including subjects that were heavily backlit, was easy and ended up properly exposed via its auto HDR feature. Shooting in very low light conditions with its OIS and dual-pixel technologies produced better-looking photos.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge AT&T With 4G LTE
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge AT&T With 4G LTE

Google and AT&T release security updates in a timely fashion for Marshmallow 6.0. Its pre-installed firmware update app was easily accessible from the settings screen. I had a positive Android security patch upgrade experience while using it during the review.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Qualcomm 820 Quad Core
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Qualcomm 820 Quad Core

Under the fourth generation Gorilla Glass, the Galaxy S7 edge has an industry leading 64-bit 2.15GHz and 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of fixed storage, expandable to an additional 200GB via a micro SD card. 4GB of RAM on this smartphone made for a smooth experience for switching between apps and loading websites. Most mobile applications are not yet coded to support octa-core CPUs, which is why Samsung and Qualcomm are focusing on optimizations with a quad-core CPU that increases battery life.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Shortcut Task Edge TouchWiz
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Shortcut Task Edge TouchWiz

Samsung does a good job of keeping the Galaxy S7 edge fast with its minimal TouchWiz Android skin. I did not experience any lag during the review. Samsung has recently upgraded its Browser app to fix web based security threats too.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Camera Controls
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Camera Controls

Smartphone photographers will enjoy its optically stabilized 12MP dual-pixel rear camera and LED flash. The Galaxy S7 edge has the world’s first dual-pixel smartphone camera. That means each pixel lets in more light and produces sharper photos. People familiar with the Android camera app will know how to use it right away. Double tapping on the home button launches the camera app in less than a second. This is great for times when you need to take a photo or video right away.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Micro SD SIM Card Tray
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Micro SD SIM Card Tray

Premium smartphones like this one can take photos while also recording video. Tap on the photo button while recording video to snap a pic. The Galaxy S7 edge can handle taking photos all day, unlike other premium smartphones, where they start to overheat or become nearly unresponsive. The micro SD card slot provides on-device storage to save from having to upload to the cloud.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Camera Focus
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Camera Focus

Video streaming through smartphones to social networks like Facebook Live with 4G LTE and a 12MP dual-pixel camera makes sense. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 has an optimized graphics performance unit for the camera system to produce DSLR-like performance, while recording video and taking photos. The new GPU has enough power to produce quality content that will help you to get more subs, likes, positive comments and hearts.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 12MP OIS Dual Pixel Rear Camera
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 12MP Dual Pixel Rear Camera With Optical Image Stablization

Selfies are still a big thing and people look for the highest quality front facing cameras on new smartphones. The Galaxy S7 carries a 5MP CMOS front camera with auto HDR. Samsung understands that the mobile photographer wants an OIS enabled dual-pixel camera for producing even better photos from the rear-facing camera. The camera on the back took sharper and more life-like photos than my HTC One M9.
Samsung’s TouchWiz Android skin mostly gets out of the way on the S7 edge. Menus and key interface options like turning on and off WiFi could be simply found by swiping down on the top menu.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge IP68 Water Resistant Rated
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge IP68 Water Resistant Rated

Using Google Voice on Android smartphones is fun and can be helpful. The Galaxy S7 edge comes with Google Now voice capabilities. Add a smartwatch, like the Samsung Gear S, that I reviewed earlier and keep track of texts, calls and Tweets. Search for businesses and check on weather with its pre-installed weather app. Music and the speakerphone were loud through its speaker on the bottom.

My loaner Samsung Galaxy S7 edge came with access to AT&T’s 4G LTE network and the ability for much faster connections via its category 12 LTE hardware. This smartphone could theoretically download at 600Mbps and upload at 150Mbps. After multiple speed tests in the Western US, I discovered results from 52.38 Mbps to 30.72 Mbps down and 16.02 Mbps to 13.79 Mbps up. There were a few speed tests with higher and lower results. The highest and lowest of all tests were removed. The SpeedTest Android app was used for these tests. Ping servers were automatically chosen by the SpeedTest app.

Calls were good in multiple test environments and its noise canceling hardware is the best I have experienced in busy places. Your experience with data speeds and calls will rely on where AT&T has installed their 4G LTE towers.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Gaming Performance
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Gaming Performance

Samsung’s S7 edge is the mobile hub to its Galaxy of gadgets. Use it with the Gear S or Gear S2 and their Gear VR headset. I have tried the Gear S and the Gear VR headset from Samsung. Both provide a quality experience. I am currently using the Gear S and have found its battery does last all day. The Gear VR headset is an upgraded Google Cardboard experience that you have been looking for. VR has come a long way since I tried an Oculus Rift a few years ago during CTIA in Las Vegas.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Side
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Side

The Galaxy S7 edge can access the most 4G LTE GSM networks worldwide at their highest speeds via Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 CPU. Its quad HD Super AMOLED dual edge screen has a resolution of 534 pixels-per-inch and 2560 x 1440, 4GB of RAM, dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi a/b/g/n/ac MU-MIMO, Bluetooth 4.2, triple location chips for GPS and a huge 3,600 mAh battery. Its top of the line specs, including wireless fast charging and Android Marshmallow 6.0 with the latest TouchWiz UI gives users a premium smartphone experience from Samsung with no lag.

Final Thoughts

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge AT&T Front and Back
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge AT&T Front and Back

Samsung’s S7 edge with 32GB from AT&T is offered at $26.50 on a 30-month installment agreement o.a.c. This is a great choice for anyone who wants a dual edge Android Marshmallow 6 experience and a 12MP dual-pixel camera with OIS technology.

Its premium build quality includes Gorilla Glass 4 and a large 3,600 mAh sealed battery that kept it going for the entire day. I did not experience any lag from the phone even after all day use. Its 64-bit quad-core Snapdragon 820 CPU and 4GB of RAM made sure everything kept moving smoothly.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Smartphone Design
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Smartphone Design

The quad HD dual edge Super AMOLED screen is bright and sharp even in direct sunlight. Samsung uses only the best screen technology in their smartphones and Apple may use them in future iPhones. The photos it takes are sharp with Samsung’s signature boost to contrast and color. The photos it takes pop and will look great on Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram. Its 534 pixels-per-inch and 2560 X 1440 screen resolution of the Galaxy S7 edge easily beats iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus screen technology.

Be sure to grab a case, preferably from Incipio, to protect its glass edges. Samsung’s premium engineering of high end components paired with Android Marshmallow, are great reasons why the Galaxy S7 edge should be tops on your smartphone upgrade list.

Rating: 4.5/5

Pros:

  • 5.5” Quad HD Super AMOLED Dual Edge Screen
  • IP68 Water-Resistant
  • 2.15GHz 64-bit quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU
  • Large 3,600 mAh Sealed Battery
  • Adaptive Fast Charging & Fast Wireless Charging
  • 12MP Ultra-Pixel Camera with Optical Image Stabilization
  • 4GB RAM
  • Micro SD with Nano SIM Card Tray

Cons:

  • Non Removable Battery
  • Edge screen partly protected by metal band

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