WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:09.200 My initial reaction to holding the Galaxy S7 in my hand was, "Oh boy, 00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:13.040 another iterative update from a Korean mega 00:00:10.120 --> 00:00:19.039 corporation. How utterly uninteresting." But having spent the last couple of 00:00:15.440 --> 00:00:21.760 weeks using the S7 as my daily driver, I 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:33.120 can confidently say that there won't be any spoilers here. Roll the intro. 00:00:33.120 --> 00:00:39.760 The Arya headphones from Phoenix come complete with a cardioid clip mic and 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:44.719 acoustic chambers constructed entirely of Japanese pinewood. Click the link in 00:00:42.079 --> 00:00:51.760 the video description to learn more. As dangerous as this may be to say, in 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:54.320 my mind, the S7 is about as good as we 00:00:51.760 --> 00:00:57.680 will ever need from a quality of construction standpoint. Which isn't to 00:00:55.920 --> 00:01:01.280 say we don't need an active skew for the people who throw their phones around. I 00:00:59.120 --> 00:01:06.320 mean, sure, with carbon fiber, next generation glass, or other advanced 00:01:03.840 --> 00:01:11.119 materials, slight improvements could be made and will be made to the overall fit 00:01:08.720 --> 00:01:15.600 and finish, but I've never understood, for example, Apple's obsession with 00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:21.600 thinner and lighter just because we can. And apparently, neither does Samsung. 00:01:18.159 --> 00:01:24.159 The S7 is unapologetically thicker and 00:01:21.600 --> 00:01:30.159 heavier than the iPhone 6s and doesn't suffer for it at all. I mean, the extra 00:01:26.880 --> 00:01:32.560 heft to me makes it feel like a premium 00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:36.560 piece of machinery. And frankly, I would make the argument that the extra 00:01:34.479 --> 00:01:40.640 functionality enabled by the thickness increase, the micro SD expansion slot 00:01:38.720 --> 00:01:45.840 that's next to the SIM slot on the top, the much larger 3000 mAh battery, and 00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:49.640 the hardly noticeable bump over the lightning fast 12 megapixel optically 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:55.119 stabilized camera each individually make up for that size and 00:01:52.880 --> 00:01:59.439 weight increase. And there are other things that I really like about it as 00:01:56.960 --> 00:02:03.759 well. Can I be the first to say? I mean, okay, I'm probably not the first, but 00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:08.319 can I say it anyway that the lock button and volume buttons are great. They're 00:02:06.479 --> 00:02:12.560 not directly opposing each other, so it's easy to press one side without 00:02:10.319 --> 00:02:17.599 mashing on the other side. And they're big and clicky enough that I can feel 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:21.040 them in my pocket, but not accidentally press them. I mean, I know I've harped 00:02:19.440 --> 00:02:26.160 on this a lot in the past, but it's because it's a major annoyance for me. 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:31.440 And Samsung has proven now that it's really not that hard, Apple. With that 00:02:28.959 --> 00:02:37.040 said, it's not perfect. Samsung opted for a microB USB port for the bottom 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:40.879 instead of a type-C port, though this is somewhat more forgivable thanks to the 00:02:38.640 --> 00:02:46.160 S7's inclusion of wireless charging to maintain compatibility with the Gear VR. 00:02:43.160 --> 00:02:48.400 and still hasn't managed to deliver a 00:02:46.160 --> 00:02:53.280 speaker solution that doesn't require me to cup my hands around the bottom of the 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:57.200 device or plug in the 3 and 1/2 mm jack also found there in order to hear 00:02:55.280 --> 00:03:01.920 anything. Moving around to the front, we've got a 5.1 in 00:02:59.319 --> 00:03:07.040 2560x440 Corning Gorilla Glass 4 topped AMOLED display with a 5 megapixel f1.7 00:03:05.040 --> 00:03:12.480 selfie camera that carries forward the S6's very solid low light performance 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:16.879 for a front cam and its wide-angle lens. The latter is a big advantage if you're 00:03:14.720 --> 00:03:21.280 trying to get a large group into a shot with you in any sensible venue that's 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:26.239 banned selfie sticks without getting a wicked case of uh selfie ARM here. But 00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:31.920 the flip side is I'm pretty sure this camera makes my nose look big. In terms 00:03:29.200 --> 00:03:36.799 of inside guts, the S7 represents the best that Samsung can build. And I'll 00:03:34.720 --> 00:03:42.959 explain that asterisk in a moment. So, it's got 4 gigs of LPDDR4 RAM, 32 or 64 00:03:41.040 --> 00:03:47.599 gigs of onboard storage with that micro SD expansion slot I mentioned before. 00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:51.840 Although, by the way, it can only be used as traditional mass storage. No 00:03:50.239 --> 00:03:57.200 adoptable storage in spite of the Android Marshmallow OS. It's rocking 00:03:54.959 --> 00:04:02.640 bajillion sensors, including a barometer and heart rate monitor. fast charging 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:04.959 for its non- removable 3000 mAh battery, 00:04:02.640 --> 00:04:10.000 a significant capacity bump over the S6, by the way, and support for sexy new 00:04:07.519 --> 00:04:14.159 Wave 2 AC wireless access points with multi-user MIMO, which theoretically 00:04:12.239 --> 00:04:19.919 means lightning fast Wi-Fi like the iPhone 6S, but in practice means still 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:24.960 fast, but not as fast Wi-Fi. This test was done on a symmetric gigabit internet 00:04:21.919 --> 00:04:27.199 connection. Now to the asterisk. Samsung 00:04:24.960 --> 00:04:33.960 is shipping two versions of the S7. Either with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 00:04:29.759 --> 00:04:38.639 CPU with an Adreno 530 GPU or an Exynos 00:04:33.960 --> 00:04:41.600 8890 CPU with a Mali T880 MP12 GPU 00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:47.199 depending on the region. They are similar in speed, but different chipsets 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:53.040 may have different quirks when it comes to custom ROM installation or even apps. 00:04:50.960 --> 00:04:58.639 Also notable is the fact that the camera sensor is being dual sourced similarly 00:04:55.440 --> 00:05:01.840 to the S6. So you may get either a Sony 00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:03.520 or a Samsung sensor. Not by region this 00:05:01.840 --> 00:05:08.800 time, but rather it appears to be pure luck of the draw. Which I guess leads us 00:05:05.520 --> 00:05:12.240 pretty well to the camera discussion. I 00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:14.320 love the S7's camera. Sure, it's got 00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:19.600 fewer megapixels than the S6, but they're larger for better lowlight 00:05:15.919 --> 00:05:22.160 performance. And I absolutely love the 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:25.440 app. It launches nearly instantly with a double tap of the home button, which if 00:05:23.919 --> 00:05:29.919 you're trying to capture the cute antics of kids or pets, is half the battle, and 00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:33.680 autofocuses, then snaps a picture either with the on-creen buttons or with the 00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:39.280 volume buttons, or even a metric whack of them in burst mode. By the way, 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:41.199 almost as fast. Photo and video capture 00:05:39.280 --> 00:05:45.680 can be started from the same window. Photos taken while recording video are 00:05:43.520 --> 00:05:50.960 again lightning fast and look really good. And unlike the iPhone 6S that I 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:55.120 was using with my roaming sim on my recent trip to New York while finishing 00:05:52.720 --> 00:06:00.560 up this review, by the way, the S7 lets you under the hood with downloadable and 00:05:58.320 --> 00:06:04.880 rearrangeable camera modes, including a pro mode that allows adjustments to 00:06:02.720 --> 00:06:10.319 white balance, shutter speed, ISO, focus, and even a RAW shooting mode that 00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:14.880 should tickle shutter bugs pink. While there are other phones with great 00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:21.120 cameras out there, it's the usability that makes the S7 such a killer for me. 00:06:17.440 --> 00:06:24.240 And now that all of this extra stuff in 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:26.639 Samsung's camera app actually works well 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:32.080 rather than being weird halfbaked add-ons like they always seemed to be in 00:06:28.479 --> 00:06:34.880 the past. I think Apple finally needs to 00:06:32.080 --> 00:06:38.960 respond. Which leads me to my thoughts on general usability and the experience 00:06:37.039 --> 00:06:44.160 of switching to the S7 as my daily driver for the last couple of weeks. 00:06:41.120 --> 00:06:46.400 TouchWiz is in my mind officially a 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:49.840 non-issue. Whether we're talking about split screen or their integrated phone 00:06:48.400 --> 00:06:55.440 directory service that attempts to help you filter out useless spam, the things 00:06:52.400 --> 00:06:58.720 that it adds no longer hurt the Android 00:06:55.440 --> 00:07:01.759 experience in my eyes. And there isn't 00:06:58.720 --> 00:07:04.560 really much that I care about that they 00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:09.280 take away. Performance of the phone was without fault, and while frequently 00:07:06.880 --> 00:07:14.479 switching between it and the iPhone 6S on my recent trip, I never felt like I 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:18.560 was missing a beat, which is high praise indeed. Snapdragon 810's thermal issues 00:07:17.280 --> 00:07:23.039 don't seem to have made another appearance here, with the S7 only losing 00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:28.080 about 10% of its performance after 10 minutes of continuous Geekbench 3 CPU 00:07:25.599 --> 00:07:32.039 benchmarks. And it's not quite an A9, but it's still very solid. And the 00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:38.080 screen, while guilty of some oversaturation, managed some fantastic 00:07:35.039 --> 00:07:40.240 usability from nighttime to broad summer 00:07:38.080 --> 00:07:45.039 daylight. If I had to give some feedback to Samsung, I would ask respectfully 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:50.080 that they give me the choice to use onscreen buttons instead of the hardware 00:07:47.599 --> 00:07:54.639 ones. I find it hard to hold devices with capacitive buttons horizontally. I 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:58.240 bump back while reaching to the far left of my keyboard when I'm using it 00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:02.080 one-handed. And I often find myself mashing the home button while taking the 00:07:59.840 --> 00:08:05.440 S7 out of my pocket. Remember, the headphone jack is on the bottom. So, 00:08:03.840 --> 00:08:09.599 that's the part of the phone that you're going to have to grab. I'd also love to, 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:13.440 while I'm giving feedback, have the fingerprint sensor on the lock button 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:17.280 instead of on the home button. It's amazing. I never realized what a great 00:08:15.520 --> 00:08:21.919 idea this was until I started using the Xperia E5 Compact. I'd like the lock 00:08:20.080 --> 00:08:26.080 button to take me to the notification screen and the home button to take me to 00:08:23.919 --> 00:08:32.000 my main desktop when I have a smart lock Bluetooth device connection. And while 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:33.680 I'm at it, Motorola's ambient display 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:37.599 where you can actually interact and preview notifications is much better 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:46.080 than just being able to see the time, the date, and battery life. But with all 00:08:41.599 --> 00:08:48.240 that feedback in mind, that's it. I made 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:53.600 it to the end of almost every day with 30% battery or more. And the S7 was such 00:08:51.839 --> 00:08:58.480 a pleasure to use that I found myself browsing more, taking more pictures, and 00:08:56.000 --> 00:09:04.240 taking more videos. And this is without mentioning that Samsung brought back 00:09:01.080 --> 00:09:06.720 waterproofing. So, the S7 is a winner, 00:09:04.240 --> 00:09:12.640 and it's overthrown my previous king, the Z5 Compact, by merit of its much 00:09:09.440 --> 00:09:15.839 faster and better camera. The only thing 00:09:12.640 --> 00:09:18.480 that the Z5 still drives me crazy with 00:09:15.839 --> 00:09:23.480 even after the Marshmallow update. So, there it is. Seven generations in. You 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:28.800 finally got me, Samsung. You finally got 00:09:25.800 --> 00:09:32.959 me. And you know what else has got me? 00:09:28.800 --> 00:09:35.120 DR, makers of the matte black vinyl skin 00:09:32.959 --> 00:09:41.200 that was featured in the B-roll for the Galaxy S7 throughout this video. and not 00:09:38.560 --> 00:09:44.959 only looks good but also actually in the case of this phone improves the 00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:49.200 functionality of the device because I was reading and watching other people's 00:09:47.360 --> 00:09:52.480 reviews and everyone's going like oh yeah the F7 is so 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:59.760 slippery yeah not actually if you replace the backing with that matte one 00:09:57.600 --> 00:10:03.120 or with one of the carbon fiber ones of which I actually have two examples here 00:10:01.760 --> 00:10:07.440 this is a limited edition orange one they did a while ago and here is the 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:12.399 regular black carbon fiber that they usually send us. So, Dbrand skins in a 00:10:10.560 --> 00:10:17.760 nutshell, they're affordable, they're easy to apply, they fit perfectly, and 00:10:15.839 --> 00:10:22.320 they protect your device from incidental scrapes and scratches while making it 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:27.120 look better. And you're not stuck with matte black or carbon fiber or other 00:10:25.120 --> 00:10:30.880 carbon fiber. You can actually choose any finish you want using their 00:10:28.560 --> 00:10:34.640 configurator. And you can even mix and match if you want something different on 00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:39.519 the front or the back. Or hey, maybe you just want something completely 00:10:36.680 --> 00:10:44.399 psychedelic. They can do that, too. So, check them out at the link in the video 00:10:42.440 --> 00:10:47.760 description. So, thanks for watching, guys. If this video sucked, you know 00:10:46.160 --> 00:10:51.200 what to do. But if it was awesome, get subscribed, hit that like button, or 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:54.240 even consider supporting us directly by using our affiliate code to shop at 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:57.279 Amazon. Instructions up there, buying a cool shirt like Oh, no. I'm not wearing 00:10:55.680 --> 00:11:01.360 my LT shirt today. Okay. Well, not like this one, like a different shirt that I normally wear. Or with a direct monthly 00:11:00.160 --> 00:11:05.279 contribution through our community forum. Now that you're done doing all that stuff, you're probably wondering, 00:11:03.760 --> 00:11:09.920 hm, what should I watch next? So, click that little button in the top right corner to check out our channel Super 00:11:08.160 --> 00:11:14.640 Fun video where we do the thing that we're presumably showing you that we do 00:11:11.760 --> 00:11:14.640 right now.