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Take a look at how the S7 Edge matches up against its predecessor. / © nextpit Image source: NextPit

Galaxy S6 Edge vs Galaxy S7 Edge: design

The Galaxy S6 Edge was a revolutionary device. Its dual-sided display had an aesthetic purpose – some people just prefer the look of this handset over the simultaneously released Galaxy S6 – but it also offered unique functionality.

The Galaxy S7 Edge doesn’t look radically different from the S6 Edge. Given the success of the original, Samsung decided to keep the S7 Edge design similar to its predecessor, refining it only slightly.

The S7 Edge is noticeably bigger than the S6 Edge, which makes it better for watching videos on but worse for carrying in your pocket. It has a 5.5-inch AMOLED display and measures 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7 mm, while the S6 Edge has a 5.1-inch screen is 142 mm tall and 70 mm wide, although it does have a larger counterpart in the form of the Galaxy S6 Edge+

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As you can see, the S7 Edge is bigger than the S6 Edge. / © nextpit Image source: NextPit

Unlike the S6 Edge, the Galaxy S7 Edge is waterproof and dustproof to IP68 certification. That means it can survive 30 minutes submerged in 1.5 m of water. These details were missing in the S6, despite having been present in the S5.

The S7 Edge has a slot for a microSD and nano SIM; the phone’s memory is expandable up to 200 GB via microSD, which is not the case with the S6 Edge. This is feature was well received by Samsung enthusiasts who longed for exapandable memory in the S6 Edge. 

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The S7 Edge brought back the microSD slot from previous Galaxy generations. / © nextpit Image source: NextPit

Galaxy S6 Edge vs Galaxy S7 Edge: display

The Galaxy S7 Edge features a dual-sided display (meaning that it slopes on the right and left-hand sides). The S7 Edge has not improved on the S6 Edge display, at least not from a resolution standpoint. As we suspected, the Galaxy S series didn’t get the 4K treatment; the S7 Edge display has the same QHD resolution as its predecessor.

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There are noticeable differences in display between the two phones. / © nextpit Image source: NextPit

The screen edge software, though, offers a more discernible difference between the handsets. More on that below.

Galaxy S6 Edge vs Galaxy S7 Edge: software

The Galaxy S6 Edge arrived with its own set of software features (which you can read about in the Galaxy S6 Edge review), afforded by the curved display. Some argued that these were merely novelty additions, so we were not surprised that Samsung updated them for the S7 Edge (as it has done each year with the Galaxy Note series’ Air Command software). Some of the less-used features have been chopped, others improved, and there are some new additions.

Some of the software features available on the S6 Edge were afforded by its curved display

For example, the Galaxy S7 Edge display can make use of two side columns rather than one, meaning even more information can be displayed on the edge of the screen. What’s more, the API has been made available to third-party developers to create their own unique functions for Samsung’s edge panels.  

TouchWiz has not changed in a significant way since the S6 Edge+ or the Note 5. The phone comes with about seven Samsung apps, five from Microsoft, plus some from Google, as well as Facebook and WhatsApp. In total, the Galaxy S7 Edge has 25 pre-installed applications. Aside from the new edge display features, the user experience is much the same as before.

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Software between the two devices has remained about the same. / © nextpit Image source: NextPit

The S7 Edge comes running Android Marshmallow. The S6 Edge was upgraded to Marshmallow in the first quarter of 2016.

Galaxy S6 Edge vs Galaxy S7 Edge: performance

The European Galaxy S7 Edge variant contains the Exynos 8890 chipset, which has four cores with a maximum speed of 2.4 GHz and four with 1.6 GHz.

According to Samsung, the CPU and GPU are 30 percent more powerful than the ones in the S6, which gives an idea of the power that this phone can produce in comparison with its predecessor. 

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Processing power is higher in the S7 Edge. / © nextpit Image source: NextPit

Galaxy S6 Edge vs Galaxy S7 Edge: camera

The S6 Edge camera technology is the same as on its counterpart, the Galaxy S6, and it is impressive. The S7 camera, unfortunately, has a lower resolution, but its low light capabilities, dynamic range and color representation are an overall improvement from the S6 Edge.

The S7 Edge uses dual-pixel technology, which means that for each pixel, there are two light-sensitive photodiodes working in tandem. This means that an impressive 24 million photodiodes work together simultaneously. Its focus speed is four times faster in low-light conditions than on the S6.

It seems that with the S7 Edge, Samsung aimed for something more like Apple’s camera tech, which favors balance and contrast over high resolution. And this time, the camera doesn’t stick out of the back of the handset like a goth at a pep rally as did the camera of the S6 Edge.

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The few S7 Edge camera improvements make for an even better photo-taking experience. / © nextpit Image source: NextPit

Galaxy S6 Edge vs Galaxy S7 Edge: battery

Battery life was generally pretty good on the S6 Edge and is even better on the S7 Edge. The S7 Edge and the S6 Edge alike are also now able to take advantage of the battery-saving features that Android Marshmallow offers.

The Galaxy S7 Edge battery has a decent capacity of 3,600 mAh, which is 1,000 mAh larger than the S6 Edge battery. Samsung has used new flexible battery technology that’s able to take advantage of extra space inside the body so that the S7 Edge did not need to be too much larger than the S6 Edge. 

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The S7 Edge, though having a larger body than the S6 Edge is equipped with a larger battery. / © nextpit Image source: NextPit

Galaxy S6 Edge vs Galaxy S7 Edge: price and conclusion

The price of the S7 Edge started at US $800 when it was released, that’s more expensive than the S6 Edge was upon its launch.

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The S7 Edge has made some solid improvements to the innovative S6 Edge. / © nextpit Image source: NextPit

The Galaxy S6 Edge was groundbreaking, but it could be argued that it lacked a unique feature to really sell the benefit of the curved display. Features such as Edge Lighting were ultimately unessential and provided only minor aesthetic value.

The S7 Edge has made some improvements in key areas, such as the inclusion of microSD card support and water-resistance. It has managed to increase the size of the battery without greatly increasing the size of the body: no small feat. It has decreased the size of the camera bump on the back of the device: a notable blemish on the S6 Edge. 

Read more about the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge at the link and let us know in the comments why you are or aren’t interested in upgrading to the Galaxy S7 Edge.