Compared to last year, the difference between the Samsung Galaxy S7 and its edge variant are more pronounced this year. The only key difference between the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge last year, was that the latter had a curved screen, a 50mAh higher capacity battery, and Edge UX.
This year though, the differences between the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are bigger and more pronounced, and you have more things to consider this time around while purchasing either of the handsets.
Display
The Galaxy S7 continues to come with a 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display like its predecessor, while the Galaxy S7 edge now comes with a bigger 5.5-inch ‘edge’ display. The increased size of the display helps in making the curved around the edges more pronounced and better differentiates the ‘edge’ variant from its normal sibling.
This also allows Samsung to offer more choice to consumers from a single lineup of smartphone, rather than launching multiple lineups, or making them wait for a Note handset that is launched in the second half of the year.
The Galaxy S7 edge also comes with Samsung’s edge UX, which is missing on the Galaxy S7 that takes advantage of the phone’s curved display. Otherwise, both phones also run on the same build of software.
Battery
The bigger display on the Galaxy S7 edge has also allowed Samsung to include a bigger battery on the handset. The S7 edge comes with a beefy 3,600mAh battery, while the Galaxy S7 comes with a 3,000mAh battery. Despite the bigger screen size, the increased battery capacity should ensure that the S7 edge will last longer than the Galaxy S7.
Dimensions and weight
The bigger display and battery size obviously leads to the Galaxy S7 edge being bigger and more heavier than its non-edge sibling. However, despite the hefty increase in display size and battery capacity, Samsung has gone a great job of keeping the weight increase on the S7 edge in check. The handset weighs only 157g compared to the 152g of the Galaxy S7.
The bigger display, however, makes the Galaxy S7 edge quite a bit taller than the Galaxy S7 — 150.9mm vs. 142.4mm. The handset is also just a wee bit wider at 72.6mm (vs. 69.6mm). Surprisingly, the Galaxy S7 edge (7.7mm) is thinner than the Galaxy S7 (7.9mm), though the difference is so small that most people are likely never going to notice.
Price
The bigger curved display and higher capacity battery has allowed Samsung to price the Galaxy S7 edge at a premium compared to the Galaxy S7. While the Galaxy S7 has been priced at around $650 in most markets of the world, the Galaxy S7 edge is priced at around $750. Essentially, irrespective of where you live, be prepared to pay an additional $100 (or more) premium for the bigger screen and higher capacity battery of the Galaxy S7 edge.
Apart from the above differences, both handsets are exactly the same. They are powered by the same processors, have the same amount of RAM, run on the same version of Android, have a microSD card slot, and feature the same camera setup.
In the end, even if you don’t care about the edge screen, but want better battery life and a bigger display, go for the Galaxy S7 edge. However, if you are not a fan of smartphones with big screens, go for the Galaxy S7.
