Earlier today, Samsung announced its newest Galaxy handsets: the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. At first glance, you will be hard pressed to find any difference between the S7 and the S6, but look deeper and you will realise that both phones are very different from each other.

Almost every key component of the S6 has been updated in a major way by Samsung to improve its performance or efficiency. If you are wondering what these exact changes are, and what really makes the Galaxy S7 better, read below.

• While the Galaxy S7 also comes with a 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display, it can now reach higher brightness levels
  • The always-on display on the S7 remains…always on to display the time, date and other relevant notifications
• Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are also IP68 water resistant
• Galaxy S7 is 1.1 mm (7.9mm vs. 6.8mm) thicker than the S6
  • It is also slightly heavier at 152g (vs. 138g)
  • However, it is slightly narrower and shorter than its predecessors — 142.4 x 69.6mm vs. 143.4 x 70.5mm
• The Galaxy S7 comes with an Exynos 8890 chipset
  • This octa-core chip is Samsung’s first custom ARM CPU
  • It also features an integrated LTE modem that should reduce power consumption and heat
  • To avoid any overheating issues, Samsung has introduced a heat pipe with a special cooling liquid inside it
  • In certain markets like the United States, the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge will be powered by a Snapdragon 820 chipset.
• 4GB RAM (1GB more than Galaxy S6)
• LTE Cat. 9 connectivity (Galaxy S6 featured LTE Cat. 6 connectivity)
• 12MP rear shooter — This is actually 4MP lower than the 16MP shooter found on the Galaxy S6
  • However, the 12MP sensor features larger 1.4u pixels that should help it perform better in low-light
  • It is also paired with a wider f/1.7 (vs. f/1.9) aperture and OIS
  • Taking inspiration from Apple, the new Galaxy handsets feature Motion Photos and Motion Panorama
• The front camera remains unchanged at 5MP
  • But it comes with a wider F/1.7 aperture
• 3000mAh battery – up from the mere 2550mAh battery found on the S6
  • Fast charging and wireless charging are also present
• The Galaxy S7 comes with a hybrid SIM slot, which houses the nanoSIM card and microSD card
  • In certain markets though, the hybrid SIM slot will also support a secondary SIM

All the above differences also apply to the Galaxy S7 edge and the Galaxy S6, except for the display size and battery. The Galaxy S7 edge now comes with a larger 5.5-inch Quad HD curved Super AMOLED display and a beefier 3600mAh battery.

Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge pricing and availability