The numerous leaks about the features and specifications of Samsung’s latest flagship smartphones were only validated during Samsung’s Unpacked Event prior to the start of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016 now ongoing in Barcelona, Spain.
The bigger news is that the Korean tech giant would like to spare no time in making sure that its Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge will make it to the retail consumer markets at the soonest possible time.
Samsung announced that the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge will officially make it to US and Europe consumer retail markets on March 11 and pre-orders for the latest flagship smartphones shall commence on February 23.
The four biggest carriers in the US including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon, will offer the Galaxy S7 at only $23 per month on an installment plan while the Galaxy S7 Edge will be made available at $27 per month also on terms, details Engadget.
Interestingly, the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge variants come in 32GB internal storage capacity so users who would like to add more storage space can always opt for additional through the microSD card, which was not possible with the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge.
Facebook chief steals the show
The launching of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge hardly pulled off any major surprises in terms of the specifications and features of the latest flagship smartphones as those were already leaked thoroughly weeks and months ahead of its official unveiling.
So the Korean tech giant decided to surprise everybody by bringing out Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg on an unsuspecting crowd.
But Samsung was not aware that its surprise would make the crowd react frenetically and wildly, notes The Verge.
Journalists were invited to watch a virtual reality demo using Samsung’s Gear VR headsets, and when the time came to remove them, they saw Mark Zuckerberg standing in the middle of the stage in his familiar gray T-shirt. After realizing that it was Zuckerberg, journalists stampede to the stage, causing the commotion.
Apparently, the Facebook boss was there to talk about the partnership between Facebook and Samsung’s VR but he was hardly overheard since everyone around him was trying to take a snap of him. He was like the star of the show similar to a rock star walking to a concert.
Samsung managed to bring in the hype for its Unpacked Event alright but it was not for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge. It was obvious that Mark Zuckerberg stole the show and the thunder from the latest flagship smartphones of the Korean tech giant. Nonetheless, Samsung appears to be happy in pulling off that great surprise.
Skipping the USB Type-C port
The formal launching of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge on February 21 also validated the reports last week that the Samsung flagship smartphones had a glaring feature that actually looks odd given the current trend in modern communication devices these days.
Apparently, Samsung has skipped using the USB Type-C port on its 2016 flagship smartphones and stuck with the tried-and-tested microUSB port.
It’s actually a big deal, particularly for gadget critics because USB Type-C port is the future of connecting stuff to other stuff.
When all mobile devices and other computers eventually adopt the USB 3.1 standard, featuring faster data speeds and quicker charging that it entails, Type-C will be the port that shall enable it.
Type-C connectors are now a common feature in several Android smartphones including the forward-looking devices like the Google’s 2015 Nexus phones and the OnePlus Two, as well as the Nextbit Robin.