Disclaimer about this honeymoon diary:
- Obviously, I won't update the diary everyday, not interesting things happen in every day.
- All of the media embedded here are not edited (professionally) whatsoever, so you can see the real camera/video/other result.
Why the fuck I buy S7 Edge?
I decided to buy this best 2016 smartphone (some reviews said that!). Actually I still can use my old phone, but due he (it's Sony Xperia Z1S btw) was broken, it feels like I should.
There are many reasons for me to fall in love with S7 Edge, those which I remember:
- Sounds absurd but, my main reason for buying Galaxy S7 Edge is because love at first sight. To its sexy Edge. To its features (which I never experienced in Z1S).
Or to make it short: its design. - RAM
Using Z1S with 2 (or 3?) GB RAM never satisfy me. - Memory
When other Android smartphones follows iPhone style (not providing a external card slot), S7 Edge comes with it. Up to 200 GB. Holy shit. - Camera
For inexperienced user watching/reading the S7 Edge advertisement, maybe they are wondering why. Why should they buy an (much pricey) Android smartphone but only get 12 megapixels camera? Even Oppo F1 offered better than that. But trust me, the result... is beyond my expectation. I'll describe it later. - Processor
Again, using Z1S with only Quad-Core processor still satisfy me (a bit). As a human being, I always want the more and more and more...
The days before D-Day
I did some research, reading other people's reviews, watching comparison video, and even watching the S7 commercial, like thousand times. But this is the video that convinced me the most:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6VUPgOzGlw
This time I write a diary, not a specs info post. So you can Google this phone specs or simply visit GSM Arena.
What about Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge review? Most of the review are positive. Not convinced? Oh please, Google it yourself.
I also bought some accessories in local marketplace (Ebay-like, not Amazon-like). Wanna see my bucket list?
- S7 Edge tempered glass
Not yet bought, because this item is too expensive for me. The one that I want costs $30. In the end, I bought a standard anti glare (which is not protecting the Edge side) for $2. But I got a protective skin for front side and back side. If price downs to (at least) $20, I will buy the tempered glass. - Case
I'm not a person that likes to protect my phone with case or its alternative. For comfort reasons. But because this phone is the most expensive phone I've ever had in my life, I decided to buy one. At first, I planned to buy a hard case or ultra thin silicon case, but in the end I bought a leather case.
It's USAMS Soft Case Bob Series btw. - MicroSD
See one of my reason of buying this phone above? Yeah, if I follow my human greed I will buy Sandisk's 200 GB MicroSD card. But I bought a Sandisk Ultra Class10 64 GB with 80mb/s speed instead (I followed my wallet, in the end).
April 5 (Day 1)
I Bought that Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge!
I bought it at local store. The store policy requires me (and the shopkeeper) to unbox and review in store. So that my plan of making a unboxing and review video (just like others do) falls apart. Well then. After all basic features and functions examined (and all is well), I returned home happily.
FYI, I bought the Galaxy S7 Edge - Gold (I want Onyx Black but it's already sold out) for $765 (include tax and insurance). Although I didn't receive any bonus (I expected Samsung Gear VR or at least Galaxy S7 Edge Battery Backpack Case) :(
Whoa it's already night.
Arrived at my studio. First thing first: insert my SIM card. Booting process when turned on and turned off phone runs fast. Faster than any phone I ever use.
After that I do standard work: searching for themes, custom the display menu, change the ringtone and notification, download some primary apps and restore previous data.
Time for taking photos! Since it's already night, I test its low light camera function. I compare front camera and rear (main) camera results with Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
Although Note 5 have bigger pixels than S7 Edge, but the result is outstanding. S7 Edge wins (for me :P ). Also the same for its front camera. Its face detection & heart rate sensor works very well. The autofocus too, it works great and really fast when it comes to switching focus.
Sadly the Beautify feature doesn't work when in video mode. I want to be more beautiful too...
Sorry no photo here, I deleted it, too embarrassed of my own face haha. After that, I followed the shopkeeper's instructions to first charge this phone in a turned-off state for about + 3 hours.
3 hours later... It's time to sleep I guess.
Before go to sleep, I set alarm and make myself comfortable to sleep with read some Webtoon and Flipboard. At that time, the battery stands at 100% and Always-On Display (AON) activated.
Apr 6 (Day 2)
Alarm beeps fine. The user interface for dismissing and snoozing alarm was good.
With AOD feature activated overnight, the battery now is 95%. I decided to turn off AOD because I don't need that.... yet. Maybe next time when I'm on the way. I rarely touch my phone when I work.
Arrived at studio, I continue my download activity. This time is downloading HD games. First game I tried was Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. Not much convinced by this game. Although I'm a fan of Star Wars. Sorry.... uninstalled.
- FIFA 16.
- EA SPORTS UFC
- Agar.io
- Piano Tiles 2
Those were the games I tried after. FIFA 16 runs smooth but laggy when it comes to play online with other players. Maybe it's because of EA's server. I tried Game Tools / Game Launcher first while playing EA SPORTS UFC. All of the features run smoothly.
Agar.io was laggy too. In the end, Piano Tiles 2 become my favorite game. Come on, playing "that" kind of game while I own S7 Edge? Ok ok. I will play heavier games next time. Sorry, that's because I'm not the person who likes to play game continuously. In my opinion, playing game needs focus, time, energy, and dedication, so in other words, I will play heavier games when I have all of them at the same time.
Apr 7 (Day 3)
Tried to play Piano Tiles 2 while recording the gameplay (and my face through front face cam at the same time) using Game Tools. The result: the game becomes laggy so that I can't make any best score. Even though I already set the configuration with the best settings (1080p gameplay resolution with highest bitrate possible). I will try record with other screen recording app, later on.
I made a hyperlapse video with S7 Edge! With motorcycle and daytime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci6FiRZAELg
Inside a car in night time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n9KKsHlXUg
Honestly I don't really know how this hyperlapse mode works. At first, I thought that the video speed always multiplied by 10 (10 times faster). In fact, the hyperlapse speed depends on the video object itself. At the first video, I got 10 times faster (1 second hyperlapse = 10 second real-time recording). Second video I got about 25 times faster (1 second hyperlapse = 25 second real-time recording). Maybe I can set it out to fixed amount, maybe...
Apr 8 (Day 4)
Slow motion video test footage (outdoor - afternoon):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97XE5_vPlao
Just like hyperlapse mode, I don't frickin know what the actual fps (frame per second) the slow motion part happened. Is it 120 fps? 240 fps?
If you record a slow motion video in Galaxy S7 Edge, more or less this is what you do:
- Record video (don't forget to apply Slow Motion mode)
- done
- Edit the video in Gallery. You can choose in which part the slow motion begins (and ends).
- Export / save as new video.
Btw, my MicroSD card also arrived today. Mounted seamlessly. Also done the read test, write test, and... any suggestion for testing this small bad boy?
Apr 9 (Day 5)
Not much, just taking some random outdoor and indoor photos.
Outdoor - afternoon - auto
Indoor - afternoon - food mode
Indoor - night - auto
Apr 10 (Day 6)
I collect some list of features in Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and try those I haven't tried. See the list below... Below list include features, tips, and tricks which will totally help you if you own a Samsung Galaxy S7 (or Edge) and wants to master it. Even in some features, you can try it with another type of Android/Samsung smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Features, Tips & Tricks
- Fast wireless charging
No, haven't tried it yet. Don't have the wireless charger. But if you ask about wired charging performance (with adaptive fast charger), I must say that charging is fast. - Waterproof and dustproof
Nope nope nope. Maybe next time ok? - MicroSD slot
Done that. - Securing apps with fingerprint scanner
Tried to hide Gallery. Flawlessly success. Android 6.0 Marshmallow includes an official API for fingerprint scanners, which means some of your favorite apps can use it for authentication instead of having to type in a password every time you use them. - Always-on display
After first time activated by default, I never use it again because of... battery saving maybe? At this time I still don't need it much. - Take superior photos in the dark with a dual-pixel camera
See above (Day 3) and below (Day 11) :P - Pay for anything, anywhere with Samsung Pay
Not interested.. Maybe some other time. - Extend functionality with Galaxy S7 Edge Display
I have done it but won't share my Edge Display here. Too embarrassed (full of personal stuffs there). - Secret Mode for Web Browsing
If you know what I mean... This time using Fingerprint so (almost) nobody will never know what you did there... - Flipboard Briefing
I open this whenever I need to update myself with news, politics, food, travel, or other general updates. I open Flipboard app (separated) whenever I want to read something more specific and more related with my interest. - Pin windows
How to do it: If you want to lock the app that’s onscreen before handing your phone over to someone else, then you can use Android’s pin windows feature. It was rolled out in Marshmallow, but you’ll need to dig into Samsung’s TouchWiz menus to find it and toggle it on. Go to Settings > Lock screen and security > Other security settings and scroll down to Pin windows. When it’s turned on, you can tap the Recent apps button and then tap on the pin icon at the bottom right corner of the app you want to pin. - Schedule restarts
How to do it: Samsung offers you the option to schedule a regular restart, and help to make sure your S7 Edge is running optimally. Go to Settings > Backup & reset > Auto restart and set a schedule that suits you. - How to hear doorbells and babies crying
You can actually enlist your S7 Edge to help you listen for the doorbell ringing or your baby crying, which could be ideal if you’re listening to music or watching a loud movie in another room. Head into Settings > Accessibility > Hearing > Sound detectors, and you’ll find toggles to turn on Baby crying detector or Doorbell detector, which will prompt you to record the sound of your doorbell, so your S7 Edge can recognize it. - Record games
If you want to capture a screenshot or video of yourself gaming, Samsung has made it easy. Go to Settings > Advanced features > Games and turn Game Tools on. Tap on the floating button when you’re gaming on your S7 or S7 Edge, and you’ll find Screenshot and Record options. - Multi window view
With this you can open two window at a same time. See how to do it here. - How to use Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge with one hand
Sometimes very useful, especially for someone with tiny hands like me. If you find that the S7 Edge is a little too big to handle with one hand, then try using the one-handed mode. You’ll find One-handed operation listed in Settings > Advanced Features, and you can decide whether you want to reduce the screen size or align keyboards and other inputs to slide over closer to one side of the display. - Color saturation
Now you can change color saturation and here's what you should do:The S7 Edge has an amazingly vibrant AMOLED screen, but not everyone likes the saturated color look. If you find that it’s annoying you, go to Settings > Display > Screen mode and switch from Adaptive display to Basic for greater color accuracy. - Block game interruptions
Using the Game Tools feature, which you can turn on in Settings > Advanced features > Games, you can also lock the Recent and Back keys, so you don’t accidentally hit them, and turn off incoming alerts while you play.
Apr 11 (Day 7) - Apr 14 (Day 10)
Because of my boring and full-of-schedule life, I don't do much. Just a typical smartphone users do:
- Scrolling social media feed/timeline (mainly Instagram and Twitter)
- Read comics (Webtoon)
- Read stories (Wattpad)
- Read news (Flipboard)
- Save cool stuff (Pocket)
- Taking notes (Evernote)
- Play games (Piano Tiles 2)
- Chatting (WhatsApp, Line, BBM)
- Doing my duty in forum (Tapatalk)
- Check mails (Gmail, OWA)
- Browsing (Samsung Internet, Chrome)
- Remote access Xiaomi Yi
I also tried S7 Edge's taking screenshot by swiping palm of hand feature. Works quite fine. Except that sometimes my palm tapped the wrong button/area and gets captured too.
Apr 15 (Day 11)
Holy shit. Blogging in WordPress.com's Android app is super cool. Sorry for being tacky, that's my first time. Is it because the greatness of Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge or because of the app? :P
Night time. Go-to-home time. I found a stray black cat just before my house. Decided to take photo with it and shared it to my friend that likes black cat.
This photo is taken in auto mode, opened camera with quick shortcut (pressing the center button twice) then taking picture as fast as possible so it's done without any further setting. I did the as quick as possible thing because I'm afraid if the cat runs away before I could capture the moment. Then my friend said "Did you take the photo in daytime?" Nope. I took it at 9.04 PM. Praise the dual pixel technology, everybody... :P
Conclusion is, great camera phone for taking fast yet great photos even in night time with minimum lighting.
So far, I haven't experienced any major problem with S7 Edge. But if you got annoying problems like:
- Bloatware
- Overly sensitive touchscreen and buttons
- Overheating
- No adoptable storage on MicroSD card
- MicroSD card pop-up
- Lag and stutter
- Home and multitasking buttons not working
You can read the solution (I already provided different links on each number of problems above) to get rid of it.
Apr 16 (Day 12)
Finally I experienced common Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge problem stated above, which is Overly sensitive touchscreen.
Apr 17 (Day 13)
Is Galaxy S7 Edge's factory earphones worth your time?
Most headphones that come with phones aren't worth much, but these are actually alright. Many mid-range phones — and even more pricey devices like the Nexus 6P — eschew headphones altogether, understanding that folks aren't likely to use them and it can be an area of cost savings.
But what about Galaxy S7 Edge? Sure it comes with a pair of headphones nestled in the box, and nobody would blame you for being skeptical that they're worth a damn.
Design and comfort
Rather than go with a super-basic earbud design, Samsung has opted for a far more ergonomic styling with a kidney-shaped earbud that's made to nestle deeper and point sound directly into your ear. This immediately improves comfort compared to the basic designs that rest further out on your ear, and also helps a little with noise cancellation.
There are two different sizes of silicone covers for the earbuds, and the smaller pair worked surprisingly well for larger ears. The relatively hard silicone added to the comfort of these earbuds, putting them a large step above other cheap (and not so cheap) headphones that are just hard plastic.
The plastic that makes up the housing itself is light, flimsy and kind of slick feeling, but what can you expect for "free" headphones, I suppose. I don't expect these to be able to handle abuse for an extended period. The entire cable doesn't feel particularly robust either, and has a somewhat-rubbery coating that's bound to get tangled easily as its sheen wears off.
There's a really good in-line remote on the cable leading to the right earbud, with play/pause button and a volume rocker. Samsung has made a proper design decision here to separate that play/pause button from the volume rocker, rather than putting it in the middle where it's far too easy to hit when all you want to do is adjust the volume. The mic found on the remote opposite the buttons is there for calls ... but it's not anywhere near the quality you'd get just from using the mic on the Galaxy S7 Edge.
Audio quality?
Sure the earphones aren't made to last forever, but you can hope that whatever money was saved in the cheap plastic was instead spent on the components that make these earbuds worth putting in your ears.
Coming from the base line of basically zero expectations when it came to audio quality on these headphones, I was pleasantly surprised after listening to them for over a week.
They're more than good enough for podcasts and other spoken word audio, but also usable for streaming audio and even serviceable for local audio playback. Music in particular can push past what these little earbuds are capable of, especially in bass response, but even at high volumes I never thought they were particularly tinny or hollow.
Is it good or is it bad? The conclusion
Rather than $5 Amazon headset or earphones out there, you should give the headphones in the Galaxy S7 Edge's box a chance. They're extremely comfortable, have good in-line controls and sound pretty good.
I can guarantee you they feel and sound better than that pair of cheapo earbuds you bought to replace your old pair, and while they probably aren't built to last you as long as you'll have your Galaxy S7 Edge they're a good pair of earphones to have around, even after you've decided its time for something nicer for everyday use.
My overall thoughts of Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
So far, I really liked using Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge when it comes to multi-tasking and capturing fast moments whether it is just taking notes or taking fast-pacing objects. So happy with my decision of bought this phone. Best phone I've ever had in my life.
***
I've already thought of some next thing that I will do:
- Waterproof test
- Dustproof test
- 4K video shoot
Still unwilling to do it.. Those are such a mentally-tiring task.. Lol
Hey, do you have any suggestions what should I do with my Galaxy S7 Edge in the next day? Make sure I know by commenting, it's as easy as throwing my phone to water.
Thank you and have a nice day!
[…] Pics taken with Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. I really love this phone. […]
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