New Samsung Galaxy S7 leaks show a collection of colors

The weeks leading up to the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge have been met with an outright torrent of leaks. With the devices set to be unveiled on February 21st, it’s safe to assume that the waves will only rise higher, and indeed today’s tide has brought with it some sizable surf. The latest – a plentiful pair of pictures no less – offers onlookers a good idea of the variety of color options that will the two devices will initially be sold in.

See also: Samsung Galaxy S7 rumor roundup: release date, price, specs, features71

First, the Galaxy S7 as Tweeted by Evan Blass (@evleaks):

And here is the image enlarged:

Two take away points here:

1. There are only two color options shown. Assuming this is correct, it would indicate that Samsung will, initially at least, only release the Galaxy S7 in Black and Gold variants. This could very well be a result of the fact that the Galaxy S6 Edge proved more popular than the standard model, something that may be expected to hold true this year as well for customers facing a choice between the it and the Edge option.
2. The back of the device (more visible with the Gold variant) is clearly curved along the edges, similar to what was achieved with the Galaxy Note 5, and has been hinted and suggested based on numerous leaks in recent weeks.

It is worth pointing out, in a puzzling manner, why these leaks continue to show the “bent” Home button, at least with respect to the Black model.

And now, the Galaxy S7 Edge:

And the enlarged image:

And the obligatory talking points:

1. The Galaxy S7 Edge does indeed look to be significantly taller than the S7, as leaks have indicated. The S7 Edge is expected to have a 5.5-inch QHD sAMOLED display whereas the standard S7 is expected to offer a smaller, 5.1-inch panel.
2. In addition to Black and Gold, there is a Silver (Platinum) model also shown.
3. The back side appears to be curved, just as with the S7 and the Note 5.

Also worth pointing out is the (again) strange Home button variations. In both the Silver and Gold pictures, the button is large and slightly misshapen, though it could also be the lighting. With the Black model however, it is symmetrical though somewhat smaller.

A consideration of color(s)

Sadly neither the “blue” black or green color variants of the S6 Edge look likely to return for the S7 Edge.

Assuming these colors are the only options when the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are released, it will at the very least spark the question why no White variant is being produced. For that matter, there is no Rose Gold variant either, a color that many have assumed Samsung will embrace following Apple’s usage with last year’s iPhone 6s. The pink shade was even seen on the recently released Galaxy A (2016) series, and indeed the Galaxy Note 5 was also given a glossing of it as well.

It is plausible that internal sales data from Samsung revealed the White option was simply not a big seller, nor was either the Blue Topaz (S6) or Green Emerald (S6 Edge) variants. Also working in tangent was presumably some disappointment among consumers that last year’s so-called “black” model was more dark blue, and hence the production of a deep black run this year.

With respect to the S7 in particular, given the smaller size and apparently more limited color pallets to choose from, it would be interesting to see how carriers, retailers, and other merchants will go about selling the device. If the S7 Edge is expected to move in much greater quantities, it’s conceivable that some outlets might under-stock the standard S7 or not carry it at all.

At the very least, consumers will be either very happy or else quite miffed to find these limited color options come March when the devices are rumored to be hitting stores.

Speaking of size

One other topic worth mentioning is the wealth of evidence that is all but confirming the Galaxy S7 Edge will be a larger product than its smaller sibling. How well this will play out remains to be seen. The Galaxy S6 Edge outsold the S6 perhaps because many customers saw it as the “cooler” of two almost identical products. But if the S7 Edge is indeed bigger, then it’s a totally different product, and therefore more akin to last summer’s Galaxy S6 Edge+, a device that will be just over 6 months old by the time these new options are to hit stores.

If customers overwhelmingly wanted a larger S6 Edge but “settled” for the smaller size last April, then it would follow that the S7 Edge should do well. On the other hand, depending on what kind of trends and purchasing habits are prevalent this year, by not offering a “standard size” Galaxy S7 Edge, Samsung could actually be hurting the sales.

On a final note, the very idea of the S6 Edge+ comes into play as well: after the new models are announced, it would not be unreasonable to think the S6 Edge+ may see a price break, either from Samsung itself or else from retail partners and carriers eager to sell through their inventory. Unless the S7 Edge has some clearly distinctive and delineative differences, there is a legitimate cause for concern that customers may simply chose the cheaper, slightly older (and slightly larger) S6 Edge+ instead of the brand new and expensive, S7 Edge.

Wrap Up

Today’s leaks, while legitimate looking to say the least, are still not officially confirmed images by Samsung. To this end, readers are encouraged – as always – to take everything with a grain of salt until the Unpacked unveiling event takes place on February 21st.

With that said, the next week is likely to be filled with even more leaks of this promising pair of products. It remains to be seen if there will be a full-on look at the new TouchWiz build Samsung will inevitably be including with the S7 and S7 Edge. Stay tuned to Android Authority for all the latest news on the newest Galaxy smartphones, as well as all the latest news from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain!

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MyShake app – helping seismologists keep track of earthquakes

MyShake app may not bring all the boys to the yard, but it may save your life one day. Or at least it may serve as a great way to track and alert people when a significant earthquake hits your area.

The application was developed by a group of scientists from UC Berkeley, and it is meant to help seismologists do their job. But the idea is a bit different, as this project aims to take advantage of the fact that we all carry smartphones. Yes… it is crowdsourced. Seismometer sensors are not cheap, so getting a little help from app users will go a long way.

But how can a smartphone even detect an earthquake? Well, these gadgets do have gyroscopes, which can recognize movement. But it does seem a little useless for this case, because we are always moving around – so in a chart it may look like there is seismic activity all day.

One phone alone can do nothing, but the idea is to get plenty of users on board, then data can start making sense. If, say, 100 people around a specific vicinity register very similar activity at the same time, then we can deduce it is not them moving, but everything around them. It seems the set limit is 60%; if more than that amount of users show seismic activity, an alert will go off. Apparently phones can effectively record earthquakes of magnitude 5 or greater, which are really the ones that matter.

The project is still taking off, so we don’t know how far it can go. It sure seems like something some regions should advertise more. Off the top of my head, I can think of areas like California or Japan. At some point they could even use it as a system that works along with other seismometers.

Want to help out? Go ahead and download the app. Who is signing up?

Download the MyShake app