mardi 25 octobre 2016
samedi 27 août 2016
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge review
PROS
- Great camera in all conditions
- Stunning design
- Sharp, vibrant display
CONS
- Minor lag in TouchWiz
- Screen can be overly reflective
KEY FEATURES
- 5.5-inch, quad-HD display
- 4GB RAM
- 12MP camera with improved auto-focus
- Always-on display
- Fast and wireless charging
- 3,600mAh battery
- microSD expansion
- Manufacturer: Samsung
- Review Price: £639.00
WHAT IS THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S7 EDGE?
The curved screen is Samsung’s new headline design trait, and it’s using it more and more frequently. The S7 Edge is the best version of it yet, I haven’t spent enough time with the Galaxy Note 7 just yet, and it makes for an iconic phone. It's more eye-catching than the regular Samsung Galaxy S7, too.
It doesn’t just impress in the looks department though; this is an all-round stunner. It has the best optics, crispest screen and even Samsung’s software has taken a step back. The sloping display might make it harder to hold for some, but it’s never become an issue for me.
It’s expensive, it’s always going to be, but you’re getting a lot of phone for your money.
Video: Check out our review of the Galaxy S7 Edge
Related: Samsung Galaxy S8
SAMSUNG GALAXY S7 EDGE – DESIGN
Metal and glass build, curved display, IP68 water resistant, available in black or gold
Design hasn't always been Samsung's strong suit. Just two years ago, Samsung released the Galaxy S5. The handset was the most powerful phone available at the time, but it wasn’t a looker. Last year’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge signalled a much needed change for Samsung, and the change is only more obvious with the S7 Edge.
Related: Best smartphones 2016
The Galaxy S7 Edge is downright gorgeous. In my eyes, it’s the best looking phone ever and makes the iPhone 6S Plus look blocky, boring and dated.
On the surface, the S7 Edge looks just like its predecessor. A metal rim is sandwiched between two slabs of Gorilla Glass 4, with a lock switch on one side and separated volume keys on the other. The back is almost completely clean, with a now flush camera sensor, heart rate monitor and a Samsung logo.
Along the top is the repositioned sim-tray, which now pops in a microSD slot too, plus a microphone. The bottom houses the headphone jack (this should always be on the bottom, can other manufacturers please take note), another microphone, a tiny and frankly disappointing speaker, plus a microUSB port for charging.
Rumours suggested Samsung was going to make the switch to the new, reversible USB–C connector that’s already being used on the Nexus 6P, OnePlus 2 and LG G5, but it hasn’t panned out that way. This isn’t really a bad thing, in fact USB–C is more of a hindrance than a help at the minute. Especially as it means getting rid of all those microUSB cables you’ve accumulated over the years.
The front is almost as clean as the back, and features an elongated home button set under the display, plus another Samsung logo – does it really need two?. Unlike the HTC One A9, the front control is a physical button, not a capacitive pad. The front button houses the Galaxy S7 Edge's fingerprint sensor, which is just as fast as all the others on the market now.
Samsung has once again decided not to use on-screen buttons, so glowing ‘back’ and ‘multitasking’ keys light up when needed. Ditching virtual buttons gives you more screen space, but this phone could be even more compact if Samsung went down that route.
Samsung's also redesigned the Galaxy S7 Edge's camera module. Unlike the S6's, the S7 Edge's module sits flat on the phone's back. This might sound like a small change, but it makes a big difference. I can now tap out a text with the phone flat on my desk without it jumping and rocking from side to side.
Related: Best Android smartphones 2016
But, the biggest change between the S6 Edge from last year and the Galaxy S7 Edge is the size. Instead of simply keeping both the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge the same, with just the Edge sides to differentiate them, Samsung has positioned the Edge as the ‘higher-end’ device, pushing up the screen size from 5.1-inches to 5.5-inches.
When I first heard Samsung made this changed, I was a little annoyed. There was something unique about having a fully-powered phone with a screen that was on the small and compact side. It’s a rarity these days. Pick up the S7 Edge though, and you might have to double to check the spec-sheet, surely this phone doesn’t have the same size screen as the iPhone 6S Plus?
Yet it does. Somehow Samsung has managed to cram a large screen into the body of a much smaller phone. Next to the iPhone 6S Plus, the S7 Edge is narrower, shorter and much lighter. I can even use it comfortably in one hand, stretching my thumb from one corner to the other without too much trouble.
There’s something else the size increase helps too: those gorgeous, sloping curved edges. The Galaxy S7 Edge is the fourth Samsung phone to use this design trait, but it’s the best implementation I've seen yet.
Related: IP68 – What does it mean?
The S6 Edge was difficult to hold for an extended period, while the Galaxy S6 Edge+ was simply too big. The Galaxy S7 Edge, though, is just right. There’s enough space between where the curved screens stops and the back starts to grip, while the newly curved back – reminiscent of the Galaxy Note 5 – slips nicely into my palms. In short, it feels great to hold and it’s an impressive feat by the Samsung design team that these slight changes have made such a big overall difference.
Just like the microSD slot, Samsung has brought back another fan favourite from the Galaxy S5; an IP68 rating for water-resistance. While this is by no means a vital feature, it’s admirable that it has been added without any noticeable loss to the design. There are no flaps covering the ports, no added thickness and no extra space between the display and glass.
What does an IP68 rating mean? Well, you’ll be able to dunk the Galaxy S7 Edge into one meter of water for up to 30 minutes without damaging the phone. Basically, you can use it in the rain without issue and even watch some YouTube in the bath without worrying about an accidental slip. Not that I did that, honest.
SAMSUNG GALAXY S7 EDGE – SCREEN
5.5-inch quad-HD panel, dual curved edges
If the design of the S7 Edge is stunning, then the same word can be used to describe the display. Not a whole lot has changed from the outgoing flagships, but this still holds up as the best screen on a smartphone for a number of reasons.
First up is the sheer amount of detail here. Samsung didn’t try and go all-out with a 4K display, but really when quad-HD (that’s 2560 x 1440) looks this good I don’t think there’s much of a need for more pixels. Maybe it would help make VR even better with the Gear VR headset, but that’ll probably come next year.
Everything from images to films to games look beautiful, with pixels completely invisible to the naked eye. The 534ppi (pixels per inch) density beats the iPhone 6S Plus and means the S7 Edge easily outmuscles Apple’s phablet in the display department.
Samsung has stuck with its Super AMOLED tech for the Galaxy S7 Edge and that’s not really a surprise. AMOLED screens are much more vibrant than the LCD counterparts. Oversaturation isn’t as much of a problem as it was on older Samsung phones, and personally I like a bit more ‘oomph’ to my colours. But for those that like a cooler look there are options to tone things down.
AMOLED displays are also much better at showing off blacks than LCDs. Instead of looking slightly grey, the blacks here are inky deep. You’ll easily notice this when watching media and it’s hard going back to an LCD afterwards.
Now, there are a few niggles I have with the display on the Galaxy S7 Edge. There’s a really strong blue tinge on the two edge sides, especially when viewing content with white background. In both Twitter and Gmail I can pick this out and while it won’t come across in pictures, it’s annoying.
Viewing angles also aren’t the best. But, that’s really one of the sacrifices you get when you don’t use an IPS LCD panel. Tilt the phone to an angle and the sides become bright white, but the rest of it looks like it’s masked in a grey fog.
The new ‘Always-on Display’ mode, is also cool but needs some work. The Always-on tech takes advantage of the fact AMOLED screens don't need to light up the whole display all the time and can instead select individual pixels to charge. This means the S7 Edge can still show the time, date and a couple of bits of other information on the lock-screen when the phone is off without eating through too much battery.
Samsung says having the ‘Always-on display’ switched on will only use up an extra 1% of battery per hour and those claims stand true during my testing. Samsung also says you should save battery because you don’t unlock the phone as much with Always-on activated, but I disagree with this.
Yes, the Always-on mode shows the time, but it will only alert you to notifications from Samsung’s default apps like Messages, Mail and Phone. Use WhatsApp? Or Gmail? Tough, these won’t show up.
I’d also like a bit more control over the mode. You can’t alter the brightness, which causes some problems when you’re in a darker room, and aside from choosing whether or not you want a calendar showing, there isn’t much customisation allowed.
It’s a nice start and a feature that has potential to be very useful, but it needs work.
Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/samsung-galaxy-s7-edge-review#4ta2LCQG1SK8IcSI.99
Best smartwatch 2016
Best smartwatch 2016: Apple, Pebble, Samsung, Sony, Tag and more
We help you pick the perfect companion for your wrist
Tuesday
July 12, 2016
By Paul Lamkin@paullamkin
Picking the best smartwatch for you is now a good problem to have, given the breadth of choice on offer. With Samsung and Apple innovating and a strong field of Android Wear watches from big designers like Fossil, Nixon and Casio, there's never been a better time to buy.
There are plenty of new models in the pipeline too. The Apple Watch 2 will land sometime in 2016 and the likes of Nixon's The Mission and Michael Kors Access are on their way.
We've completely overhauled our best smartwatch guide to try and help those looking to make the right decision.
Stop press!
Before you make your decision, bear in mind that two new Pebbles have just landed on Kickstarter. Read our first look Pebble Time 2 review and first impressions of the Pebble 2 before you buy.
Samsung Gear S2
As easy to live with as a Pebble, as slick as an Apple Watch and with a tactile, rotating bezel as its secret weapon, the S2 is the kind of smartwatch you'd kick yourself for leaving at home. You'll have to pay extra for the cellular version to make the most of the GPS features but even the standard version feels like a leap forward.
The battery life is better than most rivals; we've used Android Wear watches day to day and Samsung's smartwatch beats these hands down. The lack of apps is a niggle, but we don't think it impacts the overall experience enough to recommend rivals over this device.
The full verdict: Our Samsung Gear S2 review
From $299.99, samsung.com | Amazon
Apple Watch
Whether you find the Apple Watch the leading example of fashion blended with tech or a boxy abomination is really down to personal taste. But for our money, it's one of the best looking smartwatches made to date (especially when paired with a quality Apple Watch strap) and, coming in two sizes, is one of the most unisex as well.
The build quality is superb, and the footprint of both the 38mm and 42mm watch is much smaller than you'd expect. Despite its flaws (poor sports features and the lack of GPS), the Apple Watch was one of the first wearables that was actually a pleasure to wear. The Apple Watch 2 is set to arrive soon though…
Wareable rating: Apple Watch review
From $349, apple.com | Amazon
Casio Smart Outdoor WSD-F10
Until Nixon's The Mission comes along this autumn, Casio should be your first pick if you want an outdoorsy smartwatch. Okay it doesn't have GPS – and that's a problem – but it (somewhat) makes up for it with a host of sensors, modes for hiking, biking and fishing, two displays and the fact that it's dustproof and waterproof to 50m.
Just be warned this is a bit of a beast on slender wrists, though it does only weigh 92g with the bulky rubber strap.
Read our full Casio Smart Outdoor review to see how we got on with it.
$500, shopcasio.com
Tag Heuer Connected
It doesn't take long before you realise this Intel powered Tag smartwatch is the best built, and highest quality, Android Wear device to date. From afar it genuinely looks like a regular Tag Heuer watch – it's only when you get up close that you notice it's quite a bulky beast. Now available in rose gold, its watch faces are another delightful addition and after two years, you can trade it in for a mechanical Tag watch.
Tested: Tag Heuer Connected review
$1,500, tagheuerconnected.com
Sony SmartWatch 3
An old choice but a good choice, the Sony SmartWatch 3 has built-in GPS connectivity, which means you can leave your smartphone at home when you go for a run. (The Moto 360 Sport has matched it on that front now.)
The sports styling makes it perfect for a weekend jog, and while the screen is a little dull compared to some of its rivals, the latest Android Wear update means it can pair with wireless headphones for beats on the go. The Steel edition adds a touch of class to the smartwatch that we at Wareable (well,almost all of us) agree offers the most bang for your smartwatch buck.
Must-read: Sony SmartWatch 3 review
From $138.40, sony.com | Amazon
Asus ZenWatch 2
The focus of the ZenWatch 2 is choice, and Asus is approaching the evolving smartwatch market in a mature way. The second gen ZenWatch comes in two sizes – essentially male and female models. There's also a wealth of strap options including rubber, steel, leather and even a Swarovski covered one. This makes it a nice first step for potential Android Wear buyers.
While little has changed on the hardware front for the ZenWatch 2, the Taiwanese company has installed a Wi-Fi chip to make use of the new features in Android Wear, and fast charging tech means you can juice up 50% of the battery in around 30 minutes.
Check out our full ZenWatch 2 review.
From $149.99, asus.com | Amazon
Pebble Time
Everything that made the original brilliant is still on board: that affordable price, an impressive seven-day battery life and both iPhone and Android compatibility. There are also some serious upgrades to both the software and hardware, the most notable of which are the new colour e-paper screen and the revamped Timeline OS. Plus with the Pebble Time 2 on its way, this watch has dropped in price.
Wareable verdict: Pebble Time review
$99.99, pebble.com | Amazon
Vector Watch
When it comes to smartwatch battery life, it doesn't come much longer than the Vector watch. With around 30 days from a single charge, the Vector will out-last most business trips and holidays, meaning you don't have to pack a separate charger for your travels. It's a competent smartwatch with notifications, fitness tracking and a clever way of visualising your day through rings placed around the watch face. Of course, 30 days of battery doesn't come without sacrifice, and the low-power screen does ruin the aesthetic. We'd also advise looking beyond the basic models for a far more pleasing finish.
Read the full verdict: Vector Luna review
Prices from $205.99, vectorwatch.com | Amazon
Moto 360 2
The Moto 360 2 comes in two sizes – 42mm and 46mm (with two different sized displays: 1.37 or 1.56-inch) – in fact, it's three sizes if you count the different band sizes on offer. Using Moto Maker, you can choose between hundreds of different combinations of straps, bezels, finishes and colours.
Put the new Moto 360 next to the first-gen Motorola watch and you can really see the subtle differences that turn this design into a watch rather than last year's circle on a strap.
Take a look at our Moto 360 review here.
From $299.99, motorola.com | Amazon
Garmin Vivoactive HR
This second gen Garmin smartwatch has the same 24/7 activity tracking and support for smartphone alerts as its predecessor, the Vivoactive. What it adds is Garmin's own Elevate heart rate tracking technology which monitors your HR continuously and gives accurate indications of calorie burn through the day and night. And it's better looking.
There's GPS and dedicated apps for cycling, swimming, running and golf plus support for skiing and paddle boarding too. Connect IQ adds apps while battery life is eight days, 13 hours with GPS. Look out for our full, in-depth review coming soon and check out our Garmin Vivoactive review for the last gen model.
First look: Garmin Vivoactive HR hands on
$249.99, buy.garmin.com | Amazon
Moto 360 Sport
At last, an Android Wear device to match the Sony SmartWatch 3's GPS skills – the Moto 360 Sport is actually a better running aid thanks to the Moto Body app already built in.
The Moto 360 Sport boasts an AnyLight LCD display that is naturally adaptable, meaning it should be nicely backlit in dim lighting situations but be easily readable when out running in sunnier conditions.
Read our full Moto 360 Sport review.
$299, motorola.com | Amazon
LG Watch Urbane
There's no missing the Urbane, whether it's the silver or gold model you're sporting; that fully round bezel is seriously eye- and light-catching. It's a smartwatch that looks like a traditional timepiece, and unlike the more premium-looking Urbane LTE, with its classic watch shape and extra physical buttons, the regular Urbane looks much more fashionable and feminine.
It's pretty pricey though. If you really want to go all out, the LG Watch Urbane Luxe features a 23-karat gold watchcase and handcrafted alligator leather strap. It's $1,200 mind.
Check out: Full LG Watch Urbane review
$249, lg.com | Amazon
Huawei Watch
The stunning AMOLED display on Huawei's Android Wear debutant is a 1.4-inch, 400 x 400, one with a 286ppi count – the highest density on an Android Wear smartwatch so far.
The screen is made all the more impressive thanks to a 10,000:1 contrast ratio. Side by side with the smaller Moto 360 2 – its closest rival in terms of aesthetics – it's obviously a much clearer display. Not only because it offers genuine 360-degree visuals, but because everything just looks sharper.
Have a look at our Huawei Watch review.
From $399, consumer.huawei.com | Amazon
Shop for recommended smartwatches on Amazon
Samsung Gear S2$249.99
Apple Watch 42mm$344
Sony SmartWatch 3$134.94
Huawei Watch$299.99
Samsung Gear S review
the dream of a fully standalone wrist gadget that can make phone calls, stay connected and even help you be sounds good, at least on paper. To own a smartwatch usually means having it be perma-paired to a phone in your pocket: it ends up being, largely, a phone accessory. That's starting to change. A few bold watches are trying to break away and be their own devices, with their own phone service to boot.
The Samsung Gear S is one of those. This is Samsung's sixth smartwatch in a little over a year, but it has one big difference: it gets its own cell service and data. It even has its own SIM-card slot. It's a watch that's also a phone.
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Someday soon, smartwatches might be devices that work totally on their own, no phone necessary: as a connected Web browser, a music player, a fitness device. But the Samsung Gear S is not exactly that magic watch. Yes, it can do a surprising number of things. But it still needs a Samsung phone to make most features work. It runs Samsung's limited Tizen software and dedicated Gear apps, closing it off from the richer ecosystem of Google's Android Wear. And it requires a connected data plan to even use it as a cellular device.
For some of my time with the Gear S, I paired it with a Samsung phone. But for most of the time, I tried using it on its own, as a true independent smartwatch. Well, I should say "independent," because if you're going to use a Gear S, you're still best off bringing a phone along.
Editor's note: Updated November 26, 2014, with additional impressions of stand-alone apps and a correction on the Nike+ app's capabilities.
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Design
The Gear S looks like a little smartphone that's been melted around a wristband. It has a huge, curved screen, chromed edges, and even has a little home button below the display. My 6-year-old son thought I was wearing a phone. Basically, I am.
Remember the Samsung Gear Fit, that little curved-screen fitness smartwatch that instantly caught people's attention just six months ago? Imagine that in a mega-large watch form, and you have the Gear S. Is it too big? For many, the answer's yes. The massive curved display engulfed even my large, thick wrist. But many people, including my wife, thought it was one of the better-looking smartwatches I've worn recently. Chromed edges and that huge, bright OLED curved touchscreen make it stand out, and even give it a kind of spiritual similarity to the upcoming Apple Watch Sport.
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The rubbery-plastic sport-type band it comes with can pop out around the Gear S central unit and be replaced with another band accessory. It snaps on like previous Gear watches: an adjustable watch band with a clip, it sizes and fits easily.
The watch is IP67-rated water-resistant, which means you can get it wet, but you're not meant to shower or swim with it. It's about the same story as Samsung's previous Gear watches.
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The Gear S has its own speakers and microphone. It vibrates when you get messages or an alarm goes off. It's studded with sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope and compass, optical heart rate, ambient light for screen brightness, UV and barometer. It has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 and 3G cellular. It's got 4GB of storage, 512MB of RAM and a dual-core processor. And it weighs 66 grams (2.3 ounces). But its display is the most impressive part...and, to some degree, the most alienating.
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The phablet of watch displays
The Gear S has a 2-inch 480x360-pixel AMOLED display, a bigger screen and a larger pixel count than other Android Wear smartwatches and previous Samsung Gears. It's longer, almost feeling like a mini-phone in portrait mode.
As always, Samsung's OLED displays look eye-bleedingly vivid and colorful, and in ambient mode time and other notifications glow at just the right gentle level. But the extra screen space means that existing Samsung Gear apps, which run on the Gear S, end up with extra space that sometimes means stretched apps, and sometimes means funky letterboxing. Other apps are optimized for the whole display.
It's plenty of room. Swiping and even two-finger pinching and zooming feels weird. The big curved screen makes vertical scrolling easy, but it ends up being a lot of finger wiggling for many apps, and the Gear S interface doesn't always seem to know what to do with all that space. But it's massive enough to make reading whole articles actually feasible. My favorite app, News Briefing, shows blog headlines and brings up stories to flick and read on the Gear S. I actually used it, from time to time, instead of pulling out my phone.
It's such a cool experience that I wish more apps took advantage of the Gear S extra-large display. Unfortunately, in the Gear App Store, there are few that do.
The problem with typing on a watch
To interact with apps, like a full-fledged Opera Web browser that can run on the Gear S, you can use either a pop-up QWERTY keyboard or voice recognition. The pop-up keyboard is pretty absurd: it's hard to find and type on a tiny screen with one finger. But voice recognition works; it's not as good as Android Wear's voice-based entry, but it's better than S-Voice on previous Gears.
Holding down the center button or pressing the microphone icon on the keyboard triggers voice, and I got it to understand what I was saying, generally. But it's still a huge pain to enter text or long messages on the Gear S, and there doesn't seem to be a plan for installing third-party keyboards or other input options.
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Standalone smartwatch...almost
You need to pay for a phone/data package to use the Gear S standalone features, but they are fun to play with. The Gear S packs Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and multiband cellular: 3G, but not 4G LTE. You can keep the Gear S perpetually paired with your Samsung phone and use it as a connected accessory, like Android Wear, or you can completely decouple and use the Gear S with nothing else at all.
On its own, the Gear S felt like...well, a smartwatch. But without notifications. All the coolest pop-up notifications you'd expect, like Twitter, Facebook and other stuff you'd get on your phone, won't show up. Texts and phone calls, yes, but you won't get them from your other phone that's not with you unless you've set up some type of forwarding.
There are some pretty cool things the Gear S can do all on its own with no paired phone...assuming you've paid for a connected data plan. Incoming calls can be answered via a built-in speakerphone, or via a connected Bluetooth headset. I don't like using a speakerphone to make calls on a watch, but there are people that love how Samsung Gear watches can be used for hands-free calling -- something Android Wear watches don't do at all. That this Gear S can do it on its own might be a killer feature for a limited few. I successfully paired the Moto Hint , which was really weird and kind of cool. Suddenly, I was taking a call from something nearly invisible in my ear, made from a watch on my hand.
I found call quality mixed; it might have been a combination of Sprint service dropping to one bar in my Manhattan office, and the Bluetooth headset's mixed success at carrying audio from the watch. Contacts can sync automatically if you set it up in the Gear's Samsung app, or you can finger-dial from the touchscreen, which isn't easy. It made me want to reach for a regular phone.
The other problem here, the one that the Gear S suffers from most, is its Tizen-based Gear app ecosystem. Because -- guess what? -- you need those to actually make the watch do interesting things. Not only does the Gear App marketplace lack many heavy hitters, but few of those apps take advantage of cellular data in a meaningful way. There are some winners. Milk Music streams music to the Gear S, and has a decent interface, so I called up 1940s jazz on my wrist while playing with my son. The Nike+ running app works as a pretty good stand-alone fitness tracker, too, and syncs to the cloud with your Nike account, turning the Gear S into a GPS running watch. But to download and manage these apps, you still need to connect via your Samsung phone.
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