The new Samsung Galaxy S8 is now selling in a good number of markets across the globe following its launch at the end of March.
One thing that is true about the Galaxy S8 is that it’s indeed the best phone in the market at the moment. However, like always, every good thing has a bad side and so far, the S8 is no exception. With this in mind, we have put together 5 reasons as to why the 2016 Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are still great choices as opposed to the new kids on the block.
The price
No matter what, the final decision to buying a new phone comes down to its price. With Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ priced at $750 and $850 respectively, these are the most expensive Galaxy S series handsets ever. At the moment, the year-old Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge can be bought for as low as $249.99 and $480, yet you still get some of the best phones in the market right now.
The position of the fingerprint scanner
It’s not strange that Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ have a fingerprint scanner on the back, however, what’s strange is where Sammy chose to place them. Google Pixel, Nexus 6P and Huawei Mate 9 have the fingerprint scanner on the back, but it’s placed in the middle of the top half where the forefinger usually rests when holding a phone. But for the Galaxy S8, it’s placed on the side of the main camera, something that can get tougher to access when using the bigger Galaxy S8+.
Well, with the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, this feature is even more conveniently located. The front-mounted scanner makes it so easy to access, be it when holding the phone in your hand or even when it’s resting on the table, with the latter case impossible for the Galaxy S8. Of course, S8 fans will tell you that you can jump to the iris scanner or facial recognition for the same authentication purposes, but this would defeat the meaning of having the feature on the phone.
Screen size
Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are 142.4mm and 150.9mm tall. These are good sizes for people with small hands like me, which makes it quite easy to handle the phone using a single hand, even for the 5.5-inch S7 Edge. With the Galaxy S8 and S8+, you get additional 6.5mm and 8.6mm to the heights of the S7 and S7 Edge and these are not small changes in any case, again, for people with small hands.
For those who find the 5.1-inch Galaxy S7 a perfect size, upgrading to a new Galaxy S8 would make you extremely uncomfortable, but those using the Galaxy S7 Edge would enjoy moving to the standard S8 and not the S8+. So, if you don’t really fancy huge screen sizes, you might want to get a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge for that matter, but if you can handle the latter, then the 5.8-inch S8 is a perfect fit for you.
Bixby button
Samsung has made a lot of noise regarding the new digital assistant dubbed Bixby. While it’s indeed something worth taking note of, the problem is that it won’t be fully functional until later this year – probably at the time of launching the Galaxy Note 8. So, why jump into this whole Galaxy S8 and Bixby hype yet the service is not working?
Well, this is one more reason to go for the Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge, at least until Bixby gets better, probably after the release of the Note 8. In short, if Bixby is your major reason for jumping to the Galaxy S8 bandwagon, you might want to stick to the S7 and instead make the switch with the Galaxy S9, which should debut with a fully functional digital assistant.
Battery size
Despite their smaller screen sizes, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have better battery capacities when compared to the larger S8 and S8+. The S7 has a 3000mAh unit, same as the 5.8-inch S8. As for the Galaxy S7 Edge, you get an even bigger 3600mAh unit compared to the 3500mAh unit used on the S8+. If the battery capacity is your thing, better go for the Galaxy S7 series.
What do you think? Let us know in your comments below.