Samsung is promoting its new Galaxy S7 with a celebrity-filled ad campaign. The commercials tout that its new S7 phones have a long battery life and a camera that takes great pictures in low light, and that they’re water resistant.
Consumer Reports tested the Galaxy S7 and the larger S7 Edge for those claims, running them through the same tests it does for all smartphones.
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To test water resistance, Consumer Reports dropped the phones in a pressurized tank, which simulates submersion in 5 feet of water, for 30 minutes. Both phones passed. And on the S7, you don’t have to worry about the flaps over the ports like you did on the S5.
In the low-light camera test, both phones created clearer images than the previous Galaxy S6 and the iPhone 6s, although Consumer Reports found that the colors aren’t as accurate.
Consumer Reports also tested battery life. Both Galaxy phones delivered over 24 hours of talk. The Edge performed a bit better because it has a bigger battery.
Another plus: The S7s also have expandable storage, which isn’t available on iPhones.
When all the testing was done, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are Consumer Reports’ new top-rated phones.
Like other premium smartphones, they are bit pricey. The S7 costs $650 and the S7 Edge goes for $750.