S7, S7 Edge 'the best phones Samsung has ever made'

Samsung previewed its latest smartphones this morning and the S7 and the S7 Edge have immediately divided critics.

The new models won't be launched here until March 11.

Spark has been first off the blocks with off-contract pricing, which is in the usual zone for a top-shelf smartphone, at least on initial release: with 32GB of onboard storage, the S7 will cost $1199, the S7 Edge $1399.

The telco is only selling each model with a contract during the pre-order period "to manage supply" a rep says. To increase sales, a Samsung Gear Virtual Reality headset is being offered for those who place the first 500 pre-orders. 

NBR hopes to get review units shortly.

US critics have already had an extended play.

The Verge calls the S7 and S7 Edge (whose screen curves down at the edge for extra display area) "the best phones Samsung has ever made'."

The Wall Street Journal, by contrast, says the S7 "lacks show-stopping new features."

Which publication is right? In fact, the two aren't so far apart. 

Both agree that the new models are close to the well-regarded S6 and S6 Edge (or "strikingly similar" as the Journal puts it) in appearance. The S6 and 6 Edge, were the models where Samsung left plastic behind for a metal and glass finish.

The Verge's take is that adding some extra frills to the S6 and S6 Edge by default makes the new models the best around. The Journal says the lack of any killer new feature shows Samsung is feeling the pressure over innovation. PC World calls them evolutionary.

So what's new? The 5.1-inch display S7 and S7 Edge get better battery life and better cameras and in the Edge's case a larger display (it's now 5.5 inches or the same as an iPhone 6s Plus; the S6 Edge was 5.1).

I haven't sighted any battery life tests yet but the new should last longer purely by dint of the fact they have higher-capacity batteries (3000mAh in the S7, up from 2,550mAh in the S6, and 3600mAh for the S7 Edge vs 2600 in the S6 Edge) and the fact both run on the more power-efficient Android Marshmallow, the latest version of Google's mobile OS.

The S6 Edge now has a curved back, which apparently makes it more comfortable to hold.

Two features in the S5 but absent from the S6 and S6 Edge return with the new models: expandable storage and basic water-proofing. 

At the same time, it has returned expandable storage, Samsung has also crimped the top onboard storage option back to 32GB (the latest iPhones offer 64GB and 128GB options). But that's not a huge concern for local buyers given Samsung NZ did not release the 64GB versions of the S6 or S5 here.

If you're in the Android camp and in the market for a new phone, the S7 and S7 Edge should go on your shortlist. If you're mid-contract with your S6 and S6 Edge, at first blush the new models have no killer feature demanding you drop your current handset to adopt them. See full tech specs here.

Samsung also previewed the Gear 360 today, a spherical camera that can take 360-degree photos. NBR is still waiting for local release details.