The latest offering from Samsung is simply stunning
Software and security
The S7 Edge runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow right out of the box, yet there's no escape from Samsung's love-it-or-loathe-it TouchWiz skin/software. This reviewer couldn't care either way as in 2016 it's relatively unobtrusive, and you can always install a Launcher if it offends you that much.
It's heartening to discover that there isn't the usual Samsung-levels of bloat lurking behind the Apps screen. Samsung's own apps are for the most part tidied away into neat folders.
The Fingerprint scanner makes a return, nestled within the Home button. This reviewer resorted to turning it off on the S6 Edge through exasperation. Only time will tell if Samsung has managed to fix this,but the scanner found on the S7 Edge is fatter and in our tests never once failed to recognise a podgy thumb.
Today, it lacks app integration, meaning you won't be able to use your finger to authorise a purchase using Paypal, for example. This will change when Samsung gives the green light to Samsung Pay in UK and European markets.
New to Samsung devices is the My KNOX enterprise-level security and encryption suite. Described by Samsung as "a fast and simple way to secure your mobile device without the hassle of involving IT", this creates a secure environment for all your private data and apps.
Any documents, photos, Internet sessions, gameplay progress etc. used or created within the KNOX workspace is kept completely separate from the rest of the phone. The service also allows remote detection, locking and deletion on the off-chance your phone should ever go missing.
There's a new tool to aid gamers too. The Game Launcher provides a button that floats over the top of your game. It provides options to mute and hide alerts, save power during gameplay (locking frame rate for instance) to enable distraction-free enjoyment and screen capture gameplay recording, but lacks an option for live streaming. Something for next time perhaps?
Android Marshmallow also brings with it a new permission-handling method - permissions are granted on an app-by-app basis which provides an extra level of control to the user.
Swipe to the left of the Home screen and Samsung's very own news aggregation service - upday - takes the former place of the Flipboard Briefing app.
Upday, originally only available in Germany, is fairly limited in its news offering. HTC's Blinkfeed is superior in almost every respect, but it's still early days so the service might come into its own yet.
Elsewhere the Advanced Features menu offers controls to improve one-handed operation. It does this by effectively shrinking the size of the display and in our tests it worked surprisingly well.
Next: Battery, price and summary
