Samsung may release the Galaxy S7 in both 5.2-inch and 5.5-inch sizes, with the 5.5-inch version containing another iteration of the surprise-hit Edge display, according to a new report out of The Economic Times of Korea. The article also says that the project, codenamed HERO, could be unveiled as early as February 2016.
It’s too early to tell whether both Galaxy S7 screen sizes will be available as regular or Edge versions, although reports around the Web are suggesting that the Edge model will be the larger one. Either way, the report suggested Samsung’s move here is could be seen as a nod to Apple’s success in selling the flagship iPhone in two different sizes (4.7 and 5.5-inch) for the past two generations of that device.
“Samsung Electronics is preparing [a] two-track strategy to approach [the] premium phone market [in more] detail,” according to the report, which hilariously quotes “a person from this industry.” I guess that’s better than “anonymous sources close to the situation” or “sources from up the supply chain,” and is roughly equivalent and about as specific as saying the rumor comes from “a person on this planet.”
For years, Samsung has sold phones in practically every single size and shape imaginable, but a two-pronged strategy for its flagship line would be new. It also calls into question what Samsung has planned for the Note line, which currently sits at 5.7 inches in size and functions as a second, and completely different, flagship phone for the company, thanks to its built-in stylus and note-taking software.
This is the latest in a steady stream of news related to the upcoming Galaxy S7 during the month of December. Last week, a report surfaced that said Samsung and Qualcomm may have inked a deal to release the next-generation Snapdragon 820 processor exclusively in Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphones, in lieu of Samsung’s usual Exynos CPU lineup. And earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reported that Samsung is targeting March 2016 for the Galaxy S7, and that it would have a pressure-sensitive display similar to Apple’s 3D Touch, a high-speed charging port (which the S6 lacks), and possibly even a retina scanner.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge (and later, the S6 Edge+) are all well-liked phones, thanks to their fast 14nm-process SoCs. On the other hand, the company’s move to eliminate microSD card slots and shift to non-removable batteries may have contributed to a slide in sales revenue from the prior-generation models. It also nixed the waterproofing and (to some praise) has toned down its TouchWiz-related software customizations considerably.
Despite some noise out there about Android’s future being in lower-end phones, we bet there’s plenty of demand for higher-end handsets like the excellent Galaxy S6 line. Nonetheless, Samsung’s operating profit fell $306 million in the mobile division in Q3 2015.