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Galaxy S7: The worst and most unexpected thing about Samsung’s new flagship

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 9:14PM EST
Galaxy S7 Battery Life
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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The Galaxy S7 is the star of the Android world right now. It’s the best phone you can buy, and there are plenty of reasons to consider it if you’re shopping for high-end Android smartphones. But what Samsung sold as a main feature of the new Galaxy S7 might prove to be the most disappointing thing about the phone.

DON’T MISS: Galaxy S7 review roundup: Samsung has made a masterpiece

Leaks preceding the Galaxy S7 announcement suggested both new S7 handsets will pack significantly bigger batteries than their predecessors, which Samsung confirmed on stage. Rumors also said the Galaxy S7 models could offer up to two days of battery life. Samsung talked about faster wireless charging and teased that you could watch a full season of Game of Thrones on a single charge, though it didn’t confirm those battery life claims when it unveiled the phones.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are finally available in stores in some regions and Phone Arena put both devices through its usual battery life tests.

Surprisingly, neither phone would get you through a full season of Game of Thrones. Even more annoyingly, the Galaxy S7 did worse than the Galaxy S6, and came behind the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus as well.

The Galaxy S7 edge, which has a bigger battery, barely outperformed the Galaxy S6, trailing almost two hours behind the iPhone 6s Plus, the Galaxy Note 5 and more than two hours behind the Galaxy S6 edge+.

Finally, it should be pointed out that both handsets that Phone Arena got to play with packed Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processors, so it’s not clear what kind of battery life the Exynos 8890 models can offer. That chipset will only be available outside the U.S., however.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.