Samsung Galaxy S7 Best Features

By Faisal Khan 

So you’ve finally got your hands on Samsung’s Galaxy S7. Or maybe you went for the S7 Edge, instead? Either way, good job. They’re our favourite phones of the year so far, offering a supreme blend of design and techy magnificence that few other handsets can compete with.

Question is, what do you do now with your S7 or Edge? To help you get the most out of these super-powerful phones we’ve compiled 10 tips and tricks that will help them run faster, do more and generally be that bit more enjoyable to use. No really, you’re welcome

1. GOOGLE NOW LAUNCHER VS TOUCHWIZ

Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface used to be a cluttered faff to navigate around. Nowadays it’s not so bad, but anyone who wants a purer Android experience should enable the Google Now Launcher on their S7. This is easily done, you’ll be offered the choice when starting up the phone. If you miss it though, heading into Settings > Applications > Default Applications > Google Now Launcher.

And if the Google Now Launcher isn’t already installed on your phone? It’s a free download from the Google Play Store, natch.

2. Switch to Google’s own Android apps

While you’re giving TouchWiz the ol’ heave ho, you may as well do the same with Samsung’s own apps for email and messaging. Google’s own alternatives are preinstalled on the S7 and will prompt you to set them as your prefered apps as soon as you first lay eyes on them. The benefit of this? Gmail’s app is miles better than the Samsung alternative, while its SMS app is also a little cleaner to deal with.

There is a downside though. Only notifications from Samsung’s own apps show up on the S7’s always-on AMOLED display. So if you want know whether you’ve got an unread text without touching your phone, then it’s best to stick with those first-party apps.

3. CHANGE YOUR SCREEN’S COLOUR SATURATION

We love the Galaxy S7’s display. It's great for text and video, with its QHD resolution (2560x1440) ensuring that pictures are pin-sharp and plenty vibrant. If you’re a fidelity enthusiast, the S7’s colours do err on the oversaturated side at times. It’s simple enough to get a more natural look from your smartphone though. Just head into Settings > Display > Screen Mode and then switch from ‘Adaptive Display’ to ‘Basic’.

4. Get yourself a fast microSD card

Rejoice! After being nixed from the Samsung Galaxy S6, Samsung has restored a microSD card slot to the Galaxy S7 and Edge. This means you’re free to fill up your phone with up to 200GB of apps, photos and video – all of them legally acquired, no doubt. Be careful though - external cards are slower than the Galaxy S7’s built-in flash memory, so make sure you spend a bit extra and opt for a higher class card. Rubbish microSD cards can mean lengthy load speeds and stuttering video, so make sure it’s got a fast enough read speed of around 60MB/s. Samsung’s own 64GB Evo+ card offers high write speeds and capacious storage, for just £18. 

5. USE YOUR CAMERA’S ‘PRO’ MODE

The Samsung S7’s 12-megapixel camera is great for a quick point-and-shoot photo, but if you want more control over your photos then you should dig into its ‘Pro’ mode. Tucked away in the ‘Modes’ menu of Samsung’s camera app, it allows you to adjust the ISO, white balance, aperture and many more aspects of a picture to make sure you capture the perfect shot. All with a few taps and swipes of the S7’s touchscreen.