The Galaxy J7 2016 edition is a low mid-range model offering solid specs for a relatively low price (low price for a Samsung device), while the Galaxy S7 is a flagship device for 2016, bringing top specs in every department. Let’s see how the two compare one to another and is the Galaxy J7 good enough to be picked over the Galaxy S7 (if you’re not looking for top of the line specs).
Dimensions, Design
The Galaxy J7 (2016) features a metallic body, with sharper edges than the ones found on the Galaxy S7. The design follows a classic Samsung philosophy; camera placed on the middle backside, a prominent Home button under the screen, with Samsung logo placed above the display. The Galaxy S7 is similarly designed, but its gentle curves, a premium metal chassis, and a great grip it offers make it a better looking device.
The Galaxy J7 (2016) is bigger (151.7 x 76 x 7.8 mm) than its flagship colleague (142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm), mostly because of the large 5.5-inch display dominating the front side of the Galaxy J7. The Galaxy S7 is very compact for a 5.1-inch device thanks to very thin bezels and a relatively narrow space under and above the screen, with speakers placed on the bottom.
Hardware, Display
The Galaxy J7 (2016) comes in two flavors; one is powered by Snapdragon 617 chipset (4×1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.0 GHz Cortex-A53 along with Adreno 405) and the other comes with Exynos 7870 Octa (Octa-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 coupled with Mali-T830MP2) SoC under the hood. No matter which edition you choose, the phone will perform very snappy thanks to its relatively low-resolution 5.5-inch 720p display. The phone comes with 2 gigs of RAM and 16 GB of expandable internal storage.
The Galaxy S7 comes with top of the line specs. Snapdragon 820 is featured in US and China (2×2.15 GHz Kryo & 2×1.6 GHz Kryo with Adreno 530 GPU), while the rest of the world has an Exynos 8890 Octa edition (4×2.3 GHz Mongoose & 4×1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 along with Mali-T880 MP12 GPU). The differences between two chipsets are minimal, with Exynos edition managing to have a bit longer battery life.
The phone comes equipped with 4GB of RAM and a choice between 32GB/64GB of expandable internal memory. Both chipsets featured in the Galaxy S7 have tons of power and the phone shouldn’t break a sweat, no matter what you throw at him.
The Galaxy J7 (2016) has a relatively low resolution, 5.5-inch, 720p, Super AMOLED screen with a low sharpness (only 267 ppi pixel density), but since the colors are very rich, the humble resolution is easier to swallow.
The Galaxy S7 comes with a premium 5.1-inch, 2K (1440p) resolution, Super AMOLED display. Rich colors, deep blacks and incredible sharpness (577 ppi pixel density) are the main advantages of the screen.
Camera
Camera featured on the Galaxy J7 (2016) is quite good for a mid-range device. 13 MP (f/1.9), autofocus and LED flash will make some pretty good photos, for a mid-range device. The camera can record 1080p@30fps videos.
The Galaxy S7 comes with a 12 MP (f/1.7) camera sensor supporting phase detection autofocus, Auto HDR, OIS, and featuring LED flash. The Galaxy S7 has one of the best cameras (if not the best) of the smartphone world, and will make excellent photos even in extremely low light conditions. The main camera is capable of taking 2169p@30fps videos, as well as 1080p@60fps and 720p@120fps (slow-mo) videos. The front-facing camera counts 5 MP (f/1.7), a great selfie snapper.
Battery, Software
The Galaxy J7 (2016) comes with a large 3300 mAh battery, and Android Marshmallow coated with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. The Galaxy S7 features a 3000 mAh battery, also works under Android Marshmallow, but an update bringing Android Nougat should come before the end of the year.
Conclusion
The Galaxy S7 features a fingerprint sensor as well as water resistance (IP68 certified), two features the J7 (2016) lacks. The Galaxy J7 (2016) can be grabbed for Rs 15,990 (around $240) while the Galaxy S7 can be found for Rs 43,400 (around $650). For the price, the J7 just doesn’t offer enough for the price; if thinking about buying the J7 (2016), it’s better to pick some affordable but powerful Xiaomi model or go with some other manufacturer. On the other hand, the Galaxy S7 is a beast, and if wanting a flagship with a relatively compact display, go for the Galaxy S7.