Galaxy S7 & S7 Edge Top Consumer Reports' Ratings

The Galaxy S7 did what the S6 couldn’t do, dethrone the S5 as the best smartphone

Samsung Galaxy s7 vs Edge — Jessica Lee Star/Digital Trends

Although last year’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge impressed most reviewers, the devices had a lot of shortcomings. Fast forward one year, and the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have addressed those deficiencies and were declared the best smartphones in the world by Consumer Reports.

“These new models aren’t just Samsung’s best smartphones, but, perhaps, the best smartphones. And they now sit atop our Ratings.” said senior editor Mike Gikas.

The addition of water resistance and expandable memory are what impressed the publication. Interestingly enough, the two-year-old Galaxy S5 sported these features, but they were dropped on the S6 and S6 Edge in favor of design. Because of this, Consumer Reports ranked the Galaxy S5 as the number one phone until today. The S5 was finally dethroned because Samsung was able to bring back those features and improve others while maintaining the same design.

Consumer Reports confirmed that both the S7 and S7 Edge can easily survive being immersed in five feet of water for 30 minutes, so they should have no issues handling sinks, toilets, and deep puddles. It was separately noted that you’re less likely to drop these phones in any event because the edges are smoother and more rounded than last year’s models.

The S6 and S6 Edge had already nailed it in the camera department, but the S7 and S7 Edge knocked that factor out of the park. The report referred to the main camera as “terrific” even though the megapixels dropped from 16 to 12. Whether it was still images or video, the performance was “among the best we’ve tested in a smartphone.”

4K video was stunning and the ability to expand memory with up to a 200GB MicroSD card means that you’ll have no problem storing the large files that 4K resolutions require.

On top of all this, the battery life was also excellent.

When it comes to all the smartphones that Consumer Reports has reviewed, the Galaxy S7 actually came in first, followed by the S7 Edge. It’s most likely that the S7 Edge dropped to second because of its price. The S7 is by far the better value if you don’t mind the smaller 5.1-inch display.

This news will make Samsung very happy, but the company will also love the fact that the iPhone 6S is ranked seventh. However, we won’t be surprised if Apple is able to close the gap with the iPhone 7, which is expected to launch this fall.

Samsung Best Buy Sprint

Verizon — Galaxy S7 Verizon — Galaxy S7 Edge

AT&T — Galaxy S7 AT&T — Galaxy S7 Edge

T-Mobile — Galaxy S7 T-Mobile — Galaxy S7 Edge