(Update: new details) Galaxy S7: release day rumors and a possible front panel

Update, January 25: A separate report out of South Korea points towards the same release date for the Galaxy S7. According to Naver, the Galaxy S7 will become available on March 11, after an official launch at MWC. The device is said to be available in silver, gold, white, and an “all-black” model, though it’s not clear if the latter will be different from last year’s black Galaxy S6.

For all the latest details, see our Galaxy S7 rumor roundup

The report quotes an anonymous Samsung employee claiming the Galaxy S7 will be water resistant and that its main focus will be an improved camera with a 12MP sensor and f 1.7 optics. The camera’s night time performance is said to be improved substantially.

Original post, January 24: As the clock ticks down to the mid-February time frame when Samsung is rumored to be unveiling its latest and greatest Galaxy phones, the rumors and leaks continue to flow in a more free fashion. This weekend brought forth two specific topics of interest: a possible release date and some purported pictures of the device’s front panel and camera. Let’s address the launch day first:

Veteran leaker Evan Blass, better known by his Twitter handle @evleaks, has taken to Twitter to tell the world that the U.S. release date of the Galaxy S7 (and presumably Galaxy S7 Edge) will is “starting to look like” Friday, March 11th.

This would not come as a big surprise given that the S6 and S6 Edge launched in the USA just a few weeks after the pair was unveiled for MWC 2015 timing. It is unknown as to just what device(s) might be hitting stores however, as there are conflicting reports about the screen size of the Galaxy S7 Edge, with some suggesting it will be a phablet device, while other leaks indicate that – at least for one carrier – it will be a more mainstream sized smartphone.

This, in addition to rumors that suggest Samsung will be unveiling a Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge as well as a Galaxy S7+ and Galaxy S7 Edge+ serving to release the two sizes simultaneously as opposed to the “surprise” announcement of the S6 Edge+ at last August’s Unpacked event.

The screen story

The second leak of the weekend is a pair of purported pictures that claim to portray the front panel and front camera for the Galaxy S7. Take a look:

The picture above – which ironically looks to be captured with an HTCdevice no less – claims to be the front display panel of the Galaxy S7. Despite the fact that it is encased in a protective shell which SamMobile has referred to as a “camouflaged unit” to prevent leakage of the final design, there are several take away points:

1. The top and bezel looks to be quite tall, almost unnecessarily so.
2. The home button/fingerprint sensor – which looks slightly misaligned – is seemingly much larger and “rounded” than the thin rectangles which had been seen in earlier leaks.

Again, as this is a prototype assuming it’s a genuine image to begin with, the final model may indeed look quite different.

With respect to the above image, claiming to be the front camera display, SamMobile has pointed out that the connector tab below the module is off-center, whereas with the S6 it was positioned directly below the unit. The other take away here is that the model number “SM-G930F” can clearly be seen printed on the sheet, which is allegedly the model number of the upcoming Galaxy S7.

Wrap up

With the prospect of a March 11th release date for the Galaxy S7 in the USA, this would leave less than two months until Samsung’s next big thing hits stores. Given that the company is predicting a difficult year in 2016, the sales of said device – and its siblings – will no doubt be heavily monitored and scrutinized by the public and the press, as well as the company’s management and stakeholders.