Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge top Consumer Reports' ratings

We’ve found Samsung’s new Galaxy S7 smartphones a joy to use. Noting that these are some of the best phones that the company has ever produced, and it seems that the we’re not alone in that conclusion. Consumer Reports, a monthly magazine that tests, rates and reviews a huge range of consumer goods, has named the Galaxy S7 as its top rated smartphone, followed closely by the Galaxy S7 Edge. This is a notable turnaround, as the group didn’t rate the Galaxy S6 particularly highly.

Much like reports earlier in the week regarding early sales of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, the reintroduction of the microSD card slot and the addition of some water resistance are again cited as major points scored in the handsets’ favour. While some might argue that these are more minor features, they certainly add up when you look at everything else the handsets have to offer.

Consumer Reports even dropped the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge down into a pressurized tank to test water resistance and found that they could both by submerged in 5 feet of water for 30 minutes without issue.

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The testing also notes exceptional battery life, improvements in camera image quality and low light performance thanks to the new 12 megapixel image sensor, and the ability to record 4K video with decent optical image stabilization as notable improvements over last year’s Galaxy S6. This pretty much reflects our own thoughts, and in our own review we also noted improvements to Samsung’s TouchWiz interface that help to tackle some people’s niggling issues about Samsung’s handsets.

There’s certainly a lot to like about the Galaxy S7, but the real test is whether or not Samsung has done enough to convince customers to actually buy the phone. Do you agree with the prevailing opinions about the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge? Perhaps you already own one or are planning to pick on up, or is there something missing from Samsung’s latest flagship? Let us know in the comments below.