The S7 Edge, on the other hand, has undergone more dramatic changes. While last year’s S6 Edge has the same 5.1-inch display as the standard model, the S7 Edge steps up to a phablet-class 5.5-inch screen( also quad HD, Super AMOLED, and fantastic to look at) . That does make it taller and wider than before, but not nearly as much as you might expect.
The secret to the S7 Edge is in those curved sides that give it the Edge name. Samsung’s been curving screens on its phones for a few years now, including on the S6 Edge and the larger S6 Edge+ . But those felt more like a gimmick for marketing purposes than anything else.
The curved sides on the S7 Edge are different. Samsung’s using them here to make the phone much narrower than it would be if it had a flat display. It makes the whole device smaller and easier to use. That becomes readily apparent when you put the S7 Edge next to other devices with 5.5-inch or similar screens. It’s significantly narrower than all of them, including Apple’s iPhone 6S Plus( 5.5-inch), the LG G4( 5.5-inch), Google’s Nexus 6P( 5.7-inch), and Samsung’s own Note 5( 5.7-inch) . When it comes to ease of use in your hand, a narrower phone is much easier to manage.
The S7 Edge also has curved glass on its back, making it much more comfortable to hold and easier to pick up off a desk or table than last year’s S6 Edge. The whole thing is rounded, polished, and delightful to flip over and over in my hand, much like a river stone that’s been tumbled under water for a millennia or two. It slips into my pants pocket with ease and is just short enough to stay in my pocket when I sit down. That’s something I can’t say about the iPhone 6S Plus, Nexus 6P, or Note 5
