Earlier this year Samsung debuted the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge flagships, both of which were praised for the premium design that Samsung decided to take this year, along with some much-needed clean-up of Samsung’s TouchWiz UI (although perhaps not quite enough). On the other hand, there were certain features omitted from both models that left many loyal Samsung fans unhappy. The absence of the microSD car slot and removable battery, two features that Samsung was often praised for keeping around for all this time, received a mixed reception.
Most flagship smartphones have reached a point where microSD has been replaced by a mix of internal storage and cloud storage. If a user runs out of internal memory, companies have been pushing cloud storage as the ideal way to free up space on a physical device. Although microSD cards may not be the most stable form of memory, it is considerably cheaper and, in certain ways, more reliable than cloud storage. Samsung had held onto microSD card slots for a long time before deciding to let go of it this year.
Removable batteries are also a rarity in the industry these days. Samsung held onto that concept for an extended period of time as well, but when they decided to nix it in the S6, many people were dismayed by the decision. While a non-removable battery can enable thinner batteries, reduce the amount of dust and humidity in a device, and allow batteries to last longer, not all people are entirely on board with the idea that the perks of a non-removable battery are better than a removable one.
A removable battery also has positive things to offer, such as an easy way to switch out a dead battery for a fully charged one (which means an immediate 0-100% charge), the ability to easily replace a battery that has weakened over time, and the simplicity of being able to take out a battery and put it back in to reset a frozen phone (although there are physical button sequences that allow you to reset a phone with a non-removable battery).
Despite the absence of these features, the Galaxy S6 is still a great device. However, missing those features seemed to have put a damper on what made many Samsung fans happy. As it turns out, those who have missed these features may not have to miss them for long. Rumor has it that next year’s Galaxy S7 could see a return of at least one of the features lost in the S6, which is the microSD card slot.
I don’t think we can expect the removable battery to return anytime soon. Although the loss of the removable battery was met with mixed reactions, the reason it was taken out was so the S6 could have such a luxurious design. It seemed like the uproar against Samsung’s use of plastic in previous years were louder than the uproar over the introduction of the non-removable battery. It would seem that the demand for a beautiful “premium” phone has taken precedence.
Even if the microSD card slot is the only thing to return, I think it would be a great addition to everything else the S7 will (hopefully) have to offer. There are interesting rumors of the S7 introducing a Force Touch/3D Touch similar to that of the Apple iPhone 6s, as well as the “edge” version of the S7 changing things up by putting the edges on the top and bottom of the device rather than the right and left sides (although that seems to be a very loose rumor). There’s also an indication that Samsung could be introducing a new Type-C charger that would support fully charging a phone in 30 minutes or less.
All in all, the prospective outlook for the Galaxy S7 is looking good. It will be interesting to see how closely the design resembles the S6, and how 3D Touch will be welcomed from the Android community if it is indeed a feature on the new Galaxy.
Readers, what do you hope to see in the Galaxy S7? Do you wish Samsung would bring back both the microSD card slot and the removable battery, or are you happier with the changes made to the S6 and S6 Edge? Let us know in the comments below!
