Samsung Galaxy S7 rumored to bring back expandable storage

Samsung may bring back the microSD slot for the next generation of its flagship Galaxy S handsets, according to an Italian website, citing “reliable sources.” The company saw significant backlash from mobile enthusiasts earlier this year following the revelation that the Galaxy S6 would eschew both expandable storage and a removable battery.

As reported by HDBlog.it (via Pocketnow), the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge may look to correct at least one of these eye-opening omissions, whose absences were all the more notable in light of their habitual inclusion as differentiators with respect to the Apple iPhone. Since that handset’s debut over eight years ago, Android manufacturers have been keen on including features that the iPhone lacks, and expandable storage has always been low-hanging fruit in that regard.

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The report also notes that the curved edge variant of the S7 may be both larger and more intricately shaped than this year’s model. Specifically, its alleged 5.7-inch display is said to adopt a gentle curve along its Y-axis, which would give it some concavity in the vein of LG’s Flex and G4 models. The inclusion of a larger screen would be a notable deviation from Samsung’s current model year portfolio, in that it would obviate the need for a so-called Plus variant, released later in the year as a companion to the presumed Galaxy Note 6.

Both of these moves make a lot of sense, and in fact, based on the volume and tone of the reaction to the S6 generation’s reduced features, I’ve been predicting a quick about-face.

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Seems fair to assume that microSD-less Note was already feature-complete prior to S6 announcement. I bet the cards return next model year.

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 3, 2015

It seemed odd to me that instead of releasing an updated, symmetrical version of 2014’s Galaxy Note Edge, Samsung instead dropped the popular S-Pen and simply chose to offer a larger version of the S6 edge alongside August’s Note 5. In retrospect, this was probably done to take a second swing at customers who were unable to pick up an S6 edge earlier in the year, due to Samsung’s admitted miscalculation in gauging proportional demand for the two S6 flavors.

With the benefit of hindsight, however, the company may be choosing to combine the two edge models, which would have the added benefit of differentiating the two S7 variants by more than simply their screen shapes. This move would likely come as a response to critics who opined that the curved screen alone didn’t justify the S6 edge’s heftier price tag compared to its flat linemate.

A quick check with a source seems to corroborate this scenario, as there are reportedly no model numbers in Samsung’s pipeline that would suggest the existence of an S7 edge+ — but nor is there any indication that the company plans a curved Note 6 variant, either.