The S7 and S7 Edge were officially unveiled on 21 February 2016 during a Samsung press conference at Mobile World Congress, with a European and North American release on 11 March 2016.

It is the last phone in the Samsung Galaxy S series to be equipped with a microUSB port, which has since been replaced with USB-C technology.

[10] The device retains the metal and glass chassis, but with refinements such as a rectangular home button, and a lower protrusion of the camera.

Both models are available in black and gold colors; white, pink, blue and silver versions are available depending on market.

The devices were sold in limited quantities in selected markets, and were given to athletes participating in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

[11][17] The S7, S7 Edge & S7 Active are IP68-certified for dust and water resistance; unlike the Galaxy S5, the ports are sealed and thus do not require protective flaps.

When it detects moisture inside the USB port, wired charging is deactivated to prevent damage to the equipment.

[27] The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge feature a 12-megapixel (4032×3024) rear-facing camera with "Dual Pixel" image sensor technology for faster autofocus and an f/1.7 aperture lens.

[4][8][9] Slow motion videos are recorded with 720p HD at 240 fps, which is twice the frame rate used on the Galaxy S6 and Note 5.

[37] The Galaxy S7 ships with Android Marshmallow (6.0) and Samsung's proprietary Grace UX software suite.

Samsung claims this feature would only consume half a percentage of battery capacity per-hour.

That becomes readily apparent when you put the S7 Edge next to other devices with 5.5-inch or similar screens" like the iPhone 6s Plus (5.5-inch) and Google Nexus 6P (5.7-inch).

[49][50] There was some criticism of the Galaxy S7, due to the removal of MHL support and the IR Blaster of the Galaxy S6,[51][52][53] stock music and video player apps have been replaced by the online-focused Google Play equivalents,[54] and the inclusion of a Micro USB charging port instead of a USB Type C port.

[58] iFixit gave the S7 a repairability score of 3 out of 10, noting an excessive use of glue and glass panels, as well as it being nearly impossible to service certain components of the device (such as the daughterboard and other components) without removing the screen, which is not designed to be removed, and that "replacing the glass without destroying the display is probably impossible".

The Galaxy J3, which is regarded as an entry-level device, found its place as the sixth most popular phone for 2016.

[63] At release, videos recorded at high frame rates stuttered, with both Exynos and Snapdragon models suffering from the issue.

[66] Samsung is offering free repairs/replacements for users in Belgium/Netherlands/Luxembourg (limited to those) under warranty given that the screen is not externally damaged.

[68] On September 23, 2016, a make-up artist’s Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge started to diffuse smoke in a beauty salon in Antipolo City, Rizal, Philippines.