Here is our first look at the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge

Is that the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge+? It’s not, apparently — but we understand why you might be fooled. If these really are Samsung’s Galaxy S7 models, the apple clearly didn’t fall far from last year’s tree.

According to a tweet from noted leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks), these appear to be the first images of the Samsung Galaxy S7 (left) and the slightly larger Galaxy S7 Edge (right). He tweeted out the image this evening along with a link to a report he wrote for VentureBeat early last month, which detailed the size differences and other details. He hasn’t said anything more just yet, but the implication is clear.

And we knew this was coming. Last Wednesday, he tweeted “Guess what I have. #whenitrainsitpours” along with a sliver of what looked to be the back of a black smartphone with the term, “Galaxy S7.” Blass has been behind a number of reports on upcoming handsets of late, including recent info on the HTC One M10, and it looks like he hit the jackpot here.

What’s surprising, as hinted at up top, is that the Galaxy S7 looks identical to its predecessor. The image below, which he added to the VentureBeat report, shows another angle of both phones. Unless there are significant deviations on the back or right sides, or the other colours end up being noticeably different, the phone looks nearly identical. However, the Galaxy S7 Edge is said to have a larger screen this year — 5.5in as opposed to 5.1in — to further differentiate it from the standard model.

And the date on the leaked image, Sunday, 21 February — that’s just one day before Mobile World Congress 2016 kicks off, which is exactly when we expected to see the Galaxy S7 ahead of a likely March release. So although the wallpaper design on the top image seems to display the number six (there’s a clear “7” on the bottom one, though), all of the other pieces seem in place for this to be legitimate. And Blass probably has full back images to share at some point too.

His earlier report claimed that the Galaxy S7 will bring back the microSD slot for expandable storage, plus have a larger battery, IP67 dust and water resistance, and always-on display capabilities. It should have either an Exynos 8 Octa 8890 or Snapdragon 820 chip, depending on region, along with 4GB RAM and internal storage options of 32GB/64GB. He also says to expect a 12-megapixel back camera, down from 16MP on the Galaxy S6, although the camera bump could be shed in the process.

If this all pans out, then we ought to see the official reveal of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge in about three weeks — right on schedule. Be sure to read our preview for more rumours and news, and stay tuned for more as it comes.

Source: @evleaks