Unlocked Galaxy S7 and S7 edge now US-based

The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge were released to the worldwide market on March 11th, though I was fortunate, through pre-ordering with Verizon, to receive my Galaxy S7 edge on March 9th. The devices went worldwide on March 11th, two days after I received my fortunate pre-order, but some individuals have been upset with the launch because they want unlocked Galaxy S7 and unlocked Galaxy S7 edge smartphones straight from Samsung instead of carrier-locked phones.

Well, Samsung has heard the complaints of a few and has decided to meet that need. The Korean giant has decided to sell the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge stateside, but unlocked. In other words, these smartphones are not tied to one carrier or carrier-locked. The best part about it is that these smartphones will work with not only the traditional GSM carriers such as T-Mobile and AT&T, but also CDMA carriers Verizon and Sprint (this is where you should literally drop your jaws in a state of shock!)

These unlocked Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge smartphones won’t have the nice price tags that you see at the local carrier(s), though: whereas you can get some Galaxy S7 models for as cheap as $40 or $50 right now, you’ll have to pay the full retail prices ($669.99 for the unlocked Galaxy S7 and $769.99 for the unlocked Galaxy S7 edge). In addition to Samsung selling it at its own website (www.samsung.com), you can also find the unlocked Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge available at other online retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy (and also Target).

Now, one thing you need to know is that the unlocked Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge both come with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 processor. Usually, when a device internationally unlocked, it features Samsung’s own Exynos processor; unfortunately, these will feature Qualcomm’s (Qualcomm has a stronghold on the US market among others). Notice that Canada received the Exynos 8890 processor in the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge while the US versions received the Qualcomm 820, so it seems as though Samsung respect Qualcomm’s business in the US and won’t interfere with that.

The unlocked Galaxy S7, as does the carrier-locked version, features a 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display with a 2,560 x 1,440p screen resolution, Qualcomm’s quad-core Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, 32GB of minimum storage, a 5MP front camera, 12MP back camera with OIS and Dual Pixel phase detection autofocus (PDAF), as well as a 3,000mAh battery. The unlocked Galaxy S7 edge features the signature dual-edge curved display (5.5 inches), along with the same specs as the Galaxy S7 — but also has a larger-sized battery (3,600mAh instead of the S7’s 3,000mAh battery).

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