There have been rumors about how the Samsung Galaxy S7’s design might not differ too much from the Galaxy S6. Is this a good or bad thing, we guess that will depend on how you look at it. However if there is one possible change, it could be the choice of material. Right now Samsung, and most smartphone OEMs, tend to use aluminum.
However the recent rumors have suggested that Samsung could make a switch of magnesium instead. So why magnesium, and more importantly how does this affect the end-user? For starters a magnesium alloy shares similar traits to aluminum in terms of strength and durability. The added advantage is that they are lighter.
They can also absorb vibrations and shocks better, and don’t affect transmission of radio waves as much as aluminum does. On the surface it might not look too different, but we suppose these changes could result in a better phone experience overall. The only downside is that raw magnesium is more expensive, which is why OEMs haven’t exactly been rushing out to build phones made out of the material, at least not complete chassis.
In any case take it with a grain of salt for now, but we have seen magnesium used in other electronics like high-end cameras to great results, so the idea of a phone made of the same material does sit well with us. If the rumors are to be believed, there is a chance we could find out more come February/March 2016.
