Samsung Galaxy Smartphone (Photo : REUTERS/GUSTAU NACARINO)
The Galaxy S7 release date is not expected to happen until the second quarter of 2016 but the flagship's arrival could be significantly advanced by a couple of months and there are clear indicators that Samsung's plans are gearing on that course.
First, the South Korean tech giant is reportedly switching its development methodology of the Galaxy S7 - from Waterfall to Agile, Samsung fan site SamMobile said in a new report. With the move, it is highly likely that the manufacturing process, the early stage, of the device will gain up to two months of head start. If the plan goes well, most of the dirty work involving the S7 will have be completed by December 2015 and the handset should be all primed up in a matter of weeks for a grand unpacking.
Agile is described by the report as modular approach - it "implies creating a project with simple beginnings and building it up by splitting development into modules which are completed as fast as possible," SamMobile said. The key component for the new Agile methodology is flexibility, which allows for possible adjustments middle of the process without impacting on the production and release calendar.
In contrast, Waterfall is rigid that discourages projects revisions. SamMobile also noted that with the old way there is little room for rollbacks when certain stages have been finalized.
The Agile methodology, in short, will allow Samsung to speed up the completion of its Galaxy S7 project that its introduction may just happen before the end of 2016.
And the welcome possibility, according to Trusted Reviews, is not too remote from happening considering that Samsung lately is on the fast track mode. The Galaxy maker is said to be pushing for an earlier Galaxy Note 5 landing this 2015. Traditionally, the flagship phablet gets launch through the annual September IFA trade show but Samsung seems unwilling to wait for the Berlin event to reveals its second flagship.
So the Note 5 together with the Galaxy S6 Plus will likely come out this August and if true, the path is set for the Galaxy S7 to hit the market much earlier than usual.
Two possible scenarios will play out for the Galaxy S7 release date in 2016. First to watch for is the Las Vegas CES in late January and if the S7 skips the Mobile World Congress that will kick off February 22 in Barcelona is the next best bet.
