One Galaxy S7 concept suggests e-ink buttons, another sticks to the current gen

Allegedly under testing already, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is expected to debut some time in February. It's only natural that it entertains the minds of the tech folk, and with the lack of live images so far, we're left with design concepts to marvel at.

One such concept comes out of a Martin Hajek/Computerbild.de collaboration and, cool as it may be, it's safe to assume that the Galaxy S7 will look little like it. For one, the suggested capacitive keys, which are in fact e-ink displays, seem quite far-fetched. We like the idea though, to be able to customize the layout to suit your preference or habit if you're coming from a different brand.

You won't be surprised to learn that we also appreciate the removable back cover and user-replaceable battery - a feature Samsung abandoned with the Galaxy S6, and it doesn't seem too likely to bring it back as soon as the next generation, despite the outrage this particular decision caused. The dual camera setup on the back is another aspect to its design that's unlikely to materialize. And placing the heart rate sensor above the camera module doesn't seem too convenient, either.

Of course, that's just a concept and the ideas in it are nothing but one man's vision (or that of a team, maybe) of what the perfect Galaxy S7 could look like, not really a guess at what's actually to come. And with renders already out, actually depicting the future smartphone, it's clear that the artist hasn't tried to stay too close to Samsung's reality.

An exercise in this direction comes from Jermaine Smit and SamMobile, who have teamed up to produce a more realistic render of the Galaxy S7. A lot like the existing S6, these renders show almost nonexistent side bezels as the greatest design tweak. On a side note, we won't lament if the rose gold version remains confined to the concept video.

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