Fresh ‘Samsung Galaxy S7' Leaked Specs Show Magnesium Alloy Unibody, Ahead Of February Release

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S7, which is expected to be released by the South Korean tech giant sometime in late February 2016, is believed to have opted for a "unibody design," according to new reports.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 will apparently come with a magnesium alloy unibody design. The latest information has been gathered from several unnamed insider sources within Samsung’s supply chain unit. Samsung reportedly received magnesium alloy case samples recently, and the firm that provided the magnesium alloy samples is reportedly the one that made 6013 series aluminum metal frame for the Galaxy S6 series of smartphones.

The new leaked information is pointing to a “metal unibody” and not a new build material for the “metal frame” that runs through the corners of the device, Phone Arena reported. The material supplier was apparently asked to send samples of magnesium alloy with “smooth surface,” similar to the ones seen in Apple’s iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. It is worth noting that the "Bendgate saga" specific to the iPhone 6 Plus clearly pointed to the need for stronger build materials. The iPhone 6 Plus comes with 6003 series aluminum, whereas the latest iPhone 6s Plus uses the much-tougher 7000 series aluminum.

Samsung would have avoided the need to opt for a tougher metal design in case the company had stuck to the glass-metal build for the Galaxy S7, as the structural support from glass should be good enough. But then, the company is rumored to utilize the magnesium alloy, which is technically tougher to bend and at the same time, is lighter when compared to aluminum alloys. Hence, the magnesium alloy as a build material for a unibody design would help Samsung get rid of the durability issues and make the smartphone lighter, Phone Arena reported.

As far as the rumored Galaxy S7 specifications are concerned, G For Games said that the handset will apparently feature a 5.7-inch display, along with a dual-camera setup. Notably, Samsung is planning to build two versions of the device -- one of them is rumored to come powered by a Snapdragon 820 SoC, while the other could utilize the Exynos M1 chipset.