The Global Mobile Awards, colloquially known as the Glomo Awards, are announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona each year. Designed to credit innovation and developments in the mobile industry, the awards cover several categories in an effort to reflect the diversity of the field.
Samsung won the Best Smartphone of 2016 award in the Best Mobile Handsets and Devices category. The judges recognised the features and reception of the Galaxy S7 edge. The award was presented by GSMA, a trade body that represents mobile network operators and distributors from around the world.
The S7 edge has proved to be a very successful device that led the market in Android smartphones last year. However, the award presentation was overshadowed by the absence of Samsung’s second 2016 flagship, the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7. It’s probable the bigger, more powerful and stylus-touting Note 7 would have come away with the award had it not been recalled and completely discontinued by its manufacturer.
Samsung was keen to direct attention away from its misfortune in the latter half of the year. The company relied on marketing rhetoric to assure customers that its phones remain at the forefront of the industry and are rigorously quality tested. It suggested the award reflects the “excellent” reputation of its mobile devices.
“We are honored that the Galaxy S7 edge was recognised by the GSMA as ‘Best Smartphone 2016’ at the 2017 Glomo Awards, reinforcing our commitment to craftsmanship in design and innovation,” said Junho Park, Vice President of Global Product Strategy for Samsung’s mobile devision. “This award is a testament to our constant pursuit of excellence as we continue to exceed consumers’ expectations through revolutionary mobile technology.”
The Galaxy S7 edge launched just over a year ago, at Mobile World Congress 2016. It features a 5.5-inch display, Samsung’s Exynos 8890 processor, 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage.
Samsung filled the device with an extensive range of extras, including Samsung Pay, wireless charging, a fingerprint sensor, an improved camera and an overhauled software interface. The phone became the official device of the 2016 Olympic Games, spawning a special Olympic-themed edition distributed to all competing athletes.
Samsung is now preparing to unveil the phone’s successor, the Galaxy S8. In the wake of the Note 7 recall, Samsung decided not to announce the device at MWC, breaking its tradition in recent years. The company will instead host a live event on March 29 in which the new phone will finally be officially revealed. It is currently building up anticipation ahead of the launch, encouraging fans to “unbox your phone.”
