SINGAPORE - Hundreds of eager consumers waited in line this morning, some as early as 8am, to become the first owners of Samsung's latest Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge smartphones.

Announced last month at the annual Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, the latest Android devices from Samsung will go on sale to the public from tomorrow. Today's collection are for those who pre-ordered the devices from Samsung, and from the three telcos.

Those who preordered the phone received the Samsung Gear VR headset, worth $148.

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A successor to last year's Galaxy S6 and S6 edge smartphones, the Galaxy S7 devices see a return of microSD memory expansion, as well as water resistance. Both were removed from last year's models.

Samsung also revamped the camera on the S7,and the new, larger sensor is able to record more light details, which makes it better suited for use in low light conditions.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge marks the arrival of a new wave of smartphone models for the year. LG will be launching its new LG G5 flagship smartphone here later this month, with the phone expected to go on sale in April.

Apple is hosting an event in the US on Monday, March 21, where it is expected to unveil a smaller 4-inch iPhone, a smaller iPad Pro and additions to its Apple Watch range of wearable devices.

sherwinl@sph.com.sg