It was hard task for Samsung to making the Galaxy Note 7
stand out from its two already impressive phones of 2016, the Galaxy S7 and
Galaxy S7 Edge. But it seems to have done a fantastic job, if my first
impressions are anything to go by. The Korean giant’s latest phablet is a
tantalising prospect.
Yet, a lot of the actual specs have been plucked straight
from other Samsung phones. But the typical Note mainstays are still here, S-Pen
included, and it’s the first phone to possess iris-scanning tech and a
mobile-HDR display.
12-megapixel camera has large Dual Pixels that let in more
flash light, and the wide f/1.7 aperture makes it surprisingly easy to achieve
shots with lovely bokeh, where the background blurs out and you’re left with
the subject in focus.
Testing a camera in a demo room is tricky, but from what
I've seen the Note 7 should perform just as well as the S7 and S7 Edge. The
camera app opens almost instantly with a double-tap of the home button, and
it’s got all the tricks you’d expect – 4K recording, auto-HDR, slow-mo and much
more.
The Note 7's battery is actually smaller than the one in the
5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, measuring in at 3,500mAh rather than 3,600mAh.
It's a small difference, but I've found the S7 Edge’s battery life to be wildly
inconsistent, so I have some initial concerns about the Note 7's. Thankfully
there’s Fast Charging on board – both wired and wireless – and this is the
first Samsung phone to utilise USB-C, which was a surprising omission from the
Galaxy S7.
- 5.7-inch, quad-HD Super AMOLED display
- Octa-core CPU
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB internal storage
- microSD expansion
- S-Pen
- Android 6.0.1
- Fingerprint and Iris scanner
- USB-C
- Fast and wireless charging
- 3,500 mAh battery
- IP68 water resistance
- 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9mm, 169g
- 12MP camera, f1.7 aperture
- 5MP selfie camera
- Manufacturer: Samsung
- Review Price: £749.00
Samsung has announced the new Galaxy Note 7, which blends the best features of its Note line with the best features of its S7 series launched earlier this year. The Note 7 has a dual-curved display and iris scanner and is water resistant. It will come in three colors in the US when it hits stores on August 19th: silver, black, and a unique, light blue that Samsung calls "Blue Coral."
