The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has officially launched, confirming the many weeks of rumors about its curved design, 5.7-inch display, top-of-the-line specs and S-Pen stylus.
Note 7 is the large-screen phone for 2016 that Android power users have been anxiously waiting to upgrade to, and it takes several cues from the awesome Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
Sure, the S7 Edge stretched out fingertips into near-phablet territory with a 5.5-inch display in March. But it didn't have two Note 7 series staples: a 5.7-inch screen and an S-Pen stylus.
Note 7 maximizes the screen space, while minimizing the body and bezels. Returning features like a microSD card slot and IP68 waterproof rating are welcome, and the new iris scanner is turning heads.
It's especially anticipated in the UK and Europe, as Samsung made the bizarre decision not to launch the Galaxy Note 5 outside of the US and a few other countries. Their S-Pen upgrade is long overdue.
Just don't call it the Samsung Galaxy Note 6. The Galaxy Note 7 name is meant to bring it in line with the name of the Galaxy S7 series - and the forthcoming iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 release date and price
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 announcement happened today at Samsung's Unpacked event on Tuesday, August 2, and we were there in New York and London to go hands on.
The actual device can be pre-ordered August 3, while the official delivery date is August 19 in the US. That's also the physical release date for the new Samsung Gear VR with a USB-C connection in America.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 UK release date in a little later: September 2.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 price is still being worked out by US carriers and will be the last bit of news we hear about. We're guessing it'll cost a little bit more than the Galaxy S7 Edge.
The S7 Edge debuted at $299 on contract ($769 in SIM-free unlocked later on), or $33 monthly in the US. In the UK, the S7 Edge is priced at £640 and in Australia AU$1,249. Expect the Note 7 to hit a new high for smartphones.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 reflects the S7 Edge look and feel thanks to its curved screen, but it maintains the Note 7 build and S-Pen functionality.
Its dimensions are 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9mm, meaning the Note 7 is a meaningful 2.2mm narrower than the Note 5. That's ideal for staying comfortable in your hand – you'll drop it a lot less, too.
Hand-holding is also helped by the curved back, a returning design feature from the Note 5 and one that wasn't a part of the S7 Edge. It brings the Note 7 frame to a smooth point.
The dual edge curved screen on the left and right is more subtle here, but it reduces false touches that have been a problem for some people with the more elaborate S7 Edge curves.
The Note 7 has shed some weight, coming in at 162g. That's still heavier than the S7 most other phones today, but a reasonable weight considering the size of this device.
Finally, it's waterproof again, with an official IP68 rating. That means it can survive a depth of 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) for 30 minutes before breaking.
Iris scanner
The Note 7 iris scanner is the nifty new technology that Samsung is using to unlock your phone and your most private folders. It feels futuristic, just like the fingerprint sensor did a few years ago.
With a swipe from the left on the lockscreen, the iris scanner screen reveals an iris scanning menu that seekings your eyes. Within a second, it'll unlock your phone.
The Note 7 iris scanner is by no means a replacement for the normal fingerprint sensor button. It's a supplement that works best when you're exiting the shower or a pool, and your fingerprint just won't unlock your phone right away.
Specs
There's no big surprise to the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 specs. It basically has the same internals as the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge from five months ago - meaning it's still powerful.
At its heart is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor in the US version and Samsung's own Exynos 8890 octacore processor in the UK and almost everywhere else. The latter is the faster of the two, the Qualcomm's chip supports American and Chinese CDMA networks.
The Note 7 sticks with 4GB of RAM, shying away from the 6GB RAM upgrade that had been rumored at time leading up to the phone launch event and is enjoyed by the OnePlus 3, Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe and a variant of the ZTE Axon 7.
The big upgrade for the Note 7 this time around is the fact that it starts with 64GB of internal storage. Gone is any sort of 32GB option, which is a big deal if you're moving from an Apple device.
In addition to the larger built-in storage size, the Note 7 includes a microSD card slot (tucked into its nano SIM card slot) to expand storage by up to 256GB.
Android 6.0.1
The Galaxy Note 7 runs Android 6.0.1, but you probably wouldn't know it looking at the menus. Samsung uses its TouchWiz interface, so this looks like an evolved version of all of its previous phones.
Launching in early August means that the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 won't get the Android 7,0 Nougat upgrade right about like new Nexus phone.
Camera
When it comes to the camera, the Galaxy Note 7 camera, Samsung's 2016 are alike, too. It has the same 12MP sensor and f/1.7 aperture, and it's fantastic in low-light conditions.
Both OIS and dual pixel image sensor technology combine to put the your darkest photos in focus. This is why the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and, now, the Note 7 are highly lauded.
While the Note 5 had a 16MP camera, Samsung proves that this isn't a numbers game by any means. The phone also has a 5MP f/1.7 front-facing camera and the main camera can shoot 4K video.
Battery life
The Samsung Note 7 has upgraded to a 3,500mAh to support its large screen. That's a big 17% increase over the similarly sized Note 5 battery from last year.
Best of all, takes the same amount of time to charge as the smaller Note 5 battery. This is accomplished with USB-C connectivity. That's a big switch from microUSB for some people.
There's a lot more to the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to be discovered, and we got hands on time with the new phone. Check out our ongoing Note 7 review.
from TechRadar: Phone and communications news http://www.techradar.com/1325897
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