Packaging and delivery of Note 7
The box confirms the top status of the hero of our review, because it looks very solid. It is made of hard black cardboard. As usual, there is the model name at the top, and the key characteristics of the model are located at the bottom. Since this is a flagship, it comes with a rich set of accessories. Here, perhaps, there is everything that a modern user needs:- USB cable;
- headset;
- network adapter;
- a paperclip for opening the nanoSIM + microSD compartment;
- adapter for microUSB port;
- OTG adapter;
- paper.
Appearance, ergonomics and display of Samsung Galaxy Note 7
The new phablet retains the basic features of its predecessor in its appearance, making it recognizable as a representative of the Note line. The design of the smartphone combines elements taken from models and . In the previous model, only the back panel was rounded, but in the new product, both the front and back surfaces are equally rounded. Due to this, an impression of completeness is created; the appearance of the “seven” is pleasant and harmonious. Although the screen is rounded at the edges, it is not too much. Everything has been done just enough so as not to affect the convenience of handwriting input, since the usable area for the S Pen with excessive screen curvature will be smaller, and this is completely useless.
Despite the dimensions of the device, it is very convenient to use; it fits perfectly in the hand, since the body is noticeably narrowed. Like the latest flagships from the Korean vendor, the Galaxy Note 7 is made using glass and metal. The back is quite slippery, you can accidentally drop your smartphone if you are not careful. However, the case completely corrects the situation. A freshly baked device can benefit from protection from dust and moisture thanks to the IP68 standard. It can withstand depths of up to 1.5 meters, but only for half an hour.
All elements are in their usual places, the finger finds them easily. Thus, the lock button has found its place on the right edge, while the volume control is placed on the left edge. In front, under the display, there is a physical key with a fingerprint reader embedded in it and touch navigation buttons on the sides, everything is familiar. Above the screen we see a front-facing peephole, a notification indicator, an iris scanner, the necessary sensors and a speech speaker. At the bottom end there is a call speaker, a connector (USB v3.1), a microphone, a 3.5 mm headphone input and a niche for the S Pen. On the top edge there is a second microphone and a hybrid tray for microSD and SIM cards or two SIM cards. Device dimensions - 153.5 × 73.9 × 7.9 mm. Weight does not exceed 169 grams. There are five types of colors available - blue, gold, silver and black.
The phablet has acquired the best display to date with a size of 5.7 inches, which, by the way, occupies 78 percent of the front panel. It is hidden under durable Gorilla Glass 5, based on the proprietary SuperAMOLED matrix, the resolution rests at 2560 × 1440 pixels (Quad HD). There is no question of any visible pixels, because their density per inch is 518 ppi. The brightness, viewing angles and color are simply amazing. The color temperature can be adjusted to suit your needs. Although the screen is practically frameless, there are no accidental clicks. As in smartphones of the family, there is an Always-on-Display mode, so the clock and various information are constantly displayed. Many will be pleased with the presence of the “Blue Filter” option; using it, you can make the color gamut of the display warmer. As for the updated S Pen, its tip has become twice as thin for more comfortable drawing. Also, the stylus now recognizes 4096 degrees of pressure.
Technical features and autonomy of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7
The “heart” of the device is the Exynos 8890 Octa processor. This 14nm chipset has the highest performance. It includes four cores at 1.6 GHz and four at 2.3 GHz. The Mali-T880 MP12 graphics module is installed. The LPDDR4 RAM has a capacity of 4 GB, and the built-in UFS 2.0 flash drive has a capacity of 64 GB. The size of the memory card is unlimited. This incredible performance will be enough for the next few years. In AnTuTu, the device has a corresponding result - about 145 thousand points. The device is equipped with a wide range of different sensors. For the first time, Samsung smartphones use an iris sensor, which replaces the fingerprint sensor. The user can choose between these two unlocking methods. In addition, on board the Galaxy Note 7 there is a gyroscope, barometer, Hall sensor, heart rate meter and compass. Of course, 4G LTE frequencies and navigation using GPS and GLONASS systems are supported. It's worth noting that unlocking with your eyes takes less than a second, even if you're wearing glasses, just look at the screen. A very convenient thing.
The battery in the device is non-removable, its capacity is 3500 mAh, which is 500 mAh more than last year’s model. The battery life is good, as for a smartphone with top-end hardware. The battery allows you to operate the device for up to two days in active mode. For example, at maximum brightness the video plays for about 20 hours. An energy saving function is provided. Wireless charging available. There is also a fast charging mode; half the battery capacity is gained in 20 minutes.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 interface and cameras
This is the company's first product to feature the Grace UX shell. Everything here is noticeably simpler and easier than. Later, other flagships of the manufacturer will be updated to this firmware. Various new features have appeared. The design resembles one about to be released. Apparently the Koreans redrawn the interface for the future “OS”, because in the future the Galaxy Note 7 will switch from today’s to the seventh version of the “green robot”.
In terms of photo capabilities, the new product is almost identical. The quality of the images is just as amazing both at night and during the day. However, the cameras have still undergone some improvements. In particular, the changes affected the frame processing algorithm. Image stabilization has been improved and is now clearer when shaking. The main module is equipped with a 12 megapixel sensor with f/1.7 aperture. There is phase detection autofocus, optical stabilization and a bright LED flash. It is possible to shoot videos in 4K format. The front camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels and its aperture is f/1.7.
Conclusion
The Koreans managed to create a very attractive device, which, of course, surpasses its predecessor. Although the changes are not so pronounced. The model turned out to be spectacular in appearance, very powerful and functional. I liked the presence of an iris scanner, which makes the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 even more attractive. Of course, it has every chance of becoming very popular all over the world. The model will appear in Russia somewhere in mid-September. The price of Note 7 will be about 65 thousand rubles.
Samsung is another company with many flagships, which are again divided into spring and autumn. Why miss the opportunity to make a big statement about your smartphones twice in a year? So they don’t miss out: Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge received their share of applause, attention and consumer interest, now it’s time for a “big flagship” - Note 7, with characteristics very close to the S7, but larger in size, equipped with a stylus, modified software and - this year - a curved display.
Last year we already saw something similar, only without a curved display, under the name Note 5 - as you can see, Samsung is still unifying its lineup. Now it’s more difficult to get confused: all new devices come under the same index. And they are very close in appearance - having received a curved display, Note 7 became very similar to the S7 edge, only enlarged, with a stylus and USB Type-C - and the thickness of the case remained unchanged.
I should be happy about the last fact, but I’m writing this review after the well-known events with smartphones exploding while charging and one of the largest recalls of devices in history - and it’s simply impossible to ignore this issue. However, we will talk about this below, as well as about everything else.
⇡ Specifications
| Samsung GALAXY Note 7 | Samsung GALAXY Note 5 | Samsung GALAXY S7 | Google Nexus 6P | Apple iPhone 6s Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.7 inches, AMOLED, 2560 × 1440 pixels, 515.3 ppi, capacitive multi-touch, Always-On display, curved | 5.7 inches, AMOLED, 2560 × 1440 pixels, 515.3 ppi, capacitive multi-touch | 5.1 inches, AMOLED, 2560 × 1440 pixels, 575.9 ppi, capacitive multi-touch | 5.7 inches, AMOLED, 2560 × 1440 pixels, 515 ppi, capacitive multi-touch | 5.5 inches, IPS, 1920 × 1080 pixels, 401 ppi, 3D Touch, Taptic Engine, capacitive multi-touch |
| Stylus | Yes, S Pen | Yes, S Pen | No | No | No |
| Protective glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on both sides | Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on both sides | Corning Gorilla Glass (version not specified) on both sides | Corning Gorilla Glass 4 | Yes, manufacturer not specified |
| CPU | Exynos 8890 Octa (four Moongoose cores, 2.6 GHz; four ARM Cortex-A53 cores, 1.6 GHz) | Samsung Exynos 7420 (four ARM Cortex-A57 cores, 2.1 GHz; four ARM Cortex-A53 cores, 1.5 GHz) | Exynos 8890 Octa (four Moongoose cores, 2.3 GHz; four ARM Cortex-A53 cores, 1.6 GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (four ARM Cortex-A53 cores, 1.55 GHz + two ARM Cortex-A57 cores, 2 GHz) | Apple A9 (two Apple Twister cores, 1.8 GHz, integrated Apple M9 coprocessor) |
| Graphic controller | Mali-T880 MP12 | Mali-T760 MP8 | Mali-T880 MP12 | Adreno 430 | No data |
| Operational memory | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 3 GB | 2 GB |
| Flash memory | 64 GB | 32/64 GB | 32/64 GB | 32/64/128 GB | 16/64/128 GB |
| Memory card support | There is, in the Duos version, a combined slot for a memory card and SIM card | No | There is, in the S7 Duos version, a combined slot for a memory card and SIM card | No | No |
| Connectors | USB Type-C, 3.5 mm mini-jack | microUSB, mini-jack 3.5 mm | microUSB, mini-jack 3.5 mm | USB-C, 3.5 mm mini-jack | Lightning, 3.5 mm mini-jack |
| SIM cards | One nanoSIM/two nanoSIM | One nanoSIM | One nanoSIM/two nanoSIM | One nanoSIM | One nanoSIM |
| Cellular connection 2G | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz | |
| Cellular 3G | HSPA 850 / 900 /1900 / 2100 MHz | HSPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 MHz | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 MHz | HDSPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 MHz | |
| Cellular 4G | FDD LTE Cat. 6 (up to 300/50 Mbit/s): bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20 | LTE Cat support. 12 (up to 600/50 Mbit/s): bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 20 | LTE Cat. 6 (up to 300 Mbit/s): bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 17, 19, 20, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41 | LTE Cat. 6 (up to 150 Mbit/s), bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41 | |
| WiFi | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 |
| NFC | Eat | Eat | Eat | Eat | No |
| Navigation | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS |
| Sensors | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), barometer, heart rate | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), barometer, heart rate | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), pedometer | ||
| Illuminance, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), barometer | |||||
| Fingerprint's scanner | Eat | Eat | Eat | Eat | Eat |
| Main camera | 16 MP, ƒ/1.9, autofocus, LED flash, optical stabilization, 4K video recording | 12 MP, ƒ/1.7, phase detection autofocus, LED flash, optical stabilization, 4K video recording | 12.3 MP, ƒ/2.0, laser autofocus, LED flash, 4K video recording | 12 MP, ƒ/2.2, phase detection autofocus, LED flash, optical stabilization, 4K video recording | |
| Front-camera | 5 MP, fixed focus | 5 MP, fixed focus | 5 MP, fixed focus | 8 MP, fixed focus | 5 MP, fixed focus |
| Nutrition | Non-removable 13.3 Wh battery (3500 mAh, 3.8 V) | Non-removable battery 12.23 Wh (3220 mAh, 3.8 V) | Non-removable 11.4 Wh battery (3000 mAh, 3.8 V) | Non-removable 13.11 Wh battery (3450 mAh, 3.8 V) | Non-removable 10.45 Wh battery (2750 mAh, 3.82 V) |
| Size | 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9 mm | 154 × 79 × 7.5 mm | 142.4 × 69.6 × 7.9 mm | 159.3 × 77.8 × 7.3 mm | 158.2 × 77.9 × 7.3 mm |
| Weight | 169 grams | 176 grams | 152 grams | 178 grams | 192 grams |
| Housing protection | IP68 |
No | IP68 Up to half an hour at a depth of 1.5 m |
No | Unknown |
| operating system | Android 6.0 Marshmallow, own Grace UX shell | Android 5.1 Lolliipop, Samsung's own TouchWiz shell | Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Samsung's own TouchWiz shell | Android 6.0 Marshmallow | iOS 9 |
| Current price | 64,990 rubles | 35,000-43,000 rubles depending on memory size | From 49,990 rubles | 39,990-49,990 rubles depending on memory size | 57,990, 66,990 and 74,990 rubles depending on memory size |
⇡ Appearance and ergonomics
Back in the Galaxy S6, Samsung found its own smartphone design recipe - and has been following it without deviation for a year and a half. I must admit, the recipe is really good: take a thin body, cover it with tempered glass on both sides, and put metal around the perimeter; Place an oval button with a fingerprint scanner at the bottom of the front panel; if necessary, bend the edges of the body. In Note 7, this scheme is brought to perfection - the edges of the glass are curved both on the front side and on the back, which makes the smartphone not only visually symmetrical, but also, excuse the cliche, fits perfectly in the hand.
The latter is really impressive - when operating a 5.7-inch gadget you do not experience any serious discomfort, the sensations are quite comparable to those you had when working with the S7, and much more pleasant than when working with the edge. Except, of course, that you have to work with both hands - you can, of course, activate a special “one-handed” mode, with picture in picture - but this, to be honest, is not very convenient. The Note 7 is also difficult to fit into a pocket. Of course, there are different pockets, but I tried several - from all of them the smartphone stuck out at least slightly. However, all this is an inevitable feature of all large smartphones, which are also called the terrible word “phablet”.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7, front panel. Above the screen: earpiece, front camera, light and proximity sensors, infrared iris recognition camera, and status indicator. Below the screen: the “Home” button with a fingerprint scanner and touch keys for “Back” and calling up a list of open applications
Unfortunately, the Note 7 only looks flawless in photographs and display cases. No, it doesn't turn into a pumpkin after purchase, but the glass back panel does pick up fingerprints very easily. This is not too critical if, as in our case, you have a black version. If you have blue or silver, get your rags ready, gentlemen and ladies. The olephobic coating helps quickly erase marks, but does not protect the case from collecting them.
Both the display and the back panel use Gorilla Glass 5, which theoretically should not react at all to the touch of keys or small change in your pocket. In practice, things are not so great. The glass can probably withstand falls from a small height, but it scratches like crazy. For the back panel to get scratched, you don’t even need to carry your smartphone with keys - you just need to put it on less than perfectly smooth surfaces from time to time. There is no loss of functionality, but it doesn't look great.
The layout and shape of the keys is identical to what we saw on the Galaxy S7: two volume buttons on the left and a power button on the right. You need to get used to this; on almost all other Android smartphones they fall together on the right side. Under the display there is a mechanical Home button with a built-in fingerprint scanner, with which you can unlock the device in one motion - this is a fairly common solution, and very convenient to boot.
Note 7 is the first Samsung smartphone and the first smartphone in general since the Lumia 950, which has a built-in iris scanner.
The infrared sensor is located above the screen and can quickly recognize the owner; you just need to bring the device at a distance of 25-30 cm to your eyes. Another thing is that, unlike a fingerprint scanner, you first need to press the power button and swipe the lock screen - and then also bring the smartphone in an unnatural position to your face. You also need to take off your glasses and contact lenses, carefully monitor the cleanliness of the sensor and endure for a long time while the device memorizes the shape of your eyes: personally, it remembered mine on the 19th (I counted) attempt - it took at least five rather dreary minutes. But forging an iris, unlike a fingerprint, is much more difficult. However, there is always a verification PIN code - if you really want to, you can bypass such strict protection.
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By the way, I won’t write separately about the fingerprint scanner - they have reached such a level that they work equally quickly in both expensive and cheap devices, and when you come across a scanner in a smartphone for 10 thousand (like Vernee Thor), you’re not even surprised. In general, it is here too, and it works quickly, without failures.
The case, like the S7, is protected according to the IP68 standard (up to half an hour at a depth of one and a half meters) - you don’t have to worry about splashes and accidental drowning in a sink, the sea or somewhere else. Since Sony refused to produce devices protected by the same standard, this can be called a Samsung signature feature. In terms of body thickness, by the way, Note 7 is identical to the “regular” S7 and two tenths of a millimeter thicker than the S7 edge.
The same small problem with the speaker remained. It is monophonic, located on the bottom edge, and can be clearly heard when the smartphone is lying flat - but as soon as you pick it up, especially in landscape orientation, the tiny grille is blocked by your finger and it is no longer possible to hear anything. You have to carefully choose a place for your finger and place it on the stylus hidden in the case.
⇡ Software,SPen
While working on the Note 7, Samsung changed the name of its Android shell. The long-standing TouchWiz has been replaced by Grace UX. Moreover, at first glance it seems that, apart from the name and the settings menu, nothing has changed. This is a deceptive impression - although the changes are not dramatic, they make using the device much more comfortable in small ways.
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First of all, after a relatively long period of use, you notice that the smartphone no longer consumes energy in standby mode, like fire - oxygen. Leaving your Note 7 unplugged overnight will prevent you from finding it dead the next morning. On the contrary, a maximum of 5-7% will be lost, or even less. Another key problem of TouchWiz also disappeared - along with a bunch of pre-installed proprietary applications that had to be forcibly “demolished” (and some were completely impossible to remove). Now the required software is a minimum; everything you need can be downloaded yourself either from Google Play or from the Samsung application store. True, the process of first launch with the need to first log into a Google account, then into a Samsung account and sign up for a lot of different agreements was still too long.
With the onset of August, many fans of Samsung products waited for the good news: the official announcement Samsung Galaxy Note7, a phablet that continues the well-known series of gadgets focused on working with the S Pen stylus. Of course, a user who knows about the latest generation Samsung Galaxy S7 will not notice any catch. But experienced users will be surprised why the next new product in the series did not receive the number 6. Everything is explained simply: the release of the flagship is automatically associated with the new Note, and since the developers were late with the sixth model, they decided to call the new product a seven. Be that as it may, the phablet is interesting, and has received many interesting features typical of all high-profile new products from Samsung.
Design
In terms of ergonomics, this phablet resembles not so much the previous Samsung Galaxy Note5 as the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. All thanks to the double-edged design variation, where the functional part of the display is rounded on the sides towards the frame. It is difficult to judge whether it is convenient or not, but it looks unusual and attracts the attention of others. Another nice feature: the thickness is 7.9 millimeters. Yes, the smartphone doesn’t even closely resemble any budget smartphone, but the thin body still adds elegance. But we should not forget that the overall dimensions of the device are impressive: after all, it is a 5.7-inch solution. The display, as always, is made using super-AMOLED technology and has a resolution of 1440x2560. B-brands from the Middle Kingdom rarely indulge in such characteristics. And no matter how the same brands strive to reduce the frames, they are completely absent here. The back cover is non-removable and, like the screen, it is bent towards the side frame.
Another feature characteristic of modern Samsung flagships is dust and moisture protection according to the IP68 standard. Samsung Galaxy Note7 also adopted this feature, so the device is not afraid of water. Finally, a few words about the pen: it is also being improved. Now the pen is more accurate and recognizes as many as 4096 degrees of pressure. Now they can draw even thinner lines.
Iron power
The key feature of Samsung flagships is their own chipsets, which provide good performance indicators. In this case, the manufacturer used Exynos 8890 Octa with four 2.3 GHz and four 1.6 GHz cores. RAM is 4 gigabytes, permanent memory is 64. The camera is also not inferior: despite 12 megapixels, the aperture is f/1.7, so the pictures should turn out good even in low light conditions.
- Type: smartphone
- OS version: Android 6.0
- Frame: standard
- The body is made of: aluminum and glass
- Design: water protection
- Additional controls: mechanical/touch buttons
- Number of SIM cards: 2
- Multi-SIM operation mode: variable
- Weight: 169 g
- Width x Height x Thickness: 73.9x153.5x7.9 mm
Screen characteristics
- Screen view: color AMOLED, 16.78 million colors, touch
- Sensor type: multi-touch, capacitive
- Screen diagonal: 5.7 inch
- Curved Screen: present
- Image Width x Height: 2560x1440
- Auto screen rotation: present
- Scratch-resistant glass: present
Multimedia
- Camera detail: 12 million pixels, LED flash
- Camera features: autofocus, optical stabilization
- Diaphragm: F/1.7
- Possibility to record video: present
- Recorded video resolution (max): 3840x2160
- Video frame rate (max): 30 fps
- Front camera: present, 5 million pixels.
- Music playback format: MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA
- Headphone input: 3.5 mm
Connection
- Digital mobile communication standard: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A Cat. 9
- Communication Interface: Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.2, USB, ANT+, NFC
- Satellite navigation: GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou
Specifications
- Number of processor cores: 8
- Built-in memory capacity: 64 GB
- RAM capacity: 4 GB
- Memory card slot: present, maximum size 256 GB (combined with a slot for a second SIM card)
Battery and operating time
- Battery capacity: 3500 mAh
- Charging connector type: USB Type-C
- Wireless charging function: present
- Fast charging function: present
Additional functions
- Speakerphone (built-in speaker): present
- Control: voice dialing, voice control
- Presence of flight mode: present
- Advanced Audio Distribution Profile: present
- Built-in sensors: Light, Proximity, Hall, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer, Fingerprint Reading, Iris Scanner
- Flashlight: present
- Possibility to use as a USB drive: present
Information
- Differences: Gorilla Glass 5; heart rate sensor; IP68 water and dust protection; processor: (4 cores at 2.3GHz + 4 cores at 1.6GHz); The installed processor depends on the sales region
- Announcement date: 2016-08-02
Today is a very happy occasion to write a review, because I have a brand new Samsung Galaxy Note7 in my hands! I've personally experienced each of the generations, and even used most of them as my main smartphones, so I'm really interested in how things are going with each new Galaxy Note release. This is already the sixth acquaintance, but the number in the name is “seven” to be equal to S7. That's it, they forgot about it, no analytics, I'm just sharing my impressions of the device.
Specifications Samsung Galaxy Note 7
| Parameter | Meaning |
| Dimensions | 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9 mm. |
| Weight | 169 |
| OS | Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow |
| CPU | Exynos 8 Octa 8890/Snapdragon 820 |
| Graphic arts | Mali-T880 M12/Adreno 530. |
| Display | Super AMOLED, 5.7″, 2560 × 1440 pixels, 518 ppi |
| Memory | 64 GB ROM (UFS 2.0) |
| RAM | 4 GB (LPDDR4) |
| Cameras | Main - 12 MP OIS (f/1.7), 4K video recording, front - 5 MP (f/1.7) |
| Interfaces | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), MIMO(2×2) 620 MB/s, Bluetooth 4.2, ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC, microSD (combined), 3.5 mm audio jack. |
| Sensors | Fingerprint and iris scanners, gyroscope, geomagnetic sensor, barometer, heart rate sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor |
| Battery | Li-Pol 3500 mAh. |
Video review of Samsung Galaxy Note 7
I already said that, because the difference between the S7 Edge and Note 7 is really small. This is a stylus, USB Type C, +0.2” for the screen, minus 100 mAh for the battery, a new protective glass and an iris scanner. But with the Note 5 there are many more differences. This is new hardware, a slot for a memory card or for a second SIM card, new cameras, curved edges of the display, water resistance, it is 2 mm narrower, and what’s most interesting is that the stylus is no longer inserted with the back side! Plus all the differences from S7. So if you're wondering if last year's Note is worth replacing, yes, I would. But this is my personal opinion; protection from moisture is worth a lot to me.
Design and arrangement of elements
The design is similar to that of other “sevens”: it has a metal frame and glass on the front and back. But unlike the S-series, the glass on both the front and back is equally bent towards the metal frame. Therefore, the smartphone turned out to be symmetrical.
However, I don’t understand where they were aiming and in what symmetry system they inserted the new USB Type-C connector? It is somehow strongly shifted towards the bottom edge.
But the fact itself is very pleasing - for the first time Samsung has a USB Type-C connector. This is just epic cool! I really look forward to the day when there will be only one connector for everything in the world.
In terms of the arrangement of the elements, everything is very similar to what we see in the S7 Edge, except that the S-Pen stylus has been added. However, some elements have changed. For example, I was pleased with the home key; it is now slightly recessed into the frame and practically does not protrude from the body. This means that the scanner will not be scratched as much as before.
The headphone jack is still in place, we exhale, and a new window has appeared above the display. I’ll say a few words about him now.
Iris scanner
In addition to the fingerprint scanner, Note7 adds another level of protection – an eye scanner. You add your eyes once, and then the smartphone unlocks by scanning them. And even in complete darkness. If you look straight, it works very quickly, sometimes you don’t even have time to notice how the scanner turned on. But overall, it’s just a cool feature; it’s unlikely to become a very popular unlocking method, just like face unlock in Android.
Display
On paper, it seems that there are few differences from the SGS7 Edge at all – the screen is simply 0.2″ larger. But in practice, we also have new Gorilla Glass 5, as well as a different shape of curves on the sides. This is the most important difference, making the Note7 much more convenient to use than the S7 Edge. There are a minimum of false clicks on the edge, although they still happen; it is more convenient to hold it in your hand.
The rest of the characteristics are similar: Quad HD resolution, Super AMOLED matrix. The picture remains perfectly readable in the sun, and overall the display leaves the most pleasant impression. Most likely, this is the most advanced screen in mobile devices at the moment.
S Pen
The electronic S-Pen has become a little better in hardware. In particular, the thickness of the rod itself has almost halved - to 0.7 mm, and pressure gradations are now recognized up to 4000. This is twice as much as in the two previous generations, but this is unlikely to help you, it seems to me.
But some software things are more pleasing. What I liked most was the ability to make a GIF from any selected area, be it a menu interface or a video. Here's what happens:
The pen can also serve as a magnifying glass (I can’t imagine any use cases, to be honest), all the previous features remain. I don’t remember if this was possible before, but there is definitely an icon for adding a new item to the stylus drop-down fan. And a whole store for adding items.
Cameras
Neither the main nor the front cameras have changed at all compared to the Galaxy S7/S7 Edge: main – 12 MP, f1.7, pixel size 1.4 microns, optical image stabilization, video recording up to 4k resolution; front – 5 MP, video recording at 1440p.
Therefore, both photos and videos turn out exactly the same, but I still took a few examples of photos for you specifically from the Galaxy Note7.
Sample photos
But the standard camera application has undergone dramatic changes, it has become more similar to that of the Huawei P9. I consider the latter’s standard camera application to be the best among everything on the market, and now the camera in TouchWiz is very convenient. Swiping from left to right brings up the main camera modes, from right to left – filters (it would be better if there were settings, they are still called up by an icon), and swiping from bottom to top or vice versa changes the camera. The change happens very quickly. In general - a test.
Features and software
In terms of hardware, everything is identical to the S7/S7 Edge: Exynos 8890 with or Snapdragon 820, 4 GB of DDR4 RAM, 64 built-in, expandable with a card up to 2 TB, although these do not exist, battery capacity 3500 mAh. Everything is clear about the performance, it is the same as in the S7, but the autonomy should theoretically be worse, because the display is larger and the battery capacity is smaller. But judging by personal feelings, the difference is not noticeable. The smartphone will definitely be enough for a day of work.
But TouchWiz has been updated again, it is very different even from what is now in the S7/S7 Edge. And this is not bad, updates are, on the contrary, cool. I don’t understand another thing: these updates do not always reach other, still current models. For example, I'm not sure that the new touchwiz will arrive on my S7 Edge. And it’s sad that Samsung uses software updates as a tool to lure away customers; there is always a feeling that you no longer have such a cool smartphone. I hope I was wrong here and the update will arrive soon. And changes can be seen here and there. For example, a safe protected folder has appeared to hide content from prying eyes, an optimization item has appeared in the already changed settings, all items in the curtain now have drop-down functional menus, and so on. Well done, just do the same for other smartphones!
