Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 was announced at an event in New York City today. Here’s what you need to know about the new phone — including its specs, features, design, UK price and more.
Note 7 Design
The Note 7 is a slimmer, trimmer version of the Note 5, with an equally gorgeous 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display that now curves on both sides to make the best use of the space available. There’s no ‘flat’ version of the phone, as there was with the Galaxy S7.
It’s also the first Note phone to receive IP68 water and dust resistance, allowing it to withstand temporary immersion in shallow water. That means it’ll probably survive a drop in the sink, but don’t go deep sea diving with it.
The Note 7 will be available in Black Onyx, Silver Titanium, Coral Blue and Gold. Some colours may be exclusive to certain shops or networks in the UK, so don’t panic if your favoured shade isn’t available in the first place you look.
Note 7 Features
Beyond its massive size, the original Note was best known for its S Pen stylus. The S Pen has returned on every subsequent Note, and the latest model has some cool new features to take full advantage of it. You can use the pen to magnify fine text or images, translate signs or documents, or quickly make GIFs from video. The pen is also water resistant now, just like the phone itself, so you could take notes underwater if you really wanted to. The S Pen’s nib is also smaller at 0.7mm, making it feel a little more natural to write with.
The most noticeable new feature of the Note 7 is its iris scanner, which sits above the display. Look into the oculus, and you’ll be able to sign into your phone and access content that you’ve locked away. You’ll also eventually be able to use it to authenticate Samsung Pay transactions, although that feature isn’t available yet. Samsung’s demonstration was slick, but we’ll have to see how well it works once the first reviews start to arrive.
The phone is also the first Samsung model to come with USB-C, which offers easier connections, better charging and faster file transfers than Micro USB. It means you may have to switch to USB-C accessories, but given the many advantages of the new connector it’s a sensible upgrade to make.
Note 7 Specs
The Note 7 is an incremental upgrade over the S7 and S7 Edge, which launched earlier this year. Buyers in most area of the world will receive a version with Samsung’s Exynos 8893 octa-core chipset, although US and Chinese users will receive phones with Snapdragon 821 chipsets instead. This is backed with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, plus Micro SD support — up from 32GB on the S7 Edge and other recent Samsung flagship phones. The battery is similar in size to the S7 Edge, at 3500mAh, which should result in roughly the same longevity.
For a closer look at the Note 7’s specifications, and how they stack up against recent Samsung flagships, check out our comparison blog!
Note 7 Camera
The Note 7 features the same widely lauded camera system as the Galaxy S7 Edge. That means a smaller 12-megapixel rear sensor than the 16-megapixel Note 5, but with larger pixels (1.4 µm vs 1.12 µm) for better low-light performance. It also comes with ‘dual pixel’ technology, which allows for more rapid autofocus. Add in optical image stabilisation and a lighter f/1.7 lens, and you have all the makings of a great camera phone.
Note 7 Software
The Galaxy Note 7 comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, with a promised update to 7.0 Nougat coming soon. Marshmallow is the slickest version of Android yet to be released, and Nougat takes it to the next level with redesigned notifications, battery-saving features and more cool stuff. It’s not clear how long it’ll take for the Note 7 to be upgraded.
Of course, Samsung have added their own tweaks to the software. That includes special gaming features including a full-screen mode and live streaming, an advanced camera app and Samsung Notes. This latter app is a combination of four stylus friendly apps, allowing you to edit photos, draw sketches or jot down notes.
Note 7 Accessories
Samsung is preparing its usual raft of cases and accessories for the new handset, and third-party accessory makers are also getting into the action in a big way. We’ve already got hundreds of cases and accessories online, with the first shipments expected to arrive in stock next week. Check it out:
Shop Note 7 cases > Shop Note 7 accessories >
Samsung also announced a new Gear VR headset, which uses the new USB-C connector and is likely to be compatible with future Galaxy S and Note handsets in 2017.
Note 7 UK price & release date
The Note 7 will cost £749 sim-free in the UK. We’ve already got the Onyx Black version listed on our store, so check it out if you’d like to assure you’ll get your phone rapidly! The Note 7 has a UK release date of August 19th, 2016, so you don’t have too long to wait!
Conclusion
Thanks for checking out the article, and be sure to let us know what you think of the new Note. If you’re planning on picking up a Note, then stay tuned to the Mobile Fun blog, Twitter and Facebook to see the best new cases and accessories as they arrive. Until then, so long!