The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is finally here and it’s here with a bang! I’m not talking about the exploding batteries here—although that is the case with some units. I’m talking about the new and never before seen features that the Galaxy Note 7 brings with it. As always, Samsung didn’t fail to impress with their latest flagship smartphone. I had an extended look at the smartphone at the local launch event and was thoroughly impressed by the looks of the smartphone. I’m using the Galaxy S7 Edge as my daily driver and I have to say, the Note 7 felt more secure in my hands than the slippery, thin Edge. So ignoring the explosions, let’s talk about what Samsung did right with their flagship.
The Note 7’s Design
The larger Samsung Galaxy Note 7 may seem like a gigantic thing to hold but it was surprisingly comfortable to use. The smartphone doesn’t feel as wide as the earlier Note smartphone did and it even had a bigger screen than them. The dual edge design of the Note 7 does make it prone to be easily touched by your palm. Especially if you have meaty palms like me, then it will definitely touch the screen when using the phone with one hand. Apart from that, the phone is a perfect evaluation into something that looks classy and feels great, design-wise.
The Build Quality of the Note 7
Samsung used to make tacky, plastic-y smartphones a few years ago. However, the company decided to go premium and really stepped up their material game. The legacy of Galaxy S6 continues here as well, the smartphone is shrouded in metal and glass. The premium metallic finish and a glass back make it a joy to hold. The glass on the back can potentially make the smartphone slippery but by god! it does look fabulous. I would highly recommend taking a look at the smartphone in real life because no amount of videos and photos will do justice to the beauty of the phone. Although I’m not a big fan of the gold-blue version of the phone but I do appreciate Samsung for trying something new.
The Big Beautiful Note 7 Screen
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 comes with a super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen that is 5.7 inches in size. The smartphone has a great 78% screen to body ratio and a quad HD resolution. The 1440X2560 pixels boost the pixel density to 518 PPI. I have to admit, I’m a huge fanboy of Samsung’s AMOLED displays and this one is no different. The blacks are actual blacks and the colors are vivid on the display. There is no doubt that you will have an exceptional experience watching videos using the best video players for Android on this device.
The Note 7 Camera
The camera on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is exactly the same as the one found on the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. And to be frankly honest, it is one hell of a camera. I’ve taken more photos with this device that I have probably taken in my entire life. The Galaxy Note 3 has around 50 photos on it after two years of usage and the S7 Edge has 300 in three months. So I’m pretty sure that you will have a lot of fun with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7’s camera as well. It is without a doubt one of the best features of Samsung Galaxy Note 7. It is a 12-megapixel shooter that comes with F/1.7 focal length and 26mm aperture. The optical image stabilization helps you take great images even when your hand is shaking. Overall, the camera is one of the best ones available in the smartphone market.
The Note 7 S Pen
The new and improved S Pen featured in the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 allows it to do a lot more than the previous iterations. For example, the Pen is capable of translating text, create innovative GIFs and even take scrolling screenshots with ease. The pen is also redesigned to be a perfect fit in the smartphone chassis as well. While the length of the pen is a little bit short, you’ll have no trouble writing with it on the screen. There are a lot of different features available for the S Pen, and almost all of them are accessible just as you take the pen out of its housing.
Built-in Iris Scanner
This is a new feature that hasn’t been seen on smartphones before. The Iris scanner allows the smartphone to scan your eyes for security purposes and unlock your phone without you even touching it. I tried it with glasses on and it didn’t seem to work but, it works well when I took them off. It can be a problem for people who wear glasses most of the time but others can easily use this. All you need to do is align your face with the smartphone and it will scan your eyes and unlock it. I also found it a little bit slower than the fingerprint sensor so, if I get a Samsung Galaxy Note 7, I’ll probably not use the Iris scanner myself. A point to be noted here is that it is more secure than a regular fingerprint, so business oriented people will surely appreciate this inclusion.
MicroSD Card Slot
Remember when the last Galaxy Note smartphone didn’t have a microSD card slot? Yes, a lot of power users noticed that and were quite vocal about the exclusion. Thankfully, Samsung heard the qualms and decided to rectify the problem. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 comes with a microSD card slot that supports up to 256 GB micro-SD cards. Combine this with the respectable internal storage and you have a media powerhouse. Whether you want to carry your whole music library on the best music player for Android or want to watch high definition videos on your smartphone, you’ll never run out of storage space.
The Note 7’s Dual Edge
I touched this topic in the design section of the article but this deserves to be highlighted. The dual edge of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is a subtle fair and is not as pronounced as other edge themed smartphones from Samsung. However, it does have its own uses with the edge panel sliding into view when you need it. You can also display notifications on the edge is if you want and the smartphone will use very less battery power to do that. Personally, I exclusively use the edge panel to call favorite contacts myself and it has been surprisingly useful in day-to-day usage.
Bigger Battery
Apart from the obvious glaring issues with the battery suddenly exploding, Samsung did try to make the battery better. The 3500 MAH battery is a big powerhouse that will keep the lights on for quite some time. It is not as big of an upgrade as I anticipated and was quite frankly disappointed to see Samsung only bumping up slightly from S7 Edge. However, the people who have used the smartphone are praising its ability to stay on for quite some time. Combine this with quick charge capabilities and you have a very potent device on your hands.
Accessories for The Note 7
If you’re into purchasing additional goodies for your smartphones, you’ll be glad to know that the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has a wide variety of first-party accessories available. From smart watches to virtual headsets and from power banks to stylish cases, the smartphone is getting a lot of attention from first party as well as third-party manufacturers. If you’re in the market for a good Bluetooth speaker, there is a high chance that Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will work perfectly with them.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is a remarkable smartphone and it’s a shame that it has to be recalled so soon after launch. Hopefully, after a few weeks, we’ll get past this initial problem and enjoy the device as it was meant to be. Despite having battery problems, this is one of the best smartphones to grace the Android world and I’m sure if you give it a chance, you’ll have a great time using it. If you have any more questions or suggestions about the smartphone, feel free to talk to us in the comments. Image Credits
