Samsung, at its Unpacked event in New York has just unwrapped its latest smartphone–the Samsung Galaxy Note7. The much-loved phablet series gains water-resistance, a sleek symmetrical design, an enhanced S Pen and more. Set to hit Malaysian shores on 19 August, here are some things you’ll love about Samsung’s latest big phone.
Design and build
Samsung ups the game with the Note7, probably the best built and most refined device to date. It features a dual-curve glass edge on the front, like the S7 edge, with a stunning glass-metal unibody construction. The bezel is insanely thin, housing the brilliant 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display.
It’s thinner than the Note5 at 7.9mm, and the camera bump has been reduced further. Weighing just 169g, it’s surprisingly light in the hands.
Durability
The Note7 is IP68-certified, meaning it is dust- and water-resistant. This is similar to the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. The S Pen is also waterproof.
Gorilla Glass 5 protects the front display and Samsung claims the device will survive 80% of drops from 1.6m height.
Expandability and connectivity
The Note7 sees Samsung putting back what it removed from the Note5. MicroSD expansion. Made possible through the hybrid SIM tray, storage in the dual-SIM phone can be increased to up to 256GB.
Power on tap
The flagship phablet shares its underpinnings with the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. This means the top-of-the-line octa-core Exynos 8890 processor with 4GB of superfast LPDDR5 RAM.
It makes do without the lower-spec 32GB storage option, and comes in a single 64GB model. A welcome bump.
Best camera
Like on the S7 and S7 edge, the Note7 gets the amazing 12MP f/1.7 Dual Pixel rear shooter. This is undoubtedly the best camera on any smartphone out in the market today. With OIS and incredible low light performance, the Note7 will be a joy for those who love mobile photography.
Selfie lovers will be pleased with the 5MP f/1.7 front camera, which is also brought over from the S7 series.
Enhanced S Pen
The Note series is unmatched in terms of productivity, thanks to the brilliant S Pen. The S Pen gets a few new tricks in the new Note7. You can do instant translation by hovering the S Pen over text, even on an image.
You can also magnify text or photos by hovering the magnifying glass over them on screen.
The new Glance feature lets you ‘peek’ at apps by hovering over them.
More secure
One of the biggest additions to the new Note is the iris scanner. This works via an additional camera in tandem with infrared. You can now unlock your phone with your eye. It’s quick, while it won’t beat the speed of the fingerprint scanner, it’s an alternate way to unlock your phone or keep it secured.
This can work also with Samsung Pay to authenticate purchases.
Charging ahead
For the first time ever, Samsung is putting a USB Type-C port into its smartphone. The Note7 ditches the old microUSB for the latest tech. The 3,500mAh battery is smaller than one on the S7. It supports fast charging and wireless charging. Charge speeds are rapid–expect a full charge in just 100 minutes.
So there you go. Highlights of the new Galaxy Note7. If you’re currently a Note user, I believe it’s a great time to upgrade!
For more on the Galaxy Note7, head over to vernonchan.com/tag/galaxy-note7/
