Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 7 – a large-screen cellphone – on Tuesday in an attempt to take business from rival Apple. Samsung’s big Galaxy Note 7 press conference is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. ET / 8:00 a.m. PT, and Samsung is streaming live video from the event. The phone comes with an adapter so accessories from previous phones work.
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While the camera in the Note7 may have been upgraded to use the same, 12MP module that first appeared (to widespread acclaim) on the Galaxy S7, while it may now have room for an memory expansion card just like the S7 (which for many users will be the single biggest improvement in the device), while it may now be rated to withstand a 30-minute dip in one metre of water just like the S7, and while the the Note7’s processor has likewise been upgraded to the same 2.3GHz octacore processor that’s used by some S7 models, plenty of differences still remain between Samsung’s two flagship phones.
The Galaxy Note 7 will come with an iris scanner, which matches patterns in your eyes with what was detected by your phone during setup. The Note 7 has a new iris scanner that joins the familiar fingerprint scanner and lets you unlock your phone with your eyes. I personally find this feature to be extraneous and sometimes annoying – I launched it by accident on a few occasions during my demo when trying to access other parts of the interface. This is an uber-locked section hiding behind an additional security layer where users can store sensitive and private materials, including emails, notes, pictures, and even apps. Fujitsu, Alcatel and Chinese manufacturer ZTE already make phones with similar technology. Samsung has added a new infrared camera that scans your eyes using infrared light emitted from the LED on the front of the phone. I wasn’t able to try this firsthand, but during a demonstration the phone unlocked instantly when a Samsung representative held the device to his face.
We didn’t get a chance to test it out during our brief hands-on time, but it worked quickly and flawlessly in demos. Samsung says the iris scanner is more secure than a fingerprint scanner. The Note 7 has 64GB of internal storage, compared to the S7’s 32GB, and its battery has been increased to 3,500mAh over the Note 5’s 3,000mAh cell. Samsung slightly altered its VR headset, giving it more padding and a longer headstrap for added comfort, along with a bottom connector for future peripherals. Samsung has had a lot of success this year with the S7 and S7 Edge, and by all accounts, it will likely have a lot of success with the Note 7, too. Here are seven of the best Galaxy Note 7 features you need to know about… The curvature of the screen is different from the S7 Edge in that it allows for more flat surface area.
Samsung isn’t only represented at the top of the list by the Galaxy S7 Edge, though. Samsung said announcements on DayDream-compatible devices will come at a later date. Samsung will be offering customers their choice of a free 256GB MicroSD card or Gear Fit 2 when they purchase a Note 7. Last year, it made it easier for people to launch live-streams from their Note 5 via a feature directly through the camera and this year, the focus is on GIFs. The S Pen also works when the phone is submerged in water, meaning it will be possible to scribble and sketch if the phone is wet from rain.
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Underneath, the Note 7 is pretty much identical to the existing Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. The S-Pen has an impressive 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity and weighs just three grams. Preorders for the updated virtual reality headset begin on August 3 and it’ll go on sale to the public on August 19.
