Curvy Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Takes Giant-Screen Android Phones To The Next Level

What do you get when you take the curved-screen Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge  Edge and add a stylus? The Galaxy Note 7, which Samsung unveiled August 2 in New York.

That's right, Samsung jumped right from last year's  Note 5 to the Note 7, skipping the Note 6 entirely.
And that's a little weird, but easy enough to wrap your brain around because the Note 7's molded screens, 12-megapixel camera, expandable storage andwater-resistant coating bring it closer to this year's S7 series than to last year's Note. Since the  Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are two of the year's  best phones, with excellent cameras and battery life, that's not a bad pedigree.

From what I've seen so far, the Note 7 should fall in line as a terrific, high-powered device whose stylus tricks take the Note to the next level. On paper, it corrects the Note 5's biggest shortfalls, though we'll need to fully test the phone to confirm this. And if you already bought an S7 or S7 Edge, don't worry -- there aren't enough changes to leave you behind on your phone's core features.

Here's what the Note 7 has that the Note 5 doesn't:
Curved screens (sharper, less sloping than the S7 Edge)
USB-C charger port (Samsung's first phone to adopt the new standard)
Iris scanner to unlock the phone with your eyes
Gorilla Glass 5 screen (the first phone with Corning's new screen tech)
More sensitive, accurate S Pen stylus
Water-resistant phone body and S Pen
MicroSD card slot (like the S7 phones)
Larger battery (3,500 mAh versus Note 5's 3,000 mAh)
Better low-light camera
New S Pen tricks, like magnification and GIF-making
Stylus won't get stuck if you jam it in backwards
Coral Blue color choice (it's great)

And here's how the Note 7 compares to the S7 Edge, Motorola Moto Z, iPhone 6S and OnePlus 3.

Note 7 UK release date, Note 7 UK price: When is the Note 7 coming out?
Note 7 UK release date: 2 September 2016
Note 7 UK price: £749 (TBC)

Samsung confirmed the new Galaxy Note 7 at an Unpacked event on 2 August 2016. The new Note 7 will be available to pre-order from 16 August, and those who pre-order from select retailers before 30 August will get a free Samsung Gear VR headset. Those who pre-order will receive the Note 7 early on 30 August, but for everyone else the Note 7 will go on sale in the UK on 2 September.
We're still waiting for confirmation of the Note 7 UK price, but MobileFun is already listing it for pre-order at £749. (Pre-order the Note 7 from Mobile Fun here.) Stay tuned for official pricing soon.

giffgaff has already confirmed it will be stocking the new Note 7 in Blue Coral and Black Onyx from 1 September. It will be available to buy online or out-right, or in monthly instalments over six-, 12- or 24 months. . Vodafone and O2 have also confirmed the Note 7 will be available to pre-order through their online sites and in store on 16 August.

The Silver Titanium version of the Note 7 will not be available at launch but will be coming soon. Blue Coral, Gold Platinum and Black Onyx will all be available at launch. Also see: Best smartphones 2016

Note 7 specification

The Note 7 spec was almost entirely leaked before launch, but we can now confirm the following specifications:

• Octa-core (2.3GHz Quad + 1.6GHz Quad) 64-bit, 14nm processor
• 4GB RAM
• 64GB UFS 2.0 storage
• MicroSD support up to 256GB
• 5.7in dual-edge Quad-HD (2560x1440, 518ppi) SuperAMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 5
• Enhanced water-resistant S Pen
• Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
• Dual Pixel 12Mp rear camera with OIS and f/1.7 aperture
• 5Mp f/1.7 selfie camera
• LTE Cat.9 4G
• Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi with MIMO
• Bluetooth 4.2 LE
• USB-C
• NFC, MST
• GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
• Fingerprint sensor
• Iris scanner
• Barometer, Gyro, Geomagnetic, Hall, HRM, Proximity, RGB Light sensors
• 3,500mAh non-removable battery
• Fast charging for both wired and wireless (WPC/PMA)
• 73.9x7.9x153.5mm
• 169g

The new S Pen allows users to write on-screen with the display off!

It wasn't easy, but making history seldom is. The  #GalaxyNote7 is bringing HDR content to mobile for the first time. pic.twitter.com/U368N2bYFI

Make the meme of your dreams. Smart Select and the S Pen can turn any clip into a GIF. #GalaxyNote7 pic.twitter.com/Y4N49skASJ

Note 7 new features: Note 5 vs Note 7 - what's the difference between Note 5 and Note 7?

Given that the UK hasn't seen a Galaxy Note since the Note 4, the Galaxy Note 7 comes as a very welcome update. As always from Samsung, we can expect a big boost in performance: the company says the Note 7 is 31 percent faster than the Note 5 in general processing power, while its GPU is 58 percent more capable. A higher-capacity 3,500mAh battery (up from 3,000mAh) is therefore very welcome!

Key changes in the new Note 7 over the US-only Note 5 include the dual-edge screen with built-in HDR support, faster 4G connectivity (now Cat.9), a faster octa-core processor, meaty graphics with the Vulcan API and the addition of IP68 dust- and water protection. Samsung fans will also be pleased to know the company has reinstated the microSD slot, but even as standard the Note 7 offers more internal storage: 64GB up from 32GB.

There's a brand-new iris scanner for extra-secure logins, and an enhanced water-resistant S Pen with a smaller 0.7mm tip and improved pressure sensitivity that lets you create sharable GIFs, supports new Air Commands and works with a awesome new Samsung Notes app. It even works when the screen is switched off.

Samsung has also swapped Micro-USB for reversible USB-C, and the cameras have also been upgraded (the Note 7 now features the same camera as the Galaxy S7) - but we'll have to wait and see whether in real-life situations the Note 7 performs better with its 12Mp Dual Pixel f/1.7 camera than the Note 5's 16Mp f/1.9 camera.

Thanks to Samsung for the following infographic.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in pictures

What happened to the Galaxy Note 6?

Samsung is thought to have skipped the Galaxy Note 6 in order to bring the naming of its flagship phablet in line with that of its flagship smartphone family, the S series. Since it announced the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge earlier this year, it makes sense that it would also bring out the Note 7 in 2016. Samsung has copied more than the name, however. Having dropped the Edge+ model from its S series, the new Note 7 features a dual-edge screen.

New Gear VR announced alongside new Note 7

A new Gear VR VR headset has also been announced alongside the new Note 7, which comes in a new blue-black colour with a USB-C port (as well as Micro-USB). It measures 207.8x122.5x98.6mm and has a 101-degree field of view. As shown in the below render it retains the Gear VR, Oculus and Samsung branding.

August 05, 2016