Samsung prides itself on it’s Note series, launched more than six years ago. Even Apple had to finally cave into the pressure (from all corners) to make a phablet sized iPhone, the Plus version.
Logically, we expected the Galaxy Note 6 in the market this year, but Samsung has defied convention to give us the Galaxy Note 7. This is the first Android phone to pack an Iris scanner, which we’re sure we’ll be hearing about more in the years to come.
The Galaxy Note 7 has a 5.7-inch Quad-HD 2560x1440 display. This has become the flagship norm these days, and Samsung continues to place its trust in the Super AMOLED panel.
The sturdy and surprisingly un-slippery glass back body with metal elements in the front, form the design basis of the Galaxy Note 7. The noticeable change from the Note 5 is the inclusion of the USB Type-C port and the Iris scanner, placed right next to the front-facing camera.
Their signature S Pen becomes more than just a productivity tool with the Galaxy Note 7. Well, you can still take notes, make clips and use it for your work. However, the S Pen is also capable of creating GIFs out of normal videos that can be directly shared on various social platforms with ease.
You can even translate words with the help of the accessory device, which we think is pretty cool. However, you need to hover over each word to translate it. Also, not that it really matters, but it seems the S Pen on the Galaxy Note 7 can be slotted in the device from both the sides. The nib of the S Pen has also been reduced to 0.7-mm, which is useful while hovering around apps on the Galaxy Note 7.
Let’s talk about the Iris Scanner. According to Samsung, only one user can create his/her Iris ID, which works in tandem with a pattern or pin lock. We tried out the security feature made available on the Galaxy Note 7 and by the looks of it, we like what we see.
You need to be within 25-cm of the device in order to unlock the device and during our brief time with the phone, we found the Iris ID fairly responsive.
Samsung also lets users access their Gmail, Facebook or Twitter IDs via the Iris ID but for that, you’ll have to be willing to sacrifice the Chrome browser for Samsung’s built-in browser. It is assumed that going forward, Samsung will enable Iris ID access for other third-party apps as well.
The company has stuck to its guns in the camera section, by opting for the same snapper as the one we saw on the Galaxy S7 this year.
Without a shadow out of doubt, we expect some brilliant imagery from the Galaxy Note 7.
The edge screen on the Galaxy Note 7 is more functional, with a quick-access option for your favourite apps on the device.
After hearing about the power under the hood, we were eager to know what the Galaxy Note 7’s battery had in store for us. The good news is that the 3500mAh battery is bigger than the one in the Galaxy Note 5.
We were intrigued by the option of switching between different display resolution ie HD (720p), Full-HD (1080p) or their default Quad-HD (1440p) model. This intuitive feature could go a long way in making the battery on the Galaxy Note 7 last longer.
For Rs 59,990 the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is an aspirational, flagship product that will be competing with the soon-to-be-launched Apple iPhone 7S Plus. With features like the Iris Scanner and the refined S Pen, it will be hard to bet against the Galaxy Note 7 doing well in the Indian market.
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