A few years ago, Samsung was not known for making phones that looked nice. Oh, Samsung made popular phones, but no one swooned over them. That started to change after the sour reception Samsung got with the Galaxy S5. It began taking risks with materials and designs, and it made some bad phones in the process. However, here we are with the Galaxy Note7, a device that represents the culmination of Samsung's design refinements over the years. Samsung is clearly proud of what it has on offer with this phone, but you'll pay handsomely to get your hands on it. Can a phone be good enough to justify an $850 price tag in 2016? Let's find out.
Specs
| Processor | :Snapdragon 820 |
| Memory | :4GB RAM |
| Storage | :64 GB plus microSD card |
| Screen | :5.7-inch curved AMOLED, 1440p |
| Camera | :12MP front with OIS and f/1.7, 5MP front |
| Battery | :3500mAh with quick charge 2.0, USB Type-C, wireless fast charging |
| Software | :Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow |
| Measurements | :153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9 mm, 169g |
The Good
Design
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:The Note7 has the best build quality of any Android phone I've used. It's surprisingly small for a 5.7-inch display, and it's water resistant too.
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Camera
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:Samsung still offers the best photography experience you can get. This phone nails snapshots more consistently and in more lighting conditions than other phones. Its low-light performance is especially impressive.
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Display
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:No one can touch Samsung's display technology. This screen looks amazing both indoors and out. The smaller curve isn't as striking as Samsung's other curved phones, but it makes sense for the stylus.
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S Pen
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:If you need (or just want) a stylus, this is the only game in town. The stylus can't be jammed in backward this year, and it has a few new features.
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Iris scanning
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:Okay, I thought this would be dumb, but it's actually pretty cool. It works better than I expected.
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Battery life
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:The Note7 has above average longevity.
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Software
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:The tweaked TouchWiz UI looks nice overall after a few adjustments. Features like Secure Folder and the extensive power options are appreciated.
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The Not So Good
Performance
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:While the Note7 isn't a slow phone, it's slower than other Snapdragon 820 devices.
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Fingerprint sensor
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:Samsung hasn't kept up with other phones when it comes to the fingerprint sensor. It's not as fast or as accurate as I'd expect from an $850 phone.
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Price
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:And about that price, the $850 launch price is substantially more than the Note5 was, and more than $200 higher than the Galaxy S7. It's hard to justify that much money for a phone when cheaper devices have gotten very good.
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Software again
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:This is still TouchWiz, if that's something you can't handle. It has a few unnecessary features like the device management interface from Cheetah Mobile.
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Design
Before I held the Note7 in my hand, I knew that it had a 5.7-inch curved screen. This was information I had typed out and posted on the internet at several points. But holding the phone in my hand, that didn't seem right. I wondered, was I wrong? Had I been presenting inaccurate information? I checked the specs just to make sure, and yes, it's a 5.7-inch screen. When you hold this phone in your hand, it feels much smaller than that.
This is the first impression made by the Note7, one of almost impossible compactness and elegance. It's narrower than the Note 5 was and just barely wider than the Galaxy S7 Edge with its smaller 5.5-inch display. The front and back panels are Gorilla Glass 5, and they curve toward the central aluminum band symmetrically. That makes the phone more comfortable to hold than the other curved display smartphones Samsung has released. The Note7 is also water resistant, which the Note5 was not. It's a nice bonus when your $850 phone can't be destroyed by a little water. Yes, it's still a slippery fingerprint magnet, but I guess everyone has decided that doesn't matter. Glass phones are very in.
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