05 August 2016
The new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was unveiled in the United States yesterday, heralding a new level of smartphone tech, including iris scanning.
The device will be available in Australia from August 19 at an RRP of $1,349.
Samsung have skipped from the Galaxy Note 5 straight to the Galaxy Note 7.
This is sensible move by Samsung as it signals that the new Note 7 is aligned with the popular S7 and S7 Edge devices launched earlier this year.
The larger 5.7" Note 7 screen comes with all the hardware of those two smaller handsets, along with the stylus pen, and further software advances.
Iris scanner unlocks the phone with your eyeballs
First off, goodbye passwords and fingerprints, hello eyeball!
Actually, that's not strictly true as you can still get into the Note 7 with a fingerprint. Interestingly Samsung says they don't envisage the iris scanner being used to unlock the phone every time it's used. The new feature was designed for unlocking the new, secured, Private Folder section of the device, where you can hide banking details, passwords, apps or photos - in fact anything you don't want others to have access to!
Stylus pen performs new tricks including GIF-making and magnification
Samsung continues to improve the S-pen hardware and software. On the hardware front the pen has a smaller, more sensitive tip than the Note 5, making it more precise and accurate. It is also water and dust resistant so if the device takes a dip in the pool, the pen will also survive the splash. On the software front check out just a few of the advances:
- Samsung Notes app: Four Note 5 apps combine into this single app for handwriting, and drawing. There are more art tools, including a brush that blends colors and you can write or draw almost anywhere even when the device is wet.
- Pin a memo to the lock screen: You can write a memo when the screen is off, like a to-do list, then pin it to the lock screen to see if for an hour before it times out -- you can repin it again after that.
- Make an animated GIF: You can use the Smart Select tool within a video to create, share and annotate a GIF.
- Translation tool: A rarer use case, you hover the S Pen over a word to pull a Google translation in over 70 languages.
- Magnifying glass: You'll be able to magnify a window of text using the S Pen.
Low light & swiping camera
Cool time saving improvements to the camera include being able to swipe inside the camera mode to edit images or to move between front and back camera. The Note 7 has the same upgraded camera as the S7 including the hugely improved low-light snapping.
New Curvy Design with Gorilla glass and water resistance
While Apple seems happy for us to keep turning over our phones due to screen or water damage, Samsung has really come to the consumer party. Not only is the Note 7 water and dust resistant, it also is the first device to have the new Gorilla glass 5 baked into the screen. This is said to allow our screens to survive a "human-height" drop. The Note 7 design has the shaped screen and the same edge technology as the S7 Edge.
New Type-C charging port
The Note 7 is Samsung's first use of the USB Type-C charging port for its phones and a Micro-USB to USB-C adapter comes in the box. The new port is predicted to become the new industry standard.
Coral Blue not True Blue
The Note 7 comes in a new colour - coral blue - but this will not initially be available in Australia. Other colours are black, silver and gold.
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