Samsung Galaxy Note 7 camera shoot-out: head-to-head with GS7e, Note 5, and iPhone 6s Plus
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In addition to landing with the same processor and memory options as the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, the Note 7 also picks up one of the best-received hardware components from these hero phones: their 12MP main camera with “Dual Pixel” technology.
The idea of Samsung dialing back camera resolution from the GS6's 16MP shooter might have seemed like a tricky sell at first, but all it took was seeing the kind of sharp, evenly-exposed, and all around great-looking pics the GS7's camera was capable of producing to quickly win us over in support of Samsung's decision.

Galaxy Note 7 in its wireless charging battery-pack case
Even some of the same flaws crop up, like the occasionally over-exposed bit. Mind you, the pics aren't straight-up identical, as we were contending with the wildly oscillating light show that is a smartphone launch event, but it was no stretch to believe that the GS7's camera magic is back for the Galaxy Note 7.
With another 12MP camera of its own, Apple's pics from the iPhone 6s Plus start off looking pretty similar to those we captured with this year's Samsung phones, but just as we've noticed in past comparisons, there's an unmistakably different character to Apple's photos. Contrast is toned down, and while we don't see some of the same exposure extremes, that helps bring out a ton of detail in mid-range elements.
But really, the big takeaway is that the Note 7's camera performs just as good as we'd expect it to, given its lofty pedigree. Keep on the lookout for our full Galaxy Note 7 review in the weeks to come, with a much more in-depth analysis of the new phablet's camera capabilities.
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