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Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review: 14 key takeaways

posted by Victor H. / Aug 25, 2016, 9:50 AM

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review: 14 key takeaways

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is arguably one of the most important new phones in the second half of 2016: a productivity and performance beast, it has always been a showcase for a type of device where Samsung could truly go all out.

All the important things that you should not miss about the Note 7

This year, though, the Galaxy Note 7 is not Samsung's only big phone: apart from the new and improved S Pen, the Note 7 bears a striking resemblance to the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, the 5.5-inch phone that features the same excellent Snapdragon 820 system chip, TouchWiz interface and fast 12-megapixel camera.

Does the Galaxy Note 7 has enough innovation to justify its existence? We've already answered this question in our detailed Galaxy Note 7 review here, but not everyone has the time to read through the whole thing. So for briefness sake, we are giving you a condensed version of the review in this convenient slideshow format, where we round-up the key takeaways, the things that you must absolutely know about the Galaxy Note 7. With no further ado, here are its most notable features.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review key takeaways

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PhoneArena Rating:

8.7

Read Full Review

User Rating:

9.9

Based on 11 Reviews

Display 5.7" 1440 x 2560 pixels

Camera 12 MP / 5 MP front

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, Quad-core, 2150 MHz

Storage 64 GB + microSDXC

Battery 3500 mAh

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36 Comments

1. scarface21173

Posts: 701; Member since: Aug 17, 2014

I think the note 7 is in a league of its own. Yeah there will be a few glitches here and there with any phone. But i am sure they will be all sorted out with a few software updates.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 9:56 AM 10

2. Mxyzptlk unregistered

But the ultimate question is whether it can stand the test of time with all of the bloat holding it down? I'm pretty sure I'm going to get some salty comments but get over it. Samsung phones don't hold up over time and the fact that the 6S beat the Note 7 in benchmarks makes me question whether it will last.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 10:15 AM 1

10. Derekjeter

Posts: 1548; Member since: Oct 27, 2011

In real life every phone lags. My iPhone 6s Plus lags as much as the Note 7. I tried the new Note for 4 days and just can't get used to TW so I went back to my Nexus. Samsung phones don't hold up due to the bloat ware, that's true but iPhone should never lag due to not having any bloat ware. Bottom line, benchmark test are stupid and show no prove that one phone is better than the other. Test the phone out for yourself and if it does what you need than keep it. Don't let some stupid worthless app or test decide for you.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 10:37 AM 13

12. Creep

Posts: 193; Member since: Apr 05, 2016

Every phone lags. However, the Note 7 lags more often, which is a huge problem for a $850 phone. XDA used the words "EMBARRASSING REAL WORLD PERFORMANCE" Other top flagships do NOT have embarrassing real world performance while being priced $850. Please reference this XDA article which spells out how much of a problem it is:http://www.xda-developers.com/with-the-note-7-samsung-still-delivers-embarrassing-real-world-performance/ If you don't think it's a problem, you are not a true tech fan. And lol @ all the morons stating "updates" will fix the problem. It should not have been a problem to begin with, and it's been an ongoing problem. If the Note 7 was smooth and had stellar Real World performance, I'd buy in a heartbeat. But it can't even beat a year old iPhone 6s or Nexus 6P. #SamsungFanboysMustSeeTheLight #Note7LagsTooMuch....GetOverIt.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 10:49 AM 6

13. LebronJamesFanboy

Posts: 671; Member since: Mar 23, 2013

+1 I have used Samsung Notes since the original. Although I still will buy them, it is time to acknowledge the fact real world performance must improve. Quite honestly, I'm surprised how many here in the phone arena community are trying to act as if it isn't a problem. Noticeable keyboard lag is inexcusable. I still like my phone, this issue just needs a fix.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 10:55 AM 3

14. bobby84

Posts: 595; Member since: May 13, 2016

I have a note 7 and its not a problem. You don't heard note 7 users complain about lag because there either is none, are so minimum that we don't notice it. Look at users reviews, no lag complaints, look at professional reviews, no complaints, in fact every site states because "phablet ever", "near perfect", "almost flawless". So stop making a deal out of nothing.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 11:09 AM 5

35. TechieXP1969

Posts: 14967; Member since: Sep 25, 2013

Keyboard + Symbols (2 screens of them) + Emoji's (8 screen of them) + Swiftkey = bloat and degraded performance. Unlike past keyboard which didnt have all that, it ran better.

posted on Aug 26, 2016, 10:34 AM 0

16. bobby84

Posts: 595; Member since: May 13, 2016

This gut doesn't even own a Note 7 pay him no mind. I have a note 7 and its not a problem. You don't heard note 7 users complain about lag because there either is none, or so minimum that we don't notice it. Look at users reviews, no lag complaints, look at professional reviews, no complaints either, in fact every review site states "phablet ever", "near perfect", "almost flawless". So stop making a deal out of nothing.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 11:11 AM 4

18. kus-1

Posts: 12; Member since: Jul 17, 2016

Since you r not buying the phone, then it's no longer your business whether anyone spends $850 on it or not, since it's not your money they r spending. Lag in Android/TouchWiz is usually the result of the myriad of apps/processes/features running in the background. What intelligent people do is to disable processes/apps/features they don't need and free the processors to work on the apps/processes they actually use. This is how even my 2 year old Note 3 has NEVER experienced a second of lag. And this is why I will buy the Note 7 as soon as it's available regardless of the dire prognosis of jobless trolls. It's not android or touchwiz's fault that not everyone is intelligent enough to cash in on the freedom, flexibility & customizability they offer.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 11:26 AM 5

20. dazed1

Posts: 806; Member since: Jul 28, 2015

Exynos version lags much less and its much faster in opening apps - multitasking. In FACT exynos based S7/Edge where the fastest android phones until the OP3 come out, and that phone wins cause it has more ram, and NOTHING else. So being second (speed wise) in the android world, and having tons of software features while running touchwiz is the biggest win in the history of smartphones, but n00bs like you and other un-educated users will never understand that.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 11:41 AM 2

34. TechieXP1969

Posts: 14967; Member since: Sep 25, 2013

You just gonna repeat this BS until you die. right? No matter how much you repeat it, it will never make a difference. Actually it doesn't make it true either. You assume because they ruined their phone and slowed it down somehow, that everyone experiences the same. My Note 7 hasn't lagged one time. You are talkign a bout a site that works on rooting phones, you give you a idea of performance? lol A site that does things to phones typical users don't? You're stupid. No phone is worth $500 or more. But the Note 7 is worth what I paid for it for me. I paid cash for mine $1069 from Rogers Canada. I have no regrets.

posted on Aug 26, 2016, 10:30 AM 0

25. bobby84

Posts: 595; Member since: May 13, 2016

if "Bloatware" is so important then you can download "package disabler" from the play store and remove the app. Your making a big deal out of nothing, the cell carrier installs it, it's not Samsung faugh, blame the carrier but you can remove it in 5 minutes with that app.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 4:55 PM 0

33. TechieXP1969

Posts: 14967; Member since: Sep 25, 2013

Your claim is BS. Why don't you just shutup. I still have older Samsung phones and they run no different than they did from day one. Look at my photo. You see there is an S3 and S4 and Note 5, are the only Samsung phones I have outside of the Note 7. The S3 I don't like to use because its firmware is so outdated and it is a VZW phone, so I can root and install another firmware. The S4 though is still awesome on Lollipop and its faster than it was when my wife first got it. I only wished i had kept her S5. Both still have their original batteries and both still last all day on a single charge. Your claims are just bogus. I've never had any phone degrade in performance unless the firmware is botched. Which on my iPhone 4 and 4S, both are slower than the 2 Samsung devices overall. I was using the S4 for my in care media player, because iPod Out is a feature I need and its the last model to have it. So I don't care that IOS 9 has slowed it to a near crawl at times, becaus ei only use it for music and it has a couple games. But is the software update that degraded it performance. When it was on iOS6 it ran far better.

posted on Aug 26, 2016, 10:26 AM 0

26. thegeneral7010

Posts: 437; Member since: Dec 10, 2014

Pffffffffff sheeps everywhere

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 7:03 PM 0

3. twens

Posts: 1182; Member since: Feb 25, 2012

Phone not yet launched in my country. Samsung why?

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 10:15 AM 0

4. Mxyzptlk unregistered

Main thing stopping me from getting the Note 7 is the following: A. It's not universally unlocked. Samsung should have been the first Android OEM outside of the Nexus devices to be universally unlocked. Apple has gone that route and Samsung usually likes to follow in Apple's footsteps. B. I don't like the curved screen gimmick. They should have kept it separate. The Note 4 is still the best looking Note phone and the high point of the Note series. C. Bloat. You have the usual Samsung stuff, but the carriers also like to add their sh*beep* to the Note 7. This isn't acceptable from a major OEM like Samsung who should have a lot of pull against the carriers. D. TouchWiz doesn't always hold up over time.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 10:20 AM 2

5. joeytaylor

Posts: 957; Member since: Feb 28, 2015

I agree with the bloatware....you can get it unlocked...... i kind of agree with the screen..... i think the phones hold up well over time..... i upgraded my old S5 to marshmallow and i about fell in love with it again

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 10:27 AM 1

6. joeytaylor

Posts: 957; Member since: Feb 28, 2015

But to each his own...I'm not here to convince anyone..... buy what you like and enjoy

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 10:29 AM 1

11. maherk

Posts: 7003; Member since: Feb 10, 2012

But mostly because it isn't an Apple device running on android. Like seriously, who are you kidding with those reasons? We all know why you will never get one.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 10:47 AM 8

15. maherk

Posts: 7003; Member since: Feb 10, 2012

running on iOS**

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 11:10 AM 1

28. Mxyzptlk unregistered

That moment when you try and make a troll post only for autocorrect to mess you up.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 7:24 PM 0

29. Mxyzptlk unregistered

In other words, you have no response to my comment?

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 7:25 PM 1

21. RoboticEngi

Posts: 1251; Member since: Dec 03, 2014

You wouldn't buy a Samsung device even if they gave you a million bucks. You are so anti samsung it's amazing.....

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 12:14 PM 2

24. ePoch270

Posts: 193; Member since: Sep 26, 2013

He's an anti-sam-ite.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 3:59 PM 2

27. SupermanayrB

Posts: 1188; Member since: Mar 20, 2012

B. I don't like the curved screen gimmick. They should have kept it separate. The Note 4 is still the best looking Note phone and the high point of the Note series Dude, I had the Note 4 for almost 2 years & now have the Note 7. They get better looking each year, so your above statement is false, but we'll just agree that it's your opinion vs mine. I like the look of the curved screen but I (so far) haven't even used the Edge apps so I'll agree that it's gimmicky. Overall though the phone is bangin!

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 7:20 PM 1

31. tedkord

Posts: 17453; Member since: Jun 17, 2009

The only thing stopping you is the lack of an Apple logo on the back.

posted on Aug 26, 2016, 12:24 AM 1

36. TechieXP1969

Posts: 14967; Member since: Sep 25, 2013

The only thing keeping you from gettign a Note is your own stupidity. An International version is available that su universally unlocked. So that first claim is BS. You don't like the curved screen. The Note 5, 4, 3 and 2 and the original don't have it. Have you owned either of them? Nope. Just more BS. All carriers bloat can be disable even if you can't remove it. The International version has no bloat and can be activated on all 4 major US carriers. Again your claim is BS because there is an alternative model. TW performance doesn't degrade over time. It never had on any Samsung I've ever owned. You are making claims based on BS you've heard but have NEVER experience. Because you've never owned a Samsung phone in your entire 13 years of life. You're simply a Samsung hating troll. Say what you want about any OEM, but at least be factual in your claims. You are a troll, living with your mama, with no life, no job, no girl, no nothing. You just sit in the house laying in bed being a having keyboard warrior.

posted on Aug 26, 2016, 10:43 AM 0

7. manojmcn

Posts: 634; Member since: Jul 16, 2015

Idiots still maintain the pathetic battery life they gave for S7 Edge.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 10:30 AM 0

8. tempdogg74

Posts: 136; Member since: Jan 04, 2009

Great phone but its missing one key feature that made my Sprint Note 3 so special. I can browse and surf use my navigation during phone calls send emails etc multitasking that requires data to run in the background etc. I returned mine once i found out the hard way. Back to my Note 3.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 10:31 AM 1

9. tempdogg74

Posts: 136; Member since: Jan 04, 2009

Great phone but its missing one key feature that made my Sprint Note 3 so special. I can browse and surf the web and use my navigation during phone calls send emails etc multitasking that requires data to run in the background etc. I returned mine once i found out the hard way. Back to my Note 3.

posted on Aug 25, 2016, 10:33 AM 0

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