Galaxy Note 7

[Oyeve]

Checked out the Note 7 in Target recently while picking up groceries. It's a big phone and didn't feel particularly good in the hand. One handed operations seemed impossible. I'm used to going through SMS messages with one hand. Now I don't know if I can. :/ Need dat iPhone screen bump down option.

It has a one handed mode for your manlet hands.

 

[zerogear]

I kind of want this phone, it's been a while since I wanted Samsung -- but alas, locked bootloader is a deal breaker.

 

[Raduque]

I kind of want this phone, it's been a while since I wanted Samsung -- but alas, locked bootloader is a deal breaker.

I have unlocked the bootloader on my Note 4. I have also done absolutely nothing with it.

 

[Red Storm]

Not a fan of the new Samsung Notes, it's too simple IMHO. But I was glad to see I could still download S Note and Scrapbook from Samsung's app store. S Note in particular takes much better advantage of the S Pen's capabilities.

 

[tsupersonic]

If I didn't have a 6P, this would most likely be my phone. I love how bright the SAMOLED panel gets, water resistant capabilities, microSD card slot, and I'd probably use the S-Pen. But I would miss my fast updates and stock/unbloated experience.

 

[Paladin]

Picking mine up this morning at Best Buy as soon as it opens, with 256GB card from pre-order.
FYI, the Gorilla Glass 5 that's on it is more shatter proof, yet softer and easier to scratch. Get a screen protector ASAP.

 

[dawheat]

Picking mine up this morning at Best Buy as soon as it opens, with 256GB card from pre-order.
FYI, the Gorilla Glass 5 that's on it is more shatter proof, yet softer and easier to scratch. Get a screen protector ASAP.

That video is concerning and I don't think the reviewer has any incentive to bias the results. That being said, below is Corning's response:

http://www.androidauthority.com/corning-responds-samsung-galaxy-note-7-scratch-test-video-711210/

Basically they think it's wrong and their basic premise is that glass is glass and doesn't somehow become as soft as plastic.

I hope the YT reviewer takes a look at their response and does a follow-up (e.g. tries to professionally "clean" the level 3 and 4 marks and see if Corning is full of it or not).

 

[dainthomas]

I love the new gorilla glass. Feels much smoother than the Note 4 (which I don't believe was grimy enough to make that big a difference).

 

[you2]

how does the note 7 speaker/micrphone/reception compare to the note 4 ? While a mini lap top is nice; it helps if it also works as a phone

 

[gorcorps]

Checked out the Note 7 in Target recently while picking up groceries. It's a big phone and didn't feel particularly good in the hand. One handed operations seemed impossible. I'm used to going through SMS messages with one hand. Now I don't know if I can. :/ Need dat iPhone screen bump down option.

Not sure if trolling... The Note series has had one handed mode for several generations now. Apple was late to that game, but also hasn't been making large phones for as long.

There could be a one handed mode button in the notification window, or it's tied to a swipe gesture. On the Note 4 you swept from the right side of the screen to the center, and then back to the edge to activate it. It shrinks the screen to the bottom right or left depending on your preference, and you can resize how small it shrinks down.

 

[Raduque]

Picking mine up this morning at Best Buy as soon as it opens, with 256GB card from pre-order.

I couldn't pick mine up till 3pm, and by the time I got there they were all out of the uSD cards. Said everybody wanted one. At least I was able to get my Blue Coral, which is a beautiful color. I will get my SD card on Wednesday. And, I got a $200 best buy gift card.

 

[Paladin]

I couldn't pick mine up till 3pm, and by the time I got there they were all out of the uSD cards. Said everybody wanted one. At least I was able to get my Blue Coral, which is a beautiful color. I will get my SD card on Wednesday. And, I got a $200 best buy gift card.

And I'm still waiting, they didn't have any of the pre-orders in stock when I got there at 10, and STILL have not gotten them in! 2.5 hrs until they close, starting to get rather upset.

 

[Raduque]

And I'm still waiting, they didn't have any of the pre-orders in stock when I got there at 10, and STILL have not gotten them in! 2.5 hrs until they close, starting to get rather upset.

OMG, that sucks. I had a less than perfect experience getting mine, because I lost the GC with my pre-order deposit, so they issued a "new" one, sort of, by creating some kind of...I don't know what, inside the system. I now have a piece of paper and card that will allow me to get $50 off my next transaction, but I have to use it at a specific store because the manager is going to override it for me.

 

[gorcorps]

Not sure if trolling... The Note series has had one handed mode for several generations now. Apple was late to that game, but also hasn't been making large phones for as long.

There could be a one handed mode button in the notification window, or it's tied to a swipe gesture. On the Note 4 you swept from the right side of the screen to the center, and then back to the edge to activate it. It shrinks the screen to the bottom right or left depending on your preference, and you can resize how small it shrinks down.

I tried one in the store today. Apparently they changed the shortcut to pressing the home button 3 times. Understandable as the gesture wasn't that simple. They did appear to remove the ability to resize the shrunk window ... Not sure why.

Anyway, it was a mistake to try one in the store. Now I want it, and I don't need it. It has the best screen I've ever seen and feels very solid.

 

[Zaap]

This is the best phone I've ever seen, let alone owned. Barely been able to put mine down in days!

Next to my Note 4 the Note 7 feels smaller,yet the screen is just as big and it's freaking beautiful.

It kind of amazes me how close it is to exactly the phone I've been wanting. Gee, it's almost like technology *doesnt* just stay stuck in a timewarp.

I can live without the removable battery and soft back of the Note 4 (no choice really) but all in all I'd say this is a worthy update for N4 owners. Just bite the bullet and get the N7.

My N4 feels a tad primative in comparison. (Haven't felt that as much since switching from an S3 to Note 2).

The glass back is my only "meh". Just one big slab of uselessness (except for being the most excellent fingerprint magnet ever) and it just feels wrong to me to set it bare on just about any surface, but once more I'll live with it. Was probably necessary for the waterproofing.

 

[mrochester]

This is the best phone I've ever seen, let alone owned. Barely been able to put mine down in days!

Next to my Note 4 the Note 7 feels smaller,yet the screen is just as big and it's freaking beautiful.

It kind of amazes me how close it is to exactly the phone I've been wanting. Gee, it's almost like technology *doesnt* just stay stuck in a timewarp.

I can live without the removable battery and soft back of the Note 4 (no choice really) but all in all I'd say this is a worthy update for N4 owners. Just bite the bullet and get the N7.

My N4 feels a tad primative in comparison. (Haven't felt that as much since switching from an S3 to Note 2).

The glass back is my only "meh". Just one big slab of uselessness (except for being the most excellent fingerprint magnet ever) and it just feels wrong to me to set it bare on just about any surface, but once more I'll live with it. Was probably necessary for the waterproofing.

You desperately need an ad-blocker on that web browser!

 

[Anubis]

a thing that a lot of people miss is that nearly all glass in phones is coated with something. some sort of anti glare or anti fingerprint type coating - this has a lot of influence with how the glass feels under your fingers. not all phone manufactures use the same coating even if they are using the same base glass material GG3,4,whatever

the coating will show a scratch long before the glass itself will, you see this often in cheap devices where you can tell its running off/through. same thing can go on with hardness testing - scratching the coating and not the glass, as well as material transfer

 

[Commodus]

The glass back is my only "meh". Just one big slab of uselessness (except for being the most excellent fingerprint magnet ever) and it just feels wrong to me to set it bare on just about any surface, but once more I'll live with it. Was probably necessary for the waterproofing.

Not strictly speaking. Most likely, it's that Samsung wanted to improve its design quality (one of the reasons Apple has cleaned Samsung's clock in high-end sales for a while) without giving up wireless charging. Aluminum wouldn't allow that.

 

[Zaap]

There's no 'design quality' to the back of any galaxy phone since the Note 4. It's just a totally blank, flat slab of pure nothing. The back of the phone is less impressive than the card board box it shipped in. A rubberized or textured back would have been far better looking and functional.

The idea that just because you use glass (but in w completely bland way) its 'great design' is pure silliness.

Like I say I'll live with it, but design... Pfft.

 

[Raduque]

The in-hand feel is excellent. I was deathly afraid I was going to drop it every time I picked it up, but no, it's good. A little slippery, but not much more than the front or side of the Note 4. I just bought a wireless charger and Anker 5-port USB wall charger with my GC.

Edit: I'm considering a grippy back protector. Just to be safe. Somebody needs to make a curved glass screen protector.

 

[Commodus]

There's no 'design quality' to the back of any galaxy phone since the Note 4. It's just a totally blank, flat slab of pure nothing. The back of the phone is less impressive than the card board box it shipped in. A rubberized or textured back would have been far better looking and functional.

The idea that just because you use glass (but in w completely bland way) its 'great design' is pure silliness.

Like I say I'll live with it, but design... Pfft.

I'm talking more about the feel, really. The common pre-S6 complaint was that Samsung phones felt cheap -- they were not only using plastic, but taking a bad approach to it (Nokia-era Lumias were an example of how to do plastic properly). Fake chrome and other bids to create the appearance of quality design, but nothing more.

Also, I take it you're not a fan of minimalism. The black Note 7 is pretty unassuming, to be sure, but the other colours come alive with that flat, featureless glass back.

 

[Zaap]

Not sure I'd call it featureless- it provides a perfect showcase for fingerprints and random splatter.

I didn't like the fake chrome ring around the Note 3- that was bad, but nothing else about previous notes was. I don't have any sales figures but I don't know that the Note 4 (an awesome design by Samsung) was less of a seller than the Note 5 (the supposed new and improved 'let's follow Apple design.) Just anecdotally speaking, I know tons of Note 4 owners, and not a single Note 5 owner. I barely saw one in the wild. I suppose somewhere they sold like hotcakes and showed what a loser of a design the N4 was, but it wasn't anywhere I've been.

Anyway, the N7 is hard to fault- like I say, my ONLY issue with it is the glass back, and even that is hardly a deal breaker. I've got no problem with good minimalist design. Just I don't find glass backs very practical, and on the Galaxy phones in particular, about as interesting as the underside of a pizza box.

 

[Commodus]

Not sure I'd call it featureless- it provides a perfect showcase for fingerprints and random splatter.

I didn't like the fake chrome ring around the Note 3- that was bad, but nothing else about previous notes was. I don't have any sales figures but I don't know that the Note 4 (an awesome design by Samsung) was less of a seller than the Note 5 (the supposed new and improved 'let's follow Apple design.) Just anecdotally speaking, I know tons of Note 4 owners, and not a single Note 5 owner. I barely saw one in the wild. I suppose somewhere they sold like hotcakes and showed what a loser of a design the N4 was, but it wasn't anywhere I've been.

Anyway, the N7 is hard to fault- like I say, my ONLY issue with it is the glass back, and even that is hardly a deal breaker. I've got no problem with good minimalist design. Just I don't find glass backs very practical, and on the Galaxy phones in particular, about as interesting as the underside of a pizza box.

I really wasn't a fan of Samsung's constant attempts to make plastic look like something it wasn't... faux chrome, of course, but also faux leather and faux brushed metal. Then there's the GS4, where Samsung dropped the pretence and made a phone with all the cheap, featureless charm of a low-end washing machine. The Note 4 (and Galaxy Alpha right before it) was a sheepish admission that Apple was right, and that things like real metal matter in the perceived feel of a product.

As for the Note 5? Part of the problem was that it came in the GS6 era, when Samsung was both struggling sales-wise and created something of a shock with its design (and I don't just mean the absence of a microSD slot). There were probably a lot of people happy with the Note 3/4 at the time, and people were down on Samsung in general. That and people who did like the new Samsung aesthetic could spring for the S6 Edge Plus.

 

[dawheat]

After seeing these more and more around at stores, I'd call them in the running for the best looking and best built phones and head and shoulders above other phablets in in-hand feel. A lot of it is just the narrowness of the device for a 5.7" screen, but the edges help here as well.

On the discussion about glass, it's somewhat amusing that the assumption is the next iPhone (2017) will also be glass front and back with a curved AMOLED screen. Wouldn't totally surprise me if it ended up quite similar to the Note 7 with the symmetrical front and bottom glass sides with the normal Apple design points like a circular home button.

My guess on the S8? Aluminum unibody with the same design/curve as the Note 7 - basically with the metal frame continuing from the sides all the way around the back in the same shape.

 

[you2]

and how are speakers/microphone/reception compared to the note 4 ?