Galaxy Note 7 review: What’s the opposite of “bang for your buck?”

Samsung's latest offers the best of 2016 technology but with a 2013 price tag.


Read the whole story

 

[Deleted member 174040]

bobbie424242[/url]":2q1fdo1d]Angry Ron Amadeo is angry. And getting more and more mad at Android. It's time to stop writing on Android after all these years. Let someone else handle Android

http://meincmagazine.com/gadgets/2016/08/ ... martphone/

 

[DiscountTent]

Did the Note 7 kick the editor's dog or something? This is a bad article, its not objective at all.

 

[rick*d]

The side is beautifully rounded, making this a very comfortable phone to hold.

Oh, dear Lord, please let's not have a patent war over "rectangular slab with rounded edges".

 

[bobbie424242]

RockDaMan[/url]":1kkbpv81]

bobbie424242[/url]":1kkbpv81]Angry Ron Amadeo is angry. And getting more and more mad at Android. It's time to stop writing on Android after all these years. Let someone else handle Android

http://meincmagazine.com/gadgets/2016/08/ ... martphone/

Nobody complains that a Ferrari is expensive. Please stop being poor.

 

[drachasor]

I don't get this review. Though I am not sure Ars generally handles galaxy note reviews very well. For instance, they never seem to think the active stylus is a plus -- but that's exactly why people get a Note over a regular Galaxy (most people anyhow). It's weird when these phones are stylus-focused that having a stylus is not considered as part of the reason to get them. It's also not considered when comparing the competition. At least looking at the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy Note 3 reviews on ars, it looks like this has typically been how the stylus is poorly handled.

Also don't see waterproofing as a plus, when it isn't exactly cheap to do -- at least it is a premium feature. Nor when he talks about other phones with some of the specs the same does the author mention if they have a microSD card -- a lot don't (such as the oneplus). Nor is the camera between these "just as good" phones compared -- and your phone camera is going to be a primary camera for most people. A lot of those cheaper phones have pretty lousy cameras. Of course, there's also the fact that Samsung right now has the best displays on the market (last I checked anyhow).

Regarding adaptable storage, as many people have pointed out, this is a mixed bag. It isn't clearly a good thing to have it, since it can confuse users and through that confusion cause data loss (and more trouble moving data between an old phone and a new one).

If you really want to compare a $400 phone to a $850, then you need to do more than just compare the ram and processor. Let's compare this to laptops. If you had an $800 laptop and compared it to a $1600, you might be able to find two with the same amount of ram and similar processors. That doesn't mean that $1600 is a rip-off. If it was waterpoof (or ruggedized), had a better camera, a better display, an extra SDD slot or other expandable storage (vs. none), and an active stylus, then we're starting to talk about a price difference that makes sense. Active styluses alone usually add $100-$200 to the price of a product for example.

Overall, I give this review a 5/10. It has some good stuff, but also some major problems.

 

[Riverdragon]

I can't disagree more about adoptable storage being a good thing. I tried it twice on a Moto X Pure edition and it was terrible. I reverted it to the normal way of using a Microsd card and though that is still a pain, it is much better because I still ran out of space using the adoptable storage. YMMV, but I hated it.

 

[rick*d]

peragrin[/url]":329durhc]So how well does the iris scanner work with glasses or contacts?

How well does it work on a bright sunny day and you are outside?

a glove for a thumb print is easy to remove, contacts not so much, when your eye is closed down because it is bright out will it still work?

Or you could, you know, type in a PIN or something...

 

[Snarky Robot]

RockDaMan[/url]":3kj379m1]

bobbie424242[/url]":3kj379m1]Angry Ron Amadeo is angry. And getting more and more mad at Android. It's time to stop writing on Android after all these years. Let someone else handle Android

http://meincmagazine.com/gadgets/2016/08/ ... martphone/

Nobody complains that a Ferrari is expensive. Please stop being poor.

That "woosh" was the sound of the point going over your head.

 

[rick*d]

thebackwash[/url]":20nb4nl6]Ill chime in to say that I picked up a note 7 last weekend, and at first I was a bit apprehensive because I loathe the direction they took touchwiz in after hitting a really high point with the s6. I did find it tweakable enough with the themes feature plus a 3rd-party launcher, and I have to say I've never been so impressed with a phone after making those changes. Sure there are a few small things I'd change, but this is quite nearly the perfect phone, doubly so if you want/like/need the stylus.

Does it have handwriting recognition? I don't see much point in a stylus without it. My Windows Pocket PC from 2002 had excellent handwriting recognition that I'm still amazed to this day Microsoft hasn't incorporated into Windows 8/10. The handwriting built into Windows is terrible compared to what the Pocket PC had 14 years ago. I haven't seen any handwriting built into Android, and haven't found an app worth bothering with, either, so what's the point of a stylus? Doodles? Like the German nimrod in the ads, doodling while on an exercycle?

 

[seerauber]

I bought the Note 7 a few days ago, upgraded from an original moto x. I have to say I'm really enjoying the phone, and I love the curved edges, mostly because they do look cool. But I use the phone everyday, so the aesthetic appeal doesn't seem pointless to me.

I made myself feel better about the outrageous price by selecting the evo+ 256 card as my freebie. Hoping to sell it for at least $200 when it arrives to bring the price down to a slightly less insane number of $650.

 

[Sajuuk]

jey9[/url]":1fxpibw9]

tipsy.trex[/url]":1fxpibw9]Until cheap phones offer me waterproofing and note taking software as powerful as samsungs with digitizer stylus support, the note will be able to justify its high price to me...almost.

I love my note 7, I really really do, but I think it should have hit $750.

Also, go grab Package Disabler on the play store to unsuck touchwiz without root. Killed the bloat, kept the features I want and she runs beautifully. Of course, the fact that I feel the need to do so indicates some serious issues with the software.

jonah[/url]":1fxpibw9]A glass front (which all devices have) is perfectly adequate to allow the radio signals in. You don't need a glass back for reception of signal.

When I switched from a glass-backed iPhone 4S to a aluminum-backed 5S, I got the exact same number of bars in the exact same places as before.

The other problem with glass as opposed to aluminum for the back: glass is heavy.

Counter anecdotal evidence: My Note 7 gets notably better signal than my friends HTC 10 and we're on the same T-Mobile plan.

Counter counter anecdotal evidence : My 6S Plus had noticeably better Wifi/LTE reception than my S7 International. That's basically the only thing I miss from the iPhone. At work, I sometimes have to turn off Wifi because the connection is weak, but not weak enough to drop.

Developer options > aggressive wifi to cellular handover

 

[Danrarbc]

Is a man that clearly hates the Note series the right guy to review a Note? It takes a special kind of nit picking to call out the stylus construction and iris scanner.

And then blaming Android instead of TouchWiz for dropped frames? Come on Ron, you know better than that. A very big valid complaint against Samsung isn't even pinned on them?

 

[lbowman]

The author's question is "What’s the opposite of “bang for your buck?”

I say, A pittance for your pennies.

 

[seerauber]

thebackwash[/url]":iugj1t6a]Ill chime in to say that I picked up a note 7 last weekend, and at first I was a bit apprehensive because I loathe the direction they took touchwiz in after hitting a really high point with the s6. I did find it tweakable enough with the themes feature plus a 3rd-party launcher, and I have to say I've never been so impressed with a phone after making those changes. Sure there are a few small things I'd change, but this is quite nearly the perfect phone, doubly so if you want/like/need the stylus.

Mind sharing the launcher you picked?

 

[Deleted member 174040]

I thought the review was even handed; I'd be interested if I were in the market for an Android phablet.

(I remember a Ars writer saying that threads start losing some of their heft and vigor by the fourth or fifth page.)

 

[sam_I_am_not]

joesixgig[/url]":lirv2ccf]

Zizy[/url]":lirv2ccf]Iris would be helpful when you have gloves on, fingerprint being the dominant mode of unlocking otherwise. Not that pointless.

Another use case: when your fingers are covered in batter. It happens

Don't you have to swipe up to activate the iris scanner ? So it seems kind of pointless for gloves/dirty finger reasons ?

 

[AreWeThereYeti]

It's a shame that, even at $850+ dollars, Samsung won't upgrade to a metal body.

The S-Pen itself hasn't been updated much. It's a bit smaller than the old one, but it still feels incredibly cheap. This hollow plastic tube would feel more at home in a 100-pack of disposable Bic pens than in an ultra-premium $850 smartphone. Would it kill Samsung to spring for a metal stylus?

Can we please have a reviewer who judged devices the way Ars readers (engineers, scientists) will, by the material's functionality rather than judging it like a hipster would, by the current style? To most Ars readers, I'll bet glass sucks, metal sucks, and plastic is the premium material.

I want my phone to be light. I want my phone to be drop resistant. I want my phone to be radio transparent. Plastic wins. Let the rest of the world go on stupid fashion tangents; can we keep that off of Ars, please?

 

[Deleted member 174040]

AreWeThereYeti[/url]":35c2c4fu]
Can we please have a reviewer who judged devices the way Ars readers (engineers, scientists) will, by the material's functionality rather than judging it like a hipster would, by the current style?

LOL

While a significant portion of Ars readers are possibly engineers and scientists, no way that's all or even most of them.

 

[AM16]

afidel[/url]":4ej4dvj5]The difference between the Note 7 and the cheap phones, the Note 7 will actually get security and Android version upgrades! Seriously, Samsung flagship devices are the only phones other than the Nexus line with anything resembling a track record of actually getting updates. Of course at 2x the price the version upgrades might be a moot point since you could buy a phone mid Galaxy lifespan to get a new OS but what are the chances the Honor 8 or OP3 will get security updates?

That's only kind of true. I got bit with the S4, because they supported it until the next flagship arrived, then they did one last android update very, very late and that was it. About 1.5 years of support. If they release say, Long time support flagships, that's one thing, but as of right now, I'm staying with the Nexus line. I don't like buying a phone every year, that's a hassle and a waste of money.

 

[pika2000]

afidel[/url]":2xml2i9t] but what are the chances the Honor 8 or OP3 will get security updates?

I have the OnePlus One on 6.0.1 and it just received September security update. How's the Samsung doing?

 

[salamanderjuice]

drachasor[/url]":2fc91335]I don't get this review. Though I am not sure Ars generally handles galaxy note reviews very well. For instance, they never seem to think the active stylus is a plus -- but that's exactly why people get a Note over a regular Galaxy (most people anyhow). It's weird when these phones are stylus-focused that having a stylus is not considered as part of the reason to get them. It's also not considered when comparing the competition. At least looking at the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy Note 3 reviews on ars, it looks like this has typically been how the stylus is poorly handled.

Also don't see waterproofing as a plus, when it isn't exactly cheap to do -- at least it is a premium feature. Nor when he talks about other phones with some of the specs the same does the author mention if they have a microSD card -- a lot don't (such as the oneplus). Nor is the camera between these "just as good" phones compared -- and your phone camera is going to be a primary camera for most people. A lot of those cheaper phones have pretty lousy cameras. Of course, there's also the fact that Samsung right now has the best displays on the market (last I checked anyhow).

Regarding adaptable storage, as many people have pointed out, this is a mixed bag. It isn't clearly a good thing to have it, since it can confuse users and through that confusion cause data loss (and more trouble moving data between an old phone and a new one).

If you really want to compare a $400 phone to a $850, then you need to do more than just compare the ram and processor. Let's compare this to laptops. If you had an $800 laptop and compared it to a $1600, you might be able to find two with the same amount of ram and similar processors. That doesn't mean that $1600 is a rip-off. If it was waterpoof (or ruggedized), had a better camera, a better display, an extra SDD slot or other expandable storage (vs. none), and an active stylus, then we're starting to talk about a price difference that makes sense. Active styluses alone usually add $100-$200 to the price of a product for example.

Overall, I give this review a 5/10. It has some good stuff, but also some major problems.

Ron Amadeo seems to only really care about what the phone is built out of and how the camera performs, not what the rest of the phone can do. He used to complain about how samsung phones were made of plastic, then he was happy they switched to "premium" materials like glass with the S6 despite dropping a bunch of features. Now glass is old hat and he'd rather it be metal.

The pen really is the reason to buy this phone, there is only a couple of phones with active styluses now.

 

[wangstramedeous]

joesixgig[/url]":34wzorzo]

Zizy[/url]":34wzorzo]Iris would be helpful when you have gloves on, fingerprint being the dominant mode of unlocking otherwise. Not that pointless.

Another use case: when your fingers are covered in batter. It happens.

Edit: Ninja'd, so let me add: I like that in the Note 7 it's present in addition to a fingerprint scanner. On my Lumia 950XL it's the only biometric option, and it does quickly get old for the reasons given in the article.

I think you glossed over the part in the article that explains the process of activating the iris scan. If you have batter on your hands, to get iris recognition to work, you're going to get batter on your phone either way.

If the process involves using your hands and swiping to get started...then use your hands.

 

[Snarky Robot]

joesixgig[/url]":2plfp8d2]

Zizy[/url]":2plfp8d2]Iris would be helpful when you have gloves on, fingerprint being the dominant mode of unlocking otherwise. Not that pointless.

Another use case: when your fingers are covered in batter. It happens

Don't you have to swipe up to activate the iris scanner ? So it seems kind of pointless for gloves/dirty finger reasons ?

Objectively, less so from gloves. Many gloves today have a spot that does capacitive touchscreen use just fine. You can use this to log in with a password or, in this case, swipe up to get to the iris scanner. Additionally, ANY capacitive surface should be able to swipe up, so even with mostly dirty hands, you can swipe up with a nose or elbow or something.

I still trust biometrics less for locking my phone (the rulings in the US leave some serious doubt as to whether anyone can make you unlock it with biometrics) but I do use it for app security (much faster).

I think the more damning consideration is the lack of OS-level support, so it only works on a handful of apps, but I can see a use-case where someone not bothered by biometrics wants to unlock the phone but the finger they would use for fingerprints is otherwise indisposed.

 

[Snarky Robot]

joesixgig[/url]":31kjc9bw]

Zizy[/url]":31kjc9bw]Iris would be helpful when you have gloves on, fingerprint being the dominant mode of unlocking otherwise. Not that pointless.

Another use case: when your fingers are covered in batter. It happens.

Edit: Ninja'd, so let me add: I like that in the Note 7 it's present in addition to a fingerprint scanner. On my Lumia 950XL it's the only biometric option, and it does quickly get old for the reasons given in the article.

I think you glossed over the part in the article that explains the process of activating the iris scan. If you have batter on your hands, to get iris recognition to work, you're going to get batter on your phone either way.

If the process involves using your hands and swiping to get started...then use your hands.

Any exposed skin will do, though, not just hands. I mean, this is edge-case (har har) stuff we're dealing with, but if your hands are dirty, you can use an elbow to swipe up.

Also, I may have missed it in the article, but is there a "double-tap to wake" feature on this phone? I seem to recall some flap between Moto and Samsung because Moto said Samsung was copying a feature (which, admittedly, Moto had been beaten to by Nokia). If so, iris scan may be made easier if you can turn on the screen without pressing a power button.

 

[JiveTurkeyJerky]

Rommel102[/url]":1bptzofb]

mrochester[/url]":1bptzofb]

Biggles 266[/url]":1bptzofb]It seems that an awful big deal is being made of the price in the review. Now whilst I don't disagree with the sentiment, it does nothing to help dispel the claims of pro-Apple bias that Ars frequently receives. The iPhone 6s review doesn't make a big deal about price and the 6s Plus 64 GB is the same price.

Seems like a double standard, unless Ars starts putting a paragraph that goes "yeah it's okay but buy a OnePlus instead because it's half the price and does the same stuff" into an iPhone review.

But the OnePlus 3 doesn't run iOS. They can legitimately say that about the Note 7 as they both run Android, but they can't about the iPhone.

Why stop at the OnePlus 3? Why not just pick the absolute cheapest Android phone there is. After all it makes calls, runs apps, and has a camera.

Apple and Samsung are the #1 and #2 premium phone makers, regardless of OS used. iOS and Android all run the same basic apps, and trying to suggest that iOS is so radically different than Android that you can't compare them is foolish.

I get that all the Android Hipsters hate Samsung and prefer a Nexus or cheap Chinese knockoff because of many reasons. I even get that Ars is a bit more of a geek site than most and so taking that into account is reasonable. But arguing that you shouldn't get a Rolex because a Swatch tells time just as well is missing the point.

I'm confused why not caring about an SD card, while prioritizing a lack of 'OEM Skin' and the absolute quickest updates is Hipster. If Samsung offered stock android with legitimately useful apps on top (think 2013 MotoX) and quick (measured in weeks, not months) updates I would hardily debate if it was worth the extra money (the marginally improved camera, the waterproofing, SD & pen would be intriguing - would make a great merge of the tablet & phone, converting two devices to one).

Touchwiz & their Update 'Speed' are non-starters for me personally. All that said, the stock android fans make up a very small percentage of the market and the general public has yet to show any interest in quick updates, so I totally understand why they ignore us. I eagerly await the day that Google puts on it's big boy pants and tells the OEM's they have to turn their skins into [replaceable] Launchers + [delete-able] Apps so they can take control of the update process - then I can have hardware choice beyond a Nexus or iPhone.

If your watch analogy were accurate - it would be why someone prefers an understated Patek Phillipe Calatrava (Nexus) over a more well known, more expensive, multifunction Rolex Cosmograph (Samsung). Then someone comes along and is willing to take a Citizen's (Cheap Chinese Phone) or Tag Heuer (OnePlus). Then you've got your Swatch level MotoG/Nextbit or Timex level Blu.

 

[JiveTurkeyJerky]

wangstramedeous[/url]":2dzbt3zg]

joesixgig[/url]":2dzbt3zg]

Zizy[/url]":2dzbt3zg]Iris would be helpful when you have gloves on, fingerprint being the dominant mode of unlocking otherwise. Not that pointless.

Another use case: when your fingers are covered in batter. It happens.

Edit: Ninja'd, so let me add: I like that in the Note 7 it's present in addition to a fingerprint scanner. On my Lumia 950XL it's the only biometric option, and it does quickly get old for the reasons given in the article.

I think you glossed over the part in the article that explains the process of activating the iris scan. If you have batter on your hands, to get iris recognition to work, you're going to get batter on your phone either way.

If the process involves using your hands and swiping to get started...then use your hands.

'OK Google' works for me in hands dirty/occupied situations such as cooking.. does that not work with Samsung?

 

[Statistical]

JiveTurkeyJerky[/url]":10yanaol]

wangstramedeous[/url]":10yanaol]

joesixgig[/url]":10yanaol]

Zizy[/url]":10yanaol]Iris would be helpful when you have gloves on, fingerprint being the dominant mode of unlocking otherwise. Not that pointless.

Another use case: when your fingers are covered in batter. It happens.

Edit: Ninja'd, so let me add: I like that in the Note 7 it's present in addition to a fingerprint scanner. On my Lumia 950XL it's the only biometric option, and it does quickly get old for the reasons given in the article.

I think you glossed over the part in the article that explains the process of activating the iris scan. If you have batter on your hands, to get iris recognition to work, you're going to get batter on your phone either way.

If the process involves using your hands and swiping to get started...then use your hands.

'OK Google' works for me in hands dirty/occupied situations such as cooking.. does that not work with Samsung?

Saying "ok google" unlocks your phone? That doesn't seem very secure.

 

[Elvenmonk]

semo[/url]":2woum5em]

Rokuren[/url]":2woum5em]

thegrommit[/url]":2woum5em]

jonah[/url]":2woum5em]The other problem with glass as opposed to aluminum for the back: glass is heavy.

Plastic is always an option, too. Personally, I'd prefer plastic: it can be made to look really nice, it can be made to be a whole effing lot less slippery and it can be made self-healing so any scratches will just magically disappear. I don't like the feel and slipperiness of either metal or glass devices.

Seconded. If you're constantly afraid of it slipping out of your hands, then the ergonomics have not "been nailed".

Agreed, I love the dimple and textured back on my 2015 Moto X Pure.

The only way to move away from glass and metal is if they started using CF or Kevlar. At least then they'd be able to call them "premium" materials and satisfy that whim whilst retaing all the practicalities. Too bad that those materials cost more than metal.

I'd just prefer an S7 P edition or something that has a decent polycarbonate body (S5 with 6/7 internals).

Have you ever dropped Kevlar? It doesn't hold up well. I was chewed out for almost dropping some once.

 

[JiveTurkeyJerky]

Statistical[/url]":1vxf35nm]

JiveTurkeyJerky[/url]":1vxf35nm]

wangstramedeous[/url]":1vxf35nm]

joesixgig[/url]":1vxf35nm]

Zizy[/url]":1vxf35nm]Iris would be helpful when you have gloves on, fingerprint being the dominant mode of unlocking otherwise. Not that pointless.

Another use case: when your fingers are covered in batter. It happens.

Edit: Ninja'd, so let me add: I like that in the Note 7 it's present in addition to a fingerprint scanner. On my Lumia 950XL it's the only biometric option, and it does quickly get old for the reasons given in the article.

I think you glossed over the part in the article that explains the process of activating the iris scan. If you have batter on your hands, to get iris recognition to work, you're going to get batter on your phone either way.

If the process involves using your hands and swiping to get started...then use your hands.

'OK Google' works for me in hands dirty/occupied situations such as cooking.. does that not work with Samsung?

Saying "ok google" unlocks your phone? That doesn't seem very secure.

That is up to the user - it's called SmartLock (under Security). You have 5 potentially 'trusted' ways for the phone to stay/become unlocked beyond Pin/Password/Fingerprint (all of varying lesser degrees of actual security - it's more of a convenience system to nudge people toward using a password/fingerprint while allowing them the ease of use for when they're in places of lower risk). Without those, while locked, it wakes up the phone, takes the question/command and then asks you to unlock your phone (theoretically with the iris scanner?).

On Body Detection - If you unlock the phone while walking and put it back in your pocket/bag - it theoretically detects you're movement to stay unlocked.

Trusted Places - Wifi networks or Geo-fenced.

Trusted Devices (Bluetooth) - like a smartwatch or your car infotainment center.

Facial Recognition.

Voice - which is 'trained' to your voice so that it would only unlock from your command (never tested this with someone that has a similar voice).

 

[Toasty27]

I really do think that iris scanning is the future of mobile biometrics. You leave your fingerprints everywhere, and you can't use a fingerprint reader with gloves.

Theoretically, it should be possible to verify an iris regardless of contacts/glasses with good enough algorithms. The main issue will be cataracts or other diseases of the eye, but in those cases, you probably wouldn't be using a smartphone much anyway.

The fine details of implementation could very well prevent iris scanning from being as easy to use as fingerprint readers. On the other hand, being able to unlock your device simply by looking at it (and having that feature stay relatively secure), seems like the holy grail of security+convenience.


However, I highly doubt Samsung will be the first to perfect this. Their implementation here is rather sloppy (which is typical for everything Samsung does on the first try).

[EDIT]
I also think it's a bit ridiculous that the Note 7 and S7 are now basically the same size. Why even bother having a Note line, then? The Note is big and has a stylus (that you don't have to use). The S7 is big and has.....no stylus. So you need big hands to use it comfortably. They've basically completely ditched a market segment. Apple at least has the sense to offer two sizes with relatively similar performance.

How Samsung became a market leader with such consistently ham-fisted execution is beyond me. Sometimes I wonder if they even do any market research at all before releasing a product.

 

[Toasty27]

JiveTurkeyJerky[/url]":1m08a09b]

Statistical[/url]":1m08a09b]
Voice - which is 'trained' to your voice so that it would only unlock from your command (never tested this with someone that has a similar voice).

My friend has a similar-enough sounding voice that he can activate voice recognition on my 2014 Moto X. No one else I know has managed to do that though.

 

[Deleted member 174040]

Apple is known to be interested in iris scanning.

As with the fingerprint scanner in Touch-ID, they obviously feel no compunction to be first to market.

 

[Elvenmonk]

JiveTurkeyJerky[/url]":hjo4bo2d]

Statistical[/url]":hjo4bo2d]

JiveTurkeyJerky[/url]":hjo4bo2d]

wangstramedeous[/url]":hjo4bo2d]

joesixgig[/url]":hjo4bo2d]

Zizy[/url]":hjo4bo2d]Iris would be helpful when you have gloves on, fingerprint being the dominant mode of unlocking otherwise. Not that pointless.

Another use case: when your fingers are covered in batter. It happens.

Edit: Ninja'd, so let me add: I like that in the Note 7 it's present in addition to a fingerprint scanner. On my Lumia 950XL it's the only biometric option, and it does quickly get old for the reasons given in the article.

I think you glossed over the part in the article that explains the process of activating the iris scan. If you have batter on your hands, to get iris recognition to work, you're going to get batter on your phone either way.

If the process involves using your hands and swiping to get started...then use your hands.

'OK Google' works for me in hands dirty/occupied situations such as cooking.. does that not work with Samsung?

Saying "ok google" unlocks your phone? That doesn't seem very secure.

That is up to the user - it's called SmartLock (under Security). You have 5 potentially 'trusted' ways for the phone to stay/become unlocked beyond Pin/Password/Fingerprint (all of varying lesser degrees of actual security - it's more of a convenience system to nudge people toward using a password/fingerprint while allowing them the ease of use for when they're in places of lower risk). Without those, while locked, it wakes up the phone, takes the question/command and then asks you to unlock your phone (theoretically with the iris scanner?).

On Body Detection - If you unlock the phone while walking and put it back in your pocket/bag - it theoretically detects you're movement to stay unlocked.

Trusted Places - Wifi networks or Geo-fenced.

Trusted Devices (Bluetooth) - like a smartwatch or your car infotainment center.

Facial Recognition.

Voice - which is 'trained' to your voice so that it would only unlock from your command (never tested this with someone that has a similar voice).

My friend has the s7 and a very different voice then mine. I unlocked his phone. A radio dj did it on the air and it unlocked a lot of phones. So for a while he would go,"okay Google. Gay porn/blue waffle/tub girl/lemon party/etc" a lot of people called in to complain because it worked.

 

[Bullseyed]

> It's a shame that, even at $850+ dollars, Samsung won't upgrade to a metal body. With so much glass, dropping the phone will probably cause serious damage.

Paid review alert.

Remember when Apple phones were way more premium than Android phones because they were all glass, despite being impractical? And Samsung was soooo cheap for using durable plastic?

And then remember when Apple switched to flimsy aluminum that bends but were somehow premium? And now the formerly demanded glass Samsung phones are now supposedly cheap.

 

[arkiel]

jonah[/url]":22wp2khw]The iris scanner is a classic Samsung "throw shit at the wall and see what sticks" move.

Also a great example of how the company is utterly incapable of actually making a definitive determination before a product hits the market of what customers will and won't like.

So... Samsung's signature move is to throw shit at the wall, and then not stay around and see what sticks?

I've encountered several rest areas on midwest interstate highway where Samsung or an entity not unlike it has certainly been prolific with that approach.

 

[SraCet]

vlam[/url]":2g8ccyje]

j00ce[/url]":2g8ccyje]

BoredSysAdmin[/url]":2g8ccyje]For the life of me, I do NOT understand Ron's unhealthy obsession with metal cases on wireless communication devices with lots of internal antennas

Perhaps because there's genuine issues with fragility?

I've owned a mobile phone since the early noughties, and have been using a smartphone since around 2009 or so - starting with pre-Android device like the LG Cookie 501 before moving on to a variety of HTC, Sony and Samsung devices.

In all this time, whatever phone I had at the time has lived in my trouser pocket, usually with keys, so I've always had a screen protector and a hard case on. And I've never had a screen crack or any damage, other than the usual minor scuffing that appears over time.

But about a month ago, I decided to upgrade from the LG G4 to the Samsung S7 Edge. And since it's quite nice and shiny, and I generally have spare pockets (gotta love industrial trousers), I decided that I'd keep it in a pocket by itself, and I wouldn't slap a case on it. Instead, I put a tempered-glass shield on the front and - almost as an afterthought - put a plastic protector on the rear.

A week or so ago, I pulled it out of my pocket and discovered that the nice, shiny glass back is now shattered; the plastic protector has held things together, but there's a full-blown spider web underneath it. To be fair, the effect is quite funky, and it doesn't affect the operation of the phone, but it's a fairly harsh reminder of how fragile this little £500 device actually is.

And so now, I'm back to using a case again...

I legitimately dropped my (naked) phone from about waist high onto tile. Well, onto a garbage can rim, then tile. I'm quite positive if I had a glass back it would have broken. Instead I have a tiny dent in the side from where it impacted the garbage can, and the rest of the phone is completely fine. The dent doesn't even impact the viewing area. Gogo plastic backs.

I like the idea of plastic phones, but being on iOS, I don't have many options to make that happen.

Don't be so sure that a glass back or front would have broken if you had dropped it a certain way. Lots of people drop their phones and the glass doesn't break. Depends on how you drop it.

If you look carefully at an iPhone screen, you can see that it's surrounded by a rubber (?) gasket which presumably absorbs a lot of shocks. I dropped an iPhone 4 onto tile once from a pretty significant height and the only damage was a dent in the metal antenna "band." The glass was perfectly fine.

I imagine these "Edge" phones from Samsung are somewhat less robust though, since the glass wraps around the edges. That being said, the iPhone 6 glass does too, although somewhat less so.

 

[tipsy.trex]

jey9[/url]":tcbi4znq]Re-reading the article, I just noticed there's not much talk about the screen. How come? Is it different from the S7 and Edge?

Samsung's screen brightness is actually a distinct selling point and an aspect of the hardware that doesn't have much competition. Maybe it's more important to me because I live in a place with 300+ days of sunshine per year, but the S7 has the best outdoors screen of any phone, and it's not even close. Did they carry that over to the Note? Does the active digitizer affect that at all?

Dunno why he didn't bring it up, but the N7 has the brightest screen on the market, something approaching 1000 nits at max brightness and nearly 1 not at minimum. From personal experience, I can use it outdoors in southern California at ~50% with sunglasses on without any problems.

It's a crazy nice panel.

 

[thebackwash]

seerauber[/url]":24q2wb9b]

thebackwash[/url]":24q2wb9b]Ill chime in to say that I picked up a note 7 last weekend, and at first I was a bit apprehensive because I loathe the direction they took touchwiz in after hitting a really high point with the s6. I did find it tweakable enough with the themes feature plus a 3rd-party launcher, and I have to say I've never been so impressed with a phone after making those changes. Sure there are a few small things I'd change, but this is quite nearly the perfect phone, doubly so if you want/like/need the stylus.

Mind sharing the launcher you picked?

Sure. I use Nova Launcher. I paid for the pro version, though I forget the reason. There were some features I wanted I suppose.

The other must-have for me is SwipePad. It lets you launch any application or trigger any action that your applications expose to the OS with just a swipe in from the edge of the screen. I'd recommend it to anyone since it makes it a lot faster to get in and out of things.

 

[Deleted member 1]

Some of the complains in this article make no sense.

For example:
"...Don't ever drop your Note 7, since it has so much glass. Most companies have moved away from glass backs on their high-end phones...."

Well in the above the author glosses over the fact that the consumer has gone almost completely all over to using cases, even on those "metal high end phones". Which is why Apple's for example is as thin and slippery as a bar of soap. Because they now expect you to put it in a case. And even Apple is rumoured to be going all glass on its anniversary iphone. So is Samsung "behind" or ahead? "Cheap" - or smart.

Then the gripes about the S-pen. I mean the Apple stylus isnt even as functional as this Wacom pen technology Samsung is using. Nor does the Apple one fit inside the device. That the Samsung one does, is why it is so small and narrow. But its a highly sensitive and accurate pointing and drawing device. And does that at a level that is nothing less than stellar.

And then the griping on price. Basically you have here state of the art phablet, with functionality that Apple will take 18 months to 3 years to match. And only partially. PLUS here there a Wacom Intuos Pro, with industry leading sensitivity level for drawing and full handwriting recognition in the same device? Wow. Are you kidding me - what's the problem, with the price? It's a niche device for someone who wants it all - in their pocket. You think anyone expects this for cheap?

Honestly, why the trumped up complaints?

It would be nice to read something insightful, instead of the usual hatchet job in which "talking points" are blatantly manufactured..