64gb base model on note7 is tempting... i find the edge on note7 is better than s7 edge... not too edge... its not prone to accidental touch .....
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Phones Galaxy Note 7
- Thread starter jamezr
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Curve on the screen is much better than the s7 edge, nice and subtle.
My S6 is just as fast as day one, has an amazing camera, design, build quality, nice screen, latest touchwiz (love the themes feature), marshmallow, getting security updates every month, etc. I'm in no hurry to change to a new phone.
I'm mainly looking for 64GB storage or microSD slot, better battery life, on screen buttons, better fingerprint sensor, similar screen size, no edges (
) and brighter screen for outdoor visibility.
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I got to handle the Note 7 and I can tell you, the edge panels ARE an improvement in nearly every way compared to the S7 Edge's panels.
First of all, there's definitely more flat surface to the device (as every impression has said). I can confidently stand by my previous prediction: that most people will have little to no trouble dealing with having enough "usable" space on the screen. The display doesn't begin to curve until very far out. And even then, it's a sleek and subtle slope. It's hard to tell in pictures, but in person, when you put the devices side by side, the difference is more apparent. You just really have to see it for yourself.
I also noticed that because the curvature is less extreme (ie. less curvy, less bendy), you get almost none of that "green glare" effect that you get with the S7 Edge. I don't care about the green glare and truthfully never notice it, but this is still a worthy refinement.
As for the ergonomics, once again, a win for Samsung and their edge technology. It simply does not feel like a 5.7" device. It feels not much larger than my S7 Edge, and we already know that feels great in the hand for a 5.5" device. BTW, I saw the blue one with the gold trim. Quite nice. The subtle gold polish and the blue tone of the device go well together. I'm glad they didn't do this two-tone thing to all the devices though, but it's nice to see Samsung have a little fun just for this blue version.
One other note to say about TouchWiz: I was impressed by how clean everything felt and looked. Especially the pull down quick toggles. All the apps are cleaner, too. Or is it just all this white? The color palette is just really open, airy, light, and (sorry to sound redundant) clean! Almost too clean, for example, I sort of miss the Settings menu from the S7E, where things were color coded into their own sections.
Anyway, I didn't spend that much time with it, but walked away impressed by the refinements in the screen and software. It makes me really excited for the S8.
If Samsung keeps making these subtle refinements to their edge technology, then ya, I support their rumored decision to drop flat screens in their future flagships (imagine how comfortable, compact, and ergonomic a 5.2" Galaxy S8 with edge panels could be!).
[doublepost=1470776403][/doublepost]
It really is. I was surprised by the difference despite the change being so subtle. A true refinement.
First of all, there's definitely more flat surface to the device (as every impression has said). I can confidently stand by my previous prediction: that most people will have little to no trouble dealing with having enough "usable" space on the screen. The display doesn't begin to curve until very far out. And even then, it's a sleek and subtle slope. It's hard to tell in pictures, but in person, when you put the devices side by side, the difference is more apparent. You just really have to see it for yourself.
I also noticed that because the curvature is less extreme (ie. less curvy, less bendy), you get almost none of that "green glare" effect that you get with the S7 Edge. I don't care about the green glare and truthfully never notice it, but this is still a worthy refinement.
As for the ergonomics, once again, a win for Samsung and their edge technology. It simply does not feel like a 5.7" device. It feels not much larger than my S7 Edge, and we already know that feels great in the hand for a 5.5" device. BTW, I saw the blue one with the gold trim. Quite nice. The subtle gold polish and the blue tone of the device go well together. I'm glad they didn't do this two-tone thing to all the devices though, but it's nice to see Samsung have a little fun just for this blue version.
One other note to say about TouchWiz: I was impressed by how clean everything felt and looked. Especially the pull down quick toggles. All the apps are cleaner, too. Or is it just all this white? The color palette is just really open, airy, light, and (sorry to sound redundant) clean! Almost too clean, for example, I sort of miss the Settings menu from the S7E, where things were color coded into their own sections.
Anyway, I didn't spend that much time with it, but walked away impressed by the refinements in the screen and software. It makes me really excited for the S8.
If Samsung keeps making these subtle refinements to their edge technology, then ya, I support their rumored decision to drop flat screens in their future flagships (imagine how comfortable, compact, and ergonomic a 5.2" Galaxy S8 with edge panels could be!).
[doublepost=1470776403][/doublepost]
It really is. I was surprised by the difference despite the change being so subtle. A true refinement.
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I might be late to this news, but I just found out you can change icons without applying a theme. 
Now only if they would do that with the Always on Display. Some themes have great Always on Displays, but I don't want the whole theme.
Now only if they would do that with the Always on Display. Some themes have great Always on Displays, but I don't want the whole theme.
I had the S7 Edge for a few days and couldn't stand the curved edges on the phone, thought it was very hard to hold and manage. Played with the Note 7 at Best Buy for about an hour and it was a HUGE improvement so completely agree with what you're saying. I think people should definitely play and handle the device before writing it off for the curved screen.
I got to handle one as well tonight at Best Buy. Y'all know I'm a quite firmly an Apple user and fan of most of their hardware but color me impressed. I held the S7 edge and Note 7 back to back and the subtle refinements made on the Note 7, while at a glance seemingly minimal, are in reality are pretty significant. The curves on the edges are less severe in that they begin (and end) much closer to the true edge of the device, with much less of the display under the actual curved portion. The curve is symmetrical on the front and back and Samsung seems to have improved the transition to the metal frame so that it's noticeably more comfortable to hold than the S7 edge. I'd still personally prefer that they ended the display right at the start of the curve but regardless, it's an improvement vs. the S7 edge.
Otherwise, the build materials feels great in hand, are rock solid and look just as nice. I won't belabor the point about the Samsung logo on the front---I think it sucks but otherwise, the Note 7 is quite a stunner. I'd be quite happy with that hardware...if it was running iOS 10.
Ok I'll join the cool kids. Surprise surprise I also went to Best Buy today. I echo everyone's comments. Very impressed. I'll add that my gripe of distortion is still there on the curves. But it's much less pronounced this time. Obviously because of the less pronounced curves. This keeps text on the flat part of the screen so It's much easier to ignore the distortion. Thumbs up there. Speaking of thumbs....with the less significant curve comes no more keys on the edge! All the keys remained on the flat part of the screen which makes it much more easy to type on vs the edge devices. Great job Sammy.
I got to handle one as well tonight at Best Buy. Y'all know I'm a quite firmly an Apple user and fan of most of their hardware but color me impressed. I held the S7 edge and Note 7 back to back and the subtle refinements made on the Note 7, while at a glance seemingly minimal, are in reality are pretty significant. The curves on the edges are less severe in that they begin (and end) much closer to the true edge of the device, with much less of the display under the actual curved portion. The curve is symmetrical on the front and back and Samsung seems to have improved the transition to the metal frame so that it's noticeably more comfortable to hold than the S7 edge. I'd still personally prefer that they ended the display right at the start of the curve but regardless, it's an improvement vs. the S7 edge.
Otherwise, the build materials feels great in hand, are rock solid and look just as nice. I won't belabor the point about the Samsung logo on the front---I think it sucks but otherwise, the Note 7 is quite a stunner. I'd be quite happy with that hardware...if it was running iOS 10.
Might be time to give TouchWiz another shot, my friend. It's come a long way.
Add the hardware features and you have the most worry-free phone ever. I literally never think about battery life anymore. I can wash my phone!
I understand you're tied to iMessage and the general ecosystem. And I understand updates are important to you. If only you could find a way; what you would gain.
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I might be late to this news, but I just found out you can change icons without applying a theme.
Now only if they would do that with the Always on Display. Some themes have great Always on Displays, but I don't want the whole theme.
View attachment 644215
Yes. Not everybody will understand, but this is awesome.
[doublepost=1470799819][/doublepost]Since we're on the topic of the note 7 screen...
The Best Smartphone Display
The Galaxy Note7 provides many major and important state-of-the-art display enhancements, with mobile OLED display technology now advancing faster than ever. The Galaxy Note7 is the most innovative and high performance Smartphone display that we have ever tested. It leapfrogs the displays on the Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S7 to become the Best Performing Smartphone Display ever.
http://www.displaymate.com/Galaxy_Note7_ShootOut_1.htm
And there's this:
http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/0...y-record-high-max-brightness-nearly-1050nits/
DisplayMate: Galaxy Note7's display has record high max brightness of nearly 1,050 nits
So, leaving it in automatic mode gets you much higher brightness when you need it. The phone will also be smarter about changing the brightness thanks to a pair of light sensors. There's one on the back and one on the front. Other phones just have one on the front, but light from the screen reflecting off your face can interfere in a dark room.
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This new displaymate test makes the device more tempting for me as a s7 edge user.
I must stay strong...
I must stay strong...
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Currently it's dependent on theme however you could switch to Google keyboard and use whichever colours you want and the theme would not affect that, however the downside of that in the Note in particular is that you would lose the ability to write on the keyboard if you switched over to another keyboard.
Not necessarily, Google does have a pretty good handwriting keyboard that works with the spen. The downside is that it's a seperate keyboard, so you would have to switch to it when you want to use it and switch back when you don't.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.handwriting.ime
Yeah i did think of that but was trying to avoid switching keyboards as then you could just switch back to Samsung keyboard just as easily, but neither is most convenient compared to having it already built into your keyboard you are using if you know what I mean
Best performing display ever. Even over the S7/edge. * drools *
[doublepost=1470825327][/doublepost]Do current Note and galaxy owners leave their display mode on adaptive or change it to one of the other modes?
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This is a big behind the scenes feature that most will never realize they have but it will improve network reliability and throughput for voice and data on the Note 7.
Galaxy Note 7 is the first commercial smartphone to support 4×4 MIMO
http://www.sammobile.com/2016/08/10...st-commercial-smartphone-to-support-4x4-mimo/
Galaxy Note 7 is the first commercial smartphone to support 4×4 MIMO
http://www.sammobile.com/2016/08/10...st-commercial-smartphone-to-support-4x4-mimo/
I always use basic mode. I prefer 100% SRGB accuracy over artifical saturation.
Must remember too that display-mate base their 'accuracy' awards of the device using 'basic' SRGB mode.
I use photo mode, I find cinema mode too over saturated and the color hurts my eyes as times, and adaptive will on occasion have that same saturation level. Basic is good too, but I prefer the little extra pop of photo mode.
Sorry this became such a long post. TL;DR - I personally value iOS/Apple ecosystem more than having some improved hardware to switch to the Note 7 right now.
I honestly went through a mental inventory of what I gain/lose when switching between platforms and have come to realize I just simply prefer many elements of iOS and the Apple ecosystem. Yes, iMessage is a big part but I can find work arounds here. Timely updates is of more importances to me, yes. But testing the 6P brought to light many other aspects that I just like better on iOS.
- I like Safari better than Chrome, especially on mobile and definitely more on tablets.
- I much prefer the Control Center on iOS vs. the same functionality being part of the pull down shade on Android.
- I love swipe navigations---it's not fully ubiquitous on iOS yet but it's there for the vast majority of what I use it becomes immediately evident how much I miss it when I use Android.
- I actually really like 3D Touch and use it all the time, even more so now on the iOS 10 beta. It certainly has room to grow but I miss it when I'm using something other than my iPhone.
- I very much prefer widget implementation on iOS--having them easily available from where ever I am in the phone is a huge benefit.
- I'm a fan of wireless payments and use Apple Pay multiple times every day. Yes, Samsung Pay can be used at more locations thanks to the legacy Loop Pay tech but neither of my credit cards can be enrolled in Samsung Pay and Apple Pay offers wider use within apps. The upcoming changes in macOS and iOS expand this further (using Apple Pay for payments on websites). Could I live without wireless payments? Sure, but I want the technology to continue to grow and in order for that to happen and for more merchants to adopt it, it needs to be used and I'm happy to be a guinea pig.
- I use elements of Apple's Continuity and Handoff everyday...used it right now on the post as I was reading your reply as I walked into the house, and immediately handed off the page to my Mac to type this reply. My family uses AirDrop to share information all the time.
- Wifi calling is a must have now (I believe this will now be included on the AT&T Note 7). Also, I can make/take calls on any of my other Apple device, including my Apple Watch (even when not tethered to my iPhone via Bluetooth). And speaking of the Apple Watch...
- I'm a fan of smart watches, to the point where my wrist feels naked if I forget to put it on and it is immediately noticeable and aggravating to me on the off chance i forget to wear it. IMO, the Apple Watch is easily the best out right now and looks to become far better with watchOS 3.0. I am staring at my phone far less thanks to the AW--responding to messages, tracking fitness, managing reminders, making payments, setting alarms and timers, using it as an iPod when walking/running, even taking occasional calls when I'm away from or can't reach my phone. Being able to use it to unlock my Mac soon will be another bonus, as will the ability to contact emergency services with the push of a button.
Take all of this (I'm sure there's more I'm not mentioning), couple that with the fact that I cannot get an unlocked Note 7 free of carrier bloat and am at their mercy regarding software, as well as a few other little issues (i.e. truly despise the soft key layout on Samsung phones) and it's really not a difficult decision for me personally.
The significant point here being that nicer hardware isn't enough to trump the software experience for me. I'm not proclaiming iOS to be the superior OS, not by a long shot but it is the better solution for me, without a doubt. Both the iPhone and Galaxy Note meet the minimum hardware threshold I have I guess...they're both plenty nice enough. For me, it's all about the software and the interaction with everything else in my life (my tech and my family/friends).
All that being said, there are a ton of things Google is doing that I have my eye on. I'm very curious about Google Home, Allo/Duo, and the Google Assistant--imo, big strides forward in expanding and improving the Google ecosystem. And as I mentioned, I live on my iPad Pro far more than my Mac now and if Google could produce a seriously well made convertible/tablet in the manner of the iPP or SP4 where I could run both ChromeOS and Android apps, that could go a long way towards pulling me a bit out of the Apple ecosystem.
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