Samsung S7 vs Note 7: How Do They Compare?

After months of speculation, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has finally arrived. It certainly looks the part; a sleek blend of glass and aluminium makes for an attractive finish.

Confused as to what’s happened to the Note 6? No, you didn’t miss it – Samsung simply chose to jump from the Note 5 to the Note 7 in order to unify numbering across the Galaxy S and Note ranges.

Does this device actually live up to the hype? And more importantly, how does it compare to Samsung’s incredibly popular Galaxy S7?

Here, Red White Mobile breaks it down for consumers – helping you to choose the phone the best suits your needs

The size.
As you would expect, the Note 7 is a larger phone than the S7 – however the gap is certainly closer when compared to the older models. The gap has closed 16 grams since the previous models, with the Note 7 dropping 2 grams and the S7 gaining weight due to a bigger battery.

Display.
As hinted by the size, the Note 7’s display is much larger than that of the S7. Although the S7 features a slightly higher ‘pixels per inch’, there is little difference in terms of display quality – both are impressive and support Samsung’s ‘Always-on Display’.

Design.
There’s no second guessing where these two phones have come from – they both feature similar design traits. Made from the same glass and aluminium construction, they are both classy handsets that appear very similar apart from size.

Performance.
Both the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy Note 7 share the same internal specifications: Exynos 8890 (quad-core 2.3 GHz + quad-core 1.6 GHz CPUs, Mali-T880 MP12 GPU) and a 4GB RAM.

Considering the Note 7 comes to the market 6 months later than the S7 and was expected to feature increased RAM, this is a little disappointing.

Security.
White the S7 uses a fingerprint sensor, the Note 7 uses an innovative iris scanner – that’s right, it scans your eye in order to unlock the phone. Samsung claims that this technology is 100 x more secure than the fingerprint sensor – or any other smartphone security system for that matter.

Whether it’s a useful feature or a potentially annoying gimmick remains to be seen.

Software.
The Note 7 can essentially do everything the S7 can – plus expanded S Pen support. The S Pen stylus has been given an upgrade since the Note 5, and is now closer to using an actual pen than ever before.

Camera.
Samsung created an industry-leading smartphone camera when it released the S7 – and consequently the same camera has been used for the Note 7. This camera features Duel Pixel technology, making it the fastest focusing camera on the market.

Battery.
The S7 features a 3000mAh battery, while the Note 7’s battery is 3500mAh. While the numbers place the Note 7 in front, the battery needs to power a larger display – thus placing the S7 slightly in front when it comes to battery life.

Price.
It’s no secret that the Note 7 is one of the more expensive phones on the market. Coming in at S$1168 (64GB), the Note 7 is a little pricier than the S7 – which was released at S$998. Considering the S7 has been out for a number of months already, you may be able to find this phone at a lower price – especially now the Note 7 is about to hit the market.

Which one?
Ultimately, it depends on your budget and needs. Although a very good phone, the Note 7 is slightly disappointing in the eyes of some. If you are keen on making use of the S Pen and prefer a larger display, the Note 7 could be for you – otherwise, the S7 should suffice!