The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is unquestionably a step up from the Galaxy Note 5, though its name suggests it’s actually two steps up from its Android phone predecessor.
We’ve tested the new phablet and brought along the old one to see where it makes its biggest moves. Its specs are more in line with the Samsung Galaxy S7 and its design reflects the stylish S7 Edge.
It’s old against new in our Galaxy Note 7 vs Note 5 comparison, so let’s give Samsung’s two S-Pen-focused smartphones a deep dive to see if the 2016 upgrade is worth buying.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Note 5: design
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is by no means a small phone – it’s still very much a phablet with the same 5.7-inch Quad HD display. It’s just a tiny bit slimmer than the Note 5.
At 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9mm, the Note 7 is a meaningful 2.2mm narrower. That’s a big deal for hand comfort and will reduce the amount of times you almost drop this smartphone juggernaut.
It’s lighter at 162g and sports a curved display, one that’s more subtle vs Galaxy S7 Edge. That reduces false touches and it still looks nifty, as its curved back meets the metal frame at a point.
At 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6mm and 171g, the Galaxy Note 5 keeps its display straight, but it too has a palmable curved back. Sadly, the older Note 5 isn’t waterproof, while the Note 7 can survive in water at a depth of 1.5 meters (about 4.9 feet) for 30 minutes or less.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Note 5: display
Believe it or not, the narrower Samsung Galaxy Note 7 size doesn’t mean the screen has shrunk, too. It’s still a 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display with a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution. It’s beautiful.
Where the Note 7 really stands out is with its always-on display. In addition to showing the time and date, it shows Screen-Off memos, too. When the screen is on, it streams impressive Mobile HDR content.
The good news is that if you’re buying the Note 5, it still has a Quad HD screen we considered the best phone display twelve months ago. It’s still really impressive.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Note 5: specs and performance
The newly announced Galaxy Note 7 specs confirm that Samsung’s new phone will be faster, but the Note 5 is no slouch when it comes to performance either.
Both have 64-bit processors, and the US Note 7 has has a Snapdragon 820 and 4GB of RAM, the same specs as the Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, LG G5, HTC 10, Moto Z and ZTE Axon 7. The UK version has a Exynos 8890 octacore processor, which has been more powerful in our tests.
The Galaxy Note 5 came out in the US and skipped the UK, but it does use an Exynos 7420, the same chip as the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. See the pattern here? The Note 5 saw its big upgrade moment with 4GB of RAM instead of the 3GB used by the S6 and S6 Edge.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Note 5: Android and apps
Thanks to upgradeable software, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy Note 5 both run the latest stable version of Google’s operating system: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.
Of course, Samsung overlays its TouchWiz menus onto the handsets, which have gotten a bad rap in years past (Galaxy S5 and before). It’s much improved on both Note phones.
New apps like Samsung Pay made their debut on the Note 5, so you’ll have the NFC payment system in either case. But both are missing Android 7.0 Nougat by mere weeks, if not days.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Note 5: camera
If you care about taking photos, you’ll want a recent phone made by Samsung. Its cameras have consistently beaten the competition, the Note 7 and Note 5 included.
Just know this: the megapixel numbers aren’t very telling here. The Note 7 has a 12MP sensor with an f/1.7 aperture on back. The older Note 5 has a 16MP sensor with a f/1.9 aperture.
Both have optical image stabilization (OIS), but the Samsung’s newest camera has dual-pixel sensor technology that allows for faster autofocus. This enables cleaner low-light photos. Warning, everyone will say. “Hey, let’s use your camera.”
The same can be said about either front-facing camera when snapping selfies and group selfies. Both have 5MP front cameras; the Note 7 leads with a f/1.7 aperture, while Note 5 is almost as good with a f/1.9 aperture.
If you’re moving from an iPhone, you’ll really enjoy the much wider camera angles of both the front and back cameras. They’re super wide compared to Apple’s very cropped cameras frames.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Note 5: storage
There are big differences when it comes to storage, both internal, and in the case of the Note 7, external storage. The Note 7 starts at 64GB and supports expandable storage up to 256GB.
The Note 5 starts with 32GB of internal storage, and skipped out on including a microSD card slot (just like the S6 and S6 Edge that year). Your memory cards are no good here.
That means you’re stuck with 32GB or 64GB of built-in storage, whatever configuration you go with. With the Note 7, there’s just one size: big.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Note 5: biometric sensors
There a bunch of nifty ways to securely access and, more importantly, lock your smartphone, and the Note 7 adds a rather new one (for most people): a retina iris scanner.
The Note 7 iris scanner is best for those moments in which your fingerprint just won’t do, like when you’re exiting a pool or the shower. It’ll be rare, but clutch until you dry off your pruny digits.
A left swipe of the lock screen brings up the iris scanner menu. The same happens when you lock a folder with the iris sensor and try to access it. One look at it (straight on) and you’ll unlock your new phone or top secret folder with your eyes.
Both the Note 7 and Note 5 offer a fingerprint sensor home button, providing the typical security layer found in today’s best phones. This sensor is way more reliable than the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 days.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Note 5: release date and price
The Samsung Galaxy S7 launches in the US on August 19 and pre-orders begin August 3. The Note 5 has been available for a year in North America and few places outside of its borders.
Yes, the UK was deprived of the Note 5, with Samsung saying that its research showed few consumers there were interested in a stylus-focused smartphone. They heard your pleas over the course of the last 12 months, though. It’s coming on September 2, with pre-orders on August 16.
The Note 7 will cost top dollar in either country. It’ll be $36 a month for 24 months through Verizon with no money down, or $32.50 a month for 24 months via T-Mobile with $69.99 down. At full retail price, you can get the phone from Verizon for $864, while T-Mobile is selling it for $849.
The Galaxy Note 7 price in the UK keeps things simple, with a £749 price.
The Note 5 did cost about $30 (depending on the carrier) or $250 for a two-year contract (that pricing scheme has since been phased out) in the US. Now it’s a much cheaper: $50 on contract. You’re definitely getting more phone value for your dollar for a phone that’s merely a year old.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Note 5: verdict
Okay, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 might not actually be two steps ahead of the Note 5, but that’s only because our older 5.7-inch phone has held up pretty nicely.
Both have fast processors, excellent cameras and displays superior to almost everything else on the market, except for the S7 and S7 Edge, of course. The Note 7 makes it biggest leaps in the design, storage and camera, but costs significantly more.
Just remember this buying advice: while both phones run applications without major slowdown and are fit for envelope-pushing Samsung Gear VR apps, you’ll likely keep using the device you buy for two or more years. Buy the phone you’ll love on month 23 of a two-year contract.
Source: techradar.com
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