Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge: Cousin Comparison

In 2016, in terms of the flagship smartphone, Galaxy S7 Edge is one of the best handset. The S7 Edge is praised more than the S7. Yesterday (August 3rd, 2016), Samsung finally launched the Galaxy Note 7. In terms of some features the Note 7 resembles like it’s cousin Galaxy S7 Edge.

So, where these two differ? In specifications, looks or anything else? Which one is the best? We try to answer that very conundrum.

NOTE: We’ll be calculating points at every step and lastly finalize in the verdict. For every category winner will be awarded 1 points.

Design

Both the smartphones have a similar type of designs. With glass backs both enables wireless charging with a core aluminium chassis and the quality is top-notch, it is not comparable in terms of build and quality.

If we talk about portability, the Galaxy S7 Edge beats the Galaxy Note 7, because of it’s smaller screen size, slim form factor and light weight. The S7 Edge sports a 5.5-inch display, 7.7 mm thickness and weighs 157 gram while Note 7 sports 5.7-inch display, 7.9 mm thickness and weighs 169 gram.

Design is something every person look before buying any smartphone but when it comes to flagship smartphone, one doesn’t need to compromise. The Note 7 looks good but not good as the S7 Edge.

Winner – Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
(Points – Galaxy Note 7: 0 | Galaxy S7 Edge: 1)

Display

The quality of the display is one of the crucial elements as it’s your only method of interacting with your phone. In term of display both Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy S7 Edge curved ‘Edge’ displays. But on both smartphones, the Edge is somewhat different. You will find more Edge display on S7 Edge as compared to Note 7.

Galaxy Note 7 sports 5.7-inch curved panel with 2560 x 1440 pixels (518ppi) resolution and Super AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 5 screen protection while Galaxy S7 Edge sports 5.5-inch flat panel with 2560 x 1440 pixels (534ppi) and Super AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 4 screen protection.

No doubt, The Galaxy Note 7 has a larger panel as well as Gorilla Glass 5 which has greater resistance to cracks from falls. The Galaxy S7 Edge has a slightly higher pixels per inch (ppi) count, but that won’t be key at this level – both displays are just fantastic.

Winner – Samsung Galaxy Note 7
(Points – Galaxy Note 7: 1 | Galaxy S7 Edge: 1)

Software

This time the Galaxy Note 7 come with Edge functionality. With the addition of Edge functionality it allows users to swipe from the screen edge to bring up a customisable selection of shortcuts and widgets and there’s growing support from third-party app makers. One more thing add more functionality, its S Pen stylus. S Pen gives the Galaxy Note 7 support for handwritten notes as well as additional S Pen triggered features like quick translations, creating gifs and making memos. S Pen has never been more accurate as it now recognizes 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity.

But all this adds software bloat and Samsung’s TouchWiz customisation of Android has never been liked by users a lot. If you don’t feel you need S Pen support then Note 7 software is not needed at all.

While Galaxy S7 Edge also come with Samsung’s TouchWiz customisation but it doesn’t come with the S Pen software features. So, If S Pen is not your preference then S7 Edge software is for you.

Winner – Depends On S Pen Preference
(Points – Galaxy Note 7: 2 | Galaxy S7 Edge: 2)

Performance

The US versions of Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy S7 Edge sports Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (dual-core 2.15 GHz Kryo & dual-core 1.6 GHz Kryo CPUs, Adreno 530 GPU with 4GB RAM while the International version of Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy S7 Edge sports Exynos 8890 quad-core 2.3 GHz + quad-core 1.6 GHz CPUs, Mali-T880 MP12 GPU with 4GB RAM.

The Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are also identical in terms of performance. Both are on top of the Android performance tree, particularly thanks to the Exynos version which has slightly greater power and efficiency than the Snapdragon 820.

But the Galaxy Note 7 does have something no other smartphone has: an iris scanner. This works on the lock screen by tilting the handset to eye level and Samsung claims it is as fast and accurate as a fingerprint sensor and up to 100x more secure than a fingerprint scanner. That said it is clearly more inconvenient to use than a fingerprint scanner so whether it catches on will likely prove a key factor in whether the Galaxy Note 7 is a success or not.

Winner – Depends On Exynos Or Snapdragon Processor (Identical On Both)
(Points – Galaxy Note 7: 3 | Galaxy S7 Edge: 3)

Battery life

The Galaxy Note 7  has a 3500mAh battery, this has to power a 5.7-inch display While the smaller 5.5-inch Galaxy S7 Edge has managed to cram in a bigger 3600mAh battery. Because of the S Pen they couldn’t add larger battery on Note 7.

To be honest, both smartphones do retain their fast and wireless charging, while the Galaxy Note 7 wins by adopting the newer USB Type-C v3.1  standard whereas the Galaxy S7 Edge retains microUSB. Some will have different feelings about this given the ubiquity of microUSB, but Type-C is the future and we will rather move with the times for a handset you’re likely to own for several years.

Winner – Samsung Galaxy Note 7
(Points – Galaxy Note 7: 4 | Galaxy S7 Edge: 3)

Camera

Both Smartphones currently have the best smartphone cameras on the market.

Both have camera specs identical, both features 12 megapixel Sony IMX260 F1.7 sensor rear camera with OIS, LED flash, Dual Pixels, 4K video recording while Front facing camera features 5MP F1.7 with 1080p video recording.

The key benefits are its near instantaneous focus times (thanks to Dual Pixel technology and its fast F1.7 sensor) and superb low light performance.

Samsung didn’t upgrade a single bit in camera department, the Galaxy S7 Edge technology six months down the line featured in the Galaxy Note 7. So, it’s quite obvious that Samsung Galaxy S8 Edge will feature a better camera which is set to release in early 2017.

Winner – No Difference In Camera (Identical On Both)
(Points – Galaxy Note 7: 5 | Galaxy S7 Edge: 4)

Storage

The Galaxy Note 7 has a major advantage. While the Galaxy S7 Edge bizarrely only shipped to the US with 32GB of internal storage, the Galaxy Note 7 has a single 64GB model which should prove enough given it also includes the same microSD expansion slot as the Galaxy S7 Edge.

Winner – Samsung Galaxy Note 7
(Points – Galaxy Note 7: 6 | Galaxy S7 Edge: 4)

Price

The Galaxy S7 Edge costs $800 (roughly Rs. 53,500) on paper and the Galaxy Note 7 is just $50 more at $850 (roughly Rs. 57,000).

But these prices is on paper, but when it comes in reality the Galaxy S7 Edge can now be picked up for much less. Discounts of $50 to $150 are commonplace and at this price the Galaxy S7 Edge is clearly better value.

Winner – Samsung Galaxy S7 Egde
(Points – Galaxy Note 7: 6 | Galaxy S7 Edge: 5)

Verdict

It was expected before release that the Galaxy Note 7  will be another great smartphone with lot more features as compared to Galaxy S7 Edge.It was also expected that Note 7 will feature 6 GB RAM. But sadly all that hasn’t happened.

If we talk about our points comparison, Note 7 is just 1 point ahead of S7 Egde just because of its USB Type-C charging feature. The Galaxy Note 7 is the new Galaxy S7 Edge with Type-C port, a slightly larger screen, slightly smaller battery, more internal storage and a S Pen stylus. Had the trio launched together that would be fine, but the fact the Galaxy S8 Edge will arrive in 5-6 months and the Galaxy S7 Edge can be found at significantly discounted prices makes the Galaxy Note 7 less appealing in our eyes.

The Galaxy Note 7 is not a fantastic handset, after all it builds its Note credentials upon arguably the best handset of 2016 so far. But we’re also now in August and new chipsets and major upgrades will appear in January and February. So how long the Galaxy Note 7 retains its gloss remains to be seen.

As we always mention, Both are good smartphones in their own right, so choosing one will entirely depend on where your priorities lie.