Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review: Cool new features make it an Android sensation

It's no secret that Samsung has launched the Galaxy Note 7, a new smartphone for 2016 aiming to be one of the best Android phones you can buy. Instead of waiting until IFA in Berlin, Samsung has announced the Note 7 at various locations around the globe today. Here's our Samsung Galaxy Note 7 hands-on review. See also: Best phones 2016.

Before we dive into the review, you might be wondering what happened to the Galaxy Note 6 – considering the Note5 didn't even get a proper UK launch. Well Samsung wants to keep the Note range in-line with the Galaxy S range. Afterall, it does make sense if all the phones launched in the same year have the same model number.

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 7 REVIEW: PRICE UK

The Galaxy Note7 release date in the UK is 2 Septmber with the option to pre-order from 16 August. The Note7 price, via MobileFun, is £749 SIM-free which is rather expensive.

If you pre-order then you'll get the phone three days early and Samsung will also throw in a free GearVR when you buy from selected retailers so look out for the deal.

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 7 REVIEW: DESIGN AND BUILD

When it comes to design, Samsung has struck a nice balance of retaining the look of the Note series while bring the style of the Galaxy S7. In this case, particularly the Galaxy S7 edge as the new Note7 has the dual edge curved screen as standard.

What's quite amazing here is that the Note7 doesn't feel like a phablet despite the screen size remaining at 5.7in. It's not much bigger than the S7 edge and the device feels more manageable than ever.

This slab of metal and glass looks and feels great, although be wary of the rear cover as the slippery glass means the device is likely to slide out of your pocket when sitting down or make its way slowly off the edge of a sofa arm.

Build quality is up to the usual high standards which we've come to expect from Samsung with smooth flushness where materials meet, precision drilled holes and the like. The Note7 is available in a range of colours including Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium, Black Onyx and Blue Coral. The latter is an eye-catching combination of blue and gold as you can see in our pictures.

We're pleased to report that the Note7 is the first in the range to be waterproof, matching up to the S7 in more than just looks. You can now dunk your Note7 thanks to its IP68 rating (1.5m of water for up to 30 minutes and dustproof) and as we've become accustomed to, there's no need to fiddle with port covers. This is even more impressive considering the S Pen is stored inside the phone. Even the S Pen is water resistant so you can carry on using it in the rain or dunk it, too.

Optional accessories include a Lens Cover, waterproof battery cover and a new GearVR headset which is compatible wth the Note7 thanks to USB-C. See also: Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs iPhone 6s Plus

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 7 REVIEW: HARDWARE AND SPECS

Sticking to tradition, the Galaxy Note7 has a 5.7in display so users of previous Note phones will feel right at home. Despite rumours of a 4- or even 6K resolution, Samsung has sensible stuck to QuadHD (1440x2560) which it uses on the S7 handsets.

It's still a gorgeous display using the firm's favoured SuperAMOLED technology with the added bonus of the dual edge. It works in the same way as the S7 edge so you have a subtle curve on either side unlike the 2014 Galaxy Note Edge which had a large curved section on one side. As you can see below, the screen looks like a glossy magazine. Also see: Best Samsung phones 2016: What is the difference between Galaxy Note, Galaxy S, Galaxy A and Galaxy J?

It can be used for various things such as quickly accessing your favourite contacts or apps – we'll talk more about it in the software section. Samsung has also brought over its 'always on' screen feature (which is optional). This means even when you turn the display off, it will show you some information like the time and some notifications.  

Bringing the Note range up to speed, quite literally, the Note7 is powered by the same processor found in the Galaxy S7 – that's Samsung's own Exynos 8890 which, in the S7, we found more than capable. The Note7 has 4GB of RAM despite rumours of 6GB which means the OnePlus 3 remains in its exclusive club.

When it comes to storage, the Galaxy Note7 comes with 64GB as standard and retains the Micro-SD card slot for adding more. A good move since the Note5 didn't have one and nor did the Galaxy S6 which wasn't met with gratitude from users.

Beyond the core specs, the Note7 is packed with tech – almost to the point where we're struggling to find something which it hasn't got.

Samsung has decided to finally employ USB-C which is reversible and provides faster charging - Samsung also includes an adpater for the older Micro-USB which is handy. The phone also has fast wireless charging (WMA and PMC), 11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, NFC, heart rate sensor, a fingerprint scanner and the rumoured iris scanner. The only thing missing, which has been dropped on other phones too is the infrared port which would be for using the phone as a remote control.

We haven't had time to test battery life, of course, but the Note7 comes with an even larger battery than before which will please many users. It's 3500mAh which is up from an already decent 3000mAh. The only downside for some is the fact that it's non-removable so don't throw away that power bank if you have one.

Coming back to the iris scanner since it's an important new feature, it uses the front facing camera as you'd expect and works in a similar way to Windows Hello which we enjoyed on the Lumia 950 phones. You unlock the phone by looking into the camera which scans your peepers to check it's you. With this kind of tech, to work well you really need to be in good lighting and even things like contact lenses may cause problems.

We think most users will end up using the fingerprint scanner but it did work well for us with glasses on. Part of our thinking here is that you still have to wake up the screen and swipe on the lockscreen to activate the iris scanner which, for most, will simply be too much time spent unlocking.

The Note7 wouldn't be a Galaxy Note phone without the S Pen stylus which, as usual, slots into the phone on the bottom. The stylus works in the same way as previously and can be used to both replace your finger as an input device for navigation but also note taking etc. It has a new 0.7mm tiip, the previously mentioned water resistance and the Air Command menu now has a new additions which we'll talk about in the software section below.

Moving onto cameras and the Note7 follows in the footsteps of the Galaxy S7 phones with a 12Mp camera (down from 16Mp but that doesn't mean it's worse). It's a Dual Pixel camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and a very impressive f/1.7 aperture. A quick play at the launch shows great potential.

The front camera remains the same at 5Mp with features such as an f/1.7 aperture, wide-angle 22mm lens and the ability to record 1440p video.

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 7 REVIEW: SOFTWARE AND APPS

It comes as no surprise that the Galaxy Note7 comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow pre-installed and Samsung's own TouchWiz user interface. We assume that it will get an upgrade to the upcoming Android 7.0 Nougat but official confirmation is yet to come.

Long gone are the days when TouchWiz was a bit too crude, complicated and generally a bit over-the-top. Nowadays, the user interface is much cleaner and closer to stock Android but with useful additions presented in an easier way to handle. Subtle differences like softer colours in the icons all add up.

As you would expect, you get all the features found on the Galaxy S7 including Multi-Window, the ability to run two apps side-by-side, Pop-up view which lets you run some apps in a smaller window and smaller ones like smart capture, direct call and smart stay.

The larger screen works particularly well for things like Multi-Window and some users may find themselves reaching for a tablet a lot less because of the Note7. We're also pleased about the dual edge display which can be used for a range of things, even if we didn't find ourselves using it loads on the S7 edge.

One of the main reasons to buy the Note7, particularly in comparison to the S7 phones, is the S Pen stylus. Not a massive amount has changed here so you still pop it out of the bottom whenever you want to use it.

The Air Command menu gives you plenty of options but bear in mind that you can simply use the S Pen to navigate if you like which is great when you need to be precise (spreadsheets and the like) or you don't want to get the screen grubby when eating or similar situations.

New features of the S Pen include the ability to create gifs and translate language with it on the fly which is pretty cool. We'll explore more of the features and our experience of the S Pen when we update this to a full review. The phone also comes with a library of 14 games.

Huawei P9 vs. P8 Mobile review: Good improvement for the latest device

With a DxOMark Mobile score of 80, the Huawei P9’s dual 12Mp RGB and monochrome sensors provide solid results. Our tests showed a nice improvement over its predecessor, the P8, which scored 74 overall, with the P9 offering improved autofocus and more consistent exposure and color results. The P9’s sub-scores of 84 points for photo and 72 for video demonstrate Huawei’s latest device is particularly strong for still photography.

Images are mostly well-exposed across all lighting conditions, with good and repeatable white balance results that show an improvement over the P8. The P9’s dual-LED flash unit also facilitates good target exposures, with very low noise in the center of the frame when using flash.

Both the Huawei P9 (left) and P8 (right) produce mostly well-exposed images in many situations and lighting conditions, with vivid and pleasant color rendering.

Outdoor pictures boast good detail and more neutral color

Shooting outdoors and in bright light conditions, the P9 delivers mostly well-exposed images, with vivid and pleasant color rendering. It does, however, have a tendency to slightly under-expose outdoor shots, which can lead to a loss of detail in darker areas.

For many users this won’t be a significant problem, as exposures remain pleasant, but photographers after a full range of tones should consider some post-production lighting of the shadow regions. The consistency of the P9’s HDR has been improved compared to the P8, too. Consecutive HDR exposures on the P9 still display some inconsistency, making it advisable to shoot multiple frames when shooting high-contrast scenes, so you can pick out the best exposure.

The P9’s white balance is mainly accurate and repeatable when shooting outdoors, and despite some minor failures, it offers more neutral results (i.e., a less obvious pink cast) compared to the P8. Detail preservation is also very good on the P9, making it a good choice for shooting intricate outdoor scenes. Only very minor luminance noise is visible, with much less chromatic noise compared to outdoor shots on the P8.

TIP: When shooting hig- contrast scenes, capture multiple exposures of the same view so you can pick out the shot with the best exposure and greatest dynamic range.

Under-exposure on the P9 can result in a loss of detail, although most users will find the exposures acceptable.

Consecutive HDR exposures with the P9 (top) can be a little inconsistent. But images with the P8 (bottom) show a greater difference in the dynamic range recorded.

White balance on the P9 (left) is more neutral however, with the P8 (right) display a pink colorcast in the centre, shifting towards green in the corners.

Outdoor exposures from the P9 (left) display the same level of detail, but with less chromatic noise compared to shots from the P8 (right).

Indoor photos are exploitable even in extreme low-light conditions

In low-light pictures (5 to 20 Lux), the P9’s improved color rendering persists with saturated color compared to the P8. Indoor shots remain mostly well-exposed, too, and even in extreme low-light of 5 Lux, images remain usable from both the P8 and P9.

Between 5 and 20 Lux, fine details are reduced as the P9 utilizes high ISO sensitivities up to ISO 3200, and a slow 1/17s shutter speed to maintain exposure. Cleaner and sharper indoor results are possible with stronger light sources. Using a 500 Lux light source, exposure settings of ISO 160 and 1/50s shutter speed capture more well-defined detail.

Tip: When capturing pictures in low-light environments, seek out areas with the best light sources to allow the P9 to use faster shutter speeds and lower ISO sensitivities for sharper and more detailed results. In extreme low light, supporting the device as much as possible will help reduce camera shake.

Motorola Moto G Plus Mobile review: a very capable camera

8

DxOMark Mobile

84

Overview

With encouraging photography results for a mid-range smartphone, the Motorola Moto G Plus boasts a very respectable DxOMark Mobile overall score of 84 points. Offering a 16Mp 1/2.4”-type sensor for high-quality images, together with a good array of additional photo features, Motorola is positioning its latest device for mass market appeal.

Our industry standard mobile tests analyze image quality of both still photos and video footage to determine individual photo and video sub-scores for each device, with the still photo scores weighted a bit higher than the video. Both sub-scores evaluate image quality across a range of categories, such as exposure and color; the Moto G Plus fares slightly better for still photos with a photo sub-score of 85 points compared to 81 for video.

Boasting consistently high photo scores in the mids 80’s for most categories, the Moto G Plus achieves a very good score for autofocus, which is fast and accurate in all conditions. Minor drawbacks, such as some loss of shadow detail, a slight blue colorcast, and HDR mode irregularities were observed, but overall, Motorola’s latest device impressed.

Video scores hover around the low to mid 80’s, with the best results for noise and exposure. The video module demonstrates good stabilization and autofocus in all lighting conditions, making successful indoor and outdoor movies possible. Video color and white balance are pleasant in all conditions, too, with noise reduction particularly successful outdoors. In low light, some video detail is lost due to visible luminance noise, with occasional autofocus inaccuracies recorded, too, but these are minor blips in an otherwise successful video performance.

Great HDR outdoor shots (when activated…)

Outdoors, the Moto G Plus generally delivers good target exposures, as well as vivid and pleasant color, with very little color shading visible in shadow regions. Slight white balance inaccuracies do occasionally occur, with a slight blue cast visible, but it’s not very offensive and color remains strong. Where the Moto G Plus excels in bright light is detail preservation, with well-controlled noise reduction resulting in smooth but nicely detailed files.

The Moto G Plus also offers a HDR shooting mode, which is triggered automatically when shooting high-contrast scenes. It’s a great feature for general outdoor shots, particularly shooting landscapes on bright days, and works well with many exposures, recording more detail than with standard exposures. HDR mode doesn’t always kick in when required, however, resulting in some inconsistent exposures with either large areas of overexposure, or a loss of detail in the shadow regions. A bit of post-production correction to lift dark shadows will help, and that, together with the dramatic skies captured in HDR mode, make some impressive landscape shots possible.

Successful HDR exposures deliver impressive skies with detail in the shadow regions, too.

TIP: Shoot several exposures of high-contrast scenes and tweak the composition slightly to ensure that HDR mode kicks in. On HDR exposures with impressive sky details, use the picture editor app to lift dark shadows when needed and to apply a weak orange filter to correct the blue colorcast.

Bright exposures in extreme low light

Images captured under low-light conditions offer nice bold color rendition and accurate white balance when shooting under both tungsten and fluorescent light sources. Exposures are generally good, too, and even in extreme low-light conditions, images are bright and very usable. Some luminance noise is visible, particularly in blocks of uniform color, and very fine details start to disappear, but overall, the Moto G Plus is a capable device in low light.

Images shot under extreme low-light conditions (5 Lux) are bright and very usable.

Pleasant color using dual-tone LED flash

Using flash, the Moto G Plus’s dual-tone LED unit renders accurate white balance on both flash-only and mixed-lighting shots, with vivid color particularly in the center of the frame. A noticeable color shift is evident towards the edges of the frame, however, with a blue cast top left that changes to yellow in the bottom right. The flash is also well-centered, with accurate exposure in the middle of the image; but light attenuation is evident, particularly for flash-only results, with darker corners and some noise evident.

Details: Explaining the score

Exposure and Contrast (84)

With a very solid performance for exposure, the Moto G Plus scored 84 in both bright- and low-light conditions. It also fared well for Auto Exposure in our perceptual analysis of image quality, scoring 4.4 out of 5 (4.4/5), with generally good target exposures, good low-light exposure, and impressive skies in HDR mode that retained good detail in all but the brightest tones.

Exposure: images are mostly well exposed but failures happen: - Left: some loss of details in the dark parts of the image. - Top right: in difficult scenes, highlights are sometimes blown out. - Bottom right: in extreme low light conditions (5 Lux), the image is well exposed.

In some outdoor scenes, some irregularities in HDR activation are visible.

Color (85)

Higher color scores of 88 were recorded in bright light, and although dipping to 81 in low light, color remains pleasant. The same trend is evident in the perceptual results, too, with color rendering scoring 4.5/5 in bright light, compared to 3/5 in low light. White balance accuracy and adaptation both scored a very respectable 4.5/5, although if you prefer a warm tone to your smartphone pictures, you might want to tweak the slight blue cast that appears on some outdoor shots.

In most outdoor scenes, colors are vivid and pleasant.

Slightly bluish cast sometimes visible in outdoor scenes.

Some slight white balance irregularities are occasionally visible in outdoor scenes.

Texture (85) and Noise (86)

Texture is outstanding in bright light, achieving the best category score (98) in this condition. In low light, the score drops to 83 for HD and Web resolution images, but it recorded a much lower score of 71 for low-light 8Mp equivalent conversion, where the loss of fine detail becomes more obvious. This is a factor in calculating the overall score despite the outstanding bright-light results. Scores for noise are a little more consistent across lighting conditions: 89/100 in bright light and 86/100 in low light. The visible luminance noise in uniform areas on low-light shots affects the perceptual score, reducing it to 3.9/5 compared to 4.1/5 in bright light, but on the whole, noise reduction is reasonably well-managed.

Autofocus (91)

The Moto G Plus’s phase detection autofocus system offers fast, accurate, and repeatable focusing in all conditions. Scoring 95 in bright light and featuring face detection, the camera ensures that your portraits and people shots are sharp. Its low light autofocus score of 87/100 is still very good, despite slightly slower focusing in these conditions (as you’d expect). Continuous autofocus in preview mode suffers from some focus hunting and overshoots, particularly in low light. Despite this, perceptual scores for focus sharpness are strong in both lighting conditions, coming in at 4.7/5 for bright light and 4.4/5 for low light.