Don’t be confused that Samsung is calling its latest productivity phone the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung skipped the name Note 6 entirely because it wanted this latest phablet to directly align with its newest Galaxy flagships—the Galaxy S7 S7 ge—which bear many of the same components inside.

But is Samsung’s sixth-generation productivity phone really such a bold leap forward that it deserves to skip a generation, if in name only? obably not. It still delivers all the productivity creativity features that make Note phones so great, but the Note 7 doesn’t feel like a revolutionary overhaul of the Note 5.

In the Note 7, Samsung delivers a higher-capacity battery, a better rear-facing camera, an improved S-n. And that iris-scanning technology for unlocking the phone by gazing at the screen? It’s actually pretty impressive. So if you want to get things done fuel your creative mind, you have to put the Note 7 on your short list. st don’t expect any big surprises that reinvent the Note promise.

Here’s what I discovered during a brief hs-on…

An evolutionary, water-resistant design 

It’s hard not to sound hyperbolic when writing about a Samsung device, but the Galaxy Note 7 is an absolute beauty. ke the Note 5, this year’s phablet features a metal glass unibody design that’s styled in the familiar aesthetic of the Galaxy smartphone family. It’s also notably curvy with a display that extends down the sides, so you may confuse the Note 7 with one of Samsung’s ge variants. 

The Galaxy Note 7’s wider width smooth chassis makes it one of the most comfortable phones I’ve held in a while—even more so than the half-an-inch smaller Galaxy S7. Samsung said it shaved off about 2mm of chassis while designing the Note 7, making the phablet no thicker than the Nexus 6

That said, because of its large 5.7-inch screen size, the Note 7 may not be the right fit for everyone. Samsung offers a few software features that make it easier to use the interface keyboard, but this isn’t an easy phone to use one-hed if you’ve got smaller hs. But, hey, at least it’s I8 certified, so if it happens to slip out of your tiny fingers into a giant pool, the Note 7 will be fine as long as you immediately retrieve it.

Since it’s built on top of the Galaxy S7’s hardware, the Note 7 features the same Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, Super AMOD Quad HD display,  12-megapixel rear-facing camera with dual-pixel technology. However, it does come with a 3500 mAh battery—a nice improvemenet over the 3000 mAh cell in the Note 5. The Note 7 is also the first Samsung device to use B Type-C. ‘ll have to test to see if the B-C charging spec is supported to charge the phone quickly from stard B-C chargers.

Overall, the Galaxy Note 7 is a strong reminder of Samsung’s commitment to beautiful design, even if its specs features are merely evolutionary. It’s a quality piece of hardware, for many, all its productivity- creativity-focused features will justify its high price. 

A refined S-n with more tricks

The S-n continues to be a major selling point for Samsung’s phablet, while it doesn’t look any different in the Note 7, it does deliver a feel that’s more, well, pen-like, thanks to a 2x increase in pressure sensitivity. In fact, I can see myself accidentally tossing the S-n into the pen cup on my desk, or losing it among the sea of Sakura Gelly Roll BIC pens. It still has that satisfying clicky top, too. 

The S-n’s nub is intended to mimic the pen tip of a ballpoint pen, here it’s better than ever. It offers a nice bit of resistance as you drag the tip across the screen, so artists novice doodlers should be pleased. I could feel the difference as I sketched away in S-Note, I can’t wait to use this device for scribbling my own notes.

The S-n’s Air Comm feature is back, too. You hover your pen over the screen click its side button to bring up this quick menu to various often-used app. In the new Air Comm, Samsung consolidated the S-Note Action Memo app into one item, added an instant-translate feature to the menu. This new feature lets you translate individual words by simply hovering over them. Note that it doesn’t work with full sentences, so you’ll want to use  Translate for deming translations.

My favorite feature of the Note 7 was introduced in the Note 5: the ability to write on the screen without unlocking the phone. If you need to take a note, just pop out the S-pen start writing. The S-n is water-resistant, too, so you can take notes even when it’s raining.

A Galaxy Note with ge features

Samsung has had an uneven track record in making intuitive interfaces, but the Note 7 mostly gets it right. Samsung’s bright, blue-hued Touchz interface has been dialed down to a soft white-gray. It’s easier on the eyes looks more modern. I also appreciate the Blue light filter option in Quick Settings that makes the display easier to read in dark environments. Most free third-party apps that provide this feature are riddled with ads, so it’s nice to have the native offering.

The Note 7 comes stard with the ge panel introduced in the Galaxy S7 ge. It’s accessible via a peek-a-boo tab that hangs around on either side of the screen, depending on where you like it. You can have a total of nine different ge panels, including a Tasks ge (which adds shortcuts to oft-used tasks) Apps ge (which offers quick access to favorite apps). The ge panels are supposed to make it easier for you to use the Note 7 one-hed, but they really only work if you train yourself to take advantage of the specific shortcuts.

I’m not a fan of Samsung’s fingerprint scanner embedded in the Home button, but I love the Galaxy Note 7’s new iris scanning technology, which let’s you unlock the phone by simply staring at the screen. At first, I thought it would be hokey, considering my previous experience with the Galaxy S4’s Smart Scroll Smart use features, which use eye-tracking to control interface navigation. But it’s really nothing like that.

The Iris scanning is actually quite fast, all you have to do is hold the phone up to your face to unlock it. You don’t even need to look at the camera. It’s faster than unlocking the Note 7 with your thumbprint, though it also unlocks any data apps you might have stowed away in the phone’s Secure folder. This is a special folder where you can tuck away special apps, files, folders that you don’t want to share with prying eyes.

A better Note is on the way

Samsung hasn’t named a price yet, but you can assume the Note 7 will be expensive— it will still be one of the best deals around. It might not be a major improvement over the Note 5, but it offers so much more than other smartphones in its price class.

It’s got high-end specs, a camera that puts every other phone to shame, a pressure-sensitive stylus that reminds us why this seemingly antiquated smartphone accessory can actually be quite helpful. The Note 7 isn’t just for the productivity-minded types, either. Artists creative types who rely on sketching out their thoughts can get their fill on this 5.7-inch device.

The phablet will be available later this summer on all four major U.S. carriers. And as soon as we get a review unit, we’ll get cracking on a review.