Samsung today unveiled its latest flagship Note handset, the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung’s Note series of devices have always been based on its flagship Galaxy S devices, and this time around, things are no different.

If you are in two minds about switching to the Galaxy Note 7 from a Galaxy S7 edge, check out our comparison below to help in making your decision easier. While the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge share the same internals, the S7 edge offers a bigger screen and better battery life — something which has always remained a key strength of Samsung’s Galaxy Note devices. So, is it worth switching to the Galaxy Note 7 from the Galaxy S7 edge?

Dimensions, Design, and Display

• Thanks to its larger 5.7-inch curved display, the Galaxy Note 7 is slightly larger (73.9mm x 153.5mm) than the Galaxy S7 edge  (72.6mm x 150.9mm)
  • The Galaxy Note 7 is also a wee bit thicker (7.9mm) than the S7 edge (7.7mm)
• Both devices feature an IP68 certification making them dust and water-resistant
• The Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy S7 edge feature a metallic chassis that is sandwiched between 3D Gorilla Glass at the front and back
  • The top and bottom edges of the Note 7 are less rounded than the Galaxy S7 edge
  • The display on the Galaxy Note 7 is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5, while the S7 edge makes use of Gorilla Glass 4
  • The curved edges on the Galaxy Note 7 are less curved than on the S7 edge
  • The Note 7 features a USB Type-C port at its bottom, while the S7 edge features a microUSB connector
• The Galaxy Note 7 comes with a larger 5.7-inch Super AMOLED Quad HD display that is curved at both its edges
  • The Galaxy S7 edge also comes with a curved AMOLED panel albeit it’s slightly smaller at 5.5-inches
  • The Galaxy Note 7’s AMOLED panel also supports HDR content
• Both phones feature an Always-On display mode
  • The one on the Galaxy Note 7, however, is more customizable

Chipset, Storage, Sensors, and Battery

• Both devices are powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 8890 chipset
  • This octa-core chip features Samsung’s custom M1 cores clocked at 2.4GHz
• They also feature the same amount of RAM: 4GB LPDDR4
• While the Galaxy S7 edge comes with 32GB of internal storage, the Note 7 comes with 64GB of internal storage
  • Both devices make use of UFS 2.0 based storage chip
  • They also come with a microSD card slot
• Surprisingly, the Galaxy S7 edge comes with a bigger battery (3600mAh) battery than the Note 7 (3500mAh)
  • The Note 7 also comes with a larger screen, which should lead it to offer the same or slightly worse battery life than the S7 edge
  • Both phones also feature wireless fast charging
• The Galaxy Note 7 comes with an iris scanner, a first for a smartphone
  • The scanner can be used to unlock the phone, verify Samsung Pay transactions, and more
  • With Samsung Pass, the iris scanner can be used to login to supported banking apps
  • The Galaxy S7 edge does not feature an iris scanner

Camera

• The Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy S7 edge both come with a 12MP f/1.7 shooter at the rear
  • Along with OIS, EIS, and large 1.4u pixels, the shooters on both phones feature Dual Pixel that allows them to focus on subjects in almost real time
• Both phones feature a 5MP f/1.7 selfie shooter at the front with a wide-angle lens

Software and S Pen

• The Galaxy S7 edge and Note 7 both run on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
  • The Note 7 runs on a newer version of Touchwiz with flatter icons and redesigned notification panel and system settings
  • The new UI should make its way to the Galaxy S7 edge within the next few months
• The Note 7 comes with an S Pen, which the Galaxy S7 edge lacks
  • The new S Pen on the Note 7 features 4096 pressure points and a latency of only 50ms
  • It is also waterproof, though you cannot use it underwater
• Samsung has redesigned many of its system apps for the Note 7
  • This includes the likes of the S Memo and S Note being merged into a single Memo app
  • There is a new feature called Secure Folder to hide your important files from prying eyes
  • Both phones support Samsung Pay
• The Galaxy Note 7 comes with free 15GB of cloud storage space on Samsung Cloud
• Samsung has also partnered with Amazon to make the Galaxy Note 7 the first HDR compatible Android device

So, which one should you buy?

The Galaxy Note 7 does not offer any compelling new features over the Galaxy S7 edge. Until and unless you need the S Pen or the bigger screen, it makes little sense to go for the Note 7. With the launch of the Note 7, the Galaxy S7 edge should see its price drop which will make it an even attractive option. The only advantage the Note 7 packs over the Galaxy S7 edge right now is the new version of Touchwiz, which the latter should receive with its Android Nougat update within the next 3-4 months.

If you already own a Galaxy S7 edge, there is little reason for you to be envious of Samsung’s latest Galaxy. Will you be buying the Galaxy Note 7? Or save some money and just buy the Galaxy S7 edge? Drop in a comment and let us know!