With the Phablet category being the fastest growing category in smartphones, the Galaxy Note7 comes just right in time to take its throne as king of phablets. In our 2 weeks experience with the Note7, we are confident enough that its guns are enough for what it deserves. So here is our full review and reasoning
Here are the full specifications of the Note7
- 2.3GHz Exynos 8890 octa-core processor
- 4GB of RAM for multitasking
- 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED display, 2560 x 1440 resolution
- 64GB of storage (UFS 2.0), expandable via 200GB MicroSD Card
- 12-megapixel rear camera, OIS, f/1.7 aperture, 4K video capture with HDR Video
- 5-megapixel front camera, f/1.7 aperture
- Dual SIM / MicroSD Hybrid Slot
- 3G, LTE, LTE-A
- WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, Fingerprint scanner, Iris scanner, USB Type C, IP68 Water resistance, S-Pen
- 3,500mAh battery with fast charging
- SRP: Php 39,990
Familiar Innovation
The Galaxy S7 definitely impressed the industry with its sleek body, fast processor and snappy camera which is still kicking until now. With this in place, the Note7 got many traits from the Galaxy S7 which we don’t mind at all.
The incrementation of the Note7 from the previous generation is more of a standardization rather than an overhaul. Now waterproof, smaller than the previous generation, sleeker to touch and gorgeous with a better-looking body all thanks to the trait from the Galaxy S7. It’s something people are desiring thanks to the Galaxy S7, but now even more desireable with the Note 7’s new features.
The dual edge screen is also improved from the Galaxy S7, it’s not that curved as compared to before. We like this as the metal frame matches the glass to make it more even, resulting a flawless touch all around. The glass is made of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 with protection to drops up to 1.30 meters high (80% survival rate), what’s good about the combination of metal and glass is the touch feels very premium that isn’t shy. We don’t mind the smudges and fingerprints at all as it can be easily swiped off.
Best camera of its class
The camera of the Note7 is definitely above the charts. We’ve tried out the flagship phones today such are the LG G5, Huawei P9, Nexus 6P, Xperia Z5 Premium and of course the Galaxy S7, all phones have good cameras but Samsung’s dual pixel technology still gives better clarity especially for night shots.
The interface is very snappy and has a lot of modes, we didn’t venture much into the modes but all are working fine except for the slow motion mode.
Great Battery, just bring your cable
The Note7 is capable of changing its mode such as resolution, performance limiting, brightness control, and even network usage to deliver better battery saving. Using the medium battery saving by default, the performance is still snappy and satisfactory and we were glad to last up to 9 hours of usage before looking for a charge.
Using the full power mode is a delight, even though it only last up to 6 hours in our experience. The full power mode gives you enough performance for anything, we like the fact of its butter multi-tasking of juggling Pokemon Go, Notes, FB, Chat and youtube without any problem. Just don’t forget to bring your USB-Type C cable as its still a bit expensive to buy a new one and stocks are quite limited.
Speaking of Pokemon Go, we love the Note7 cause of its battery life. On one single charge, we were albe to play the game for 6 hours with speakers on and 50% brightness.
Nothing to worry about performance
The Note7 feels snappy thanks to its 2.4Ghz octa-core processor and 4GB RAM. Some thought it would be nice to have 6GB RAM but its too much of an overkill if you ask us.
Our benchmark runs for both medium battery saving (91.6k) and full performance (135k) are above average performance. Games run smooth, multi-tasking is a breeze so nothing to worry about the performance department.
Iris Scanner
Its still cool where you just stare at your phone and it unlocks. For Samsung’s 1st IRIS scanning phone, we are very impressed of the performance. This is good for some occations you are not able to use your hands for the fingerprint or use the special functions such as secret folder or log-in.
It may sounds gimicky, but trust us that it is a useful feature especially if you entrust and use your phone with your life.
S-Pen & Other Features
The S-Pen is now also more sensitive and have twice the pressure sentivitiy. The 5.7″ screen is a wonder for any artists who has anything creative in mind. Samsung was delightful to consolidated all note-taking apps into one app as “Samsung Notes“. You can even draw like an artist with brush / paint effects such as strokes and event color mixing.
The edge screen has the same functionality as the S7. We like that you have options of shortcut when using the pen with Action Memo or the task edge. Notification are also available for the edge screen and more comaptible now to alot of apps. 
We are glad that this Note7 installment has no whatsoever any issue such as Gapgate, S-Pen Issue as compared to the previous generation. A sign that the Note7 is very well thought of.
Conclusion
The Note7’s size may not be for all but it sure packs a punch for features you look for a Phablet sized phone. Compared to the Note5, this time its a big leap in terms of user functionality, design, and even battery life.
We say, just get it if you really plan to replace or buy a phone. The Note7 has enough features not only to shy away similarly or even more expensive phones its price, that’s why we call it the King of Phablets.
You can also get the Galaxy Note7 via Globe Platinum plans (3799 and above) which include with a free Samsung Level Box premium speakers. The plans have as low as 15GB of data allocation and international roaming perks as you go above the plans.
