Is Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 Just A Galaxy S7 Edge With A Pen?

On Tuesday, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was announced. BGR has the news.

“Samsung finally took the wraps off the hotly anticipated Galaxy Note 7 this morning, and nothing shown off on stage at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom came as much of a surprise to Android fans. Leaks leading up to the event revealed just about everything there was to know about the new Note 7, as has been the case with other recent flagship phones.”

The article adds that the Note 7 has design features that are similar to last year’s Galaxy Note 5. However, one subtle difference is that the symmetrical curved glass that is on the front and the back of the handset. There is no Galaxy Note 7 with a flat screen, something that has disappointed some potential buyers.

CNET claims that the Note 7 takes giant-screen Android phones to the next level.

“What do you get when you take the curved-screen Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and add a stylus? The Galaxy Note 7, which Samsung unveiled today in New York. Even with its differences, the Note 7’s wraparound screens, 12-megapixel camera, expandable storage and water-resistant coating bring it closer to the S7 series than to last year’s Note 5 (that’s right, there’s no Note 6). And that’s a good thing.”

The article adds that not only do the new S Pen features bring the Note to a new level as a handwriting device, but you also aren’t left far behind if you have an S7 or S7 Edge. And to some, that may actually be a problem.

Ewan Spence of Forbes is one of those people. He is disappointed that the Note 7 just doesn’t “stand out,” and it has the same features as the S7 Edge — same processor depending on region (Snapdragon or Exynos), 4GB of RAM, same circuitry, same wireless charging, same waterproofing, and the same exact camera lenses.

Many of the commenters after the article agree that the Note 7 is a disappointment.

“The Note 7 is not much of an upgrade from the S6 Edge+ 64. The Note 7 is also commanding an $850 price tag which I believe to be overpriced at best,” says William Fontenot.

“The meaningless gimmick changes in the Note 7 are a huge disappointment. Samsung did not go with the 821 or 823 as hoped/rumored, or increase memory to 6gb. The only differences are tiny screen improvements and irrelevant fluff,” says David Hume.

Many on Twitter have also expressed disappointment with the Galaxy Note 7.

Is the #GalaxyNote7 a big disappointment for Note fans? @jucato says yes https://t.co/QSG521nB4r

— SlashGear (@slashgear) August 3, 2016

https://twitter.com/The_Jedi_Master/status/760864252898992128

Samsung is facing the same criticism Apple is with the upcoming iPhone 7 devices, which are said to be minor upgrades as well. One thing that will be different is the lack of a headphone jack to make room for another speaker. Yahoo Tech asked if Apple was shooting itself in the foot with their new “boring” iPhone.

“Some people have already made up their mind about the iPhone 7 – or whatever Apple ends up calling its 2016 iPhone series. It’s going to be ‘boring’ because it’ll have the same design as the iPhone 6s. It’s also going to be annoying because it’ll come without the standard 3.5mm audio jack.”

The article adds that things will certainly be different underneath the hood, but some wonder if that will that be enough to attract buyers. Apple certainly has less to risk than Samsung, who is thriving thanks to the hugely successful Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge that were released in March. Are you planning to buy the Note 7 or one of the new iPhones? Let us know in the comments section.

[Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]