The Galaxy Note 7 is not due to arrive in stores until Friday, August 19. However, many of those who pre-ordered Samsung’s latest smartphone will be getting an early surprise. There are several posters on Reddit that have claimed they have received their shipping information for their Note 7.
“Wooooooooo! So excited!” says Killshot_Jon , who started a thread telling others that T-Mobile had just shipped his order.
“Just got my tracking number from T-Mobile, it’s not in UPS yet, but we’re getting close! Thanks TMO, you guys are awesome! Black Onyx. Ordered Aug 3rd, 10pm,” excitingly states Tcapote 1 Point.
However, there were some who pre-ordered from T-Mobile the first day they could and haven’t received any shipping notifications. It appears that if you ordered the Onyx Black version, you have a better chance of getting your Note 7 early.
While most are excited about the Galaxy Note 7, others are unhappy that the upgrade appears to be minimal. Ewan Spence of Forbes is one of those people. He is disappointed that the Note 7 just doesn’t “stand out” and that it has the same features as the S7 Edge — the same processor depending on region (Snapdragon or Exynos), 4GB of RAM, same circuitry, same wireless charging, same waterproofing, and the same exact camera lenses.
However, one thing that the Note 7 has that other phones don’t is Gorilla Glass 5. Android Central has the news .
“Just a few weeks after announcing the technology, Corning’s latest Gorilla Glass 5 will make its retail debut on the brand new Galaxy Note 7. Gorilla Glass 5 takes all of the strength and clarity of the previous version and adds a major boost to the strength of the glass when it comes to breaking on impact from drops.”
As Android Central notes, Corning claims that Gorilla Glass 5 can take drops from five feet off the ground onto hard surfaces and still have an 80 percent survival rate. This is a huge improvement over other glass covers, even Gorilla Glass 4.
Even if the Galaxy Note 7 isn’t much of an upgrade from the previous note or current Galaxy S devices, a new study shows that the screen is the best that has ever been on a smartphone. TechRadar summarizes the report.
“The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 sports a curved OLED screen that not only looks impressive, it’s being called ‘the best phone display ever,’ according to experts today. Its 5.7-inch Quad HD display once again matches or breaks all major performance records for a smartphone screen, concluded DisplayMate researcher Dr. Raymond M. Soneira.”
The article adds that the Note 7 review found that Samsung’s new smartphone has the highest peak brightness, highest contrast ratio, the widest color gamut, and the lowest screen reflect rate. The Quad HD screen resolution hasn’t changed, and some were upset since they expected a 4K screen. It’s important to note, however, that a 4K screen would be a huge burden on the battery and that the human eye can’t really tell a difference between a Quad HD and full 4K screen on a 5.7-inch device. The 4K screen, however, would come in handy on the Gear VR, Samsung’s mobile virtual reality headset.
Speaking of virtual reality headsets, Tech Times reports that Samsung will be releasing a new Gear VR headset along with the Note 7.
“Samsung showcased a new Gear VR alongside the Galaxy Note 7 last week, and the novel VR headset is a clear step up from the previous version…Aside from the connectivity improvement, the Gear VR does bring other upgrades when pitted against the previous model. Not only does the headset come with USB-C support, but its design was revamped to make wearing it more comfortable for users.”
The updated Gear VR will also have a larger field-of-view so the viewer doesn’t feel they are looking through an igloo. It’s on sale at Amazon right now for $99 and will be shipped on the 19th. With virtual reality capabilities, an advanced screen, and advanced pen capabilities, the Galaxy Note 7 could easily be the biggest smartphone of 2016.
[Photo via Daryl Deino]
