Rumors have been swirling for months about the Galaxy Note 7 phablet from Samsung, and now many of its specs have been leaked.
Ahead of the planned press event on August 2, most of the details of the new phablet are in the public domain. The latest piece of information to leak is the fact that the Galaxy Note 7 will include a 12 megapixel rear camera.
Galaxy Note 7 continues use of premium materials
The Korean tech giant was criticized for years over the use of plastic for its flagship smartphones, but that all changed with the introduction of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge in 2015 at Mobile World Congress. The handsets were made from premium glass and metal, quietening the critics and even gaining the title of best new handset at MWC 2015 for the Galaxy S6 Edge.
While the new designs were almost universally praised, they did do away with two features that had become staples on previous Galaxy S and Note smartphones. Loyal users had become accustomed to the presnce of a microSD expansion slot and the non-removable battery.
The launch of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge saw microSD expansion slots make a comeback, and now the feature will also appear on the Galaxy Note 7. The new phablet will also reportedly get the same waterproof case as the existing Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.
Samsung to use same as megapixel camera
Another similarity is the 12 megapixel rear camera, details of which were seen on the import/export site Zauba. The site has been responsible for leaked details of many different technological devices in recent years.
The Galaxy Note 7 was found listed by its model number, SM-G930F, on the site. The listing confirms that the 12 megapixel camera will be the same as on the Galaxy S7, with optical image stabilization (OIS) and autofocus.
Other features include a new 5.7-inch dual curved edge Quad HD display, which will look largely the same as the Galaxy S7 Edge. Inside you’ll find a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor or an Exynos 8893 depending on where you buy the phone. The processor will be paired with 4GB of RAM for powerful performance.
Galaxy Note 7 to battle Apple iPhone 7
The Galaxy Note 7 will also have an advanced iris scanner, which was in fact leaked in a recent video. The footage also gave us a quick look at the TouchWiz Grace user experience design, which is meant to make the device easier and more intuitive to use.
Other rumors allude to a base configuration of 64 GB internal storage, a 3,600 mAh battery pack and S Pen. A leak on the Chinese microblogging site Weibo suggested that the handset will ship in at least three colors.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is set to go into battle with the Apple iPhone 7, which is predicted to launch in September. The two tech companies continue to slug it out in the high-end smartphone market, in which an interesting shift took place recently.
Samsung recently became the highest selling smartphone maker in the key U.S. market, suggesting a shift in momentum towards the Korean firm. Apple must be hoping that it can regain that crown with the iPhone 7, but analysts are predicting only a few major upgrades in the new handset.
If Apple can’t convince people to buy the iPhone 7, Samsung will benefit. In addition, the new Galaxy Note 7 could turn out to be an iPhone beater even if Apple makes a super competitive iPhone 7.
