PRODUCT REVIEW
DOWNTIME
178
NEW PHONE, OLD FRIEND
Journalist JAMES DEAKIN gets under the
skin of the Samsung Note 7
words
JAMES DEAKIN
B
efore anything, I need
to get this out there: I’m
not a techie. I’m actually
borderline dumb when it
comes to gadgets. I have my phone,
a tablet and a laptop, and on a good
day, I try and let them talk to each
other, but often spend the rest of
the day breaking up squabbles
between Windows and iOS. So
when adobo popped me a message
about reviewing the all-new Galaxy
Note 7, I felt as qualified as Mocha
Uson taking on a cabinet role under
the new administration; I could
see why they wanted me to do it, it
was the how I had an issue with.
But that’s the beauty of the
new Samsung Galaxy Note 7. It
introduces itself like an old friend.
You can do without the awkward
small talk and pick up right where
you left off––or at least where you’re
most comfortable. I mean, it doesn’t
take a techie to appreciate the
stunning screen, that spills elegantly
over to the sides, nor do you need
a 30 minute YouTube tutorial on
how to use the S-pen. Coming from
an iPhone, it is always difficult to
match the tactile experience, but
the new Note 7, with it’s incredible
screen and improved build quality,
doesn’t disappoint. It feels better
in my hand: lighter and smaller, the
real estate of the screen is just as––if
not even more––immersing than
the iPhone 6S. Plus it’s completely
waterproof, which elevates it to
David Blaine level in my book.
It’s current Android platform
is the snappiest one I’ve tried. The
camera opens up instantly, apps
aren’t laggy and there’s no more
delay when I type. Time will tell
if this gets bogged down as the
memory gets chewed up, but in a
straight comparison with anything
adobo magazine | July - August 2016
out of the box, this thing is as fast
as you will need a phone to be.
But as our phones become so
much more than communication
devices and are fast replacing
our credit cards and other highly
sensitive tasks, such as banking
and identity requirements, two
impressive pieces of kit stick out:
the Secure Folder and the iris
scanner. These here are sort of like
having one way tint on your car, but
without the stigma. Sure, the iris
scanner may not be as seamless to
use as the fingerprint or passcode,
but it adds a layer of security that’s
not only welcomed in this segment,
but long overdue. Because unlike
having a hidden folder behind a
password, this actually acts as a
separate OS, allowing you to do a
clean install of apps like Facebook
or Twitter using a separate
account altogether. It’s powered by
Samsung’s Knox software and can
be secured by a fingerprint, iris scan,
password or passcode, so you can
keep your personal and business
accounts completely separate.
The camera images are so
sharp you could cut yourself. I don’t
know if this is more because of the
screen than the camera (I haven’t
printed images yet) but the end
result when posting or presenting
images digitally is nothing short
of spectacular. And at the end
of the day, that’s all that counts.
Spec sheets do little to turn me on;
creating impressive content from
a hand-held device and sharing it
digitally with ease are the things
that matter to me. And where it
counts, the Note 7 delivers all that in
bucketloads, and allows anyone from
beginner to advanced to navigate
through today’s digital landscape
with as little fuss as possible.