Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 EDGE will launch in New York on August 2
This year WILL see the release of the Galaxy Note 6, globally, and the handset is sounding like an absolute MONSTER, with 6GB of RAM, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU, new imaging technology and tons of new software features. This year has already been impressive with solid releases from LG, Samsung, HTC and Huawei but the back-end of 2016 looks to be equally impressive with the arrival of the OnePlus 3, the Huawei Mate 8, Apple’s iPhone 7 and, of course, the Samsung Galaxy Note 6.
However -- these is a twist. According to new reports, Samsung might change the name of the Galaxy Note 6, switching it to the Galaxy Note 7. I know, insane. Now this hasn’t been confirmed, but it is apparently a potential ahead of the handset’s release.
"The next major Android phablet release from Samsung will be called the Galaxy Note 7 and will feature a dual-edge display," reports The Verge. "Last summer, Samsung generated a bit of confusion and controversy when it launched the dual-edge Galaxy S6 Edge+ and the more regular Galaxy Note 5 at the same time. The confusion stemmed from their overlap in functionality, while the controversy bubbled up when Samsung decided to only offer the dual-edge device in Europe, leaving one of the world's most important smartphone markets without a flagship Note device for the first time since the series' inception."
The word on the grapevine says that Samsung insiders were a little worried at the number series discrepancy between the Galaxy S7 flagship series and the Galaxy Note 6 generation. Of course it's quite understandable this occurred, the Galaxy Note series first launched a year later than the Galaxy S flagship series, so it is a generation behind in naming and numbers but not in specs. However, Samsung reportedly wants to avoid potential buyers confusing the lower number and thinking the Galaxy Note 6 is an older and/or lower spec device than the Galaxy S7. This is all just hearsay of course, and we won't know for sure until nearer the launch what Samsung has actually gone with.
Samsung may be gearing up to launch the Galaxy Note 7 earlier than previously anticipated - it was thought that an August 15 launch was being planned, but information an image leaked toSamMobile the Samsung Unpacked event could take place as early as August 2. The image shows a pretty convincing-looking piece of Samsung promotional material for a Samsung Unpacked event and the date is clearly stated as 8/2/106. What's more, the shape of the geometric icons and graphics used in the promo make the same curvy number "7" shape we spoke about in the below teaser leak, again implying the Note 7 naming rumour is true. The promo material carries the hashtag #thenextgalaxy and the tagline "the next edge is just around the corner" also adding further fuel to the idea that Samsung has picked a curved edge display for the new model. It's possible there may be two models, one with an edge display and one withough, but earlier rumours have claimed Samsung will only launch one or the other. If you look very closely you can also see the venue is in New York.
On June 11 a teaser image has been leaked to PhoneArena by an anonymous source showing the silhouette of a smartphone with a stylus pen - the image has Samsung's familiar blue glow around it used in much of the firm's promotional material. Of course, it could have easily been mocked-up, so take it with a pinch of salt. The source claims to have insider knowledge and confirms the Galaxy Note 7 name.
It's also alleged that the image itself confirms the Note 7 name but we're not so sure of this, the only thing we can see that could possibly be interpreted this way is the way the phone has been positioned so the edges near the centre of the image (and with a brighter glow highlight) kind of form the shape of the number "7". The teaser also features some text which says "write on the EDGE of something great," indicating that the phone will have an EDGE display panel with curved sides, and that users will be able to write with the pen on the curved edges. Samsung has previously patented a technology to enable this feature. The position of the stylus in the image also suggests an EDGE writing feature.
We've previously heard that Samsung may be planning to introduce an Iris Scanner on the Galaxy Note 7, and now a report from the Korea Herald appears to back up the rumours. The publication claims to have heard from industry insiders who say Korean imaging tech firm Patron has signed an agreement with Samsung to supply the phone maker with biometric and iris camera modules for the Galaxy Note 7. It's said the agreement was made "months ago". The move will in fact not be a first for the company, as Samsung previously released the Galaxy Tab Iris in India with an Iris Scanner built-in, but it will be the first time the technology is used on a mainstream, internatonal flagship model. It's believed the Iris Scanner will not replace the existing fingerprint scanner technology, but will merely offer users another option for unlocking the device and performing other security functions. Frankly, Iris Scanner tech kind of creeps me out, as all I can think of is the pen scene from Demolition Man.
A June 8 report claims that the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (aka Note 6) may ship running Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 out of the box rather than the expected Android N final build. The info comes via a user-agent profile for a device seen viewing webpages; that device is believed to be a Galaxy Note test unit - an SM-930A - this particular model is believed to be a carrier-locked AT&T edition. While it's not a done deal that this means no Android N, the Galaxy Note 7 is believed to be gearing up for a launch in only a few months, meanwhile, the final Android N build is expected to go live over the summer. In other words, the deadline is pretty tight, and in all likelihood Samsung can't really wait around for Google to finalise things before it begins shipping the hardware; it'll have to go with what's already prepped, and that, by the looks of things, is Android Marshmallow!
On top of this, on the same day some evidence has emerged which apparently confirms the Galaxy Note 7 name. An image has been posted online, an image which, it must be said, could easily be a hoax, because all it shows is a big grey seven with some shadowing underneath it. The image was posted as a "teaser" via Chinese social network Weibo and picked up by Steve Hemmerstoffer (aka @stagueve). Frankly, that pinky-peachy text makes us think this is a big fat phony, but we'll reserve judgement until something else happens...
According to reliable Twitter tipster Evan Blass, aka @evleaks, Samsung will launch the Galaxy Note 6 or Galaxy Note 7 in the first week of August. Posting on Twitter in his usual fashion, Blass stated that the "Galaxy Note 6/7" launch is "exactly two months away", and as we're in the first week of June that kinda narrows it down. It's interesting that Blass puts both Note 6 and Note 7 names forward, indicating that he has not yet heard if one number is more likely than the other yet. Blass' Tweet was also made live on Thursday June 2 making us wonder if the launch will be similarly towards the end of the first week in August, given the indication that the launch would be precisely in two months time. The news does seem to contradict an earlier Tweet from Blass stating the phone would arrive with US carriers during the week of August 15, although this could indicate that the launch will be earlier and this is when it will rollout in the US subsequently.
Another rendered image of the Galaxy Note 6/7 has appeared via Twitter on June 6, this time from @ShaiMizrachi and Android Authority, both of which have provided accurate leaks before. The image once again shows a curved EDGE display and the overall design is similar to what has leaked elsewhere. There are some slight differences though as this image also includes the device dimensions and they're not quite the same as the below Uswitch leak - the new render claims dimensions of 153mmX74.5X7.8mm compared to the previous leaks stating 153.5mm x 73.9mm x 7.9mm; not a huge difference of course, but slightly varied nonetheless.
Good grief this is awesome - you've got to love the modern rumour mill and leakster network! As of June 3 reliable leak source team Uswitch, @Onleaks and nowhereelse.fr has published a set of offical-looking renders of the Galaxy Note 6/7, offering a very clear view of what the phone will look like - and here's the kicker, it has an EDGE display.
Despite looking official, these renders are not, it's the usual Uswitch/OnLeaks/NWE thing where they've managed to get access to a set of blueprints or schematics and have had a 3D artist make a render based from them. Still, that's no reason to doubt the authenticity of what we're witnessing here - this has proven quite a reliable thing for several devices in recent months from this particular source.
Apart from the EDGE display the Galaxy Note 6/7 appears quite similar to the Galaxy Note 5, but the camera port doesn't jut out as much as before and is near-flush. The details of the schematics give measurements which show the phone is a bit taller on the vertical and thicker from front-to-back than its predecessor, but is a bit narrower from side-to-side. The measurements are 153.5mm x 73.9mm x 7.9mm comapred to the Galaxy Note 5 at 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm. The Note 6 also appears to be the first Samsung handset with a Type-C USB port.
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