Samsung Galaxy Note 7 – Battery

The 3,500 mAh – still non-removable – cell tucked inside the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has impressive stamina, but it’s not going to redefine how long a smartphone can last for. The Galaxy S7 Edge has a 100 mAh bigger battery, but I didn’t see any discernible differences between the stamina of the two phones.

I can comfortably go from morning to bedtime with 25% of the Note 7’s charge left. From there, if I leave it unplugged overnight I can get to between 2-3pm without reaching for the charger.

An hour of Netflix streaming eats through 8-9% (depending if you have the HDR video enhancer mode off or on) while a basic 2D game takes off 7%. Something more intensive, in this case Asphalt 8, takes off 10%. These scores are all comparable with other similarly sized phones.

The Note 7 is the first Samsung to use USB-C, but there’s still wireless charging

Thankfully, there’s Fast Charging on board – both wired and wireless – and this is the first Samsung phone to utilise USB-C, which was a surprising omission from the Galaxy S7.

Samsung has included a handy Micro USB to USB-C converter in the box, so you can use your old cables. That’s a nice touch, and makes the switch to the new reversible port a little easier to handle.

Fast charging is one of my favourite features on any phone and I think I would struggle without it. This sounds like a ridiculous first-world problem, but fast charging makes a huge difference.

Fully charging the phone with the included block and cable takes 92 minutes. Using a charger that doesn’t support Quick Charge 2 takes twice as long. It’s a similar story with wireless chargers. Samsung’s own Fast Wireless Charging juiced the Note 7 from 0-100% in about 110 minutes, but it took nearly four hours on a standard Qi plate.

Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy Note 7?

I started this review saying the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 wasn’t for everyone, and it really isn’t. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a truly fantastically complete phone. Galaxy S7 aside, there aren’t any other phones (iPhones very much included) that are this close to perfection.

The screen is sublime, the camera makes me want to go out and take pictures and the engineering that must have gone in make a phone with a 5.7-inch display this good to hold is beyond impressive.

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But I’d expect a phone this price to be great. Whether you pony up the gigantic SIM-free price or pay monthly, this is one of the priciest phones on the market. If you’re not going to take advantage of the S Pen, then you’re probably better off with the Galaxy S7 Edge. You could also buy two OnePlus 3’s for the price of a single Note S7.

Buy Now: Galaxy Note 7 at Amazon.com from $903

Verdict

Fantastic in pretty much every way, but all that tech comes at a steep price.