Difference Between Samsung Galaxy S7 and Note 5

The key difference between Samsung Galaxy S7 and Note 5 is that the Galaxy S7 comes with a better performing low light camera, water and dust resistance for added durability, and faster and more efficient processor while the Galaxy Note 5 comes with a stylus, which can be used in tandem with productivity applications, larger display, and a more detailed rear camera. Both the devices are great, but is the new Samsung Galaxy S7 really worth it and is it really able to replace the Samsung Galaxy Note 5. Let’s find out.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Review – Features and Specifications

Design

The design of the device is very much similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy S6 in many ways. The device comes with the same metal rounded edges as its predecessor. The rear of the device looks very much similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5. The back has also been rounded so that the device can be gripped easily and comfortable to hold in the hand.

Water and Dust Resistance

The device is also water and dust resistant this time. The device comes with IP68 rating, which means that the device can be immersed in water up to a depth of 1.5 meters for about 30 minutes. The design, this time, comes with a premium look thanks to metal a glass used on its outer body. The device may feel chunky in the hand when compared with other devices available in the market, but it still feels good in the hand. The glass metal combination on the body gives the device a premium look, which users will definitely prefer.

Display

The size of the display on the device stands at 5.1 inches, and the display uses QHD super AMOLED technology to power it. This is the same screen that came with the Samsung Galaxy S6; of course, much improvement  cannot be expected within a year. However, the Samsung Galaxy S6 screen was impressive, and it has now been passed on to its successor without any significant improvements.

The Super AMOLED display is great at reproducing color and producing brilliant, bright as well as deep dark blacks. Although some may not prefer saturated colors, it still remains a fine display. The resolution of the display is 1440 X 2560 pixels, which is pin sharp, and you will not recognize the individual pixels that make up the screen.

The minor difference between Samsung Galaxy S6 and S7 display is that the S7 display is slightly brighter due to the optimization that has taken place in the technology of the device.

Always on Display

Although the display has not seen any significant improvement, there is a new feature introduced which is known as Always on Display, which makes the display able to show the clock, calendar, or a pattern, even when in standby mode. The main aim of this feature is to save power by reducing the number of pixels turned on and displaying essential information that the user checks for on the screen. The screen API will also be available for developers who want to use the screen for other applications.

Processor

The processor that comes with the Samsung Galaxy S7 is the Exynos 8 Octa,made by Samsung. The processor comes with octa cores inside, and they are capable of clocking a speed of 2.3 GHz. It also comes with an Exynos M1 co-processor, which takes responsibility for the sensor readings captured by the device. The graphic are powered by an ARM Mali-T880MP14 GPU, and also comes with a memory of 4 GB.

Storage

According to Samsung, the Galaxy S7 will only be available with a built-in storage of 32 GB. This storage and the combination of a micro SD card make its storage expand further making the internal storage merely insignificant. But the main advantage of having higher internal storage is, it will perform fast when compared with the external storage option.

But there is a new option with the Android 6 Marshmallow operating system; the external storage is encrypted so that it produces an adaptable storage which becomes a part of the internal storage. This will enable the device to support up to 288 GB, which is a cool feature. On this storage, apps can be installed as done with the built-in storage on a device.

Camera

The camera, on the other hand, also has seen considerable improvement although the resolution has been reduced to 12 MP from 16 MP when compared with its predecessor. The camera is assisted by an LED flash, and the aperture of the lens stands at f 1.7, which will increase the field of view. The sensor size also has seen an increase as well as the individual pixels that lie on it. This will enable the sensor to capture more light so that it could perform well in low light condition. The camera also is powered by optical image stabilization which will result in blur-free images. The device is also capable of capturing 4K video, and the front-facing camera comes with a resolution of 5 MP.

Storage

The built-in storage that comes with the device is 64 GB, which can be expanded with the help of a micro SD card.

Memory

The device comes with a memory of 4GB, which is ample space for multitasking. This will also make it easy for the device to run graphic intensive games.

Operating System

The operating system that comes with the device is Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which comes with many features to optimize and make the device more efficient.

Battery Life

The battery capacity on the device is 3000mAh, which will enable the device to last throughout the day.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Review – Features and Specifications

Samsung has been releasing flagship devices on a cycle and Galaxy S series, and Galaxy Note series are two of them. If we are to compare both S series and Note series devices, there have always been some sort of differences that differentiate the two devices. As the Galaxy Note series devices have a larger screen, they are the most preferred device over Galaxy S series devices.

Design

The design of the device is one of the key features which comes with the device. The design of this device has been copied by the recent Samsung Galaxy S series devices. The body of the device is made up of metal and glass. Both the glass and metal body are held together with the help of a metallic frame. The phone also comes with a translucent effect giving the phone a shiny finish.  The glass back is a magnet for fingerprints and will make the device look quite untidy. The back of the device comes with a subtle curve, which enables the user to handle the device in a comfortable manner and grip it well at the same time. The fingerprint scanner has been built into the home button for easy access. The sensor works with just a touch rather than a swipe as with its predecessors. The bottom of the device comes with the micro-USB port, headphone jack, and the speaker grill. The S pen also sits at the bottom of the device and is unique to the Note series. The back of the device cannot be removed which means that it does not support expandable storage via multiple storages and also does not support a removable battery. These features were very much preferred by power users, but with Galaxy Note 5, these have disappeared. But the lack of these features enable the phone to be thin and beautifully structured. It may feel a tad slippery due to the glass back of the device.

S-Pen

The S Pen on the device is designed in such a way  that it is integrated as a part of a body. The pen also comes with a click on top of it, which is cool.

Display

The size of the display is 5.7 inches, and the display uses an AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 X 1440. The display is QHD, which is ideal for a large display, and supports a pixel density of 518 ppi. The display is vibrant and capable of producing vivid colors and is also bright and easily viewable in daylight conditions. The saturation can be downgraded if the user wishes. If we are to have a closer look at the display, the bezels are very small. This only consumes a small amount of space on the display. The screen is ideal for gaming as well as writing test and reading them as well.

Processor

The performance of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is also impressive. The device has been optimized so that it could work with Touch Wiz in an efficient and fast manner. The processor is powered by octa cores, and the SoC is Samsung’s very own Exynos 7420 processor. This processor is able to clock a speed of 2.1 GHz. The performance of the device is one of the best if we are to analyze the line of Samsung Galaxy devices.

Storage

The built-in storage comes in two flavors which are the 32 GB option and the 64 GB option. The expandable storage being not there will turn out to be a big disappointment. The storage is powered by UFS 2.0, which can support speeds that are available with the SSD storage. The advantage of the built-in storage is that it will perform faster than the expandable storage option.

Camera

The back of the phone comes with a camera and a heart rate monitor. It works well in combination with the S Health app. The rear camera of the device is 16 MP, which comes with an aperture of f/1.9. The device is also capable of supporting 4K recording. The front facing camera comes with a wide angle lens which has a resolution of 5MP. The camera can be launched with a double-tap of the home button. The pictures captured by the device will be of utmost quality.

Memory

The memory of the device is 4GB, which will easily take care of multitasking and graphic intense gaming. This will also be essential for the S Pen to perform in an accurate and lag free manner.

Connectivity

The connectivity is powered by NFC, which will be an essential feature for Samsung Pay. The calls that are made by the phone are crisp and clear.

Battery Life

The battery capacity of the device is 3000mAh. The device will be able to last throughout the day without any problem. The device also supports fast charging and wireless charging as well.

Additional/ Special Features

The fingerprint scanner works well with the device. This is primarily used for unlocking the phone but also can support a variety of purposes.

Difference Between Samsung Galaxy S7 and Note 5

Design

Samsung Galaxy S7: The Samsung Galaxy S7 comes with a dimension of 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm. The weight of the device is 152g. The body of the device is made up of glass and aluminum. The device is secured with a fingerprint scanner. Samsung Galaxy S7 is water and dust resistant, which increases its durability. The colors that the device comes in are Black, Gray, White, and Gold.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5: The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 comes with a dimension of 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm, and the weight of the device is 171 g. The body of the device is made up of glass and aluminum. The device is secured with a fingerprint scanner. The device comes with a stylus for productivity purposes. The colors that the device comes in are Black, Gray, White, and Gold.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is a larger and heavier device; which means, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is more portable device of the two. The Samsung Galaxy S7 is a more durable option as it comes with water and dust resistance. The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 comes with a stylus which can be used for productivity applications.

Display

Samsung Galaxy S7: The Samsung Galaxy S7 comes with a display size of 5.1 inches and has a resolution of 1440 X 2560 pixels. The pixel density of the screen stands at 576 ppi. The display technology used by the device is super AMOLED. The screen to body ratio of the display is 70.63 %.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5: The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 comes with a display size of 5.7 inches and has a resolution of 1440 X 2560 pixels. The pixel density of the screen stands at 518 ppi. The display technology used by the device is super AMOLED. The screen to body ratio of the display is 76.62 %.

The new Samsung Galaxy S7 has a sharper and detailed display of the two due to the displays smaller size. But you will find more screen on the Note 5 when compared with the other devices. The display is also larger on the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 as well.

Camera

Samsung Galaxy S7: The Samsung Galaxy S7 rear camera resolution is 12 MP, which is assisted by an LED flash. The aperture of the lens is f 1.7 and the sensor size on the camera stands at 1 / 2.5”. The pixel size on the sensor is 1.4 microns. The camera is also capable of 4K recording. The front facing snapper comes with a resolution of 5MP.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5: The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 rear camera resolution is 16 MP, which is assisted by an LED flash. The aperture of the lens is f 1.9 and the sensor size on the camera stands at 1 / 2.6”. The pixel size on the sensor is 1.12 microns. The camera is also capable of 4K recording. The front facing snapper comes with a resolution of 5MP.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 camera is the clear winner because the camera components are improved and the picture quality in low light would see an improvement.

Hardware

Samsung Galaxy S7: The Samsung Galaxy S7 is powered by an Exynos 8 Octa processor, which comes with an octa-core processor that is capable of clocking speeds of up to 2.3 GHz. The processor also comes with an Exynos M1 co-processor. The graphic is powered by an ARM Mali-T880MP14 GPU. The memory that comes with the device is 64 GB, which can be expanded with the help of a micro SD card.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5: The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is powered by an Exynos 7 Octa processor, which comes with an octa-core processor that is capable of clocking speeds of up to 2.1 GHz. The graphic is powered by an ARM Mali-T760 MP8 GPU. The memory that comes with the device is 64 GB and of which 54.1 GB is the maximum for user storage.

Clearly, the Samsung Galaxy S7 processor will be the more efficient and faster processor when compared with that of Samsung Galaxy Note 5.

Battery Capacity

Samsung Galaxy S7: The Samsung Galaxy S7 comes with a battery capacity of 3000mAh, which can be wirelessly charged; it is an optional feature.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5: The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 comes with a battery capacity of 3000mAh and here, the wireless storage is built in. The battery is not user replaceable.

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs. Note 5 – Summary

  Samsung Galaxy S7 Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Preferred
Operating System Android (6.0) Android (5.1) Galaxy S7
Dimensions 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm
Weight 152 g 171 g Galaxy S7
Water and Dust Resistance Yes No Galaxy S7
Stylus No Yes Galaxy Note 5
Display Size 5.1 inches 5.7 inches Galaxy Note 5
Resolution 1440 x 2560 pixels 1440 x 2560 pixels
Pixel Density 576 ppi 518 ppi Galaxy S7
Screen to body Ratio 70.63 % 76.62 % Galaxy Note 5
Rear Camera Resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels Galaxy Note 5
Front Camera Resolution 5 megapixels 5 megapixels
Flash LED LED
Aperture F 1.7 F 1.9 Galaxy S7
Sensor Size 1/2.5″ 1/2.6″ Galaxy S7
Pixel Size 1.4 μm 1.12 μm Galaxy S7
OIS Yes Yes
Processor Exynos 8 Octa Exynos 7 Octa Galaxy S7
Speed Octa-core, 2300 MHz, Exynos M1 Octa-core, 2100 MHz, Galaxy S7
Graphics Processor ARM Mali-T880MP14 ARM Mali-T760 MP8 Galaxy S7
Built in storage 64 GB 64 GB
Expandable Storage Availability Yes No Galaxy S7
Battery Capacity 3000 mAh 3000 mAh
Wireless charging Optional Built in Galaxy Note 5