10 Features to Look for in Samsung’s Next-Gen Galaxy Note 7 Phablet

Samsung soon is expected to roll out a generation “7” Galaxy Note phablet, with a curved screen, high-end processor, biometric security and more.

The Galaxy Note 7 wouldn’t be a Galaxy Note without support for Samsung’s S Pen stylus. Expect this year’s stylus to be more accurate and more adeptly respond to a user’s input. But also expect it to be critical to getting the most out of the company’s upcoming device.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note has always come with a large screen, but this year’s edition could be even bigger. In fact, reports suggest that Samsung is planning to offer a 5.8-inch (or bigger) curved display with a quad-HD resolution. The Galaxy Note 7, therefore, will deliver high-end resolution and features that are far more similar to the Galaxy S7 Edge than the bezeled Galaxy S7.

Why will the Galaxy Note 7 have such a big screen? According to several leaks, it’s because of Samsung’s decision to deliver a curved display, meaning both sides of the handset will feature edges. Those edges can be used to quickly access contacts, check to see if the phone is ringing when it’s facedown and much more. It could go a long way in making the Galaxy Note 7 a more attractive device.

There’s little debating that the Galaxy Note 7 must offer a high-end processor to take on Apple’s iPhone 7. According to the latest rumors, Samsung is planning to bundle the Qualcomm Snapdragon 823 processor in the U.S. version and perhaps an octa-core Exynos chip in models sold in Korea and elsewhere. Either way, expect top-of-the-line performance from the Galaxy Note 7.

Samsung for years has focused on battery life, so expect the company to deliver a rather large battery in its upcoming handset. Some rumors have pegged the Galaxy Note 7’s battery size at 4,000mAh, which would suffice for all-day usage and the ability to be on a call for hours at a time without fear of losing a charge. The bigger the battery, the better.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 will need to be as damage-proof as possible. It’d be great to see the smartphone deliver both waterproofing and dustproofing, and to come with a reinforced screen that won’t crack so easily. Samsung delivered those features in the Galaxy S7 line, and there’s no reason to suggest it won’t do the same with the Galaxy Note 7.

Wireless charging has become a convenient way to power up a battery, and it should be available in every high-end smartphone. That’s precisely why Samsung should—and likely will—offer wireless charging in the Galaxy Note 7. Wireless charging would help Samsung differentiate the Galaxy Note 7 and also give it a leg up over the upcoming iPhone 7, which is expected to still require tethered charging to power the battery.

There’s no doubt that Samsung will offer biometrics in the Galaxy Note 7. The company will offer a fingerprint sensor that not only will unlock the device, but also will act as an authentication method for Samsung Pay. There are also reports Samsung will offer iris detection, so users can scan their eyes to get into the device. There’s no guarantee that’s coming, but it would be another differentiator that would help Samsung sell more handsets.

Samsung must offer sufficient storage in the Galaxy Note 7. A 64GB model to start would be fine, but it’d be best to see a 128GB version. Add to that a microSD card slot, and it’s a recipe for users to store all kinds of content on the device. Yes, cloud-based storage is becoming ubiquitous, cheap and useful, but onboard storage still matters. And Samsung mustn’t forget that.

Samsung has said that it will be committed to software and security updates in all new devices, but it must keep that promise with the Galaxy Note 7. One of the issues in the Android ecosystem is that operating updates are slow to reach devices that have already reached users’ hands, if an update is ever distributed to them at all. Samsung needs to announce at its next Unpacked event that it will continually update the Galaxy Note 7 with bug and security fixes and deliver Android N when that operating system is available later this year. Stopping at Android Marshmallow won’t be good enough.