Is Samsung Playing It Safe Like Apple?

Conference And Rumors

The big Samsung unpacked conference date has come and gone early this morning. There were high hopes from many Samsung and Android fans around the world. After months of rumors, we were finally going to get a chance to see the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Individuals such as myself who have an upgrade eligible were expecting some next gen specs to be announced today to justify making the jump. However, the conference left many unsatisfied. Let’s break down some of the rumors that have circulated the web in the past few months.

• Device will be released with Android 7.0 Nougat
• Snapdragon 821 CPU
• Battery larger than 3,600 mAh
• 6 GB of Ram
• 6″ inch screen
• Camera MP higher than 12 megapixels
• Front Camera MP higher than 5 Megapixels

Actual Specifications

These specs made a lot of sense considering the Galaxy Note has always had superior specs compared to the Samsung Galaxy S models that come out a few months earlier in the year. Some sites guaranteed the hardware spec leaks were legit while presenting many reasons supporting why the rumor would be true. So during today’s presentations, while all the numbers were being announced, the majority of the fans were left in shock and awe. This brand new phone is essentially a much larger S7. The Samsung Galaxy S7 was released in March, yet here we are in August and Samsung is trying to promote an S7 with a big screen and pretending like they’re releasing an innovative product. Let’s look at where they came up short of the expectations of fans.

• Device will be released with Android 6.0 Marshmallow (Same as S7)
• Snapdragon 820 (Same as S7)
• Battery size 3,500 mAh (smaller than S7)
• 4 GB of Ram (Same as S7)
• 5″7 inch screen (Slightly larger than S7)
• Camera 12 MP (Same as S7)
• Front Camera 5 MP (Same as S7)

Unfortunate Move

Yes, you have read those numbers correctly. Samsung decided to steal a notorious move from the Apple playbook. They tried to add one or two small gimmicks as “revolutionary” features and try to package it as a new device when it is clearly the previous model. Apple was once known for innovative. Heck, they created the smartphone, tablet, and mp3 player markets and put the music industry upside down on its head. But in previous years, Apple has been very slow to adopt changes. Year to year, the newer iPhones have a minor updates. Samsung was known as hip and trendy, trying to steal away customers from Apple that are bored after years of stagnant design. Unfortunately, Samsung is now guilty of doing the same.

Final Judgement

Truth be told, this is still a very solid device. It has an Iris Scanner that will allow you to unlock the phone by looking at it. It has an IP68 rating which means dust cannot get in, and it will go 1.5 meters under water for up to 30 minutes. The S Pen is always a nifty feature. I believe you can even create GIFs from anything on your screen now. As someone currently rocking an iPhone 6 Plus and been with Apple since 2007, I am willing to try something new. It’s just a bit disappointing that Samsung didn’t aim for the fences this year. They have a large market share and decided to play it safe. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. It’s the wrong approach to take if you want to be the King of the Mountain forever, but in the short term, it will generate sales and revenue. Later this year we’ll see how the Note 7 stacks up against the new Nexus phone. Let us know in the comments below if you are excited for the Note 7 and which features you like the most.