Samsung’s Galaxy Note7 signals the future for the Galaxy S8 in 2017

In New York overnight Samsung held their second-half of the year event to reveal their big-screen phablet for the year – this year, skipping a model number and naming it the Galaxy Note7.

Just as Microsoft Skipped the number 9 for Windows, Samsung skipped from Note 5 to Note7 to bring the number in-line with their flagship phone the S7 and perhaps critically also putting Samsung’s entire range head to head with Apple’s next iPhone (the iPhone 7 most likely).

With a 5.7 inch screen and a design and construction drawn directly from the popular Galaxy S7 the Note7 looks like it sits perfectly in the Galaxy lineup.

Water resistance features on the Note7, and the stylus (S Pen) is also water-resistant meaning the pen can be used while the screen and pen are wet.

Perhaps the biggest leap forward for Samsung here with the Note7 is biometric authentication by way of iris scanning – yep, it will look you in the eyes and unlock.

To ensure complete brand compliance there is also HDR – High Dynamic Range – a feature of high-end TVs today which I frankly can’t see any reason to include in a smartphone, but – good luck to them.

Finally, because the Note7 uses USB-C connectivity, a new Gear VR headset was announced for Type-C devices – a clear sign that the next Galaxy S (S8) will be a USB-C device too.

The Galaxy Note7 will be available from August 19 from the big Telcos, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and Samsung Direct.  Plus, to entice pre-orders Samsung are offering a 256GB MicroSD card which itself is worth $299.

But stay sitting down, the thing will set you back $1,349 – that, combined with how big the device is – is probably why we don’t see that many of them on the streets.

Vodafone has released contract pricing for the Note7 which has it at $34 a month on top of a $40 plan, down to $3 a month on a $130 plan.

Oh, and when you see that stunning Blue colour – nope, it’s not coming to Australia.

Samsung Galaxy Note7 Product Specifications