Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs S7 Edge

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs S7 Edge: Android and apps

You're going to find the latest version of Android on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and be able to upgrade to the same exact Android Marshmallow update on the S7 Edge.

At least, both phone will support Google's latest operating system until Android Nougat launches on new Nexus 2016 phones in a few weeks. Then you'll have to wait for Samsung to update to the next version to have the latest and greatest.

No matter. You're mostly dealing with Samsung's TouchWiz operating system overlay here, which already has many Android Nougat features like multitasking. And you shouldn't be frightened of TouchWiz any longer. Unlike the Galaxy S5 and Note 4 and before, it's much cleaner and runs very smoothly.

There are a lot of junk apps made by Samsung and carriers you'll never use, but both phones do support Samsung Pay, which is more widely accepted than the NFC-only Android Pay app.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs S7 Edge: camera

Side-by-side, you're not going to notice any differences between the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy S7 Edge cameras. They're exactly the same.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs S7 Edge

In either case, you're getting Samsung's top-performing 12MP sensor with an f/1.7 aperture on back. It's loaded with OIS and dual-pixel technology for faster autofocus in low light conditions.

On the front, each phone has a 5MP camera for selfies with the same f/1.7 aperture. There are a ton of modes for both front and back cameras, including software-stitched wide selfies.

The one almost-hidden new feature we like about the Note 7 camera app is the selfie flip function. Swiping up or down on the screen now flips the camera from front to back and vice versa. It's much easier than trying to hunt and tap for the normal camera flip button.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs S7 Edge: storage

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has 32GB of internal storage, twice as much as the entry-level 16GB iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. Well, the Note 7 has 64GB, four time as much as Apple's starter model.

You won't find multiple configurations for more money, though. Instead, both offer enough space to load up on your favorite apps and can be expanded via expandable storage.

There's a microSD card slot, tucked into the nano SIM card tray, holds all of your photos, movies and music, just in case you run out of space or want to easily transfer content.

Matt Swider