2016-10-17

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is one of the best smartphones released in 2016 but following a global recall the phone has been permanently discontinued. Over 100 devices exploded or caught fire in the U.S. alone due to a faulty battery component. Now that it’s no longer available we’ve round up some great Galaxy Note 7 alternatives for buyers. The new Galaxy Note 7 has a lot to offer, which makes replacing it rather difficult. Features such as a large 5.7-inch Quad-HD display that’s best in the industry, a powerful processor with 4GB of RAM, a great camera, microSD support for storage expansion, the S-Pen stylus, and of course it’s IP68 dust and water resistant.

There are countless reasons why a user would want this phone, but don’t worry, there are plenty of options that have similar features. In fact, the Galaxy S7 Edge from March is almost identical to the Galaxy Note 7, but instead of 5.7-inches it’s only 5.5-inches and doesn’t have an S-Pen stylus. Just about everything else remains, which makes it our first and best Note 7 alternative. Simply because it's a similar software experience, nearly identical in design, and shares most of the features that makes the Note 7 great. The Galaxy S7 Edge has the same glass and metal design, it's also water resistant. The screen is only 0.02-inches smaller, being 5.5-inches instead of 5.7-inches, and the difference is barely noticeable. It's actually easier to use. One other thing to consider is the Galaxy S7 Edge uses a regular microUSB charging port, not the new Type-C plug on the bottom of the Note 7. So most old cables, chargers and accessories will actually work perfect with the S7 Edge.It's also a lot cheaper, nearly $200 less if not more.  Oh, and the Galaxy S7 Edge has a bigger 3,600 mAh battery, compared to just 3,500 mAh in the Note 7. So it could technically get better battery life while offering a near-identical experience across the board.

OnePlus may not be a household name yet, but their 4th phone in three years is extremely impressive, and almost as good as the Note 7 in all areas. Not to mention over 50% cheaper. In fact, the OnePus 3 is only $399, which is pretty impressive considering everything it has to offer. OnePlus 3 has a 5.5-inch Quad-HD AMOLED Display, which looks almost as good as the Galaxy Note 7. It has the same quad-core Snapdragon 820 processor, 6GB of RAM (not 4GB) with 64GB of internal storage, a pretty excellent camera, and nearly stock Android. It isn't IP68 dust and water-resistant, but for $399 we can't have everything, can we?Users will also enjoy a similar quick charging experience with a USB Type-C port, a large 3,000 mAh battery and a very familiar fingerprint scanner in the same spot as Samsung. It's as close to the Galaxy S7 Edge or Note 7 as we're going to get, for $399, but doesn't have the curved display or S-Pen.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is a year old, and it's the phone the Note 7 replaced. That said, it's still a highly capable device with plenty to offer for Note 7 fans. If you love the Note experience and are afraid of the Note 7, the Note 5 is your best bet. It's still a wonderful smartphone. It comes with the same size 5.7-inch display, a fast processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and looks almost identical aside from having a flat display. Users won't get a microSD slot or water-resistance, but those may not be 100% important to everyone. With the new Note 7 replacements potentially having problems, jumping back to the Note 5 until the Galaxy S8 is released might be the perfect solution. Oh, and if you love the curved screen but don't need the S-Pen stylus, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus is basically a Galaxy Note 5/7 without a stylus. So keep that in mind.

The LG V20 is another solid choice, which will be available from carriers starting next week in the US. The release date is October 28th, if you can hold out that long. It has a big 5.7-inch display, and a secondary screen above it on the front for quick notifications and app launching. It also has dual cameras, a rear fingerprint scanner, excellent battery life and some of the best sound of any phone to date. The LG V20 could be one of the most feature-complete and jam packed smartphones released in 2016. It's not a Galaxy Note, but it has a wonderful screen and plenty of other features to make up for it.

Personally the route I'll be taking is returning the Galaxy Note 7 for Google's brand new Pixel XL smartphone. For those that don't know, Google is now making a phone just like Samsung or Apple. It's called the Pixel, and a bigger 5.5-inch Pixel XL. The screen is a tiny bit smaller, being 5.5-inches, but it's a high-end premium Android device made entirely out of aluminum and glass. Google also claims it has the best smartphone camera in the world, not to mention it has faster internals and upgraded specs compared to Samsung. It's the first smartphone with the new Snapdragon 821 processor, 4GB of RAM, and even comes with 128GB of storage and a fingerprint scanner. It's a great looking device, although the front resembles an iPhone. It runs the latest Android 7.1 Nougat, which isn't released yet, and will always get updates first.

Source: GottaMobile

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