Fungi can recycle your smartphone battery

Over the years, our reliance on lithium-ion batteries to power everyday devices has increased dramatically. For a long time, researchers have warned us about two things: one is that there is only so much lithium -- and other metals used in electronics -- on the planet and the other is that when a rechargeable battery reaches the end of its life, if not disposed of properly, those materials will become a threat to human health and the environment.

Those issues have led to scientists to look for solutions. Many breakthroughs have been made in extending the life of rechargeable batteries, which helps reduce the amount of metals that need to be mined and the frequency with which they get thrown away. Now, there just needs to be a better way to recycle the batteries at the end of their life that protects people and the environment and recovers those precious metals so that they can be reused.

Researchers at the University of South Florida have created a process for extracting lithium and cobalt from lithium-ion batteries that is straight from nature. The researchers found that fungi can safely and simply extract the metals from used batteries, keeping the materials out of landfills and ready to be reused in new batteries.

The batteries are first taken apart and the cathodes are pulverized. Then three different strains of fungus -- Aspergillus niger, Penicillium simplicissimum and Penicillium chrysogenum -- take over.

"Fungi naturally generate organic acids, and the acids work to leach out the metals," explained Jeffrey A. Cunningham, Ph.D., the project's team leader, to the American Chemical Society. "Through the interaction of the fungus, acid and pulverized cathode, we can extract the valuable cobalt and lithium. We are aiming to recover nearly all of the original material."

Processes used to recycle batteries and other electronics can require high temperatures and harsh chemicals and can be unsafe. The fungi are able to recover the valuable metals safely and, as a bonus, it's very inexpensive.

"Fungi are a very cheap source of labor," Cunningham said.

Cheap and effective. Tests have shown that the acids from the fungi are able to extract up to 85 percent of the lithium and up to 48 percent of the cobalt from old batteries. Once extracted, the metals remain in a liquid acid mixture, so the next step is to figure out how to remove the metals from that liquid.

The researchers are also working on testing different strains of fungus and the acids they produce to see which are best at extracting different metals so that this process could be used on a variety of electronics.

Smartphone repair shops are taking over old British phone boxes

The old British red phone boxes originally housed pay phones, but over the past couple of decades they have become obsolete. Most were removed, but a large amount have been renovated and given new lives. Some have been turned into solar charging stations, small neighborhood libraries and tiny office sheds.

The latest red box makeover is turning the old phone booths into smartphone repair shops. Phone repair company Lovefone are renovating 35 phone boxes, turning them into Lovefoneboxes where people can get their smartphones and tablets fixed, access free charging and free Wi-Fi. It's a fitting transition as the ubiquitousness of cell phones is what caused the red boxes to become unnecessary.

Each 1-sq-m box will feature a workbench, a perforated wall panel and shelving for holding tools and an underfloor safe for guarding people's devices as they await pick-up. They will each house six public charging stations so that the boxes are still serving the public as the old phone booths did.

The boxes are protected structures so no permanent changes can be made, but Lovefone is designing each slightly differently depending on its location and orientation. The company is keeping the glass windows so people can look inside, but are covering them with unbreakable polycarbonate sheets to safeguard the tools and devices inside along with locks for the doors. The boxes will also have CCTV for security.

The first repair booth opened up on Greenwich High Street in London this month and they aim to add another six in London soon, with a total of 35 coming to the city in the next 18 months. The company is also looking at franchise opportunities outside of London.

12 new uses for old smartphones and tablets

From a home security system or fire alarm to a picture frame or dual monitor, there are many clever jobs your retired devices would love to have.

On average we upgrade our phones every 29 months; and with the seduction of new and improved tablets always on the horizon, iPads and their kin are often left in the dust when new shiny models appear. Old phones may have lost their battery lives or other functions that make them obsolete for daily work; and a new phone may have improved capabilities that you require. At best these retired devices are passed on to kids or others who might find them useful, at worst they are sent packing to the landfill. The rest? Well I’m guessing more than a few of you have a drawer filled with old phones.

As we all know, a smartphone is more than a device for making calls. (It might surprise some people that they can actually be used to talk to one another using one's very own voice.) They are more like little pocket computers; tablets are their glorified cousins. So instead of putting them to pasture, you can give them a retirement job instead. Geoffrey A. Fowler at The Wall Street Journal got this ball rolling for me with his suggestions, and I’ve added many more from my own experience. (If you know of others, leave them in the comments.)

Many uses don’t require breaking them open, just operation system updates and app downloads, as Fowler notes, "the hardest part may be finding the old charging cable.”

1. Recipe book

iPad, kitchen, recipes. Capisce? I have an old iPad on an old book rest that holds recipes that I have collected from all over the web and ones that I’ve entered myself. Of course one doesn’t need a dedicated tablet for the kitchen, but if you’ve got it laying around anyway, it’s nice to have one that may be a little less precious in the face of flour and eggs.

2. Security system

As more people invest in security systems to spy on the nanny or catch the antics of pets when left alone, an old Wi-Fi capable phone can stand in for some high-tech voyeurism.

Fowler suggests a free app called Manything, which can transform an old Apple or Android phone into a security camera. You can use a mini-tripod to house the phone (like in the photo above) and a power source to keep it plugged in. The app is really pretty nifty and has many a trick up its sleeve, see below:

3. Fire alarm

With the free app called CleverLoop Smokey, your old phone becomes a fire alarm, of sorts. As soon as it hears your smoke detector go off, it sends you a text.

4. Remote control

Another free app, this one called Peel, can employ an old Wi-Fi able phone or tablet as a universal remote control that also knows what's on TV and thinks it knows what you'll want to watch. Some phone models may need an extra piece of equipment, the Peel or Peel Pronto which both cost $50, and which kind of defeats the purpose – but you can still put iPhone apps to work for Apple TV, Roku, or TiVo using just Wi-Fi.

5. Picture frame

An old iPad may not have the bells and whistles of a more recent model, but it still has a nice display that can be put to use as a digital picture frame. Hang it on a wall or prop it on your desk, rotate a slideshow or just show off your favorite photo.

6. Portfolio or photo album

n a similar vein, if you have an old iPad and have photos to bring with you somewhere, load them onto the tablet and you have a slick display – this is great whenever you have digital images you would like to share without bringing a whole laptop (or desktop, that might prove tricky) or paper album, prints or portfolio.

7. International travel phone

Roaming charges, one of the banes of travel. Am I right? But as Fowler points out, you can use an old phone and purchase a new SIM card at your destination for local service. As he explains, in the UK for instance, you can buy local service with 100 minutes plus 1 GB of data for $13 with a new SIM card. However, he writes, there’s a small (but workable) caveat:

Sometimes U.S. phones have software locks to prevent that. ( Verizon is the big exception—it’s 4G phones are unlocked.) However, you usually can unlock old phones that are no longer under contract, if you ask.

A few days before you travel, call your carrier or put in an unlock request on its website. You should also check whether your model will work in the country where you’re traveling—phones and network standards do vary.

8. Back-up phone

Speaking of phones, you know what happens if you lose your phone or it bites the dust before your contract is up – you’re stuck paying full price for its replacement. (That is if you live on the edge and don’t purchase a protection plan. Like me.) If you can stand reverting to a former model until your contract is up, it can be a great bridge to save you the money until you are eligible for a new device.

9. Alarm clock

If you don’t like your phone in your bedroom or you like to have it off and silent at night, using an old phone for an alarm clock makes perfect sense. And not only can you use the phone’s clock function, but you can add a fancy app to suit all of your waking-up needs, like apps that provide a gentle rousing, or ones that require more effort to make sure you get out of bed.

10. Jukebox

I know many people have advanced ways of storing and playing their music, but some of us are more simple. (Again, me.) I loaded up most of my music on an old phone and have it plugged in to a compact Bose system that belts out my favorites. I concocted this system when my iPod died; I had an old phone, it saved me from buying another iPod. This would be a nice solution for someone wanting music in another room apart from where their main sound system lives, like the bedroom or kitchen.

11. Shower radio

Like the jukebox use above, but this is even simpler – hang an old music-filled iPhone in the bathroom to set the mood for the morning shower or evening bath. The acoustics of the bathroom will make up for the music-straight-from-the-phone quality.

12. Second monitor

If you like to work with two screens, you may very well already have one lying around – in the form of an old tablet. Several apps make this easy, Fowler recommends Duet Display ($20) which plays nicely with both Macs and Windows PCs. Once installed (with an iPad 2 or later), you just plug it in and voila, double the fun. TreeHugger’s very own Lloyd Alter attests to this usage, as you can see from his lakeside summer writing spot pictured above.

To make your smartphone last longer, avoid overnight charging?

The New York Times recently tackled this question: should you charge your phone overnight? The answer was if you're only keeping your phone for two years and then replacing it as most people do, go ahead, it makes no difference.

But here at TreeHugger we like to find ways to make our gadgets last longer, not find excuses to go along with the planned obsolescence of our devices. So, let's look at the question from that point of view.

The heart of the question has to do with the amount of charge/discharge cycles a smartphone battery can go through. In the article they say that overnight charging in itself is not a problem because smartphones have a chip that stops the phone from absorbing any extra electrical current once the battery is fully charged. You can't "overcharge" the battery.

The issue with charging every night is that the daily charging and discharging of the battery eventually wears down the battery and leads to a reduction in the amount of charge it can hold, so you'll find yourself reaching for your charger even more often. That slimming down of battery capacity usually happens in about two years and that frustration is what often causes a person to upgrade to a new phone.

The solution is charging your battery less, which means using your phone less -- not going to happen -- or finding a way to charge your phone more slowly so that there is less stress on the battery over time.

The chargers used with current smartphones optimize the speed of the charge, but that also hastens the corrosion of the battery. You can try using a charger that typically charges a less powerful device, but it may be tricky to find the right match. For instance, you could use your iPhone charger to slowly charge an iPad Pro.

Another important tip is to avoid temperatures over 95 degrees. Exposure to high temperature also damages the battery and shortens its life.

The best thing you can do though is protect your phone, charge it when necessary and then when the battery capacity dives, replace the battery, not the whole phone. You can buy a replacement battery for between $20 and $40 and iFixit.com has step-by-step guides for replacing it on your own. Many Android phones have a removable cover where the battery can easily by swapped out.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs. iPhone 6s Plus: The 2016 MEGA Phablet SMACKDOWN!!

Watch out! The King of the phablets is back! We pit the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 up against Apple's iPhone 6s Plus

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has been announced on August 2 proving most of the pre-launch rumours regarding its specs and features true. Most, not all, however, as there are a few things many were expecting that haven't quite materialised. Still, in many ways the new phablet is still shaping up as quite a force to be reckoned with, building as the Note series always does on the combined successes of the Galaxy S flagship and the previous Note model.

"More than 200,000 Galaxy Note 7 handsets have been pre-ordered in South Korea in just two days," reports Android Authority. "This number doubles the number of orders for the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. The news makes the Note 7 the most pre-ordered Galaxy phone in South Korea to date, a major win for Samsung in its home country. Furthermore, Strategy Analytics believes that the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are already Android’s most popular phones, both having already sold 13 million and 12 million units respectively. A little bit of extrapolation based on these pre-order numbers paints a very promising picture for Galaxy Note 7 sales."

Amongst the competitors to stack it up against there's one old rival that jumps to the front of the line; Apple. The firm is expected to launch a new batch of iPhone handsets in September, now only weeks away, which will include both an iPhone 7 and a larger iPhone 7 Plus phablet (which may be called the iPhone 7 Pro). The phablet model may be incremental overall, but it is also expected to have a few competetive features, such as a dual-sensor camera, masses of onboard storage, and a Smart connector port similar to the iPad Pro's setup which allows for a keyboard dock accessory. In many ways that will really be the device to compare to Samsung's latest and greatest, but in the meantime the firm's nearest competitor is the iPhone 6s Plus phablet launched in late 2015.

The iPhone 6s hasn’t had a good year by Apple’s usual standards. For the first time in Apple’s history, iPhone sales dropped in 2016. Now, this could be down to the iPhone 6s being a bit of a dull update or that people are simply holding onto their phones for a bit longer. Speaking personally, I think it is a bit of both — innovation has slowed in the mobile space, things have levelled out and most new updates feature incremental changes (3D Touch) that most people can happily live without.

Now, all this could change with the arrival of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, as Apple is apparently planning something very special for the imaging capabilities. Apple also knows that these iPhones NEED a big USP, as their physical appearance will not be all that different from the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s — Apple is switching to a three-year design cycle, apparently.

Still, Apple is a force to be reckoned with in the mobile space. It is Samsung’s chief opponent, really, so it stands to reason that comparisons will be drawn between the iPhone 6s Plus and the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, at least until the next iPhone rocks up, so without further ado, let’s see how they compare.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Apple iPhone 6s Plus: Specs

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Specs

• Dimensions/Weight: 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9mm/169g
• Display: 5.7in Super AMOLED EDGE, 2560x1440 pixel QHD, 518ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 5, HDR
• Onboard Storage: 64GB UFS 2.0
• MicroSD: Up To 256GB
• Processor: Samsung Exynos Octa 8890 (64-bit); Quad-Core 2.3GHz Exynos M1 "Mongoose" + Quad-Core 1.6GHz ARM Cortex-A53
• GPU: Mali-T880 MP12
• RAM: 4GB LPDDR4
• Battery: 3,500mAh (Non-Removable), Quick Charge, Ultra Power Saving Mode
• Connectivity: Type-C USB, NFC, GPS, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band/Direct/Hotspot)
• Primary Camera: 12 MP, 1/2.6" Sensor Size, 1.4 µm Pixel Size f/1.7 Aperture Size, 26mm Focal Length, Dual-Pixel Phase Detection Autofocus, OIS, LED Flash
• Front Camera: 5 MP, f/1.7 Aperture Size,  22mm Focal Length
• Other: S-Pen Capacitive Stylus, IP68 Water And Dust Proofing, Fingerprint Scanner, Iris Scanner
• Colours: Blue Coral, Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium, Black Onyx
• Software: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow (Android 7.0 Nougat Coming)

Apple iPhone 6s Plus Specs

• Dimensions/Weight: 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3mm/192g
• Display: 5.5in IPS LCD, 1920x1080 pixel FHD, 401ppi, "Ion-Strengthened Glass"
• Onboard Storage: 16GB/64GB/128GB
• MicroSD: None
• Processor: Apple A9 (64-bit); Dual-Core 1.8GHz "Twister"
• GPU: PowerVR GT7600
• RAM: 2GB LPDDR4
• Battery: 2,750mAh (Non-Removable)
• Connectivity: Lightning Port (USB Adaptor), NFC (Apple Pay), GPS, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band/Hotspot)
• Primary Camera: 12 MP, 1/3" Sensor Size, 1.22 µm Pixel Size f/2.2 Aperture Size, 29mm Focal Length, Phase Detection Autofocus, OIS, Dual-LED Two-Tone Flash
• Front Camera: 5 MP, f/2.2 Aperture Size,  31mm Focal Length
• Other: TouchID Fingerprint Scanner
• Colours: Space Gray, Silver, Gold, Rose Gold
• Software: iOS 9.3.3 (iOS 10 Coming)

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Apple iPhone 6s Plus: Design

So first things first; design. Even without the tidal wave of leaks ahead of the Galaxy Note 7's launch there were a few educated guesses and reasonable assumptions we could've made about the handset's overall design ethos which have, once again, been proven completely true. It's pretty simple really; whatever the current-gen Galaxy S flagship for a given year looks like, the Galaxy Note for that year will more or less look like a big version of it and use a close approximation of the design language and production methods.

That's definitely the case here, as the Galaxy Note 7 uses the same metal frame with glass front and back panels as the Galaxy S7 series, and follows very closely all the same visual cues such as punched speaker grilles, button design and placement, port shape and design, and so on. This is familiar terrirory, it is basically Samsung's current signature style in 5.7in phablet form. And, truth be told, is not massively different from last year's Galaxy Note 5 either, which in turn was based on the Galaxy S6 series flagship design, which was very similar to the Galaxy S7 series too. It all links.

But not wanting to sound too much like a complacent old git, I will say that even with the repetition of the design it is rather welcome; as I've said elsewhere this new metal and glass aesthetic is the best design Samsung has ever come up with - FAR better than the firm's old tacky plastic - so I'm glad it's not fading out prematurely. Long may it continue.

Plus, credit where it's due, there are some crucial differences in the design of the new Galaxy Note 7. Most importantly, it has followed the Galaxy S7's lead with the IP68 water and dust proofing, making it the first Samsung Galaxy Note device with this rugged durability feature suite. Just like the Galaxy S7, you can drop the Galaxy Note 7 in the bath and not freak out about it.

What's more, Samsung has actually done some clever jiggery-pokery to make the S-Pen stylus function on the display when wet, even if the phone's underwater. Neat. Another key difference is the presence of that EDGE display, y'know, the one with the curved edges along the sides, just like the Galaxy S7 EDGE. This isn't a first for the Note series, in fact the Note series is where this curvy display experimentation first started for Samsung on the fourth-generation Galaxy Note EDGE (a limited run variant of the Galaxy Note 4 with only one curved edge, not both), but it's been gone a long while and it's now seeing a triumphant, much more developed return here.

This does change the design somewhat from the Galaxy Note 5, with a curvy screen and a flatter back instead of the Note 5's inversion of this; a flat screen with a curvy back. Overall the Galaxy Note 7 is also a little more angular and squared-off than the Galaxy S7 series.

How does this compare to the Apple iPhone 6s Plus though? Rather favourably, to be honest. It'd be remiss of me to talk up Samsung's adoption of metal and glass design while failing to point out that, although a different aesthetic, Apple's long-standing metal and glass build is also something that looks fantastic and screams quality when you handle it.

So again, you won't hear me complaining about Apple's repetition of design on this phablet, indeed, what would we have the firm replace it with? Luminous yellow polycarbonate? I think not. No, there's nothing wrong with the look and feel here, but the reason I'd lean towards the Galaxy Note 7 coming out on top here is quite simply the waterproofing. Apple's had years to implement this kind of tech while everyone else has brought it to market, and its absence is rather glaring on such a premium brand that prides itself on useful, pragmatic features.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Apple iPhone 6s Plus: Display

Apple's behind on display tech, this is pretty well established now. Yes, sure, the firm's displays are adequate; they're nicely sharp and colourful enough for people to enjoy them without much complaint. But gone are the days where Apple could honestly claim it has the best screens on the market. The mere fact that the firm is looking to swap its current tech for OLED, possibly as early as next year and probably supplied by Samsung, should say something about its IPS LCD setups being outdated.

It also says something about where Samsung sits in the hierarchy. The Galaxy S7 series remains the undisputed KING of display tech for the entirety of 2016 thanks to the Super AMOLED tech it is carrying. The handset delivered the best performance in all display areas that count according to extensive tests and analysis by DisplayMate.

Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy Note 7's display panel is the very same Super AMOLED technology, sporting a QHD resolution much higher than Apple's for superior sharpness even on a larger diagonal. What's more, Samsung has added an HDR functionality similar to what is used in the firm's best TVs, which essentially offers even better colour and contrast settings. In short, this should be just about the best phablet display available bar none.

Samsung's also borrowed its own Always On display feature from the Galaxy S7, running the display in a low power mode even when the phone is asleep to display the time, date, and some notifications. If it's anything like the S7's setup it will barely sip the battery at all, and Samsung has added specialist Note functionality to allow you to scribble notes and doodles on the Always On screen which the phone will save for later.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Apple iPhone 6s Plus: Hardware

Some were expecting an upgraded processor from the Galaxy S7's Exynos 8990 octa-core setup, as well as a sizeable 6GB of RAM, but sadly neither has occured. The Exynos 8990 has returned and still packs 4GB of RAM; not that this is anything to sneeze at, again it's the same hardware from the Galaxy S7 and that has continued to be one of 2016's better performers.

How does this compare to the Apple iPhone 6s Plus with its Apple A9 chipset? Well to an extent it's apples and oranges (pardon the pun) in the sense that so much is dependent on the hardware and software optimisations; Apple has finely honed iOS and its app ecosystem to its purpose-built dual-core CPU, while Samsung's Exynos chip is all dialled in for Google's latest version of Android. So although on paper there is apparently quite a difference, in actual use both phones are going to be somewhat comparable.

Samsung's Galaxy Note 7, however, is using a chip with a bit more top end grunt, and slightly more modern technology, which should mean it's a bit better future proofed for forthcoming applications and software changes as time progresses. The A9 will still be relevant for some time to come too, but may start to show its age a little sooner, and it is about to imminently be replaced by whatever the iPhone 7 is sporting (presumably the A9X CPU from the iPad Pro).

On the battery side of things, the iPhone 6s Plus' 2,750mAh cell is not massive as phablets go, but somehow Apple has managed to squeeze some excellent performance out of it and it bowled over KYM's Richard Goodwin during his review - he still rates it as one of the best phones for battery from the year so far; a rather exclusive club to be sure. That said, the Galaxy S7 also demonstrated some impressive battery life despite a smaller cell, and we think this is likely due to similar optimisation work. The Galaxy Note 7 has a much larger 3,500mAh cell (though smaller than the anticipated 4,000mAh) which, assuming a similar level of optimisation has been achieved, should produce some spectacular results. Naturally time will be the test of this as reviewers start to get hands-on with the phone for extended periods.

Apple still has its well-implemented TouchID fingerprint scanner for unlocking the handset and operating Apple Pay, while Samsung has its own fingerprint scanner in the Note 7's home key. Samsung has now added an iris scanner to the front of the Galaxy Note 7 as another biometric option.

On the storage side of things Samsung has only revealed a 64GB option for the Galaxy Note 7, but it does support microSD cards up to 256GB. However, there's no word yet on whether, like the Galaxy S7, the Note 7 may not support Android's native Adoptive Storage feature to utilise card storage as onboard space for applications. Another caveat is that the phone does not support the UFS card standard, meaning Samsung's latest batch of ultra-fast read/write UFS cards will not be compatible. Apple has a far wider range of onboard storage options ranging from 16GB up to 128GB (though omitting the 32GB option) but as per Apple's usual it does not support external card memory.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Apple iPhone 6s Plus: Camera

One area where Apple's phones have been consistently getting better and better, even with what are, overall, incremental models, is the camera tech. Apple takes a very softly, softly approach with its camera hardware but the results are difficult to argue with. In many ways the firm was a bit ahead of the curve with its modest but careful optimisation of imaging configurations, something that has now been adopted by the wider industry with more attention given to aperture sizes, pixel sizes, sensor sizes, autofocus tech, and stablisation, rather than just ramping up the megapixels.

The iPhone 6s Plus' setup is very impressive in terms of image and video fidelity, easily in the top five of current smartphone flagships. It is also slightly better than its smaller iPhone 6s counerpart thanks to the inclusion of an OIS module.

With that said, Samsung has really been pushing the boat out in recent years, the camera experience is consistently superb. The Galaxy Note 7 features the same imaging hardware as the Galaxy S7, including a super-wide f/1.7 aperture, much wider than Apple's f/2.2 setup, and a BIG 1/2.6" sensor size, both ideal for letting in more light. It also has OIS, but in addition uses the S7's advanced dual-pixel phase detection autofocus, which was a first for Samsung and is some of the fastest autofocus tech available.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is OFFICIAL: 6GB of RAM + 128GB Storage Model Coming To CHINA!?

Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 is FINALLY official. Here's everything you need to know about the Galaxy Note and when you can buy one

Samsung has just announced the latest instalment in its Android-based Galaxy smartphone range; the 5.7in Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phablet. The device has been the talk of the town for many months now, but has finally been unwrapped at a special event in New York on August 2. It’s fast becoming a cliche to say this in tech journo circles, but it’s true nonetheless that there are not many surprises with the official announcement following a long trail of rumours which have revealed, mostly accurately, near every detail of the Galaxy Note 7.

Samsung’s next BIG THING will be the Samsung Galaxy S8, which is scheduled for launch inside early 2017 in its usual spot. However, in 2017 there is a MASSIVE potential curveball on the cards and it goes by the name of Samsung Galaxy X.

Why’s it a curveball? Simple: the Galaxy X — which is believed to feature multiple models — will be the first commercial handsets that are completely flexible, meaning you will be able to fold and flex them. Samsung has been developing this tech for years, and in 2017 it will finally be ready for public consumption.

How the Galaxy X will effect the Galaxy S8 remains to be seen. Will it replace it? That doesn’t seem likely given how much sway Samsung’s Galaxy S brand commands in today’s mobile space. What’s more like is that it will be a side-brand like the Galaxy Note series. But if the rumours ring true and the Galaxy X is a truly flexible handset the reaction from consumers could be HUGE.

I mean, the status-quo of mobile design hasn’t really changed since 2007, save for the advent of ever-larger displays. The Galaxy X and the technology behind it stands to seriously shake things up on the mobile front by showing consumers that they can have phones that change shape, flex and roll-up. I mean, just think about that for a second — it’s HUGE. And, importantly, it’d give Samsung a huge marketing advantage of Apple and pretty much everybody else in the space.

Interestingly, it seems the Galaxy Note 7 may be indicating a product shift for Samsung; it's the first Galaxy handset with a curved EDGE display that isn't explicitly named with the EDGE moniker bolted on the end and, what's more, it has been launched solo, without a flat-screen alternative model, like the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S7 series. This has been enough on its own to get punters speculating about the possibility that all future Samsung flagship models may be single-model launches with a wholesale shift to curved EDGE displays, and without the need anymore to flag the feature in the naming convention, as it's now a familiar fixture for Galaxy fans. Following the launch of the Galaxy Note 7, some new info gives further weight to this line of thought, Samsung's head of mobile, Dong-jin Koh, spoke to the Korea Herald during an interview in New York after the Note 7 event, where he said, "Samsung has considered that it would make the edge display as the identity of the Galaxy S smartphone lineup if the company can provide consumers differentiated user experience through software and user-friendly functions (for the curved screen)."

However, with the Galaxy X waiting in the wings with an innovative new form factor, we are left to wonder how long the fixed-curvature of the EDGE display will be around before fully flexible and folding OLED phones dominate the Samsung Galaxy portfolio.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 6GB RAM & 128GB Storage Model A Reality?

Some pundits were a little shocked during the Galaxy Note 7 announcement when it emerged that Samsung was only revealing one storage variant for the phablet with 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. Recently there's been a push for higher storage models on flagship phones, with Apple raising its onboard storage up to 128GB, and with a phablet device with a focus on productivity, many expected the Note 7 would follow suit. There were also heavy rumours ahead of the launch for 6GB of RAM inside the Note 7.

Well, now following the launch, there's some evidence that a 128GB model with 6GB RAM may indeed exist. Chinese certification authority TENAA recently updated its listing for the Galaxy Note 7 with a 128GB memory and 6GB RAM variant, and if it's being certified in this way then it's pretty certain it will see a release. But the big question there is when? And perhaps more importantly where? So far it has only appeared on TENAA making us wonder if it will be limited to distribution in China. Only time will tell if a wider circulation will occur.

Yet more evidence has emerged on August 9 that China, at the very least, will be getting a 128GB storage/6GB RAM Galaxy Note 7 handset. This time it's a carrier network preparing to launch the new model, complete with pricing. Emerging via Chinese blogging and social network channels (Weibo) insiders with an unnamed Chinese network leaked details that pre-orders will start on August 26 and the phones would go on-sale on September 2, with the price set at 6088 yuan ($912), versus the 64GB/4GB RAM model at 5688 yuan ($853), a small difference in price which, frankly, doesn't sound at all realistic. Still, that doesn't mean the new model isn't real and isn't coming to China pretty soon - but the big question remains; will this be a China exclusive? We hope not, and if so it is a stupidity of similar proportions to the Galaxy Note 5 getting a limited distribution last year.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7: Design & Display

First and foremost is the fact that it is indeed called the Galaxy Note 7 not the Galaxy Note 7 EDGE (and not the Galaxy Note 6) in spite of also having an EDGE display with curved sides, just like the Galaxy S7 EDGE...but bigger.

It’s a Super AMOLED setup (no surprise there) with a QHD resolution just as tipsters predicted. You may recall DisplayMate studied the Galaxy S7 EDGE’s display technology and found it to be the best on the market bar none, on all fronts including brightness, sharpness, contrast, lowest reflective-ness, and more – it would appear Samsung has transferred that very same tech to the larger format. On top of that, Samsung has also borrowed some tricks from its 4K TV business, namely an HDR mode which allows for more vivid colour and contrast presets.

Meanwhile the overall design (as leaks already showed) is very similar to the Galaxy S7 series though a little more squared and angular in places - it’s available in silver, gold, or black colour options too, and there's also the new "blue coral" colour which features gold trim instead of silver.

Naturally it also has a cavity in the base holding the S-Pen stylus, which Samsung says is even more precise than before with a "ballpoint-like" experience, as well as offering a bunch of new software features and capabilities (which we’ll cover in more detail later). Just like the Galaxy S7 series, the Galaxy Note 7 is also IP68 water and dust resistant, the first Galaxy Note series device to be given this type of protection, better yet the stylus also functions underwater. Dimensions are 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9 mm and it weighs 168g – impressively light for the size of this phone.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7: Hardware

The fingerprint scanner Home key has returned again, but as leaks showed we now have an iris scanner built-into the phone’s frontage. This allows you to unlock the handset by lining your eye up inside some on-screen circles, but otherwise works pretty much like existing biometric security. As with the fingerprint scanner, Samsung is opening this up to app developers.

As per the pre-launch leaks, the handset features Type-C USB (with quick-charge support) and packs 64GB onboard storage for the base model, with microSD card support for up to 256GB of external memory. One fly in the ointment is that the microSD support doesn't include the new UFS format, with Samsung itself having recently launched a whole range of UFS microSD cards - the UFS format is much quicker for read and write speeds, so we can't help but feel Sammy has shot itself in the foot here. The internal memory, however, is UFS 2.0.

The processor, keeping with Samsung’s usual MO, is region-dependent, with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 processor doing the business for the North American and European markets (and indeed, most other places) while Samsung’s Asian home region has the firm’s own Exynos Octa 8990. That means pound-for-pound its on the same level as the Samsung Galaxy S7 series rather than being an incremental upgrade, as it was expected it might feature the latest Snapdragon 821 and Exynos 8993 chips, but still, regardless, it's still tons more powerful than the last Galaxy Note.

Either way, they’re 64-bit chips, though each model has 4GB of RAM onboard, NOT the 6GB many earlier rumours claimed!

Samsung Galaxy Note 7: Software & UI Features

The software package has received a bit of a visual overhaul, it’s running on top of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow (expect a Nougat update to follow between now and end of Q1 2017 we’d imagine!) with the firm’s own UI over top, but as with the Galaxy S7 the overlay has been stripped down and tidied considerably compared to Samsung’s past.

Despite this, the Galaxy Note series has always been about productivity, and maximising the potential of that big display combined with a pressure-sensitive stylus. Split-screen and windowed multitasking capabilities are still present and correct alongside several other now long-standing Galaxy Note features such as superb handwriting-to-text recognition and built-in cut, copy, and paste functions.

The Air Command radial menu has been tweaked to include three new functions too, all of them previously rumoured and fairly self-explanatory; Translate, Magnify, and Glance. The first two are pretty obvious, allowing you to translate text and magnify portions of the screen via the S-Pen, however, the third, Glance, is another multitasking feature allowing users to quickly see previews of an application by hovering over a thumbnail, and also enabling quick switching between said apps. There's also a handy gif-creator if you're into that sort of thing.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7: Camera

In terms of imaging, well it’s a similar story to previous Galaxy Note handsets; the series isn’t known for being particularly groundbreaking when it comes to photography, or at least not in terms of capture. Photo manipulation via the stylus features remains, however, pretty unique thanks to the built-in scrap-booking capabilities.

Previously the Galaxy Note series has tended to rely on utilising similar (often identical) imaging hardware to its contemporary Galaxy S flagship counterpart (as with many other features such as display and processor tech, of course) and this is largely the case here too.

The phone follows the Galaxy S7’s lead in sticking with current trends for down-rated megapixel ratings, a more conservative 12MP primary and 5MP secondary affair, but with other aspects of the sensors improved; larger sensor size, larger pixel size, wider apertures, better focus modules, and so on. It has the Galaxy S7's f/1.7 aperture size and an optical stabilisation (OIS) module.

The Galaxy Note 7 has the same dual-pixel phase detection autofocus as the Galaxy S7, which is insanely fast improving both the utility of the Samsung imaging experience, but also the image quality as less detail is lost in the process.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7: Battery

The battery is a sizeable 3,500mAh setup, which although impressive is not quite the 4,000mAh behemoth many rumours claimed. Still, as with the rest of Samsung’s premium range in recent years, the Galaxy Note 7 has been stuffed with battery saving software and hardware optimisations just like the Galaxy S7 - which offered some of the best battery performance so far this year - and there’s an Ultra Power-saving mode for when you really need it.

Samsung has also implemented the Galaxy S7’s Always On display feature which allows you to see the time and some notifications even when the phone is asleep, at very little noticeable cost to battery life. You can also take notes on the Always On display in standby mode.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7: Release Date, Price & Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will be available for pre-order starting from August 3. The actual release date is scheduled for August 19, and all major carriers — both here, in the UK, and the US — will be carrying the handset.

With respect to pricing, this is what we know so far: 

US	August 3	August 19	AT&T: $880; T-Mobile: $849; U.S. Cellular: $834	Blue, black and silver
UK	August 16	September 2	£578-£631*	Blue, black and silver

If you'd like to pre-order tha Galaxy Note 7 you can do so HERE. 

And in case you were wondering, Samsung has published this handy infographic showing just what is new in the Galaxy Note 7 compared to its predecessor: