The Samsung Galaxy Note7 (S820) Review
by Joshua Ho on August 16, 2016 9:00 AM ESTVideo Performance
For this portion of the review we can take a look at video performance, which provides an extra test of encode block performance in addition to ISP, sensor, and optic performance. In the interest of not wasting time on retreading topics that are basically unchanged relative to the Galaxy S7, I would redirect readers interested in an in-depth exploration of this subject and comparisons to other devices to the Galaxy S7 Part 2 review as this part of the review will be almost entirely focused on just comparing the Note7 to the Galaxy S7 to see what’s changed.
Samsung Galaxy Note7 Video Encode Settings | ||||
Video | Audio | |||
1080p30 | 17 Mbps H.264 High Profile | 256 Kbps, 48 KHz AAC | ||
1080p60 | 28 Mbps H.264 High Profile | 256 Kbps, 48 KHz AAC | ||
4K30 | 48 Mbps H.264 High Profile | 256 Kbps, 48 KHz AAC | ||
720p240 | 76 Mbps H.264 Baseline | 256 Kbps, 48 KHz AAC |
Starting with encode settings, we can see that the Note7 retains the same exact encode settings as the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, which probably isn’t a surprise given that we’re probably seeing the limits of what the Snapdragon 820’s encode blocks can handle in cases like slow motion video, although 1080p30 is likely not encode-limited at this point.
Galaxy Note7
Galaxy S7
In 1080p30 video the Galaxy Note7 and Galaxy S7 look basically identical save for some slight differences in color rendition. The Note7 seems to be slightly more accurate here as the sky is closer to the color of blue that it should be but detail and most other colors look fairly comparable and both still have some jerky OIS reset behavior.
Galaxy Note7
Galaxy S7
In slow motion video the Galaxy Note7 again seems to have slightly improved color rendition but detail and pretty much everything else is identical. I don’t think this is a reason to go out and buy the Note7, but hopefully these improvements to color rendition come to future OTAs for the Galaxy S7.
Overall I don’t think video results appreciably change the Galaxy Note7’s results here. The camera is great from a speed perspective and it’s good for video but in a lot of cases HTC really does have them beat with the camera on the HTC 10. I think the major win for the Note7 continues to be speed and consistency as the one major weakness of the HTC 10’s camera relative to the Note7 is somewhat unreliable contrast AF in low light, although in better conditions PDAF has no issues achieving perfect focus.
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fm13 - Wednesday, August 17, 2016 - link
thanks for your work. any plans for Mi5 review? given that most reviews of it published so far are utter crap.JoshHo - Wednesday, August 17, 2016 - link
The Mi5 review is assigned to Andrei. He will be best equipped to say whether he can finish it.jospoortvliet - Thursday, August 18, 2016 - link
I hope you meant "when" not "whether" ;-)wessam_yamani - Tuesday, August 23, 2016 - link
i hope you consider the software update version 1.90.401.5 or the latest update you have . and please mention the software version in your article .thanks to all the reviewerVagabondjonez - Tuesday, August 16, 2016 - link
I literally just posted right after you lolSttm - Wednesday, August 17, 2016 - link
Don't worry they will get the review out while its still available at at least 1 carrier.SaolDan - Tuesday, August 16, 2016 - link
Neat!!ddriver - Tuesday, August 16, 2016 - link
I just wish they go back to making a note (as in note 3) instead of this glass brick, which IMO doesn't really merit the "note" moniker.zozoqoq - Tuesday, August 16, 2016 - link
Yep, my Note 4 has been great, but I don't fancy paying $1200 Canadian for something that can't really be given a case or a screen protector without compromising its functionality. Without them I'll break it within a month.zepi - Tuesday, August 16, 2016 - link
Is the charge time limited by temperature? Ie. if you plug a 50% charged phone that is cold vs. 50% charged phone that is burning hot after 30min of gaming, are the charging rates going to be the same?