Still thinking about making the Galaxy Note 7 your next smartphone? Forget about it.
I gave Samsung’s latest flagship a glowing review last month. But amid reports that supposedly “safe” replacement devices are overheating and exploding, there’s no good reason to buy a Galaxy Note 7 anymore.
Do yourself a favor and get the iPhone 7 Plus instead.
I’m one of those strange people with a fondness for both Apple and Samsung, and I regularly use Android devices alongside my iPhone. I ordered a Note 7 as soon as they were available in the United Kingdom, and I swapped it for another model when the original got recalled.
I stand by almost everything I wrote in my review, but I retract the last line: “Hold onto your cash until the Note 7 goes on sale again and get one.”
Samsung blew it with Galaxy Note 7 recall
Samsung had its chance to save the Note 7 — and its own reputation — when it announced the recall in early September. I defended the South Korean company in a recent Friday Night Fight on Cult of Mac because Samsung did the right thing. I was adamant this terrible situation could be turned around.
But Samsung blew it.
Over the past week or so, more reports have revealed that even replacement Note 7 units — which supposedly have safe batteries — are overheating and exploding. There are videos that corroborate the claims, and at least one person has ended up in the hospital.
What’s really worrying is that some of these devices are overheating completely spontaneously — without being connected to a charger. That means even if you’re super-careful and watch your Note 7 like a hawk while it charges, there’s still a chance it’ll blow up later in your pocket.
Samsung moves slowly on Galaxy Note 7 recall
Even more worrisome is that — instead of admitting there’s a problem and fixing it as quickly as possible, like it did first time around — Samsung seems to be trying to keep the latest incidents under wraps while consumers continue to buy the Note 7 wherever it’s available.
The Verge reports that after learning a “safe” Note 7 owned by Michael Klering of Nicholasville, Kentucky, caught fire at night, filling his bedroom with smoke, the company asked for the device to be returned for an investigation.
That was almost a week ago. More replacement Note 7 handsets have exploded since then — one on an airplane and one in the hands of a 13-year-old girl — and Samsung still hasn’t issued a statement warning customers that new Note 7 units may also be unfit for use.
Klering refused to send his Note 7 back, and later received a text from a Samsung representative that was clearly meant for someone else. It read, “I can try and slow him down if we think it will matter, or we just let him do what he keeps threatening to do and see if he does it.”
It’s thought Klering was threatening to tell his story to the press, which he did.
No sign of second Galaxy Note 7 recall
Samsung still insists that customer safety is its “highest priority.” According to today’s reports, the company has halted production of the device. However, there’s no sign of a second mass recall just yet.
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That lack of a recall doesn’t mean you should buy a Note 7. It doesn’t matter how wonderful the device is until it explodes; this isn’t a risk you should be taking with a smartphone. There is clearly a significant issue here that Samsung has been unable to fix. And it’s scary.
A number of major U.S. carriers, including AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, have already ceased Note 7 sales, or are at least considering the move. Most will swap your Note 7 for another device (that won’t explode).
Sadly, that’s not the case in all markets. In the United Kingdom, Carphone Warehouse, where I purchased my Note 7, says it hasn’t received any information about a second recall from Samsung, and it won’t replace or refund new Note 7 units until that happens.
Instead of being stuck with a Note 7 that may be recalled again — or worse, may explode — simply avoid it. Sure, it’s a great device, but there are so many other great smartphones out there that are completely safe and won’t have you rushing to the ER with burns or lung damage.
iPhone 7 Plus is the best phablet
I recommend going for the iPhone 7 Plus instead. With the Note 7 all but dead now, Apple’s latest handset is the best phablet money can buy.
It’s water-resistant, and it packs impressive stereo speakers, a stellar camera and Apple’s insane A10 Fusion chip.
I’ve already reviewed the 4.7-inch iPhone 7, and I love it. The iPhone 7 Plus is the same, just bigger and better.
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
43 responses to “Forget the Galaxy Note 7 and buy an iPhone 7 Plus”
… if you can find a 7+ in stock anywhere… You think Samsung blew it? Apple’s blowing it by keeping the stock low. You would think they would know how to launch a device by now…
Apple knows what it is doing with iphone stock.
All you have to do is order one online. I got mine in a week. Their delivery estimates are very cautious.
A phablet with pathetic 1080p display and mediocre battery and camera? Hell no!
Mediocre camera?
Yes. Mediocre compared to Nexus 5X and even Galaxy S4/S5
Lol
Haha. The latest phones from google will not even be available in my country….
Google don’t push that phone forward and they are abandoning the old ones.
The Pixels are maybe possible to buy if you mailorder it from USA.
It is nowhere to be found in Sweden.
And, maybe you can see a difference if you pixelpeep really really close. But seriously, who gives a damn? Does the nowhere to be found have a twin lens that makes it possible to simulate large aperture or zooming?
The cult master is taking time to approve my message? Afraid to let everyone see how pathetic the iPhone 7 is.
Meh?
So the cult master approve this nonsense while my reply (with sense) is still pending.
Can we stick to reasonable discussions without devolving into this kind of thing?
And let’s also not go calling people whores or claiming that others are mentally disabled. The internet doesn’t need to be rude all of the time, and we can do our part to make sure at least this comments section isn’t needlessly offensive.
Everyone deserves basic decency. If you can’t be polite, don’t comment at all.
I’d wait for an iPhone before I would buy this cheap exploding junk. Let the samtards have this shit
Actually I did a purchase comparison and found Samsung being an expensive exploding junk. You have to buy a 256 GB card separate if you don’t go through Samsung directly and if it is not on sale. Adding $200 to the purchasing price. They are $150 more than the Apple iPhone 7 plus 256 GB.
You can get microSD cards much cheaper during sales.
Do you even know what you’re talking about. The base 64gb IPhone 7 plus is 20$ more than the Note 7 and its 200$ more for the 256gb variant. A 256gb SD card costs about 150$. If you know how to count that’s actually 320gb of memory for 50$ less than the 256gb variant of the iPhone 7 plus and you get 64gb more.
In what world can a big phone like the iPhone 7 plus be an equivalent of a true phablet like the note 7. The next best option to replace a note 7 would be a note 5 not an IPhone 7 plus. People use the note for its versatile nature and functionality. ***The iPhone 7 plus is not a phablet*** just a big phone therefore not a valid substitute for the note 7.
We sleep very well by counting sheep like you obviously. For the record I have an note 7 and an iPhone 7 which is a solid phone. I would never get an IPhone 7 because it’s simply not a phablet. It’s just a big ass phone with none of the added value. Not one feature of the iPhone 7 plus take advantage of the extra real estate. When it comes to phablets the note series reign Supreme and that is no fallacy it’s just fact.
It just isn’t a phablet in the true sense of the term. I’m not stating my opinion but fact. It’s just a big phone. Get over it. If I need to fly, I’ll bring my iPhone 7. There have been reports of iPhone blowing up and injuring people too. The article is about trading in a note 7 for an iPhone 7 plus. It makes absolutely no sense. Apples and oranges. One is a phablet the other a big phone. I have absolutely nothing against Apple or iPhones in general. The premise of this article is crap! It’s like saying your monkey wrench is broken, trade it for a nice pair of pliers. Makes no sense. Troll all you want dude. I’m stating facts not my opinion.
So, the millions who support the gangster culture of Samsunk are the noteworthy righteous illuminated ones.
The same amount of people that buys Apple products are sheep?
Interesting…..
I will re iterate my argument. I am not saying that Samsung is better than Apple. I own both the note 7 and the iPhone 7. All I’m saying is the Note 7 is a PHABLET in every sense. The IPhone 7 plus is just a BIG PHONE therefore not a valid substitute. Apple’s to oranges. I understand your need to take my words out of context for sarcastic purposes but let’s not stray from the actual conversation here.
Do you realize that calling a competing company a “gangster culture of Samsunk” really doesn’t help you? Companies other than Apple can and do make good products, and being partisan doesn’t help anyone.
A company with a budget for bribery?
Pretty much every company has done bad things. Doesn’t mean calling them names is helpful.
Was just about to say that… NOT a PHABLET!!!! just a big average looking phone without an S-Pen.
Let me fix that for you “phone without a 1980’s stylus” lol
Like the 100$ stylus for the iPad pro?
The original generation of stylus-based phones weren’t great, because they required the stylus to do almost anything on the display. The new generation of stylus-enabled phones, particularly the Note line, didn’t require a stylus but added for for increased functionality. It’s additional use, not required for basic tasks.
It’s obvious you haven’t used an S-Pen and are just talking out of your ass. Please remove that Apple Foot from it.. There is no replacement for a Note7 unless it’s a Note 7, Note 8 or Note 5.
The wording could have been better, but it could also be said that the iPhone 7 Plus and Note 7 are in slightly different product categories. They are both large devices, but the Note series was arguably more productivity based and added functionality that took advantage of the larger screen, whereas the “Plus” iPhones were just larger iPhones with little added function.
So it’s not that easy to switch over from an android over to ios. The iphone 7 and the note 7 are completely different phones with completely different operating systems. I really don’t see the pint of moving over to an iphone. You can get a few fantastic phones like the lg v20, Google pixel xl, and the nexus 6p at the same price point and their android. Theirs no point of switching to an iphone when you already have great android options to choose from. Also the iphone 7 sucks to be honest. The camera over saturates photos, the screen resolution is only 1080p, while a lot of premium android phones like the pixel, v20, and 6p have quad-hd and you can absolutely tell the difference between the two. Also theyes removed the headphone jack, which means you can’t listen to your music while your charging your phone unless you buy the wireless earbuds by apple ($160), the charging port get more worn down due to it being used multiple times and this will last only a year for a lot of people, and also you have to buy $160 earbuds from apple to get rid of these problems. Overall it’s just a ripoff. In conclusion their are better android options out their for people, and it’s not that easy to just switch your operating system.
It takes about a week of use if your techsavy or 2weeeks for a old person.
Samsung builds terds, iPhone build quality has stood up to my rugged lifestyle. The Samsung “Active” was the biggest ripoff until the note7 came along.
Chad is very rugged
Took me one trip to AT&T to realize iPhone is nowhere close to what we can do with a Galaxy Note or in any case, an ANDROID phone.
You can actually use any Bluetooth headphones and there are cheaper alternatives. I’ve been using Bluetooth headphones for a couple of years and my beats wireless sound great on my iPhone 7. I truly like my iPhone 7 I think it’s great. About 90% of new features since iOS 7 are actually Android features so the iPhone 7 feels quite familiar now. However the iPhone 7 plus is in no way shape or form a viable replacement for the note 7. The note 5 and the LG V20 are actually the only 2 that can hold a candle to the note 7. The iPhone 7 plus is just a blown up iPhone 7, not worth the extra coin imho.
I thought that the Note 7 issues were over Killian?
LOL.
Samsung updated the original recall page and is instructing all owners to return all Note 7 devices, including replacement units. I consider this the Note 7 Recall Redux!
*backs away slowly*
Raised eyebrows…
Hmmmm… You sir, are nuts. Certifiably nuts.
*smiling, backing up against the door….*
Pssst! FBI, here is a good one to check out….
I’m sorry, the Note 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are not even comparable. The Note 7 is a hands down a significantly better phone. Or did we all forget that before the few failed battery incidents, it was rated best phone of all time?
The iPhone 7 plus is apple’s uninspired slightly larger iPhone creation released to compete with the success of the Note. I’ll take my chances with my Note 7, considering I have a statistically higher chance of getting struck by lightning then my phone failing.