Users can unlock Samsung’s new smartphone just by looking at it.
The Galaxy Note 7 comes with an iris scanner, which matches patterns in a user’s eyes with what was detected by their handset during setup. It offers an alternative to fingerprint ID, which does not work well when fingers are wet. Of course, the four-digit passcode will still work.
“We challenged our engineers to design a security system that’s convenient and safe at the same time,” said Justin Denison, a senior vice president for product strategy at Samsung Electronics Co. “It took five years to perfect, but it only takes a glance to unlock your phone.”
Photo: AFP
However, Samsung is not the first; Microsoft Corp’s Lumia 950 smartphones had it.
Beyond that, the updates in the Note 7 are mostly enhancements, such as a stronger glass screen and more storage — 64 gigabytes, or double what Samsung usually offers, plus a slot to add more.
The Note 7 comes with a better camera — but it is the same one that the smaller Galaxy S7 phones got in March, save for interface enhancements to access settings and switch between the front and rear cameras more easily.
Samsung had lost its mojo after Apple Inc matched the company on size with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in 2014, but thanks to the popularity of the S7, Samsung just reported its best quarterly financial results in two years.
The new Note 7 comes weeks before Apple is expected to announce new models.
Samsung typically releases its regular-size phones in the spring and jumbo phones in August. This time, Samsung has just one large model, which stays at 5.7 inches.
It has curved edges — a well-liked feature limited to a special “Edge” model before. The Note 7 is to be available in the US starting on Aug. 19. Prices have not been announced.
Samsung is also releasing an updated virtual-reality (VR) headset — with a dedicated home button, a wider field of view and a black interior to improve viewing. The new Gear VR will be available on Aug. 19 for US$100.
A previously announced 360° camera called Gear 360 also comes out that day, for US$350. As smartphones mature and innovation slows, VR has been one area in which gadget makers try to entice consumers.
As with past Note handsets, the Note 7 comes with a stylus. It expands on a feature that lets users magnify text and images by hovering the pen over it.
With the pen, people have ways to easily create and share GIF animations.
The Note 7 also expands on a feature to give sensitive files an additional layer of security. Users are asked for an iris scan, fingerprint or passcode to access documents placed in Secure Folder. This way, if a user is handing their phone to friends to browse pictures, the user is not inadvertently giving them access to confidential work documents.
In previous phones, Samsung’s Private Mode merely hid files and worked only with selected apps.
Samsung said Secure Folder stores sensitive documents and even entire apps in a separate, secure location.
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