USA DAWN: NEWS AND UPDATES

I had hoped the Galaxy Note 7 would be a powerhouse of a handset, but watching the launch of the phablet yesterday made it clear that Samsung’s latest handset is no longer at the top of the tree. It’s an important handset, but it’s no longer number one. Rather than being ‘the best phablet that Samsung could make’, this year’s Note is a curious mix of the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S7 Edge. Many of the features of 2015′s Note 5 (including the S-Pen and the software features tied to the larger screen) have been smashed into the design cues and the waterproofing of the Galaxy S7 Edge. That’s led to a package that misses the key historical benefits of the Note range and shackling the phablet closer to Samsung’s flagship smartphone handset. Putting the specifications of the Note 7 next to the S7 Edge and there is a significant level of crossover – the same choice of processors depending on the region (Snapdragon or Exynos), 4GB of RAM, same quick charge circuitry, s...