Samsung has finally announced the next generation of Galaxy Note at an event in New York, putting all the rumours to rest. 

The new device is going by the name of Galaxy Note 7, rather than Galaxy Note 6, in order for it to be better associated with the rest of the company's 2016 flagships - the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

Aside from the name, what are the other similarities and differences between the Galaxy Note 7, the Galaxy S7 edge and the Galaxy S7 though? Here is how they compare.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Galaxy S7 edge vs Galaxy S7: Design

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 follows the design cues of the Galaxy S7 edge, but with a slightly squarer look and the addition of a redesigned S Pen. There is a metal build present with curved glass on the front and rear. There is no flat model available, only curved, taking the Note series in a slightly different direction than previous models. 

The Note 7 measures 153.5mm x 73.9mm x 7.9mm and it hits the scales at 169g. Both an iris scanner and fingerprint sensor are present on the new device, along with a water and dust resistance of IP68 and USB Type-C. The Note 7 will be available in three colour ways: Black Oynx, Blue Coral and Silver Titanium.

The Galaxy S7 edge measures 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7mm and weighs 157g, while the Galaxy S7 measures 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9mm and weighs 152g, making them slimmer, lighter and smaller than the Note 7. Both offer metal builds, with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 fronts and rears, but the S7 edge has a curved display like the Note 7, while the standard S7 is flat.

The S7 edge and S7 both have a water and dust resistance rating of IP68 like the Note 7, and they come with a fingerprint sensor on the front, again like the Note 7. The S7 and S7 edge come in Black Oynx, White, Gold, Titanium Silver and Pink Gold so they have a few more colour options available compared to the Note 7.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Galaxy S7 edge vs Galaxy S7: Display

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7's display is 5.7-inches like previous Note devices. It sticks with Super AMOLED technology, as well as a Quad HD resolution, both of which can be found on the later preceding Note devices.

As we mentioned, the Note 7 has a curved display like the S7 edge. It also features an Always-on display, something that can also be found on the S7 and S7 edge, although the Note 7 has more use for it thanks to the S-Pen. The Note 7 also adds Mobile HDR to its display's attributes, meaning when mobile HDR content is available, the Note 7 will be capable of showing it, while the S7 and S7 edge won't.

Both the Galaxy S7 edge and the Galaxy S7 feature Quad HD resolutions and Super AMOLED displays. The Galaxy S7 edge is 5.5-inches and has a dual edge display, while the Galaxy S7 is 5.1-inches.

As both the S7 and S7 edge are smaller than the Note 7 but feature the same resolution, they will offer a slightly higher pixel density. The S7 edge sits at 534ppi and the S7 at 577ppi, while the Note 7's is 515ppi. The difference won't be noticeable to the human eye, but based on the numbers, the S7 offers the sharpest display of the three devices being compared here.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Galaxy S7 edge vs Galaxy S7: Camera

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 comes with the same camera capabilities as the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

That means you'll find a 12-megapixel rear camera with Dual Pixel technology, coupled with a 5-megapixel front camera.

Both the front and rear cameras of the Note 7, S7 and S7 edge have an aperture of f.1/7, helping them in low light conditions. The rear camera is capable of 4K video recording and it comes with phase detection auto focus and an LED flash. Auto HDR is present on both the front and the rear cameras.

The S7 edge and S7 are excellent performers in terms of camera so we'd expect the same from the Note 7 given it offers identical technology.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Galaxy S7 edge vs Galaxy S7: Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will feature an octa-core Exynos chip or the Qualcomm SD820, depending on the region, and there will be 4GB of RAM supporting the chip. It's not currently clear what storage options will be available, but microSD is present, which it wasn't on the Note 5.

The Note 7's battery capacity sits at 3500mAh, with fast charging and wireless charging both available. USB Type-C is on board over Micro-USB on board, as we mentioned.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge and Galaxy S7 both come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip, or the Exynos 8890, again depending on the region. The two devices are supported by 4GB of RAM and they come in 32GB and 64GB storage options, both of which offer microSD but it isn't compatible with Marshmallow's Adoptable storage function.

The S7 edge has a 3600mAh battery, while the S7 has a 3000mAh battery so the Note 7 has a smaller capacity than the S7 edge and a larger display to power. Both the S7 edge and S7 have Micro-USB over USB Type-C.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Galaxy S7 edge vs Galaxy S7: Software

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 launches on Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 with TouchWiz over the top. The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge and Galaxy S7 also both run on Android Marshmallow 6.0 and again feature TouchWiz on the top.

Both the Note 7 and the S7 edge have Edge UX, which takes advantage of the curved display, adding a couple of extra features over the standard S7.

Whilst the experience will be familiar to the S7 edge, Samsung has also streamlined things for the Note 7, with fewer colours within the icons to offer a more subtle, cleaner look. There are also the additional features that come with the S-Pen functionality, such as Air Command, note taking without unlocking the device and the Samsung Notes app.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Galaxy S7 edge vs Galaxy S7: Conclusion

Ultimately, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is a slightly larger version of the Galaxy S7 edge but with the addition of an S-Pen, USB Type-C, an iris scanner and mobile HDR.

It does have a smaller battery capacity than the S7 edge, but the Note 7 should offer a very similar performance to both the devices being compared here, including camera capabilities.

There will be a few differences in the software, especially against the S7, and the S-Pen brings several functions over both the S7 and S7 edge. It will depend on what you want from your device as to which of these handsets is the right one for you.

The Note 7 is the most impressive on the spec sheet, with the most advanced technology, but chances are its price will reflect that and therefore, if you like the design, but don't necessarily need the S-Pen functionality, the S7 edge might be better for you.

For more features and information on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, you can visit its dedicated hub.