Could the Galaxy Note 7 be the first smartphone to launch with Android 7.0 Nougat?
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has been caught on GeekBench running on Android 7.0 Nougat, which does hint at the smartphone being launched with Google's new OS.
Google has already accelerated the launch of Android N, with developer previews out as early as in March earlier this year. Now, we also have public beta builds of Android N available for the masses which the company says are ready for daily use. Therefore, OEMs may already have the final build at hand to customize for their smartphones by now. This lends credibility to the GeekBench scores which show the Galaxy Note 7 running on Android 7 Nougat.
Although you would notice the poor scores, 909 (single-core) and 3768 (multi-core) on GeekBench and also that the chipset is marked as Exynos 7420 with just 3 gigs of RAM. So, we can't exactly say what Samsung was testing here, but the model number does say SM-N930F which would be one of the variants of Note 7.
Last time around the SM-N930F made the rounds on GeekBench, it was seen sporting the Exynos 8890 with 4GB RAM inside and Android 6.0.1. So, Samsung may just be playing coy and testing various prototypes of the new Note to check performance. Although specs haven't been confirmed, there are some things that we know.
Galaxy Note 7 Rumored Specifications
- 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED Curved Dual-edge Display, 2560×1440 pixels, 515 PPI
- Octa-Core Exynos 8 or Snapdragon 823
- 6GB LPDDR4 RAM, 64GB/128GB Storage Expandable with MicroSD Card Slot
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- 12MP Rear Camera Dual-pixel AutoFocus, Smart OIS, LED Flash
- 5MP Front Camera
- IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, Heart-rate Sensor, Fingerprint sensor, Iris scanner, Barometer
- 4G LTE with VoLTE, dual-band Wi-Fiac, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, NFC, USB Type-C
- 3600mAh battery with fast wireless charging
There is an Iris scanner being rumored for the Note 7 as well. It is expected to be launched on August 2nd which would make it the first smartphone to launch with Android 7.0 Nougat.
Thanks for the tip, Harish!