6 Predictions for Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 'Unpacked' Event

On Tuesday, Samsung will probably unveil a new addition to its Galaxy Note smartphone lineup. Beyond the Note 7’s name, the company hasn’t confirmed anything else, but thanks to a series of leaks, we have an idea of what we can expect to see.

Here are six cool things to watch for.

Iris scanning

Samsung is expected to introduce iris scanning technology in the Note 7. Android Authority reports that when a user tries to unlock their new phone, it will show the view of the front-facing camera and ask them to position their head between 25 and 35 centimeters away from the screen. It then checks the user’s iris against a stored scan to see if they are the owner. There’s no word on how fast the system will be, but if it’s anything like Microsoft’s implementation on the Lumia 950 XL, it should be a pretty quick way to unlock your device.

A new Gear VR

Nowhereelse.fr reports that Samsung will introduce a new Gear VR headset at the event, just in time for the VR-enabled Rio Olympics. Weighing in at 300 grams (0.66 pounds), the new headset will be 18 grams (0.63 ounces) lighter than its predecessor. The field of view will be expanded to 110 degrees, up from 96 degrees. It will work with both the new Note 7 and older Galaxy devices, and will support USB-C. What’s USB-C? Glad you asked.

USB-C

After passing on the reversible USB connector with the Galaxy S7 and going for a micro-USB instead, Samsung is changing course. Both the new Gear VR and the Note 7 will ship with a USB-C port, with a USB-C to micro-USB adaptor bundled in, 9to5Google reports. This should cut down on the amount of fiddling you have to do to get the cable in the right way.

Supercharged stylus

The S Pen is the key differentiator from Samsung’s other smartphone lines. This year, TalkAndroid claims the new pen will be able to work as a translation tool and a magnifying glass. Presumably, both of those are on-screen features. The new stylus will also be able to write on the phone’s always-on display, instantly jotting down notes as they come to mind. Nifty. That’s not all though, because writing in normal environments is becoming par for the course now.

Underwater writing

9to5Google’s report claims that the Note 7 will be water resistant to IP68, or a submersion of around five feet, for around 30 minutes. What’s interesting is the S Pen is also expected to work underwater. Anyone that works in shallow swimming pools for half hour intervals will be pleased. Those that don’t now have a cool party trick.

Curved screen

The Note is going the way of the Edge. Not the U2 band member, but Samsung’s range of curved screen phones. The curved screen was initially thought of as a bit gimmicky, but it turned out to be a handy way of fitting more screen space into a smaller phone. The Note 7 will have a “barely curved” screen, according to TalkAndroid, which leads to “almost nonexistent” screen bezels. With reports that Apple may bring curved displays to the iPhone 8, maybe Samsung was onto something all along.