The Galaxy Note 7 is Samsung’s best and brightest new phone, so naturally the company’s already made sure that there are a ton of smart accessories surrounding it, here are our top picks.
Samsung Gear VR for Galaxy Note 7
With the arrival of the Note 7, Samsung has finally transitioned to Type-C USB connections on its phones and whilst there are a number of obvious benefits with this change, it does also mean that the company has had to make a new version of its popular Gear VR headset to support the new port.
Thankfully Samsung has actually designed the new Gear VR to accept a range of phones of different sizes (as with the last model) and includes interchangeable connectors should you wish to use older Gear VR-compatible Samsungs that still rely on microUSB. The new Gear VR is also a touch lighter (312 grams vs 318 grams) and offers a wider field of view (101 degrees versus 96 degrees) thanks to larger lenses.
The Arctic White bodywork has been swapped out for a hue called ‘Blue Black’, which reduces light reflectivity for greater immersion and the touchpad adopts the older, flatter design of the developer edition Gear VR headsets, as well as a new dedicated physical home button next to the back button.
Samsung is also looking to entice developers to create third-party peripherals though the addition of an external microUSB port (which also supports charging) and we’re hoping that when the headset launches it’ll replace the current Gear VR at the same price point (£80) or less – although those looking to pre-order the Note 7 will also be able to get one free if they want.
Read next: Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in a nutshell: Specs, best features and more
Samsung Gear 360 camera
This year Samsung doubled down on the idea of immersive experiences, introducing the Gear 360 camera at MWC 2016 as a means of creating content perfectly suited to enjoying on its latest Gear VR-compatible smartphones, including the Note 7.
The dual 15-megapixel-sensors can capture stills and video independently or together as 180-degree or 360-degree content and each packs an f/2.0 aperture for solid low light performance too. The camera also features a combined tripod/handle, a removable 1350mAh battery that lasts just over an hour in a single stint and a microSD card slot.
The Gear 360 is the priciest accessory in our lineup at around £350, but it’s also the most experimental tech on offer and doesn’t need to be connected to your smartphone to record.
Samsung IconX wireless earbuds
Going wireless is a growing trend in the headphone space and whilst we’ve had Bluetooth cans and buds for years at this stage, the IconX shrug all forms of cable completely. On a charge these little buds will last around eight hours and if you clip them back into their carry case you can get up to three additional full charges before having to visit a wall plug.
As well as packing 4GB of internal storage for music playback when you’re away from your Note 7, the IconX also support an inbuilt coach and fitness tracking, with heart rate monitoring, step counting, distance tracking and calorie counting that can feed back into the phone’s S Health app.
The IconX wireless earbuds are available now in black, white or Air Superiority Blue for £169.
Samsung Gear Fit2
Another piece of the fitness puzzle that new Note owners might appreciate is the Gear Fit2, an update on the original Fit, with a similar wraparound design, sporting a curved 1.5-inch 216×432 Super AMOLED display. You also get an optical heart rate sensor and GPS too.
Like the IconX buds, 4GB of internal storage paired with an integrated music player and automatic activity tracking it won’t have to be tied to your Note the whole time. It too comes in three colours; black, Air Superiority Blue or Mexican Pink and each costs £149.
S View Standing Cover, Backpack and Lens Cover
It was nice to see that as well as separate accessories Samsung had already taken care of ensuring that there were a wealth of cases on show at the phone’s launch to keep your prized new phablet safe when it’s out in the big, wide world.
Our three favourite offerings start with the S View Standing cover; which as its name suggests protects your Note 7 and lets you access most of its functions whilst closed thanks to the integrated S View window, but also lets you prop the phone up on a tabletop in a landscape orientation, making it perfect for enjoying media hands-free.
The 3500mAh battery inside the phone should satiate most users’ needs in day to day use, but if you want a little extra oomph, Samsung is also going to be launching the Backpack – an external battery case that both protects your new Note and charges it wirelessly, offering up an additional 3100mAh battery and what’s more it shares the phones IP68 dust and water resistance.
We were impressed by the Galaxy S7‘s Lens Cover and it appears that Samsung is extending the abilities of this photography-centric accessory to the Note 7 as well. Lenses will apparently be interchangeable between both too. No word on pricing yet, but the S7 model currently sells for £99.
…and the rest
There are a ton of other great accessories on the Note 7’s roadmap; like a 10200mAh external battery pack, the official Clear View, LED and keyboard covers, as well as a wealth of third-party cases from the likes of Speck, Artshare, Olixar, Incipio and Mophie out there as well.
Check out O2’s Galaxy Note 7 page where you can pre-order the phone from August 16.
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