The 7 best alternatives for the Samsung Galaxy Note7

SINGAPORE — It has been nearly a week since the Samsung Galaxy Note7 has ceased production: As Monty Python would say, it is an ex-smartphone.

It’s a massive shame, because it really was a wonderful handset — when it’s not spontaneously combusting.

It’s a big loss for the tech world, because there’s no true Note7 alternative out there. Samsung nailed the stylus-toting phablet market, and the Note series has always been the only choice for doodlers and digital note takers.

But while there’s no direct replacement as yet — there are still some decent alternative plus-sized handsets if you’re after an alternative right now:

1. SAMSUNG GALAXY S7 EDGE

It's important to make it clear that the overheating battery issue only affects the Note7, so the rest of Samsung’s smartphones — including the S7 Edge — are perfectly safe. If you're after an experience that's as close to the Note7 as possible, this is absolutely the best choice.

2. APPLE IPHONE 7 PLUS

Its screen resolution isn’t as high as the Note7, but it’s not the sort of thing you’ll notice with regular use. However, build, screen and power aside, the iPhone 7 Plus is packing one of the best—if not the best—smartphone cameras in the world right now, alongside the likes of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, nailing sharp, clear shots across all lighting conditions. Its secondary camera allows you to zoom in up to 2X without any loss in quality, and up to 10X with some fancy software tricks.

With iOS 10 catching up to Android in widgets—though it’s still not ideal if you’re into tinkering and customising--this could be the best time to at least try out making a switch to the Apple camp.

3. HUAWEI P9 PLUS

While the iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 still outperform Huawei’s dual-camera setup — its lack of optical image stabilisation hurts it a bit — it is still a solid (and more affordable) alternative to most of the other contenders here, and its colour reproduction in well-lit conditions is excellent.

4. ONEPLUS 3

5. GOOGLE PIXEL XL

Google held nothing back when it came to praising the Pixel’s camera either, claiming it to be the fastest, clearest, and sharpest camera yet to grace a smartphone. The XL’s 5.5in 2K OLED screen should be a very close substitute to the Note7’s display, and while we haven’t reviewed the Pixel ourselves (yet), it should be top of your list if you’re after the latest Android updates on the day that Google releases them.

6. LG STYLUS 2 PLUS

7. SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 5

The article first appeared on Stuff Singapore.