Feature Articles

7 tips to get the most out of your Samsung Galaxy Note7 S Pen

By James Lu - 19 Aug 2016

7 tips to get the most out of your Samsung Galaxy Note7 S Pen

Just picked up your new Samsung Galaxy Note7? Time to become a productivity pro with these powerful new S Pen features.

For more info on the new Galaxy Note7, read our full review here.

Don’t fear the water

Both the Note7 and its S Pen are IP68 dust and water resistant so you don’t have to worry about dropping it in the drink. Everything is sealed internally, so you can even get water inside the S Pen stylus silo without damaging anything. And unlike most water-resistant smartphones, where the screen won’t work underwater, you can actually use and write with the S Pen underwater.

Take notes without turning the screen on

The Note7 has an always-on Super AMOLED display, just like the S7 and S7 Edge. While this is useful for showing notifications and the time when the screen isn't on, you can also use it to take quick notes. Just pull the S Pen out when the display is off to activate Screen-Off Memo. This lets you jot down quick notes in white text on the black display. If you want the note to remain visible like a sticky note on the always-on display, just pin it to the Always On Display screen. You can also store the memos in the Samsung Notes app directly from the Always On Display screen.

A GIF for every situation

The Smart Select feature in Air Command allows you to draw on screen to make selections of words and images, and even copy said selections and share them between apps. New to Smart Select on the Note7 is an animated GIF creator that lets you easily create animated GIFs of up to 15-seconds long from videos or YouTube clip. Just fire it up, draw a rectangle around the content you want to capture, and hit record.

Foreign languages are easy

Translate plugs into Google Translate and can translate words on-screen, or even from images, in real-time. Test it out by taking a picture of the menu in a French or Italian restaurant, then hovering your S Pen over a word you don’t understand.

Get a magnified view of things

The Magnify feature is off by default. Turn it on by going into the Air Command settings menu. Once enabled, Magnify can be used to enhance a square on-screen area by 150 to 300 percent - selectable in 50 percent increments, depending on the S-Pen's position. You can hit links in magnify mode too, which is useful when you're browsing a non-mobile website and a pop-up with a tiny close button appears.

Glance between apps

Like Magnify, Glance is off by default and needs to be turned on in the Air Command settings menu. Once on, you can use Glance to minimize your current app, sending it to the bottom-right corner. You can then hover the S Pen over the app thumbnail to swap to it. Perfect for switching between directions and a Map, or for when you want to check on a sports score or keep tabs on an online auction.

Press harder (or lighter)

The Note7’s S Pen tip is just 0.7mm, 60 percent thinner than the Note 5’s S Pen. That makes it more precise, but what if you want a thicker line? No problem, just press harder. The Note7’s S Pen recognizes up to 4096 levels of pressure, twice that of last year’s Note 5.

Join HWZ's Telegram channel here and catch all the latest tech news!
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.