Samsung's new smartphone looks small but thinks big.

With biometric eye scanning security, HDR video, and a water-resistant shell, it sounds more like something dreamed up in a Roswell bunker than something to send texts with.

A big plus is the device's pen, which can be used to jot down notes - without unlocking the screen - or to zoom in and out of the screen. It also converts languages, including Irish, and can be used to create and share GIF animations.

Parallel realms are at your disposal when you pair the phone with the new Oculus Gear VR, or use the Gear 360 camera to capture, edit and share, 360-degree videos. Anyone expecting an innovative new camera might be disappointed, though. What we find here is the same snapper as the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, although the dual-pixel sensor technology, wide aperture and fast auto focus are still top of the class. Users can dip into 64GB of internal memory - expandable via microSD to 256GB - and hook up to healthy Samsung devices such as Gear Fit2 and Gear IconX.

Your secrets are safe with Note7. Samsung Knox, the phone's security platform, is the digital equivalent of a private army of ninjas. Fingerprint and iris scanning technology protects your files from spies - unless one of them manages to procure your finger or eyeball.

Galaxy Note7 is available in Ireland from August 16.