The Galaxy Note 7 can make GIFs out of just about anything

However you pronounce it, you can't avoid GIFs on the Internet. But as universal as they've become, making them is still hard — unless you own a Galaxy Note 7. Yes, buying a Note 7 will surely make your wallet significantly lighter, but at least you'll be able to turn just about anything into a GIF, ready to fire out at admiring followers on your social network of choice.

Note 7 GIF recorder

Getting there is simple — pull out the Note 7's S Pen, hit "Smart Select," then tap the "Animation." You'll then see a grid outline which you can align over the thing you want to record — for example, a YouTube video (DRM-protected videos won't work, we're told). Then tweak the recording quality if you like, and tap "record." Once you're done, stop recording and it's saved to your gallery. From there it can be trimmed further, even allowing you to cut out specific frames if needed.

Whether you need a $800+ smartphone to help you make GIFs on the go is debatable — as is whether you really need an S Pen for a feature like this. (Surely a finger would work just as well?)

But hey. GIFs!

Alex Dobie
Executive Editor

Alex was with Android Central for over a decade, producing written and video content for the site, and served as global Executive Editor from 2016 to 2022.