No time for the pageantries, let’s cut straight to the chase. The Galaxy Note 5 is the best Note device Samsung has released up to this date. Featuring a completely reworked design in addition to top tier specifications, if a big phone is something you want, it is likely you will end up purchasing the Galaxy Note 5. But hey, don’t be so surprised, this is a very good choice you are making.
A redesigned exterior is something we have seen coming, thanks to the massive overhaul we saw in the Galaxy S lineup, and frankly, it is super nice. With the combination of a sexy look, ridiculously awesome display, superior camera, and a few added benefits of TouchWiz, the Galaxy Note 5 is “Phone of the Year” material in its purest form. But enough with the small talk, let’s get into it.
This is our Galaxy Note 5 review.
The Good
Specs
For specs, we never expect anything but the best from Samsung for Note devices. Naturally, they stuck to their guns, outfitting the device with a crazy-good list of specs that all of us Android nerds can appreciate. The device features a 5.7″ QHD Super AMOLED display (2560×1440, 518ppi), Exynos 7420 64-bit 14nm octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB storage configurations, NFC, MST, 16MP rear-facing camera with OIS, 5MP front-facing camera, 3,000mAh battery, Fast Charging, Fast Wireless Charging (wireless charger sold separately), a ton of sensors, and Android 5.1+ with TouchWiz. You will notice that the spec sheet does not include a microSD card slot, removable battery, or IR blaster. Don’t worry, we get into those topics down below.
Display
The 5.7″ QHD Super AMOLED beast of a display found on the Galaxy Note 5 is gorgeous. The blacks are black, images are crispy, and “4K” content streamed from various sources look fantastic. What helps make the display really “pop” is the lack of bezel surrounding it, at least in my opinion. Yes, this focuses more on the “design” aspect of the phone, but it’s something you can’t help but appreciate when starring at the device.
For all of you pixels fanatics, you will be happy to know it features a pixels-per-inch of 518, an incredible number spread just over 5.7″. Even when you are squinting really hard right next to the display, it’s impossible to make out individual pixels. With this device, Samsung continues its triumphant success in the world of mobile displays.
Macros for fun
Battery
While I can’t sit here and tell you the Galaxy Note 5 will last you multiple days without a charge, there is no doubt that in my time with the phone, it lasted much longer than that of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge – the two phones I have been using most of this year. While using the Note 5, I got a solid day of use out of the phone, even while traveling out of town and jumping from WiFi to cellular countless times. I was mostly impressed with how long the device kept ticking. But you should note, this is my experience. It’s likely that I use my phone differently from everyone here, and the same goes for you, but don’t be afraid thinking that Samsung can’t make a smartphone last a full day on the battery. As an added bonus, the device features Fast Charging along with Wireless Fast Charging, so even if you are pounding your battery, you can get a charge quickly for the remainder of the day.
Performance
Thanks to the 64-bit octa-core Exynos processor with 4GB of RAM, I hardly ever noticed any lag, frame rate droppings, or jank. I know, trust me, I am as shocked as you are. While fiddling with multi-window functionality or going in and out of applications, the Note 5 simply flies. And considering how many games and apps I play with on a daily basis, I am usually the first to cry over hiccups in performance. Now, the question is, will this performance stay strong? We saw on the Galaxy S6 that after a few updates and a couple months of daily usage, the performance took a dive, and honestly, all we can do is cross our fingers that the same won’t happen on this device. Android as an OS seems prone lately to getting wrenches caught in the gears, so much so that performance issues can’t be entirely blamed on custom skins from OEMs anymore. From what I have seen so far, I am not too worried about performance suffering in the coming months.
Design
When I say the Note 5 is the best Note device ever, I’m talking about the whole package. There’s no faux leather crap, fake stitching, or any other gaudy gimmicks to make this device look premium. This device is the pinnacle of premium when we are talking Android handsets. It’s weighty, but not overweight, giving off that sense of security and luxury. If you were debating over the Galaxy Note 5, head into a store and pick it up. It’s surprisingly light, even with its full-metal frame and glass adorning the front and back. Plus, the way Samsung curved the back portion, making the device fit snuggly in-hand is a great touch – much better than a squared slab of metal and glass in your hand that might poke you or feel somewhat sharp.
In my opinion, it’s one of the best looking and feeling devices ever made. Of course, design and looks are completely subjective, so what I think looks tasteful and elegant, you could feel otherwise. Just note, if you are switching from an older Note device to the Note 5, get ready for a serious in-hand difference.
Camera
The past few flagship devices from Samsung have featured fantastic shooters, and the Note 5 is no different. With a 16MP rear-facing shooter with OIS, I was able to capture a ton of great shots around the house and while I was up in Washington State for a wedding. Sadly, we have a ton of forest fires going on, so blue skies are somewhat hard to come by. Regardless, the Note 5 captures great detail, as well as fantastic video.
Worth noting, I found the Galaxy Note 5 to excel in a few points in particular – landscape shots, macro shots, and lowlight. For macro shots, the amount of detail you can pick up while viewing the photo on a QHD display is remarkable, and the colors are never blown out of proportion. While shooting landscapes, I felt that even if I needed to do a bit of size cropping, details were hardly lost, which is appreciated considering the photos are so massive in size that they do usually need a bit of trimming before hitting social media. Lastly, while I would not go so far as to say the Note 5 beats the G4 in lowlight scenarios, the Note 5 performs quite well. When viewing the shot before you snap, you will see much more noise than your actual finished product. Take the below moon photo for example. During shooting, my screen was filled with noise and other ambient light sources, but once the shot was complete, it actually turned out rather well. And with further tweaking of light settings, I am sure a more skilled photographer could snap excellent shots with this device.
Full resolution: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
Availability
You know what’s nice about flagship devices from Samsung? You can get them anywhere and everywhere. The Note 5 is available to purchase from all major US carriers, coming in different colors and storage options. For colors, you have Black Sapphire and White, with the 32GB model typically priced at at about $700+ off-contract and the 64GB model going for $780+, depending on your carrier. It can also be purchased on an installment plan, bringing your monthly bill to about $20+ a month depending on which storage model you choose. For specifics on pricing, head to your carrier’s website.
Samsung Pay
Built into the Galaxy Note 5 is Samsung Pay, the company’s brand new mobile solution. As of right now, the service is in a limited beta, but will see a wider release near the end of the month. Since I don’t have a card supported, I can’t use it, but once I can, I plan on using it exclusively. The idea that newer terminals with NFC are not required is what interests me. Simply swiping my phone to pay, no extra steps needed? Sign me up. Once Samsung Pay is officially launched, we plan on giving it a whirl, and will then report our findings. Until then, having Samsung Pay is still listed as a big bonus.
Somewhere in the Middle
TouchWiz
TouchWiz has matured substantially since it was first baked onto an Android phone so many years ago, and frankly, it used to totally suck. I would say it reached peak crappiness levels on the Galaxy S5, but it appears Samsung has somewhat heard our cries of, “Jank!” On the Galaxy S6, they announced they had completely trimmed the custom skin, making devices smoother during operation. During my experience on the Galaxy Note 5, with its beefed up Exynos processor and 4GB of RAM, TouchWiz actually flies. The overall look of the skin itself is not all that bad, considering Samsung allows you to apply custom themes through the dedicated Themes app. One thing I can’t stand are Samsung’s custom icons. It’s amazing how terrible they really are. How Samsung intended for these to look good with any 3rd-party app is beyond me.
Everything on the new Galaxy devices is skinned – Dialer, Contacts, Calendar, Calculator, etc. It’s not that skinning things is bad, it’s that Samsung attempts to make TouchWiz look very unlike stock Android, which as a vanilla lover myself, I don’t care for. But again, themes! I applied the Material Theme as soon as I booted up the device, changing all of the stock application’s look, plus icons. It’s great.
To keep it short, TouchWiz is so much better than it used to be. I mean really, really better. And since Samsung sort of listened and gave the people what they want, I think TouchWiz will only get better from here. No, this isn’t me shunning vanilla Android, it’s just me being able to cope with the fact that I could see myself actually using this skin on a daily basis. And that’s saying a lot.
S Pen
First off, don’t stick it in upside down. Once you have mastered that crucial aspect of the S Pen, everything else will fall into place. Assuming your S Pen is not already stuck, Samsung’s latest S Pen is quite different from models past, with it now featuring a fancy clicker mechanism, the same as you would find on a pen. The clicker does not actually perform any useful features, but it’s fun to click, and that counts for something. In terms of what you can do with the S Pen, not too much is different, but there are a few things worth noting.
When you have your device locked and the display turned off, you can remove your S Pen and begin writing white text on the black screen. Notes you take can be saved as Action Memos for later viewing in the S Note application. In addition, users can create rolling screenshots, of a webpage for example, no longer limiting you to capturing just a display’s worth of information.
The same Air Command prompt appears when you remove the S Pen, allowing for quick note taking, Smart Select, and Screen Write. These same features were built into the Galaxy Note 4. While the S Pen feels solid and the software performs great, I am sorry, I can not give Samsung much credit when all it takes to break your phone is to stick the S Pen in backwards. That’s ridiculous.
See the video below for tips and tricks on how to get the most out of it.
The Not-so-Good
Missing microSD Slot and Removable Battery
There seems to be plenty of people up in arms over the fact that Samsung neglected to throw in a microSD slot and removable battery on the Note 5. I, however, am not one of those people. The only thing is, when we are talking “flagship” devices, you sort of expect a few things to be absolute – having expandable storage is one of those. While we may never know the exact reason Samsung decided to leave it out, even though it’s possible margins played a small role, I don’t find myself needing a microSD card all that much. Sure, if you shoot a ton of 4K videos and high definition photos, you may be screwed, but what percentage of buyers actually plan on doing that? And for those of you who download 1,000 apps onto the phone, really? Is that necessary? Thankfully, that’s not up to me to decide, and instead, it’s up to you. If you feel that you need 128GB+ of storage at all times, get a different phone. But if you can manage to keep your goods on-device (not including cloud storage) to just 32GB or 64GB, the Galaxy Note 5 is a great option.
Videos
Unboxing + Tour
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Galaxy Note 5 vs. Galaxy Note 4
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Galaxy Note 5 Tips & Tricks
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Galaxy Note 5 S Pen Highlights
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Gallery
Verdict
Phones like the Galaxy Note 5 make reviews very easy. As a daily driver, there is not much to complain about, with the exception of no microSD card slot and no removable battery – both of which came on the Galaxy Note 4. If you can live without those two things, which I sure can, the Galaxy Note 5 will treat you quite well.
I will stick to my guns and claim that the Galaxy Note 5 is an easy pick for Phone of the Year currently, at least until we get our hands on upcoming Nexus devices and the Moto X Pure Edition.
so sad i was an apple man for years and i eventually moved to samsung and was so happy i had. Now Samsung with the latest two phones have just become Apple clones so i might as well have apple. i’ll keep my lovely note 4 until it gives up the ghost but unless Samsung give me back what they have taken away i’ll go back to being an apple troll, so sad. Boy did they ever get it wrong this time for me.
This is a long one, but if you have a phone with a microSD card and aren’t using Google’s Music or Photo backup options (or some other form of backup) in conjunction with that then I can’t wait for the day when your microSD card kicks the bucket and you lose all 60GB’s of your music, photos, and videos because that shiz is so incredibly naïve you deserve it. Don’t get me wrong, I used to be all about expandable storage like a lot of you here who feverishly defend it like some life-supporting thing, and I can see the convenience of it, sure, but I learned my lesson when I stupidly lugged around all my photos I had with me since the first phone that allowed me to have a microSD card thinking all would be OK.
One day, out of the blue, my phone just said the memory card had been unexpectedly removed. I rebooted the phone, checked the card, and when it came back on the card, along with all my content, was history. Now, this was back in the days before Google’s cloud syncing options started taking off and when it wasn’t as integrated as it is now, so I was pretty much screwed and very upset when I found out all I had to do was simply launch Google+ and click on the little box that allowed for photo backup.
During my run at Verizon, I also saw this happen many, many times. Far more than microSD proponents would like to admit, and it didn’t matter if it was a no-name microSD card purchased for $5 off Amazon or one of those super-expensive class XD-Ultra-Combo-Breaker cards, so that’s when I started using the cloud while suggesting people do at the very least a Google backup option. As time went on, and Google improved its backup methods, I started relying less and less on microSD cards to the point where it’s a non-issue now. I don’t need to carry every single picture ever taken because honestly, that’s just e-hoarding and there’s no reason for it. I understand certain photos, sure, special moments, things like that, but 60GB’s worth of pictures and videos? Come on.
Now, I know cloud syncing can have its drawbacks, the main one being its usability when you don’t have unlimited data, but that too has become a relative non-issue with the rise of Wi-Fi. Plus, at home you can always download all of your backed up photos into one neat little folder that you can store on your PC, or backup hard drive, or whatever. That’s something you SHOULD be doing already if your stuff means THAT much to you, so it shouldn’t be a surprising hassle or anything. In fact, it’s much easier because internet download speeds are usually MUCH faster than writing speeds of microSD cards, especially those cheap-io ones, but I digress. MicroSD cards are not infallible, and believe it or not, they are somewhat more a relic of the past rather than the godsend some make them out to be.
However, if a phone supports it, by all means, USE it for its purpose of expanding your storage, but tag on some sort of backup option, and don’t lessen a phone without that support just because you can’t see its cloud sync options are just as convenient as that tiny little piece of plastic.
I own the Note Edge. I was sitting at a ballgame and I dropped the phone, from knee height, face up and with a protective case. The screen still cracked. While I was on the phone with my carrier I reviewed the phone specs and visited Corning’s website and found no mention of Corning Gorilla Glass being used. You’d think by now it’s an industry standard, right? Especially from a so called “premium phone manufacturer”. I contacted Samsung Support and asked them a direct question, is your Note Edge made with Gorilla Glass? Their response? It’s an HD Super AMOLED Display. Samsung lost my confidence, my trust and my future business. If I can’t trust them, I can’t buy their overpriced phones, appliances, TV’s etc… Goodbye Samsung
I tried the Note 4 because it was the only phone out there with a removable battery plus SD card. I had hoped that root would be available down the line, but to date, no reliable root now unless you want to connect to someone’s private servers with your phone for a temporary root that goes away upon hard reboot.
Removable battery is quite nice when you’re on a long road trip and you’re at a guest’s home or camping trip and don’t have easy access to a plug. When you’re not in your own car, asking to use their cigarette lighters seems rather tacky. The extra battery is small enough to be carried without taking up a lot of space in pockets or a purse.
SD card just makes adding and swapping in files/movies/music that much easier. Don’t have to plug it into a computer all the time.
All that said, the lockdown that this phone has with Verizon drives me nuts. I think I’d sooner suffer losing all the nice features I love the Note 4 for in place of having root access. Touchwiz is an annoying piece of software that is aggravating to use when you’ve gotten used to stock android, or close to stock android phones like Motorola’s. Its memory management is really annoying when you’ve had your phone on for long periods of time, and the more apps you have and use, the more annoying it gets. To top it all off, not being able to block ads unless you’re using WiFi is another huge annoyance. After awhile, you’re not even sure if it’s the phone that’s lagging, or the website because it’s busy loading up more ads.
For all the things I love about the Note 4; (replaceable battery, SD card, etc) I think I’d sacrifice it all for a more open environment like the Nexus 6.
TL;DR:
The Note 5 has all the cons of the Note 4, with none of the benefits. You’re better off getting a phone that has a prayer of being bootloader unlocked, Moto X Pure, Nexus phone, etc.
I might get some hate for this, but did anyone else get a cheap feeling when picking up/handling the phone? The experience was fast yes, but I don’t get where the ‘premium’ feel comes from. I suppose I have different tastes in that arena. I mean, I also dislike ultra-light phones so I know that is pretty odd.
Since when did 171gm ultra light in mobiles?
My 2 cents
I need roughly 60 gb’s currently to fit all my pictures and videos of my kids.
That number grows fast. I can’t go backwards with how many gb’s I need when a new phone comes out.
I want an IR blaster. I use mine on my Note 4 almost daily.
I don’t need a replaceable battery.
Wayyyy to expensive.
The best feature I like in it
is S Pen Stylus and one of the world’s first Smartphone compatible with fast wireless charger for Note 5.
It sounds nice and is very tempting but I simply cannot settle for no sd card. I know if I were to buy it it wouldn’t be long before I had buyers remorse with having to constantly watch how much I’m putting on the phone. I use it as my music listening device, a movie watching device and taking pics and vids. That eats up a lot of real estate! Right now my Note 3 has 32gb internal and I just got a 128gb card for it, giving me a nice 160gb storage space to use. And I’m going to drop down to 64gb with this? Not to mention the absurd price of $780?!? Nope, can’t do it. I also just replaced the batt in my Note 3 because it wasn’t holding a charge. Two years down the road with this expensive Note 5 and no replaceable batt?? Stupid stupid move by Samsung. So that leaves me looking for either the new Moto X who was smart enough to put a sd card back in their units or a Note 4 at half the price of the new Note 5. Or just keep waiting…..
Without a doubt this is the best phone of the year so far.
But but…. “… removable battery, no micro sd card…” blah blah blah. Cry me a river.
Try the phone out before you bitch and moan.
No justification to upgrade from Note 4…waiting for LG G4 pro
Good review, thanks.
There seems to be something wrong with the ultra low power mode: in my Note Edge the expected runtime increases to 12~14 days with a full battery. In your video the phone shows just 1.4 days with 90% of battery left. A bug? With my Edge running 5.0.1 the estimated runtime is calculated *before* entering the ULP mode.
I don’t think they can take down Apple, but Samsung sure is the #2 big boy on the block. BTW, check out this usb flash drive, its metal, and clips on and off your keychain: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1499056362/the-ultimate-usb-flash-drive
I’m sure if I were Kellen I’d like the Note 5 too, but for those wanting to own for more than 6 months, or not in urban area (where cloud storage is easily accessed), the SD and battery is a problem. The battery performance will degrade after 12 months, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Samsun will argue you are ready to upgrade in 2 years anyway, but I’d expect device upgrading to slow down over the next few years as the market matures. I want my $500+ devices to last a long time, and that’s why I need a replaceable battery.
I went up to my local best buy to play with their display. I will admit this is a absolutely gorgeous phone. Beautiful display as always, but honestly not that large of a step up from the 4 ,at least my eyes couldn’t tell. Everything seemed to run blazing fast, a noticeable difference from the 4, but not a huge stretch by any means. I just don’t know if the tradeoffs are worth it. .no IR blaster (could live without, but I do use it). No expandable storage (could probably make it with the 64 version,but why be limited)? The non removable battery is probably the biggest problem. It is so nice to have a spare that you can just pop in and go without having to be attached to a cord. Yes the fast charging works great, but it will never give you the freedom of just popping in a charged battery and being juiced up instantly. So although my note 4 may not be as “pretty” as the 5 it just doesn’t have the limitations. I use the spen regularly so another phone just isn’t a option. Props to samsung for building a high quality device, if you’ve never owned a Note series you owe it to yourself to go check it out and decide for yourself. I personally won’t be upgrading this year. . Really disappointed.
anybody else having issue with the fingerprint scanner? my s6edge worked almost perfect. the one on the note 5 is about 50 to 60% which is terrible. I even scan my thumb three different times to make it work better.
As much as people like to hate on samsung, the note 5 is a really nice device. Hopefully with a future update they can tone back on the super aggressive ram management and the note 5 would really be a beast of a device.
Note 4 is a better device for reasons stated.
Only if you’re in the minority who must have a removable battery and sd slot.
Stickin’ with the G4
Why not Note 4? Is it not superior to G4 in every way? Battery life on my Note 4 is killer!
No.. The Note 4 is not superior to the G4 in any way.
Beware of reviews like these! These reviews are based on new phones with very few apps on them. The truth is, Samsung us incapable of making a phone that does not suffer from significant lag. I own the note 4, less than a year old. I have run it with stock rom, and about 12 other roms… And any rom based on their touchwiz system is appalling! I can wait 6-8 seconds after pressing the recent apps button before iIsee a recent app display. Horrid, horrible, terrible! They could put a hundred core, 8gb ram in there, and still it would suck. My next phone will definitely not be made by Samsung. Either Motorola, Sony or a Nexus. This is my 5th Samsung, and my last. I kept hoping they would sort their crap out, but they do not.
Interesting what you say. I have the Note 4 International unlocked (N910F) had it rooted with XNote. What do you think of that ROM?
I wanted to stay on Kitkat and that is why. Hate the new UI update. I love it so far but what you say about lag is interesting. What custom ROM would you recommend if I stay with my Note 4 on KitKat only?
Also what so you think of LG? Surprised u picked a company like Sony..they make so many products how can they be any good with phones but I guess you could say the same about Samsung. Motorola? Hmmm.
I recommend Sony and Motorola because of my very positive experience with my wife’s Sony z3 compact and my sister’s moto g… The moto x style will be excellent. I dont know that rom, but as I’d said, iIhave zero confidence Samsung can make a phone that stays responsive after a couple of months use.
I have a Note 3 and love it, but I got the Note 5 for my wife, and it wont be long till I get a Note 5 also, I really like it, battery last her a full day easy
Debloater tool really helped my s6. Plus a fact reset after 5.1.1. It is super speedy.
Based on what the review was showing, only around four hours of SOT, that’s not very impressive.
LG G4 > Note 5
What about Note 4? Why LG ov er Note 4?
While reading reviews and comments on Note 5 vs Note 4, I almost decided to buy a Note 4 because it has the SD card slot, larger battery, removable battery, IR blaster, lower price etc… but after digging deeper into the hardware of the Note 5, I now have been convinced the Note 5 is a far more superior phone hardware-wise… So I will buy a Note 5. Please see attached comparison chart I made for details. The Note 5 uses the latest mobile storage technology 32GB of UFS 2.0 NAND Flash. Also, the RAM is LPDDR4 which can handle double the bandwidth of the Note 4’s LPDDR3 RAM, but the LPDDR4 is 10% more energy efficient. The Note 5 screen has the same resolution as the Note 4, but the Note 5’s screen can output ~15% more in brightness while at the same time using ~3% less energy. Also, the Exynos APU is manufactured under a 14nm process compared to the Note 4’s Qualcomm Snapdragon’s 28nm process. The smaller 14nm manufacturing process means the Note 5’s Exynos chip uses less energy and produces less heat while upping performance. The last hardware enhancement is the cameras, although the rear camera for both smartphones are 16MB, the Note 5’s aperture is f/1.9 compare to the Note 4’s f/2.0, this will translate to slightly better low light pictures for the Note 5.
Very informative. As a Note 4 fan all I can say is that while those distinctions may be real, I wonder whether the extra bandwidth, better RAM and energy differential means that much in real life for the average user like me. Does it affect lag substantially? At the end of the day when the battery dies, I can change my battery 3 times with my spares in under 1 minute. You cannot as you will need to find an outlet and sit there.
Hi Bill, I did the research into the Note 5’s hardware to see if the Note 5 was even worth it to buy over the Note 4. And to my surprise, it was a “yes” for me. However, I understand many people will be very much turned off by the fact that the phone does not have removable battery, such as road warriors as yourself… which I have no objection at all if they go with the Note 4, it is a perfectly good phone. To each, their choice, right? My hope in sharing my findings was to provide additional information on the Note 5’s internals to help those who are in the market for a new phone and are deciding on the two. Anyways, good day, Bill.
Excellent! And I admire your diligence and acumen. You know, they could have pleased more people by letting customers enjoy the better specs as well as offering the removable battery. Wonder why they didn’t do it! I will be watching what they do for the Note 6!.
People should enjoy their own choice and thank you for that excellent comparison chart which will help all readers here decide what is best for them!
You should check the audio quality of Note 5, there are numbers in XDA. The audio will ‘melt your face’.
Lol at anyone who would support a skinned device. Stock Android or die.
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Note5 owners – my S4 shuts off for overheating streaming video after about 40 minutes. With the upgraded specs will the Note 5 be able to handle streaming longer? My husband doesn’t want me to upgrade yet, but might try to figure a way for us to afford upgrades if I can promise him two hours of video streaming at a time. He is also willing to consider the S6, but I am suspecting larger will be better on the overheating…
What’s better g6 or note5? I have s4 now and it’s time for a new phone
Note 4. You can change the battery and have larger storage.
Note 5 . I have a the S6. Great device! But battery life sucks! Note 5 should be better.
So, I was extremely pissed off when I heard they are taking out the removable battery, sdcard, and IR blaster…but I watched one or two hands on videos, and I just had to have it. I am so glad I bought the Note 5. I sold my Note Edge, which will be missed, but honestly, the Note 5 is so sweet!
Indeed!
interesting you sold you note edge for the note 5. I was going to wait for the next note edge rather than get a note 5. what are the main things you will miss from the note edge?
Honestly, I’ll miss all the edge functions. I really loved having the Edge notifications, the night clock, the app shortcuts definitely came in handy…I mean, until Lollipop, I really loved that phone. But I’ll tell you what, the Note 5 is awesome as anything
I still feel the lg ui is the best, it gets a lot of hate but it kills samsung and i prefer it over bland stock. just wish they would make a more flagship phone and then I’d jump off the samsung train. The note 5 is a beautiful phone but $700 for junk ram hungry software is inexcusable. Android itself is to blame of course, many phones have high specs and should not be lagging, the software needs to be rebuilt from the ground up and Google definitely has the money to do this, inexcuseable.
Plus I hate the Material Design look. Google is trying to make Android link like the iPhone now. White backgrounds flat icons and pastel colors. Yuk! I stuck with KitKat so I can continue to enjoy my dark themes.
I really hate how reviewers are glossing over the RAM management issue with the latest Samsung devices. This review is worthless unless you mention that in order to get that “impressive” battery life, you had to deal with constantly reopening apps instead of resuming them, and couldn’t play a music app in the background for longer than a few minutes unless you remember to clear RAM before you send it to the background. Same goes for hot spots. Same goes for Navigation apps if you leave them in the background for longer than a minute while taking a call. The list goes on. Way to ignore that.
Great points. Another reason why having spare batteries are key. Using a Note 4, any suggestions?
Everyone is switching to non-removable batteries (LG is the only notable holdout I can think of, but it’s probably only a matter of time before they return to sealed-in batteries) so I’ve given up on that particular issue, especially since portable chargers have become so ubiquitous.
I have til January to see if Samsung addresses the RAM issue, and then I’ll decide. Hopefully the Note 5 will be as deeply discounted as the S6 has been by then and my decision will be easy.
Anywhere and everywhere… except europe
I like the phone so far… it may be petty but in not so happy that I can’t turn the return and back key lights off. They are just far to bright.
The app Galaxy Button Lights should be able to help you with that problem. I use it to turn the button lights off completely on my S6.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.notquiteinsane.galaxybuttonlights&hl=en
Also, how have you found the RAM management to be on your Note 5? Does it furiously shut down background apps like the S6 does? It’s really annoying to setup a WiFi hotspot, and 5 minutes later have to set it up again because this stupid device, with all that RAM, can’t manage to leave one stinking app running in the background.
From my experience this has been a non-issue. I’m sure I use my phone in differing ways, but I regularly use my hotspot while running spotify in my car with no issue at all (intermixing use of the Chrome web-browser in between). Coming from an LG G2, in that same scenario, the moment I would open my Chrome browser it would kill my music/Spotify. Love this phone so far – had stayed away from Samsung previously, but I’m happy I jumped on this one.
Wrong! The Galaxy Note 4 is the King of all Smartphones. Material Design looks like it is for children with childish colors and flat icons. No dark theme that Samsung is known for since the Infuse That is why I rooted to stay on Kit Kat and have a stellar phone that is speedy buttery smooth with all the storage space and extra batteries I want. I don’t need to charge. It lasts all day on one anyway. Has metal. Nice try but NOTE 4 IS KING!
Samsung lost.
Did the Best Buy promotion on my Note 5. Got the free wireless charge(which works with my Otterbox on), and the $200 gift card with the trade in on my G2 and I used that towards the subsidized price. The Note 5 is more impressive than I expected…..battery life, screen, speed are all amazing.
The only reason I would buy a Samsung device is the removable battery. A turbo charger is useless when you’re not at home or the office.
They sell turbo chargers for your car too. I THINK they even sell battery packs that support it as well. So you’re pretty much set.
Doesn’t do any good if you’re in the city, camping, traveling, etc and not driving.
Huh?? The car turbo charger works like any other car charger and charges your phone while driving.. And the battery packs are made exactly for things like traveling and camping.
Like I said: not applicable when not driving. Battery packs are not an acceptable option for a night on the town since they are so bulky and take hours to recharge a phone.
I’ve had 2 Sandisk ultra die on m taking all the pics with them.
Simply put, the Note 5 is the best phone I have ever used. Period. The naysayers have obviously never used the Note 5. Their opinion doesn’t matter.
Agree, I was sceptical bc the whole mSD and non removal battery (which I miss of course but I’ll adapt pretty ez with thumbdrive and fast charging). The phone flies even with TW (which has been toned down from older versions). Only feature I miss is IR blaster but beyond that, the phone is great.
I never used the IR blaster. I found it to be a fad. My remote controls do the same thing.
I didn’t use it consistently to make it a big factor in my decision (once a month maybe) but could def see it be a turn off for some ppl (who use it to control all their media devices daily). I am just sad it was left out but even putting on a medium thick case, the phone is pretty damn thin which has impressed me.
We don’t know what you used in the past. And, in general, why wouldn’t a newer phone be better than one from a year ago.
The Note 5 will flop.
I’ve used many phones–7 models this year alone. Why would that matter?
“The Note 5 will flop” It’s quite evident that you’ve never touched a Note 5.
The people who say the Note 5 is junk are the ones that can’t afford the Note 5.
“The Note 5 will flop” – not sure why this matters or not, but for me I’m damn happy I got one.
Eh? 3 hours screen time. Not so good. Had a S6. Battery was abysmal. While this is a premium feeling phone, until Sammy tunes the software, no way…
I’m surprised too. 3.5hrs seems a bit low.
Your mileage will vary. Every phone I have had kicks the crap out of what they report for battery life in reviews.
Agree wholeheartedly on that…my biggest issue with the S6 was the inconsistent behavior with the battery. There is a review on XDA on the Note that is very thorough, and indicates the same with the Note…
Check on Android Central for battery life reviews. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised and shocked at what you find (with screen captures to back that up). I for one am impressed with my decision to go with the Note 5.
I wouldn’t touch this until a couple of months have gone by to see if the performance is maintained. The S6 seemed perfect at first, but then performance tanked and never returned. Then there were the problems with accelerometers (had to get mine replaced).
Agree…had the S6. Didn’t take long for the new car smell to fade. Sold mine after 45 days.
I thought it was the S6 edge that had accelerometer problems. Was yours a flat S6?
Yeah mine was a standard S6. It would occasionally vibrate when taking pictures at first. This got more and more pronounced until I was able to produce a video with the weird wavy lines (because the phone was vibrating so badly) and it ceased to change the screen orientation when rotated. I returned it to T-Mobile and they did a warranty exchange. Still using an S6 and haven’t had the problem, but it’s only been a couple of weeks and I’m not confident.
this x100000. My note 4 is also a prime example of this. Pretty sure DL’s review of the Note 4 looked pretty similar in the performance area as this note 5. Today, my note 4 isn’t even close to the performance it was on day 1. Give Samsung one update to the note 5 and it’ll drop hugely in performance. Happens every time.
A lot of devices encounter this issue. Nexus 7 2012 is a prime example. Fast out the gate but a piece of crap a few years later. Even iPhone users complain about this. My wife’s iPhone 5 was quicker on iOS 6 vs iOS 7 or 8.
That’s why I never keep phones no more than a year. It’s the nature of the beast. I’m not the average user.
Yeah you’re right my gen N7 was pretty bad after updates. But with nexus phones at least, you can adjust it yourself or safely know you’ll be getting an update within a month or x amont of time. With Samsung or LG even for that matter, you’ll be stuck with that bad software experience for 3x of the time the nexus would be with it. That’s the situation I’m in with the my note 4 right now on 5.0.1. It’s not horrible by any means but definitely no where like it use to be. It’s so unfortunate. By this phone full price and it only worked like the full price phone I paid for for like 6 months. Nexus it is. Just sucks you can’t get the best hardware with nexus.
As strange as it sounds the Nexus is a little too addicting. When I had my OG Verizon Nexus I spent more time on crack flashing then actually using the phone. I was addicted on finding that “perfect” rom.
It got so bad I was crack flashing in the mall while my wife was shopping. When I had the Note 4 without root I ended up knowing that phone better than any other device.
If I buy a Nexus I know that I would not survive long.
Haha you speak the truth. I was also a crack flasher. I loved it, but as you described, I did that more than actually use the phone. But I loved learning there was a rom update with new features, etc. It was exciting. I do miss it.
What phone do you have now? It’s been years since I’ve been able to root and rom.
I didn’t have any of these issues with my Note 2; it continued to work well throughout its life (until it was dropped at around 1.5 years). However, I believe I was able to easily flash ROMs on that phone too, which likely contributed to its performance. The S6 can be flashed with ROMs, but it is a much trickier process and I’m not quite comfortable with taking the risk these days. I expect I’ll be selling my S6 to get a new Moto X or Nexus 5 later this year. Much more open and simple device, just hope the camera will be decent (though not likely as good as the S6).
That’s because you didn’t read all the update complaints on Tech Times with Note 4. I am a Note 4 user who rooted an unlocked version to stay on KitKat and it is stellar! The best!
It works great like it always did. Shouldn’t have allowed update. Note 4 is ultimate on KitKat. Lollipop was forewarned on Tech Times and other blogs to be avoided at all costs. Some of you didn’t don’t your research.
Seriously? Lol that’s your response? Samsung and Verizon are very large corporations who have been in the game for a long time now. A piss poor update like this one is unacceptable. I shouldn’t have to worry about updating my phone. And for the millions of other folks who don’t read tech sites, they should be able to update their phone worry free. The end. And because we are humans and mistakes happen, that’s fine. But it shouldn’t be months and months until we get a fix. Unacceptable and I’m glad Samsung is struggling like they are. Verizon on the other hand is doing just fine unfortunately.
I gotta admit, I bet my Note 4 would still be usable if I rooted and went back to KitKat. As it is its an absolute disaster. I guess I’ll never know though because I already ordered a 64gb Moto X Pure 🙂
Dude, First of all only usable?
The Galaxy Note 4 is not usable it is to be envied. Second, you made a rash decision before waiting for my suggestion..which is…the only way is to sell your note with the locked bootloader and go on Swappa to buy the unlocked SM910F which can be flashed with whatever you want!! That is what I did and I got unbelievable speed unlimited storage and swappable back up batteries that last long times. My phone is premium with metal and I enjoy all my custom UI.Everybody, Buy an unlocked Note 4 which is made for the KitKat smooth experience. You all are surrendering your freedomain to the whims of the carriers. Why would you want to do that? Don’t downgrade to the Note 5 Stay with the King of all current Smartphones: Galaxy Note 4!!!
I agree. So upset that I left my trusty Note 3 for the 4. In fact, I had nothing but issues with the 4; regardless of KK or LP. It just crashes way too often. Every app, including Sketchbook, crash. Hangouts constantly crashes. Facebook, albeit always a horrible app, locks the phone up.
I’m patiently awaiting word of the Nexus 6 2015. Didn’t want to lose my S-Pen as I often use it for notes and drawing, but enough is enough. I can’t take this crap anymore.
There’s no WAY on earth that I’ll be content without a SD card. I pull it out all of the time to upload photos and files to my laptop.
It’s such a shame. I was really hoping that the Note 5 wouldn’t have a glass back or lack the SD card. So bummed. This sucks.
But dude how can your experience be so different than mine? My Note 4 has been problem free out of the gate and still is. It is the update to 5.0 that had to set it off. I am on KitKat and loving life on my Note 4 U got 2 spare batteries and 128GB of space plus 32GB internal. What is not to like? You ain’t gonna get that stuff on the Note 5.
You are right of course. They should make it problem free but Google did not. Those that don’t care about the engineers changing the entire look after we take time to customize KitKat. .hmmm. Hate that but then they suffer because Google didn’t do its job correctly as you state. But does anybody care bebesides me that the engineers just change the whole look without ypur permission??? Material Design sucks and lookS childish. I have no more dark themes so I went back to KitKat and my battery lasts for two days!
I agree, I owned the Note 2, the Note 3 and now the Note 4. Every time I fall for the specs. I feel when you compare all the features and pecs to other phones I think how can you not get the Note, yet every time after a while its slows down, I get annoyed with touchwiz and I wish I had something else. I don’t think I am going to fall for it again and plan on getting the new moto x. I miss stock android.
Should have stayed on KitKat instead of gulping the updates. My Note 4 is fast as ever on Kitkat.
All of the (surprisingly) positive comments are making me give the Note 5 a second thought. Maybe I’ll mess with one this weekend. Anyone interested in a pristine S6?
How do u like the s6 idk I’d I should get that or the note
Get the note, I came from a note 4 and s6 myself. Although very similar the note blows the s6 away performance and battery wise. I don’t know if it’s the extra gb of ram or more optimized software but the note trashes the s6. Coming from the note 4 I really miss the ir blaster but I got over the sd card thing and I haven’t had a spare battery since I had a galaxy nexus. I hate Samsung removed features but in the end this is honestly the best performing and fastest Android phone I’ve owned (yes that includes the nexus 6 which is a close second.) I just hope the performance is the same in 6 months
I really like this device but I’m still on the fence. I really want a nice camera in my next device. I like that you applied the material theme since I really don’t like the look of most Touchwiz home screens (if that makes sense). I’d be really interested to see it with Nova launcher and custom icons.
From the video: “Always insert tip end first”
…LOL man I hope so Tim…
X phone
Thank god kellen isn’t reviewing this 😀
Does anyone know if the S6 reads O2 Saturation with the heart rate sensor? I discovered yesterday that my Note 5 reads O2 Sat as well as heart rate. That’s awesome! I’m an RN and I can tell you that knowing 02 Sat of someone in an emergency situation could be potentially life saving information.
Fun fact: Michael Jackson’s Dr. had him doped up on Propofol that lead to his death. One of the crazy things discovered was that the doctor was not even using an 02 Sat monitor on Michael Jackson. Maybe if the Dr had a Note 5, he could have used it to detect early on that the Propofol was depressing his breathing to dangerous levels, thus leading to death. 🙂
In a hospital setting, propofol is used for medically induced coma, and is only used in intensive care units with continuous heart and O2 saturation monitoring.
My Note 4 has the same option for O2 Saturation measurement.
For want of a Note 5, the King of Pop was lost. Learn something new every day on DL! 🙂
There’s a free “Material Dark” theme in the theme store which I have been using on my S6 Active. Looks great.
Touchwiz will keep me away from it, but all around, having played with it in store for a decent amount of time, it may very well be the best designed phone in hand. Feels quite premium and very comfortable. Quite a change for Sammy.
As a very proud galaxy note 4 owner I just can’t see myself downgrading because that’s basically what I be doing if I got the note 5.
I can think of so many different situations we’re having a device where I can easily swap out the battery with a freshly fully charged one once the current battery dies is just too valuable of a feature not to have. I’m the type of person who demands the best and doesn’t like a device that cuts corners in the note 5 as cool of a design phone as it is still lacks in the performance category.
I’ve already use all my 32 gigabytes on my note 4 and so without SD card support I would be SOL right now because I don’t believe and storing my pictures and videos on the cloud and believe and local storage only.
I guess if I was in the market right now or anything it would be for the new Samsung gear s2 that was announced yesterday assuming that it will work with my note 4?
This is the first time in the past few years that I can’t recommend the latest Samsung flagship phones
Removable batteries and SD cards are DOA soon enough, it’s slowly been coming…it’s a tough adaptation initially but you’ll get over it. I don’t know why you need to carry around 32 GB of photos, Google makes that an easy solution.
Really is that the case? Then please explain to me why just the other day I was able to swap out my completely drained battery on my note 4 and replace it with a fully freshly charged battery that was not as you claim DOA? I’m on the go all the time and don’t have the luxury of being by a cigarette lighter adapter or a wall charger at my office or home so without my extra battery I would have been Sol and I would have lost money at the same time. This is also why I laugh at Samsung as they try to promote fast charging as good of a future that this is it doesn’t do someone any good who doesn’t have the luxury of being by an outlet to charge his or her phone all day long so nice try but still no cigar lol
You can laugh and bemoan your point all you want, your situation is a niche case. Samsung is designing phones for the majority not for the niches anymore. The tradeoffs between a better profiled premium device vs gimmicky cheap plastic didn’t land on your side of the aisle. Google doesn’t do it in the Nexus devices, Apple doesn’t, LG doesn’t, Moto doesn’t, Sony doesn’t…. Just calling it as it is…
Actually LG still does.
True the lone hold out. Guess I was still thinking nexus in the moment.
Only one phone and it sold like crap. A removable battery and SD card alone cannot save a phone.
I personally passed up on the G4 because it felt like a light Note 2 and I don’t care for LG’s skin job.
Nice try but for a comeback but still no cigar.
I was able to prove all of your in valid points in Accra and invalid was just one post so I will leave someone like you alone who is awaiting there Samsung paycheck for the week of Labor Day weekend or maybe you’re just trying to earn a few extra bucks not sure and really don’t care one way or the other but I have no idea how someone like you can dismiss any of my bad points which were determined from not something I made up from actual usage of the device Point Blank you have absolutely no leg to stand on in this argument good day to you
LOL. I don’t even own a Samsung device anymore, Nexus 6, but because I don’t agree with you I must be a shill, that’s the weakest argument of them all.
Nowhere in your verbal diarrhea do you have a rational thought. I’m not taking sides, I am giving you market fundamentals – you care about something MOST do not. It’s not the device for you then; I’m only suggesting there are few devices for you and likely less than few going forward given where the market is and the power efficiency increases of devices each cycle. Samsung had a whole ad campaign around the removable battery and wall huggers last year…their sales STILL declined. Try that for facts.
I don’t take issue with your opinion I do however take issue with the way that you worded things when I was able to prove you wrong and one single post about you claiming how the batteries were going to be dead on arrival when indeed in my own real life situation I was able to prove your point wrong what part about this do you not seem to understand?
I also seem to remember that it was you who replied to me with your nonsense not the other way around words are proper response should have been I agree to disagree so keep on digging yourself a bigger hole because that’s all you’re doing in your pathetic argument against me lol
Reading comprehension is not your strong suit. No where, and go back re read slowly….no where did I say no one needs a spare battery or there aren’t scenarios where they are useful, I simply said for MOST PEOPLE, that is not a problem and thus phones aren’t being designed around making that possible. How hard is that to understand dude. You haven’t proven anything wrong here, there is no ‘wrong’
I love it when someone like you has absolutely nothing intelligent to add to the conversation so you result to insulting one’s intelligence instead pretty brilliant on your part lolAnd now you are claiming that I haven’t proven anything when my own true real life actual proof has gone against you in this argument so if you want to continue to dig yourself a bigger hole that’s just fine with me actually it’s entertainment for me so I must thank you for that lol
I can also see that losing an argument over the Internet is definitely not one of your strong points as well so if we really must go there and your sad little story then please tell the full story not just parts of it troll
Yes your honor I am guilty as charged of trolling the troll lol
The other guy is just out of his league. You got the stronger argument dude and you know it! Note 4!
Not good enough!
Your argument just isn’t as strong as his. If it is so niche then how come he and I and thousands like us are out there on Note 4’s and happy?
Do you honestly think Samsung (and others) haven’t spent millions in market research to know what they can get rid of? HTC, Moto, Sony, Huawei and yes Apple are all sealed units. Removable batteries are indeed going the way of the dinosaurs. You just don’t like that idea so you’ve clung pyro74boy to try to prove your point. You and your ilk are a niche market. Simple as that.
Might not have the luxury of an outlet, but you can have the luxury of battery pack if you really are away from an outlet for so long. Samsung even offers as fast charging battery pack. I’m going to assume people who own iphones lose money all the time and never complete business deals.
Yeah battery packs add extreme weight to the device and I’ve seen them in action was not impressed with their performance. Not to mention the cost of OEM batteries for Samsung phones is way cheaper and much more accurate. I understand that there’s ways around everything so if people can live with an external battery pack and can afford to pay the premium price than all power to them and what about the memory card issue I am way over my 32 Gigabyte alone on my note 4 and don’t believe in storing any of my personal pictures and videos on the cloud so without SD card support I will be going through major frustration and would be SOL
Not really sure but you don’t have to live without all your SD cards and have this phone. Look up the Leaf micro SD card adapter, or any of the other number of similar solutions and your set.
I’m not denying that there’s ways around everything I get that
You tell ’em! Exactly right. Why Note 4 is best!
Just replaced the batt on my Note 3. Almost lasted two years but it wasn’t holding a charge as long, kept getting shorter and shorter. New Anker battery brought it right back to life. So yea…having a replaceable batt is VERY nice…..
That’s a great point on your part n a very true statement because what’s going to happen after the battery and a non replaceable phone refuses to charge as every single battery is made to no longer be charged at some point a battery only has a certain amount of cycles that it can handle before it can no longer be charged very good point on your
A lot of people carry their multimedia library around with them — photos, videos, and a music library will take up a lot of space. There was a 60GB and 80GB, even a 160GB iPod.
A cheap microSD card can hold your photos, music files, videos, apps, app data, and downloaded digital content such as magazines, ebooks, videos, comic books, and music from services such as Spotify, Google Play, Zinio, Marvel, etc. This frees up space for your main storage so that the performance of your device doesn’t degrade as fast over time.
When you buy a new phone, you can just take out your microSD card and install it into your new phone’s microSD slot. No need to copy files over. No need to backup these mostly-static files before you need to perform a factory reset or update your firmware. No need to copy your backup files to a computer — you can just backup to your microSD card and they’ll be safe throughout a factory reset or firmware update. No need to keep buying a phone with expensive built-in storage that is more than what you currently need just to make sure you don’t run out of space as your needs grow — just expand with a microSD card and then upgrade to a higher-capacity card when you have more cash.
There are some obvious advantages to SD cards, I love them for OS backups, this is Android after all. I’d even rank it above the battery complaint.
I’ve never been one to carry my entire life on them though. That’s giving your potential phone swiper more than your phone to use for who knows what…they aren’t secured. They are home to a ton of security risks and slower performance. They also can fail (I’ve had one do that) and then you’re SOL. Everyone’s different. I’d rather let Google Photos keep those, and originals on my external backup at home. Music: I keep maybe a gig local for the times away, and All Access takes care of the rest. Different strokes for different folks..
Manufacturers such as Samsung have included SD card encryption as a security feature for some time. Yes, they’re slower than the latest memory technology but that’s a given and they’re still fast enough even for 4K video recording. It’s true they can fail but even your main device storage can fail, you need to take backups once in a while. I have a backup app that automatically backs up new files from my phone including the SD card to the cloud. People who maintain a digital library will likely have a copy on a home PC or NAS anyway but just like being able to bring a copy of their library along when mobile.
It’s also funny that Samsung went away from microSD cards just when Android 6.0 Marshmallow is re-embracing microSD cards with native support.
Removable batteries are very useful as well. After a year, your device’s battery won’t hold a charge as well as it used to. I’ve had to change my battery once a year and I can do it myself by just buying a replacement battery off the shelf. It’s also handy to be able to just bring a second battery along on long trips or just for peace of mind, much handier than bringing an external battery pack and a charging cable.
I should have added… by default, which is what I meant, since you know most people aren’t going and turning that on… Hell, people are still complaining about trying to turn off encryption to get performance back. Still fair points.
I myself don’t have encryption turned on in my phone or SD card. I’m hoping if I lose my phone I can just wipe the phone and SD card remotely using Android Device Manager.
I am really tired of this “after a year” crap. Newer Lithium ION batteries do not degrade any significant amount after one year.
Couldn’t have said it better myself! This is why the Note 4 is King of all Smartphones!
Meh!! To each his own. I still have the Note 4 (as a backup/throw down phone) and it’s in a drawer now collecting dust. May eventually sell it but the Note 5 IMO is much much better than the Note 4.
Disagree. He has the stronger argument!
I dissagree as a note 3 user I had been planning on skipping the incremental upgrade that was the 4 and going to the 5 but now my 3 favorite features are gone I would rather get a nexus 6. Without the premium features this is no longer a flagship phone.
Heck, and here I am as a proud Note II owner only because its the last Note on Verizon that can be bootloader unlocked – other than the dev versions. Was going to get a dev Note 4 but they stopped selling them.
Yea what the flip is up with that?? Was looking for the DE Note 4 and couldn’t find it…why the heck did they stop selling them?!?
Nexus 6 doesn’t have those features either.
My statement went way over your head didnt it?
I said given the choice between a note 5 and nexus 6 I would pick the nexus 6 if I am not going to get a sd card or removeable battery why would I put up with samsungs touchwiz locked bootloader and slow as molasses update cycle. Hell if memory serves nexus 6 has ir… so I would be giving up only 2 of the 3 features I liked about my note3
TouchWiz on the S6 series and Note is much better and different than any prior Samsung. Your memory doesn’t serve you correctly because the Nexus 6 doesn’t have the IR Blaster either. Also, locked bootloader isn’t present on the T-Mobile and Sprint versions. In fact, both have been rooted already. Why would would you want a massive screen (prone to burn-in BTW) when you can’t even use dual window? Vanilla (aka boring) Android really doesn’t belong on a large screen phone.
You just made the assumption sprint or tmobile was an option for me they are not infact if you do not have a phone working with verizon or att your not using it here…
and yeah I looked it up nexus 6 does not have ir humm
It wasn’t an assumption. It was a case point that locked bootloaders are more a carrier thing than a manufacturer thing.
SD cards should NEVER be DOA. It takes the place of having to store music, photos and videos on internal storage saving me $100 per phone to upgrade to the next size bigger. Pop out the SD of my music from the old phone, pop it in the new phone and viola, another 64GB of storage that was already paid for phones ago.
But hey, if you’re happy taking it up the shoot and paying these companies $100+ for $10 worth of extra storage for every new device that comes out, you go. I’ll keep using my $25 64GB SD card over and over and over.
I don’t want a phone unless I’m able to put all nine seasons of the X-Files on BluRay on my phone.
Then I’ll endorse it.
That’s the benefit of having SD card support because you’re only limited to how many SD cards you want to have an with the power of web sites like Craigslist and eBay you can get them for dirt cheap even Best Buy is selling them for way cheaper than they used to so you pretty much already have the power to store as much videos and pictures as you want even your x-file collection.
I’ve had the note2 and never cared for the removable battery (though I thought it would be nice to buy a spare) since I never -needed- to swap them.
As there are cases where people swaps battery, there are also cases where people don’t care for them. I’m guessing Samsung decided to cater for the latter. (not sure of the number but it must be considerable compared to those swapping)
I get the fact that not everyone is going to take advantage of having a phone with these capabilities and I also understand that not everyone’s situations are the same was not at all trying to argue this part of it but the fact still remains that these are features that I’ve loved about my Samsung devices over the past few years and the fact that Samsung has now decided to sacrifice performance for design is why I can’t really say I recommend their devices anymore because these are the features that I’ve come to love about Samsung and I am a person who needs to talk to people live and who can’t rely on voicemail to get the job done so for me these are can’t live without features that simply can’t be replaced with fast charging when I’m not in a car that has the convenience of having a cigarette lighter handy or rhyme in the office where I’m able to plug my phone in all the time
Punctuation is your friend, dude. I can’t even get to the end of your word waterfalls.
Nice try but still no cigar because I’m using Google Voice you total and complete moron and I’m sure you know that Google Voice is far from being perfect.
Oh, you’re just a moody 14 year old. I remember the days. You’ll get through it.
Next time get your facts straight before you try to call someone like Out on something for the simple fact that you didn’t even know that I was using Google Voice and you still had the nerve to try to call me out on my punctuation errors which wasn’t even my issue But is an issue with Google voice services. You’re just another stupid troll trying to start crap over the Internet.
You need to hang around my ex but she’s been around the block so you better be prepared to protect yourself lol hit me up if you want her phone number?
Punctuation is less important than his key points. You are funny tho
I am a fellow proud Note 4 user myself and you are absolutely correct. I am happy on KitKat and LOVE my Note 4. Will never downgrade to a Note 5. Our phone is the best on the planet bar none!.
Thank you for telling the truth on here.
Actually, I basically mirrored your statements about a month ago, as a Note Edge owner…I had 2 spare batteries and a 128 GB sdcard in my Note Edge…but after watching a few Hands On videos, the performance improvements in the Note 5 became apparent, so I decided to try it out. And it turns out, I love the Note 5. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I still hope the Note 6 comes with removable battery and storage, but the Note 5 is definitely a major improvement, other than the aforementioned missing aspects. I should probably mention also that I did have a Note 4 prior to purchasing the Note Edge…but the Note 4 & Edge have a definite noticeable lag, which has all but disappeared in the Note 5…and I do have 4 Fast Chargers, 1 car Fast Charger, 3- 20,000 mah power packs, a 12,000 and a 9,000 mah power pack…I have a TB on Dropbox, a TB on Mediafire, 50 GB on Mega, and 15 GB on Google Drive…so I figure I’m good lol
It is, “No time for pleasantries,” not “pageantries.”
There’s always time for pageantries!
“The Galaxy Note 5 is the best Note device Samsung has released up to this date.”
Can we really be sure it is not the best one in the future as well?
I stopped reading there.
Note 4 is better. I have it.
Nope, meant pageantries lol
The theme store may just sway me to get this over the Moto X. I seriously hated the Touchwiz color scheme that much but the Material Design theme should take care of that.
I got my Note 5 day one, first thing I did was load the Google now launcher to replace it. S Pen features still work regardless which was my only concern going into the phone. Love this phone. It’s amazing.
Awesome. I do almost the same thing except I install Nova Launcher. I think the S-Pen features still work with that too. I’m thinking with the Material Design theme and Nova Launcher, this might just be the near perfect device. If only there was a 128gb option but 64b is probably enough. Not to mention I have a Nexus 6 and an LG G3 both collecting dust I could sell to mostly offset the cost.
You guys like the Material Design? Yuck! Don’t you guys mind that they totally got rid of the dark theme elements?? They are trying to turn it into an iPhone theme don’t you get it?
Well I like the color scheme in the settings menus. I don’t care so much for the pastel color scheme elsewhere, which I would cover up with an icon theme or something like that. I did like the dark theme too. Either way, the Touchwiz color theme is the worst of them all in my opinion.
While I do like MD, I’d prefer a darker iteration of it. I have great vision, which means my eyes are sensitive to bright backgrounds. Never am I content with a white bg.
I don’t mind the simplicity, though. In fact, its preferred. Let me rephrase. I prefer the consistency of the themes and their impact of creating a seamless integration across apps.
Aside from that, what’s the fun in a lack of customization? The reason I dislike Apple is their tyranny of telling me what suits me best. Unfortunately, that’s bleeding into Android devices far too often.
That’s useful information, thanks!
I like your sarcasm!!!
I was actually being serious, although technically it’s not useful to me since I’m not in the market for a Note 5. If I was though, this is something I’d be wondering about since I can’t do without Nova Launcher. And reviewers never test this kind of thing.
I don’t have the phone so I can’t confirm, but I run Nova Launcher on my [Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014)] tablet and Air Command with the SPen works just fine on the home screen. Should work the same with the Note5 phone, since this is basically older Note3 software on my tab.
The saving grace of these newer Samsung devices (mostly S6) is the quick charging and theme engine. And if you want to debloat you can “without root” using a debloater tool found on xda-developers.
I’m still very pleased with my S6 despite what the haters say. Just invest in a quick charger for your car.
I would say if you want a Samsung device wait until you see one of those giftcard deals. I got a $200 best buy card when opening a new line and I cancelled my old one. It was time for a new number anyway but there’s other deals out there. I doubt you’re going to see that deal on a Moto Pure. But then again I would see what Nexus has to offer but their always behind Samsung spec and quality wise even with the missing battery and sd slot. Already know that they won’t beat Samsung’s displays or processor.
The Note 5 can easily hold the “Best Phone of the Year” title for about another 25 days…
5 days. The new iPhone comes out next Wednesday.
No one cares about a Crapple iPhone.
Agree with that analogy. The note5 is the best device of the year.
That’s not saying much, thanks to Qualcomm Snapdragon 810.
I was skeptical about upgrading from my Note 4 to the 5 after all the reviews. I decided to give it a go. Love the updated Radio. I get TMo LTE in my office now! I always had to use Wifi Calling with my Note 4 in the office. Battery life has been way better than my Note 4 to my surprise. I think it has a lot to do with 5.1.1. The S Pen is much improved and love it. Absolutely zero lag where my Note 4 was lagging a lot. I signed up for the Samsung Pay beta and it is freaking awesome!!!! Cashiers tell me all the time that they don’t accept Apple Pay. I tell them no problem, sit back and watch! They are floored with the MST technology.
I thought I would miss the MicroSD but not at all. It was always nice to carry a spare battery with me but I can just as easily carry a fast-charging battery pack instead. The wireless charging is much improved now that it is built-in. I had issues with my Note 4 using the S-View Wireless Cover.
I won’t be surprised if the Touchwiz jank creeps up in a few months like it did in my S6. Started out quick, but now I’m just waiting for the Nexus devices to be released so I can kick it out of my house.
I got my S6 on day one and have not had any issues. Where are you seeing problems? This is my first non-nexus Sammy device and I keep waiting for it to creep up.
I have a Nexus 6 and my wife just got the Note 5. I have to say I’m impressed with her phone and agree with this review. It’s an awesome phone and one I could see myself using if I didn’t already have my Nexus 6. I love my Nexus and am not interested in changing, but the Note 5 is the first Samsung phone I could be happy with.
The in hand feel of the phone is awesome. That round back feels really nice!
I had the S5 for a few days before I sold it and got a Moto X and I couldn’t stand that thing. What a difference a year makes.
Love my Note 5. Got the 64gb model (that’s a given).
It is super fast and responsive. It feels much smaller than my old note 4.
What are those 2 watches??
Huwaei watches. Different configurations.
or iPhone 6S 😉
Great device, although I still don’t agree with Samsung taking away the removable/MicroSD card slot. That’s what the Note line is all about, being expandable.
The note line is and was always about the stylus.
Also true but obviously they didn’t remove that.
You never got back to the missing IR blaster. I just would like to know why Samsung wouldn’t include something the s6 has
I feel like Samsung is treating us like Apple morons more and more.
I want an Ir blaster, I want an SD slot. I use them both constantly.
I know the SD slot costs royalties of about 12$ per phone. But with an SD slot, all you need is ONE version of a phone…a 32GB version with expandable SD slot
Right! And you get all that with my Note 4 on KitKat. Happy as a freakin’ clam! No compromises. Note 4 is best.
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“treating us like Apple moron”
Actually, user demographic data shows that iPhone users have a higher IQ and significantly higher household income than Android users.
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Its those budget LG phone owners bringing down our stats! seriously though, you know what he means a Phone designed for the simplest of monkeys to use instead of a phone designed to accomdate a more capable user.
That last part isn’t true. All storage isn’t created equal as you generally cannot install applications on an SD card. Higher onboard storage options are still necessary for some.
Yes but you can put an S-ton of music, photos and videos on SD which frees up internal storage purely for applications.
Photos and videos belong in the cloud.
Right. Because nothing says “Convenient and user friendly” quite like having to pay and eat data to access your own photos, or having no access to photos because of a weak signal zone. Whatever.
Oh sorry. I didn’t realize your carrier had a lot of weak signal zones and didn’t offer unlimited data. Sucks to be you.
Eating data and battery is a real thing. Not to mention the storage costs if you want to store large amounts out there.
Such a mature response.
Oh. Next time I’ll be more mature when we’re talking about cell phones. It’s such an important issue. I mean we must know whose multi-hundred dollar phone is better. *eye roll*
Personal photos and videos are the last thing that belongs solely in the cloud.
Lmao. Yeah someone might get access to your “personal” stuff. The cost of storing stuff in the cloud? Like the cost of memory cards? Besides, Samsung gives you 100GB of OneDrive storage with the purchase of a Note5. All that said, if you’re worried about security and cost just put all your “personal” stuff on a secure hard drive that you own. Not difficult to set up your own cloud storage. Just get a G4 and be done with it. LG almost always follows Samsung so get the G4 while you can before they seal their batteries and remove the memory card slot.
Actually, LG went that route with the G2…and by the G3 they had returned to removable battery and expandable storage…
Yep. I still have my G2. It was an awesome little device. It’s my media player in my car and the battery. Still performs like a champ.
I had the G2 as well, it was a underrated phone. It lasted me almost two years. So buying a note 5 will be a easy adjustment.
I must say I always wanted the IR Blaster like old times but then when I had it, just like in the past, I never used it. Way too much work to turn on the phone, get past your security, open an app and then change a channel when you can just grab the remote and click. If the phone noticed the TV was on and was trusted and had the app open when you turned on the phone, that would be one thing, but not the way it is today.
On my LG G2, I pull out my phone, double-tap the screen on and swipe over to the Quick Remote lock screen widget where you can have your 4 mainly used controls on their. I have my bedroom TV and cable box and same for my living room.
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I have never used it, I have a Harmony remote, why waste time with a phone??
I wonder when they’ll get 6.0 to it
Sometime in March
2017
Damn, I’ll have had 2 different phones by then! Oh well it is a sweet device!