We Tested The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 For A Week. Here's What We Thought Of It.
It packs more than just a big screen and fancy stylus.
By John Lim — 04 Nov 2015, 06:02 PM
Samsung's Note line of phones have always been known for its huge size, impressive performance and a stylus.
However, those attributes aren't that special anymore - considering how big most Android phones are now. Heck, even the new iPhone 6s looks like it could lose a few pounds.
The world has slowly caught up with the Galaxy Note and it has been an uphill battle, so something had to change. That's where the Galaxy Note 5 comes in, its very much different from it's predecessors - both in performance and design.
We had the privilege of using the phone for the past week, and we were utterly pleased with it. Below are some of the best features of the Note 5:
1. Sleek metal and glass construction. Stepping away from the faux leather back that felt cheap, the phone's now replaced by an infused glass metal frame.
At first glance, the Note 5 is quite clearly the successor to the Note 4. It has the same basic shape, but the construction of the two phones couldn't be any different.
Gone is the faux leather back that was made of plastic but felt more like cheap snakeskin. It's been replaced by a glass sheet that's infused into a metal frame, just like on the Galaxy S6.
At 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6mm, the Note 5 dimensions are certainly bigger than Samsung's 5.1-inch flagship, but it's actually a hair smaller and noticeably thinner than the Note 4. It's lighter too, at 171g, shedding 5g, even with its metal-and-glass construction.
techradar.com
Its back glass also curves inward on both sides, making it easier to grip on - despite its phablet size. The power button sits on the right side, while the volume rocker sits on the left side. The buttons provided a satisfying click upon pressing.
Also, fingerprint-scanning home button provides a much-appreciated nook for your thumb. Speakers round out the ensemble at the bottom of the phone.
2. The 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution shows off crystal clear images. Using the highly praised Super AMOLED tech, colour accuracy and contrast ration are top-notch.
Measuring at 5.7 inches, the Note 5 features a quad HD resolution display. At such pixelation, individual pixels are not discernible to the naked eye. Text and images are generally crisp and a pleasure to view, with the screen capable of deep blacks, rich colors and high contrast.
Although that AMOLED display still measures 5.7 inches, Samsung has shaved down the Note 5's dimensions, making the handset feel overall sleeker and slimmer than last year's Note 4. That's good news for one-handed phone jockeys, who get the same screen real estate in a more streamlined package.
The 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution (515 pixels per inch) holds steady from last year, lending a lot of crisp detail to the screen, possibly even more than we strictly need.
3. 16-megapixel camera lens. With its ability to shoot at 4K, the Note 5 is able to take some gorgeous photos.
The 16-megapixel rear camera works exactly the same as the Galaxy S6, which is really impressive. The camera boasts a maximum f1.9 aperture. Taking low light shots is a breeze, but it truly shines in ideal settings. What's more, photos look lovely on the Note 5's AMOLED screen.
The lens's wide aperture also means some of your tighter shots will show off a hint of pleasing bokeh, with blurred backgrounds you can artificially pump up via the Selective Focus feature.
engadget.com
Just like the S6, it’s almost impossible to take a bad photograph or shoot an ugly video with this camera. Also like the S6, double-tapping the home button opens up the camera, as well as swiping up from the lockscreen. This is an absolutely necessary feature, as it makes using this shooter completely effortless.
techvoid.com
4. A 3,000mAh battery. It packs just enough juice to last for a day.
As compared with Note 4's battery (3200mAh), we were expecting the Note 5 to die off a little faster. But with Samsung TouchWiz power saver settings, we often saw 48-72 hour of life depending on use. However, it's good to note that the battery is unremovable - so it's vital not to overcharged phone.
The Note 5 has the same processor and internals as the Galaxy S6, basically the same software, and though the screen is slightly larger it's of the same quality and type.
So presumably the Note 5 uses battery at roughly the same rate as the GS6. But let's remember that the battery has a little more than 17 percent greater capacity as well — a big-enough difference to make a real impact on your use of the phone.
5. S-Pen. The updated stylus writes and functions better - it also feels a lot lighter as compared to Note 4's slightly heavier pen.
If you've used a Note phone before, you would recognise the Air Command panel that pops out when you take out the pen. The menu gives you quick access to Action memo, Smart select and Screen write, along with three more app shortcuts of your choosing, whether they work with the S Pen natively or not.
Samsung has also reduced the friction between the pen's nib and the screen itself, and it works. Writing on the screen does seem smoother. It's also pretty cool to see how the pen feels natural - just like a normal pen would. There are different settings (fountain pen, calligraphy pen, pencil and brush) that helps make the Note 5 into a mobile sketchbook.
6. Impressive specs and functionality. The Note 5 comes with Android 5.1.1, ample storage space and enough RAM space to ensure smooth usage.
There are two of storage model variants of the device, a 32GB and 64GB option. As for the processor, the Note 5 comes with Samsung’s own impressively fast Quad-core Exynos 7420 octa-core processor (includes a Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57) and a Mali-T760MP8 GPU.
Opening apps, navigating heavy websites, swapping between apps and graphically-intensive games are all up to speed, as expected with such high-performance software.
You will still find quick actions in the notification shade, but you can limit what appears there to just one row of icons and in any order you prefer. The app launcher screens can be organized however you like or you can just tap the A-Z icon to view your app shortcuts in alphabetical order. You can change up the home screen panel grid. It's also very easy to apply a theme to change up the entire look of your Note 5.
There are a few Samsung and Microsoft apps installed out of the box, but the number of Google apps has been reduced and you can disable or hide many of these preloaded apps.
zdnet.com
Everything considered, the Galaxy Note 5 is undoubtedly a solid phone in all the important areas.
A premium build, minimalist design, dependable camera and impressive software. While the battery might worrying to heavy users, its battery saving feature comes in to save the day. So, if you're looking for something with weight and substance - the Note 5 is for you.
Telco companies are offering the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 from RM1,699 for the 16GB version. For more information, you could check with your respective service providers or head to the Samsung website for more information.