Samsung Galaxy Note 4 review: Four of a kind

10 October 2014
From an oddball that everyone was laughing at to becoming one of the most important Samsung announcement of the year – the Note series got to a place where now everyone else wants to be in too, including Apple...

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  • E
  • EStar
  • 3JE
  • 11 Oct 2014

This is a proper flagship phone!

But I just am wondering how amazing the performance would be if this was only 1080p but stayed with the Snapdragon 805 and Adreno 420. The battery life would be even better than what it is and who knows, could make the device a bit cheaper too!

QHD is just overkill to my eyes...considering my 55" TV is only 1080p and that is OK

    • D
    • AnonD-265341
    • m7I
    • 11 Oct 2014

    Excellent battery and a good phone overall. Good work sammy

      • D
      • AnonD-305805
      • mbA
      • 11 Oct 2014

      Can someone explain to me HOW the Note 4 manages to outperform the Note 3 in terms of battery life when the capacity is almost the same, yet the Note 4 has way more pixels to address? What's the secret? More power efficient SOC won't justify this I guess. Maybe newer screen technology? I'm really interested in a proper explanation.

        • D
        • AnonD-314503
        • nCf
        • 11 Oct 2014

        [deleted post]Yeah, you clearly wait for the exynos version since snapdragon performance didnt come as you expected. Sorry for that LOL.

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • kkx
          • 11 Oct 2014

          AnonD-252981, 11 Oct 2014I have the white SM-N910U, that's the Exynos version with L... moreWhat different results do you get with the Exynos version?
          I'm eager on this. As well as with the Exynos version having the Wolfson DAC I can't wait to see a comparison.
          By default they sadly seem to sound oddly similar....But I think the Wolfsan is more tweakable.

            • W
            • Waz
            • 3JE
            • 11 Oct 2014

            Simply amazing phone!

            I have a quick question. Will the phone be running ART or Dalvik Android Runtime? If its Dalvik, then are we looking at even better performance / benchmarks with ART when Andriod L comes along?

            Thanks in advance.

              • Z
              • Zayde
              • YWi
              • 11 Oct 2014

              Move over iFail. Here comes the toy for the big boys.

                • D
                • AnonD-252981
                • rub
                • 11 Oct 2014

                I have the white SM-N910U, that's the Exynos version with LTE. I honestly can't find the gap they are talking about. Maybe it was a bad first batch. On my phone you can only see where the glass emva and metal begins, since the glass doors not cover the metal.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • kkx
                  • 11 Oct 2014

                  James, 11 Oct 2014I dont get it. There is no huge big software gains, and ju... moreWow......Could you be any more delusional?

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • kkx
                    • 11 Oct 2014

                    Anonymous, 11 Oct 2014Obviously you have a problem of reading. On some graphic ch... moreObliterated???
                    Awe...You apple users are so adorable.

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • kkx
                      • 11 Oct 2014

                      Rasmus Kristensen, 11 Oct 2014The iPhone is just a large n95. Makes as much sense as your... morePlease do not compare the iphone to the amazing and functional N95.

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • kkx
                        • 11 Oct 2014

                        AnonD-312758, 11 Oct 2014Check out the performance reviews and compare it with iPhon... moreYes in benchmarks the Iphone 6/6+ do considerably well to most others.
                        That actually has a lot more to do with the GPU in it rather than completely on the whole SoC. That and the restrictions of IOS.

                        But those are benchmarks. Real world use tells a whole different story.
                        IOS has always been the leader in app crashes. As well as decently ahead of most in bugs.
                        However IOS 7 and 8 bring many more bugs that they have to keep releasing update after update to attempt and fail at fully fixing.
                        Plus it's laggy and freezes a lot. And there is barely any added function to account for the weight they have added.
                        On top of the bugs and lags, coupling 64 bit with 1GB does nothing to help it's performance. And limiting the clock speed to account for their weaker batteries does not help either.

                        If they could have worked out the bugs, added beafier batteries, and clocked the device to 1.8-2ghz coupled with 2 or 3GB of ram....
                        For the first time in history Iphones could have actually been more worth their price and actually had this unrealistic fake lead in performance over Droid devices their excessive fans have always thought they had.

                        I can't wait to see a full review on the Exynos variant which is supposed to have some of a lead over the Sanpdragon version.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • kkx
                          • 11 Oct 2014

                          Anonymous, 11 Oct 2014It doesn't use an Isocell camera it's a Sony sensor, the im... moreDid you read the review?
                          It says that it again includes Phase detection introduced by the S5. In fact it is even faster now.

                          And it's the same size sensor with the same focal point, with the same resolution, and the same outcome/attributes.

                          Also...Lenovo Vibe Z2 has a 16MP OIS shooter with phase detection....Guess what variety it has already been confirmed to be for at least a month now?
                          A 16MP Samsung made IsoCell sensor.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • kkx
                            • 11 Oct 2014

                            Anonymous, 11 Oct 2014I wonder where are the people who.. Oh..idk.. Cried out the... morePeople always gotta find something to hate.
                            Most will still rely on claiming Touchwiz lags a lot or android lags a lot.
                            Same hate, different type of fan.

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • kkx
                              • 11 Oct 2014

                              AnonD-279528, 11 Oct 2014Yes it is true, Auto Brightness mode can push the brightnes... moreExactly. It almost seems like GSMARENA does not acount for this in these Amoled panels.
                              It's strange.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • kkx
                                • 11 Oct 2014

                                AnonD-79768, 11 Oct 2014My comment had nothing to do with either Android or iOS. To... moreAnd thankfully it's not.
                                I can understand the move to a metal frame. I guess it helps. And it does do away with the chipping frame.
                                Obviously people like this. No reason to hate for it.

                                However keeping the frame metal and the cover poly carbonate is way smarter and more practical than a metal body.
                                The poly carbonate material is overall lighter, mroe durable, blocks less signal, and does not retain as much heat.
                                Plus being removable lets you access the battery and makes repairs and replacement of the back or battery a millions times easier and cheaper.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • kkx
                                  • 11 Oct 2014

                                  Hands down best overall device. That cannot even factually be argued. You might prefer something else, but that won't change the facts.

                                  The gripes are small and cannot even come close to outweighing the outstanding pros.
                                  But there are just a couple. They cannot take away the amazing win for the device though.

                                  I do however wish that they did include water resistance. I'm guessing they need a little more time to do this with their metal clad phones.

                                  I really wish they had included stereo speakers. Their Omnia devices had great stereo speakers.
                                  However I am pleasantly impressed with the incredibly loud single speaker with much improved fidelity. Wish they would have added a little extra range as well, but the improved fidelity helps negate that.

                                  Of course reverting the usb :/

                                  And lastly the battery....Although at the same time you can't complain...By adding only 20mah more the phone scored more than 10 hours better than it's predecessor despite having double the resolution and much higher brightness and a more powerful chip.

                                  28 hours call time and 17 1/2 hours video? That's amazing!
                                  Even the over 10 hours of browsing is extremely impressive. It beats or at least matches a lot of other 1080p clad LCD devices. Some only do a little better.
                                  So a larger QHD device with a display type that uses more energy to display white matches the browsing time.
                                  That's efficiency and optimization.

                                  However despite all that they could have at least squeezed minimum 100 or 200mah more in. Imagine the increase in battery then!?
                                  But quick charge getting 50 or 75% in just 30 minutes and full charge in just 95-100 minutes? Nice.

                                  I'm guessing the S6 will finally incorporate the metal frame and OIS. And they should have the water issues worked out by then. I was expecting a higher ip rating for it, but the metal frame will probably keep it the same.
                                  So it should bring the metal frame, water resistance, and OIS. Plus I'm guessing if not on another device the S6 will finally incorporate Samsung's move back to stereo speakers.

                                    • R
                                    • Rasmus Kristensen
                                    • 0Z1
                                    • 11 Oct 2014

                                    Anonymous, 11 Oct 2014Exactly. It's just a large iphone. Some people will never ... moreThe iPhone is just a large n95. Makes as much sense as your comment. The differences between iphone and a note-phone are immense.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • PF5
                                      • 11 Oct 2014

                                      Nothing can beat this Note 4 in the phablet category. Not even the iPhone 6 plus or LG G3 can hold the competition as of yet. The only real rival to this Note 4 is the Note Edge.

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • kkx
                                        • 11 Oct 2014

                                        AnonD-109004, 11 Oct 2014Perfect and amazing GSMA. You guys are best when it comes t... moreExactly.
                                        It's just a large iphone. Some people will never be able to accept that though.
                                        As far as sales go yes it's a competitor because apple will always sell. As a smartphone it's among last in the competition though.

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