Samsung Galaxy Note5 review: The 5blet

21 August, 2015
As the fourth successor of the product that defined what a phablet should be, Samsung Galaxy Note5 is arguably the most radical release in the product family to date. The newcomer marks a noteworthy departure (no pun intended) from all of its predecessors in terms of both design and available hardware features...

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  • AnonD-90109
  • X9m
  • 27 Aug 2015

AnonD-57516, 27 Aug 2015Exactly. I have used my S6 edge for a full day from 6am til... moreCome back 6 month's from now, and let us know how that battery is holding up.

    • D
    • AnonD-57516
    • Ui$
    • 27 Aug 2015

    AnonD-430264, 25 Aug 201514 hours-37 minutes-16 seconds I've run on hard usage today... moreExactly. I have used my S6 edge for a full day from 6am till 11.13pm with brightness at half, bluetooth switched on the whole time, 3hrs of mp3 music and lots of surfing like 5hrs on the internet browser. The phone still had 21% battery remaining at 11.13pm.

    I don't see what is the big issue with blokes here complaining that the Note5 battery life isn't good.
    If an S6 edge having 2600mAh could last my way, then I guess those clowns may have had their display brightness at 100% the whole time and they have been in a low signal zone too.

      • E
      • Ehjence
      • vx6
      • 27 Aug 2015

      This is the best

        • h
        • heryts
        • Ki3
        • 27 Aug 2015

        ithehappy, 26 Aug 2015So you are on the go, in a bus, or train, where you don't h... moreThere is power bank dude

          AnonD-417465, 26 Aug 2015Sorry I am lost to why you need a removing artery when Sams... moreSo you are on the go, in a bus, or train, where you don't have any option to recharge your phone, but you do have a backpack and you do have an additional battery there, and you can simple swap it with the dead battery and there you will have a phone will full battery!

          This is so simple! What people don't get about it?

          PS: No, I have never been to a position like this, I always charge my phone before going out from home, but what I do myself can't speak for other peoples' usage pattern. I personally don't give a damn about built in battery, but there are quite a lot of Samsung users who do care about it, and I don't blame them to some extent.

            Audio recording seems poor, with weird noise in background and there are still digital breaks. I wonder if note5 got at least some filter of low frequencies. Still, recording is not very good...

              • D
              • AnonD-417465
              • m7e
              • 26 Aug 2015

              Anonymous, 26 Aug 2015It has been repeated many (and many) times that no micro sd... moreSorry I am lost to why you need a removing artery when Samsung offer a wireless battery cash, I.e. The case protects your phone as auto charges it as needed, why do you the need to change the battery

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • 5Mb
                • 26 Aug 2015

                It has been repeated many (and many) times that no micro sd and removeble battery is a major deal breaker, even more on the note than ever. Another major blow, is the ir blaster., and lack of improvement from the screen is a disapiointment too. All in all, another disappointing release from samsung in 2015 (looks is miles ahead of samsung's previous efforts, but it won't attract iphone crowd).

                  ICE, 25 Aug 2015Samsung Galaxy Note5 Has a Major Design Flaw: Be Careful Ho... moreI think that I am a twisted person. On a bad day I can think about one of those evil and weird thinkings, and yet in my two years of usage (total of Note 2 and Note 3's usage duration) I have never even thought about inputting the S Pen the opposite way to its holster, let alone doing it.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • Hx6
                    • 25 Aug 2015

                    ICE, 25 Aug 2015Samsung Galaxy Note5 Has a Major Design Flaw: Be Careful Ho... moreYup. Notice how very little enthusiasm there is in Stylus-gate? Super serious flaw, but let's all ignore it.

                    http://www.theverge.com/2015/8/25/9204589/galaxy-note-5-stylus-s-pen-flaw

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • 0@u
                      • 25 Aug 2015

                      Hello,

                      Why aren't the Camera and Battery test results reflected in your Compare tool?
                      Same goes to the sound quality/louadness result..

                        • A
                        • Akash
                        • PT6
                        • 25 Aug 2015

                        AnonD-433517, 25 Aug 2015You have made the most sense out of anyone. Simple fixGlad you agree...Only if I could convey it till Samsung R & D.. maybe they would like it too

                          • D
                          • AnonD-433517
                          • vu$
                          • 25 Aug 2015

                          Akash, 24 Aug 2015Heres a few ideas SAMSUNG..guaranteed success: 1.Make th... moreYou have made the most sense out of anyone. Simple fix

                            • i
                            • it still slower
                            • 2mC
                            • 25 Aug 2015

                            What's the point Note5/S6 pack with different better cpu??? while mali GPU is still stutter during GFXBench(on screen) test. About 40% slower than Adreno 430 in Mannhattan fps
                            screen demo. WHat da hack sammy?????why the frame/s was s low.How to enjoy gamin
                            at maximum level??

                            Exynos7420 - Mali t760 mp8 was only reach at max 190.0 Gflops and this never ever
                            Beat the current snapdragon 810 or next Sn 820.
                            Apple A8X -[Power VR-6850] was max at 240.0 Gflops and more powerful than Exynos 7420.

                            In term of graphic performance....note5/s6 still far cry from reaching for top rank in GFX Bench 3.0].

                            Actually Mali t760 mp8 still not-2 enough horsepower to run this beast. Samsung should wait for next Snap820[Adreno 530] ,than to be at crown again as 2015 King
                            .I believe those Ipad AIR 2 user are laughing look how terrible the gpu test frame/s score for Note 5.

                              • D
                              • AnonD-152638
                              • mhB
                              • 25 Aug 2015

                              I do think the battery of the Note was a bit too much of a compromise.
                              I dont really see the reason for the reduced capacity.
                              It has the S Pen and the digitizer needed for that, and wireless charging, so it will be thicker than the upcoming iPhone 6S plus. So thickness can't be the reason.

                              Most buyers will not be able to handle the device with one hand, even now that they slimmed it down, and rounded the edges.
                              So that cant be the reason.


                              There should have instead been a S6 with 5.7 none edge display, to be the thinner, lighter option.


                              The exclusion of the Micro SD I fully get.
                              It's not just that the controller for the UFS2.0 memory can't handle it.
                              Having a Micro SD cards, does affect file managing.
                              What do you plan to use it for?
                              If your answer is setting it up as the memory for storing captured images and videos.
                              Well then, it might affect picture to picture times. Or how quickly your device will finnish writing that 4K clip, and making itself ready for recording the next.
                              And not only that, it will affect performance when you are in the gallery.

                              Save apps on to it?
                              Well, since Google stopped officially support that, most apps no longer support it, even if the Makers skin supports it (in this case TouchWiz).

                              Storing offline playlists.
                              Well that would again affect the performance.
                              And that could also potentially create problem if you were thinking of having multiple cards. Or if you want to be able to start your device without the card (if you for example puts the card in your computer for file transfers, and dont want your phone to be off while you do that). The apps then at least sometimes, if not always, looses those playlists, and you have to re download everything.

                              You want your offline maps.
                              Same as above.

                              Ok, so you use it strictly for your video collection.
                              Well yes, if that is your only source for music or videos that you play in a certain app that could work quite well.
                              I don't really see why you would need to have that many videos on your small screened handheld device, it's not exactly a joy to use for video-watching, even if the screen is good.
                              And most of you could then use a USB drive, and either use that as source or simply transfer the video/s you are about to watch.
                              So I dont see how that would be a major issue.
                              Besides, transfering files to a USB drive from your computer is quicker. And if you connect your phone to a USB port, that would then start to charge the phone, and that actually will have negative impact on your battery.

                              You want it as a backup?
                              Do you actually back things up to the Micro SD card, or do you use it as the main memory for some things that you want to have saved?
                              What it the micro SD card breaks, then you still dont have a backup.
                              Better then to actually back up your device, either by connecting it to a computer or you could use a USB drive.


                              Ok, so you use the card for your music collection.
                              Again, if you only use media from that card in the playback app, that should work fine.
                              This is about the only scenario, where I do understand the need for a micro SD card. I myself am I music collector. using a USB drive isn't exactly practical.
                              On the other hand, I cant fit my music collection on a micro SD card, unless I'm willng to spend a fortune. So I wont have all my music at once.
                              And I tend to think that when listening to music in my mobile, is a golden oppurtunity, to discover new music, by downloading offline playlists from Spotify.
                              And really how many people do bring their own music collection these days. Those that do, I think mostly are people using iPhones, that bring their iTunes collection.


                              I'm thinking that there could perhaps have been a way for Samsung to integrate micro SD card reader in to their newest flagships. If it's not supported by current chipsets, they could have done so themself. And that is, to have two separate channels for USB OTG, one that hooks to micro SD card reader in the device, and one that is the port on the bottom.
                              That way, you could use it for backups or for bringing along your media collection, without apps beeing confused as where to store data.


                              If Samsung wants to do their best trying to battle with Apple.
                              I think they should have done this instead.
                              Launch a S6+ series to be fresh in time for the launch of the iPhones. But the + should not indicate size, but a + version of the S6. Now they only have the S6 that is half a year old, to take on the smaller iPhone, the one that actually sells the best, doesn't seem like the best strategy to me.
                              I would have liked to se S6+ S and S6+ Edge S, where S stands for small. It should come with about 4.7" display. Full HD resolution. To take on the normal iPhone (and the Z5 Compact). I Know samsung feels that their S6 is a better compromise in terms of size. And perhaps it is. But they should want something that is more easily comparable to the iPhone. Now if they say higher resolution screen, well its bigger... Better batterylife, well it's bigger... and so on.

                              M and Edge M, with the same display as the original S6/Edge.

                              And two L devices, with the displays of Note 5 and S6 Edge+

                              They should have done their very best to make sure to have that new chip with integrated modem was ready, to offer some kind of CPU upgrade, even if the performance would have stayed the same, except for more power efficient connection to the network, and some reports said that is might be slightly higher clocked.
                              They should have had USB 3.0 or 3.1 with USB C connector, and if possible faster charging to come with that (depends if the battery could take it). Apple may or may note have that on their device. If they do, well, then Samsung could say, so do we. If they dont, they can say we bring the future, and it's reversible just like that lightning connector.
                              They should have been equipped with 4GB of RAM (to offer at least some hardware upgrade to the original S6).
                              Samsung should have redesigned the none edge version, with that back edge design as the Note5 got.
                              They should have also launched exclusively with 64GB of storage, to try to drive down costs for that option, 32 of storage seems like a lot, but it's not, considering how every part of Android grows with every update, even the apps. and with 4K recording onboard, and 16MP pictures and RAW support, plus you do need space for all those other things, you do need more than 32GB, but 128GB is just not cost efficient at this time.
                              They should have looked at Sony, and put a small tag that you draw out in the SIM slot, instead of having that ugly FCC and so on text on the back.
                              They should have then also cancelled the S6 and S6 Edge, except for perhaps one colour of the S6 (none edge), 32GB, and have that selling at a slightly lower price.


                              And they should have launched the Note 5 as well. (with USB C and that new chipset, at least 64GB of storage, but perhaps a 128GB option with this one).
                              But here I think, that they should have perhaps kept the removable battery (but still offer wireless charging). It might not be a thing for most users, but with a complete series of S6+ devices, even matching the screen (except for the pen digitizer), the note buyers would probably be willing to accept a less impressive design, for the fact that they do get the option to remove the battery. Even if still most buyers would never take advantage of the removable battery option, they would know that they were buying the device more aimed for the power/pro user, since it comes with that pen, and often the Power/pro user devices, comes with less impressive design, as it is function first.
                              If they should have solved it with a removable back, or an opening on the side of the device where the battery slots in, I have no idea.

                              I think they should have then also launched the Note5 Power User Pack. Including a spare battery, an extra quick charger, an external battery charger, that can be used for carrying your spare battery and that supports wireless charing (so that you could use either the supplied power adaptor, or just put it on a charger pad), a slim plastic box for carrying the extra battery if yu dont want to bring the much bulkier charger.
                              And it should include a super slimmed USB-C MicroSD card reader, that has a very small USB-C connector, and that has the Micro SD card sitting along the back of the phone, so that it can sit on the device, while the device is in use. That way people complaining over the lack for exapndable storage could partly get that. And those already owning large expensive micro SD cards, could still use them.

                                • D
                                • AnonD-148878
                                • q93
                                • 25 Aug 2015

                                I don't care what people here say. This is by far the best damn phone I have ever owned. I'm so thrilled with it. I wasn't sure I was going to like it better than my Iphone 6 plus but now the thought of switching back makes me throw up a bit.

                                  • I
                                  • ICE
                                  • NHr
                                  • 25 Aug 2015

                                  Samsung Galaxy Note5 Has a Major Design Flaw: Be Careful How You Insert the S Pen, you can damage the pen recognition system if inserted the wrong way.

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                                    • AnonD-430264
                                    • FEA
                                    • 25 Aug 2015

                                    14 hours-37 minutes-16 seconds I've run on hard usage today, with approximately 3 hours 44 minutes left on charge.

                                    Watching videos, making websites, messaging, calls, Internet browsing, drawing, taking pictures, forum postings, running programs. I have auto "off" on screen brightness, which I set higher for a brighter screen.

                                    For all the haters that never used the phone complaining about how crappy the battery is going to be because it's only 3000mah. Full day is done, time to hit the sack and start all over again tomorrow ;)

                                      • U
                                      • Uziii
                                      • KID
                                      • 25 Aug 2015

                                      I think note edge 2 which is predicted to launch in mid of oct 2015 will be do all the shortcomings of note 5. Dual edge Dual sim/ one slot will be for sd or sim. Batry 3500 non removable. Cam 21 mp 4K. Processor will be bit advance than note 5. Anxiouly waiting for the Beast!

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                                        • AnonD-374655
                                        • 3CH
                                        • 24 Aug 2015

                                        Where is Display Sunlight Contrast Ratio ??