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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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • FMY
  • 24 Aug 2015

AnonD-303171, 22 Aug 2015I have been using Samsung since Duos, s3,S4,now note 3. Was... morenow its comments like that, which would make one wonder if they ever even owned a samsung. you realize you knowcked the device for specific reasons, then said your going to get a phone which has all the things you just knowcked, with even worse battery life?

    • D
    • AnonD-433007
    • 4Kh
    • 23 Aug 2015

    a downgrade with a better processor and a battery that last longer? as far as the SD slot get a flash drive for that other stuff they still make those. I don`t miss that stuff and that`s where the phones are going now.

      • z
      • zzero
      • aj@
      • 23 Aug 2015

      Akash, 23 Aug 2015I understand that pain of waiting.. I'm waiting for it too.... moreI totally agree, it would be perfect and I would for sure buy the 128 GB for those 30-40 extra $. But now I just feel "wrong" if I buy it, I feel like someone's stealing me, and that was not my feeling with the 2 S3's, the S4 and the Note 3. Despite the excelent premium construction I can't lose that extra memory card slot. And i really hope that Samsung's employees take their time and read this comments for the future.

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        • AnonD-364786
        • XNa
        • 23 Aug 2015

        Akash, 23 Aug 2015No brand really offers that.. Maybe because they are confid... moreswollen battery is not easy to spot physically in unibody smartphones ..
        easiest way to find is that battery capacity will be reduced to 30 to 40% kind

          • A
          • Akash
          • PT6
          • 23 Aug 2015

          Akash, 23 Aug 2015I understand that pain of waiting.. I'm waiting for it too.... moreCorrections.. Typos
          I meant to not too* and price not prince*

            • A
            • Akash
            • PT6
            • 23 Aug 2015

            zzero, 23 Aug 2015I have a Note 3, and i was waiting the Note 5 just like a k... moreI understand that pain of waiting.. I'm waiting for it too..but I absolutely love it! I agree with the memory issue... Its just a way too make their phones faster than the bunch.. Its a good plan executed badly.. In my opinion.. They should have scrapped the 32gb model and instead kept 64 & 128 only..(prince them closer too..like only 30 -40 $ for the bigger one) ... That would have been perfect..even I feel bad about the non expandability but its just a sacrifice for future proofing I guess

              • A
              • Akash
              • PT6
              • 23 Aug 2015

              Anonymous, 23 Aug 2015So if the battery is swollen, how can we know? What can we do?No brand really offers that.. Maybe because they are confident about the battery staying ok if you dont regularly overcharge (like every two days). Other than that.. You can always go to the service centre ( not the best way to solve) if you feel your battery is draining way too fast.probably an indication of battery problem ...

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • ty@
                • 23 Aug 2015

                Akash, 23 Aug 2015And check battery condition??? Who does that?? And apart fr... moreSo if the battery is swollen, how can we know? What can we do?

                  • z
                  • zzero
                  • aj@
                  • 23 Aug 2015

                  Akash, 23 Aug 2015And check battery condition??? Who does that?? And apart fr... moreI have a Note 3, and i was waiting the Note 5 just like a kid is waiting for his new bike, I agree with you about the battery, it looks way better that way and i love the design, i can live with that, but they could make a slot for te sd card just like the one used for te SIM, think about this: i allways have a backup on my sd card because i like to change my rom and use a custom one, only the back up uses 8 GB! Plus all europe maps, yes i travel a lot, several more Gb's, and i'm left with 10 GB for 800$?

                  I'm not talking anymore about complains and samsung/iphone fanboys, this is Samsung just laughing in our faces.

                  I'm not going to buy the Note 5, really seeking for an alternative right now but i think i will stick to my note 3 till next year.

                    • n
                    • note 1 2 3 4 owner
                    • r9g
                    • 23 Aug 2015

                    my guess samsung had note 4 team working on refreshed design for note 6 .. and s6 team updating same design to note5. they should at least keep same features not downgrade note 5 to s6 design. and yes i say downgrade cz looks dont matter to me.. no features like sd card removal is a downgrade. no a worth updgrade for sure ..

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                      • Akash
                      • PT6
                      • 23 Aug 2015

                      AnonD-317739, 23 Aug 2015PRO : 1. Nice design and placement ( speaker back at botto... moreAnd check battery condition??? Who does that?? And apart from LG...which other flagship lets you open up the back??
                      Have you used any other flagship? No company is still offering removable backs for their flagship except LG. HTC SONY APPLE MOTOROLA...even smaller brands like HUAWEI HONOR, MEIZU ,XIAOMI (to name a few)have sealed backs to give a premium look

                        • A
                        • Akash
                        • PT6
                        • 23 Aug 2015

                        AnonD-317739, 23 Aug 2015PRO : 1. Nice design and placement ( speaker back at botto... moreReally thats the only pro you know about?? Speakers Lol... Google it.. I assure you you will find over 10...5 of which are extremely useful as well...

                          • A
                          • Akash
                          • PT6
                          • 23 Aug 2015

                          Anonymous, 23 Aug 2015Ill tell you why I buy flagship products and not some garba... moreWell you are one section of customers... But there are others who are well used to having non swappable batteries but hate cheap looking phones.. And for them seeing that note 5 skipped that feature hardly matters... But SD card is a necessity. I agree.. But lets just face it... In order to make their flash storage faster ...they sacrificed it... And maybe soon enough people will find it easily acceptable...because touchwiz had a reputation for becoming frustratingly slow in a year or so(never experienced it on my S2..guess it was only in cheaper phones)... Maybe this is the solution.And as for your scenario..I think note4 is the only option. Cause you rely on it way too much(swap battery). And another option would be delete all but the handful of apps you actually use.(apps which can't be deleted can be disabled).In my experience that helps keep your phone faster.
                          But note5 can easily run a day so you wont be swapping the battery by mid day... Neither would you on note 4 which gives you the convenience too..

                            • D
                            • AnonD-364786
                            • XNa
                            • 23 Aug 2015

                            yoo, 23 Aug 2015everyone say that note5 will fail, even some say "ever... moreeveryone said S5 will sell well.. and then said the same about S6 and S6..
                            end result is S6 variants are a even bigger flops than S5..

                            note 5 if flops won't affect samsung much .. it is not expected to sell like S line and note 3 is the last in note series which didn't face any competition from apple

                              • y
                              • yoo
                              • tA$
                              • 23 Aug 2015

                              everyone say that note5 will fail, even some say "every one who has note4 won't upgrade to note5"
                              but let see, i bet it's sales will be good....

                                • D
                                • AnonD-317739
                                • tA$
                                • 23 Aug 2015

                                PRO :
                                1. Nice design and placement ( speaker back at bottom where it should be.. just like Note 3 )..
                                2. Finally a solid metal structure..

                                CONS :
                                1. Not much CAMERA improvement.. or none if I may say..
                                2. No MicroSD Slot..
                                3. Non Removable Battery..

                                No offense guys, but I really think this is just Note 4 downgrade in a new body..
                                I feel they rush the deadline ( by cutting major elements ) just to be one step ahead of their American Competitor..
                                Do You have any idea how many people will skip this N5 knowing that they wouldn't be able to expand the memory and that they can't check their battery condition from time to time..

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • vav
                                  • 23 Aug 2015

                                  Dear Samsung.
                                  Please fire your current marketing division as they are ruining your financial performance.

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • UVF
                                    • 23 Aug 2015

                                    Akash, 23 Aug 2015What does your funtionality involve? You dont need a camera... moreIll tell you why I buy flagship products and not some garbage mid-range device, its because app developers insist on updating their apps daily to include more and more bloat, because they know the hardware is keeping up with their bloatware, so that any low to mid-range device that starts out fast at first, becomes slow within the year.

                                    Which would mean that I have to continue to buy a new low to mid-range device yearly, which would cost me more than shelling out for a flagship and future proofing myself for a few years.

                                    I am still using my Note 1, and the phone itself is flawless for my needs, but the stupid app developers keep updating with bloatware to the point the phone takes 30 seconds just to load an app.

                                    I looked at my apps, I only use internet, splanner, Facebook and messenger, line, magic jack for calls, Skype, google translate, tune-in radio, and various banking apps, my phone used to be able to run all of these easily until the bloat got to be excessive. Heck, FB messenger alone sucks up half the RAM.

                                    So now I need a few flagship to tide me over for the next few years, but without SD to put all my extra junk and movies, and the changeable battery so that I don't walk around looking like an idiot tied down with what appears to be a second phone (battery pack)

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • UD{
                                      • 23 Aug 2015

                                      AnonD-422854, 22 Aug 2015Buy yourself Nokia 1100 in that case because not only Note ... moreOr maybe a Nokia 3310. Keep dropping it and destroy your entire country.

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                                        • AnonD-77443
                                        • 2G4
                                        • 23 Aug 2015

                                        Akash, 23 Aug 2015What does your funtionality involve? You dont need a camera... moreI think the point he was trying to make is all the marginal improvements (looks, cameras, ram, speed, 64 bit, better finger print scanner etc) don't mean much to a user who relies on removable batteries and lots of storage space. I own a Note 4 but with the removal of the SD card and downgrading of battery life along with no removable battery I will be sticking with the Note 4. The performance of the GN4 is great and it has all the features i need... when the GN5 sales are slow Samsung will realise it too.