It has only been recently that the Samsung Galaxy Note phablets have started looking better than just oversized slate smartphones with built-in styluses, but even the previous Galaxy Note 4 wasn't the most fashionable phablet around. The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 on the other hand, features a metal and glass design that is both striking and premium looking, quite easily making it the best looking Note phablet yet. Does this affect the performance in any way? We find out in our review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 below.
Design, Tech Specs and Features - everything looks better in chrome
After years of being a rectangular slate of a smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 finally looks and feels like a flagship phablet. This is in no small part due to the Samsung Galaxy S6 edgeinspired design but even the S-Pen stylus is slimmer with a metallic finish and pops out with a push on the bottom-end. We say Galaxy S6 edge rather than Galaxy S6 because of the curvy full metal frame and dual edge curved glass backside. In fact, if you put the Galaxy Note 5 on its screen, it looks like the Galaxy S6 edge from the front and side. Tech specs and features are as high-end as before except that you lose certain features like expandable memory. You do gain a lighter and slimmer smartphone that feels as solid as before but it is definitely more premium looking than previous Galaxy Note phablets. Check out the full tech specs for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 below:
- 64-bit 2.1GHz octa-core Samsung Exynos 7420 processor
- 4GB RAM
- 32GB storage (no microSD or expandable memory)
- 5.7-inch display (Super AMOLED, 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, 518ppi)
- 16MP rear camera (ISOCELL, F1.9, Optical Image Stabilization) + 5MP front camera (F1.9)
- 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm | 171 g
- supports S-Pen (240 Hz sample rate, 2048 pressure level), dual-SIM 4G LTE (nano SIM x2, up to Cat9), fast charging, fast wireless charging, NFC, MST, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), MIMO, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, ANT+, USB 2.0, GPS, GLONASS), fingerprint sensor, heart rate sensor
Overall, the biggest and most useful new feature on the Galaxy Note 5 that we found is its ability to write notes in standby mode just by taking out the S-Pen stylus. The fact that you can now take notes as easy as picking up a pen or pencil and writing on paper makes the Galaxy Note 5 even more useful for those who like to still use pens or pencils. All of the previous Air Command features are still here like Action Memo and S Notes and you can also add shortcuts for other apps as well. However, while the overall Samsung TouchWiz interface remains the same, it isn't as bloated as before and is somewhat easier to navigate. Multitasking and multiwindow functions are also still here while the 2K or 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution 5.7-inch display ensures that details are just as sharp on multiple windows.
The standby note and other S-Pen Air command features are particularly useful for those who like to use a stylus
The multiwindow and heart rate sensor are still there for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5
Performance - an even faster stylus-driven beast of a phablet
In terms of performance the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is easily king of the Android phones with an AnTuTu score of 65294. This carries on to a score of 16747 fps on 3DMark for Ice Storm but it seems that it isn't capable of running native 2K display benchmarks just yet as the Slingshot benchmark only got 919 (which isn't bad compared to how some other devices performed). This can also be seen on Epic Citadel with 29.8 fps on 2k or 2560 x 1440 pixel resolutions but this is understandable due to the much higher resolution. Actual game performance is still superb with Asphalt 8:Airborne showing buttery smooth performance on the highest visual quality settings.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is still the king with an AnTuTu score of 65294
Performance on 3DMark is also very high
However, for native 2K or 2560 x 1440 resolution like Epic Citadel, the Galaxy Note 5 only managed a close 29.8 frames per second
No worries though, as normal 1080p apps and games like Asphalt 8:Airborne will still run buttery smooth on the Samsung Galaxy Note 5
If you want to use the S-Pen stylus, the Galaxy Note 5 is still very much a two handed device but thankfully the new more compact design does let you use the 5.7-inch screen one handed as well. Samsung have really done a lot of work with their interface this time and it shows in all the right places with an easier to use panorama shot for both the front and rear cameras along with a more energy efficient handwriting engine. The Galaxy Note 5 does run warm though, which means it also gets quite hot when under pressure (or using the GPS). It also gets warm while quick charging but at least you can opt for wireless charging or via the microUSB port. You can get a full charge in about 1 hour or so though. Battery life is quite good, with about 1 day and a half on medium to heavy usage.
Camera performance is in a word - fast, very fast. Both front and back cameras autofocus very quickly even in low-light conditions with clear picture quality, capturing almost no noise and offering excellent colour reproduction without being difficult to do at all. There are some new camera features like Live broadcast and virtual shot but if you can't see a previous feature like Dual Camera, all you need to do is to download it. The Pro mode does offer a bit more in terms of manual camera settings without looking too daunting for the average photographer.
16MP, Auto
16MP, Auto
16MP, Auto
5MP, Auto
16MP, Auto (top) and 16MP, HDR (bottom)
16MP, Auto (top) and 16MP, HDR (bottom)
16MP, Auto
The Pro mode offers fairly easy to use manual camera settings
There are some new camera features and if you're missing the old ones you can download them as well
While you don't use up as much energy writing with the S-Pen I would have to say that either my harlowritng has become worse or the character ✓ ears on the new Note 5 13 es l less flexible. As such, while we wrote nearly the whole review for the Galaxy Note 4 with the S-Pen, we can't say the same about the Galaxy Note 5. Again, those with good handwriting will definitely enjoy the S-Pen better. Trying out the S-Pen on apps other than the S-Note proved to be successful but personally I find that the slimmer S-Pen is a bit too slim, making my hand cramp up at first but I soon got used to it. Connectivity and call quality are excellent as before while audio quality is loud, clear and crisp.
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