Gadgetory

the Samsung Galaxy Note is the original phone tablet hybrid each year we get an updated one and each year we compare the new model with its immediate predecessor to see what's changed this year those changes run to the very core of what it means to be a note I'm Michael Fisher with PocketNow and this is Samsung Galaxy Note 5 versus Galaxy Note 4 the changes are most pronounced in hardware and a lot of them are upgrades the imitation leather back cover has given way to curved glass last year's sharp edged chamfers melting into this year's 7000 series aluminum rails and that combination makes the note 5 a more comfortable device to hold in the hand last year's finicky swipe fingerprint scanner is gone replaced by the more reliable press and hold type and though the screen size has stayed the same at 5.7 inches the new device is smaller in every dimension with slimmer bezels to boot that's a big deal because the note has always been clumsy to use one-handed and even this moderate slimming helps a lot the speakerphone sounds like it could be the same physical driver but it's been moved from the back cover to the bottom edge alongside the new s-pen now on the note 4 deploying the s-pen was a simple matter of pulling it from its silo but on the note 5 Samsung has fancied it up with a click and release action that's so cool it makes everything else feel primitive also the s-pen itself has gotten a paint job to make its plastic look well less plastic II but it's still plastic not all these changes come without a cost while the aesthetic modifications do a good job of bringing the note in line with its smaller sibling the Galaxy s6 the trade-off is a phone that blends in more than it stands out also the new S pen's clicky deployment mechanism is a little more cumbersome to use than the old quick-draw method and let's stop burying the lede here the biggest and most controversial change to the note 5 is the watering down of its hardware customizability the microSD slot and removable battery that have been staples of the note line since its inception are gone and to add insult to injury the battery size has also been reduced by 7% in the new phone for those who've always bought the Galaxy Note because it's the most powerful most versatile device in Samsung's lineup it's doubtful that the fast wireless charging or 100 gigs of free onedrive storage will make up for these perceived downgrades things are more encouraging in software where Samsung has ported many of the positives from the galaxy s6 first of all while these displays feature identical resolution the out of box dpi setting is higher on the note 5 allowing for more information to be squeezed into the same space there's more use of transparencies less use of pop-up dialogs and subtle signs of modernization in places like app folders if you still don't like Samsung's design language you can theme the note 5 for a totally reskin to Android experience something's still not possible without a third-party launcher on our Verizon Wireless Note 4 the note 5 is also somewhat snappier than the note 4 but at this point it's an open question whether that's thanks more to the uprated processor and RAM or the fact that we're comparing a freshly unboxed unit with an older one you'll want to stay tuned for the after the buzz coverage on this to find out the most significant software changes are the ones we saw demoed last week in New York the s-pen now fires up a low-power note-taking screen when it's deployed which allows you to take an immediate memo that will then be auto saved when you put the s-pen back you can also use the s-pen to sign PDFs with no additional software now which is huge if you still deal with companies or people who insist on faxing things there's a little more utility here with room for custom apps in the air view floating launcher and the multi screen capture that lets you save long lists to a single image file their support for Samsung's new ultra high quality audio if you're not content with current sound quality and of course there's Samsung pay support in the new phone tube which will become more relevant to American buyers come September walking around town with the Galaxy Note 4 alongside the note 5 it's easy to see why Samsung opted to modernize the design the slimmer lighter build does make a difference in the hand and in the pocket the edges of the new phone don't dig into the palm as much and the new glass back looks nicer than the pleather of course it's also more fragile and it attracts many more fingerprints I was happy to see Samsung make the lead to a nano SIM from the older micro sim standard and incorporate the newer generation cameras that were such a hit on the galaxy s6 in practice you probably won't be able to tell much of a friends here as the note fours camera was already so excellent in bright light these results seem almost indistinguishable and in low light there's maybe a slight advantage to the note 5 after very limited testing the principal upside to the note 5 s primary shooter seems to be a wider field of view and on the selfie side it brings a higher resolution shot now be it in a 4:3 aspect ratio the note 5 also has a much more usable and responsive viewfinder with Raw support which you can launch just by double-clicking the home button if you're watching this video odds are you're a note fan someone who's been buying or at least following this product family for some of its four years of existence and in a very real sense the note 5 changes what that family stands for it's no longer that take no prisoners powerhouse now Samsung knows what it's doing with this form factor it invented it after all and that means it'll probably turn out to be a great phablet again stay tuned for the full review but it also means you're going to need to look to yesterday if you're shopping for what used to define the note the swappable battery expandable memory and distinct look and feel well you won't be getting as wide a range of color options or the latest and greatest features you can at least get close with custom software and aftermarket hardware skins and you'd be saving an awful lot of latinum to boot for more on the galaxy note 5 and its companion the galaxy s6 edge+ stay tuned here on YouTube and keep an eye on pocketnow.com where the full reviews we'll be landing soon till next time this has been michael fisher captain 2 phones on twitter reminding you to stick to your roots until you feel like changing them thanks for watching everyone we'll see you next time