Get Your First Look At The Galaxy Note 5: What Did Samsung Do To The Note’s S Pen?
Samsung’s Galaxy Note line has just about as big a devoted following as you’re going to find for any smartphone this side of Apple’s iPhone, and the next iteration in the Note series is set to see release some time in the next two or three months. Note devotees, though, can catch a sneak peek at the next edition of the stylus-enabled device thanks to some leaked pictures, and the new Note looks like a beaut.
The new images aren’t exactly leaked shots of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5. Instead, they’re professional renders based off of leaked specifications for the next Note. Still, Samsung fan-site SamMobile seems to think that they’re probably pretty well in-line with what the Note 5 will look like.
What’s – no pun intended – notable is that Samsung will apparently bring the high-build quality aesthetic that marked the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge over to the Galaxy Note series, giving its high-end super-phone a high-end build to match. That metal frame on the Galaxy Note 5 is expected to come with chamfered edges and a curved backside, making for a much better feel in the hand.
That metal-and-glass build we’re likely to see on the Note 5 will also mean that Note lovers will have to say goodbye to at least two beloved features. As was suspected in previous Galaxy Note leaks, it looks like Samsung is ditching the removable battery and expandable storage for the Note line. That’s sure to disappoint some Note lovers, but what the phone gains in looks and feel might make up for what it loses in functionality.
While the Note series is typically stuffed to bursting with high-end tech, it looks like there’s one new development Samsung won’t be including for the Galaxy Note 5. Instead of USB 3.0, the most recent specs and renders claim that Samsung is going to stick with USB 2.0 for the Note 5’s port.
On the plus side, though, it looks like the Note 5 is going to have a heart rate monitor and LED flash in the same spot as seen on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge.
Samsung also looks to be making the first big hardware change to the S Pen, the stylus that separates the Note series from its competitors. Instead of having users pull the S Pen out with a fingernail, the recent renders make it look like Samsung will have an auto-ejecting S Pen. The Note 5 might see users pressing in on the S Pen to eject it and then pressing it in again to lock it back in place. Samsung had previously filed for a patent on such a feature, and this year might be the year it becomes a reality.
And just when might that reality hit stores? That’s the question on Note lovers’ minds right now. Previously, it seemed like Samsung would stick to the formula it has kept for years now, introducing the next Galaxy Note at IFA this fall. Now, though, rumors abound that Samsung might be anxious about Apple’s forthcoming iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, and that the tech giant might well release the Note 5 in late August to try to rain on Apple’s parade. SamMobile has the Note 5 going on sale on August 21 in a surprise attack, but if that’s the case, Samsung would need to hurry and hold a press conference, as that’s just a month away.
[Image courtesy of YouTube]
