The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Is The Best Alternative To The Galaxy Note 7 [Opinion]

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 may have been the best smartphone ever created, but it became the biggest technology disaster to hit the Earth in years. After several Note 7 devices exploded, Samsung issued a recall and rapidly put replacement phones on the market. Then, the replacement phones started blowing up. Forbes describes Samsung’s PR disaster.

“September 2016 was a tough month for Samsung Mobile’s team. Thanks to the incendiary battery issues with the Galaxy Note 7, the South Korean company was forced to start an expensive global recall to implement a fix. That fix didn’t work and a second recall was started, along with production of the handset ending.”

The article adds that instead of becoming one of the biggest handsets of the year, the Note 7 became a “millstone” around Samsung’s corporate neck. The Note 7 became a punchline for late night talk shows as airlines banned the phone from their flights. Those who have held on to the Note 7 now have to deal with the device being limited in its functionality due to over-the-air updates.

Many people who have returned their Note 7 devices have gone on to the Google Pixel XL, which is the smoothest Android headset ever released. Know Your Mobile is just one of the sites that has given the Pixel XL five stars.

“The software is amazing. The camera is stunning. The battery life is beyond belief. You get free storage for ALL your pictures and videos. Google offers 24/7 round the clock support, meaning any issues can be resolved right away, and Google Assistant is the smartest Personal Assistant available inside a phone right now. If you love Android, buy this phone.”

Of course, many who are stuck on the Samsung brand have traded in the Note 7 for the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge, both phones that were released earlier this year. The Galaxy S7 Edge has especially been a huge seller for Samsung and was very influential in bringing Samsung’s profits back from the dead, at least until the Note 7 disaster.

However, the problem with the Galaxy S7 Edge and even the Pixel XL is that they don’t really replace the Note 7. However, as ridiculous as it sounds, the Note 5 (there is no Note 6) is really the only Note 7 replacement. Even though the Note 5 was released in 2015, it has the same S-Pen capabilities, the same Quad HD screen, and a very similar industrial design. It may not be as fast as the Note 7, but the speed difference — at least in most cases — isn’t noticeable.

A previous Inquisitr opinion piece praised the Galaxy Note 5 as the best smartphone of 2015.

“2015 was a very boring year for smartphones. However, if one stood out, it was the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, a phone built just as beautifully on the inside as it is on the outside. The Note 5 hasn’t really revived Samsung from its smartphone sales slump, but it proves that the Korean company can still make a remarkable product.”

One main difference between the 2015 Galaxy Note 5 and the 2016 Galaxy Note 7 is that the latter has a microSD card slot for additional memory. However, now that a lot of huge files such as photos and videos can be stored with cloud drives such as Dropbox and Google Drive, the microSD slot may not make much of a difference for most users.

The Galaxy Note 5 is a little hard to find, but the 32GB GSM version can be purchased brand new for around $550. However, you can easily find the Note 5 on all carriers for less than $400 on Craigslist or eBay. The Note 5 may not be the newest phone on the block, but it is the best one for those who like to use their phones as digital notepads.

[Featured Image by Daryl Deino]