Sorry, Apple: Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5 Is An iPhone 6 And 6 Plus Killer


The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 arrived in stores on Friday. Though it hasn’t made a big bang the first day of its release, this is a smartphone that has legs and, most importantly, quality. CNET gave the Galaxy Note 5 an almost perfect review.

“The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 has an eye-catching design, high-end hardware and takes great outdoor photos. Using the stylus has never felt better, and battery life is terrific.”

The review did go on to lament the lack of microSD card slot and removable battery, like almost every other review. If these are disabilities to the Galaxy Note 5, they are barely blips on the overall meter. The Galaxy Note 5 is not only the sleekest built smartphone in existence, it’s also the best performing.

Unlike the Galaxy Note 4, the Galaxy Note 5, with its Exynos 7420 64-bit processor and 4GB of RAM, can whiz through programs. The speed is most noticeable on internet browsers such as Dolphin, where scrolling is as smooth as it is on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. There is also the beautiful screen, which shines over every smartphone device ever created, even the Galaxy Note 4. While it’s true that both phones have a Quad HD pixel resolution display, the one on the Note 5 has a better contrast ratio and more vibrant colors.

While it’s understandable that people were upset about the lack of a removable battery and the fact that the Note 5 only has a 3000mAh battery (unlike the 3200mAh battery on the Note 4), they shouldn’t be. The battery life on the Note 5 clearly outdoes that of the Note 4. Most power users will get a full day’s use without having to recharge the phone. Non-power users can even get two days use. Samsung obviously was able to improve the power management capabilities of the Note 5.

Do you like the picture quality on the iPhone 6 and — especially — the iPhone 6 Plus? Just when you think a smartphone camera can’t get any better, the Galaxy Note 5 comes along and shows the iPhone who’s boss. The 16MP camera on the Galaxy Note 5 takes pictures that are more colorful and stand out better in lower light than the current iPhones. The Note 5 also takes 4K video clips with stereo sound. Unfortunately, the iPhone is still stuck on compressed 1080p videos with mono sound.

There is one area where Samsung never matches Apple — music. Samsung’s devices have never had the top quality audio drivers Apple does with their devices. They improved the drivers with the Galaxy Note 4 but didn’t continue the improvements with the Galaxy Note 5. No matter what graphic equalizer settings you have on either device, the iPhone just has more “oomph” to it. This was tested using top-notch over-the-ear headphones from both Bose and Sennheiser on the iPhone 6 Plus and Galaxy Note 5.

Samsung desperately needs a hit, and it definitely has one with the Galaxy Note 5. While it may not sell as many units as the upcoming iPhone devices, the Galaxy Note 5 redefines the phablet — a category Samsung created and one that they are still the best at.

[Photo Credit: Daryl Deino]

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