<div>Samsung Galaxy Note fans wait eagerly for September to arrive each year, for that’s around the time the Korean giant launches a new version of this large feature-packed smartphone.<br> </div><div>Earlier than usual this year, the Galaxy Note 5 has just launched today at the Unpacked event in New York. With it, there’s also a king-sized variant of Samsung’s flagship phone for 2015, called the Galaxy S6 Edge+ -- but let’s be clear that this isn’t part of the Galaxy Note series as it doesn’t come with a Stylus. But if you’ve got the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, a powerful feature-filled smartphone, why would you consider moving so quickly to the Galaxy Note 5? Here’s why…</div><div> </div><div><strong>Fantastic Design</strong></div><div>Design was once what annoyed users most about a Samsung phone. Not since it’s shed the plastic and taken on a bit of metal. On the new Galaxy Note 5, there’s a metal frame and glass on both sides. It doesn’t have the leather back of previous Notes. It’s taken a lot from the design of the Galaxy S6 flagship. There are colour variants including Platinum and Gold. As the media gets its first look at the Note 5, it’s being variously described as sleek, premium, elegant, and the most gorgeous from Samsung yet. The build quality too is being praised by the few who have handled the phone so far.</div><div> </div><div><strong>Even Better Stylus</strong></div><div>It’s the stylus or S-Pen that makes the Note series what it is and while people laughed at it when it first launched five years ago, calling it a gimmick and obsolete, the stylus has really held its own, proving useful for those who just whip it out to take a note. This time, the stylus first of all has a clicking mechanism on the back that has those who try it out quite delighted. It’s like the depressor you’d find on an ordinary ball-point pen and is meant to pop out the stylus more easily without having to use a fingernail, but at the same time, the clicking seems to be a tad addictive and people are saying you might just want to click it for no reason at all. The S-Pen is lighter and refined physically, but functionally too it is intended to be much smoother. The best feature is that you can snap the S-Pen out and immediately start writing on the screen of the sleeping phone – the note will be immediately saved in the S-Note application.</div><div> </div><div><strong>Much More Comfortable</strong></div><div>There are probably those who’ve wanted the Galaxy Note but have always felt it’s too big. With the Note 5, Samsung has spent a great deal of attention on the ergonomics, opening up the door for new users who could be won around when they find the device is actually very comfortable to hold. It’s narrow enough to use with one hand and has tapering edges that counter that awkwardness that comes with a large 5.7 inch phone. Samsung has tried to maximize the space on the screen rather than enlarge the size of the phone any further.</div><div> </div><div><strong>By Way of Power</strong></div><div>Samsung uses its own LSI Exynos 7420 octa-core chip and its 2.1GHz processor works with 4GB of RAM and Mali T760MP8 772MHz graphics processor. The tricky thing is that there’s no slot for an external memory card and the 3,000mAh battery can’t be removed. This is a hugely unpopular decision that may sound like a minor thing but will actually weigh buyers’ decisions. The storage is 32GB and 64GB but Engadget is reporting that a 128GB variant is also a possibility.</div><div> </div><div><strong>Camera </strong></div><div>The camera on Samsung’s flagships have surprised many with their capabilities. The 16MP and 5MP pair on the Note 5 now has a feature that is creating a stir: the software includes a button that when tapped lets you broadcast live to YouTube, in an answer to Meerkat and Periscope. One can also opt to schedule the video stream instead of going live. The display’s 1440 x 2560 resolution with 501 ppi density makes the screen unbeatable. The camera has an f1.9 aperture, changed from f2.2 on the Note 4. There is optical image stabilisation and the the rear camera can record 4K video – as before. The home button will launch the camera when double tapped.</div><div> </div><div>For anyone who uses their Note device extensively, using the stylus, multitasking and creating multimedia, the Note 5 is a desirable upgrade though it will of course be every bit as expensive as the Note 4 was. The lack of storage expansion and removable battery is the one gnawing omission.</div>
BW Reporters
Mala Bhargava has been writing on technology well before the advent of internet in Indians and before CDs made their way into computers. Mala writes on technology, social media, startups and fitness. A trained psychologist, she claims that her understanding of psychology helps her understand the human side of technology.
