It is no secret that Samsung has rolled out many great devices over the years. Aside from only a few other device makers such as Apple & Blackberry, it is difficult to think of another company who has helped bring smartphones to where they are today.
Sure there are some people who want to drudge up the whole Apple vs Samsung patent lawsuits and debate whom stole from whom., but we are not here to talk about that.
What we are here to do however, is discuss the latest device from Samsung, the Galaxy Note 4.
The Galaxy Note 4 that I will be reviewing here is on loan from our friends at Verizon Wireless, so go ahead and grab a drink and we will get started. It is ok, I can wait a few minutes.
Back? Alright, let’s get started with our review of the Galaxy Note 4!
It is no secret that I am a fan of devices with larger displays and the Galaxy Note 4 is no different. The Note series was one of, if not the first to feature the larger displays that helped bring the “Phablet” to the mainstream.
The Galaxy Note 4 is no different.
When I first opened the packaging and took a look at the Note 4, I happily noticed that they went with the metal band around the outer edges of the phone like they used on the Samsung Galaxy Alpha we reviewed earlier this year.
The band gives the device a much more premium feel than the plastic band used on the Galaxy S5 and last years Galaxy Note 3. Here is to hoping that they continue using it on future devices as well.
Speaking of build quality, Samsung has really done a tremendous job with the Note 4. It is a very solid device that makes you completely forget they were behind the Galaxy S 3. The removable battery cover fits so well that you really have to look closely to know for sure that it is removable. Also to be mentioned regarding the battery cover, gone is the fake stitching design from last year and thank goodness for that. It was a horrible idea.
The back still has that fake leather look & feel to it, but it is a much more nice feeling than in the past.
Display wise, the 5.7 inch QuadHD SuperAMOLED display is simply stunning. Very vibrant and colorful with plenty of brightness to spare that makes whatever you are doing on it a wonderful visual experience. I had no issues viewing the display outdoors in sunlight or any other situations and might even say it is the best display I have ever looked at on a smartphone.
For those of you who like the specs of devices, this section will be right up your alley. As you can see, pretty much the best of the best when it comes to hardware as Samsung has loaded the Note 4 up.
5.7 inch QuadHD display with SuperAMOLED technology that has a 2560×1440 resolution and 515 PPI (pixels per inch)
2.7GHz Snapdragon 805 Quad-core CPU
micro SD card support up to 128GB
3,220 mAh battery with Fast Charging technology
16 MP rear camera with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and records 4K video
3.7 MP front facing camera with f/1.9 aperture
Finger scanner & heart rate monitor
Enough about the first impressions and specs, how does it perform in real world scenarios?
As mentioned before regarding the display, watching videos & playing games were a visual treat. Audio sadly is a bit of a disappointment though. Samsung has placed the external speaker on the read of the Note 4 again, which leaves you scratching your head because they were able to place it on the bottom of the Galaxy Alpha.
So with a similar design, the Note 4 is pretty much a supersized & supercharged Alpha it appears to us outsiders that Samsung could have located the speaker at the bottom to get more sound from it. Must have been the S Pen that forced their hand here.
Speaking of the S Pen, this is what sets the Note series apart from other smartphones and makes it a favorite for business users who like to quickly jot down handwritten notes. Obviously you can use it to draw pictures, or clip selections from images for sharing, but you can also use it to navigate through the device. If you have used an S Pen before, you will be right at home with this version.
As high powered as the Note 4 is hardware wise, I was a bit surprised to experience a bit of hesitation when swiping through the home screens. It is not that the device was unusable, that is hardly the case. It just did not move as fluid as I expected with this hardware. Could it be Touchwiz causing the issue? It would not be the first time as it typically takes Samsung at least one update to get things running smoothly on their devices.
Ran a few benchmarks to compare it to the Nexus 6, which has nearly identical internals, and was surprised to see the results which you can see below.
As you can see above, the Note 4 came back the leader in the single core test whereas the Nexus 6 took the multi core lead. Not sure why the differences here as the hardware is nearly identical with the same CPU, GPU and amount of RAM.
Battery life is such a big factor for me and the Note 4 did not disappoint. You can really spend some time with it and have some battery left over. Not quite Droid Turbo-esque in stamina, but you will be pleased with the results.
As I mentioned in the specs for the battery, the Galaxy Note 4 supports Fast Charging which is similar to what Motorola calls Turbo Charging. This is a very useful feature because it can charge your device extremely fast. In 30 minutes, I could charge the Note 4 from 16% to approximately 60% so that can definitely help in a pinch.
I am always disappointed in devices that cannot match the battery life on the Nokia Lumia 1520, but the display makes up the majority of the difference here. A nice 1080p display would have likely turned this into a nearly 2 day phone. At the very least a day and a half for my typical use cases.
Again, Samsung has included the ability for you to unlock the Note 4 by swiping your finger at the bottom of the display. Still a nice idea, but just never seems to work very well from my attempts to use it.
You also get the ability to control your TV’s and other entertainment units with the Note 4 and its built in IR blaster. I would use this quite a bit if I owned a device with this tech. It is just another nice little perk of the technology.
As smartphone hardware get more & more advanced, the camera technology that Samsung is using in the Note 4 is some of the best you will find in a mobile device. With a 16MP rear facing camera with Optical Imaging Stabilization (OIS), you can get some wonderful shots.
(Click to enlarge photos)
Heck I even won a photo contest over on Android Central using this phone!
Videos turned out nice as well, even when shooting indoors in lower light situations. The audio actually sounded good in the videos I shot of a band that was playing live.
The 3.7MP front facing camera also takes some surprisingly good photos & videos, so if you are one to take a lot of selfies, you are all set with the Note 4.
If you are someone whose life & career requires you to need the most powerful, complete mobile device that fits in your pocket or purse, then the Galaxy Note 4 is one you need to give some serious attention to.
Sure the iPhone 6+ is big and loaded up, and is more you may not even be one to use the S Pen too often like me, but you really should give the latest in the Note series a look.
You are getting wonderful battery life, a solid camera and plenty of bells & whistles to either use or not use, at least they are there to choose from.
I am happy to say that Samsung has really stepped up their build quality here with the Note 4. The Note 3 from last year was a fine device in its own right, but the Note 4 is on a entirely new level physically.
We would like to thank Verizon Wireless for lending us this Note 4.
Not on Verizon? You can also pick one up on AT&T, T-Mobile or Sprint as well but be prepared to pay the premium for it as it will run you $299 on 2 year contract.
Looking for a new smartphone? You may want to read on to see if the Galaxy Note 4 could be right for you. It is no secret that Samsung has rolled out many great devices over the years. Aside from only a few other device makers such as Apple & Blackberry, it is difficult to think of another company who has helped bring smartphones to where they are today.