The GoodThe
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 BadWith
a nonremovable battery and no external storage option, the Note 5
strips away some of last year's features. It's pricey compared to
large-screen competitors like Motorola's Moto X Pure.
The Bottom LineSamsung's
Galaxy Note 5 is excellent overall, and the only phone to buy if you
want to write by hand. However, you'll pay a huge premium for a modest
upgrade from last year's model, and less pricey competitors will satisfy
many.
Editors' note: This review has been updated to include information about Samsung's newest Galaxy models, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, which were introduced at Mobile World Congress in March 2016.
Samsung's
Galaxy Note 5 is the smoothest, sleekest stylus-equipped jumbo-screen
smartphone that the company has ever made. On the plus side: a slim,
shiny, large-screened luster; strong camera; retooled stylus; and killer
battery life. But these assets are subverted by two key omissions; the
Note 5's battery is not swappable and there is no expandable storage
slot (though there is free cloud storage).
The Note
5 is the least distinctive of the Note line. It's Samsung's only 2015
model to come equipped with a stylus -- and a good one at that -- but it
otherwise looks pretty much the same as the Galaxy S6 Edge+,
featuring the same dual curved-edge screen and nearly identical specs.
And the Note 5 and S6 Edge+ are basically supersized versions of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge models that Samsung debuted in March 2015.
In
fact, the stylus (Samsung calls it the "S Pen") is about the only thing
that makes the Note 5 truly distinctive. As such, it's a bit
underwhelming compared with 2014's Note 4, which leap-frogged its peer,
the Galaxy S5,
in the hardware department, even without its S Pen. Nevertheless, the
Note 5's flaws are few and far between, and its stylus gives it a
functional edge over all other large-screen devices.
With the introduction of the current generation of Galaxy
phones in March 2016, Samsung fans would do well to take a close look at
the new lineup. A CNET Editor's Choice, the Galaxy S7
delivers the goods in spades with a polished design, awesome camera,
long battery life, microSD slot, and water resistance (though no
stylus). And the supersized Galaxy S7 Edge,
an Editor's Choice in its own right, comes equipped with an even bigger
battery and screen, a curved screen with "edge" software navigation,
and a sky high price tag (but, again, no stylus). Editors' note: What follows is the original review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
The
Galaxy Note 5 is available in gold, silver, white and sapphire black
(which looks blue in the light), though not every region carries every
color. Prices vary by retailer and country; be sure to check current
promotions before you buy.
There's no denying that
the Note 5 costs a lot, though it varies depending on where you live and
where you buy it. That noted, as of October 2015, the 64GB version
costs roughly $800 and the 32GB model costs about $700, making the Note 5
more expensive than the $649 64GB iPhone 6 Plus and the $749 64GB 6S Plus. The Note 5 is cheaper than the S6 Edge+, however; you'll pay even more for that curved display.
Compared to other large-screen models, like the 5.5-inch LG G4 or 5.7-inch Moto X Pure, the Note 5 is straight up pricey.
Behold,
a Note evolution! (Top, from left to right: Note, Note 2, Note 3;
bottom, from left to right: Note 4, Note Edge, Note 5).
Josh Miller/CNET
In the US, the Note 5 comes in
black and white (but not gold or silver) for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile,
US Cellular and Verizon. AT&T:
Full retail: $740 (32GB) or $840 (64GB). Next 24 (30 monthly payments):
$0 down plus $24.67 (32GB) or $28 (64GB). Next 18 (24 monthly payments):
$0 plus $30.84 (32GB) or $35 (64GB). Next 12 (20 monthly payments): $37
(32GB) or $42 (64GB). Sprint: Full
retail: $720 (32GB) or $816 (64GB). Two-year service agreement: $250
(32GB) or $350 (64GB). Lease program (24 months): $0 down and $25 (32GB)
or $30 (64GB) per month. Easy Pay (24 months): $0 down and $30 (32GB)
or $34 (64GB) per month. T-Mobile: Full retail: $700 (32GB) or $780 (64GB). 24 monthly payments: $0 down and $29.17 (32GB) or $99 down and $28.33 (64GB). Verizon: Full retail: $696 (32GB) or $792 (64GB). 24 monthly payments: $29 (32GB) or $33 (64GB). US Cellular:
Full retail: $670 (32GB) or $770 (64GB). Two-year contract: $200 (32GB)
or $300 (64GB). 20 monthly payments: $0 down and $33.45 (32GB) or
$38.46 (64GB).
Design and build
5.7-inch display; 2,560x1,440 pixels (518 pixels per inch)
Metal and glass construction
6 by 3 by 0.3 inches (153 by 76 by 7.6mm)
6 ounces (171 grams)
Like the Galaxy S6, the Note 5 has straight sides and a flat
face but also the Edge+'s frontal curves along the back. From what I
can tell holding them side-by-side, the curves are the same. Checking
out its profile, these comfortable rear arcs cause the Note 5's top and
bottom edges to flare out thicker than its middle. It'll still fill your
hand -- this is a large device -- but the overall sensation is still of
slimness, especially compared to the relatively bulky Note 4.
View full gallery
Samsung adds some new stylus functionality, like being able to jot a memo with the screen turned off.
Josh Miller/CNET
Although that AMOLED display still measures 5.7 inches, Samsung
has shaved down the Note 5's dimensions, making the handset feel overall
sleeker and slimmer than last year's Note 4. That's good news for
one-handed phone jockeys, who get the same screen real estate in a more
streamlined package. The 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution (515 pixels per
inch) holds steady from last year, lending a lot of crisp detail to the
screen, possibly even more than we strictly need.
Below the display, the usual two soft keys (recent apps and back)
sandwich the physical home button, which also serves as the phone's
fingerprint reader and Google Now call-up (press and hold for Google
Now, the search giant's voice-command answer to Apple's Siri). You'll
find the power/lock button on the right and volume rocker on the left.
Along the bottom are the standard micro-USB charger (alas, not USB-C as we had hoped), headset jacks and S Pen holster, with the SIM card tray up top.
View full gallery
What makes a Note 5? Metal, glass and this stylus tucked in down under.
Sarah Tew/CNET
On the flipside, you'll see the 16-megapixel camera lens,
flash and heart-rate reader. A unibody device, there's no removable
backplate or battery and you won't find an expandable storage slot
anywhere. Prepare for your smudgy fingerprints to bloom all over that
mirrored surface, and keep a micro-fiber cloth nearby.
One last, infuriating thing I've noticed in all these years of testing:
that power/lock button on the right likes to turn itself on in my
purse's interior phone pocket, leaking battery willy-nilly. I keep
hoping Samsung will work this out, but so far no dice.
All-new S Pen stylus
Click-in holster
Slightly recessed button
Way smoother S Note app (with auto-save!)
Dimensions: 4.4 by 0.2 by 0.1 inches (111 by 5.3 by 3.6mm)
The Note S Pen stylus, which is made of polycarbonate
plastic, changes a little bit every year. This time around, the stylus
audibly clicks into place inside the Note 5's chute like the crown of a
retractable pen. It's kind of fun, but the fit is so snug, you have to
really tease it out. The plastic pen has long, flat planes to keep it
from rolling away on a tabletop. Its single button slightly recesses
from the surface to tone down the mispresses, which I've found common in
previous S Pen designs.
Important tip: That S Pen can only be inserted in the holder pointy
end first. It is not meant to holster on the non-business end. If you
try it, bad things will happen, as some users report when their S Pens got stuck with the square end wedged, possibly irretrievably, deep inside the phone.
Check out all these styluses, from the original Note (far left) to the Note 5.
Josh Miller/CNET
The S Pen continues to act as a writing implement, pointer
and navigational accomplice. You can use it to pull up a menu dialog
box, or photo or video preview when you hover over it with the pen. It
also works with those touch-sensitive menu buttons and the physical home
button. Dragging and dropping text, and capturing the screen are two
other tricks.
Samsung claims that its pen writes a lot
better this time around, more fluidly, and with decreased latency
times. I didn't notice that, even writing with the same pen and ink
"weight" on the Note 5 and Note 4 side by side. I did notice that the
5's S Pen feels a touch lighter, which made for slightly cleaner, easier
writing, compared to the Note 4's slightly heavier pen. My handwriting
is still barely legible on both.
View full gallery
A glimpse at the redesigned S Note app (left); and drawing with the S Pen.
Jessica Dolcourt/CNET
The S Note app itself is greatly simplified, with extra
features tucked into the More menu. You can also download a ton more
tools, like a chart helper and an extension pack that includes advanced
tricks like a heartier toolbar and shape recognition, handwriting
"transformation" and the ability to record sketches.
In the app itself, you can customize everything from the way you select
color to the way you save favorite combinations of pen tips and ink
thickness. As with previous versions, the pen stays sensitive along the
corners of the page, and on-screen controls will momentarily disappear
so you can continue to write and draw "below" them.
New features
Compared to 2014's Galaxy Note 4, the new Note 5 has some additional tricks up its sleeve: Redesigned shortcuts wheel:
Called Air Command, this floating icon hangs out on any screen and
opens up to reveal a circular menu of most frequently used apps -- say,
the S Note app, the browser or your photo gallery. It's always on by
default, but you can turn that off in Settings. You can also customize
this by adding up to three apps of your choice.
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The redesigned Air Command wheel looks a whole lot cleaner this time around.
Josh Miller/CNET
Air Command responds faster these days, which means that if you
accidentally click the S Pen button, you can quickly click again to
dismiss it without too much interruption. The floating icon doesn't get
much in the way, because it only interacts if you tap or click with the S
Pen, not your finger. Instant memo: Called
"screen off memo" in the settings, this feature lets you create an
"action memo" (more like a sticky note) even when the screen is turned
off. One caveat: it works only just after pulling out the S Pen, not if
the pen has been out for a while. I like this feature -- it adds to the S
Pen's ability to really quickly jot a note. You'll reed to dip into the
settings to toggle it on.
View full gallery
Click! A new mechanism secures the S Pen in place.
Josh Miller/CNET
PDF writing: Yep, you can now annotate PDFs by handwriting all over them, just as you can do with a screenshot. Scrolling capture:
Instead of taking several screenshots of a long piece of text, the Note
5 will prompt you to capture more of the whole screen. You'll be able
to annotate right on the screenshot too, of course.
The Galaxy Note 5 runs Android 5.1 Lollipop,
bolstered by Samsung's own TouchWiz layer. That means the phone will be
able to tie into Google's wide array of services, such as Google Now,
turn-by-turn navigation and access to Google Drive files. But it can
also tap into Samsung's own software, all of which customizes the
display's look and feel -- like those quick-access toggles in the
notifications shade and anything that has to do with the S Pen.
Microsoft's One Drive cloud storage app is also onboard (more on this
below).
View full gallery
Samsung launches with Android 5.1, but expect an upgrade to Android Marshmallow 6.0 down the line.
Jessica Dolcourt/CNET
Alas, while Android 6.0 Marshmallow is just around the corner, its due date to these new Samsung phones is anyone's guess. With the exception of promised monthly security updates, more substantive software updates are on a notoriously slow boat.
In addition, Samsung's apps include Note mainstays like S
Note and S Health, though the company has really pulled back on its
preloaded apps. You'll find a cornucopia of optional add-ons tucked away
in various spots throughout the phone, like Galaxy Gifts and Galaxy
Essentials.
A quick skip through the settings menu
turns up a whole bushel of extra modes and options, like a simplified
home screen (Easy mode) and a vault for photos and files you don't want
anyone else to see (Private mode). There are also two levels of
battery-saver, several gestures and themes to freshen up the look and
feel. You'll even find a user manual.
Likewise, pull
down the notifications shade for quick access settings, including a
flashlight. You can edit to reorder these. From the home page, swipe
right to reveal Flipboard, which you can use to read headline news about
your pet topics.
The camera situation
16-megapixel camera
5-megapixel front-facing camera
Up to 4K video resolution
Double-press home button to launch
Live YouTube streaming
If you look at the megapixel count alone, not much has
changed with the Note 5's camera. Samsung has adopted a wider aperture
lens (f1.9 instead of the Note 4's f2.2), the same one that's used in
the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Why is this "good"? A bigger aperture lets in
more light, and more light leads to better photos, specifically
low-light pictures. The image processing capabilities make a huge
difference too, of course, but the bottom line is that the overall photo
quality should incrementally improve from the Note 4, and is on par
with the S6 and S6 Edge.
What you get with the camera app
The phone also gets a few more editing and shooting modes
and guides -- little things, mostly, but these are always fun to
discover.
As with the Galaxy S6 and many other phones,
the Note 5 here has optical image stabilization (OIS), which will help
keep shaking hands from blurring shots, and an array of modes and tools.
There's auto-HDR right on the screen (this helps keep photos looking
true to life) and panorama and selective focus as separate modes within.
View full gallery
The native camera menu includes the new YouTube Live Broadcast option.
Josh Miller/CNET
Brand new is a live broadcasting feature that lets you
record to YouTube. There's intentionally a 30-second delay between when
you start recording and when the footage hits YouTube. This is
essentially Samsung and YouTube's take on Twitter's Periscope tool. (The
live broadcast feature is appearing first on the Note 5 and S6 Edge+,
and is currently exclusive to those phones -- though how long that will
last is anyone's guess.)
What else is new? Tap to
focus and an exposure control appears that lets you slide to brighten or
darken the scene. Take a photo in Pro mode, and you'll have the option
to save it as a raw file, one that the phone hasn't automatically
processed, say into a JPEG format, first. This option gives
photographers much more post-processing control. You can record a
collage of four 6-second videos, to which you can add background music
and share, share away (the file saves as a 720p MP4). If you're hungry
for more modes (like the rear-cam selfie shot), it's easy to download
more from the camera app.
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