Gadget Review: Samsung Galaxy Note 4
Every
year Samsung launches a new Note series smartphone and still manages
to improve upon its predecessor in multiple ways. The Note 4 is the
latest flagship from Samsung and carries forward everything that
users love in a Samsung Note while taking care of any gaps in the
Note 3.
The Note 4 is the second phone from Samsung with a metal body (after the Galaxy Alpha).
Compared to the Note 3, the Note 4 is just 0.2mm thicker (8.5mm vs. 8.3mm) and 8 grams heavier (176g vs. 168g) - impressive, considering the use of real metal this time around. You might think it's large, but the bulk just disappears when you hold it. It fits comfortably in the hand and feels well-balanced making it a joy to use. Subtle curves and angles around the device not only look great but prevent it from slipping out.
The removable rear panel has a faux leather finish that adds to the premium looks of the phone. Overall, full marks to Samsung for the Note 4's amazing build quality.
SPECTACULAR DISPLAY
While the screen size is the same as Note 3 at 5.7-inches, Samsung has improved the resolution.
The Note 4 comes with a gorgeous super amoled screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. This gives it a pixel density of 515ppi - everything is pin sharp with vivid colors.
Viewing angles are great and even sunlight legibility is excellent. It continues with the excellent pressure sensitive technology for the S-pen stylus. Also, this is one of the first phones to use Corning's latest Gorilla Glass 4, which has added damage resistance.
TOP NOTCH PERFORMANCE
The Note 4 is the second phone from Samsung with a metal body (after the Galaxy Alpha).
Compared to the Note 3, the Note 4 is just 0.2mm thicker (8.5mm vs. 8.3mm) and 8 grams heavier (176g vs. 168g) - impressive, considering the use of real metal this time around. You might think it's large, but the bulk just disappears when you hold it. It fits comfortably in the hand and feels well-balanced making it a joy to use. Subtle curves and angles around the device not only look great but prevent it from slipping out.
The removable rear panel has a faux leather finish that adds to the premium looks of the phone. Overall, full marks to Samsung for the Note 4's amazing build quality.
SPECTACULAR DISPLAY
While the screen size is the same as Note 3 at 5.7-inches, Samsung has improved the resolution.
The Note 4 comes with a gorgeous super amoled screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. This gives it a pixel density of 515ppi - everything is pin sharp with vivid colors.
Viewing angles are great and even sunlight legibility is excellent. It continues with the excellent pressure sensitive technology for the S-pen stylus. Also, this is one of the first phones to use Corning's latest Gorilla Glass 4, which has added damage resistance.
TOP NOTCH PERFORMANCE
The
Note 4 includes a 2.7Ghz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor,
3GB RAM, Adreno 420 GPU with 32GB storage. It also has a microSD card
slot for expansion (up to 128GB supported) and a 3,220mAh
battery.
As expected from such hardware the performance is top-notch. We tried a number of games and 4k videos on the phone - it had no issues running anything even with multiple apps in the background. Switching between apps was butter smooth and even with a 4k videos on the phone - it had no issues running anything even with multiple apps in the background. Switching between apps was butter smooth and even with a 4k video running in the pop-up player, the phone's responsiveness was not affected. We were expecting the phone to deliver a battery life of up to 2 days on a full charge, but it only managed to last over one day with average usage. With battery saving modes enabled, it should give you a day and a half.
Note 4 runs Samsung's own TouchWiz user interface over Android 4.4 which is similar to that on the Galaxy S5 but with fewer pre-installed apps. However, when compared to the user interface used in flagship phones from LG, HTC, Sony, Xiaomi or OnePlus, TouchWiz still feels slow at times.
S-pen stylus has always been the defining factor for a Samsung Galaxy Note Device. Along with the unmatched pressure sensitive performance Samsung has been continuously improving the multi-tasking feature set of S-pen. This time Samsung has also improved on the design of the S-Pen: it's slimmer and offers more comfortable access to the button. Pressure recognition is vastly improved now, making S-pen ideal for use by graphics professionals. In terms of the software, Samsung has improved the Air Command interface, which now has 4 items instead of 5. The four features are - Action Memo (an onscreen notepad), Smart Select (a clipping tool), Image Clipper (create a digital scrapbook) and Screen Write ( jot down notes anywhere on the screen without opening a new app).
As expected from such hardware the performance is top-notch. We tried a number of games and 4k videos on the phone - it had no issues running anything even with multiple apps in the background. Switching between apps was butter smooth and even with a 4k videos on the phone - it had no issues running anything even with multiple apps in the background. Switching between apps was butter smooth and even with a 4k video running in the pop-up player, the phone's responsiveness was not affected. We were expecting the phone to deliver a battery life of up to 2 days on a full charge, but it only managed to last over one day with average usage. With battery saving modes enabled, it should give you a day and a half.
Note 4 runs Samsung's own TouchWiz user interface over Android 4.4 which is similar to that on the Galaxy S5 but with fewer pre-installed apps. However, when compared to the user interface used in flagship phones from LG, HTC, Sony, Xiaomi or OnePlus, TouchWiz still feels slow at times.
S-pen stylus has always been the defining factor for a Samsung Galaxy Note Device. Along with the unmatched pressure sensitive performance Samsung has been continuously improving the multi-tasking feature set of S-pen. This time Samsung has also improved on the design of the S-Pen: it's slimmer and offers more comfortable access to the button. Pressure recognition is vastly improved now, making S-pen ideal for use by graphics professionals. In terms of the software, Samsung has improved the Air Command interface, which now has 4 items instead of 5. The four features are - Action Memo (an onscreen notepad), Smart Select (a clipping tool), Image Clipper (create a digital scrapbook) and Screen Write ( jot down notes anywhere on the screen without opening a new app).
BEST
IN CLASS CAMERA
Note 4 is the first phablet from Samsung to feature a 16MP camera with optical image stabilization. The camera is easily one of the best available on a smartphone today - you get fantastic images in any situation and lighting. Its f2.2 aperture delivers excellent photos even in low light with minimal noise. The camera is able to capture sharp images with natural colors. It can also do video recording in 4k resolution and optical image stabilization does some magic here too. The front camera is a 3.7MP unit and It takes good images but there is visible noise when used indoors. Samsung has included a wide-angle selfie mode on the Note 4 that captures a panorama type image from the front camera. This lets you capture a selfie with wider background area. Overall, the Note 4 excels in the camera department - two thumbs up.
CONCLUSION
Galaxy Note smartphones have always been the king of phablet devices and Note 4 continues the legacy well. It offers the perfect mix of hardware, software and features for anyone who prefers a large display phone. If you have the money to spend and want the best of everything, the Note 4 is an obvious choice.
Note 4 is the first phablet from Samsung to feature a 16MP camera with optical image stabilization. The camera is easily one of the best available on a smartphone today - you get fantastic images in any situation and lighting. Its f2.2 aperture delivers excellent photos even in low light with minimal noise. The camera is able to capture sharp images with natural colors. It can also do video recording in 4k resolution and optical image stabilization does some magic here too. The front camera is a 3.7MP unit and It takes good images but there is visible noise when used indoors. Samsung has included a wide-angle selfie mode on the Note 4 that captures a panorama type image from the front camera. This lets you capture a selfie with wider background area. Overall, the Note 4 excels in the camera department - two thumbs up.
CONCLUSION
Galaxy Note smartphones have always been the king of phablet devices and Note 4 continues the legacy well. It offers the perfect mix of hardware, software and features for anyone who prefers a large display phone. If you have the money to spend and want the best of everything, the Note 4 is an obvious choice.
By
ET Bureau | 24 Dec, 2014
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