The first half of 2015 has concluded and we have seen some amazing devices hit the market. Among the best are the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, the HTC On M9 and the LG G4, but let’s not forget there is more to come. As it goes with every year, another herd of important smartphones are to reach store shelves during the later half of the year. Some of them just as important as the typical flagships we mentioned above, if not more.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is one of the most anticipated phones year after year. We could say this series gets most of the credit for the “phablet” movement, so it is definitely an important device to keep in mind. It’s also a handset that happens to be held upon the highest industry standards and Samsung rarely disappoints. Many of us actually prefer the Galaxy Note devices over the Galaxy S series, as they are released later in the year and tend to offer a better build and newer generation specs.
Samsung’s popular supersized smartphones are usually released between September and October. The day when we should finally see it in stage is coming. We are getting ready to take it all in and bring you the best content once the phone is announced and released, but the world keeps spinning until then and we know the rumor mill is not about to stop turning. The leaks have started trickling in, which means we are starting to get a gist of what the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will be all about. Are you ready? Let’s go through every single murmur that has hit our feed.
Design
While the Samsung Galaxy Note series has always differentiated itself from the Galaxy S smartphones in terms of aesthetics and build, this year it’s imperative that they follow a similar design language. Samsung’s numbers keep going down and most of the credit is given to the fact that their design and build quality has always been inferior to main competitors. Pure popularity is no longer working for Sammy!
With the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung takes the team back to the drawing board and manages to do wonders. Their flagship phones are now made of quality materials like aluminum and glass, which makes the new handsets feel like jewels resting in your hand (at least compared to those crappy things they used to make). While previous generations of the Galaxy Note line-up have done pretty well with their plastic builds, Samsung really can’t back-pedal and downgrade when making the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
Galaxy Note 5 image from Tencent
Thankfully, it seems Samsung is in the right path to making yet another amazingly-built smartphone. A recent image from Tencent showed us what the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 could look like once finalized, and it pretty much looks like an over-sized Samsung Galaxy S6… yet it does have its differences.
This image looks quite gorgeous, but we must say this is probably not what the phone will look like, even if it will likely have its similarities. We would put more faith on the video @OnLeaks recently leaked, which showcases a CAD design (also of anonymous origins). Now this one literally looks exactly like an overgrown Samsung Galaxy S6, except it happens to have a spot for the S-Pen.
According to the digital model, the phone should measure 123.44 x 77.31 x 10.2 mm, suggesting a large 5.7-inch display. Really, at this point that size is only a little larger than usual. The contrast is not as polarizing as it used to be, and some devices (like the Nexus 6) easily beat it. The phone is also not as thin as the Galaxy S6, but it’s not supposed to be. Keep in mind the Galaxy Note 5 should represent power and functionality, not exactly glamour.
Italian tech site HDBlog then used these CAD design to create some renders of what the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 could look like. Here are the results:
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge 2 and/or Galaxy S6 Edge Plus?
I think we can all agree those Edge devices are here to stay. It will be along time before we see a flagship Samsung device launch without its Edge counterpart, and I am willing to bet my money on the fact that the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 won’t be coming to market alone. Hell, they may be launching more than one over-sized smartphone!
Rumors point towards a very interesting change in strategy. It’s said the upcoming Note device with an Edge display will come with a screen that curves around both sides, much like the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. This is corroborated by some of the names the device may have, which include monikers like Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, Samsung Galaxy S6 Note and the less exciting Samsung Galaxy Note Edge 2 (or 2nd gen). This is where it gets confusing, because they could all be the same, but there’s a slight chance the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus is a completely different device than the upcoming Note Edge successor. We say this because the rumored specs are contradicting and all over the place.
To be honest, it is refreshing to see Samsung doing away with the actual functionality in the Edge display. The Galaxy Note Edge was innovative and very different, but its Edge features simply didn’t offer enough features and had very little support from developers. It’s better to leave the edged screens as a purely aesthetic factor.
The name isn’t the only change we might see, though. For once, it seems like the Edge version won’t be on par with its brother device (Galaxy Note 5) in terms of power and performance. More on this in the specs section.
Display
There’s different beliefs revolving around the Samsung Galaxy Note 5’s screen. It was previously believed Samsung was testing both 2K and 4K displays, going way above today’s QHD standards. More recent reports now state the phone could have a QHD Super AMOLED display (2560x1440p) measuring as much as 5.89 inches.
Specifications
The rumored specs are not very solid, but we know the new Note Edge successor could have a Snapdragon 808 processor, 16 GB of internal storage, that lovely S-Pen, a 16 MP rear camera and an 8 MP front-facing shooter. This is very interesting, because this hardware is awfully similar to the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus specs we have been hearing about, making is believe these two monikers could belong to a single device.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus is said to come with either a 5.4, 5.4 or 5.7-inch display. It will be powered by Android 5.1.1 and sport a Snapdragon 808 processor, 32 GB of internal storage, a 16 MP rear camera, a 5 MP front-facing shooter and a 3000 mAh battery (there were also rumors of a possible 4100 mAh battery).
One very important rumored feature the Galaxy Note 5 is said to have is the inclusion of a USB-C connector. This would make the Samsung Galaxy note 5 the first mainstream Android smartphone to come with the latest-generation USB, which is a pretty huge deal.
Also a huge deal is the rumor of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 getting rid of expandable storage support. And considering the new design elements, we will likely also see the removable battery go out the door. We know this will play a huge part in your decision to buy the next Note!
Camera
We don’t know much about the camera aside from the fact that it should be a 16 MP shooter with OIS (optical image stabilization). There’s also said to be an 8 MP (or 5 MP) camera in the front. This is not much to go by, but knowing Samsung they won’t skimp out on these cameras. They should be nearly as good as the camera the Samsung Galaxy S6 offers, at the very least.
Oh, and don’t expect the camera bump to go away. All leaked images show it.
Software
If there is one thing the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will have too much of, it will be software features. This is no average phone. It is called the “Note”, after all, and it is optimized to do just that – take notes. You will find your usual S-Pen features, including Action Memo, Smart Select, Screen Write, handwriting recognition and more. Not to mention the many other features Samsung usually offers, including like S Voice and Multi Window.
Of course, we also expect the Samsung Galaxy Note to come with the latest version of Android, which is Android 5.1.1 (there will likely be a newer one when the Galaxy Note 5 is released).
Samsung Galaxy Note software videos
Release date
For years now, Samsung has released its new Note models during the IFA Electronics show, which is normally held in the month of September. But if a new report from The Wall Street Journal holds any water, we may get a taste of the new phablet(s) a month earlier than expected.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, WSJ claims that Samsung will move up the launch of the new Note products several weeks to mid-August to provide some breathing room between the Note 5’s launch and the unveiling of Apple’s next flagship devices. As is the case with other iPhone launches, Apple’s smartphone announcements tend to take up a ton of media/consumer attention. This is certainly a smart move on Samsung’s part, especially because Apple announced the iPhone 6 Plus a mere six days after the Note 4 launched.
Wrapping up
It’s a bit hard to give you any concrete ideas, because rumors are all over the place right now. They often contradict themselves and many of them are likely incorrect. This conglomeration of confusing information makes us wonder if there really are more diverse versions of the Note/S6 Edge in the works. Maybe there will be a Samsung Galaxy Note 5, a Galaxy Note Edge 2 and a Galaxy S6 EdgePlus? Who knows! For now we can only tell you to keep taking it all in, and to keep your eyes and ears very open. We will do the same and let you know more about the Galaxy Note 5 as additional details emerge. We are sure they will.
In the meantime, go ahead and hit the comments to tell us what you would like to see one the Samsung Galaxy note 5. I am really hoping for a full metal and glass body. I am also quite excited about the inclusion of a USB-C port. How about you?!
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