Introduction
From an oddball that everyone was laughing at to becoming one of the most important Samsung announcement of the year - the Note series got to a place where now everyone else wants to be in too, including Apple. Samsung isn't in too big a trouble just yet, but profits just can't keep climbing forever and the company needs the Galaxy Note 4 to become a success in a way the Galaxy S5 couldn't.That's some heavy burden to carry, even more so considering competition is at an all-time high, now that Apple finally entered the phablet game. Yet the fifth Galaxy Note phablet (you didn't forget the Note 3 Neo, did you?) is as well prepared as one could hope for. Amazing hardware is what put the Notes on the map, but two generations after the original the software support finally caught up to make last year's Galaxy Note 3 a genuinely exclusive package.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 official images
Now the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 comes to finally add the last seemingly missing piece of the puzzle - the exclusive design. A metal frame and a curved glass over the screen along with a refined faux leather back work together to make the latest phablet one of the handsomest pieces of hardware around. And as you can see in the list below, Samsung didn't have to make compromises elsewhere.
Key features
- 5.7" 16M-color QHD Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with curved Gorilla Glass 3
- Android OS v4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz UI
- LTE Cat 6 support
- Quad-core 2.7GHz Krait 450 CPU, Adreno 420 GPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset
- 3GB of RAM
- 16MP OIS camera with 2160p video recording @ 30fps, 1080p @ 60fps, 720p @ 120fps
- 3.7MP front-facing camera, 1440p video recording
- Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA, Download booster
- GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
- 32GB of built-in storage; microSD card slot
- S Pen stylus
- Enhanced Multi-window multitasking support
- Fingerprint scanner with PayPal support and private mode access
- microUSB 2.0 port with USB host and MHL 2.0
- Bluetooth v4.0
- NFC
- IR port for remote control functionality
- Standard 3.5mm audio jack
- Accelerometer and proximity sensor
- Heart-rate monitor
- Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic
- 3,220mAh battery
Main disadvantages
- Rear-mounted mono speaker
- microUSB 2.0 is a downgrade over microUSB 3.0 on the Note 3
- The uneven gap between the metal frame and curved screen glass takes a few points away from an otherwise excellent build
- No enhanced resistance to liquids or dust
- Wireless charging support only with an optional back cover
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 studio shots
So, we set to explore each and every feature of Samsung's latest flagship. The first rendezvous back at IFA went well for the Galaxy Note 4, but will it survive a proper in-house audition? Let's find out together - join us on the next page as we start exploring the exterior.
Retail package
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 comes in a box not much taller or wider than the phablet itself. It contains the usual accessories - a powerful A/C adapter that can reach 2A for Quick-charge compatible devices, 1.65A elsewhere, a cable and a headset.Since the Galaxy Note 4 switches back to the microUSB 2.0 port the cable is a familiar affair - instead of the microUSB 3.0 plug found in the box of its predecessor.
The retail package and its contents
The headset is an in-ear design, the remote has three buttons (pick-up and volume controls) and flat, tangle-free cables. The quality of the headset is quite good for a bundled piece - in terms of both build and audio quality, although it still can't properly replace an expensive set of headphones that you purchase separately.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 360-degree spin
Standing at 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5mm and weighing 176g, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is basically identical in size and slightly heavier than its predecessor (151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3mm, 168g). The minor increase in thickness is mostly down to the curved glass on top, which requires more space than a conventional flat glass.
The Galaxy Note 4 sized up against the iPhone 6 Plus, the Galaxy Note 3 and the Vibe Z2 Pro
Design and handling
The Galaxy Alpha was called that way because it was the first to showcase the new Samsung design direction - combining plastic back with a metal frame to ensure excellent durability without compromising the premium feel. And while the first attempt wasn't quite perfect due to the glossy plastic used at the back of the 4.7" smartphone, the second attempt is rather impressive.The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 combines a faux leather finish akin to the one on the Galaxy Note 3 with a metal frame, but also adds a curved glass to become a real looker of a smartphone.
While still made of plastic, the back looks and feels very similar to leather. The only change here is that the stitching is now gone as the company has obviously taken the criticism to heart that it makes the whole thing look overdone and actually, faker. The new finish feels much closer to leather to the touch so the imitation is much better this time around.
The metal frame feels great to the touch and adds quite a lot to the premium feel. More importantly however, it should solve a long-standing issue with Samsung handsets where the silver-paint on the plastic frames would chip and peel off with time to really spoil the overall look of the company's phones.
Finally, the curved Gorilla Glass 3 on top of the screen comes to improve the appearance as it looks better than a flat panel, but also the handling as swipes now feel more natural. We've enjoyed curved glass on top of the screen since the Nokia N9 came around, but it wasn't until this year that they are finally making their way to some properly slim phones so you don't have to choose one or the other.
There's one niggling issue with the design though. As early adopters found out, there's a gap between the edge of the screen and the metal frame - it's not as bad as initial reports made it look (certainly not wide enough to fit a business card), but it's there and somewhat spoils the design. Not so much at first sight, but there will certainly be dust accumulating over time. Worst of all, the gap's size varies and is not symmetrical on both sides.
The Galaxy Note 4 is definitely a looker
As far as we understand, the frame is raised a bit higher than it needs to so it offers extra protection in those cases when you drop your Galaxy Note 4 face down. And while that might be a valid concern, we would really have preferred if Samsung sacrificed a tiny bit of durability here to achieve the seamless front panel design.
Still, all things considered, the Galaxy Note 4 marks a very important achievement for Samsung. It's arguably the first time that its device looks better than a direct rival by Apple. Granted, the Cupertino giant didn't quite get the iPhone 6 Plus right, but it's still a position Samsung must've been dreaming about being in for year and it has finally achieved it - in the hand the Galaxy Note 4 feels more like the iPhone 5S than the iPhone 6 Plus.
That's not all, the Samsung phablet also has the lead in handling - while neither phablet is particularly comfortable for single-handed use, the Note 4 with its smaller footprint and three low positioned keys has an edge. Add the extra phablet experience that the Koreans have, which results in lots of software optimizations (you can even shrink the whole UI to only take about 4" to have everything within reach) and you get a generally more manageable package.
The Galaxy Note 4 handles reasonably well considering its size
Controls
Above the 5.7" display you'll find the earpiece, the newly upgraded 3.7MP F/1.9 front-facing camera capable of 1080p video recording, the proximity sensor and the ambient light sensor. The IR gesture sensor of the Note 3 is gone as the Note 4 doesn't have the air gestures - obviously Samsung has decided that polishing those and making them usable isn't either feasible or worthwhile.
The array of sensors above the screen
Under the display, we find the typical Samsung three button layout consisting of a physical Home button with capacitive Back and Task switcher keys each side. As usual, the home button has an aluminum frame for a subtle accent.
Two capacitive and one physical button sit under the screen
Despite being made of a new material, the sides of the Galaxy Note 4 aren't anything new in terms of controls. There's the power/lock button on the right hand side on which the thumb nicely rests and the volume rocker on the left. The volume rocker could have been lowered a little bit so as to be more easily accessible.
Again we are left without a camera shutter key
As we mentioned, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 switches back to microUSB 2.0, but the port is still located at the bottom. The 2.0 port is slower for data transfers and while we wouldn't say it's too much of a loss on a mobile phone (even if you have a 128GB microSD card you should still be able to fill it up reasonably quickly) the sense of downgrade isn't pleasant and certainly not one we welcome on a flagship device. On a positive note, the unsightly large hole required by a microUSB 3.0 connector is gone too.
Also at the bottom sit a couple of mics and the S Pen compartment.
A switch back to microUSB 2.0 means slower data transfers, but prettier port
The top features another mic and the 3.5mm audio jack, plus the IR blaster that Samsung has been putting on most of its flagship Galaxy devices over the past couple of years.
Yet another mic sits on top
Then we get to the back, which is very similar to the Note 3, save for the absent stitching and the loudspeaker grille, which has been moved here from the bottom of the phone. You get the same nice feel of leather, a kind of finish that also proved itself quite durable in the long run.
While the position at the bottom seemed like a good thing at first as it's harder to muffle when the phone is lying flat on its back practice showed that it wasn't. The reason was that the speaker on the Galaxy Note 3 would very often end right underneath your finger when playing a game or watching video and you wouldn't be able to hear anything unless you specifically adjust your grip.
The loudspeaker has returned to the back panel
You can pop the back cover open to reveal the 3,220mAh battery (basically no upgrade over the 3,200mAh unit of the Galaxy Note 3) along with the microSIM and microSD card slots. The slots aren't stacked on top of each other like on the Galaxy Note 4 predecessor, but have their own separate compartments. However the microSIM slot is still blocked by the battery so hot-swapping isn't an option - changing the memory card on the go is possible though.
Taking a peek under the cover
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