A fresh outlook on phone sizes have made waves globally, since its induction – bigger is always better, so it seems. Samsung’s unpacked event in New York today finally confirmed rumours and debunked some in the process, so say hello to the new Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 edge+.
Home-grown Exynos processors make an appearance and have been leading the way to better performance of our Samsung portable devices. Samsung might prove doubters wrong that every new generation, beckons the need for better performance; justifying the similar Exynos 7420 making a reappreance. Reusing the same processor as the old guard isn’t a totally horrible idea, as it continues to top AnTuTu benchmarks with over 67,000 points.
The Galaxy S6 edge’s double edge display now gets a +, stretching the screen to phablet stardom at 5.7-inches. We might have a bigger screen but the other innards are all the same, except for a bigger battery. When the Galaxy S6 edge was first introduced, it came with a couple of features including a People’s Edge which brings your 5 favourite contacts closer to you. With the S6 edge+, they have enhanced this further with Apps Edge which allows you to put 5 app shortcuts within a thumb’s reach. In addition, the edge features are now accessible in any screen interface, instead of being limited to just the home screen.
Even though internally it is very much the same but the introduction of the new Keyboard Cover accessory further enhances the typing experience on a large smart phone – giving it a more ergonomic feel that could possibly please die hard BlackBerry users.
The Galaxy Note 5 is a similar device with the Galaxy S6 edge+, offering a 5.7″ Quad HD display and a similar Exynos Octa-Core processor with 4GB of RAM. The S-Pen is the key differentiation in the Galaxy Note series and already in its fifth generation, we’ve seen a steady progression of innovation. From AirView during the beginning to an extension of features which includes Action Memo, Screen Write and increasing pressure sensitivity. The Note 5 promises to bring a stylus experience to another level – touting it to be a close second to writing on paper.
Accompanying the S-Pen’s housing silo which now has a push to eject mechanism will be the standard micro USB charging port. But if you’re not into cables, you could make use of its built-in wireless charging properties of the device which is similar to the Galaxy S6. You’ll get a 0% to 100% charge with the cable in 90 minutes with Adaptive Fast Charging, while wireless charging takes a little longer – 120 minutes for a full charge.
Optimisation of the TouchWiz will be influential in keeping the lights on the 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED screened phablet that pushes a pixel density 518 ppi. That latest battery-friendly Exynos processor and 4GB RAM might help and hopefully won’t stump the 3,000mAh battery too much as the older Note 4 survived quite well on a battery larger by 220mAh.
Encased in metal and glass, the Note 5 will be thinner and among the lightest Note ever, weighing just 169g. For imaging we’ll see a familiar 16-megapixel sensor on the back with Optical Image Stabilisation coupled with a 5-megapixel front camera. Moving on to another sensory experience, the Note 5 will return with UHQ audio capabilities which helps to upscale low bit audio to a higher quality. Probably the biggest omission on the new Note would be a microSD slot and a removable battery, a trend which is slowly disappearing with flagship smart phones today.
Both phablets will be making their way to our shores with dual-SIM enabled, catering to those who prefer to have one mobile devices for work and their social life. Also included as standard is its signature heart rate sensor and a capacitive home button that doubles up as a fingerprint scanner. In terms of availability, it is expected to go on sale in Malaysia as early as first week of September. For a closer look, check out our first impressions of the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+.
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Hands-on Video
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ Hands-on Video
Galaxy Note 5 Photos
Galaxy S6 edge+ Photos
