Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Review

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is the company’s last flagship smartphone this year. Compared to the Samsung Galaxy S5, this one really is amazing. The device is beautiful and the new features were really useful and awesome. Do you know why I love the Samsung Galaxy Note 4? Check out my review below.

Construction

When it comes to build, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is one of the best in the Galaxy family. Just like the Samsung Galaxy Alpha, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 sports a metal sides with chamfered edges. However, I notice that I could easily get scratches on these metal edges. Compared to the Samsung Galaxy S5, this one looks and feels more premium and elegant. The perforated back is gone and it was replaced by the good ol’ faux leather but the stitched back was gone.

Compared to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 rocks a MicroUSB 2.0 instead of 3.0 but there’s a new feature called fast charging in where Samsung claimed that the device could charge to 50% in 30 minutes and yes, it was true. I was able to charge my device from 0 to 55% in 30 minutes when the device was off.

The device starts with a 32GB of Internal storage which should probably be enough for your smartphone but don’t worry, the MicroSD card slot isn’t gone. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, the speaker was place at the back of the phone. I’ve always hated it when the speaker grill of the smartphone is placed at the back because whenever I place the smartphone on a flat surface, the speaker grill is blocked unless the back of the smartphone is facing away from the surface.

Display

The display of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 didn’t got bigger but the resolution got better. There’s the same 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display but this time, it has a Quad HD resolution. That’s 2560 x 1440 folks, that’s probably even bigger than your resolution on your laptops and TVs at your living room. The Super AMOLED display on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 was freakin good. The display of this smartphone is almost on par with the LG G3 but colors were more vivid and livelier on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Overall, you won’t have problems on viewing angles, outdoor visibility and responsiveness of the smartphone’s display.

Software

There’s the same Touchwiz UI on this one and it is very similar to the Samsung Galaxy S5 but this one has more features that would surely help you increase your productivity. Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is already running on Android 4.4 Kitkat and I expect the Android 5.0 Lollipop soon.

One of the biggest features of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is the improved multi-window. It’s now easier to make an app into a smaller window by just swiping downward from top left or top right. I can open 5 different applications simultaneously and I can minimize those apps if I don’t want to use it. It’s pretty amazing and it really increase my productivity.

The variant that came here in the Philippines is the Exynos one. Yes, you can now bid goodbye to the Snapdragon variant of this device because the international version of Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is now powered by Exynos processors. When it comes to performance, the Exynos processor inside the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 doesn’t disappoint. It can play almost all games and even at max settings of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, this smartphone doesn’t lag. But of course, you’ll still experience some stuttering on the device but that’s very rare now compared to the Samsung Galaxy S5 that we’ve reviewed before.

Battery Life
There’s a 3220mAh battery inside the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and it is just the right size for a phablet. The smartphone could last up to a day or two of use and thanks to ultra power saving mode, your smartphone could last up to more than that but in ultra power saving mode, the features that you can use will be very limited.

Camera

Samsung Galaxy S5 introduced the phase detection on its camera which helps focus on objects much faster and yes, it even got better on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Samsung Galaxy Note 4 still features the same 16-Megapixel Rear camera with LED Flash at the back but this time, the camera comes with Optical image stabilization or OIS. It greatly improves the performance of the camera of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. At low light, the images are now less blurry and it is sharper compared to its little brother, Samsung Galaxy S5. Taking videos on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is now better thanks to OIS. The camera is great but I think it still needs more improvement when it comes to image processing. Overall, I think Samsung did a great job in improving the camera of their flagship smartphone.

Another thing to love in the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is the front camera with wide angle lens. There’s no need for for selfie sticks anymore because wide angle lens could capture groupfies without the need of selfie sticks.

Verdict

Without a doubt, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is the best Android smartphone this year however, not everybody might like the size of a phablet but hey Samsung has finally combined all the things that we want on an Android smartphone – great camera, metal construction and an amazing performance. I got my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 at Widget City and it comes with a 2-year Samsung Philippines warranty ;).