Is the New Note Noteworthy? Not Quite

- Sascha Segan

PREVIEW: Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Price: TBD

Not Yet Rated

One and a half steps forward, one step back. The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 gives you the best smartphone screen on the market, and it continues to be endlessly productive, thanks to its slick S Pen stylus. But intoxicated by the Galaxy S6’s flashy design, Samsung chooses form over function in ways that aren’t really necessary on a phablet, and some of the new Note’s flagship features are incremental enough that I don’t see a convincing reason for Galaxy Note 4 owners to upgrade.

DESIGN AND PHYSICAL FEATURES

Samsung goes for the full S6 treatment with the Galaxy Note 5, encasing it in a sealed glass-and-metal body with gently curved sides. At 6 by 3 by 0.3 inches (HWD) and 6 ounces, it’s 0.1 inch narrower than the Note 4, but you lose the memory card slot, the removable battery, and the grippy texture of the Note 4’s back. This phone is a lot more slippery; it’s not an issue with the smaller Galaxy S6, which can be gripped easily in one hand, but here it’s a problem.

The 5.7-inch, 2,560-by-1,440-pixel display is bright, rich, and beautiful. Ray Soneira at DisplayMate Labs analyzed it and found that it’s noticeably brighter and more power-efficient than the screen on the Note 4, which is in turn far better than the display on the iPhone 6 Plus. It’s also brighter and less reflective than the LG G4 screen. Samsung has always been a leader in displays, and the Note 5 takes things to the next level.