Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Review

Lisa Gade reviews the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Samsung’s premium phablet with S Pen for 2015. The Note 5 looks like a bigger Galaxy S6, and that’s not a bad thing— it’s extremely attractive and premium looking metal and glass smartphone. The glass back is curved on the sides for a better look and fit in the hand. Sadly the removable battery and microSD card slot are gone as part of the redesign.

The phone has a stunning 5.7” QHD 2560 x 1440 Super AMOLED display and it runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with TouchWiz on the same Exynos 2.1 GHz octa-core 64 bit CPU as the GS6. It has 4 gigs of RAM, 32 or 64 gigs of internal storage, dual band WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth, NFC with support for Samsung Pay and a GPS. The Note 5 has a rear 16MP camera with OIS and 4K video recording and a front 5MP camera. It’s available on all major carriers and sells for approx. $700 for the 32 gig and $800 for the 64 gig.

[brandonellis]

You have such an amazing speaking voice and presence, really a joy to watch your reviews. Whenever a new product is launched I can't wait for you to review it! Thanks and keep up the awesomeness.

[boxtears]

I could never thumb you down, Lisa.

EVER!

[GADGETMIX]

Note 3 user here who wants to talk about removable battery. My phone is now 1.5 year old and battery has got pretty week. It works fine till 40% and then takes a nose dive.

I just got a new battery for $10 and I didn't had to send it to Samsung to get it replaced.

See, that's why I like phones with removable batteries.

[madpistol]

For the record, my Note 4 just scored A 3DMark Unlimited score of over 22, 000. In this video, the Note 5 scored 16, 571... I think this may be the first time that we have taken a step backwards in benchmarks between generations.

[DaNewChampp]

Got this phone Tuesday. Phone is blazing fast, loving it.

[Romeo.Filmss]

Good phone but i don't think its worth for me to upgrade from my Note 4, i like my removable battery and sd card and IR blaster and non slipperiness and non fingerprint smudging...etc etc :)

[SynthieFlowers]

Changeable battery and sd card slot were the most useful features. Those were the most distinguishing features that made it better than iphone.
Oh well, the lg g3/g4 is a better phone with less crap wear.
With the changeable battery, you can always have a spare battery on hand, and never have to use the charging cable.
Just flip out the old battery, and stick in the new one.

Phones without the Removable back are no better than the iPhone( hardware speaking)

Also, the built in battery gets Weaker and weaker the more it is used, so better hope its not glued in(most of them are).

[Kauko]

Samsung really went with whiners all the way this year... I would trade this premium feel every time of the day for good old plastic phone. I dont know whats the point in having a premium feel phone if its slipery, smudge friendly, it breaks faster and at the end you put on a rubber case what makes premium feel irrelevant... of course, dont forget battery, sd cards....  So, give back good old plastic. Just don't understand people how is premium feel better. Unless it is more important what people around you think about it, which i don't give a ...

[reubenb]

I have never seen anyone swap out the battery when their phone is dying. I think the only people who were disappointed by the lack of removable battery were the hardcore tech people. The average consumer doesn't care that much about removable batteries or SD cards. They want something that works great.

[MayorMcCheese]

Lisa, don't you think Samsung should make a Galaxy Note with the S Pen on the left side for lefties like us?

[brentoncoulthard]

just tuning into Samsung Unpacked 2016 for the Galaxy Note 7. I am so excited for Lisa to review this fabulous phone!!

[sjp]

Lisa, I have to say that you are my favorite reviewer. your attention to detail...and your humor...are really fantastic. thank you so much for all of your work!

[LouisvileSteve]

Lisa, you are my favorite technology reviewer. I always look forward to your opinions of new products. BTW I got a Note 5 the day it was released and I couldn't be happier with the phone.

[mnminnmn]

i cant believe samsung fell for the phony apple hype about a non removable glass back and no battery swap. Stupid! I doubt i'll upgrade my note3 now, maybe to a note4. I always use spare batteries on the run. slim to keep in pocket and never have to be tethered to a cord along the wall. samsung marketing needs to be fired. They eliminated their points of difference over apple and are trying to become a me-too. they should be marketing the heck out of the S-Pen which they don't and also swappable batteries and additional memory, but not now since they eliminated the latter two. I'll wait for the note6 after they hopefully learn their lesson.


what's next? are they going to eliminate the s-pen? geez

[cv]

Thanks again for another great review, I just got got my Note5 last week, and i LOVE it. I never removed and replaced the battery on my old Note 4, so to me that's not an issue, also I had a SD card on my Note 4, but again that' s not an issue for me.


SO far this is the best Phone I 've ever had. I'm in love until the next Note 6

[mhajas]

Best review of the note 5 thanks Lisa ☺

[ChodaBoyUSA]

Lisa, great review, as usual. One thing all reviewers seem to miss is that the Note 5 does not support MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link), so you cannot use a micro-HDMI cable to connect your phone to a TV or projector to share the screen like you can with a Note 4. The only way to share the Note 5's screen is via a wireless standard like Miracast. This is important for anyone that uses their phone for business presentations.

[sheldonxwilliams]

It seems that I'm the only one that doesn't care about build material but I just don't understand why you would take away two of the most useful features that use power users love.

Who cares if a phone is plastic, I don't, but this is the price you pay for complaining about build quality.

[marlboroman]

No SD card slot is a deal killer, none removable battery sucks but can be lived with

[GrooveYouVerse]

I love your reviews Lisa, you're so much easier to listen to. I've listened to your reviews when I first saw your video for the HTC Touch Pro with Touch Flo (memories).