The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 finally makes it to the Indian market and is exceptionally priced at Rs 53,900 for 32GB and Rs 59,900 for 64GB. We say that the price is exceptional because it’s less than what the Galaxy Note 4 cost when it was launched last year.
We got a chance to tinker around with Samsung’s new offering and here’s what we think.
Key Specifications
- Display: 5.7-inch Quad HD (2560×1440 pixels) Super AMOLED
Processor: Octa-Core (Quad 2.1GHz + Quad 1.5GHz) 64-bit, 14nm Exynos 7420 - RAM: 4GB LPDDR4 RAM
Storage: 32GB/64GB internal memory - Operating System: Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
- Primary Camera: 16MP camera with LED Flash, OIS, f/1.9 aperture
- Front Camera: 5MP front-facing camera, f/1.9 aperture
- Connectivity: 4G LTE / 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, ANT+, NFC
- Battery: 3,000 mAh battery, Fast Charging (wired and wireless)
- Price: Rs 53,900 (32GB) and Rs 59,900 (64GB)
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 has a similar design philosophy to what we have seen in the company’s recent models of the Galaxy S6, which have a metal frame and glass panels at the front and back.
The Note 5 comes with curved edges at the back which enhance the grip. The fit and finish is definitely premium. It’s a large device but not as broad as the Note 4.
Samsung has fitted the phone with a super-thin bezel and a 5.7-inch display. You can’t use this phone with a single hand of course, but it still feels more compact than the earlier Note devices.
The phone does not have a removable battery or a micro-SD card slot for storage expansion, which Samsung says is good, but we were a little disappointed.
The Galaxy Note 5 is powered by a Samsung Exynos octa-core 64-bit chip backed by 4GB RAM. Using the phone was as smooth an experience as you would expect with these powerful processors. Just like the Samsung Galaxy S6, the Note 5 comes with a fingerprint sensor and heart rate monitor which work well.
The phone runs Android 5.1 Lollipop and Samsung’s TouchWiz UI layer. It also has nifty productivity tools such as SideSync. The Galaxy Note 5 comes with 5th generation S Pen capabilities for better multi-tasking.
The S Pen feels balanced and is very close to accurate in its writing capability. What we liked is that users can quickly scribble information through a low power mode even when the screen is off without even unlocking the phone.
The ‘Air Command’ feature has also been upgraded and S Pen tools can be accessed from any screen.
The Galaxy Note 5 comes loaded with a 16-megapixel rear camera with Optical Image Stabilisation and a 5MP front-facing camera similar to the ones seen on the Samsung Galaxy S6.
For video, the Galaxy Note 5 also features 4K(UHD) video recording and Live Broadcast, which lets users live stream Full HD videos straight from the phone’s camera app. All of this works smoothly on the Note 5 with an easy to use interface.
Everything looks good on the Note 5, but there’s one thing that’s kind of crazy: The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus are literally the same phone in terms of specifications. The major differences are the S Pen and the curved display.
Samsung, by launching both the phones in the Indian market almost simultaneously, has encouraged product cannibalisation. The price difference between the two phones is also not much.
We think that the Galaxy Note 5 is a much better option than buying the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus. It packs in more productivity options and looks as good as the S6 Edge Plus.
But then again, the S6 Edge Plus has that beautiful curved display.
Now that’s left us as confused as the consumer will be when it comes to making a decision between the two.
It’s a tough choice and reminds me of my marketing professor in college who used to say, “If you can’t convince them, confuse them.”
Looks like that’s what Samsung wants to do in India right now.
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