Samsung Galaxy Note5 and S6 edge+ Review

1. Introduction

The Samsung Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ are finally official, the first - a month ahead of its established product cycle, the second - replacing the proof-of-concept Note Edge with a market-proven mainstream design.

It's become a tradition of sorts to expect a new Galaxy Note come September. This year the schedule has been shifted a bit in an attempt to give the phablet a head start over Apple's next gen iPhone Plus, which would probably be announced in the first third of September as well.

The Galaxy Note Edge, launched parallel to last year's Note 4, was the spark that ignited the whole edge-screen craze - a craze, which so rapidly turned into widespread adoption with only the second-gen device - the Galaxy S6 edge - that even Samsung was caught unprepared and couldn't deliver on the initial demand. This time Samsung has an even stronger trump card than last year's Note Edge - they're calling it the Galaxy S6 edge+, with hopes for the new device to inherit the immense success of the S6 edge.

Samsung Galaxy Note5 / Galaxy edge+ shared specs at a glance

• 64-bit Exynos 7420 chipset with 14nm architecture; octa-core CPU (quad 2.1GHz & quad 1.5GHz), Mali-T760MP8 GPU
• 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM; 32/64/128GB of UFS 2.0 flash memory
• 16MP f/1.9 camera with OIS; Auto HDR; 4K video capture; IR white balance detection
• 5MP f/1.9 front-facing camera
• Cat. 6 LTE; WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz); GPS, GLONASS and Beidou; Bluetooth 4.2; NFC; USB 2.0
• NFC and MST mobile payment support
• Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with TouchWiz UX
• 3,000mAh non-removable battery, Qi (WPC) and PMA wireless charging support
• Metal chassis; Corning Gorilla Glass 4 front and back
• Fingerprint scanner

Samsung Galaxy Note5

• 5.7" QHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) Super AMOLED display with 518ppi
• S Pen capacitive stylus with push to eject mechanism
• 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm, 171g

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+

• 5.7" QHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) dual-edge curved Super AMOLED display with 518ppi
• 154.4 x 75.8 x 6.9 mm, 153g

A cornerstone in Samsung's high-end smartphone history, the Galaxy S6/S6 edge pair embraced a new design language, one that parted with the prevailing use of plastic and introduced more refined materials to finally live up to the price and features of the lineup. The Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ are the first to follow in their footsteps, and the choices made before are here to stay.

That applies to the materials and style but also to the features, and precious ones appear to be gone for good. They weren't arbitrary decisions made in the blink of an eye though, and each has its reasoning, at least in the minds of the engineers behind it.

The expandable storage wasn't up to the standards Samsung itself set up with its super-fast UFS built-in memory and the microSD slot had to go. The user-replaceable battery fell victim to the dual-glass body, but fast charging and built-in wireless charging capability should supposedly help you forget about substituting batteries.

Much of the hardware comes straight from the smaller-screen flagships, which is no bad thing - the Galaxy S6 remains the reference in performance six months into its availability and with a bump in RAM it can only get better on the phablets. The 16MP primary camera with a fast lens and OIS is among the trendsetters too, as are the Super AMOLED display panels.

We had the opportunity to handle the Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ for a few brief moments ahead of their announcement and we'll share our first impressions on the following pages.

2. Samsung Galaxy Note 5 hands-on

So you appreciate the direction where Samsung headed in with the design of the Galaxy S6, but you enjoy the larger form-factor of the Note series? Well, then the Galaxy Note5 (mind the lack of a space before the numeral) is just the right phone for you, as it's basically a merger of the two concepts.

Of course, that's a bit of an oversimplification and the Notes have always been a lot more than a stretched up Galaxy S smartphone. Quantitative change leads to qualitative change, as philosophers would put it, and the size difference is not merely down to numbers, but brings genuine benefits in terms of productivity.

And productivity is where the Galaxy Note5 is meant to excel, much like its predecessors, thanks in no small part to the S Pen. The capacitive stylus has been redesigned yet again, but its core functionality remains precision pointing and pressing, there for those who value it, but certainly not in the way of those who don't.

The Samsung Galaxy Note5 is built much like the Galaxy S6 - two slabs of Gorilla Glass 4 held in place by a metal chassis with an exposed metal frame all around. However, while the S6 had an ever so slight curve, top and bottom, all four edges of the Note5 have been kept straight. Coupled with the larger overall dimensions, this makes the phablet look blockier and more rectangular, though that's hardly a novelty among Notes.

The side bezels are pleasantly thin- not something you could say about the previous model. There are more sizeable bezels on both other ends of the screen but nothing really to complain about, and certainly nothing you wouldn't expect from a Samsung handset of late.

The front has gotten the 2.5D glass treatment for that extra bit of smoothness when swiping in from the sides - another mark of a premium device.

The rear is more interesting in that it's not entirely flat, but its sides are curved towards the front. We've seen a very similar approach with Xiaomi's Mi Note / Mi Note Pro pair, so it's nothing groundbreaking, but there's a different angle in Samsung's case.

Whether you opt for the Galaxy Note5 or the Galaxy S6 edge+, you get curved edges, it's just that one has them on the back, the other one - on the front. It's a funny design choice and results in more or less equally sized edges between the two, though inevitably the handling is very different. It also helps make the slightly thicker Note5 feel subjectively more compact than it actually is.

The arrangement on the back comes straight from the S6 as well, with the camera lens hump aligned with the central axis and the sensor/flash cluster to its right. A minor design tweak has now resulted in all cameras having a black insert behind the front glass element, while on the S6 the inserts were matched to the body color. What that means is that the lens will stand out even more on the lighter colored models, though the fact that the black patch is closer in size and shape to the always black sensor window arguably makes for a more consistent look.

We managed to download a few images off an unsuspecting Galaxy Note5 demo unit. The first three are what you'd call official camera samples (and these have been through Photoshop), while the final three we took right from the showroom floor.

The Samsung Galaxy Note5 measures 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm, virtually the same height as the predecessor, but 2.5mm narrower and almost a whole millimeter slimmer. The slim side bezels are responsible for the decrease in width, while the thinness could be attributed to the smaller battery and non-removable back.

It's not a light device, all by itself, that's for sure. That said, it's 5g lighter than the Note 4, and at 171g it's closer to the Note 3. Current Note users will be used to the heft and won't complain. We do expect an outcry of comments demanding a larger battery if even at the cost of some additional weight.

S Pen with a click

The S Pen has been revamped, both in terms of hardware and software. Contrary to some initial rumors it's not auto-ejectable, you still need to pry it out with your fingernail, only now you have to click it first. The click action is a lot like an actual pen, but it has no other functionality once it's out.

On the software end there's an all-new Air Command menu, which is no longer the tiny pop-up it used to be on previous iterations. It takes up the entire screen now with the icons on top of a strongly blurred background.

The usual Screen write, Smart select, and Action memo features are present but you can now add shortcuts to your favorite apps too for quick access with the pen. You can collapse the Air command menu to a floating icon so you can evoke it back without pressing the side button on the S Pen.

A neat new feature now lets you scribble a quick monochrome note with the phone still unlocked and almost completely dark. When you pull out the pen, a droplet-style visual cue appears in the lower right corner to indicate that you can start writing and you only get an eraser and discard/save buttons.

3. Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ hands-on

The Galaxy Note5 may be a blend of the S6 and the Note 4, but the Galaxy S6 edge+ is really just an enlarged Galaxy S6 edge. The aptly named phablet brings the dual-edge experience to the big screen, while adding a few minor touches of its own.

Of course, the design is not as striking as the original Note Edge, but we already knew that from the S6 edge. You do get a curve on each side though, so the S6 edge+ is equally well suited to all users, regardless of which of their hands is dominant, a key advantage over the predecessor, if we could call the Note Edge that.

In theory large size lends well to higher screen-to-body ratios since bezels need to contain the same elements and thus don't need to grow proportionately in size. The Galaxy S6 edge+ is a fine proof of that principle and it's one of the two subtle hints that you're looking at the phablet, and not the phone, when you have no bananas for scale.

The other design change, and you can tell we're deliberately looking as close as possible, is that the S6 edge+ has done away with the slight curves of the top and bottom of the non-plus device and the edges are now straight. In fact, much like the case of the Note5, compared to the S6.

The Galaxy S6 edge+ measures 154.4 x 75.8 x 6.9 mm - a millimeter taller than the Note5, but marginally narrower. It's also 0.7mm thinner than its productivity-focused sibling, and also a fraction thinner than the original S6 edge.

We were stunned to find out that the S6 edge+ weighs only 153g - that's a whole 18g less than the nearly identical Note5, so some S Pen it must be. As you'd imagine, the difference is easily felt in the hand as well, making the Galaxy S6 edge+ the obvious choice for gentler hands and small purses.

It's still best operated with both hands, gentle or masculine alike, as there's no going around the fact that it's a 5.7-inch device. There is a one-handed mode as well, which shrinks the entire interface to a bottom side corner, but in the past it has proven more of a gimmick than a truly valuable feature, and we don't see it being used any more often here.

The edge screen has a bunch of features, carried over from the 5.1-inch Galaxy S6 edge. We've always been fans of the Night Clock, though we're still wondering why it can't just be Clock and stay on at all times. The Information Stream is present too to keep you up to date on current events from your favorite feeds. Edge Lighting is also on board, though the question remains why you'd keep your precious dual-edge device face down on a flat surface.

People Edge has gotten a nice companion in the form of Apps Edge, which gives you access to app shortcuts of your choice with a second inward swipe. In a way it's similar to the Edge screen on the Note Edge, though here you get to keep the dock on the bottom of the main display. It has its use as a potential alternative task switcher, or a quick app launcher available from any screen.

4. Samsung Galaxy Note5 / Galaxy S6 edge+ battery

Both the Samsung Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ come with a 3,000mAh capacity battery. It marks a downgrade compared to the Note 4's 3,220mAh, but the more efficient chipset coupled with advancements in display technology may actually help the Note5 (or the similarly spec'd S6 edge+) pull ahead of the previous generation.

And while the Note Edge did come with a 3,000mAh battery and noticeably inferior battery endurance compared to its regular sibling, the Galaxy S6/S6 edge pair proved that that the edges no longer take a toll on the battery. Of course, detailed battery tests are in order, and we won't be passing judgement until those are out.

The battery is no longer removable, and that means one of two things, depending on where you stand. Those who never kept a spare battery in their pockets will go on not caring about it, while others will lament the missing feature and either look for third party backup solutions, or simply avoid the upgrade for the time being.

Additionally, fast charging comes in as a possible solution, and Samsung's implementation proved among the quickest in our dedicated test a while ago.

For the less intense charging situations you always have the built-in inductive solution - it works even faster now, up to 1A, and it's a feature more makers should finally start adopting. Samsung was proud to point out that its new smartphones support both the PMA and the WPC established standards (the latter also known as Qi), which brings an added versatility and also means that you can top up your smartphone on a number of publicly available charging stations.

5. Samsung Galaxy Note5 / Galaxy S6 edge+ display

 

The Samsung Galaxy Note5 comes with a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with QHD resolution which comes down to a density of 518ppi. The diagonal sweet spot was already established with the Note 3 and for third generation in a row it has remained unchanged. Rumors had it at 5.66 inches prior to launch, and even if that is indeed the case, you're unlikely to notice or care about a millimeter in the real world. What you'll love though, is the sharp QHD resolution, deep blacks and rich colors, not that we expected anything less than the best available panels from Samsung.

The Galaxy S6 edge+ is also quoted to have a 5.7-inch display, and the fact that you can't readily measure it should mean less grounds for nitpicking. It possesses the same qualities as the flat panel in the Note5, with the additional benefits in both feel and features brought about by the curves on the sides.

6. Cameras and live broadcast

 

The Samsung Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ both come with the same camera setup, we're already familiar with from the Galaxy S6. That includes the 16MP primary camera with f/1.9 lens and optical image stabilization, as well as the 5MP f/1.9 front snapper. And while the roots of the rear shooter could be traced back to the Note 4/Note Edge, the selfie cam is a step up for the phablet range.

The hardware is virtually the same as the one used on the regular-sized flagships, but a new feature has been introduced in software. Samsung has partnered with YouTube to offer live broadcast from within the camera app, with no additional apps needed. It's a pretty straightforward solution and allows you to make your broadcasts public or only share your experiences with select few.

7. Samsung Pay

 

Samsung Pay was among the key points both in the development of the smartphones and in the event itself. The slow adoption of mobile payment systems has been attributed to the need to install new terminal or retrofit existing ones with NFC support.

Samsung chose to focus on the client side and equipped the Galaxy S6/S6 edge and now the Note5 and S6 edge+ with the MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) tech. It boils down to a magnetic coil that can communicate with the same existing terminals, where you now just swipe your bank cards. The process relies on three levels of security: fingerprint recognition, Samsung Knox and secure phone storage.

The way the system works is you select on your phone the card you want to pay with, confirm with a fingerprint and place the phone in the general vicinity of the slot where you'd normally swipe your plastic card, and that's it.

Samsung carried out beta testing of the system in South Korea with no prior education to either the customer or the merchant. The customers were asked to try and use Samsung Pay, where the merchant was not even informed in advance, so they didn't actually know their terminals would support it, or should we say, that there's nothing out of the ordinary to support.

Of course it didn't go without hiccups, but the soak tests have been successful enough for Samsung Pay to launch in South Korea later this month, with beta testing starting in the US later in August, and general availability planned for September. The service will be supported by the Galaxy S6/S6 edge and up, which effectively means four devices total.

8. Accessories

Parallel to the Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ Samsung revealed a host of accessories to complement the phablets, ranging from the usual cases to wireless charging pads.

However, the most interesting piece is without a doubt the keyboard case. Available for either model, the snap-on hardware QWERY keyboard is very much reminiscent of the HP iPAQ h6315 from a decade ago.

It covers the bottom quarter of the display, but the UI adjusts accordingly, so you don't need to remove it to access the dialer, for example. You also get hardware Task switcher/Home/Back buttons, since the ones underneath are inaccessible. Oh, and perhaps the coolest part is that the back of the keyboard case looks like a medieval knight mail armor.

Flip covers are also going to be available, as has become typical of Samsung high-end models. They come in colors matching the body of the smartphones and don't interfere with the wireless charging. There were no S-View flip covers to be seen at this point, though. Snap-on backs, which wrap around the corners are another option. Those will come in a wider selection of colors, some with an extra bit of sparkle.

Then there are the wireless charging pads, which look exactly like the ones, introduced back in March with the Galaxy S6. However, the new ones will support fast charging, but you do need to understand the relative nature of the word "fast" when used in conjunction with "wireless charging".

First impressions

When we said Samsung rushed the launch of the Galaxy Note5, you may have thought it was somehow unfinished. It certainly doesn't appear to be so at this point, instead it's the carefully thought out upgrade we're used to seeing from Samsung.

Sure, it has lost a few of its productivity features, and we'll be hearing a lot about its battery. The comments section was barely beginning to accept that it won't be user-replaceable, as the rumored 4,100mAh capacity was enough to shake battery anxiety away. The actual capacity is nowhere nearly as impressive and the 3,000mAh number is less than even the Note II.

It is three years later, though and we should be able to see strides taken towards battery efficiency and not only capacity increase. And we've witnessed before how capacity doesn't guarantee longevity, so let's give Samsung engineers the benefit of the doubt for the time being. The microSD slot is gone as well, despite the fact that the majority of users were hoping that the Note-series won't go all S6 and abandon storage expansion.

The S-Pen, a practically unrivaled Galaxy Note feature, is here to stay, and it has another trick up its sleeve this time. The click-to-eject action may be just for show, but the precision pointing and drawing are here to do stuff. Plus, you can now customize the Action center, for easier access to most used apps.

The Galaxy S6 edge+ is a different breed of phablet, one geared towards multimedia consumption instead of productivity. It will also fare better among the style conscious among us, who are always that extra bit more likely to go for exclusivity rather than reasonable price and features.

Not that it couldn't perform if need be - it's an equally powerful smartphone with nearly identical hardware save for the dual-edge display. And that dual-edge display has a few neat skills of its own, which we enjoyed using on the S6 edge, and are now enhanced on the Plus.

Add to that the built-in live broadcasting, all the more important in these times of sharing, and Samsung Pay, which does indeed make a genuine promise for ease of use in mobile payments, and there's plenty to justify the new-generation's existence. We'll just need some more convincing on those batteries.