Samsung Galaxy Note 5 review

Build Quality

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is framed by sleek metal and glass to bring toughness to every inch. The 7000 series aluminium is alloyed with zinc and precipitation hardened, for the highest strength of any aluminium alloy. This meets Corning Gorilla Glass 4 for the ultimate screen protection.

The back has a curved form in order to provide a comfortable grip, which is accentuated by a body that weighs 171 grams and is only 7.6mm thick. The body houses an octa-core 2.1GHz 64-bit processor with 4GB RAM. This gives the Note 5 the most processing power in the market and it can be coupled with either 32GB or 64GB of internal memory.

Read the Galaxy Note 6 review next

The touch sensitive 5.7” Quad HD Super AMOLED display has a far greater definition than just HD with 2560 x 1440 pixels. This equates to 518 pixels per inch, more than the human eye can see!

Phone Set Up

The Android Lollipop v5.1 OS is preloaded and this allows owners to customise the home screens with folders and widgets. The set up process is made easy by downloading Samsung Smart Switch from Google Play or the Samsung Galaxy app store. The app enables automatic transfer of files, photos and contacts held on an old smartphone.

The Samsung KNOX fingerprint verification can be used for lock screen security and will become more useful in the future when Samsung Pay rolls out across the UK. Private mode can also be activated during set up and enables personal files to be hidden from guest users of the phone.

Features

The star feature of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is of course the S Pen, which has been redesigned with a metallic finish. The S Pen now writes more like an actual pen, with true-to-life pressure sensitivity.

The S Pen can be used with Action memo, Smart select, Screen write and S Note and can even be used to make notes when the screen is off. A simple click releases the S Pen and Air Command is launched immediately.

The user experience on the Note 5 can be conducted in multi-window split screen views or with pop-up views. Screens that require scrolling can be captured as one image and SideSync connects the Note 5 to a PC, where texts can be responded to, while reminders and alerts can be viewed on the PC’s screen.

Galaxy Gifts allow Note 5 owners to try out apps for free, such as OneDrive with its 100GB of free storage for two years. Samsung’s portfolio of apps are also pre-loaded and include S Finder, S Planner, S Voice and S Health.

A series of Samsung Galaxy Note 5 accessories are available for purchase and the most useful include:

• Keyboard cover - This accessory slides onto the bottom of the Note 5 to give a physical QWERTY keyboard for heavy duty typing.
• Level On Wireless Pro headphones - Using UHQA (Ultra High Quality Audio), these headphones have a 40mm dual layered diaphragm that balances sound. For absolute clarity, four external and internal microphones detect and cancel out background noise. Talk-In Mode enables wearers to listen to music while ambient sound is channelled through for safety when wearing outdoors.
• Battery pack - This battery pack has a capacity of 5,200mAh, making it essential for vacations and activities that are located away from a power source.
• Wireless charger - The Note 5 is already wireless charger ready and this accessory brings fast charging with it. In just two hours a full charge can be gained with the option to switch to standard charging speeds to reduce the noise of the charger’s fan, when desired.

Camera & Video

The camera set up is the same as that of its sister device, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ reviewed here. That camera review is summarised here:

• Main camera - 16MP
• Selfie camera - 5MP
• Quick Launch - Double tap the home key
• Shooting modes - Panorama, Pro, 120 degree Wide Selfie, Virtual shot 360 degree interactive photo
• Editing - Near focus, Far focus, Pan focus, RAW file image editing
• Video - 4K (UHD) with video Live Broadcast to individuals, groups or a public forum such as YouTube Live
• Playback - Slow motion or Collage mode which knits four videos together, shot either simultaneously or over time, for playback in a collage

Battery Life

The 3,000mAh battery can be fast charged with a mains charger in just 90 minutes. The Galaxy Note 5 can be run in several operating modes to save power. These include Ultra power saving mode and Emergency mode, where grey tones are used on the display and the device is restricted to just basic functions.

Written by: Michael Brown