Well today was officially Note 4 day!   The speculation is over and it has been unveiled.   This marks the 4th-generation of Samsung's phablet as many things have changed and evolved since its original inception.  While initially isn't a huge leap from the Note 3 there are some significant additions though.  While we didn't send a huger amount of time w/ it, we were able to get a good feel for it.  We were able to demo the device and wanted to share our initial thoughts on it.

  • Funny how just adding a metal band gives the Note 4 a more premium feel to it.  It's actually the same champfered edge frame seen on the Galaxy Alpha.   The faux leather still remains as the fake stitching has vanished.  It adds a high-end like heft to it while making it not a heavy brick.

SAMSUNG CSC

  • The display on the Note 4 remains the same size as last year's model at 5.7inches but there is one big change added to the mix: a Quad HD.   So 2K (2560 x 1440) display on a Super AMOLED panel makes for a rich visuals w/ the bright colors you would expect from Samsung.   Looks good from what we've viewed form it.  So this definitely futureproofs your screen through the length of your 2-year contract.  This joins the LG G3 as the other 2K Android display on the market.  

At 1st glance, the Note 4 seems to be a moderate upgrade from last year's model but we'll have to dig deeper for a better answer.

  • The 16MP shooter appears to performance pretty good.  While the usage of it wasn't huge  due to it being hooked up to their security cord.  Quick, great shots & great processing.   The new front-facing shooter isn't too bad either.  FYI, it is  a f/1.9 3.7MP sensor.  
  • Good to see the 3GB of RAM + quad-core CPU not suffering to the weight of TouchWiz software.  On the Galaxy S5 it was slowing things down a little bit before downloading any apps on it.  We didn't come across any hiccups during our time w/ it.  
  • Unfortunately, I didn't see any new speaker holes so don't expect their sound to improve to the levels that HTC + OnePlus is on.  But being in a crowded space w/ everyone either talking or recording their videos, it would've been hard to truly test it out so you'll have to wait for the full review for that one.  

Looking forward to seeing if this successfully Samsung's next big thing and not just in size.  We'll keep you posted when we get our hands on actual review units - which should be in a one or two hopefully.  

Categories: Features