Pricing and Closing Thoughts
From a features and specifications point of view, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has basically anything a smartphone user could ask for a in flagship device. We have already talked about in great detail camera, about the display, the S Pen and more. Add in support for 802.11ac dual-band wireless, MicroSD card support (surprisingly a lot of phones leaves this out) and you have a total package that can compete against anything else on the market.
It's important to note that even though the performance metrics on the previous two pages didn't overly impress us (at least on the GPU side) I had no issues during normal use that were a detriment to my overall experience. Browsing the web was fast, taking pictures was snappy (sorry for the pun) without delay and lag on the shutter, and playing the handful of games that I was able try played just fine.
There is another interesting reason to be interested in the Note 4: the Samsung Galaxy Gear VR.
A big thanks goes out to Polygon's Ben Kuchera for letting me borrow his Gear VR head unit to test out the virtual reality experience provided. I want to be sure to point out that this model of the Note 4 is not officially supported by Oculus and Samsung to work with the Gear VR – you'll have to download a couple of APK files manually to get it to work. Once I did that, the software worked fine and the experience was actually pretty compelling, even compared to the Oculus DK2 that we have in our office.
All of the Note 4's that support the Gear VR appear to be using the Qualcomm Adreno 420 graphics system rather than the Exynos 5433 with Mali-T760. Based on our benchmarks that is probably not a coincidence…
Would I buy a Note 4 today to get the Gear VR? Probably not yet. But if you already have a Note 4 (preferably a North American model with the Adreno 420) it might be worth spending that $199 to give the Gear VR a try!
Pricing and Availability
Smartphone pricing is always interesting. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (N910C) that I reviewed here today is only available in the US as unlocked, unsubsidized phone. Mine came courtesy of BHPhoto.com where you can currently find it selling for $709. That's a lot to pay for a phone, but if you are looking for a contract-based deal you can find it for as little as $229.
- AT&T – $229 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 805)
- Verizon Wireless – $299 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 805)
- Unlocked – $709 (Samsung Exynos 5433)
That's obviously a lot more reasonable, but I don't really want to dive into the issues surrounding American cell phone carrier phone subsidies.
Final Thoughts
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4, regardless of which SoC you want inside of it, is a phone for a very particular user. The size of the device itself will limit its audience but will also interest buyers that don't want to own a separate tablet device and want more screen real estate for productivity. The Note 4 has that in spades – a high resolution, large screen allows for viewing high proportions of webpages, doing split-screen multi-tasking and even includes active stylus support via the Samsung S Pen. Initially I was sure that a large screen phone like this wasn't for me; I was quite comfortable with the Droid Turbo I use today. But after two weeks of keeping the Note 4 with me, the additional functionality seems worth the added bulk.
Galaxy Note 4 (left), iPhone 6 Plus (right)
Looking at SoC specific performance, the Exynos 5433 leaves a bit to be desired. The A57+A53 big.LITTLE design does well in our CPU benchmarks and results in a smooth user experience but the Mali-T760 graphics lags behind the Adreno 420 found in the Snapdragon 805 by a wide margin. In fact, I think that may be why Samsung doesn't support advanced capabilities like Gear VR on Exynos-powered SKUs. The Exynos 5433 is built on the 20nm process technology from Samsung's own foundries and that does help in terms of die size and power consumption slightly, but it's likely not enough to make it the best SoC choice.
Despite that slight ding, the Galaxy Note 4 that we reviewed here today is an outstanding smartphone users that want a large, high quality screen, iPhone-class camera and extended battery life that both charges quickly and includes a replaceable battery. And if recent announcements are the trend, it might be the last combination of those traits we see from Samsung.
Nice review.
On the first
Nice review.
On the first page there is a mistake: for specs 3GB or RAM instead of 32GB of RAM.
Thanks.
Just predicting the
Thanks.
Just predicting the future. 🙂
What phone has 32GB of RAM
What phone has 32GB of RAM LOL
What phone has 32GB of RAM
What phone has 32GB of RAM LOL
What phone has 32GB of RAM
What phone has 32GB of RAM LOL
I’ve had the Note4 since it
I’ve had the Note4 since it was released and it has become my main device. I rarely use my laptop/desktop and never use my tablet anymore. My day is from 6am to 11pm and it lasts the whole day on a charge as well.
That’s a pretty good
That's a pretty good endorsement. Do you use the split screen stuff at all? What has your experience been like?
I usually keep the split
I usually keep the split screen off because it is super easy to do accidentally. When I do use the split screen I’ll usually have web/email on one side and reddit/twitter on the other, depending if I’m working or wasting time.
I had the Note 2 before this, so the size I am used to, but the ability to draw/take notes is phenomenal even compared to the Note 2.
In the evenings the feature I use the most is the TV controls. I’ve also got a Gear 2 and between them I can control my kid’s TV time never needing a remote.
I have the HTC one max that
I have the HTC one max that is a 5.9″ screen phone and I can never go back to a smaller screen not to mention having that large battery (4500mAh with the power flip case).
I use my Lumia 1520 (6 inch)
I use my Lumia 1520 (6 inch) as a phone and tablet. I have been also paying attenuation to the Note line, including the Note 4. Thanks for the review.
I’m really liking this device
I’m really liking this device as a Camera that makes phone calls and a productivity tool. Its suprising to me that I can use it to surf the Web so efficiently that I find myself relying on the Note 4 rather than my desktop!
I use the split often to drag and drop content from say a webpage to a Gmail note using the Stylus. The Pen writing feature is great, very fast & accurate /w a bit of practice!
Recommended!
Did you forget to switch of
Did you forget to switch of Power Saving mode on the device?
The GPU performance should be way better that is being shown here.
Maybe thermal limits or something, those Midgard Mali GPU’s (Especially the 7 series) should perform exceptionally well on 20nm.
Good review.
After reading
Good review.
After reading this review, I may consider getting this phone when I am eligible with my carrier. It is either this or the new HTC One M9, which isn’t as big as the Note 4.
My only experience with a Samsung Phone is the S4, which is my work phone. The screen is very prone to scratching through normal use. I had it for a week before I got a screen protector and it already had a bunch of scratches on it compared to my personal phone, the HTC One M8.
Also,
You say the front
Also,
You say the front facing camera is 3.7MP but in the spec list you show it is a 2MP…
Which is it?
Hearing the expression ‘hate
Hearing the expression ‘hate on’ in the video was… disturbing.
I get that you go for a more casual tone in the videos when compared to written reviews, but that might be a step too far.
(No subject)
It should be noted that the
It should be noted that the iPhone 6 does not have the best phone camera. This title belongs to the Lumia 930, which is in a different league. Just check out Paul Thurrott’s site (Thurrott.com) for a review.
The Wonderful Science and
The Wonderful Science and Technology is all about the Latest and New Inventions in the Modern Age. Science & Technology is taking Amazing Turns and We shall.
Wonderful Technology