If not the Note 5 then what?

[constable]

So by all accounts the Note 5 isn't going to live up to the expectations many of us have set.

I'm still using an S3. Expandable storage isn't huge for me. Battery life on the other hand is key. I've read mix reviews about the efficiency of the Note 4 battery/processor combo. Given the rumoured 3000mAh battery in the note 5 I will have to wait and see what the reviews are like so far as they relate to battery life.

I'm after a top of the line phone with 4 gigs of ram , a fast processor and the best battery life possible. My question is, if the Note doesn't meet our expectations what are you all going to do?

Moto X? Keep your fingers crossed for the LG G4Pro ( none of the rumours have even hinted at its battery life)

 

[russel5150]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

First, i had a really good experience with the note 4, and I'll recommend it to anyone who wants a note and doesn't like the 5.

For me, since i am on verizon, if i decide to get a new phone this fall it will either be the note5 or the new turbo offering. Since the new turbo hasn't been revealed yet, i get to see how real world use if the note 5 is.
I bounce back and forth between the droids and the notes.. Pure android with a big battery and a tough build. While the note is a work horse (at least the 2 3 4 were built to be).

I like some of the smaller company offerings, but over the last few years I've just gotten comfortable with motorola and the notes.

I like the new x, but i think they should have made the battery a bit bigger.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[rushmore]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

I thought the Note 4 was a HUGE upgrade from the S4, so going to the Note 4 from a S3 would be a pinnacle of upgrade goodness

That said, the Moto X Pure has zero bloat, sd slot, front stereo speakers, and 32GB model for at least $300 less than the Note 5 and you would still have more storage with your sd card. 64GB model would be $250 less.

If the Note 5 had the SD slot, bigger battery and 7422 chip, I would be retiring the Note 4 as a backup. I will probably buy the Moto X Pure out of principle since they are offering consumers the sd slot and even mentioned this as something still values by consumers. I will IF the device is good. The fixed battery is also 3000mah in the Moto X Pure.

 

[21stNow]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

I don't know. I may just give up on phones for the rest of the year and get a huge new tattoo!

 

[scribe4food]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

The rumors for the LG G4 Pro sounds promising.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[constable]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

I thought the Note 4 was a HUGE upgrade from the S4, so going to the Note 4 from a S3 would be a pinnacle of upgrade goodness :)

That said, the Moto X Pure has zero bloat, sd slot, front stereo speakers, and 32GB model for at least $300 less than the Note 5 and you would still have more storage with your sd card. 64GB model would be $250 less.

If the Note 5 had the SD slot, bigger battery and 7422 chip, I would be retiring the Note 4 as a backup. I will probably buy the Moto X Pure out of principle since they are offering consumers the sd slot and even mentioned this as something still values by consumers. I will IF the device is good. The fixed battery is also 3000mah in the Moto X Pure.

I can appreciate that sentiment. That being said when I got the S3 it was the top of the line android device. I don't upgrade every year, so when I do, I make sure that I'm upgrading to premier handset. I'm not sure that's the Note 5 this fall.

 

[anon(5630457)]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

Hopefully the Note 6 will be the Note we all want.

I'm betting the Note 5's battery life will be just as bad as the S6's battery life. The S6 has the same SoC, but a 5.1" screen and 2550 mAh battery. Compare that with the 5.7" screen on the Note 5 and the 3000 mAh battery.

 

[Ricky Leung]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

The rumors for the LG G4 Pro sounds promising.

Posted via the Android Central App

Waiting for LG G4 Pro as well. Has everything I want. Big enough screen, nice camera, more than enough ram, large enough battery.

 

[BlackZeppelin]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

Waiting for LG G4 Pro as well. Has everything I want. Big enough screen, nice camera, more than enough ram, large enough battery.

I think you would be a complete nutter to not wait for the LG G4 Pro to come out. Samsung have really dropped the ball on the "new" Note. It is nothing more than a big S6 with a pen. With a smaller battery, no IR blaster and no 128 GB version. Samsung, what the hell were you thinking of limiting your bigger Note model to 64GB?

The Note 5 will tank. No iffs or buts about it. It deserves to fail and hopefully Samsung will learn its lesson and stop trying to be an Apple clone with no regards to its traditional user base.

 

[nahoku]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

The Note 5 will tank.

It "may" tank for current Note users, but maybe not for new users who never owned a previous version. The phone is definitely nice, but all of us who know the past Notes are not impressed.

EDIT: Oops... forgot the main OP. I have no idea what to get when my Note 4 needs to be replaced. Note 6 maybe. Maybe by then Samsung will make the Note buy-worthy again!

 

[scribe4food]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

I'm going to wait to see what the LG G4 Pro will actually be, however, the physical qwerty keyboard grabbed me. I come from Palm, and I raged fiercely against the approaching flat slab phones with no physical keyboard. But sometimes you have no choice but to ebb and flow with the majority.

The physical keyboard and setup is very appealing to me.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[BlackZeppelin]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

It "may" tank for current Note users, but maybe not for new users who never owned a previous version. The phone is definitely nice, but all of us who know the past Notes are not impressed.

EDIT: Oops... forgot the main OP. I have no idea what to get when my Note 4 needs to be replaced. Note 6 maybe. Maybe by then Samsung will make the Note buy-worthy again!

Agreed. Samsung is targeting new users. Can you not make a phone that retains all the traditional users whilst still attracting new users? What sort of ridiculous marketing strategy is that? Dump the old customers, start afresh with new customers? And you wonder why profits have fallen every quarter for close to 2 yrs now.

If you can live without the stylus, the LG G4 Pro is definitely the phone to get. Most probably LG will feature a stylus eventually. I will look at the Note 6 if Samsung comes to its senses and stops trying to be all premium expensive stylish with little features like Apple. Just not having the IR blaster is a deal breaker for me.

 

[SCD23x]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

The rumors for the LG G4 Pro sounds promising.

Posted via the Android Central App

Will this for sure be coming to the US? I remember waiting for the G Pro 2 for about 5 months before I bought the G Flex. Highly disappointing.

Looking to leave the iPhone 6+. This Note is pretty sexy. Loved my Note 2.

 

[rushmore]

If not the Note 5then what?

It "may" tank for current Note users, but maybe not for new users who never owned a previous version. The phone is definitely nice, but all of us who know the past Notes are not
EDIT: Oops... forgot the main OP. I have no idea what to get when my Note 4 needs to be replaced. Note 6 maybe. Maybe by then Samsung will make the Note buy-worthy again!

Not many Apple owners since for most the ecosystem and iTunes are more important than the device. All Apple has to do is be good with each device and users will stay. Even the people that bailed due to small displays came back to Apple when the bigger displays released.

Samsung is delusional if they think the will take virtually any of that share. Especially with what they just released with less differentiation to sway iPhone users. On the other hand, Samsung is poised to lose a profound amount of share by alienating a lot current Note users. The pushback has been far too prolific and negative. The S6 negative feedback was itty bitty compared to this.

 

[Almeuit]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

I will be looking at the Moto X Style (a.k.a the "Pure Edition" in the US).

 

[yourphonemyphone]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

I thought the Note 4 was a HUGE upgrade from the S4, so going to the Note 4 from a S3 would be a pinnacle of upgrade goodness

That said, the Moto X Pure has zero bloat, sd slot, front stereo speakers, and 32GB model for at least $300 less than the Note 5 and you would still have more storage with your sd card. 64GB model would be $250 less.

If the Note 5 had the SD slot, bigger battery and 7422 chip, I would be retiring the Note 4 as a backup. I will probably buy the Moto X Pure out of principle since they are offering consumers the sd slot and even mentioned this as something still values by consumers. I will IF the device is good. The fixed battery is also 3000mah in the Moto X Pure.

Many bloggers have said the Moto X Pure have "clearly inferior" screen compared to the S6 and Note 4. I'm picky about my phone screens, so I don't see how I can possibly stand the Moto X Pure. That's the same reason I returned the LG G4. The screen is just not up to the brightness and colors of the Samsung Note 4 screen.

Having said that, I don't like the Note 5's nonremovable battery. I keep two extra batteries with my Note 4. During the average business day, I swap it out at least once.

 

[nahoku]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

Not many Apple owners since for most the ecosystem and iTunes are more important than the device. All Apple has to do is be good with each device and users will stay. Even the people that bailed due to small displays came back to Apple when the bigger displays released.

Samsung is delusional if they think the will take virtually any of that share. Especially with what they just released with less differentiation to sway iPhone users. On the other hand, Samsung is poised to lose a profound amount of share by alienating a lot current Note users. The pushback has been far too prolific and negative. The S6 negative feedback was itty bitty compared to this.

I wasn't necessarily talking about iPhone. New user's are any that never owned a Note series. I somewhat agree about iPhone users, but I think for the most part many stay with iPhone because that's what they're used to. My daughter has an iPhone (more like grew up with iPhone) and so does my ex-wife and her entire family. The iPhone works fine for them, so no sense changing or venturing outside Apple. Samsung will never grab a share of that group no matter what they offer! The Dark Side is more powerful than we think! LOL!

 

[adamgalas1]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

IOS is a totally different and closed ecosystem and that is incredibly sticky.

I've talked to a lot of early Note adopters and the biggest reasons we went with the earlier Notes was:

-Biggest screen available
-Power features like SD card and Removable batteries

Now Samsung is saying 5.7'' screen is as big as they go and they will focus on shrinking the physical foot print.

And battery is "big enough" due to more efficient processors and hardware.

Huge disappointment.

ZeroLemon battery on Note 4 plus Qualcomm's Battery Gugu optimization app meant 7 day battery life.

Samsung is telling me "shut the hell up and be happy with 1 day, its all you need".

If I were content to get a phone that was just about my basic needs I'd get a Moto G.

If I'm paying $800+ for a phone it had damned well have features I value and Samsung took that from me in a Steve Jobs like "Forget what you think you want, we'll tell you what you want".

Problem is that while IOS is a super optimized OS Touchwiz is a laggy collection of crapware that can't be removed without rooting.

Samsung is acting incredibly arrogantly.

I'll also remind you that Note 3 had USB 3.1 which was great for faster charging and data transfer. They took that away in Note 4.

IR blaster which is super useful for watching movies on a SAMSUNG TV is now gone too.

Each Note gets less and less useful and less and less unique.

Android has 1300 manufacturers and with specs now good enough for most people's needs even in a super cheap $200 phone, manufacturers need to stand out and differentiate themselves.

Note used to be Samsung's super flagship, better camera, processor, battery, screen than S6.

Now its just a big S 6 with an S pen that has just few new features this year and that most users don't utilize on a frequent basis.

Meanwhile LG stands out as the last bastion of removable batteries and Moto is killing it with front facing speakers, SD cards, and the best user experience bar none. Stock android (super fast and lag free experience, and the fastest updates outside of Nexus) no bloatware, and Moto assist features that are such a light touch that its not even fair to call it a skin.

Oh and lest I forget the 64 GB Moto X Pure with premium back (leather or wood) is $527 while top spec Note 5 is $900-$1000 (for 128 GB version available on some carriers).

With Verizon signalling the end of phone subsidies Sammy couldn't have chosen a worse time to underwhelm with a redesign and over charge for more memory.

Lets all hope and pray that sales drop so that Samsung is forced to actually listen to its customers and bring back the features that made Note special.

1. Removable battery (which should be at least 3500 mAh)
2. SD card that accepts 256 GB
3. IR blaster (Note makes a kick *** remote)
4. Bigger Screen, shrink the bezels and give us a 6'' screen, (once you experience the magic of a 6'' screen on Nexus 6 you never want to go back to a smaller screen).

Screen resolution wise I'd love it if Sammy had 4K but allowed us to change the resolution anywhere between 720, 1080, 2K, and 4K.

I would be fine with a 720 display and with a 11,500 mAh ZeroLemon battery case and Battery Guru (Qualcomm's proprietary battery optimization app that runs in background and learns how you use phone and boosts battery life 25%-50%) you'd be able to get 10 day battery life.

Want to use Note for VR? 4K is your setting, watch a movie? 1080.

Anyway, in terms of what can replace the Note 5:

1. Note 4 is still great hardware.

Throw in 128 SD card, ZeroLemon battery case, Battery Guru, and flash a stock android rom and you eliminate the bloatware, lag and future proof one of the most powerful phones on earth.

Plus you can get one cheap now.

2. LG G4

Last phone with both SD card and removable battery. ZeroLemon supports it with a 9,000 mAh case (or will soon).

3. LG G4 Pro

Rumored Note fighter with a stylus, 5.8'' 2K screen, possible removable battery and SD card support, and SD 820 processor, 4GB ram and a superb 27 MP camera with 1.8'' F stop, 2 Axis OIS, and laser auto focus.

LG has promised it will come out this year as the "more premium" flagship which of course scares me because "premium" now means sealed and less functional.

4. Huawei Nexus

Rumored to have 5.7'' 2K screen, SD 820 or Kirin 950 processor (Huawei's home grown chips are actually pretty comparable to Qualcomm's but can't use battery guru) 4 GB ram, and front facing speakers. Oh and 21 MP camera.

I'm super excited about this one but I wish the screen wasn't smaller than Nexus 6.

5. Nexus 6 (my current phone)

Much cheaper now, you can get 64 GB version for $500-$550 and I'm sure that clearance sales will bump that down another $50 or $100.

6'' 2K screen is stupendous for surfing net or watching media.

Front facing speakers are loud enough to listen to podcasts from across the room.

Some water resistance so if you splash water on it or drop it in a toilet it should survive.

6. Rumored Sony Xperia Z5+

The successor to the Z Ultra

Note sure about screen size, but 4K screen, SD 820 processor, front facing speakers and SD card support, oh and IP 67 water proofing in case you want to watch tv in the shower.

 

[Gunny94]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

I will be looking at the Moto X Style (a.k.a the "Pure Edition" in the US).

It's either that or Nexus this year for me..

 

[Dan_B1979]

Re: If not the Note 5then what?

See, I'm split with my decision!

I've currently got a Nexus 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (N6 is my business mobile and the iPhone my personal) and had said, more or less from the beginning, that I'd love to get the Note 5 as I have had all the previous Notes and they just seem to be one of the best phones you can get (especially when you've slab-like hands like me)!

BUT... In saying this; the specs for the Note 5 have disappointed me. The extra SD storage isn't a biggy for me, never really used it as all my pics are backed up to Photobucket and/or the Cloud/iCloud and my 6 Plus is the 128GB version so I've more than enough room on there for my music for when I'm out and about in my car (fitted with a Pioneer CarPlay head unit)

The issue for me with the Note 5 is the small battery! Why on earth would you put such a small powered battery into a phone that is really aimed at the business market, that's designed to aid you in a pen/paper free environment and be able to work from etc...?! Just doesn't make sense!

For my usages, I'd kill it in half a day, maybe a full day, if I'm lucky!