Decisions - Nexus 6P or Samsung Note 5

[ordivergens]

Are you using auto settings for low light shots with the Note 5? I find that I can get really good low light shots if I tweak the settings in pro mode.

I messed around with pro mode a little bit. While I could get better shots in pro mode, they were still pretty comparable with the 6P. In some cases the 6P takes slightly better photos, and in others, the Note 5 takes slightly better photos.

After using them for a few days, I can say both phones take excellent photos. I find that the Note tends to have warmer colors and slightly softer images, and the 6P has a slightly cooler image and the colors pop just a bit more. The 6P is usually a bit sharper, but that is probably due to the fast shutter speeds it tends to use. I have noticed the Note 5 is quicker to take photos in HDR mode; the 6P is a bit slower with HDR+. I haven't tried any third party camera apps yet on the 6P. I imagine I will be able to get better shots with more control on the 6P. Usually though I prefer cameras that do well in auto mode because in the vast majority of the situations where I want to take a photo, I don't really have time to fiddle around with the manual controls. I would rather just point and shoot and get a good usable image.

Honestly, Google and Huawei have outdone themselves to get a camera that trades blows with the Note 5. It is SO nice to finally have a Nexus without a mediocre camera and battery life...

Really, the cameras are comparable, so that doesn't really make a difference to me. The battery life is also about the same. While the s pen is really cool and useful, I just don't use it in normal situations. I have been trying to use it more, but its just not happening... It could be because I have never had a phone with an actually useful stylus before. The UI on the Note 5 is just a little bit slower than the 6P, and it has little stutters here and there. I don't really use the multi window stuff either. I also REALLY don't like the glass. I don't like how it feels and how hot it gets. Not to mention the fingerprints... I tend to watch a lot of videos on my phone, and the speakers on the 6P are just WAY better than the Note... Plus I can get the 128GB 6P for about the same price as the 32GB Note 5. My 64GB Note 5 cost around $850.

As for the display, my Note has an overall cooler image, so the colors pop a bit more. I actually prefer slightly warmer displays so I set the mode to AMOLED photos, or something like that. That warms up the whites and still keeps the colors a bit saturated. In that mode, it is pretty much the same compared to my 6P's display.

I like the vibration motor on the 6P better as well.

I am probably going to end up with the 6P. The slight sluggishness of the UI brings back horrible memories of the old TW back in the Gingerbread days. Even with more powerful hardware, it just doesn't feel as nice as the 6P to me. Maybe it will get smoother with the Marshmallow update, who knows?

 

[Android Curious]

What about video? How does that compare between the two?

 

[JaySeeDoubleYou]

I messed around with pro mode a little bit. While I could get better shots in pro mode, they were still pretty comparable with the 6P. In some cases the 6P takes slightly better photos, and in others, the Note 5 takes slightly better photos.

After using them for a few days, I can say both phones take excellent photos. I find that the Note tends to have warmer colors and slightly softer images, and the 6P has a slightly cooler image and the colors pop just a bit more. The 6P is usually a bit sharper, but that is probably due to the fast shutter speeds it tends to use. I have noticed the Note 5 is quicker to take photos in HDR mode; the 6P is a bit slower with HDR+. I haven't tried any third party camera apps yet on the 6P. I imagine I will be able to get better shots with more control on the 6P. Usually though I prefer cameras that do well in auto mode because in the vast majority of the situations where I want to take a photo, I don't really have time to fiddle around with the manual controls. I would rather just point and shoot and get a good usable image.

Honestly, Google and Huawei have outdone themselves to get a camera that trades blows with the Note 5. It is SO nice to finally have a Nexus without a mediocre camera and battery life...

Really, the cameras are comparable, so that doesn't really make a difference to me. The battery life is also about the same. While the s pen is really cool and useful, I just don't use it in normal situations. I have been trying to use it more, but its just not happening... It could be because I have never had a phone with an actually useful stylus before. The UI on the Note 5 is just a little bit slower than the 6P, and it has little stutters here and there. I don't really use the multi window stuff either. I also REALLY don't like the glass. I don't like how it feels and how hot it gets. Not to mention the fingerprints... I tend to watch a lot of videos on my phone, and the speakers on the 6P are just WAY better than the Note... Plus I can get the 128GB 6P for about the same price as the 32GB Note 5. My 64GB Note 5 cost around $850.

As for the display, my Note has an overall cooler image, so the colors pop a bit more. I actually prefer slightly warmer displays so I set the mode to AMOLED photos, or something like that. That warms up the whites and still keeps the colors a bit saturated. In that mode, it is pretty much the same compared to my 6P's display.

I like the vibration motor on the 6P better as well.

I am probably going to end up with the 6P. The slight sluggishness of the UI brings back horrible memories of the old TW back in the Gingerbread days. Even with more powerful hardware, it just doesn't feel as nice as the 6P to me. Maybe it will get smoother with the Marshmallow update, who knows?

Whenever that Marhamallow updates comes, and contingent upon how "Touchwiz'd it is".

You find yourself in the same boat with S-Pen as I did back with my Note 3. It's cool and all, and it holds a lot of promise. But I think in my year and a quarter of using the Note daily, I'll bet if you talleyed up all the time I spent with the pen, it might've been 2hrs. And 99% of that was taking screen snippets.

I could be wrong about this, but I think even as far back as the Note 3 you could use the split screen feature. But I never did. Even with as big as 5.7" is for a phone screen, I still feel it's a little too small for that feature to be TRULY useful to me. Although, I will admit it's a really cool feature anyway, and the Note has it while the Nexus doesn't. That will be a big deal for a lot of people.

I have no problems believing the screen is better on the Note. I have yet to see a screen in all of "cell-phone-dom" that outdoes a Sammy. Heck even though the screen on my brand new Nexus 6 when I had it was twice the resolution as my outgoing Note 3, was much sharper and was 5x5 app grid vs 4x4 app grid, the outgoing Note was still more vibrant, and so I can't say definitively that the old Note didn't still eke out the win.

Iwill also concede that the Note is probably the more physically attractive of the two, especially up front, though the Nexy is going to be more durable, more grippy, and thus, less disaster prone. Not that that matters to me, though, as either way, I'm the kinda schlemiel where I'm not gonna go caseless, but it is still important to the consideration more globally as many people will rock their phones "naked".

From everything I've read, these cameras are every bit as much give and take as the phones themselves, and thus sorta stalemate, and/or relegate themselves to the same kinda "matter of personal priorities". I'll have to get hands on before I can weigh in, so I'm sticking with "stalemate" for now.

Cheers!

 

[ordivergens]

Whenever that Marhamallow updates comes, and contingent upon how "Touchwiz'd it is".

You find yourself in the same boat with S-Pen as I did back with my Note 3. It's cool and all, and it holds a lot of promise. But I think in my year and a quarter of using the Note daily, I'll bet if you talleyed up all the time I spent with the pen, it might've been 2hrs. And 99% of that was taking screen snippets.

I could be wrong about this, but I think even as far back as the Note 3 you could use the split screen feature. But I never did. Even with as big as 5.7" is for a phone screen, I still feel it's a little too small for that feature to be TRULY useful to me. Although, I will admit it's a really cool feature anyway, and the Note has it while the Nexus doesn't. That will be a big deal for a lot of people.

I have no problems believing the screen is better on the Note. I have yet to see a screen in all of "cell-phone-dom" that outdoes a Sammy. Heck even though the screen on my brand new Nexus 6 when I had it was twice the resolution as my outgoing Note 3, was much sharper and was 5x5 app grid vs 4x4 app grid, the outgoing Note was still more vibrant, and so I can't say definitively that the old Note didn't still eke out the win.

Iwill also concede that the Note is probably the more physically attractive of the two, especially up front, though the Nexy is going to be more durable, more grippy, and thus, less disaster prone. Not that that matters to me, though, as either way, I'm the kinda schlemiel where I'm not gonna go caseless, but it is still important to the consideration more globally as many people will rock their phones "naked".

From everything I've read, these cameras are every bit as much give and take as the phones themselves, and thus sorta stalemate, and/or relegate themselves to the same kinda "matter of personal priorities". I'll have to get hands on before I can weigh in, so I'm sticking with "stalemate" for now.

Cheers!

Yeah, the display on the Note IS better, just not as much as I thought. I agree, the multiwindow doesn't do anything for me. With two apps on the screen at the same time, it is just too small to be practical for me.

I actually like the "visor" of the 6P , but yeah, the Note looks pretty nice with the glass and metal. I just don't like how slippery it is now. I like to go naked, so I have to super careful with the phone.

I expected that once I got both phones in hand, I would be able to pick a winner, so to speak, on the camera. So far, it really is a stalemate if you ask me. They are really just so close. One thing I noticed is that the Note's noise reduction removes some of the finer details of the image that the 6P retains. Hard to notice without zooming in though. On the whole, its going to come down to each situation and personal preference. Both are wonderful cameras.

 

[ordivergens]

What about video? How does that compare between the two?

The Note is a lot more stable because of the OIS. It can also do 1080p 60fps, so that is nice. The 6P records in mono audio at 96kbps, and the Note does stereo at 256kbps. I think the Note records audio a bit better from what I can hear, but the 6P isn't bad at all.

The 6P also seems to again have a cooler image with colors popping a bit more. The Note, like it does with pictures, has a warmer tone to the image. I like the stability of the video on the Note, but I like the colors better on the 6P. I haven't tried the tracking AF yet on the Note.

 

[YoungSheeps]

The UI on the Note 5 is just a little bit slower than the 6P, and it has little stutters here and there. I don't really use the multi window stuff either. I also REALLY don't like the glass. I don't like how it feels and how hot it gets. Not to mention the fingerprints... I tend to watch a lot of videos on my phone, and the speakers on the 6P are just WAY better than the Note... Plus I can get the 128GB 6P for about the same price as the 32GB Note 5. My 64GB Note 5 cost around $850.
I am probably going to end up with the 6P. The slight sluggishness of the UI brings back horrible memories of the old TW back in the Gingerbread days. Even with more powerful hardware, it just doesn't feel as nice as the 6P to me. Maybe it will get smoother with the Marshmallow update, who knows?

This is exactly why it's so hard to make a choice between the two (from researching online). I've seen a lot of youtube videos and people claiming that N5 is just as fast, if not faster, than the 6P. Then, there are people such as you that claim the N5 stutters and whatnot. So I am sitting here like, why the disparity?

 

[ordivergens]

This is exactly why it's so hard to make a choice between the two (from researching online). I've seen a lot of youtube videos and people claiming that N5 is just as fast, if not faster, than the 6P. Then, there are people such as you that claim the N5 stutters and whatnot. So I am sitting here like, why the disparity?

I know, this is why I decided to buy one and try it out myself. I am not saying that the Note is slow, but there definitely is a little bit of lag here and there. Its not apparent in the first few minutes, its kind of random. Usually it happens during scrolling or opening a menu somewhere or pressing a button, etc. It happens every so often and I keep noticing it. I tried factory resetting after the OTA I received, but that didn't help either. Maybe not everyone is as sensitive to it as I am. I know my father can't tell the difference. So it could just be different people observing different things.

I don't know, the only sure fire way is to try it out yourself.

 

[ordivergens]

Ok, so I got another OTA... Installed it, factory reset and using it now. The small intermittent lags seems to be gone. It was a little slow for a few minutes after booting, but it seems ok now. Hope it stays that way.

 

[YoungSheeps]

Ok, so I got another OTA... Installed it, factory reset and using it now. The small intermittent lags seems to be gone. It was a little slow for a few minutes after booting, but it seems ok now. Hope it stays that way.

Hmm. How many/frequent updates (I'll assume that's what OTA is I have no idea lol) have you received for the Note 5? I thought they were supposed to take months?

 

[ordivergens]

Hmm. How many/frequent updates (I'll assume that's what OTA is I have no idea lol) have you received for the Note 5? I thought they were supposed to take months?

Yeah, updates. I am not sure. I bought an unlocked international variant from Amazon. I've gotten 2 updates so far. I didn't pay attention to the first one, but the second one said something about improving performance and November security updates. I think the international variant doesn't need to wait for carrier approval, so I will probably get updates as soon as Samsung has them.

 

[YoungSheeps]

Alright, let me know if the performance is really better after some use.

 

[ordivergens]

Alright, let me know if the performance is really better after some use.

Well, its been a day. There is still some slight lag here and there, but for the most part, its smooth.

 

[ordivergens]

The Note 5 is going back to Amazon... I never use the s pen or many of the extra features Samsung added. Plus, I still can't stand TW like I feared. The UI, while smooth, is just no where near as fluid as on the 6P. The cameras are pretty close, with the 6P handling low light better (HDR+) and the Note doing videos better (OIS). Also, since I don't use cases, the 6P feels more solid to me, it is heavier and the metal is more preferable than glass if you ask me.

I figure why suffer through TW and slow updates if I don't benefit from any of the extras that the Note offers?

I am glad that I tried out the Note myself though. Reading reviews and watching videos about the Note made it seem a lot better than the 6P to me initially. However, comparing them side by side in every day use, the 6P is the superior phone for me.

I still say, try both phones yourself if possible. That is really the only way to compare them effectively in your own use cases.

 

[syspry]

The Note 5 is going back to Amazon... I never use the s pen or many of the extra features Samsung added. Plus, I still can't stand TW like I feared. The UI, while smooth, is just no where near as fluid as on the 6P. The cameras are pretty close, with the 6P handling low light better (HDR+) and the Note doing videos better (OIS). Also, since I don't use cases, the 6P feels more solid to me, it is heavier and the metal is more preferable than glass if you ask me.

I figure why suffer through TW and slow updates if I don't benefit from any of the extras that the Note offers?

I am glad that I tried out the Note myself though. Reading reviews and watching videos about the Note made it seem a lot better than the 6P to me initially. However, comparing them side by side in every day use, the 6P is the superior phone for me.

I still say, try both phones yourself if possible. That is really the only way to compare them effectively in your own use cases.

This in a nutshell is exactly why I went with the N6P. None of the pros attributed to the Note 5 were enough to offset that glaring deficiency.

 

[JaySeeDoubleYou]

You know, I was thinking about this: would it be better to not call the 6p "faster", but to call it "smoother"?

I mean, in a manner of speaking, this may all be a distinction without a difference as either way, it'd mean inferior performance out of superior hardware and prove - or at least support what everyone has been saying about stock Android being such a better performing OS than Touchwiz. Either way, at least in a crassly "technical" sense, it would still translate to a "faster" 6p and it would still stand as just one of the several reasons I am absolutely committed to it over the Note.

But still, where a distinction can be made, in terms of "real world user experience" should we say then that it's not really a matter of raw speed between the two, but just a matter of how smooth and buttery the whole experiences are?

What do you guys think?

 

[ordivergens]

You know, I was thinking about this: would it be better to not call the 6p "faster", but to call it "smoother"?

I mean, in a manner of speaking, this may all be a distinction without a difference as either way, it'd mean inferior performance out of superior hardware and prove - or at least support what everyone has been saying about stock Android being such a better performing OS than Touchwiz. Either way, at least in a crassly "technical" sense, it would still translate to a "faster" 6p and it would still stand as just one of the several reasons I am absolutely committed to it over the Note.

But still, where a distinction can be made, in terms of "real world user experience" should we say then that it's not really a matter of raw speed between the two, but just a matter of how smooth and buttery the whole experiences are?

What do you guys think?

Yeah, that makes sense. The animations and general UI flow is very smooth, without frame rate drops. That is what makes the 6P seem faster to me. The Note, in certain situations, has frame rate drops, and this kind of takes away from the overall smooth flow of the UI. It is disruptive, and very noticeable, especially when scrolling. That is what annoys me the most. The "smoothness" is not consistent.

In any case, I still have the Note. Amazon has extended return windows due to the holidays, as does Google, so I figured I could try them for a bit longer before deciding.

I wrote before I don't really use any of the extra features from Samsung, but I was using my 6P today and I thought of something, so I picked up the 6P and started trying to eject the s pen from the bottom to quickly write it down before realizing it wasn't the Note... I am unexpectedly missing the s pen for this specific purpose... Sigh...

I also noticed that since the 6.0.1 update, the horrible "jello" effect of EIS on 1080p on the 6P is gone. It is very smooth now, almost like steadyshot on the Z5. 4K still has no stabilization though.

After further usage, I can definitely say the 6P camera is pretty much equal to the Note 5 in good lighting. I like the colors better on the 6P and the photos always come out sharp despite lacking OIS and coupled with my horribly shaky hands. I did decide to just force on HDR+ all the time though. It seems to take stellar pictures everytime with it on and helps reduce blur due to movement in still photos. I am guessing it uses some of the extra edge resolution to compensate for movement. You will notice the resolution of the final image with HDR+ is ever so slightly lower than with it off. When it comes to low light, the 6P is king. Seriously, the Note cannot keep up. Despite OIS, the photos always come out more blurry than the 6P and always look overexposed. The Note's picture looks less noisy, but if you zoom in you will see that it comes at the cost of many finer details being lost. This is especially noticeable if you have something like carpet in the photo. However, keep in mind this all on auto mode. I am sure the Note could probably close the gap using manual controls, but for me, the 6P takes the hassle out of it and gives me great photos every time. HDR+ does increase the time it takes to capture the photo, and logically you would think that might lead to to blur, but the post processing is really fantastic, and there is never any blur unless I purposefully shake the phone around. The 6P captures more detail, but tends to have darker tone in the video and the colors look better to me. Now that EIS has been tweaked, I don't miss OIS at all for 1080p video recording. If there was EIS for 4k like there is currently for 1080p, that would have made this the perfect camera for me.

I wish there was some kind of equivalent thing on the 6P to the Note 5's s pen though. Jotting down quick notes without even unlocking the phone is REALLY nice and I use it much more than I realized when on the Note... The scroll capture and annotating screen shots actually came in handy when I had to send some instructions on changing a setting on the iPhone for my mom. It was a lot easier simply to circle the appropriate sections of the paragraph and add some notes on the side than try to describe to her over the phone what to do, seeing as I didn't have iPhone in front of me. It was infinitely easier to write, actually WRITE, on the side of the text than having to type something out after the image.That was really cool.

Now I am even more torn trying to pick between these phones...

 

[YoungSheeps]

Now I am even more torn trying to pick between these phones...

How much is it to return the 6P to Google?

 

[ordivergens]

How much is it to return the 6P to Google?

Anything bought between November 27 and December 25, you have until January 22nd to return it. Free return shipping. You will get a full refund except any shipping charges you paid.

 

[YoungSheeps]

Anything bought between November 27 and December 25, you have until January 22nd to return it. Free return shipping. You will get a full refund except any shipping charges you paid.

Nice. Do they have the drop off service like Amazon, or do they give you a slip for UPS? Just wondering because I want to try the 6P, but have a feeling I am gonna end up returning it.

 

[ordivergens]

Nice. Do they have the drop off service like Amazon, or do they give you a slip for UPS? Just wondering because I want to try the 6P, but have a feeling I am gonna end up returning it.

They give you a prepaid label for UPS.