Many people HATE the flaps that make the S5 waterproof and I'm sure Samsung got an earfull of that hate. Me, I love the S5's water-resistance and only find the flap mildly annoying. I actually think it's good the Note 4 doesn't have a flap covering the charging port, even at the cost of it not being water-resistant. I have both Note 3 and S5 but if I could only have one it'd be the Note 3. There will likely be cases offering water-resistance to the Note 4 and the amount of folks that a) don't want an S5 b) need water-reistance and c) are case-phobic ...is probabably not the majority of prospective Note 4 owners. I do not believe the Note 5 will be water-resistant, especially if it would require a flap over the charging port.
Lots of differing opinions on this but I wonder if Samsung's take was simply that they already offer a premium water-resistant device. People whined about the use of metal-looking plastic in the Note 3 and the camera, Samsung seems to have focused on addressing those concerns. We'll see how much whining there is about water-resistance.
Ever
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