Tested a Note 4 30 minutes ago @ Best Buy

[deparson]

No lag on the Note 3 even under heavy load. Same with Note 2; smooth and fast.

You must have never used the HTC One M8 before. I tried the Note 4 at my local Best Buy. Didn't see any noticeable difference between it and the Samsung Galaxy S5 when it came to speed. It still has the typical Samsung lag when opening the multitasking button. That one really gets on my nerve.

 

[Daniel P1]

No lag on the Note 3 even under heavy load. Same with Note 2; smooth and fast.

Press the multitasking button on any Samsung phone and you will notice there is slight lag. It is small but it is still there. Look at any YouTube video comparing the Samsung phone to other high end phones and you will see it is in fact slower. That is not to say is not fast. If is just slower than the other ones.

 

[AllenB1952]

They have them at the Best Buy in West Bloomfield on Orchard Lake Rd between 13 and 14 mile rd. I stopped in there today and was using one for about 30 minutes. I've had a Galaxy S3 for the past two years and I am really excited about getting the Note 4.

 

[Nakrohtap]

They have them at the Best Buy in West Bloomfield on Orchard Lake Rd between 13 and 14 mile rd. I stopped in there today and was using one for about 30 minutes. I've had a Galaxy S3 for the past two years and I am really excited about getting the Note 4.

We went to the one on Telegraph and Square Lake yesterday and they said no Best Buy in Michigan or northern Ohio received demos yet. Did that store have the full Samsung experience setup? Maybe the bigger stores received them and not all of them.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[Daniel P1]

I cannot in any way shape or form agree with the OP. I have a note 3 and it's as fast as the note 4, maybe even a bit slower. I found that three note 4's that I have used were below today's standards for a reliable smartphone. I hope that all 3 units I played with weren't the final product.

To begin with they all locked up. I was shocked. And I even had the Samsung associate reset the device and came back to it later and it still locked up. Screen transition was smooth as the note 2 and 3 but not anymore smooth. Data speeds were on target and the screen was nice but I don't see much improvement over the note 3. I have to say here the iPhone 5s, 6 and 6+ look better. Sound quality not better then other phones but it's not gonna sound great, it's a tiny little speaker. Call quality was the same. That will improve once your particular carrier has VoLTE so that can be overlooked. I think the design could be better and they even removed the usb 3.0 connector.

I believe the OP must have a defective note 3. Not to bash him... I've had a few very similar situations. I'm not surprised thAt it's no faster then my note 3 bc the snapdragon 805 is only a few percentage points faster and that's even on synthetic benchmarks. Real world performance will usually be lower.

After trying the Note 4 at my local Best Buy i came away with the same feeling as you. Note doesn't feel any faster than the Note 3 or the Samsung Galaxy S5.

 

[tekjunkie28]

I know android is just crap software anyways and it's open source which doesn't help any. I like the virgin android but it isn't easily accessible on my carrier (Verizon) at this time. This is why I'm choosing iPhone at this time. I've owned them all and most Samsung flagship phones by Samsung. I still think the OG droid was the best android phone I've used.

In my area iPhones are more popular. And it's not even about fanboyizm it's just that the ppl I have ran into or know have had some bad experience with android. I hate to bash it but as of late it's getting too bloated by useless and needless apps.

My wife has a iPhone 5s. I was blow Away with the performance of it and set me on the iPhone 6 plus. Don't hate me but understand that lag is my pet peeve. I enjoy both os's but I'm ready for reliability now.

Sorry for the rant but I wish there was more pride in samsungs work

 

[Nakrohtap]

After trying the Note 4 at my local Best Buy i came away with the same feeling as you. Note doesn't feel any faster than the Note 3 or the Samsung Galaxy S5.

Not any faster? How can you tell playing with it at the store for a few minutes? What was the test...rapid screen changing and app drawer opening and closing?
Faster will not be immediately noticeable. It is more powerful. That is probably a more accurate statement. It uses the extra power as it requires it. Everyday tasks are probably all running at low power. Rendering the QHD screen, camera performance and gaming probably take more advantage of the increased power.
Updates nowadays are more physical and software related. The camera sensor and lens would be considered hardware upgrades as well. Processor upgrades are usually born out of necessity to keep all of the newer features running smoother. This is probably the same reason all high definition televisions have dual and quad core processors.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[Daniel P1]

Not any faster? How can you tell playing with it at the store for a few minutes? What was the test...rapid screen changing and app drawer opening and closing?
Faster will not be immediately noticeable. It is more powerful. That is probably a more accurate statement. It uses the extra power as it requires it. Everyday tasks are probably all running at low power. Rendering the QHD screen, camera performance and gaming probably take more advantage of the increased power.
Updates nowadays are more physical and software related. The camera sensor and lens would be considered hardware upgrades as well. Processor upgrades are usually born out of necessity to keep all of the newer features running smoother. This is probably the same reason all high definition televisions have dual and quad core processors.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

The stuff you do while tinkering a demo unit at the store is 95% of the stuff you do in real life. Most users don't even play games anyways.

 

[prakash99]

My husband and I were at a BB today (Metro Detroit) and were told that they wouldn't have a demo in-store until release day. :-\

Has anyone else in the Detroit area actually seen the Note 4 in a BB store?

Ann Arbor has 3 display units. At Best Buy at Lohr Road, not at Best Buy Mobile at the Mall.

 

[prakash99]

We went to the one on Telegraph and Square Lake yesterday and they said no Best Buy in Michigan or northern Ohio received demos yet. Did that store have the full Samsung experience setup? Maybe the bigger stores received them and not all of them.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

That's funny because Best Buy in Ann Arbor has three units on display. All white.

 

[Charlie Teri S]

Great news can hardly wait !!!!

 

[Erick Linares]

Can't wait to upgrade my T-Mo Note 3 to T-Mo Note 4 with JUMP! And get root access on that beast!

 

[FBA]

You must have never used the HTC One M8 before. I tried the Note 4 at my local Best Buy. Didn't see any noticeable difference between it and the Samsung Galaxy S5 when it came to speed. It still has the typical Samsung lag when opening the multitasking button. That one really gets on my nerve.

I understand what you mean about the recent apps button...and it's in the way it's assigned to the button. When I use a "recent apps" app instead, it's pretty much instant.

The S5 uses the menu button for that and it's instant. The N3 Home button is a useless POS...awful design and even worse execution.

I was referring to the device in general however, which is noticeably faster than my Note 3...even after a back-to-factory reset.

I have played with the M8...the Note 4 I used, was again faster.

I agree with some that Samsung and the bloatware installed simply kills performance..

 

[Nakrohtap]

That's funny because Best Buy in Ann Arbor has three units on display. All white.

Send one our way!

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[Nakrohtap]

The stuff you do while tinkering a demo unit at the store is 95% of the stuff you do in real life. Most users don't even play games anyways.

I don't know how anyone would be able to discern the power of a phone in the store, then.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[FBA]

I cannot in any way shape or form agree with the OP. I have a note 3 and it's as fast as the note 4, maybe even a bit slower. I found that three note 4's that I have used were below today's standards for a reliable smartphone. I hope that all 3 units I played with weren't the final product.

To begin with they all locked up. I was shocked. And I even had the Samsung associate reset the device and came back to it later and it still locked up. Screen transition was smooth as the note 2 and 3 but not anymore smooth. Data speeds were on target and the screen was nice but I don't see much improvement over the note 3. I have to say here the iPhone 5s, 6 and 6+ look better. Sound quality not better then other phones but it's not gonna sound great, it's a tiny little speaker. Call quality was the same. That will improve once your particular carrier has VoLTE so that can be overlooked. I think the design could be better and they even removed the usb 3.0 connector.

I believe the OP must have a defective note 3. Not to bash him... I've had a few very similar situations. I'm not surprised thAt it's no faster then my note 3 bc the snapdragon 805 is only a few percentage points faster and that's even on synthetic benchmarks. Real world performance will usually be lower.

I had until recently, two Note 3's...I sold one last week.

Both of them were slower than the Note 4. Neither was defective - I have also tried a few other Note 3's, and they were all the same. I never said my Note 3 was slow, but I did say that the Note 4 was faster.

Not to bash you, but I find it very suspicious that you managed to lock up all the 3 demo Note 4's you tried.

Processor speed is NOT the only thing that makes the phone faster or slower...it's only ONE of the factors.

If you don't see a big difference in screen imaging between the N4 and the N3, something is very wrong...it's very visible and anyone should easily be able to see the difference!

Screen transition was the biggest difference in terms of speed; the N4 was definitely faster. Your Note 3 must be supercharged!

 

[tekjunkie28]

I had until recently, two Note 3's...I sold one last week.

Both of them were slower than the Note 4. Neither was defective - I have also tried a few other Note 3's, and they were all the same. I never said my Note 3 was slow, but I did say that the Note 4 was faster.

Not to bash you, but I find it very suspicious that you managed to lock up all the 3 demo Note 4's you tried.

Processor speed is NOT the only thing that makes the phone faster or slower...it's only ONE of the factors.

If you don't see a big difference in screen imaging between the N4 and the N3, something is very wrong...it's very visible and anyone should easily be able to see the difference!

Screen transition was the biggest difference in terms of speed; the N4 was definitely faster. Your Note 3 must be supercharged!

It must be super charged. In fact when I mentioned that it was the same speed, I was specifically talking about screen and menu transition.
And no I know exactly what a good screen looks like. A SAMOLED screen isn't it.

 

[Ryan Wallace]

It must be super charged. In fact when I mentioned that it was the same speed, I was specifically talking about screen and menu transition.
And no I know exactly what a good screen looks like. A SAMOLED screen isn't it.

Well apparently very few share your opinion as display mate has already said the Note 4's screen is the best of any phone. And unlike an iPhone it can be adjusted. Honestly nothing on the market will beat this phone. It's faster than any iPhone, will no doubt take better pics, 4K video recording, S-pen...oh and most importantly it won't bend in your pocket.

 

[mchi5]

1) It's much faster than my Note 3 ever was out of the box. I would say in terms of moving around from app to app, faster than anything out there today...easily as quick as my 2014 MacBook Pro Retina which cost me about $3200.

2) Sound is fantastic, with what sounds like a separate tweeter built in...no distortion at all and the high end is very crisp! You can hear the symbals very distinctly!

3) The polished aluminum bezel is slick...with a very nice overall feel on the phone. Doesn't feel at all cheap like a Note 3; in fact, quite the opposite now. Would be really cool if the bezel is one piece and whatever was in between the polished portion on top and bottom could be removed and polished.

4) The phone stands about 4-5 mm taller than my Note 3, and thickness looks about the same.

5) The UI looks more like the S5 than the current Note 3.

6) Messaging app has some cool new features and a cool new look!

7) The camera app was very cool, with the new photo to text features!

8) The screen resolution and brightness was beyond the S5 and an iPhone 6 I had in my hand at the time. Unbeatable and super bright!

9) It has the new anti-bend option built in.

10) It's not an iPhone!

I don't know if it's 4.4.4 that makes the speed difference, or if it's the phone itself, but holy crap, that thing was lightning f_cking fast! Did I mention how fast it was? Instant - no lag.

I'm buying this phone - I want the fingerprint scanner and all the other cool features! I just sold one of my Note 3's and will get one as soon as they are available in October.

Great review man! Thanks. I will go test one out Wednesday when I finally get a day off

sent from my Galaxy Note 3 via Tapatalk

 

[tekjunkie28]

Well apparently very few share your opinion as display mate has already said the Note 4's screen is the best of any phone. And unlike an iPhone it can be adjusted. Honestly nothing on the market will beat this phone. It's faster than any iPhone, will no doubt take better pics, 4K video recording, S-pen...oh and most importantly it won't bend in your pocket.

No phone will ever take better pics then an iPhone. I have just too much fun with my wife's 5s. And I use a note 3....

Stop lying to yourself. It's not faster. Benchmarks are ****. Real world performance is king. 4k video is great but I don't care much for it. What's the point in it since nothing I own is 4k. Why am I gonna use an s pen for? I wanted it to make me more productive but it didn't. And the UI is just ugly.

Answer me something, how do you know Samsung isn't inflating there benchmarks like they did in the past?