Note 4: EXYNOS or SNAPDRAGON? Need 2 know - buying this weekend!

[Byron 5]

I'm getting a Note 4 this weekend and would like to know whether I should go for the Snapdragon or Exynos. I don't need a regurgitation of benchmarks but actual real-life use.

 

[21stNow]

I doubt that you will get many relevant comparison responses, as most people have probably only used one or the other in the Note 4 since the availability varies by geographical region. We can tell you how one is, but wouldn't know if the other is better or worse. My guess is that the Exynos processor is the better one. If I had a choice, I definitely would have chosen the Exynos processor.

Edited to add: I would have chosen the Exynos processor if all other things were equal. In the past, there had been differences in the LTE bands that came on the different models. I don't know if that is still true with the Note 4. Network compatibility does trump processor brand for me.

 

[natehoy]

Edited to add: I would have chosen the Exynos processor if all other things were equal. In the past, there had been differences in the LTE bands that came on the different models. I don't know if that is still true with the Note 4. Network compatibility does trump processor brand for me.

Yeah, that's the important thing. Real-world, the performance difference between the two is probably going to boil down to percentage points, but the difference between getting EDGE and LTE is going to be CONSIDERABLE.

 

[Cool Jeff]

All I know is that Exynos has a better audio quality, even better than HTC M8, but Snapdragon has more custom roms and non-TW roms

 

[Dr Noon]

I had note 3 snap and exy. snap more better than exy. And i hadnt any problem with snap. But Exynos better than snap when talking about battery.. just battery. But in comparison abiut performance and camera snap so better than exy..
overall snap for north america and exynos is for middle east and africa.. of course exynos have 2 important subtype. C and H. C suport 4g and H doesnt 4g. Only 3g. I think american models better than asian models. I prefer to 910f snap.

Posted via Galaxy note4

 

[BullGuard8]

I live in Dubai and the only model they sell here is the Octacore mentioned on the box so I believe that's the Exynos CPU. Hadn't had any complaints with it and the battery life easily lasts me 2 days

 

[Byron 5]

....

 

[eljeffe58]

Do you really get a choice with your carrier? I have t-mobile and I think they do not have the Snapdragon variation. Only the Exynos...Am I wrong?

 

[P_Devil]

No, the T-Mobile version won't be any different from the Note 4 sold through other carriers in the U.S., they all get the Snapdragon CPU. The Note 4 with the Exynos CPU is sold in other regions outside of the U.S.

As previously stated, you likely aren't going to get anybody with real world experience using both versions of the Note 4. Most people buy what their carriers offer and that's it. Nobody in Europe is going to buy a Note 4 with a Snapdragon CPU if it won't work with their cellular bands just as nobody in the U.S. is going to buy the Exynos edition because it would only work in 3G mode here. The most you'll be able to do is compare benchmarks as real world performance pitting the two against each other will be hard to find. That's even if there is a difference between the two in terms of real world performance.

 

[eljeffe58]

No, the T-Mobile version won't be any different from the Note 4 sold through other carriers in the U.S., they all get the Snapdragon CPU. The Note 4 with the Exynos CPU is sold in other regions outside of the U.S.

As previously stated, you likely aren't going to get anybody with real world experience using both versions of the Note 4. Most people buy what their carriers offer and that's it. Nobody in Europe is going to buy a Note 4 with a Snapdragon CPU if it won't work with their cellular bands just as nobody in the U.S. is going to buy the Exynos edition because it would only work in 3G mode here. The most you'll be able to do is compare benchmarks as real world performance pitting the two against each other will be hard to find. That's even if there is a difference between the two in terms of real world performance.

Thanks for the explanation!

 

[Chozzle]

Hi all. I have studied the difference between these phones and actually used both. In a real world sense, the 910C (exynos) is quite a bit better than the 910G (snapdragon) I had.
First, the performance generally moving between apps etc is better on exynos. I think you can actually notice it. In particular opening the camera is noticeably faster. You can see a comparison on the video titled "samsung galaxy note 4 - Snapdragon 805 VS Exynos 5433"

Second, also in that same video if you look closely at the camera results the exynos version had much clearer detail (less noise reduction) on foliage. I didn't actually test that on the snapdragon phone I had, but on the exynos version I have now, the foliage looks good in photos, and I've seen other reviews where they complain about the smudging of detail with Snapdragon versions.

Third, the voice recognition is muuuuch better on the 910C for some reason. I don't think it is the microphone because both of them sounded fine sounded fine when I tried them out with voice recorder. However "OK Google" voice detection is much more sensitive and accurate on the exynos. I can say it from across the room and it works. On the snapdragon I had to shout it from a maximum of 2 meters away for it to recognise.

Fourth, the S pen drawing is much more responsive. There's no lag between your stroke and the line being drawn. This doesn't affect anything functionally, but it does feel better, like you are using a real pen.

Fifth, and probably most importantly, the rear speaker is much better on exynos. This was the only thing I hated about the snapdragon version. It had good volume but there was no bass and the highs were really clangy. On my exynos version the sound is actually better than my S3, not that that's saying much but it's totally acceptable for a phone speaker. At least I'm not constantly thinking about how horrible it sounds. This may be a difference between the devices unrelated to the model numbers, however I noticed in reviews on the net they were more favourable to the speaker on the exynos tested devices.

For the snapdragon I've read that the 3D performance is better and it may have slightly better battery life.

I was expecting the exynos to have slightly better headphone jack sound quality, in fact that's why I swapped phones, but I found no difference. Sadly the audio quality from the jack is a noticeable downgrade on the S3 but then I think the S3 was a star performer in that regard.