Samsung Galaxy Note4 vs Note5 Specs Comparison Table, Design Check : Should You Upgrade?

I made this post for all of my friends and readers who own a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and are now faced with the dilemma of whether they should upgrade to the recently announced Samsung Galaxy Note 5 or not.

Samsung Galaxy Note4 vs Note5
SGNote4 and SGNote5, respectively. Their faces look identical, really. The latter just have slightly thinner side-bezels framing its display.

First off, I think that if you're a big Samsung Galaxy Note Series fan and you have more than enough funds for an upgrade, then go ahead and do it. But if you're conscious about your budget and you're wondering if the 2015 model's features are compelling enough for you to make that jump and spend your hard-earned money on it, here's what I have to say:

"I think the Note5 is obviously superior to the Note4 in terms of design and build. In terms of specs, the newer model runs on a more powerful processor (though I doubt if you'll notice a considerable improvement in your everyday mobile experience coming from the 2014 phablet), has more RAM for smoother multitasking, and comes with a higher resolution front-facing camera for selfies. However, the 2015 release lacks a microSD expansion slot that's present on its predecessor and has a smaller 3,000 mAh battery pack, which - unlike that of Note4 - is non-removable. It's a mixed bag. So at the end of the day, your decision will depend the handset features that you value and the compromises that you are willing to make as a user."

To prove that statement, here are photos of Samsung Galaxy Note5 vis-a-vis the Note4 courtesy of iLeorju as well as our complete TechPinas Technical Specifications Comparison Table for these two smartphone-tablet hybrids.

Design Check

Sporting a thick, real metal frame (in lieu of chrome-plated plastic that's on earlier Note models) and a removable polycarbonate back plate with faux leather finish, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 became the most elegant and most handsome phablet by the Korean Giant - ever - during the time of its release.

Samsung Galaxy Note4 vs Note5
Note5 on top of Note4

That title - I believe - has just been snatched from Note4 by the 2015 iteration to the series.

Looking at these images, (I'm not sure if all if all of you will agree with me but) I think Samsung Galaxy Note5 could very well be the most gorgeous handset in the world today.

Samsung Galaxy Note4 vs Note5
Featuring scratch-resistant glass panels sandwiching an anodized aluminum side frame, the Note5's design language is identical to that of the equally eye-catching Samsung Galaxy S6.

Samsung Galaxy Note4 vs Note5
Notice the 'iPhone-sque' bands and loud speaker holes on SGNote5's metal rear

And on top of that, with dimensions of 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 millimeters (L x W x H) and weighing 171 grams, Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is also thinner, slimmer, and lighter than the older model. Making it easier to hold with one hand or to keep in the pocket - if a bit.

Side-by-Side Specs Comparison

To make it easier to spot differences between the two phablets when it comes to their technical specifications, I created this HTML table for you guys. I hope you like it.

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Comparison Table (TSTSCT)
Name Samsung Galaxy Note 4Samsung Galaxy Note 5
Type Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen), Phablet with Stylus
Price Category High-End (Flagship Level)
Dimensions153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm
Weight 176 grams171 grams
Available Colors Frosted White, Charcoal black, Bronze Gold, Blossom PinkBlack Sapphire, Gold Platinum, Silver Titan, White Pearl
Operating System Upon Launch Android 4.4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz Skin ~
Android 5.0.1 Upgrade, Out
Planned Android 5.1.1 Update
Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with TouchWiz UI
Display 5.7 inches (~74.2% screen-to-body ratio), 1440 x 2560 pixels Quad HD (~518 ppi pixel density), Super AMOLED, Gorilla Glass 3 capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors5.7 inches (~75.9% screen-to-body ratio), 1440 x 2560 pixels Quad HD (~518 ppi pixel density), SuperAMOLED, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, Gorilla Glass 4
Processor, GPU, Chipset SM-N910S: Quad Core 2.7 GHz Krait 450 CPU, Adreno 420 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset
SM-N910C: Octa Core ~ Quad Core 1.3 GHz ARM Cortex A53 + 1.9GHz Quad Core Cortex A57 CPU, Mali-T760 GPU, Samsung Exynos 5433 chipset
Octa Core = Quad Core 1.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 + Quad Core 2.1 GHz ARM Cortex-A57, Mali-T760MP8 GPU, Samsung Exynos 7420 chipset
RAM 3 GB LPDDR3 RAM4 GB LPDDR4 RAM
Internal Storage 32 GB, expandable via microSD card slot, supports up to 128 GB32/64 GB options, non-expandable
Camera Main: 16 MegaPixels, 3456 x 4608 pixels, Optical Image stabilization, Autofocus, LED flash
Features: Rear Facing Camera ~ HDR (Rich tone), Selective Focus, Rear-cam Selfie, Beauty face, Virtual Tour Shot, Shot and More, Dual Camera
Front Facing Camera ~ Selfie, Wide Selfie
Front: 3.7 MegaPixels, f/1.9
Main: 16 MegaPixels, 5312 x 2988 pixels, Optical Image Stabilization, Autofocus, LED flash, 1/2.6" Sony IMX240 Exmor RS or Samsung S5K2P2 ISOCELL, 1.12μm, f/1.9, PDAF, OIS, automatic HDR, object tracking autofocus, LED flash
Front: 5 MP, f/1.9
Video Capture Main: 4K 2160p @ 30fps, 1080p @ 60fps, Optical Image Stabilization
Front: 1080p @ 30 fps
Main: 4K 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, Optical stabilization, Dual Video Recording
Front: 1080p @ 30 fps
Audio and Video Playback Video: H.264, MPEG-4, H.263, VC-1, WMV7, WMV8, Sorenson Spark, MP43, VP8,
HEVC, Full HD (1080p), UHD (depends on variant) Audio: MP3, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA, AMR-NB/WB, Vorbis, FLAC(*), WAV(*)
(*) Ultra High Quality Audio (~192KHz, 24 bit) support
Video: H.264, MPEG-4, H.263, VC-1, WMV7, WMV8, Sorenson Spark, MP43, VP8,
HEVC, Full HD (1080p), UHD (depends on variant) Audio: MP3, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA, AMR-NB/WB, Vorbis, FLAC(*), WAV(*)
(*) Ultra High Quality Audio (~192KHz, 24 bit) support
Ports microUSB v2.0, TV-out (via MHL 3.0 A/V link), 3.5 mm audio jackmicroUSB v2.0, TV-out (via MHL 3.0 A/V link), 3.5 mm audio jack
Connectivity, Sharing 4G LTE Cat6, 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (HT80), WiFi Hotspot, NFC, Bluetooth v 4.0 (LE) IR LED (Remote Control), S Beam, Samsung AllShare Play and Control, Samsung AllShare Cast (WiFi Display), Mirroring and Extension, Samsung AllShare Framework4G LTE Cat9, 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (HT80), WiFi Hotspot, NFC, Bluetooth v 4.2 (LE) IR LED (Remote Control), S Beam, Samsung AllShare Play and Control, Samsung AllShare Cast (WiFi Display), Mirroring and Extension, Samsung AllShare Framework
Sensors Accelerometer, RGB Light, Digital Compass, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer, Temperature, Humidity, Gesture, Heart Rate Monitor, Finger Scanner, UVAccelerometer, RGB Light, Digital Compass, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer, Temperature, Humidity, Gesture, Heart Rate Monitor, Finger Scanner, UV
GPS A-GPS, GLONASS, BeidouA-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
Network 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100, 4G Network LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 26002G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100, 4G Network LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 (TBC)
SIM Card Type microSIMnanoSIM
Battery Removable Li-Ion 3220 mAhNon-Removable Li-Po 3000 mAh
Uptime TBDTBD
Construction Polycarbonate + MetalGlass + Metal
Announcement Worldwide: September 3, 2014, IFA BerlinWorldwide: August 14, 2015, New York
Availability October 2014PH: September 5, 2015
Price upon Launch Official SRP: Php 36,990
Current SRP: TBD
Official SRP: Php 36,990

So again, Note5 has more RAM, runs on Samsung's newer 64-Bit Octa Core Exynos 7420 SoC which also supports 4G LTE Cat9 mobile connectivity, and has a better 5 MegaPixel front-facing camera.

The two model's screen size, display type, and resolution (5.7-inch Quad HD SuperAMOLED) are all the same. But since Note5 is not as tall nor wide as Note4, the fresher release has superior ~75.9% screen-to-body ratio. Similarly, both have the same 16 MegaPixel main shooter but Note5 (or at least, most units) is equipped with the company's top-notch ISOCELL sensor (that's also on the SGS6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge) that should make it a better point-and-shoot camera replacement.

Samsung Galaxy Note4 vs Note5

One thing about the SGNote5 that greatly disappointed many Samsung fans and gadget enthusiasts when the phablet was announced a few days ago is that it is only powered by a 3,000 mAh Li-Po battery pack, which is not only smaller than what's on the Note4 but is also now non-removable. Many find this move by Samsung more than odd considering that the smartphone has a massive, ultra-high-resolution display and a beast of a chipset requiring a lot of power. To be fair to Samsung, however, the smaller battery made the phone lighter and they aren't enough tests out there proving that Note5 is indeed inferior to Note4 when we talk about actual battery life.
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Samsung Galaxy Note4 vs Note5

Other Key Changes

One thing I absolutely love about the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is that it now has spring-loaded mechanism for ejecting the stylus; Just one press and the S-Pen pops out. I hated using my fingernails when pulling the stylus out of my earlier Note models; It hurts and sometimes, I even scratch either the pen or the phablet itself in the process.

In terms of software, aside from its redesigned Air Command menu - which automatically launches when you eject the stylus, SGNote5 features the all-new Screen-Off Memo that lets you take notes on the phone's display from sleep, without having to turn it on. Should be very useful, I think.

Samsung Galaxy Note4 vs Note5
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is due to receive the official Android 5.1.1 upgrade with the latest TouchWiz UI soon. Once your Note4 gets that, its entire interface should be identical to what's on the Note5.

Having presented all these information, let me throw the question back at you. Should Samsung Galaxy Note 4 owners upgrade to Note? What do you think guys? Let me know your thoughts via our comments section below.