Tag: note 5

Review : Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Samsung’s newest addition to the Note family comes not as much of a surprise. Especially after all the leaks and Samsung setting precedent with its S6 and S6 edge. Samsung has found the right mix of hardware, software, build and design for devices this year.

Does the Note 5 fit right in? Let’s find out.

Overview

Without changing much, Samsung has made major changes to the handset. The new Note 5 is a positive step ahead for the company, taking in major feedback from its consumers and acting upon it. The Note 5 is priced at Rs. 53,900 for the 32GB version and Rs 59,990 for the 64GB variant. Samsung has used the same design philosophy as seen in the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge along with the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus for the new Note. Bringing in a totally new and young look to the otherwise bold and business handset.

Build Quality and Design

Samsung wins this year for good looks, as the company has finally reached a point where its handsets are the most impressive looking mainstream Android devices in the market. The Note 5 is no less, although, personally, we feel the Galaxy S6 edge and edge+ remain at pole position when it comes to looks. The new Galaxy Note 5 comes in a close second, thanks to its extensive use of glass and metal. Gorilla Glass 4 on the back and the front, the rear glass tapers in to the edges, putting the edge display design on the back of the Note 5.

The new S-pen also has a new design and mechanism, however is riddled with major issues. The build is sold and feel of the handset exceptional, and even though the phone looks fragile it can take a whole lot of beating. The metal alloy frame is solid and protects the Note 5 well and adds to a major premium look and feel, that the predecessors were lacking.

Hardware

Specification	Samsung Galaxy Note 5
Display	5.7 inches, Gorilla Glass 4 Super Amoled
Resolution	1440 x 2560 pixels , 518 ppi
Chipset	Samsung Exynos 7420
Processor	Octa core (2.1GHz Quad + 1.5GHz Quad), 64 bit, 14 nm process
GPU	Mali-T760MP8
RAM	4 GB LPDDR4 RAM
Storage	32/64 GB
Expandability	N/A
Rear Camera	16 MP, 5312 x 2988 pixels, optical image stabilization, autofocus
Rear Camera Video	2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps,
Front Camera	5 MP
Front Camera Video	1080p at 30fps
Battery	Non-removable Li-Po 3000 mAh battery
Operating System	Android OS, v5.1.1 (Lollipop)
Connectivity	SIM: Nano-SIM, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot Bluetooth v4.2, A2DP, EDR, LE, GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, NFC Type-C reversible connector
Miscellaneous	Fingerprint sensor, S- PEN stylus
Price	Rs.53,900 for the 32GB variant; Rs 59,900 for the 64GB variant

Operating System

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 runs on what is possibly the best version of Samsung’s skin called “TouchWiz”. This version turns out to be the best so far simply because it is the least invasive. We saw the same OS on the S6 edge and edge+. The one on the Note 5 however, is optimized for the new S-Pen.

Although most of the menus are familiar and seen before on Samsung devices, some S-Pen features are new. The ability to take a note while the screen is off is the best of the lot of new improvement. When the screen is off, simply pull out the S-Pen to enable this feature. The colours are inverted, the screen remains dark and the pen line is white.

Other features include the Slick UI elements, use power buttons to increase or decrease screen font size. The S-Pen will give previews, just like before, and now the pop ups are super smooth.

Display and Multimedia

The new display is identical to the previous devices in terms of the resolution however the 5.7 inch size is larger than before and hence reduces the PPI to 518. The screen is bright, all 600 nits, and easily visible outdoors.

The new set of speakers and microphones make the audio experience really good, the inbuilt speaker is loud and crisp with good amounts of mid tones and whatever bass levels you can achieve from a downward facing speaker on a smartphone. The earphone jack boosts audio well and you well get a lot of volume through earphones, whether included or otherwise.

Since the hardware is top notch, you can expect it to smoothly sail through any media you may throw at it, no lag whatsoever in playback.

Camera

The camera is magic, is what we felt about the S6 and. the Note 5 is no less. In fact the Note 5 is no more either – the exact same camera, the exact same lens setup, the exact camera software and the exact capability as well. The f1.9 aperture lenses are wide and capture a lot of information in the 16MP and 5MP images on the back and front respectively.

The camera app is impressive too and offers a lot of manual control, the pro mode rules in this department too. You can manually adjust any camera setting before you start to capture, or during your capture. Optical Image Stabalization (OIS) works well too and you will mostly get really good pictures or video. Unless you are trying really hard not to. The problem with the camera is, that it will get confused with colours in low light situations, over saturating the reds and browns.

Samsung finally has a camera that puts the iPhone down, however Samsung is missing out on Apple’s image processing and colour algorithms, which unfortunately work better. Compared to previous gen iPhones, the Note 5 will also do 4k video and do it well. Video is smooth, crisp and looks fantastic.

S Pen

“Pen Gate”, something that haunts everyone at Samsung today. The S Pen on the Note 5, when inserted the wrong way in, will not only get stuck inside the Note, but will also damage the sensing mechanism of the display. Basically rendering your phone into a regular non-Note Samsung device.

The only fix according to Samsung – “Don’t put it in backwards.” However, it’s not so simple. In a beautiful world people wouldn’t have cared, and 99.99% people won’t be stuffing their S-Pen backwards. But now that it’s a known phenomenon, chances of it happening are a lot more.

Samsung is not very friendly with repairs of such an accident and it might end up costing you several thousand to get the Note 5 fixed / replaced. Not a pretty sight.

The, new design of the pen however is sleek and much appreciated. The responsiveness of the new pen on the Note 5 is highly improved over the previous generation Style. The click out mechanism is slick and works well, the girth of the pen is still too low and will not replicate the experience of using a real pen. Even though from a software aspect the handset does do that.

Phone and Battery Life

The battery is large and you will easily get a full days worth of use. If you do not you can always charge it with a fast charger and get on with your life. Although 3000 mAh is enough, and lasts us a whole day it may vary for different usage case scenarios. Turning off things like “double click home to enable camera” will save your device from enabling the camera in the pocket and overheating to a toasty 60+ degrees. Pro Tip : Keep this feature off.

If you can manage to keep the phone from turning on in your pocket all the time, it works great and will last a long time. If you are using the camera, the phone will get hot but has no real adverse affects on the performance or the battery life of the handset.

India, initially gets the single sim variant, which works across the spectrum for 4G LTE and 3G as well as 2G, so you have all networks covered. Signal strength is decent although indoors it appears to be weak. Honestly, we can’t tell if it’s a network issue or a device issue.

Audio quality in the phone call is mighty impressive, although the earpiece speaker gets a bit too bassy at times. You also have excellent noise cancellation built in and a extra volume more for those hard to hear conversations. “You What”?

Additional Features and Roundup

The new Galaxy Note 5 has all the Samsung tricks up its sleeve. Fast charging, Wireless Fast charging and an impressive and large battery too. You will also get Samsung Pay which is fantastic and works across the world with basically any existing magnetic stripe card reader.

The Note 4 came with an edge variant, and we are happy that Samsung didn’t pursue that dream on the Note 5. The Samsung Galaxy Note 5, is a beautiful looking, robust handset that can outperform almost everything in the category. Samsung has figured out the balance between beauty and brawn and made it work exceptionally well for the new Galaxy devices.

Putting the edge on the back of this massive device, gives a more reassuring hold to this otherwise slippery looking handset. The colors and materials give it the richness it needs and the hardware gives it the punch. Just do not put the S Pen in backwards and you are golden.

It gets top marks, but for a top price, making the Galaxy Note 5 from Samsung the best business Android Phone in the market, and the only in its class.

September 26, 2015

Flagship Spec Battle: iPhone 6s vs the Rest

Now that iPhone 6s has hit the markets, it’s time to pit the newest Apple wonder against the best of the smartphone industry. Apple has never failed to woo its users with its fluidity and smoothness in the past. One wonders if it’s likely to happen now as well in the face of tough competition from equally snazzy and up to date tech names like Samsung, Sony, LG and HTC.

Specs	LG G4	Samsung Galaxy Note 5	Samsung S6 Edge+	HTC One M9	Sony Experia Premium Z5	iPhone 6s
Display	5.5-inch Quad HD LCD	5.66 inch Quad HD	5.7 inches	5.5 inch HD	5.5 inch 4K	4.7 Retina HD display with 3D Touch, LED-backlit widescreen
Resolution	2560×1440 pixels resolution	1440 x 2560 pixels (~518 ppi pixel density)	1080 x 1920 pixels (~401 ppi pixel density)	1080×1920 pixel	Ultra HD 4k – 806ppi	1334 X 750-pixel resolution at 326 ppi
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 with X10 LTE	Octa core (2.1GHz Quad + 1.5GHz Quad), 64 bit, 14 nm process	Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57	2.0 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 Octa Core – 64 bit	Embedded M9 motion coprocessor
RAM	3 GB	4 GB	4 GB	3 GB	3 GB	–
Storage	32 GB	32 GB	32 GB	32 GB	32 GB	16GB/64GB/128GB
Expandable Upto	128 GB	Not expandable	Not expandable	128 GB	200 GB	Not expandable
Front Camera	8 MP	5 MP	5 MP	4 Ultra Pixel	5 MP	5 MP
Rear Camera	16 MP	16 MP	16 MP	20 MP	23 MP	12 MP
Battery	3000 mAh	Li-Po 3000 mAh battery	Li-Po 3000 mAh battery	2800mAh	3430 mAh battery
Operating System	Lollipop with LG UX 4.0 on top	Lollipop v5.1.1	Lollipop v5.0.2	Android 5 Lollipop with Sense 7	Lollipop 5.1	iOS 9 with A9 chip-set

Despite not being able to match its competitors in terms of specs and numbers on paper, Apple has always managed to fulfil the demands of the tech world so far. On the launch of the very first iPhone eight years ago in 2007, Steve Jobs had promised to “reinvent the phone”. This promise has indeed been taken care of if statistics are to be believed which suggest that 53% of the smartphone market is dominated by Apple.

September 10, 2015

India Pricing of the Samsung Note 5 Revealed

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 was released on the 13th of August in New York and caused quite a commotion with its S-Pen and other features. Touted as one of Samsung’s high-end phones which could give the iPhone some competition, the price of this phablet has been announced in India at Rs.53,900 .

Let’s have a look at the features of this phablet to help you decide whether you need this or not. Firstly, the display comes with a super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with 16M colours, 5.7 inches screen with a 1440 x 2560 pixels resolution, and all this is protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 4.

The Note 5 runs on the Android OS, v5.1.1 (Lollipop) with an Exynos 7420 chipset, a Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57 CPU and a Mali-T760MP8 GPU. As far as storage capacity is concerned, this handset comes in two variants – 32 and 64 GB along with 4GB of RAM. However, it does not have an expandable microSD card slot.

On the camera front the primary camera comes with a 16MP, 5312 X 2988 pixels resolution, optical image stabilization, autofocus and LED flash feature. Other features of the camera include – Dual Shot, Simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, and HDR. The secondary camera comes with a 5MP lens.

The device weighs 171g and the dimensions measure 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm. It needs to be supported by a Nano-SIM for connectivity and comes with a fingerprint sensor and the famous S-Pen stylus.

The Galaxy Note 5 has some very interesting features that allows you to perform various tasks such as signing documents with the S-Pen on your PDF directly, instead of having to print it out. The phablet also comes with some eye-catching accessories and colours such as the silver titanium, gold platinum, black sapphire and white pearl. It is powered by a WPC and PMA battery that is non-removable Li-Po 3,000mAh, fast charging and wireless charging compatible.

Other connectivity options include – SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth version 4.2, GPS, NFC and a microUSB v2.0.

Here are the specs:

Features	Samsung Galaxy Note 5
Display	5.7 inches
Resolution	1440 x 2560 pixels
Processor	Octa core (2.1GHz Quad + 1.5GHz Quad), 64 bit, 14 nm process
OS	Android OS, v5.1.1 (Lollipop)
RAM	4GB
Storage	32GB and 64 GB
Primary Camera	16 MP, 5312 x 2988 pixels, optical image stabilization, autofocus, LED flash
Front Camera	5MP
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, the Bluetooth v4.2, with GPS and NFC
Battery	Non-removable Li-Po 3,000mAh, fast charging, wireless charging compatible with WPC and PMA
Price	Rs.53,900/Rs. 59,990

September 7, 2015

Elephone Creates The Smallest Smartphone Run On Android KitKat

For those of us who are wary and uncomfortable with the new large smartphones, there’s a new small smartphone called, Elephone. This device is 2 inches small and runs on a custom version of Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

This smartphone can be used as an accessory to your larger smartphone, when you don’t feel like taking out your massive smartphone to listen to music etc. The camera however is said to be unsatisfactory because it is slow and displays pictures in a pixelated form.

This phone has not been officially named yet and is said to be available in markets later this year at $80, which is around Rs.5,303. Apart from this, Elephone is allegedly making a number of smartphones within China. So, maybe this is going to be the next Chinese brand to enter India.

However, the usefulness of this small smartphone is debatable. For example,One could lose this phone quite easily and it’s not that savvy looking either. So do you think smartphone companies are wasting their money trying to make older phones like the flip, slide and now a small phone? Or do you think it will work?

August 25, 2015
Upcoming Samsung Note 5 Variant Might Come With a 4100 mAh Battery

Recent rumours suggest that the Galaxy Note 5 might actually come with a 4,100 mAh battery after all. These rumours were flying around even before the product released, however, were proved wrong once the Galaxy Note 5 was seen to arrive with a 3,000 mAh battery only.

PhoneArena reports that the Galaxy Note 5 Active model, which will be released in November this year will sport a 4,100 mAh battery. This upgraded device is said to release on AT&T, and along with the new battery will come with an IP68 waterproofing certification.

Even though these rumours remain unconfirmed, we do know that Samsung had once upgraded the Galaxy S6 Active similarly. So, this might after all be good news for Samsung users.

The speculated date of release is – 8th of November 2015.

August 21, 2015
Check Out Samsung’s Bold New Move To Challenge Apple Head-On

In a rather bold move by Samsung, the South Korean smartphone company has launched a new promotional offer that is aimed directly at iPhone users. They will now let iPhone users take one of the three new models for the “ultimate test drive” for a full month!

Customers will need to visit the special Samsung website from their iPhone in order to qualify for this offer. Once logged in, you will have your current carrier and then select which Galaxy model you would like to try. Currently, the Galaxy S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ and Note 5 are on the list.

After choosing the phone you will have to enter some basic information along with your credit card details. Those who continue to use the product beyond the 30-day trial period, will be charged the full price, while those who return it on time will only be charged $1.

After completing all the necessary steps, you will be charged $1 to verify your credit card details and then you should receive your test phone soon. The phone is said to come with a data plan, however, it has not yet been mentioned whether it will be a limited or special unlimited plan for testers.

So, iPhone users, are you ready to give Samsung a chance?

August 21, 2015
Samsung May Release a Dual-SIM Variant For the Note 5 and S6 Edge+

We have covered Samsung’s newly released handsets – the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge+. Both devices created a frenzy before its release, however some users might have been disappointed when they found out that neither of the products came with a dual-SIM nor an expandable storage. Worry no more because according to reports, both these handsets will soon be available with a dual-SIM mode. But, there are no reports of the devices to include an expandable microSD slot yet. All other specifications will be the same.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ Dual SIM is reportedly available for purchase on eBay, from a seller in Singapore. The seller also claims to have all four colour options in his stock and has priced the device at $999.99 (approx. Rs.65,469). The device will be shipped to the purchaser via FedEx, say reports.

There have been no official reports as to which markets will be getting the dual-SIM models however, going by the previous sales production techniques of Samsung, we can probably expect the dual-SIM versions to become available almost everywhere, soon.

August 20, 2015
5 Major Announcements You Missed From Samsung’s Big Event

Last night, Samsung unveiled its newest flagships at a grand event held in New York. Other than the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge+, there were several major announcements which caught our attention.

Here’s a quick wrap up of everything important the company announced:

The Physical Keyboard Accessory

This one is a welcoming addition for anyone who misses punching on good old buttons while texting. At the event, Samsung announced a strap-on keyboard for the new S6 Edge Plus and the Note 5. The built-in keyboard which also works as a cover and has been aptly named ‘Keyboard Cover.’ When the keyboard cover is strapped on the screen, the smartphone automatically recognises it and the screen is adjusted accordingly.

The company hasn’t revealed the cover’s availability or pricing, just yet.

Samsung Pay Takes a Leap Ahead

Samsung has taken a big step forward in the e-payment game. Unlike its competitors, which only work on specific card terminals, the company claims that their phones will be able to entirely replace the credit card system. They’re no longer solely relying on the NFC system for payments, hence you can swipe for a payment anywhere you want. The addition of magnetic secure transmission tech will make it usable with any store’s standard credit card swipe reader. Along with credit cards, it will also store memberships cards. The only question remains is if it’s secure.

Samsung Pay will launch in the US on 28th September.

Directly Broadcast to YouTube

Live streaming is one of the current tech trends and Samsung has found a unique way to use the feature on its new phones. Instead of downloading a third-party app, you can use a feature on the camera terminal to directly stream to YouTube. With this, Samsung jumps ahead of apps such as Meerkat, Periscope etc.

Samsung Finally Makes Good Use of the ‘Edge’

Other than a few nominal features on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and S6 Edge, there was not much value to the curved edge display. Now the company has added an extremely useful functionality to the display. You can pin your most used apps on the edge, and swipe to launch. The feature is called ‘Apps Edge’.

The Gear S2

Samsung chose the Unpacked event to tease the new Gear S2 smart watch. The model seems to have stylised itself quite a bit, with a round face, metal body and new user interface. It likely to run on Samsung’s Tizen OS rather than Android Wear, like the original Gear S. It will be unveiled on 3th September.

Read more about the Note 5 here and for the S6 Edge + here.

August 14, 2015

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is Finally Here

Last year, when Samsung unveiled the Note 4 Edge at a pre-IFA event, the world was shocked. No one was expecting to see a phablet with a curved display. It stood out in the crowd for its unique screen, which extends and runs over onto the right side of the device. Unlike 2014, most of the details of this year’s Note were revealed before the official unveiling. We can finally fast forward through all the rumours and leaks and find out what the Note 5 is all about. Here is the official introduction to the Galaxy Note 5:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CppgLnNM1PE

The Note 5 was launched today in New York, at the Samsung Unpacked event along with the Samsung S6 Edge+.The Note 5 comes with a Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen and 16M colours, a 5.7 inches display with a 1440 x 2560 pixels, all protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 4.

The phablet runs on the Android OS, v5.1.1 (Lollipop) with a Octa core (2.1GHz Quad + 1.5GHz Quad), 64 bit, 14 nm processor. It does not have an expandable microSD slot, but comes in two variants – 32GB and 64 GB, both with a 4 GB RAM. The S-Pen this time comes at the bottom of the phone with a spring system which makes accessing it a lot more fun.

In the photography section, the Note 5 comes with a 16 MP, 5312 x 2988 pixels, optical image stabilization, autofocus, LED flash primary camera and a 5MP front camera. Other connectivity features include, Wi-Fi 802.11, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, the Bluetooth v4.2, with GPS and NFC support.

The Galaxy Note 5 has some very interesting features that allow you to perform various tasks such as signing documents with the S-Pen on your PDF directly, instead of having to print it out. The phablet also comes with some eye-catching accessories and colours such as the silver titanium, gold platinum, black sapphire and white pearl.

The Galaxy Note 5 is powered by a Non-removable Li-Po 3,000mAh, fast charging, wireless charging compatible with WPC and PMA battery. The INR will be available on the 19th of August. So keep watching this space for more details.

Here are the specifications:

Features	Samsung Galaxy Note 5
Display	5.7 inches
Resolution	1440 x 2560 pixels
Processor	Octa core (2.1GHz Quad + 1.5GHz Quad), 64 bit, 14 nm process
OS	Android OS, v5.1.1 (Lollipop)
RAM	4GB
Storage	32GB and 64 GB
Primary Camera	16 MP, 5312 x 2988 pixels, optical image stabilization, autofocus, LED flash
Front Camera	5MP
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, the Bluetooth v4.2, with GPS and NFC
Battery	Non-removable Li-Po 3,000mAh, fast charging, wireless charging compatible with WPC and PMA
Price	INR to be announced on the 19th of August 2015

August 13, 2015

Everything We Know About the Galaxy Note 5

A whole lot of information is already available about the Note 5, including hands on images that were made public a while back. The phone is getting its official launch today, and here is everything we know so far.

Launch Date

The smartphone is set to release at Samsung’s annual Unpacked event scheduled for 13th August, 8.30PM IST. The event is being held in Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Centre New York. The company is expected to launch the Samsung S6 Edge+, Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and a surprise device.

Hardware

The back of the box gives us confirmed specifications of the device. The new Note 5 is packing a 5.7-inch Quad HD AMOLED display, a 16MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera with the same f1.9 aperture seen on the Galaxy 6 devices. The main camera will also have Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) and a new dynamic HDR mode. Just like the Galaxy S6 and the S6 edge the handset will be 4G Enabled and will feature wireless charging technology. The Galaxy Note 5 will be powered by a 64-bit Octa-core Exynos processor paired with 4GB of LPDDR 4 RAM.

Design

Just like the Samsung Galaxy S6, the Note 5 will come in two variants – the regular and the dual-edge variant. It will have design elements borrowed from the S6 and the Note 4. It is also expected that the smartphone will come encased in Gorilla Glass 4, front and back. The glass will be complemented by a metal finish rim.

Available in a bunch of colours, the new Note 5 features rounded edges. While the back of the smartphone is a glossy finish, the edges feature a matte metal alloy/aluminium finish. Much like the previous iteration, the camera on the back is slightly protruding and is paired with the LED flash and a heart rate sensor.

Samsung’s next gen Phablet goes in line with designs of the previous gen. mixed with some elements of their Galaxy S6 line.

At the bottom you have the microphone, along with a USB charging and data synching port, a headphone jack, and the new style S-pen.

Availability

While it will be unveiled tonight (13th August), it will be made available for purchase in India by end-August. Several reports online confirm that the smartphone will go up for preorder on 21st August (in select markets), and on sale soon after that.

Price

Inside sources have revealed that we should expect the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 to launch with a price tag of Rs. 59,900 at launch for the 32 GB. Last year, the Note 4 was launched in India at a whopping Rs. 61,500, and as expected the price fell soon after.

We will be getting official information tonight, Samsung’s annual Unpacked is being held in Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Centre New York. You can watch the event live here. Stay tuned to iGyaan, as we bring you the latest.

August 13, 2015
New Leak Reveals Dual-SIM Samsung Note 5 Will Include a microSD Option

Recently, we received the unwelcoming news that the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will not be including any expandability options and will not have a microSD slot for expanding the memory. But, there still might be a chance that the device might feature the useful option.

According to a latest report, the device will be a supporting microSD card option. The report says the memory card slot will share the same slot as the second SIM slot. For double SIM users, this might present itself as a problem. Basically, one of the Micro-SIM card slots doubles as the MicroSD card extension slot. So, you can either use the expandability option, or you can use two SIM cards at the same time.

So, for single SIM users, storage might not pose much of a problem.

As far as we know about the device, the Galaxy Note 5 will have a curved back and is likely to feature a 5.4-inch or 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with curves on both the edges. The display is likely also to feature a 4K resolution. According to reports, the phone may also feature a 16MP rear camera and an 8MP secondary shooter.

The Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge + are officially scheduled to launch on the 13th of August.

August 7, 2015
Exclusive: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 32GB to Cost Rs. 64,999 at Launch in India

Samsung’s upcoming phablet flagship, Galaxy Note 5, is the current hot topic. The device is expected to be a cut above the last version, overcoming the lags and tapping on constructive points of the Note series. Amid rumours and reports, we brought to you the arrival date of the Note 5, i.e. September 4, and now we have learnt that the 32GB Galaxy Note 5 variant will launch at Rs. 64,999 in India.

A source close to iGyaan disclosed the pricing of the new device saying it will cost Rs. 64,999 for 32GB inbuilt storage. It is anticipated to come in higher variants as well – such as 64GB and 128GB – which Samsung seems to have made a norm for high-end devices with the recent Galaxy S6 release. This means Rs. 64,999 is the minimum amount one has to shell out for owning a Note 5 (at launch). The higher versions can go Rs. 10,000 max. in addition to the base price. Samsung will also bring out an ‘Edge’ variant, which will cost Rs. 9,000 above the regular edged one.

Although there are still two months for the Note 5 to launch, we already know quite a bit about what’s coming ahead. We hear that the Note 5 will be featuring a 5.9-inch Super AMOLED display. The Edge variant will feature curves on both the sides of the display. An improved version of Samsung’s Exynos 7422 is speculated to administer the computing operations.

A latest report also suggests that the Note 4 successor might sport a USB Type-C, which we recently saw incorporated on the Apple MacBook. The Note 5 might even be powered by a mammoth battery of 4,100mAh, which is necessary for a phablet with these specifications. The features might sound exciting, however there is a good reason we recommend you shouldn’t pick up the device at launch.

Keep checking this space for more updates.

June 17, 2015
One Good Reason Why No One Should Buy Samsung Galaxy Note 5 at Launch

Last year, Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Note 4 Edge at IFA Berlin. It was the first time the company had incorporated the ‘Edge’ on a smartphone. And unlike smartphone innovations, which are usually leaked weeks before their official launch, the company managed to keep this one a secret till the day it was slated to arrive.

We have to admit, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is a beautifully designed gadget. It breaks away from the monotonous slab-like look and stands out in the overcrowded smartphone market. Now, in 2015, it’s time for Samsung to bring out its updated version. We’ve already heard several rumours about the Galaxy Note 5. We know that it might feature a 5.9-inch Super AMOLED display with curves on both the edges, it might carry an upgraded version of Samsung’s Exynos 7422 and be powered by a mammoth 4100mAh battery. A latest report also suggested that the Note 4 successor will sport a USB 3.1 Type-C port, which we recently saw incorporated in Apple’s Macbook. Overall, the Note 5 sounds like it’s going to be a superb package.

Now if you’re wondering why we’d recommend you steer clear of purchasing Samsung’s upcoming handset at launch, then here’s the reason: Just like the company has a history of delivering solid flagships, it also has a habit of reducing the price of the smartphone, soon after launch.

We’ve noticed the pattern over the past few years. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S5, which was launched in India in April 2014 with a price tag of Rs. 51,500 ($802 approx), dramatically dropped its price and was available for Rs. 40,600 ($632 approx), within a month. A more recent example would be the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge at Launch

Both are impressive Android smartphones. At the time of launch in India, the 32GB variant of the Samsung Galaxy S6 was available for Rs. 49,900 ($777approx.) Today, three months after launch, you can buy the smartphone for as low as Rs. 39,480 ($615 approx.)

All smartphone companies are known to reduce the price of their smartphones. Recently we saw the same for OnePlus, Motorola, and even Apple. However, the companies wait till they’re ready to bring out their refreshed models, before putting their offerings on sale.

The buyers who end up picking up the Samsung smartphones the same month as the launch, feel cheated about having spent a larger sum than anybody else. Instead of waiting to buy the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 at launch, we’d recommend you go for the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge. Since they’ve arrived recently, they’re sure to come with top-notch specs and updated features. It would be a much safer bet, than to go for the Note 5.

 

June 15, 2015