Hands on: Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Back in 2011, Samsung chose that bigger was much better as well as released the Samsung Galaxy Note variety which included a 5.3-inch screen. At the time, this screen was a large talking factor: lots of believed it was also huge to be a phone, others assumed it was also small to be a tablet.

Miss 3 years and that 5.3-inch screen not looks out of area in the phone market. Considered that the Samsung Galaxy S5 has a 5.1-inch display, it's clear to see the line between what was once classified as a phablet and also what is now expected as a phone has well as well as genuinely obscured.

While this hasn't quit Samsung pushing out the size boat - the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 came equipped with a 5.7-inch screen - it seems Samsung has ultimately postponed the dimension creep.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 features the same-sized 5.7-inch display as the Note 3, with Samsung rather deciding to improve on the quality of the display rather than its size.

Screen quality

The screen currently boasts Quad HD Super AMOLED (2,560 x 1,440 resolution) innovation that stretches to 500 pixels per inch. Couple this with what Samsung is calling a flexible screen - one that transforms depending on the light of the place you are seeing the screen - as well as on paper you have the optimal seeing no matter what circumstance you are in.

To examine the quality of the display I watched a video that was shot in UHD on the tool as well as it was spectacular. Tones were dazzling as well as specific bulged with the clarity you would expect from a 500ppi screen. Also zooming in there were no jagged sides as well as playback was smooth - no judder from the trial I viewed.

Yet the screen isn't really the first point that hits you when you get the Samsung Galaxy S4 in your hands, it's the construct quality.

Design

Samsung has definitely listened closely regarding its latest line-up sensation plastic-y in the hand and has actually determined to provide the Note 4 even more of a costs coating, with a steel rim surrounding the handset, protecting the rest of the framework like a velour rope safeguarding celebs from real individuals in a club.

I enjoyed the method the Note 4 really felt in the hand and also being a routine individual of the Note 3, it certainly really felt different sufficient and lighter too, although exact weight specifications were not offered at the time of the hands on

It's evident but the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 does come equipped with some of the functions that we saw on the S5.

The most noteworthy is the heartrate monitor on the back (which likewise has a neat cam capability I will certainly detail soon) as well as the back has been improved somewhat as well, but is still a little also faux leather for my liking.

There is a lot of similarity between the Note 3 as well as its follower. In my hands-on session with the tool I wasn't notified of the exact size specifications however any difference in between both framework is certainly minimal - although there did seem to be a little slashed off the elevation of the Note 4.

It's clear Samsung hasn't re-invented the Note variety however fine-tuned it with creative software updates as well as small tweaks occasionally.

S Pen

Among one of the most remarkable is to do with the S Pen. It surprised me that the stylus (sorry Samsung, I understand you despise that word) picked up with the Note range yet 4 gadgets in as well as the S Pen ultimately makes a whole lot more feeling.

For a begin there are 2 new pen options: water fountain and highlighter. Of these, water fountain is one of the most intriguing as it shows off how far the S Pen has actually can be found in regards to use. Previously, requiring the S Pen has felt a whole lot like moving a piece of plastic over a glass display.

The "really feel" of creating on paper just hasn't existed. With the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 this has actually altered.


The fountain pen works most effectively when you sweep the S Pen throughout the display as you would ink on paper and as a result of additional sensitivity (which has increased) it is now a pleasure to compose on the Note 4's display. Trademarks appear like signatures and also your handwriting actually truly resembles your real handwriting.

I'm left handed as well as the S Pen was still a pleasure to use. Considering I have never been able to choose an ink pen in reality, due to smudging, it was terrific fun.

As well as the advancements don't end there. Currently you can make use of the S Pen much like you would certainly choose a mouse. Click the button behind S Pen and you are in Smart Select mode, where you can highlight whole passages of content from a web site, or perhaps clip out parts of a website and put it into your own clippings archive.

As opposed to being an included extra, the S Pen finally feels like a needed part of the Note 4, rather than a "this is enjoyable but I have no use for it" device.

Snap mode has likewise been improved on the Note 4. While you utilized to merely be able to snap two separate solutions to the top as well as all-time low of the screen, you could currently "resize" an app much like you would a widget.

So, if you are utilizing the video camera and also wish to send a picture by means of content but remain in camera mode, a quick angled down swipe from the top right of the display will reduce the camera feature and also show the remainder of the phone screen for you. It's a nice feature that could possibly change utilizing the left multi-tab hot key for lots of.

Camera

Another big renovation is with the video camera. When it pertains to megapixels it's gone from 13MP to 16MP however the advancements do not depend on the useless megapixel chase but also in the camera's f quit, which currently appears at f1.9. In aged money that suggests that the camera currently lets in 60 % more light and also makes for far better quality images.

You could likewise choose the electronic camera together with the S Pen. A new feature called Snap Note enables you to take a photo of a paper (or whiteboard) and alter what's in the picture.

Although I really did not attempt this out myself, the trial I was shown contained a paper with a number of photos as well as message on it.

An image was taken of this, put through Snap Note and after that the colour and also dimension of the pictures can be changed, content might be removed and the dimension of items can be enhanced. It's a specific niche brand-new attribute yet one that could possibly be available in valuable in an innovative setting.

The method you can take pictures has altered too. With the entire globe going selfie crazy, it was inevitable that Samsung (as well as plenty much more manufacturers) would intend to cash in on this. It has actually done it twofold with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

Initially there is a selfie scenic view mode. Just like the panorama method seen on the Note 3, where an image is stitched from photos drawned from a frying pan of a scene, the same things occurs in this method - other than it remains in picture and makes use of the front-facing video camera.

Samsung is quoting 120 degrees spatial understanding and also after having a go with it I am not visiting suggest about such a number.

Samsung has actually also acknowledged that if you intend to take a selfie, then it is a little tough to obtain your thumb around to the front of the device to take the photo. So it has actually utilised its heartrate screen capability as a back trigger switch.

One tap on this and your selfie is protected. It's not a function I will certainly be utilizing much however provided the abrupt appeal of taking pictures of your own face in various areas it will certainly be a function that is chosen a great deal.

Perfomance and battery

Samsung's boosted the Note 4's mic efficiency too. Voice recording is something that won't be chosen for all but the Note is a device built for company as well as this attribute will certainly be welcomed.

There are currently three mics on the smartphone (2 near the bottom as well as one on the top), these are used well when tape-recording voices.

In a congested room you can zoom right into one voice and cut the remainder out. This reporter is currently drooling at the possibility of talking to someone as well as playing back the meeting without hearing his very own voice. It's a smart feature however one that may be forgotten by several.

As for the rate of the gadget, it was quick. I handled to whiz in between programs and web without lag at all as well as it didn't perspire when loading up a film. Once again no certain cpu was mentioned by Samsung, though the device we required had a group 6 LTE chip inside.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is a premium-looking gadget that will be familiar to any individual which has made use of a Note. Do not expect big modifications right here - you still get a ribbed plastic back, although it's much more in keeping with the S5's style.


That was the phone that moved Samsung right into the AAA league of mobile phone producers as well as the Note 4 on initial practical seems like it will be a worth addition to the Note array.

When it concerns the critical battery. Samsung has provided the Note 4 the same battery as the Note 3 (3200mAh) but it has enhanced billing times. You can now charge 50 % of the battery in merely 30 mins as well as it has the same ultra-power saving modern technology that was constructed right into the S5.

Early verdict

It is big and also it is brilliant: the Galaxy Note 4 looks to be Samsung's ideal Note yet, softening the gimmick and also adding actual advancement to exactly what is becoming one of the most effective phone varieties around.

The largest relief is that the software changes are advancements instead of frustrating bloatware. Samsung does have a practice of including gimmickry to its smartphones yet the huge adjustments here are in fact advantageous to exactly how you make use of the Note.