Galaxy Note 5 vs. Galaxy Note 4: What We Know So Far

As we push deeper into the year, we’re starting to see Samsung Galaxy Note 5 rumors tease consumers in the United States and around the world. With those Galaxy Note 5 rumors in mind, we want to take an early look at how the device is stacking up against its predecessor. This is our early Samsung Galaxy Note 5 vs. Galaxy Note 4 comparison.

Last year, after months and months of rumor and speculation, Samsung took the stage at IFA 2014 in Berlin, Germany to announce its fourth-generation Galaxy Note. On stage, the company actually debuted two new Galaxy Note models, a Galaxy Note 4 and a curved variant called the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge.

As expected, both devices arrived with a slew of new features including an upgraded design, improved displays, enhanced cameras, and new Android software with TouchWiz on board. A few weeks after the launch, Samsung and its carrier partners around the world released the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge into the wild where they quickly became two of the top Android phones on the market.

While they continue to reign as Samsung’s top Galaxy Note options, eventually, their day in the sun will end. In fact, we’re already starting to hear about their potential successor, a device that we’re calling (for now) the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 rumors have started to heat up and we’ve started to hear whispers about the Galaxy Note 5 specs, Galaxy Note 5 release date and Galaxy Note 5 carriers. There are still plenty of details that remain shrouded in mystery but we have enough to make an early comparison to the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge.

This early Galaxy Note 5 vs. Galaxy Note 4 comparison will run down the latest Galaxy Note 5 rumors and show you how they would compare to Samsung’s current Galaxy Note models. Here’s what you need to know as we push into May.

Galaxy Note 5 Release Date

If you’re trying to decide between the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note 5 or if you’re already thinking about ditching the Galaxy Note 4 (or Galaxy Note Edge) for Samsung’s next Galaxy Note, you’re probably in for a bit of a wait.

So far, we’ve only seen one Samsung Galaxy Note 5 release date rumor emerge. The report, from Korean publication Daum, suggested that the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 release date could land in August. If true, this would be much earlier than the Galaxy Note 4 release date. Samsung released the Galaxy Note 4 in October after a launch in September.

Now, it’s important to point out that the publication also claimed that Samsung would release the Galaxy S6 in March. The Samsung Galaxy S6 release took place on April 10th for most countries.

If you’re familiar with the Galaxy Note series then you’d know that Samsung typically announces its new Galaxy Note at IFA, a massive trade show that takes place every year in Berlin, Germany. The five Galaxy Note flagships in existence (Galaxy Note, Note 2, Note 3, Note 4, Note Edge) were all announced on stage around the start of IFA.

IFA 2015 kicks off on September 4th which means that September 1st-4th are the dates you should be looking at. August is probably wishful thinking though it’s entirely possible that Samsung will look to get a head start on Apple and the iPhone 6s.

The important thing to note here is that we’re probably still months away from a release. It’s still extremely early in the Galaxy Note 5 rumor cycle. While Samsung does keep some things under wraps, we almost always see details firm up in the weeks ahead of launch. The Galaxy Note 5 is still pretty mysterious at this point.

Carriers

A recent report from SamMobile outlines some potential Galaxy Note 5 release details. The publication is extremely credible when it comes to inside information about unreleased Samsung phones so the information can be taken with more than a grain of salt.

The publication claims that he Galaxy Note 5 is known internally as Project Noble. Samsung is well known for using codenames behind the scenes. The Samsung Galaxy S6, for instance, was known internally as Project Zero.

It says that Samsung will use SM-N920F for the international version of the Galaxy Note 5. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 model number is SM-N910x which makes the jump to SM-N920x a logical one. The leak also outlines several other model numbers including those for the Verizon Galaxy Note 5 and AT&T Galaxy Note 5.

• Galaxy Note 5 – SM-N920F EUR XX (Europe)
• Galaxy Note 5 – SM-N920S KOR SKC (Korea)
• Galaxy Note 5 – SM-N920K KOR KTC (Korea)
• Galaxy Note 5 – SM-N920A NA ATT (AT&T)
• Galaxy Note 5 – SM-N920V NA VZW (Verizon)

This all but confirms a Galaxy Note 5 release for the top two carriers in the United States and it also suggests that the Galaxy Note 5 will be coming to at least two other key markets, Europe and Korea.

The Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge are both available in a number of different regions around the world. In the United States, they’re available on AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular. It’s looking like we could see something similar with the Galaxy Note 5.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge feature two of top displays on the market. Both come with large, Quad HD displays which means that they feature 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution. The screens are simply stunning.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 display rumors suggest that we could see Samsung make some changes. Samsung’s should be starting production on a 6-inch Ultra HD display at 700+ pixels per inch. If it’s able to get the tech ready in time for the fall, it could mean a shift from Quad HD resolution to UHD. UHD delivers 2160 x 3840 resolution for those counting.

A recent report from PhoneArena, citing slides from Samsung’s Analyst Day event, suggests that Samsung is at least considering 2160 × 3840 pixel resolution for the Galaxy Note 5 display. The company is rumored to be throwing around a 5.89-inch display for both a flat and “Edge” Galaxy Note 5 model. Yes, if you thought Samsung was going to be ditching its curved display elements anytime soon, you’re delusional.

The Korea Herald suggests that Samsung is at least considering the Galaxy S6 Edge’s dual-edge display technology for the Galaxy Note series. The report cites Roh Tae-moon, executive vice president of Samsung’s product strategy team who notes that “there is a possibility that Samsung will introduce the curved display for the Galaxy Note lineup.” The Galaxy Note Edge display is only curved on one side.

A report from China suggests that Samsung will indeed be using a flexible display on the Galaxy Note 5. In addition, an old report from Korean publication Ledwn, which accurately predicted the Galaxy S6 Edge, claims that Samsung will be putting a flexible display on the Galaxy Note 5.

Design

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge designs feature a combination of plastic and metal. Samsung’s new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge feature a new design language that’s made up of metal and glass. It’s a huge shift though it comes with some tradeoffs. Neither of them come with a microSD card slot or a removable battery.

Samsung is well known for keeping its designs under lock and key. And because we’re still early in the rumor cycle, we haven’t heard much about the Galaxy Note 5 design. Here’s what we know right now.

In recent comments made to Pocket-lint, Samsung UK’s vice president for mobile and IT Conor Pierce produced some interesting quotes that hint at what we could see from the Galaxy Note 5.

The company realised that it needed to do something different. We asked questions of people, what do they want? They want premium design, tick that box. They want the best camera, there you go. They want to solve battery issues. And they want choice. So I’m very confident that [the S6 and edge] materialised from what people want.

We’ve learned that bringing beautiful, premium innovations in design is what people want. I think the market needs this as well because the market has been very saturated.

I think it’s about us breaking new ground. It was a bold move to try to do something different, but if you go back to last year, we had the Note edge and you could see how well that was received. So we understand that this is what people want. They are looking for some inspiration, so yes you will see that across our portfolio.

It’s clear that Samsung is very focused on these key areas and Pierce himself suggests that the company’s upcoming products could come with some of these big changes:

What we have noticed is that typically the upgrade cycle is every 24 months because of the contracts, and people are generally offered an upgrade around six months before that.

That’s when they start to look at the phones on the market. So it’s very important that we don’t just do our best work in this current quarter. People don’t just turn up in this quarter, or July, August or September, looking for a new phone, it’s all year round.

I think the fact that we managed to deliver a new form factor with the Note, create a new category, shows the ambition to keep changing and keep innovating. Samsung puts $40 million a day into research and development, which is a massive injection of money into R&D.

There’s a lot there but what’s clear is that Samsung is not planning to dumb down its flagships. If anything, we could see the Galaxy Note 5 take a step up from the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge.

Processor

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor. Samsung’s new Galaxy S6 models, however, don’t feature Qualcomm chips. Instead, they come with Samsung’s Exynos 7 octa-core chip. This is a significant change from past Galaxy Note and Galaxy S releases, some of which relied on both Qualcomm and Samsung CPUs.

A report from the hit-or-miss publication Digitimes suggests that Qualcomm is trying to get its Snapdragon chips back into Samsung flagship smartphones. That’s not surprising at all though it’s still not clear if the company will be able to sway Samsung in time for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 release date.

According to a report from Recode “Qualcomm plans to have its next-generation Snapdragon 820 processor manufactured at Samsung’s chip-making plants.” What this means is that the relationship between the two companies, while fractured, isn’t completely broken.

The report claims that “Qualcomm is hoping that the move to use Samsung’s factories will help it win back business for the next Galaxy S flagship” but again, it’s still not clear if it will land in Samsung’s next Galaxy Note flagship.

Either way, expect the Galaxy Note 5 to feature an upgraded processor that helps to deliver better performance and perhaps, better battery life as well. That will come in handy if Samsung opts to use its new design language with the Galaxy Note 5.