Connect with us

Android

Galaxy Note 5 vs. iPhone 6: What We Know So Far

Published

on

As we move deeper into the year, we’re beginning 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 Apple’s current flagship, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6. This is our early Samsung Galaxy Note 5 vs. iPhone 6 comparison.

In September, after months of rumor and speculation, Apple took the stage and announced its brand new iPhone, the redesigned iPhone 6. The iPhone 6 comes in two different flavors, a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and a 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. This comparison focuses on the smaller iPhone 6 model.

As expected, the iPhone 6 arrived with a slew of new features including a new aluminum design, a larger Retina HD display, enhanced 8MP rear camera, and the company’s brand new iOS 8 operating system. In late September, Apple and its many carrier partners around the world released the iPhone 6 into the wild. The device immediately became one of the best phones on the market and it remains one of the best smartphone options on the table as we move further into 2015. It’s not without competition though.

Devices like the Galaxy S6, HTC One M9, and LG G4 are taking their best shots at Apple’s flagship and we expect the fight to intensify as we approach the end of the year. In fact, we’re already hearing about one potential competitor, device that we’re calling (for now) the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.

ibattz-iphone-6-battery-case-2

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 iPhone 6.

This early Galaxy Note 5 vs. iPhone 6 comparison will run down the latest Galaxy Note 5 rumors and show you how they would compare to Samsung’s current Galaxy S models. Here’s what you need to know as we push into May.

Galaxy Note 5 Release Date

If you’re here, it’s probably because you’re interested in buying the iPhone 6 or the Galaxy Note 5 or both if you’re Mr. Moneybags. If that’s the debate going on in your head, well, know that you’re probably not going to be able to physically compare the two for several months at least.

In the last four months, we’ve only seen one Samsung Galaxy Note 5 release date rumor emerge. The rumor, 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 late September after a launch in early September.

Now before you get fixated on an August Galaxy Note 5 release date, we must tell you 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. August would be nice but we’re still betting the house on a release in September, at the earliest.

iPhone-6-Review-11-620x284

If you’re at all familiar with the Galaxy Note series then you’d know that Samsung typically announces its new Galaxy Note at IFA. For those of you not familiar, IFA is 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 circling in pencil on your calendar. You can circle August too but again, it’s a long shot given Samsung’s release cycle.

The important thing to know is that we’re probably still months away from a Galaxy Note 5 release date. It’s still extremely early in the Galaxy Note 5 rumor cycle. Nothing is concrete but we, like many others, aren’t expecting a release until September or October. For some of you, that will make your decision a little bit easier, for others, it will only complicate things further.

Carriers

Apple’s iPhone 6 is available on an absurd amount of carriers in the United States. In the U.S., it’s available on the major players including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon. It’s also available on a large number of pre-paid and regional carriers including C Spire, Cricket, Bluegrass Cellular. There is no shortage of options. So if Samsung follows its own Galaxy Note release pattern, the Galaxy Note 5 release will be far more limited in the U.S.

A recent report from SamMobile outlines some potential Galaxy Note 5 release details. 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.

Verizon Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop Update Review - 7

The site says that Samsung will use model number 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 AT&T Galaxy Note 5 and Verizon 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 5 release will be global but it could be limited to a select number of carriers like the Galaxy Note 4 and all of the Galaxy Note models that came before it.

Display

Apple’s iPhone 6 comes with a 4.7-inch Retina HD display. It’s an absolutely stunning screen though the Galaxy Note 5 display could take smartphone displays to new heights.

Mophie iPhone 6 Plus Case Review -  5

Galaxy Note 5 display rumors suggest that we could see Samsung take another step forward. Samsung will reportedly start production on a 6-inch Ultra HD display at 700+ pixels per inch in the near future. If it’s able to get the panel ready in time for the fall, it could mean a shift from Quad HD resolution to UHD. UHD delivers 2160 x 3840 resolution.

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. In other words, we could see the Galaxy Note 5 deliver higher resolution display that offers a lot more real estate. This makes sense given that the Galaxy Note series utilizes an S Pen stylus.

Verizon Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop Update Review - 4

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.”

Just in case you need more evidence, 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.

So, in summary, here’s how the display specs could stack up:

  • Galaxy Note 5: 5.7-inch UHD display with 2160 × 3840 pixel resolution at 700+PPI. Curved model could be similar to the Galaxy S6 Edge.
  • iPhone 6: 4.7-inch Retina HD display with 750 x 1334 pixel resolution at 326PPI.

Galaxy S6 Settings to Change

We recommend taking a look at our Galaxy S6 Edge review to familiarize with Samsung’s curved technology and its high-resolution AMOLED displays. And if you’re not familiar with the iPhone 6 display, take a look at our review.

Design

Apple’s iPhone 6 comes with a sleek, all aluminum design that still ranks among the best on the market. This year, Samsung finally stepped up its game and released a new design language on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge that puts them on par with Apple’s iPhone.

iPhone 6s iPhone 6s Plus

Samsung’s massive change also comes with some tradeoffs that iPhone users are accustomed to. Namely, the lack of a microSD card slot for expanded storage and the lack of a removable battery.

A new Samsung Galaxy Note 5 concept is making the rounds and while it’s gorgeous to look at, the design doesn’t come from Samsung itself. 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. We have, however, seen one Samsung executive hint at what the Galaxy Note 5 could entail.

Galaxy Note 5 concept.

Galaxy Note 5 concept.

In recent comments made to Pocket-lint, Samsung UK’s vice president for mobile and IT Conor Pierce offered up some interesting quotes that seem to hint at what’s coming in the future:

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.

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 on board:

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.

It’s a lot to digest 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 and take a seat at the table next to the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge and iPhone 6.

Processor

Apple’s iPhone 6 features a 64-bit, dual-core A8 processor from Apple. The processor is powerful enough and extremely efficient helping to deliver excellent iPhone 6 battery life. It’s impossible to compare the A8 to the Galaxy Note 5’s CPU because we don’t know what it will use. What we do know, however, is that Samsung always outfits its Galaxy Note with a powerful chip. The Galaxy Note 5 probably won’t be any different.

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

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 - Exciting Tech 2015

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 also 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.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.