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

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will reportedly get some company later this week. With a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 launch date all but confirmed and a Galaxy Note 5 release date rumored for August, we take a look at what prospective buyers need to know about these two phones ahead of Samsung’s big announcements.

Last year, rumors leading into the fall were all about the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, a fourth-generation Galaxy Note model that eventually replaced the Galaxy Note 3 as the company’s flagship and a device that wowed consumers and critics around the world.

This year, they’re all about the Galaxy Note 4’s replacement, a fifth-generation Galaxy Note, and a device that’s currently called Samsung Galaxy Note 5.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 isn’t official but it may as well be. Samsung’s upcoming flagship has leaked out numerous times in the past few weeks and at this point, many of its features and key dates are all but confirmed. This is big for those who are thinking about buying a new smartphone and more specifically, a smartphone with a big screen.

The Galaxy Note 5 will replace the Galaxy Note 4 as the company’s flagship model but it won’t replace the Galaxy Note 4 completely. Thanks to excellent hardware, updated software and a declining price tag, the Galaxy Note 4 will remain an option and a solid one at that.

With that in mind, we want to take a look at what we know about the Galaxy Note 5 vs. Galaxy Note 4 as we prepare for Samsung’s Unpacked event in New York City.

Galaxy Note 5 Launch Date

Samsung’s hosting an Unpacked event on August 13th in New York City. And while the company hasn’t said what it will be announcing at the show, it’s clear that the date will serve as the Galaxy Note 5’s launch date.

Unpacked events are reserved for Samsung’s biggest smartphones and the Galaxy Note 5 is a flagship and one that it needs to promote (heavily) ahead of the iPhone 6s release later this year. We’re very confident that the Galaxy Note 5 will get shown off on stage on Thursday.

Those of you who are interested in picking up a Galaxy Note 5 or Galaxy Note 4 in the near future would be wise to tune into the company’s live stream on Thursday.

Festivities kick off at 11AM EST and with several products on tap (Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+, Gear A smartwatch, and quite possibly a Galaxy Edge Tab), we expect the event to last for at least an hour while executives try and sell consumers on the new products.

Galaxy Note 5 Release Date

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 release date isn’t confirmed and it’s actually shrouded in a bit of mystery ahead of the device’s upcoming launch date.

We know that Samsung Galaxy Note 5 rumors have pointed to a release on August 21st though we still aren’t sure which regions fall under that date’s umbrella. We’ve heard that it could include South Korea and possibly Japan but that, like the date, is unconfirmed.

We know that the Galaxy Note 5 has cleared the FCC though we’ve only seen the AT&T, Sprint and Verizon Galaxy Note 5 variants gain clearance. This doesn’t mean that the device is going to be limited to those three carriers and we’d be surprised if it didn’t hit T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular. All five carriers host the Galaxy Note 4 (and Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 2) on their network.

Last week, we learned that American retailers are starting to prepare for the Galaxy Note 5 (the Verizon model, anyway) which means that a release date could be just around the corner.

At this point, there’s a very good chance that we’ll see the first Galaxy Note 5 release date arrive in August, it’s just a matter of where.

In the past Samsung’s used staggered release dates and we wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a few different Galaxy Note 5 release dates.

This is the Galaxy Note 5 vs. Galaxy Note 4

The Galaxy Note 5 release date is a bit of a mystery but the Galaxy Note 5 itself isn’t.

We’ve seen rumors hint at the Galaxy Note 5 specs and we’ve even seen the Galaxy Note 5 itself leak out numerous times in the past few days. This is uncharacteristic of Samsung, a company that’s typically been able to keep its flagship designs from leaking out in full ahead of launch.

First, as a reminder, here’s the Galaxy Note 4 from the back.

And now, from the front.

As another reminder, the Galaxy Note 4’s design is made of plastic and metal. And because it uses Samsung’s old design language, it comes with a microSD card slot and removable battery. It also comes with a swipe-based fingerprint sensor (not touch-based like the Galaxy S6’s) and a regular old S Pen holster.

The Galaxy Note 5 isn’t official but we’ve already seen several Galaxy Note 5 photos leak and they’ve outlined pretty much everything you need to know if you’re looking to buy the Galaxy Note 5 or the Galaxy Note 4.

Here is a press image of the Galaxy Note 5 next to the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus courtesy of evleaks.

Earlier this month, Droid-Life gave us an up close and personal look at the Galaxy Note 5’s design in the wild and the photos confirmed several important details. And over the weekend, a new round of Galaxy Note 5 leaks cemented many of these things ahead of launch.

The Galaxy Note 5 looks a whole lot like the Galaxy S6. Like the Galaxy S6, it will feature a new premium design made of glass and metal. The back will be tapered, something that should help with grip. Remember, this is going to be a big phone.

The leaks also confirm some bad news. The device isn’t expected to feature a microSD card slot or a removable battery.

Leaks continue to point to a spring mechanism for the S Pen’s holster, a change from last year’s model, and something that could help make it a little easier to get the device’s stylus out from the bottom corner of the Galaxy Note 5.

We don’t have full confirmed dimensions just yet but Russian blogger Eldur Murtazin claims that the Galaxy Note 5 will be 7.9mm thin. By comparison, the Galaxy Note 4 is 8.5mm.

Galaxy Note 4 vs. Galaxy Note 5 Specs (Rumored)

Nothing is confirmed but we have a pretty good read on just how the Galaxy Note 4 specs will compare to the Galaxy Note 5 specs.

Galaxy Note 4

• 5.7-inch Quad HD display
• Exynos 7 octa-core processor
• 3GB RAM
• 16MP rear camera / 5MP front-facing camera
• 32GB storage with microSD card slot
• 3,220 mAh removable battery
• S Pen stylus
• Android Lollipop

Galaxy Note 5

• 5.7-inch (5.66) Quad HD display
• Exynos 7420 octa-core processor or Exynos 7422 octa-core processor
• 4GB of RAM
• 16MP rear camera / 5MP front-facing camera
• 32GB / 64GB / 128GB internal storage
• 4,000+ mAh battery / 3,000 mAh battery
• S Pen
• Android 5.1.1 Lollipop

So we’re probably looking at the same screen size and resolution and the same base software. The Galaxy Note 4 is just now getting upgraded to Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, an update that brings various bug fixes and enhancements. The Galaxy Note 4 should be better off because of it. There are some key differences though.

They include the change to a newer processor, the inclusion of 4GB of RAM, three storage sizes to offset the lack of a microSD card slot, and a big battery. The Galaxy Note 5 will almost certainly be the most powerful phone Samsung’s ever released.

Cheaper Galaxy Note 4

We still don’t know how much the Galaxy Note 5 will cost but it’s important to note that Samsung recently started dropping the prices of the Galaxy S6 ($199.99 on-contract) and Galaxy S6 Edge ($299.99) to make room for its new premium smartphones.

The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge will probably be cheaper than the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and the same goes for the Galaxy Note 4.

We’ve seen the Galaxy Note 4 price start to dip as we’ve pushed deeper into August and we expect more Galaxy Note 4 deals to emerge in the aftermath of Thursday’s launch. The Galaxy Note 4 price will probably drop at least $100 and maybe more through third-party retailers.

Samsung Note 5 Launch Date Confirmed

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If you're thinking about buying a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 in the United States, the first thing you need to know is that the Galaxy Note 5 launch date is all but confirmed for August. As we mentioned, this is much earlier than IFA 2015. Samsung is reportedly worried about the impact the iPhone could have on the Galaxy Note 5's success so it's launching it a little earlier this year. How early? August 13th early.  The company recently sent out invites for an Unpacked launch event for August 13th in New York City. The company hasn't outlined what it will be announcing there but it saves Unpacked events for its biggest launches. And that means that we'll probably see the Galaxy Note 5, and all of its details, arrive there.  With less than two weeks to go, we expect Galaxy Note 5 rumors to continue as Samsung's plans for the phone's release firm up behind the scenes.

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