Buy the Galaxy Note 4 or Wait for the Galaxy Note 5?

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 reigns as one of Samsung’s top smartphone options and it will continue to do so for months to come. That hasn’t stopped people from asking us about the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, the presumed successor to last year’s model. We’ve received a ton of questions but the most prominent one is: “Should I buy the Galaxy Note 4 now or wait for the Galaxy Note 5 release?” Here, we attempt to answer that question for as many people as possible.

Throughout the year, we get asked tons of questions about smartphones. In particular, readers, friends and family want advice on what to buy and more importantly, when to buy. These are extremely difficult questions to answer because everyone’s situation is a little bit different. Money, upgrades, and other preferences like Android and iOS all play a part.

We try to intelligently answer as many of these questions as possible but there comes a point in time where we feel the need to speak up and answer these questions for the masses. Today, we want to answer a question that we’ve been getting since October. A question about the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.

We haven’t seen too many Samsung Galaxy Note 5 rumors emerge yet but that’s not the least bit surprising. The Galaxy Note 4 is only a few months old and it figures to remain on top for the foreseeable future. Still, consumers are curious about Samsung’s expected Galaxy Note 5 release later this year and have begun to ask questions about it.

People want to know if the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is worth waiting for. We aren’t armed with inside information and we don’t have many rumors to go off of but this is a process that we’ve been through many times before so we do have a pretty strong opinion on the subject.

“Should I Buy the Galaxy Note 4 or Wait for the Galaxy Note 5?”

Today, we’re going to take the bait and try to answer the “Buy the Galaxy Note 4 or wait for the Galaxy Note 5” question for as many people as we possibly can. Remember, this is just one opinion and we encourage you to seek out the opinion of other experts as we push towards a possible Galaxy Note 5 release date later this year.

Galaxy Note 5 Release Isn’t Close

Before we get to our final advice, we want to rundown a few things you prospective Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy Note 4 buyers need to know about. The first thing that you should know is that the Galaxy Note 5 release is probably very far off in the distance. One rumor suggests that we could see it arrive earlier this year, in August, but even that presents a sizable wait.

Samsung’s typical smartphone release cycle usually looks something like this. A Galaxy S release in the first half of the year followed by a Galaxy Note release towards the end of the year to bolster its holiday sales. It’s a tactic that the company has used for four years and counting and it’s one that we expect to see this time around too.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 is already looking like it will arrive in the same window and we haven’t seen any Galaxy Note 5 rumor pick up, a sign that the device is probably still far over the horizon. An arrival in September is the safest bet at this point.

While we realize that many of you know about this cycle, a majority of people don’t. If you do decide to wait for the Galaxy Note 5, know that you’re going to be biding your time.

Powerful Galaxy Note 5

We haven’t seen any notable Galaxy Note 5 rumors emerge but it’s pretty easy to put together a list of expectations. Samsung’s pretty predictable when it comes to the technology it fastens to its flagships and we don’t expect a huge change this year if it does opt to release a new Galaxy Note. Look for improvements to the display, processor, camera, design, software, and more.

 

Samsung’s hardware and software changes tend to be pretty significant though not everyone is going to need them. If you’re a power user, there’s certainly some incentive to wait for the Galaxy Note 5 spec sheet to arrive. If you’re an average smartphone user, you’re not going to need all of the bells and whistles on your device.

Especially not with the current Galaxy Note 4 able to check off most boxes for smartphone shoppers.

Galaxy Note 4

The current Galaxy Note is the Galaxy Note 4, a successor to the Galaxy Note 3, and a device that we absolutely love. It comes with pretty much anything an average user might need. A beautiful 5.7-inch Quad HD display. A solid camera. A speedy processor that’s able to handle multitasking and gaming with ease. A design that combines plastic and metal. A fingerprint sensor for added convenience. Solid software and a new S Pen.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 is arguably the best big screen smartphone on the market. It’s certainly on par with the iPhone 6 Plus. It’s a device that is absolutely worth considering if you’re in the hunt for a new smartphone, especially one with a massive display. And its traits will make waiting for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 extremely difficult and extremely hard to recommend.

More Options Incoming

Instead of thinking about the Galaxy Note 5, we think you should be thinking about a few other rumored devices, especially if you’re not willing to wait eight to nine months for a Galaxy Note 5 to emerge.

In early March, HTC is expected to release an HTC One M8 successor, a device that’s currently known as the HTC One M9. There are also rumors that point to a larger model, an HTC One M9 Plus, that could rival the Galaxy Note 4 and perhaps, the Galaxy Note 5 as well.

A day later, Samsung is rumored to have a Galaxy S6 launch on tap. The Galaxy S6 is expected to replace last year’s Galaxy S5 and it’s rumored to have a ton of massive changes including a beautiful 5.5-inch display, next-gen processor, improved camera, software that’s toned down, and a brand new fingerprint sensor. It’s also thought to have a design made from premium materials.

Our point is that the Galaxy Note 5 isn’t the only device worth waiting for. If it were us, we’d be waiting (at this point) to weigh the Galaxy S6 (at the very least) next to the Galaxy Note 4 and go from there.

Bottom Line

The bottom line is that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is one of the best smartphones available, that the Galaxy Note 5 is still very much in the distance and that there are other devices that you should have your eye on right now if you’re thinking about waiting.

If you’re on-contract, you’ve done your research and you want a new phone right now, there’s nothing wrong with buying the Galaxy Note 4 right now. It’s powerful, it’s sleek and there’s a good chance it will steal some of the Galaxy Note 5’s software features in the future. If you don’t care about having the latest hardware or having first access to the newest software, we’d skip the long wait and go with the Galaxy Note 4.

Would we break a contract to buy it? Probably not. If you’re on-contract for the foreseeable future, we’d go ahead and wait. Just make sure you keep the Galaxy S6 and HTC One M9 in mind if you do.