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Galaxy Note 5 vs. Galaxy Note 3: 10 Important Details

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Those who bought the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in 2013 will be coming off contract later this year. And one of the more intriguing upgrade options will be the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, a device that is quickly becoming the massive elephant in the room. With Galaxy Note 5 rumors firming up, we want to take a look the most important things Galaxy Note 3 upgraders need to know as we push into summer.

At IFA 2013, Samsung took the stage and announced its third-generation Galaxy Note 3, a device that replaced the Galaxy Note 2 as the company’s flagship. At the time, the Galaxy Note series was one of only a few mainstream big screen smartphone options and many people flocked to it signing new two year contracts in the process.

We’re now almost two years removed from the Galaxy Note 3 release. It’s an exciting time for those that have stuck it out this long because it means that a potential upgrade is near. Devices like the Galaxy Note 4, iPhone 6 Plus and LG G4 are tempting but there’s another device looming on the horizon, a fifth-generation Galaxy Note dubbed Samsung Galaxy Note 5.

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Galaxy Note 3 -  Cameras

For months, we’ve heard stories about the Galaxy Note 5 and what it might offer to upgraders. In the past two weeks we’ve started to see Galaxy Note 5 rumors start to firm up to the point that we now have a pretty vivid picture of an unreleased phone.

The Galaxy Note 5 launch date, Galaxy Note 5 release date and Galaxy Note 5 specs aren’t confirmed but we have some solid leads. With those in mind, we want to take a look at how the Galaxy Note 5 is stacking up with the Galaxy Note 3. Nothing is confirmed until Samsung confirms it but these details will help you start to formulate a plan as we push deeper into July towards the Galaxy Note 5 launch.

If You Don't Like the Galaxy Note 5...

If You Don't Like the Galaxy Note 5...

Before we get into what you can expect if you decide to upgrade from the Galaxy Note 3 to a Galaxy Note 5, we want to address those of you that might be thinking about buying the Galaxy Note 3 over the Galaxy Note 5, or more importantly, the Galaxy Note 4. In a word: Don't.

At this point, there is no reason to buy the Galaxy Note 3 unless you absolutely must have a Galaxy Note right now. The Galaxy Note 3 is a solid phone but the Galaxy Note 4 is better. Better design, better performance, better camera, better software support, better S Pen. 

We've been using the Galaxy Note 4 for close to a year now and we recently put together a list of things we still love about the Galaxy Note 4. The list includes its price point which has started falling as we approach the Galaxy Note 5 launch. 

The best Galaxy Note 4 deals will probably after the Galaxy Note 5 launch so if you can wait a few weeks, you should wait a few weeks to see what retailers and carriers do. And if you decide that you absolutely must have the Galaxy Note 3 over the Note 4/Note 5, it'll probably be cheaper too.

Now that that's out of the way, let's take a look at what Samsung's going to be using to try and get you Galaxy Note 3 owners to upgrade. 

30 Comments

30 Comments

  1. Ukandroid

    07/16/2015 at 5:34 pm

    Do Samsung seriously think I will sacrifice the removable battery and card slot on my Note 3 for a Note 5 that is widely rumoured to have neither?

    I am far more likely to ğo for the LG4+ or the Oneplus2. Samsung would have to do something amazing to get me back.

    • myopinion

      07/16/2015 at 5:40 pm

      agree 100%. no SDcard and removable battery. Bye Samsung

    • Mark

      07/16/2015 at 6:18 pm

      Oh yeah, absolutely. My S5 is worth more to me than the S6 or a Note5 if there’s no ability to change batteries or add SD card storage. The LG G4 is really an outstanding device for the $$$. But I’m going to wait for the fall lineup to come out to 1) take advantage of specials and discounts / rebates and 2) a wider selection of new devices.

    • larry michii

      07/17/2015 at 2:47 pm

      i agree. bye samsung. this article sounds more like an ad. the battery and sd slot are deal breakers for me. prob get lg g4 pro. really disappointing.

      • Mark

        07/17/2015 at 3:17 pm

        Larry, if you were looking at a Samsung Note 5 Phablet, why wouldn’t you be more interested in the LG G4 instead of the G4 Pro that is smaller?

  2. Bill

    07/16/2015 at 6:04 pm

    Agreed. I keep everything on my SD card. And no exchangeable battery is a no go. I all ready have wireless charging on my Note 3. I see no need to upgrade to another Samsung phone if this is there approach now and in the future.

  3. Eric

    07/16/2015 at 6:16 pm

    Note 3 owner here saying, “not a chance in hell.”

    Samsung, you were so high up there and have fallen so far because you listened to reviewers, not your customers.

  4. Mark

    07/16/2015 at 6:24 pm

    My wife just got her last Samsung phone, the Galaxy Note Edge. Still a removable battery and SD card slot. She loves it but unfortunately for Samsung, unless they stop making eyephone wannabes we’ll never buy another Samsung phone or phablet

  5. Bjs

    07/16/2015 at 6:32 pm

    This whole article merely summarizes rumors. None of what was started had been confirmed. All these writers act as I’d they know the facts when none have yet been disclosed. So many contradictions. Sammobile claims release set for August 21, 2015

  6. John Simpson

    07/16/2015 at 6:39 pm

    If it has no removable battery or no MicroSD you can bet I will jump on a Note 4, not note 5. Both of those features are critical to me.

  7. Bill

    07/16/2015 at 7:52 pm

    I’m hoping BlackBerry comes out with an Android phone soon. I miss the keyboard on the Classic.

  8. significantpickle

    07/16/2015 at 8:05 pm

    No removable battery or SD card? Deal breaker. I’ve been holding off buying a new phone waiting for the Note 5. Looks like a different company will be getting my money, now.

    • significantpickle

      09/07/2015 at 7:39 am

      Well, looks like it’s verified that Samsung screwed up. I’m getting my LG G4, now. Goodbye, Samsung.

  9. Gaoussou Traore

    07/16/2015 at 10:11 pm

    Samsung it going to break its face with this Note 5. The note 5 is going to be a wet phone without the sdcard slot the removable battery not to mention waterproofing.I don’t get it, other manufactures upgrade their hardware while Samsung keeps removing features not one by one, but 3 at the same time with the GS6 for example..Samsung has just being disappointing these days…They thing is people already got used to Apple’s devices, but Samsung you cannot just bring us an Android Apple Phone and expect people to be happy with it…No No and No WAY too much

  10. SupersStarMaui

    07/17/2015 at 12:16 am

    I had waited patiently for tbe Galaxy s6. But with no removable battery or sd slot, I said no.
    Now hoping that the note 5 has a removable battery and sd slot.

    If not, I will forever stop buying all Samsung products. No cells, no TV s, no camera, etc….

    • Mark

      07/17/2015 at 11:16 am

      Take a hard look at the LG G4, nice device with all the features of the Samsung Galaxy S5, but larger screen and more !

  11. Bl

    07/17/2015 at 7:12 am

    Not everyone has 2 yr contracts anymore. Some upgrade every year on programs like the next with AT&T. I’m expecting more out of the Note 5 with sd card included if they leave this out its bye bye sales from thousands of dedicated note fans including me.

    • Mark

      07/17/2015 at 11:20 am

      Absolutely, Samsung is shooting themselves in the foot left and right.

  12. Billman

    07/17/2015 at 7:37 am

    Same here…I will be looking at the LG 4 Pro if the Note 5 doesn’t have a removable battery or SD card slot. I refuse to pay for extra space on the cloud and carry the crappy insurance offered since the battery won’t be worth a dam after a year.

  13. John

    07/17/2015 at 3:28 pm

    Welp, I’ve been with Samsung since the Note 1. Time to think about alternatives. I was a faithful HTC user from the Windows Mobile days. Sammy won me over with Note 1.

    Non removable battery makes the phone disposable. Let’s face it, no matter how good the battery tech has come with LiPol, they still deteriorate over time.

    We want sd cards to hold our expanding digital media. Why can’t they see that? They are betting that they can profit from cloud services partnerships. As sdhc cards exceed 128gb for less than $100, loss of sd card is a deal breaker

  14. Deadass

    07/17/2015 at 4:43 pm

    I’m joining the exodus party if Samsung decides to forego the replaceable battery and dumps the SD card. These things are non-negotiable to me and many others as well. I am a Note 3 user and love this smartphone. As far as LG phones go, I would never go back to them. Their attitude is if you want a software update for your LG phone install it yourself or better yet buy one of our new phones cause we won’t give you one.

    • Mark

      07/17/2015 at 5:01 pm

      I believe that LG has learned their lesson with regard to getting updates out to their customers in a reasonable amount of time. They released the LG G4 with lollipop 5.1 and are hard at work getting ready to release 5.1.1 update with the phone only being a couple of months old. That’s actually faster than Samsung releases their Android updates. I’m seriously considering the G4 as my next device if Samsung goes the way of the iPhone. If you haven’t seen the specs of the G4, take a look it’s impressive.

  15. Todd

    07/17/2015 at 6:24 pm

    No microSD card, no removable battery, no sale.

  16. Dirkfaam

    07/20/2015 at 12:06 am

    I’m a long time Samsung customer and I think this is going to end, because Samsung isn’t as smart as I thought. No removable battery, no external SD? Unbelievable stupid!

  17. note2

    07/21/2015 at 1:42 pm

    No sd card and not removable battery is instant NO BUY for me. Currently I’m still using Note2+Zerolemon 9300mAh battery. Great combo, but I want more recent phone.

    If note5 will be without those critical things it will be very foolish from samsung. I cant stand lame stock batteries with their miserable stats. If I cant change default crap battery right away its no buy.

    Same goes for sd card. I had more than 10 000 photos on my note2 64GB sd card. Yes, its greatly slowed showing those photos in gallery, but I moved them to PC. Problem solved.

    When traveling deep in jungle or mountains in foreign coutries, there is no “cloud” for storage. microsd card is great and instant solution for storage.

    For me it seems note5 will be boring :(
    1. no stereo speakers – WHY SAMSUNG WHY?
    2. no microsd card = NO BUY
    3. non remobable battery = NO BUY
    4. water proof = No again ???
    5. insane screen which will “eat” baterry? Why samsung? I would be happy with 1080p if its consumes battery.
    6. Please make your bloatware apps removable/optional install (again, due to battery reasons).

    • Mark

      07/21/2015 at 4:54 pm

      Samsung’s biggest problem is that they’re listening to the pundits and not the consumers.

  18. R briggs

    08/12/2015 at 6:31 pm

    No removable sd card or battery. .no money from me. I’ll go LG

  19. Arlene

    08/29/2015 at 1:49 pm

    I also am not happy about the battery and SD card situation. Bye samsung.

  20. Mike

    09/08/2015 at 6:24 pm

    Note3 heavy hitter here! USB3, IR Blaster, 128gB SD card installed, 10A Zero Lemon battery wt NFC installed, so what yall think? Note5 is missing some features that makes me think it’s a retrograde!!!

  21. Bob Clark

    02/17/2016 at 10:54 am

    Is Samsung reading any of these, do they care about lost business, maybe not but I’m hoping.

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