5 Reasons to Skip the Galaxy Note 5

No IR Sensor for Remote Controls.

One more thing that seems to be flying under the radar with the Note 5 release is the Infrared sensor or blaster that has been on the top of all Samsung devices over the past few years. Samsung Galaxy Note devices, the Galaxy S6, and even tablets all have an IR sensor that acts as a remote control.

With the small and cheap IR port on the top I control the entire home theater in my living room from my Galaxy S5 and new Galaxy S6. The Peel remote app allows me to control the TV, DVR, Cable Box, home theater surround sound, Netflix and even the air conditioner in my home. I use a spare Galaxy S5 in the bedroom for a remote as well, since that TV's remote is broken.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 appears to have lost the IR sensor completely. A few rumors suggested it was missing, it's not present in any of the recently leaked photos, so we believe it was also scrapped. This is odd, because it's a cheap piece to add, and managed to stay on the Galaxy S6, but appears to be a thing of the past with the Galaxy Note 5.

Considering many Note 5 owners use it for presentations, slideshows and more with the S-Pen stylus, using it as a remote control was one more useful feature, but a feature we won't get this year from the Galaxy Note 5.

Not everyone uses the IR sensor, but I love it, and am sad to see it missing.