yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy Note5 General] jpbl1976:
Well, that's disappointing.

Sammy has so much bloatware that even with hardly anything (I have maybe 200 apps installed -- some people have much more than that), I hardly have any space left (13.3 GB out of a usable 24.5 on my 32GB Note 4). I mean, by hardly, I mean that a Nandroid backup is around ~10GB so without an SD slot, you'd have to go for the 64gb Note V model just to have space for Nandroid backups, music files (assuming you're not really intro streaming or have bad area coverage) and assorted media cruft. All that good stuff goes on my Note 4's 64GB SD card.

Also, the way this is priced -- we're talking around USD900-ish for the 32GB Note V variant aren't we? So it's double the price of the ZTE Axon, which has basically the same specs -- except that it runs on the revised SD810 (hopefully overheating's well and truly fixed) and has 4GB of RAM. I noticed that ZTE doesn't put its logo on the front bezel and it's actually a nice device -- looks a bit like the HTC One X based on the renders. Meanwhile, the UI looks like it'll be very close to stock Lollipop, which is a plus (though not as much if Sammy gives the Note V its SGS6 theme engine).

... oh well. Looks like I have alternatives, at least. I love my Note 4 but I always prefer to have the newest thing -- it just might not be Samsung's new thing this time around.
[Galaxy Note5 General] kabuk1:
This is pretty much how I feel. Mediocre spec bump & 2 major features removed- how is this an upgrade, again?

If all these rumors are true, I'll definitely be keeping my N4 for a while. Samsung is going in a really weird direction lately and I don't like it at all. I've had nothing but Samsung phones for almost 4 years now, but I think this will most likely be my last one. I'll be looking at LG or Sony when my upgrade comes due.
[Galaxy Note5 General] ThaiM:
The Note 4 is the end of the line flagship device for Samsung. Debating on getting the 4 or if something better comes along. But I need to upgrade my Note 2 yesteryear.
[Galaxy Note5 General] Batfink33:
The annoying thing is, I really like the way Samsung is heading design wise, but every other direction they're going I is not good. I've already swapped my Note 4 for an S6 Edge and even with the new Touchwiz, it's still too bloated. If they're going to start removing sd card slots and removable battery's then they must completely debloat their Roms, remove Knox and actually give a reason to buy their phones. They're heading or already have gone too much in IPhone direction, totally locked down and unable to do anything with your phone. Unfortunately, I see most major Android phons manufacturers also heading that way too.
[Galaxy Note5 General] pacc:
I really don't like the way Note 5 is planning out to be:

- No micro sd slot

- No replaceable battery

- Breakable glass back

- All those region locks, knox, and extreme bloatware

- Minor spec bumps

- Sluggish and very dated firmware updates.

- Poor support during the first 2 years, and absolutely none after 2 years.

Micro sd is always an important key feature, regardless if you use it or not, it will be very well integrated in Android M code.
[Galaxy Note5 General] toofimoofi:
http://www.sammobile.com/2015/07/16/galaxy-note-5-3d-renders-show-what-the-device-might-look-like/
[Galaxy Note5 General] toofimoofi:
http://www.sammobile.com/2015/07/16/galaxy-note-5-and-galaxy-s6-edge-plus-stop-by-the-fcc/
[Galaxy Note5 General] kolembo:
Thank God I got the Note 4 then. Unless the 5 is coming with 128 internal, not interested.

It's the note. I do EVERYTHING on it.
[Galaxy Note5 General] wase4711:
take it from someone who has a note 4 and a s6 edge, you can definatley live with out a sd card, with all the free cloud storage that is out there; and, if they give it a big enough battery, and wireless charging, its not an issue, as you can easily wireless charge while the phone is on your desk/night stand. Not having an sd card makes things like backups/restores/file activity super fast, which is a big advantage..

The BIG downside is with an Exxnos processor, there will be little if any development, so if you like to flash alot of roms, you will be SORELY disappointed..

Samsung doesnt seem to release Exnos source very readily, and without it, you wont get much development; just check the s6/s6 edge forums and you will see what I mean. There are a couple of touch wiz based roms, and thats it.

I like my s6 Edge, but I am dumping it for a Nexus soon; keep that in mind before you line up for a Note 5....
[Galaxy Note5 General] pacc:
Cloud fails in many ways:

- When data plan runs out

- When without network signal

- Subject to slow networks

- When abroad

- Drains battery

- No “real” privacy with cloud.

I’m sure there’s a lot more…

Some of us just want to have micro sd slot option available.

I don't believe it’s only because of the controller, Samsung removing micro sd slot is all about money and policy. Samsung are getting control freaks and following the steps of Apple. Samsung started region locks, knox, unusual behavior of bloatware, etc… all of which are not of consumer interest. Samsung is also selling Galaxy owners to other companies with partnerships like, microsoft, dropbox, flipboard, yahoo, hancom, evernote, cisco, bloomberg, etc.

I'm looking forward to the next Nexus devices, which hopefully will be bloat free, always updated with latest android version and cheaper.
[Galaxy Note5 General] ThaiM:
No such thing as unlimited data here in Canada. And we pay $80+ a month for 500mb of data. Cloud is not an option. No MicroSD = fail.
[Galaxy Note5 General] LuthorKid:
Shut up Samsung and don't take my money!!
[Galaxy Note5 General] wase4711:
well, its obviously cheaper for Samsung to make phones without an sd card, and it also cuts down on warranty costs ..plus, sealing up the back of the phone keeps people out of there, so that saves them money as well, warranty wise

also, they see apple selling allmost 100 million iphones with out a removable battery and no sd card, and figure thats what the market wants, so they move that way..
[Galaxy Note5 General] toofimoofi:
Cloud isnt an option for microsd. For f sake i dont wanna be online everytime i wanna see stuff in my gallery.
[Galaxy Note5 General] wase4711:
well, if its like the s6/s6 edge, you'll have your choice of 32/64/128 gigs, plenty of room to keep your pictures on your phone
[Galaxy Note5 General] speedyjay:
Nothing is confirmed until Samsung say so..
[Galaxy Note5 General] xdm9mm:
Well whyvwould I buy a samsung without microsd support and bad customer support? If I was left with only samsung vs iphone now, I will buy the iphone due to customer support. But there are other alternatives so **** you Samsung. I kept saying this before withevery samsung phone I oqned that it will be the last samsung phone I would buy but I kept swallowing my words and pride. But this I say now that the Note 4 will be my last samsung phone. **** you samsung....
[Galaxy Note5 General] toofimoofi:
Samsung is playing russian rulette with Note5. new spen mechanism as well.

http://www.sammobile.com/2015/07/17/galaxy-note-5-cases-appear-online-what-about-that-s-pen-though/
[Galaxy Note5 General] apprentice:
"...if you don’t get expandable storage on the Galaxy Note 5, you shouldn’t write it off because of that single reason. Samsung’s new optimized TouchWiz coupled with the productivity features on the Note lineup, plus the company’s top-notch hardware - its processor, displays, cameras and new-found design chops – are sure to make for a phone that is notably better than the Galaxy S6 and possibly the best on the market at launch. Removable battery is another feature that might be killed off with the Note 5, but those unwilling to look past the lack of these features is bound to be left on the wayside while the rest of us enjoy the excellent flagships we know Samsung will continue to launch in the future."

I am probably going to get flamed, but I kind of agree with this statement. I was jumping on the angry band wagon when I heard Samsung were dropping the SD card and removable battery from their phones... but I took a step back and thought to myself... when was the last time I bought a spare battery for a phone? probably 3 years ago. My heavy usage still maintains a 1+ day of charge. How many times do I swap out my SD card? Almost never and my 64Gb card is still only 50% full after 12 months of 'bordering on app-junky status' apps and media consumption. I realised I was just moaning about it because everyone else was. I think I am going to be quite happy with UFS 2.0 and wireless charging. I paid a lot of money for wireless charging cases and memory cards in my time, so there's a plus straight away. I am also certain that OTG will be available for those transfer jobs 'as and when' too. So I am steering clear of that band wagon for now.

.
[Galaxy Note5 General] wase4711:
you're 100% correct, when it comes to not missing the sd card for storage. amd the removable battery; wireless charging makes a removable battery not much of an issue..Hopefully its a big enough battery, because battery life is horrible on my S6 Edge, so I leave in on the wireless charger as much as possible, otherwise, you won't get a full day of heavy use out of it.

where this will be an epic fail to many XDA users, is the fact that when a phone uses the Exnos Chip, there is virtually no development with it, since Samsung doesnt really release source info for exnos based phones, and since the note series has traditionally had tons of development for it, that issue alone will make alot of people stay away from the note 5.

But, if you dont care about that, I am sure it will be a great phone, and super popular with the masses..
[Galaxy Note5 General] bonerp:
unless you happen to not work by a plug or want to carry your charger around all day.

Its a poor decision by Samsung to take away 2 key benefits (SD card also) of owning the note....up to now.
[Galaxy Note5 General] wase4711:
true, but external charging solutions are so chesp now, its easy to always have some extra power..

plus, here again, they see how successful Apple is with no replaceable battery/external sd card, and they figure, why not...
[Galaxy Note5 General] toofimoofi:
I have 4 x 4500mah battery and a 128gb microsd card that is full of emulator roms. Microsd and swappable battery is a must for a lot of us. Its usefull for clean flash/backup. Its usefull for images and videos. To be honest I cant have enough space. And when ur outside and use your phone you cant rely on online connectivity all the time and its not cheap either to use mobile data and even if u do have unlilited mobile data its slow to download every HD video/image and alnost all operators have a speed cap when u pass certain usage.

Same with battery. When u have in 4g, bright screen and sometimes bluetooth and gps, the battery wont last more then few hours.

There are many users who need these features.
[Galaxy Note5 General] apprentice:
It's true, I understand that. But the key statement you made was "Many users"

It's all about 'majority' consumers. There are obviously less modders out there than your average spotty Facebook and Instagram Joes. I am a power user, I love to get under the hood with my devices and have a choice to swap out my SD card and battery... but I know I am in the minority of what constitutes a typical user. Samsung (just like other OEM's) are in business for the money, not to appeal to us modding communities. People say here that they will never buy another Samsung, is not going to really put a dent in Samsung's success. They will produce what they believe will be a profit maker.

Switching to another OEM will result in the same thing eventually. LG are putting SD card slots in their phones... for now. But for how long? So I will probably buy a Note 5 and give it a chance to win me over if not then I will look at other options.
[Galaxy Note5 General] toofimoofi:
No matter how you look at it, they will loose dedicated costumers such as myself that have samsung phone, tab and tv. And we upgrade our stuff more frequently then basic user that have samsung one day and sony or iphone another day.
[Galaxy Note5 General] wase4711:
Exactly; samsung couldnt care less about a few thousand lost sales from xda users...

LG locks their bootloaders down tight, HTC isn't alot better, even if they survive another couple of years, so, if you want a phone you can mod, its gonna have to be a nexus, a one plus one, or one of the other "off brand" phones starting to come to market.

the days of lots of modding of OEM type phone is over,unfortunately, IMO...
[Galaxy Note5 General] Near_07:
Exactly what im thinking. Its hard to mod with non removable battery. . The risk is doubled. . Note 4 would be the last pool of modding. .

Sent galing sa puso ko
[Galaxy Note5 General] pacc:
At this point I obviously see no reason to get the Note 5, I will rather wait for a Nexus phone with SD820 or even Kirin950, which will be cheaper, give me timely firmware updates, without bloatware, with better and longer support.
[Galaxy Note5 General] wase4711:
its not the lack of removable battery that eliminates the modding, its the Exxnos chip in the phone..

You can restart any samsung phone with a sealed back without issues...
[Galaxy Note5 General] spexwood:
Just a comment about using Cloud over micro SD.

1) Cloud use means data use, so unless carriers start offering truly unlimited (no throttling, capping, etc) for same price as my 3GB/mo, then I'm not going to stream my music from the Cloud. And I listen to lots of music and for hours throughout the day.

2) Cloud use requires data coverage, so if you're in an area where coverage is spotty, then you can't do things like listen to music. Or what if you're on an airplane where you aren't technically supposed to have your phone on unless in Airplane Mode? No music via Cloud then either.

3) Constantly using data to listen to music will eat your battery MUCH faster than when using Micro SD.

So conclusion?

Using Cloud over micro SD is just stupid and is not a replacement. I'm not buying a Note 5 either way since I'm stuck with my Note 4 fir 2 years, but any phone or tablet that doesn't have micro SD will NEVER have my business unless it has like 192GB of internal storage (equivalent of 64GB internal storage + 128GB of external storage).
[Galaxy Note5 General] toofimoofi:
Well said. Not to mention the time it takew to download media from cloud !! Even on wifi. Compared to reading media from a sdcard!
[Galaxy Note5 General] Batfink33:
As much as we on XDA like sd cards, removable battery's and unlocked Rom flashable SOCs, we're in the minority as 99% of the general public don't care. Look at the IPhone sales to see this. Samsung and most other phone companies (LG with their locked boitloaders) don't care about the 1% of us. The way it's heading in the next few years is that we'll have to buy Nexus phones to be able to flash new Roms and even they don't have an Sd card. Samsung may be leading the Android way in this locked down behaviour, but the rest will follow.
[Galaxy Note5 General] hello00:
the 1st iphone never had a sd slot so the apple fans were starting to get used to not having a sd slot on their iphones..as for samsung, look for example the s6..they did horrible with their sales
[Galaxy Note5 General] Rebel021:
Thats why smartphones aren't for dumb people......

If I wanted this boring crap I would have stuck with a massively overpriced iphone.

Between locked bootloaders,knox,massive bloatware and now no sd slot and removable battery this will be my last samsung.

Oneplus one or nexus for me next.

Oh and the ridiculous amount of time for software updates its just turning into bull**** now
[Galaxy Note5 General] Batfink33:
I think the S6 sales are poor because the general public don't like Touchwiz, it's the major factor with Samsung. Nevermind debloatimg it a little, they need to remove it and go more AOSP like. I don't know how many times I've heard "I like the IPhone because it's simple and fast", Touchwiz is still a bloated mess. Lollipop too is a bit of a disaster, no wonder the IPhone continues to sell so well.

As for software updates, Samsung are no better or worse than most of the other major manufacturers, you need to go for a Nexus or a phone that has good support and where custom Roms can be flashed for day 1 software updates.
[Galaxy Note5 General] kabuk1:
I don't think it's just a few select nerds that care about the sd card. In every article I read about the note 5, even on facebook, the comment section is full of "no card = no sale" type comments. Lots of people use cards and they won't buy a phone with no expandable storage.
[Galaxy Note5 General] Near_07:
Note 3 final design is note 4 note 5 final design is note 6. . Better wait for note 6

thanks button is always free ??
[Galaxy Note5 General] senectus:
+1

No MicroSD is a big drawback for me, but no user replaceable battery is a show stopper. I can burn through 2 batteries a day easy sometimes... depending on how much gaming i'm doing.
[Galaxy Note5 General] KindleTester:
I don't like that they removed the SD card feature for a couple of reasons, the 128GB S6 nowadays is unicorn, I hear about it but it is not available in the local market + it is in available in all countries.

the 64GB is always out of stock, and with the new apps and games that you can have on your device they take so much space, on average I would say 700mb each (decent graphical games) where it would go up to 2-3 GB some of them.

Working in a remote area away in the desert I've got a lot of colleagues loading their Note4 devices SD cards with movies or even psOne games Images which would take easily 3-5gb each game.

though I agree it would improve the device performance and I hope they make the 128GB available everywhere
[Galaxy Note5 General] hello00:
64gb nowadays is a joke
[Galaxy Note5 General] MMarkkk:
64 GB vs 32 GB

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note_5-7431.php 64GB

http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-5_id9462 32GB
[Galaxy Note5 General] ciscostud:
Can't find the link I was reading at work but no joke I read the Note 5 will have a microsd slot.
[Galaxy Note5 General] wase4711:
so far every single leak says there is no sd card, but of course until samsung announces it officially, you cant be 100 % certain..

My prediction is no sd card, no removable battery
[Galaxy Note5 General] fredphoesh:
Agreed.

In the "old days" you would put all your media on an SD card. These days you stream most the stuff... I hardly use my sd card, only for backing up my titanium backups before flashing a rom... but inevitably I don't need it.
[Galaxy Note5 General] ciscostud:
It looks like it will have sd after all...

http://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_galax...ed_on_august_13_with_microsdxc-news-13183.php
[Galaxy Note5 General] wase4711:
nothing but a rumor, as said before, none of this means anything until samsung announces it..

there have been 50 "leaks" saying no sd card, and this is the first one that says there is, so no one knows what is coming at this point

based on the S6 and S6 edge, I doubt there will be a sd card or a removable battery
[Galaxy Note5 General] toofimoofi:
Theyre all refering to a generic Sprint ad. It shows note5 with 3gb as well. So the sd info is just incorrect..there will be no sd :(
[Galaxy Note5 General] stateit:
There's lots of us who don't live or work in cities, where mobile coverage is patchy or non-existent. So "the cloud" and "streaming" is fanciful myth most of the time you're not at home.
[Galaxy Note5 General] Batfink33:
I agree, I like sd card support but, most of the general phone buying public don't care. The crazy high IPhone sales and falling Android sales prove this. It's not a deal breaker for most people.
[Galaxy Note5 General] AlbertoMLG:
I don't understand. Samsung better be doing a 32 GB minimum model as the iPhone in their next batch.
[Galaxy Note5 General] rushless:
Samsung (like a lot of other big companies) are notorious for operating in a bubble. The lack of sd had little to do with hardware design and a lot more to do with testing if iPhone's storage pricing model would work for them. From a total cost and weighted average, Samsung could make more money like Apple's model, but Android users have more options than the iPhone centric users committed to their app and accessory ecosystem. The catch is the lack of sd and replaceable battery caused consumers to go to other options, or hold on to their current devices. The S6 and Edge have been sales disasters still cloaked in sell-in retail numbers, rather than actual consumer sell through sales. Analysts have already called them out on this. My friends in corporate and consumers Verizon sales all state the lack of sd slot and removable battery hurt sales (especially the lack of sd slot).

I will be surprised if there really is a micro sd slot since the lead-time to make a change would have been before the S6 released, so they would not see the sales hit. IF there is a sd slot, it is not due to the sales performance of the S6.

Added: IMO the N4 still rocks, so no need to upgrade. If a sd slot and had a 4K display for VR, I would have considered it. Gear VR with 1440p has lots of screen door effect due to 720 split and pentile display design. 4K displays probably will not happen until they get under 14nm for chipsets since they run too hot pushing a GPU with 4K display.
[Galaxy Note5 General] EP2008:
It's ridiculous that a phone shooting 4k video wouldn't have external memory card support. What will they do in a few years when we are shooting 4k 3d? Give us 1TB internal storage? Pfffff.
[Galaxy Note5 General] rushless:
No more ridiculous than carriers having 2GB data caps and pushing LTE hi-def content ;) Just a few videos and that cap is tapped.

Samsung was hoping they could apply the same model as iPhone and so far it has backfired. The more Samsung tries to act like Apple, the more marketshare Apple takes since less differentiation. You would think their execs have went to at least one basic marketing class in college. This all could be higher up management decisions and the people that know better do not want to be "no" people, so keep saying "yes".
[Galaxy Note5 General] Batfink33:
I would argue that it's mostly Androids fault that Apple have had a massive sales increase with the IPhone 6 and Android devices a decrease. Lollipop has been a mess whilst IOS is smooth and uncomplicated. No doubt its partly Samsungs fault but Google have to take a large dose of responsibility.
[Galaxy Note5 General] Burgscheinkerkdeiktraast:
Again - majority don't care about SD or battery.

XDA geeks are MARGIN, I don't think even 0.5% of users.

So what do you want to achieve by this moaning about SD card and battery?
[Galaxy Note5 General] fz9999:
Really? Who are you to talk on my behalf?

So the 'majority' don't care about an SD card or removable battery, where do you get that scientific analysis from?!

Most of the guys in my office (who don't already own an iphone!) would rather have a phone with an SD card and removable battery, and they don't read XDA :laugh: Not scientific either, but ask Samsung how sales of the S6 are going lol
[Galaxy Note5 General] Batfink33:
How do you account for the massive IPhone sales and share of the market then?
[Galaxy Note5 General] Burgscheinkerkdeiktraast:
You office may be similar to XDA in terms of "thinking".

It does not make general trend.

People with low income say they don't believe average salary 3x their income because THEY don't know anyone who earns that in their work environment.

Again, general trend is - no SD card and no easy access to the battery. Simple as that.

*****ing will not change this, perhaps if 20 000 XDA users buy a few trucks of tomatoes in front of Sammy's offices then maybe they would see something.

They are not stupid to throw money out. If SD card\battery were "a must be" then Samsung wouldn't sell millions of phones every year.