[Galaxy Note5 General] asrebel:
My Note 5 experience (not a spec comparison)

I apologize. I know my post was somewhat scattered after coming off no sleep, but today won't be much better as I only slept 4 hours last night.

The Note 5 wasn't a shock for me. I work in the tech industry and I enjoy learning about new technology or features + to be frank the Note 5 features / applications are more evolutionary than revolutionary.

It wasn't that there were specific features I could perform with the Note 4 that I couldn't on the Note 5. (Well there are e.g. IR Blaster, but it's not the point, which is why my post focused more on my experiences than a spec or feature comparison). It was almost like when I moved from the Android platform to an iPhone 5 for 2 weeks. I had to make compromises. I was a wall hugger and I constantly had to watch my storage. If people don't like that example, I could say it was like when I tried to use a carrier with data limits. Yes, I could do most of the same things, but I had to change my behavior. I had to be cautious about streaming Netflix or even music when on small road trips because of overage charges. The thing is I'm a power user, but I'm not even close to the top 1% the carriers complain about. I use 2-10GB of data a month. Last time I checked I average about 3-5GB (in mobile data usage). I only have a single SDcard, and I only have 1 spare battery, which I generally keep in my backpack for emergencies.

What specifically changed? I had to change my cache on Spotify (and almost changed the quality). I started to cut down my Spotify (off-line) playlists. I made sure not to sync any of those free digital video downloads. I stopped syncing certain kindle books (tech manuals) with graphics. I stopped syncing some of my One Note notebooks (which often contained pictures, diagrams, etc.). I kept making compromises (and justifying them). To be frank it wasn't just storage. On days with lots of meetings, I would get up earlier and do my Trello (Agile Project Management) on my computer (to save battery life on my phone). I stopped using Toggl or other time management programs because I was afraid of it eating the battery (even though there was nothing wrong with the program). I wouldn't use my phone at the gym (S-Health or fitbit). I started carrying my kindle with me to meetings (instead of leaving it on my nightstand at home). I was the guy who was consolidated to 1 device (when mobile), but now was having to branch out to multiple devices.

I basically started changing my behavior to use my phone less and that meant getting up earlier and staying awake longer. Ultimately, I was constantly justifying my shiny new toy (to friends and colleagues) and constantly thinking up workarounds (portable USB storage, multiple devices, battery packs, etc.). One of my friends made a joke about how the situation sounded like when I tried the iPhone for 2 weeks. He was just teasing, but after a couple days I realized he was right. I was constantly trying to justify my shiny new toy. The Note 5 was changing my life, but in a negative way.

I'm not saying this is going to be everyone's experience and I don't want to get into a Note 4 vs Note 5 debate. I've purchased every Note and I've felt every single one has been an upgrade (and most of the comparisons / debates were pointless). However, this time it's different. I purchased a device (Note 5) that the longer I owned it the more I realized I was making compromises. and it was making me less efficient as time went on.

To be honest, I wasn't going to post my experiences (because I normally don't) and sometimes some members on XDA (not you) become confrontational as they feel the need to justify their new toy (just like I was doing...without the confrontation that sometimes comes from anonymous internet forums). However, I thought that the device is new enough that maybe some of my experiences might echo with a few new users and that might give them get the courage to take it back (which frankly can be a pain in the rear sometimes) and find a device that will be a long-term fit for them (before they become committed and/or have to sell their device on the open market to try and get partial reimbursement).

Best wishes