[Galaxy Note5 General] BarryH_GEG:
No need. People forget everything on XDA is opinion. As long as it's coming from a good place have at it. ;)

Me too - product managing large B2B and B2C commerce platforms. I've made the tough calls Samsung's made and been responsible for the consequences. That's why I'm a little sympathetic to some of the comprimises Samsung made with Project Zero. Samsung loves features, add-ons, and gee gaws. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall in meetings where they disussed jettisoning them for performance and simplicity. Based on changes in the market and against the top 10 smartphone purchasing criteria I don't fault their decisions even though I may not lIke them personally. A Note 4 revamp with better h/w and even more features would have been a disaster and brought even more redicule.

What's left? Smartphones have plateued based on the currently available h/w and s/w. The design itself is revolutionary; at least compared to previous generations. The S6 which was introduced 6 months ago launched the new design ethos. Saying the Note 5 is derivitive is kind of a joke. Brands and products need to be built over time. You don't see Apple, BMW, and M-B going in diverse directions with each iteration of their products. HTC tried that and it was the beginning of their demise.

As for the user experience it took me two weeks but I get it now. Project Zero was focused not on the "what" which Samsung's always excelled at but the "how." The streamlining of apps and the UI, jettisoning external storage and replacing it with uber fast internal memory, and simplifying and improving the consistency of s/w across the board has created a user environment approaching the tightness of Apple. There were feature/function casualties along the way but I get why the decisions were made.

I've had no problem adapting and if my life's been changed it's positive. First, no two people here use their devices or have them configured the same way. To me, the only relevant comparison is my personal Note 4<>Note 5 experience. Keep in mind both devices are/were configured identically and I'm doing the same daily things on both of them.

I'm getting 30% better battery life now. I had to top up the Note 4 to get through a business day whereas the 5 lasts until 8:00PM. Charging time is silly fast so in the time it takes to order and drink a latte at Starbucks you'll have gotten a 30% charge. I'm getting the fast wireless chargers for my home and office just for peace of mind. And when I'm away from a plug I'm going to buy the fast charging battery pack. It's thinner and lighter than than my current one which is another justification.

I had 73GB worth of crap that I reduced to 34GB in the move. I've always had a wireless My-Fi drive (it's crazy small) that I used for common files and to share files at group meetings. I'll put videos on it for when I don't have access to Wi-Fi and streaming (EG: airplanes, foreign countries) so my storage problems are solved. That and I upgraded to AT&T's 15GB for the price of 10 promotion and have 22GB available this month with roll-over.

I don't view any of the above as a hardship and in some cases I'm better off. I'm definitely better prepared for the future direction mobile's going. Those who can't evolve are doomed to extinction. ;)

Based on your use case you were on Samsung's expendable list. So are the people hell bent on having replaceable batteries, removable storage, and an IR blaster. The S6's launch introduced those things (except the IR blaster) and on a market adjusted basis has sold extremely well. So Samsung's picking up more customers than they've alienated. Samsung would be in a far worse place if they stuck to their 2011 formula.

Project Zero is about "chess" while many here are still playing "checkers." I'll be sorry to see some of you go, you were fun and insightful.