[Galaxy Note5 General] jpbl1976:
First of all, I agree: 64GB is a good deal of storage -- but only for the average user.

You're on XDA. We're all power users here, which implies rooting, custom ROMs/recoveries, etc. A modded TW ROM with a moderate amount of apps is already in the realm of 11GB for a single Nandroid backup. Some people prefer to create multiple back-ups of their device. Then, there's Titaniun Backup. Backup 200 or so apps and you're talking anywhere for 1.5GB to 6GB. How about music and audio files? Even if you carefully curate your songs/podcasts, you're still going to need 2 to 5GB for a decently-sized library.

Add all of that up -- it's anywhere from 14.5 to 22GB -- and that's just to back-up your device and add a small media library. If your system image takes up 10.5GB on a clean install, you're left with around 50 after the space expansion and everything -- on the 64GB model. We're not even talking about your actual app usage yet -- it could be another 1.5 to 6GB, EASILY. Then there's app data -- maybe another 4 to 5 GB? Cache? Another 2 GB.

So basically, if you're even a moderate 'power' user, you'll wind up using around 46GB of the 64GB that comes with the device (11 system, 11 nandroid, 6 TBUP, 6 apps, 5 media, 2 cache, 5 app data = 46GB). That's 18GB left, if we're being generous with the drive compression -- that's tight and limits you to 1 Nandroid backup and a smallish media library. You'll be playing app Tetris before long if you're into mobile games. Many users I know have more than 500 apps and plenty of games. They might have 5GB left after all's said and done -- and they'll resent Sammy everyday for forcing them to play app Tetris.

At least if Sammy had provided an SD slot or provided a 128GB option, it wouldn't be too much of an issue -- but it didn't. It boggles the mind because HTC, which also has a sealed-up device, managed to do it for 3 generations of the HTC One. That means saving space. To save space, you'll have to rely on streaming -- but that kills your data allocation unless your telco provides a data sandbox for apps like Spotify (and Apple music when it comes to Android). That's added cost (on top of the ~USD900 for the device) just to be able to do all the things you used to be able to do on the Note 4.

Sure, you can also get creative about where you store your Nandroid backups (OTG, most likely) -- but that leaves the issue of what happens if you're on the road, your device goes haywire from a mod and you forgot your OTG at home.

"The Samsung Note5 -- where an OTG drive is more valuable than the SPen."

More than the smaller battery and the loss of the IR blaster and the loss of a bit of sturdiness (there was an article the other day that showed that the Note5's only a bit less brittle than the SGS6), it's the space issue that has really divided everyone here. It's been that way since the specs started leaking. It's an issue.

No amount of 'we can't do anything about it' or 'look on the bright side' talk will convice the majority of XDA members that this was the right thing to do. Sammy whiffed on this one and paying off the Verge or other sites to write glowing reviews of Note5 isn't going to change the fact that it converted an SUV of a device into a pretty little Mini.