yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] iunlock:
Your opinion of it being "worse" is subjective, more in favor of it being not true for most users. This is not like a better iPhone, rather an iPhone is trying to be like it. Don't forget who created / invented the phablet category. It's Samsung, not Apple.

Regardless, the Note 5 is from a hardware stand point an

upgrade

. That's not a perception nor is it minor. You can't argue the CPU. The SnapDragon 805 in the Note 4 isn't a slouch, but it is at the same time no where in the same league as the Exynos Octa Core. Not even in the same conversation. 1GB of extra RAM may not seem like much, but it's still an upgrade. The Note 3 had 3GB and guess what so does the Note 4. Overall build quality is undeniably better. The Note 5 has better hardware period. = It's an upgrade.

There is no need to justify anything hardware wise by choosing to think that they're minor upgrades when they are not. The Exynos Octa Core CPU alone is worthy of praise to call the Note 5 an upgrade just from that alone. Even if it only came with 3GB and same "everything" else. The issue here is obviously the software and for most on here the inability to remove the battery or having a SD card slot is the culprit. Not the core hardware.

The price tag is also subjective, because for some ~$1000 or not, it's not an issue. Most people pay monthly with a JUMP upgrade from TM, not all up front. Zero down. Zero Interest.

What kills the Note 5 for me is purely the software as LP is becoming more and more locked down with each version.

Storage Solution?

128GB would be plenty + Unlimited Cloud. Airplane? Boonies? Micro USB to USB 3.0 OTG cable for about $1.50 with my 256GB Flash stick. I can't justify the idea of not being able to fit all the movies that I could possibly watch on the 128GB for my usual 5.5-6 hour flight? Even if you were flying from L.A. to London, you'd be able to watch only 6-8 movies and I don't think 128GB (less what the system eats up) is too small for that. That goes for music too....ACC, FLAC or not....if it can go on a microSD it can fit on a regular USB. 3.0 Flash Stick. The point is I think we're making it out to be a bigger issue than it really is. Plugging in an OTG adapter is much faster and easier than taking a case off (for those with cases), popping off the cover, and replacing a microSD. For the nit pickers, yes, wear and tear too. (Which I don't even think about....)

Battery?

My 12,000mAh portable battery bank. Although it's 3000mAh, you also have to factor in efficiency. Bigger is not always better. But then again, this all depends on the software.... The whole time I've had my Note 4, I've never had to swap batteries...it's not really an issue, especially if the software allows for it to be more efficient.

Software?

You're SOL. Sorry. You can thank google for that one. The builds are getting worse and worse.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] proman505:
great points, i am not saying that the note 4 is better than the note 5. in my opinion i think the note 4 is better for me, ill wait until i test the note 5 maybe i will change my mind, but to be honest right now from what i seen of the note 5 will not work for me. the battery life is a big problem with my note 4, most people will just look at the smaller battery and say the battery life is worse than the note 4, but thats false because of the new CPU.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] iunlock:
Indeed. The Note 5 feels very premium and it is noticeably lighter in the hands. I personally like the ergonomics of it much better with the curved glass back. Some of the things that I've noticed right away from an outside perspective is that the speaker is much better too. It has much more integrity than the Note 4 and seems to be able to handle higher volumes without sounding tinny or metallic.

The screen, although the same resolution as our Note 4, is much crisper and brighter. It has more of a cool tone (kelvin temp) whereas our Note 4 is a lot warmer and is more yellowish. I prefer the Note 5 screen for sure.

We'll have to wait and see for how well the battery holds up! But then again...it's all in the software so LP just might ruin it for what it could due with a much better custom ROM.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] jutaejrtouch:
Tried to order the 64gb version but T-Mobile somehow screwed up my account. The only thing I could jump to are some cheesy tablets! Hope they fix this soon!
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] iunlock:
Here are some pics that I've taken with my Note 4 of the Note 5. Notice how strongly they are pushing the hardware LOL.....which is undeniably better, but lets just hope Lollipop doesn't screw it up.

---------- Post added at 02:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:40 PM ----------

Strange...I've noticed that too...hmmm...
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] speedy1979:
I thought that I was the only one with that problem. I click upgrade device I get taken to page with tablets, wifi hotspots and the

Gear S (which I already have ironically). Sometimes the upgrade option takes me to a page with phones but if I try to add one the page errors out with "our systems are currently unavailable please try again".
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] proman505:
Strange...I've noticed that too...hmmm...[/QUOTE]

nice, lets hope Android M is better. i dont really know much about but seems like that lollipop was all for looks
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] iunlock:
I agree. M is our only hope. If Google doesn't get their act together, a lot of the phone companies might go elsewhere. Samsung's own OS (Tizen) looks promising. Open source too.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] proman505:
i cant really use anything but touchwiz because i bought the Gear 2

P.S. not a very good idea. its an amazing watch but i cant use it with CM witch is way better than touchwiz.

P.P.S my S4 has better battery life with the more usage and screen on time. my note 4 doesnt even last till 1 pm, i go to work at 7 am. thats really sad, but you know note 4 has a bigger screen and other stuff that will use more battery but it also has a bigger battery so there is not excuse.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] proman505:
Tizen is open source? huh i didnt know that, that makes it 10x better in my eyes. i will have to do more research on M but google is very secretive of everything they do
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] iunlock:
I get 5 hours of screen time on average with my Note 4. It's your software buddy. You should look into the ROM I'm using. PM me if you need help. (See my signature for some info.)

But I hear ya. ..I personally like TW and it works as well if not better than CM with the ROM I'm on.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] proman505:
i'll happily try it because with the battery life im getting right now (like 2-3 hours screen on time) i dont mind going back to kitkat for better battery life.

im having problems with random reboots and bootloops for awhile, even though it worked perfectly fine

i think its the battery, im gonna order a battery from amazon and see ill just use my S4 for now
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] mgbotoe:
I have been playing with android M, even though smoother, it is nothing to do jumping jacks for...Android Marshmellow is what Lollipop should have been and should have been the final milestone for lollipop. Lollipop 5.2 maybe?

You will sadly...be disappointed if you are hoping for a big kapow to blow lollipop out of the water.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] jutaejrtouch:
Dude my coworkers are mad at me because they had to deal with my disappointment lol. Glad to know it wasn't just me.....hang in there I talked to like 3 T-Mobile supervisors and they are working on it. One asked how can we make you a happy T-Mobile customer? My reply, "give it to me free"! Hahahaha!
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] iunlock:
Yup. There is a very bright future for Tizen. We shall see soon as it might show up as early as next year in selected devices.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] scoppola:
I bought it because I'm attracted to shiny objects. I'm pretty happy with my year-old LG G3, but when I saw the Note 5 in the store, the display simply dazzled me! Also wanted a phone with a great fingerprint sensor, because I'm sick of my phone waking up in my pocket and doing sh!t by itself, but I hate having to do some kind of unlock dance.

I'm a bit irked by not being able to replace the battery, but honestly haven't had to use a second battery since my Galaxy Nexus, several phones ago.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] Cicatrize:
I'm getting it because it feels so much better in the hand than the Note 4, and the performance improvements in hardware are nothing to ignore. I've never really cared all that much about a replaceable battery. The MicroSD situation does irk me a bit, but you have to adapt to the times. I think someday there will be no phones with the slot, and I think I'm OK with that. Between the available storage on board (I'm getting 64GB) and the cloud, it's not really as much of an issue as it used to be.

Also, as I age, I find I'm caring less about root. I do less and less with it every year, and now that I don't even really use TiBu anymore, there's really no point. I just want a fast phone that works with my apps. Note5 fits the bill, and it's sexier than my Note4. ;)
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] oka1:
Simple Answers ......... I have had Every Samsung Galaxy and Note devices. The Note 4 is a very nice device.

The Note 5 is 20% faster CPU

Better Software

Better Battery life

Better Camera, Same as the S6 .... The S6 Camera is the 1st decent performing camera on a Samsung devices. So, Those are the Plus's

....... I do not use Pay on my phone so I really do not care about that

The "no sd card" is a bit of a drag but I have a external Memory mini flash that I can use so not such an issue

The Closed battery........ Yeah that bothers me more, but the worst is the glass back.......... looks awesome but is way more vulnerable to breaking, that concerns me

Should have released with 64 gig standard and 128 option, then it would be more palatable...... definitely worth getting

But, either way, Getting mine tomorrow night.......... :D
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] jonyolea:
Im a hard user of phablet, been since note 3, now using note 4. To be honest, all the "issues" pointed here are not such a big deal, a friend of mine, who's Apple hard core user, says that Samsung at last are doing what Apple been doing for years, having one memory internally will make the data transfer faster instead of trying to find it on both, internal and external, it will make the phone faster and finally the OS will work with no lag.

Design on note 5 is beautiful, very premium, internal hardware is a big plus with octacore and 4gb of ram, awesome camera, better software.

Since I have been using smart phones, I have never ever replaced the battery, never care, didn't actually thought about it, I have always had the access to charge it and carry my charges wherever I go, now, the note 5 with fast wireless charger, is a big plus, I was in new york a week ago and I saw in all the Starbucks the wireless charger on the tables, I hope they can have it all over the place, Im pretty sure soon all Starbucks will have it.

Honestly, external memory and battery are not big issues for me, I record bunch of videos and I use the phone for tethering, games, videos more than a regular person and note 5 will be a great upgrade. I have a 32gb note 4 and 16gb external, my internal memory is not even half full, external have a couple of movies.

By the way, sorry for english! :)
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] jutaejrtouch:
Is working now. I just ordered the White 64gb Note 5. It's back ordered :(
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] Chance Ill:
I got mine this morning. So far, it's everything we were expecting. It's noticeably faster in every aspect compared to our beloved note 4. Recent app menu actually opens when pressed and the build quality is a plus (despite the it being a magnet for fingerprints or whatever else comes it comes in contact with. For what it's worth, TouchWiz finally feels........ok. Much more responsive and less intrusive. As far as battery life is concerned, it's too early to tell but it seems, at the very least, on par with my Note 4.......... maybe slightly better (a welcomed surprise ?) Time will tell.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] d12unk13astard:
How much free storage do you guys have left on the 64gb variant note 5?
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] vw65bus:
I had the same problem, using phone tablet and computer. Then I figured I'd try chrome on the computer. And walla it worked. Weird I know but thankful it did.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] jutaejrtouch:
It's fixed now but 2 different tech reps had the same problem when trying to order from my account....sad thing is now the 64GB (white) is out of stock grrrrrrr!
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] vw65bus:
Yes I seen were it's fixed now. It happened to me yesterday. I was able to get my order in and delivered today. I was just wondering if I was the only one that tried everything.

I just thought it was weird that chrome worked were nothing else did.

Sucks it's happened and people haven't been able to order and then there sold out. I do remember though when the note 4 came out it showed sold out but then shipped. Hopefully it's the same this time also, good luck hope you get one soon.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] jutaejrtouch:
I tried every browser...fingers crossed!
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] witeboy07:
The camera, the build quality, something better once again. Plus coming from an OPPO Find 7a.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] th3b055:
My reasons are more shallow than most lol.. I just need a phone that has a great screen, camera, aesthetics, dev support, respectable quick charging battery.

I'm on the original Jump 1.0 so I can swap out phones twice a year. I'll buy this, sell the Netflix code to cover the cost of the taxes on the device, payments stay about the same. In 6 months I'll upgrade if I chose to do so.

The two key missing features from the Note 4 are the SD slot and removable battery. The removable battery is a major factor if you plan to keep your phone for a long period of time. I can get by with non expandable 32GB. More storage is just like a woman's purse. The bigger the purse, the more crap they keep in them. Again just my opinion :)
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] Elysian893:
I stopped by my local T-Mobile store today, and got them to bring out a Note 5 from the back so I could try it early. Hadn't even been set up yet, so I was the first person to try this particular phone out. I fell in love right away, it's an amazing phone. It's smooth as butter, the screen is one of the best looking screens I've ever seen, and I LOVE the new version of the S Pen. Love how the pen clicks in, love how it feels on the screen, etc. I've never owned a Note before, but have had friends who had one, and this phone is just all around top notch. I swore off Samsung after my Galaxy S4 (switched to Sony, and still love my Xperia Z3), but I'm going to be buying a Note 5 first thing tomorrow.

I'm already used to having a non-removable battery, and 32gb storage is more than enough for me because I stream everything. I never ever use the SD card slot on my Z3, so I've dropped that as a requirement. I do wish the Note 5 was water/dust resistant like the Z3, and wish it had dual front facing speakers, but it's got enough other good things that I won't think twice about buying it.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] kenbrownstone:
Guys why did you get this instead of the s6 edge+? I haven't owned a Sammy since s3...Any answers are welcomed
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] dandroid7:
I going with the note 5 because it offers more practical and useful features for how I use my phone. The edge doesn't add much practical value for me... there are a few tricks it does, but the s-pen offers a host of practical uses.

The note 5 looks to be a beautiful phone, the note series is enigmatic due to the features of the s-pen. The edge series is an enigma due to its looks. They are both purported to be equally amazing performers, but I'm going for function of the design over the form of its beauty.

I have a note 3 and a note 4... the note is an amazing and useful tool - there is nothing else like the s-pen.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] rdfry:
I'm a buy one tomorrow spent 2 hrs playing with one right out of the Tmobile safe. My 2 year old s4 looks pathetic next to it.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] nano303:
Have any of you guy "JUMPED" to the galaxy note 5 from your note 4? How did that work.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] Elysian893:
I haven't with those two specific phones, but I think it depends which JUMP you're on. If you're on JUMP 1.0 like I am then you'll take your device in, they'll wipe out the balance due on the device, take said device, then set up the new phone. All you have to pay is sales tax (which is like $60 where I am).
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] YellowGTO:
I walked in, it took 5 minutes and my bill actually went down. Because the N5 is cheaper than when my payment was on the N4 lol
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] nano303:
So you can go to the stores??
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] Cicatrize:
Same here, lol. I love that it's cheaper. I didn't walk in though. I ordered it online overnight and all the JUMP stuff was handled flawlessly online.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] Elysian893:
I just got mine, love it already. I grabbed the wireless charger and a Case Mate case as well. Really happy with the phone thus far.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] nano303:
How did that go bro? I've never jJUMPED online. But I am on it I got that free lookout premium and crap lol how did you do it? Anything I should be aware of?
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] Cicatrize:
I'm not sure about the Lookout premium stuff...

But you just login to your My T-Mobile and click Phone at the top. If you have 50% paid off your current one, you can just click the upgrade button or whatever's on there. If not, you can pay the remaining balance to JUMP and the upgrade is IMMEDIATELY available after payment (I was surprised how fast this was; I had to make a small payment to get down to 50% myself).
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] nano303:
Oh I owe like 200 lol I should qualify. One I get off work thanks buddy!
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] Elysian893:
I think this also depends on what JUMP you're on, as I didn't have 50% of my Z3 paid off on JUMP 1.0 and upgraded, all I had to pay was sales tax.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] Cicatrize:
Yes, this is worth mentioning. I'm on JUMP 2.0 unfortunately...I guess. It's still a LOT better than Next 12 and VZW Edge doesn't even belong in the conversation (their changes to Edge made me move to T-Mobile, lol) :)
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] mahst68:
Thus the Reason for Jump on Demand...

The Note 5 is a good example of what I love about JoD... Would this be a phone I would get if it was a regular Jump re-up, probably no... but since I am top tier JoD, I'll try it for free.... (or relatively speaking)... That's the point of it, I can get a phone like this, pay no more (even less...) and still have a new phone... With that said:

1. Note 5 is definitely better than its baby brother, the Galaxy S6, a lot less lag....

2. Yeah, no SD card and "smaller" battery... this is pretty much a standard that for better or worse as consumers it will just take some time to get use to

3. Rooting... yes it nice... but take it from someone that has rooted phones going back to my HTC G2... its a lot like ethanol... more energy in than benefit out. Plus, with Samsung Pay around the corner, it does not make sense for a few "tweaks"

It's a solid phone, probably best of 2015 so far and will be the "go to" Android phone until the Nexus's arrive...

If you can't JoD, probably not worth to burn a regular upgrade on unless you are a hardcore Samsung fan
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] Elysian893:
I stopped worrying about root when I started buying Sony phones... Eventually they got it and I rooted, but it wasn't really beneficial to me.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] dagodsha:
Question about the IR

Can you tell me if it still has the IR control on it? A lot of reviews are saying that it doesn't have the infrared control on it anymore to setup tv remote, is that true?
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] UniX1rm:
Galaxy Note 5 is cheaper on jump on demand. I had the note n901t3 and it sucked with debelopmemt versus the regular note 4.

Free Netflix for a year.

Better hardware and processor.

Much better camera that motivates me to start it and take pictures. Since I am on jump on demand, I can abandon the note 5 as soon as something better comes out.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] mysterysauce:
Because it's not an iPhone!!!!!:)
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] YellowGTO:
It does not have the IR blaster anymore.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] dandroid7:
This phone is crazy smooth and fast.... after having many android devices, including the note 3 and note 4, gotta say the note 5 is the sweetest of all I have had. Sooooo smoooooth.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] CB620:
My reason...... I wanted it.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] TheUndertaker21:
better camera,battery, finger print,processor,build quality

never used IR blaster, SD CARD nor removeable battery

my note 4 gotten so slow at times i couldn't use it on TW and i had to constantly checking for decent ROM

i don't miss it one bit sold on ebay for 500 bucks.

---------- Post added at 12:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:15 AM ----------

i agree and i hated TW. i'm never on it when i had the note 4 always on AOSP and now i love using TW.

it's so smooth it's like i'm running pure android sucks we will never see AOSP for this phone :(
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] mgbotoe:
I hope it stays buttery smooth...i know s6 users had lot of lag issues with TouchWiz and the crazy lack of ram management the note 5 still has.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] dandroid7:
Another reason why... not that benchmarks mean much... but as a point of reference, my note 3 got approx 2900, and my note 4 got approx 3200...

So, just comparing devices in the same note family, there is a huge performance upgrade on the note 5. It is perceivable... note 5 is very snappy. Over 4750 on geekbench 3... seems to confirm what I can feel when I'm using the device.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] dandroid7:
After doing some tweaking... got an even better multicore score on geekbench3, almost 4950 - Insane!!
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] md1008:
Since this phone is similar to the s6, would it be safe to assume if they ever get an aosp/cm/slim rom to work, that the note would also get it too or could be ported?
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] drbveb88:
Yes it's true. No I Blaster built in.

---------- Post added at 05:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:33 AM ----------

Why would anyone buy a note series and put Aosp on it? What stands out on the note is the Spen, you lose that with Aosp. Also the Samsung camera is amazing, lose that as well. I love the simplistic nature of Aosp, but this is not a simple phone and I don't want to lose any of the amazing features.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] MorePAIN:
CausE I'm not poor
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] dandroid7:
More tweaking, Even better results... this thing is a beast!!!
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] TheUndertaker21:
i agree with you.

the constant app killing thing is kinda pissing me off. hopefully TekHD can solve this issue
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] dandroid7:
Have you tried using the built in smart manager app? You can manage ram with that built in app... it also has a widget.

I have disabled a bunch of unused apps in the app manager, then used smart manager to disable a bunch more stuff... my geekbench scores went through the roof after dialing things in.
[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note5] md1008:
Spen still works you just don't have the perks of TW. Besides there are other aspects to a phone than software, such as hardware. People have been putting aosp since the beginning. Besides with roms you can go back and forth.