[Galaxy Note5 General] bogarty:
(Newbie Friendly Thread)

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NOTE: Please do not quote the entire OP. Thank you!

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No doubt this will be old news for some Note 5 users, maybe even most, but as it is there are still people asking for tips, suggestions, work arounds, quick fixes and such for the Note 5, so here are some of my thoughts about the Note 5 as it stands today...

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No SD Card Slot?:The Note 5 doesn't have one as you know and this feature, I'm sure, was the one that most people absolutely missed the most immediately after powering up their Note 5. The very first thing I did to combat this issue personally was to buy this external little USB-OTG device.

http://m.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=dash+micro+mini

It's small, lightweight, allows you to plug in any MicroSD and goes on your keychain, so not only can I still put my old MicroSD to use, but I always have an SdCard on me that only takes a second to plug In. Also, if I ever lose my phone now, then I still have all my important data in my pocket. Just don't lose your keys if you go this route. [emoji14] You can encrypt it though too if you're worried about that. You an also use it as a 2 factor security device where both the phone and OTG device must be present and connected to access certain accounts and files. To be honest, I'm kind of liking this OTG SD Card thing now myself and in a way, I've almost come to prefer it.

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No IR Blaster?: Yes they removed this feature after Note 4. I never really used this feature myself and IR is a super old technology for phones anyway. Most apps now just use Wi-Fi instead. For instance, I use the Roku app myself as a remote control and it just does everything over WI-Fi. Removing the IR Blaster too may have been a push towards the new Samsung Smart TVs that allow you to control everything over Wi-Fi as well. There are also USB pluggable IR devices you can buy if you really still want an IR blaster though.

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Low Battery Life?: When I first got the Note 5 the second thing I noticed(after no SD Card) was the battery life seemed pretty low. This was a real problem for me too since I'm definitely more of a power user and the Note 5 battery can not be replaced with a higher capacity one. As of the recent Nougat update that came out for Note 5 though, I've noticed that the battery life is FAR better. Power saving mode also seems much improved, so no complaints there. My recommendation is to update to nougat ASAP if you haven't already.

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Should you Root?: If you haven't already, I would always say that any Android device is worth rooting if you can. There's just so many more features/options when you do. First thing to think about really is, "What are the cons of rooting?"

- Voiding your warranty? You may not even have a warranty, depending on where you got the device. I know I didn't, nor would I care if I did and voided it personally. It's a pretty solid device, so the chances that something will happen to it are pretty slim and it's not like I plan on selling it any time soon. Not that anyone will care about that when purchasing it from you anyway, if there is no warranty.

- The fact that Samsung Pay and the Samsung Health app does not work with root? Just use Android Pay instead and follow my tutorial here for quickly re enabling the Samsung Health app.

https://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=71995091

The plus side to rooting, to me, will always just far outweigh any negatives. There is always a way around everything, which I think is the real beauty of Android. Just think of all the different kinds of roms you'll get to try too.

I would update officially to the new Nougat firmware before rooting though just to make it easier on yourself. If you've already rooted on Marshmallow though and want to update to Nougat, then you can follow my tutorial here.

https://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=71988479

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Which Rom Should I install?: For now, I'd hold off on the roms for a little bit. Install them if you want, but even all the Nougat Roms out there, I believe, were all just using the Marshmallow base. Nougat just came out, so why not just enjoy that for a bit while you wait for all the new and improved Nougat base Roms that will surely be coming out soon. I'm about to drop one personally and I know there will be tons of others very soon.

UPDATE: Just finished my new lite Nougat 7.0 Rom. If anyone wants to check it out they can do so here:

https://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=72098300

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Which Case Should I get?:[/B] You don't have to spend a lot for a good case. There is a great selection on eBay. Personally, I got this one.

https://ebay.com/itm/232046932171

It's super durable, has a kickstand for video watching, is insanely cheap and overall just looks pretty bad ass. There are many other good ones as well. I recommend using the term "rugged" in your search if you want to get a really durable one. :)

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Anyhow, I just put this all together really quickly, so this post is fairly basic right now. I may add to this thread later as I think of other things to include. I know there's tons of stuff that I'm just not thinking of right now. Please feel free to add any suggestions you may have for the Note 5 now that we're in the Nougat age though if you want. Let me know if there's anything you think I should add to the OP too. If you have any questions as well, then just ask. :)

Overall though, I might just say that I think the Note 5 is still a pretty great device with virtually limitless possibilities and I hope that this post helps anyone out there who might have been looking for answers to some of these questions.