Samsung Galaxy Note 5 review

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 design and build quality

Samsung has applied the design language it used with the Galaxy S6 to the Note 5. Gone are the days of tacky fake leather and plastic for the Galaxy Note series: the Note 5 shines with an aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass 4 on the front and back.

the most striking thing about the Note 5’s design is its rounded rear edges. Imagine the curved front edges of the Galaxy S6 Edge+, transplanted to the back of the Note 5. The bezels surrounding the display are extremely narrow, particularly next to those curved edges, and they look great. Samsung has taken a real leap forward here in terms of design quality.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 display

The Galaxy Note 5 display is a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED unit with QHD resolution. There is no display quite like it – not even the dual edge display of the Galaxy S6 Edge (with or without a plus) looks quite as good.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 special features

The special feature of the Note series is the S Pen. A novel feature of the Galaxy Note 5’s S Pen is that it now has an ejecting mechanism. By pressing the thruster on the end, the stylus pops out from its housing and can be pulled out.

You can use the pen in two modes. Pulling it out while the phone is in standby mode starts the minimalistic launcher.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 software

The Note 5 has already had numerous software updates. The T-Mobile Edition we used came immediately with performance updates based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. An update to Android Marshmallow is on the way.

Our review unit came with some bloatware apps installed, but not an excessive number; just the S Pen apps in addition to the usual Facebook and Microsoft apps. Samsung still runs its TouchWiz UI over the top of its Galaxy series.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 camera

"The camera of the Note 5 is fantastic," says our cameraman Tony. The Note 5 camera can satisfy professionals, even when in an elevator, the subway or under office lighting. The ability to change exposure and focus is fantastic, and there's an 'AF/AE lock' feature that lets you lock the camera’s focus when filming or photographing subjects that are sitting or standing.