The Samsung flagship Galaxy S6 was only made official last week and has yet to release. Nevertheless once a new Galaxy S6 handset has been unveiled, attention quickly turns to the next Galaxy Note in the phablet lineup. This year will see the release of the Galaxy Note 5 and from what the Galaxy S6 offers we can expect even more from the new Note. Today we’re taking a look at Samsung Galaxy Note 5 specs pointers from the Galaxy S6.
The Galaxy Note 4 is still in big demand at the moment so the success of the next iteration is virtually guaranteed. We expect the Note 5 to launch around the same time each year and so October 2015 is a likely date. Looking at the Galaxy S6 gives us a few indicators on additions for the next in the Galaxy Note series.
Design-wise the Galaxy S6 offers a really premium look and feel this time around, stepping up to a metallic and glass build. However, the new design has meant that there is no longer expandable storage via microSD and no ability to remove the rear cover, hence no removable battery. Although the new S6 has received widespread praise, these missing aspects have come in for some criticism from some fans of the line.
Enthusiasts of the Galaxy Note phablets are also used to having expandable storage and a removable battery, so if this is not an option for the Note 5 this could cause some dissatisfaction. One by-product of the lack of expandable storage for the S6 though is that it now comes with internal storage options of 32, 64 or 128GB, so it’s plausible that the Galaxy Note 5 will also come with higher storage options.
The change of design for the Galaxy S6 has also meant that it now misses out on the dust and water-resistance certification that the Galaxy S5 featured. However, as this was not a feature for the Note 4 it’s not as likely to be such a big problem for those who are eagerly anticipating the Note 5.
There could also be improvements for the Note 5 camera. The Galaxy S6 has now added optical image stabilization for its 16-megapixel rear camera, matching that of the current Note 4. However, the front-facing camera of the S6 is now 5-megapixels so the Note 5 is also likely to get a boost to that or maybe an 8-megapixel selfie snapper. It could also increase the rear camera to a 21-megapixel unit.
Yet another change with the Galaxy S6 is a move to a touch fingerprint sensor rather than a swipe version, so we can also expect that for the Note 5. The S6 also has built-in wireless charging and that would be another welcome addition to the Note 5, while Samsung’s TouchWiz has also been trimmed down for the S6 so we can expect a repeat for the new Note. Another indicator for the Note 5 is the likelihood of Samsung’s new Pay feature that will be available with the S6 from some point in the summer.
As well as this, we should mention the ‘Edge’ devices. The Note 4 was accompanied last year by a Galaxy Note Edge. This featured a curved edge down one side of the display for notifications and the like. However, the S6 arrived with an S6 Edge, and this simply has curved edges on both sides as a design feature. What this signifies for the Note 5 Edge (if there is one) is unclear at this stage.
The final two aspects we want to mention are the display and processor. The Note 4 featured Quad HD display resolution (2560 x 1440) and the Galaxy S6 now matches that. Therefore it’s possible that this may be an area where the Note 5 steps up, and there are already rumors of a possible 4K display with 3840 x 2160 resolution. Lastly the S6 (pictured below) is powered by an Exynos 7420 octa-core processor, so we can expect an even more improved chipset for the Note 5.
So far leaked specs and features for the Galaxy Note 5 have been fairly sparse, although we’ve see plenty of design ideas. While we feel we now have a clearer picture about what we can anticipate for the next Galaxy Note it remains to be seen exactly what Samsung will bring to the table.
Are you already looking ahead to the Samsung Galaxy Note 5? If it arrives with a non-removable battery and non-expandable storage would that be a dealbreaker for you or not? Let us have your comments.