Galaxy Note 4

[MRU]

Galaxy Note 4

I have a love/hate relationship with touchwiz. I love some of the extra features, but hate the performance and design. Well, the newest touchwiz I don't hate so much anymore as they improved both aspects, so now its just OK.

Me too. Total love/hate relationship.

Despite the extra customisability it offers over stock, Still can't understand for the life of me why Samsung insist that the app drawer icon has to be on the right and not allow it to be centred or even the option to have it on the left.

Lollipops update to stock messaging and dialer was a welcome improvement, though the big round photos in favourites (dialer) still looks hokum aesthetically.

Indeed that's always been one of my biggest issues was a lack of coherent design language. It has improved significantly, but still not as coherent as Sense or Stock android.

But overall Touchwiz launcher wise is grand out.

 

[The Game 161]

I wish Samsung would just ditch TouchWiz already. I don't know anyone who actually likes it...

Give me touchwiz where I can add widgets and anything I want over IOS where you can't add anything to it

 

[Tsepz]

I'm happy with TouchWiz, it gets the job done and then some, at least for me it does. Then again, I am the sort of person who can adapt to a UI and enjoy its benefits and overlook its 'prettiness' or lack thereof.

What I do find hilarious when reading through forums is that the people who generally complain the most about TouchWiz are those who don't own Samsungs and those who last had a GS1.

 

[GigabitEthernet]

Give me touchwiz where I can add widgets and anything I want over IOS where you can't add anything to it

Give me stock AOSP where I can add widgets and anything I want, with a consistent, non-ugly UI, over Touchwiz, over iOS where you can't add anything to it and the functionality has remained unchanged since 2007.

 

[yui4]

I sold my 6+ yesterday and bought a note 4. I haven't rooted it yet and it's running 4.4.4. Up to now I'm really enjoying it. Touch wiz isn't particularly pretty but the additional functionality over the 6+ is great. I found ios 8 quite glitchy at times so the little bit of lag now and again on the note is easy to live with. The one handed function is particularly useful as is the ability to have the side key panel instead of using the buttons on the bottom of the phone.

 

[jamezr]

Note 5 rumor

So......FWIW I had a very interesting conversation at a TMO store today.

While the GF was shopping in a woman's clothing store. I went a couple doors down to TMO to look at the S6 edge when i Noticed a Samsung rep in the store. Talked to him and TMO reps about the S6 and S6 Edge and the unibody design. We talked about future Samsung phones coming out with the unibody design. I mentioned how Samsung usually releases a LOT of phones. The Sammy rep said they were going to tone it down this year.

He also said for a certainty that the Note 5 would not be unibody. That everything he has heard from higher ups was that Samsung was going to keep some sort of removable back and battery for the Note line. Only the Galaxy S line was going unibody.

But the Note line was due to have similar materials as the Galaxy S line but keep a removeable back and battery. He said his higher ups said they did not want to alienate the business users the Note line represented. That the S line was more a consumer line. The Note line was a business line and needed a removeable back and battery.

Very interesting stuff! The Samsung rep seemed very knowledgeable but who knows......

 

[MRU]

Galaxy Note 4

So......FWIW I had a very interesting conversation at a TMO store today.



While the GF was shopping in a woman's clothing store. I went a couple doors down to TMO to look at the S6 edge when i Noticed a Samsung rep in the store. Talked to him and TMO reps about the S6 and S6 Edge and the unibody design. We talked about future Samsung phones coming out with the unibody design. I mentioned how Samsung usually releases a LOT of phones. The Sammy rep said they were going to tone it down this year.



He also said for a certainty that the Note 5 would not be unibody. That everything he has heard from higher ups was that Samsung was going to keep some sort of removable back and battery for the Note line. Only the Galaxy S line was going unibody.



But the Note line was due to have similar materials as the Galaxy S line but keep a removeable back and battery. He said his higher ups said they did not want to alienate the business users the Note line represented. That the S line was more a consumer line. The Note line was a business line and needed a removeable back and battery.



Very interesting stuff! The Samsung rep seemed very knowledgeable but who knows......

The Sammy rep will only be speculating on office rumor and own perspective.

There is no way he would be party to any real information. It's just not the way they work. He's may be called a 'Samsung Rep (representative)'' but it's just a title and he's just a salesman.

There is not a chance any real hardware decisions would filter down to him 6 months in advance from Seoul, S.Korea to a regional salesman in US, especially when hardware would not even be remotely close to being finalised it would still be in pre-design phase at this stage.

I'm sure he was a nice fella, but he really was just offering his own opinion and desires and trying to engage in conversation with what he likely thought was a Samsung enthusiast and much of what he was saying was likely to be just salesman patter / hyperbole as anything else.

In a world of NDA and leaks, he would not be privy to this information. He would know maybe a couple of weeks or so ahead of retail release from general product briefings from the marketing departments in their specific regional territory / area. That is as much as he would be officially aware of, everything else would be speculation and his own opinion.

 

[Osamede]

The product line has a long term roadmap - which he would be party to. Product line roadmap is not something that is changed every quarter.

And something like the body structure would already be locked down six months in advance of launch, as they have to be making arrangements for supply chain.

As he said the Note series is not a consumer product - its the top end business product meant to be feature rich, and also a launch platform for many things that they later scale down and do in volume in the Galaxy S series. People who buy a Note phablet are not comparing to iphone, so you have to given them much more than what you would provide in the product line that competes with iphones and smaller devices.

 

[MRU]

The product line has a long term roadmap - which he would be party to. Product line roadmap is not something that is changed every quarter.

Not a chance would he be privy to that information. He's a rep (sales agent). He knows what products are coming only when press office / marketing division send out packs to their agents. Usually in the window of time between after product unveil and before product launch / availability.

But we will see. I predict / guess Note 5 will be based off the S6 and feature non removable battery & sd-card slot.

 

[JaySoul]

Not a chance would he be privy to that information. He's a rep (sales agent). He knows what products are coming only when press office / marketing division send out packs to their agents. Usually in the window of time between after product unveil and before product launch / availability.

But we will see. I predict / guess Note 5 will be based off the S6 and feature non removable battery & sd-card slot.

Can't see that happening, that Samsung rep was probably right.

 

[MRU]

Can't see that happening, that Samsung rep was probably right.

I'll take all your bets 6 month's time if I'm right I can say told ye so - otherwise ill eat my proverbial MRU hat

 

[jamezr]

I'll take all your bets 6 month's time if I'm right I can say told ye so - otherwise ill eat my proverbial MRU hat

LOL what is a MRU hat? Curious minds want to know!
We will see in a few months as more and more rumors start to leak out.

 

[MRU]

LOL what is a MRU hat? Curious minds want to know!
We will see in a few months as more and more rumors start to leak out.

It depends how butch or camp MRU is being .. It may be a trilby or top hat - it may be of feathery variety (carmen miranda style)

 

[JaySoul]

I'll take all your bets 6 month's time if I'm right I can say told ye so - otherwise ill eat my proverbial MRU hat

We can definitely bump this thread to settle the bet

 

[jamezr]

It depends how butch or camp MRU is being .. It may be a trilby or top hat - it may be of feathery variety (carmen miranda style)

Since you're in Ireland I was thinking this hat....

 

[MRU]

Since you're in Ireland I was thinking this hat....

Image

Nah that's too day to day wear

 

[JackieInCo]

T-Mobile has just updated their site to show that they are now testing Lollipop for the Note 4. Hopefully we'll get it in a month or two.

The Note Edge still shows no change.

 

[spinedoc77]

It depends how butch or camp MRU is being .. It may be a trilby or top hat - it may be of feathery variety (carmen miranda style)

Holy crap, that's a mouthful.

On topic: I'm torn, I'd love a thinner Note 5 with that beautiful glass back, but man I would miss my microSD card. Removable battery, meh don't really care. Don't forget they have to cram the stylus in there somehow as well.

 

[tbayrgs]

I'll take all your bets 6 month's time if I'm right I can say told ye so - otherwise ill eat my proverbial MRU hat

I'll help you eat that hat MRU. I can't see Samsung going down a completely different design path with the S6 and then reverting backwards for their true flagship. Over the past few years, the Note line gets the best features/upgrades first--best display, best CPU, best camera. The Note 4 was their first phone to use a metal frame, the Note Edge had the first curved screen (on a mainstream device--the Samsung Round doesn't count). There's no way it'll have an inferior design.The criticism they would face, especially if (more likely when) the S6 proves to be a renewed sales champ, would be epic. The S6 models represent an entire new design direction and I think there is no chance they'll deviate from it. Samsung hasn't had this much praise for their hardware in quite a while.

And the Note 4 a 'business product, not a consumer oriented product?' Better tell the millions of everyday consumers who have one that they bought the wrong phone. I see it in the hands of more teens and 20-somethings than any other segment out in public.

 

[MRU]

I'll help you eat that hat MRU. I can't see Samsung going down a completely different design path with the S6 and then reverting backwards for their true flagship. The criticism they would face, especially if (more likely when) the S6 proves to be a renewed sales champ, would be epic. The S6 models represent an entire new design direction and I think there is no chance they'll deviate from it. Samsung hasn't had this much praise for their hardware is quite a while.

And over the past few years, the Note line gets the best features/upgrades first--best display, best CPU, best camera. The Note 4 was their first phone to use a metal frame, the Note Edge had the first curved screen (on a mainstream device--the Samsung Round doesn't count). There's no way it'll have an inferior design.

And the Note 4 a 'business product, not a consumer oriented product?' Better tell the millions of everyday consumers who have one that they bought the wrong phone. I see it in the hands of more teens and 20-somethings than any other segment out in public.

Yep I have seen many of those S6 buyers opting for the 64 and 128gb model. Thats up-to an extra $200 that they would not have got if they had offered it with a SD card slot.

What kind of business sense would it be if the S6 is a roaring success and many people are opting to pay for more storage - for Samsung to suddenly say - we don't want your extra money with the Note 5 ?

Just can't see it happening. So yeah I'll make a table for two if needs be and we can enjoy that hat together

----------

Holy crap, that's a mouthful.

On topic: I'm torn, I'd love a thinner Note 5 with that beautiful glass back, but man I would miss my microSD card. Removable battery, meh don't really care. Don't forget they have to cram the stylus in there somehow as well.

he he - well the grapes would count as at least 1 of my five a day

 

[TechGod]

Give me stock AOSP where I can add widgets and anything I want, with a consistent, non-ugly UI, over Touchwiz, over iOS where you can't add anything to it and the functionality has remained unchanged since 2007.

Functionality has NOT remained the same since 2007.

 

[Tsepz]

Please lets not turn this into a iPhone vs whatever thread, it was all going so well here.

Must say my Note 4 is keeping me well in check with all the S6 and S6 Edge hype down here, no FOMO, people in my office getting new phones etc... I simply can't find anything that impresses as much as this device. I've got a colleague who can't stop talking about the new features in his iPhone 6, the funny part being that some are things we've had forever in Android, but I entertain it all and act surprised, even with new Androids, I know someone who got a Mate 7 and I am impressed by how far Huawei have come but at the same time I look at it and think its still missing many things I now take for granted in the Note 4, I'm afraid at the same time that by owning a Note 4 the standard of functionality I now expect for my next phone is extremely high and thus I have limited myself.

Gosh I hope the Note 5 keeps MicroSD expansion, or at least has a 128GB variant available widely. I am contemplating getting a 128GB MicroSD for my phone these days but I will be getting a Note 5 later this year, if it doesn't have MicroSD expansion I will have wasted around $100 on a mem card, thats how much 128GB costs down here.

 

[Sevanw]

Gosh I hope the Note 5 keeps MicroSD expansion, or at least has a 128GB variant available widely. I am contemplating getting a 128GB MicroSD for my phone these days but I will be getting a Note 5 later this year, if it doesn't have MicroSD expansion I will have wasted around $100 on a mem card, thats how much 128GB costs down here.

I've got my Note 4 updated to lollipop and I couldn't be more satisfied with a device. The improvements of the S6 over the S5 has me really excited for the Note 5. But I'll be skipping the Note 5 as I will be buying the whole family a Note 6. So unless there's a big change in the smartphone scene, it's gonna be the Note line for this family. I still find myself, on occasion, surprised that Samsung and Android have me this excited and content with the smartphone experience.

 

[AppleRobert]

My Note 4 isn't going anywhere, not until the Note 5.

 

[Osamede]

I'll help you eat that hat MRU. I can't see Samsung going down a completely different design path with the S6 and then reverting backwards for their true flagship. Over the past few years, the Note line gets the best features/upgrades first--best display, best CPU, best camera. The Note 4 was their first phone to use a metal frame, the Note Edge had the first curved screen (on a mainstream device--the Samsung Round doesn't count). There's no way it'll have an inferior design.The criticism they would face, especially if (more likely when) the S6 proves to be a renewed sales champ, would be epic. The S6 models represent an entire new design direction and I think there is no chance they'll deviate from it. Samsung hasn't had this much praise for their hardware in quite a while.

And the Note 4 a 'business product, not a consumer oriented product?' Better tell the millions of everyday consumers who have one that they bought the wrong phone. I see it in the hands of more teens and 20-somethings than any other segment out in public.

This is true of many phones over time.

You dont legislate who is going to buy the phone, but you do focus the products towards a specific need.

It didnt start today. For example products as far back as the Nokia E series and Blackberries were designed around needs of business users as a primary target group, but other people bought the device too.

That is what is going on in with the Note. It would make no sense to cripple the phone, there is already a crippled Galaxy A7 and the smaller Galaxy S and Galaxy Alpha series also crippled.

So there just would be no point in offering a wide product range and then crippling all of them. In that case you might as well save your time and cut down the number of products offered.