I did not expect Samsung to release these devices this early, but that’s okay because at least we do not have to wait any longer. The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge+ were unveiled in New York. Just like previous Samsung Unpacked events, we also attended one here in Manila early this morning. Led by Business Unit Head for IT & Mobile Digs Dimagiba, Category Head for Smartphones Ivan Pua and Marketing Head for IT & Mobile Nio Judalena, these latest shiny gadgets were introduced to the media where they explained the new features of the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge+.
What’s New with the Galaxy Note 5?
Of course the obvious change in the Galaxy Note 5 is its physical built. Think of it like a Galaxy S6 Edge+ with an S-Pen. Its full-metal body with a curved back wrapped in glass makes the Note 5 the most sophisticated Galaxy Note ever. And even with premium materials used, the Note 5 is surprisingly lightweight.
For the first time, the S-Pen has been upgraded too. Pushing the S-Pen while inside the silo will release it outward in an effortless manner. My only concern here is the moving parts involved in the S-Pen, so I hope this will not break up easily.
There were new features introduced to the Air Command menu which I will take a closer look when I review the Note 5 in the near future, but I really liked Samsung’s Screen Off Memo which lets the user scribble notes without having to turn on the phone.
The battery of the Galaxy Note 5 is set at 3,000 mAh which is definitely not an upgrade, but the good news here is the fast charging feature for both wired and wireless accessories can give it a full tank in approximately 90 minutes and 120 minutes respectively.
What’s New with the Galaxy S6 Edge+?
The uniqueness of the Galaxy S6 Edge’s screen display became a hit to consumers even though most of them are not able to maximize its use. I’ve already discussed this before during the launch of the Galaxy Note Edge. Click on the video in that post so you’ll see how it works. Now with a 5.7-inch screen display, the curved edge display will give you more screen real estate to view pictures, videos, websites and play games.
Speaking of the Edge display, it features the new Apps Edge for easy access to favorite apps, and an enhanced People Edge for easy communication with preferred contacts. Notifications can still be seen on the Edge display as well as Night Mode where it displays the date and time even when the phone’s screen is turned off.
Here are the specs of the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+:
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Galaxy S6 edge+ |
Galaxy Note5 |
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OS |
Android 5.1 (Lollipop) |
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Network |
LTE Cat.9 / LTE Cat.6 * May differ by markets and mobile operators |
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Dimension |
154.4 x 75.8 x 6.9mm, 153g |
153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6mm, 171g |
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AP |
Octa core (2.1GHz Quad + 1.5GHz Quad), 64 bit, 14 nm process |
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Memory |
4GB RAM (LPDDR4) , 32/64GB (UFS 2.0) |
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Display |
5.7” Quad HD Super AMOLED 2560 x 1440 (518ppi) Dual edge screen |
5.7” Quad HD Super AMOLED 2560 x 1440 (518ppi) |
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Camera |
Rear : 16MP OIS (F1.9) , Front : 5MP (F1.9) |
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Battery |
3,000mAh, Fast Charging both on wired and wireless Wireless Charging compatible with WPC and PMA |
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Payment |
NFC, MST |
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Connectivity |
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, MIMO(2×2), Bluetooth® v 4.2 LE, ANT+, USB 2.0, NFC, Location |
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Sensors |
Accelerometer, Proximity, RGB Light, Geo-magnetic, Gyro, Fingerprint, Barometer, Hall, HRM |
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Audio |
MP3,M4A,3GA,AAC,OGG,OGA,WAV,WMA,AMR, AWB,FLAC,MID,MIDI,XMF,MXMF,IMY,RTTTL,RTX,OTA |
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Video |
MP4,M4V,3GP,3G2,WMV,ASF,AVI,FLV,MKV,WEBM |
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The prices announced this morning were the following:
- Samsung Galaxy Note 5 – Php 36,990.00 (32GB only)
- Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ – Php 39,990.00 (32GB), Php 44,990.00 (64GB)
We were told that the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ will be sold here as DUOS meaning they will be Dual-SIM variants.
Samsung Galaxy Note and S-series fans can check out the new Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ at the Samsung Experience Stores nationwide from August 17, 2015. And if you’re going to get one of these latest phablets from SMART, you may visit http://smrt.ph/SmartNote for pre-orders.
Before I forget, Samsung was kind enough to loan me a review unit of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ right after the Unpacked event. I’m almost done setting this up as of this writing, and will be my main smartphone for the next week or 2. Will post a review soon!
