The Galaxy Note lineup from Samsung is one of the most popular and iconic series. The company always launches two flagships each year. First one is an S series phone and the next is a Note phone. The Galaxy Note is famous mainly for the S Pen and powerful hardware. This year the company launched the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 which is the 4th iteration. It is the successor of the Galaxy Note 3 which was also very popular. It brought 4K video recording first time to Galaxy smartphones. This year also, Note 4 brings a lot to the table, so let’s have a look at it.
The Note series is famous for high-end, cutting-edge, and top-class hardware. Along with the power, the Note has the most special stylus or S Pen. The S Pen is considered as the productivity wand for the Note series. It has its own fan base and the users prefer it for writing, doodling, signing digital documents, and much more. Samsung Galaxy Note 4 brings the goodness of the S Pen with all new hardware and design. This time there is a metallic frame, faux leather back, and powerful internals.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Specifications and Overview
- Display: 5.7 Inches Super AMOLED Screen
- Resolution: 1440×2560
- Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 4
- SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 (Octa-Core) / Exynos 5433 (Octa-Core)
- CPU Details: (2.7 GHz Krait 450 Quad-core on Snapdragon 805) / (1.3 GHz Cortex-A53 &1.9 GHz Cortex-A57 Quad-core sets on Exynos 5433)
- GPU: Adreno 420 (Snapdragon) / Mali-T760 MP6 (Exynos)
- Memory: 3 GB RAM
- Storage: 32 GB eMMC 5.0 Internal, 128 GB memory card support
- Battery: 3220 mAh Lithium-Ion
- Charging Rate: 15W (Quick Charge 2.0)
- Back Camera: 16 Megapixels with f/2.2 Aperture
- Front Camera: 3.7 Megapixels with f/1.9 Aperture
- OS: Android 4.4.4 KitKat (TouchWiz)
- Connectivity and Sensors: Front-mounted fingerprint sensor, Gyrosensor, Heart rate monitor, micro USB 2.0, Accelerometer, Proximity, Compass
Also Read: Samsung Mobiles Price in Nepal
Design and Build
Galaxy Note 4 comes with few major changes in terms of design compared to last year’s Note 3. This year the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 comes with a metal frame and chamfered edges. This provides a solid feeling and stronger build quality. The back of the phone has the faux leather removable back cover but there are no stitches. It has a dimension of 153.5 x 78.6 mm and 8.5 mm in thickness.
On the front side, there is a big screen, selfie camera, home button, sensors, and touch navigation buttons. The left side of the phone has a volume rocker and the right side has a power button. On the top, there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack and noise-canceling microphone. Similarly, on the bottom side, there is an S-Pen silo, USB port, and primary mic.
Also Read: Samsung Galaxy A7 Price in Nepal, Specs, Features
Powerful Core Internals
A Note series product always has top-of-the-line hardware and features. So, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 also comes with the best and most powerful hardware. There are two variants of this phone and they have different processors. One variant has Snapdragon 805 chipset while the other one has Samsung Exynos 5433 chipset. In terms of performance, Exynos is more powerful compared to the Snapdragon model. Luckily in Nepal, we get the Exynos variant. As the chipsets are different, they also have different graphics cards. There is Adreno 420 GPU in Snapdragon and Mali GPU in Exynos 5433. Samsung has now upgraded the RAM to 3 GB which is a positive improvement compared to the Galaxy S5.
Note 4 has a massive 3220 mAh removable battery. This is a giant battery and it is there to power the big screen and power-hungry internals. Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is a power user phone and media house. Therefore it needs a big battery to keep up with all the heavy tasks and entertainment demands such as watching high-definition movies and YouTube videos. According to some reviewers, the Snapdragon model has better battery life compared to the Exynos model. Samsung has also upgraded the charging rate to 15W to provide a fast charging feature.
This new flagship also has PayPal certified fingerprint scanner, MHL 3 TV Output via micro USB, and an IR blaster. Now the most important part of Note is the S Pen. Note 4 has an S-Pen at the bottom. It can be easily pulled out and then used to write, draw, doodle, and just use the device. Many people like it for work, taking notes, and productive tasks. Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has a bit better S Pen with improved tip and sensitivity.
Display and Camera
The screen on the Galaxy Note 4 is 5.7” Super AMOLED with stylus support. It has a very high QHD resolution at 1440×2560 with a pixel density of 515 PPI. This big screen is also protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 4. It is a massive OLED screen with quad HD resolution which gives it a very high sharpness. Therefore it should provide the ultimate experience for movies and other content.
Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge Impressions
The rear side of the phone has a 16 Megapixel f/2.2 camera with LED flash. This sensor can shoot photos at a maximum resolution of 5312×2988. It can also take videos in UHD or 4K resolution which is 3840×2160 at 30 FPS. Higher frame rate video such as 1080p at 60 FPS is also possible. We have discussed the benefits and differences of 30 fps vs 60 fps videos in our previous article. The rear camera also has optical image stabilization (OIS), dual shot, HDR, and smile detection. OIS gives stabilization that helps to take better photos and videos in a shaky environment.
On the front side, there is a 3.7 MP camera with an f/1.9 aperture. This front camera can also now record 1440p videos which is also called QHD. This means the selfie videos can be sharper and more detailed. It can also provide better power for video calls and meetings.
Extra Features, Impressions, and Conclusion
There are some special modules and cover available in the market that helps us get wireless charging function in this phone. It actually supports Qi wireless charging. This is a great show-off feature for anyone. It is sure that one day it will mature and become widely popular. The Galaxy Note 4 is filled with useful sensors like a compass, barometer, gyrosensor, heart rate monitor, and SpO2 monitor. The heart rate and oxygen saturation (Sp02) sensors are very useful for health enthusiasts. Its functions are embedded in S Health and it can be quite useful.
Galaxy Note 4 has Quick Charge 2.0 and it can charge 60% of the battery in just 30 minutes. Overall, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has a very fast processor considering the Exynos chip. It has upgraded RAM and storage with big memory card support. It also comes with a super sharp enormous OLED display, a giant fast-charging battery, and a fantastic camera. We have seen 4K footage results from Note 4 and they look amazing. Both cameras are absolutely fantastic and present astounding results.
Read More: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) Review
Note 4 is an enormous phone, so one-handed use is quite hard. However, we did enjoy the phone by putting it on a table and using it with S Pen. The build of the phone is also very good with metallic rails and faux leather back. It is good to see that there is a way to replace the battery easily and also get wireless charging.
It is very impressive to see phones with such power in the market. However, it comes with a hefty price tag. Samsung Galaxy Note 4 price in Nepal is Rs 85,900 or ($850) internationally. If you love taking notes, drawing, and sketching on your digital companion and crave high-end power, then Note 4 is just the answer for your need.
