I bought the Note 5 after having read tons of reviews listing the pros and cons. I prefer Android over iOS so that being said I only comment on hardware issues. The screen is superb and I love the S-Pen stylus which is the main reason to buy this phone. It also has wireless fast charging. Overall nice slim design but back is very slippery so you almost have to get a case. Without a doubt the best Android smartphone you can buy along with S6.
The cons ... 1. The well known S-Pen insertion problem. Insert it the wrong way and you break that feature. (a design flaw that Samsung needs to correct in the future, but not enough to nix this phone). 2. Lack of 3rd party battery pack or protection cases that (1) allow access to S-Pen and (2) allow wireless charging to work. I believe Mophie only case that currently provides extended battery and allows access to S-Pen but it must be removed to allow wireless charging and it is expensive. 3. No more micro SD slot to extend storage (this forced me to buy more expensive 64GB version) 4. No more removable battery which is made worse with problem (2) above.
Pros: large high res screen, s-pen, high performance
Cons: well known s-pen insertion issue, cannot wirelessly charge with cases on, no micro sd slot, non-replaceable battery
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
4
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
4
Came from iPhone, I like this phone more
on December 13, 2015
Posted by: Crux
from Lexington, KY
Expertise:Intermediate
The only slight thing that I feel like I lost from iPhone and it's that my Note 5 feels a bit more choppy, but other than that this phone is great. The S pen (for me at least) is a legitimate feature, not some cheap selling point. The Google play store is full of stuff, the design is significantly improved from previous models, it's a great phone. Not to mention the display is beautiful.
Pros: Realistic color, Bright display
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
4
Performance
4
Design
5
Value
4
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Note 5 review
on December 13, 2015
Posted by: CEOMCM
from Charlotte, NC
Expertise:Expert
Going from the galaxy note 2 to the new galaxy note 5 (only because my wife made me. I loved my note 2), the note 5 has functioned and performed exceptionally.
Pros: Realistic color, Lightweight
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
easy to use
on December 13, 2015
Posted by: Maud
from Swannanoa, NC, USA
Expertise:Intermediate
All of my data was transferred. the new phone is more user friendly and customizable. Thanks for the larger storage capacity.
This phone is the best I've owned. I had the Note 2 and the Note 3. Every model Samsung makes noticeable improvements. The processor speed plus the 4GB of RAM make the phone so fast and smooth no matter what you're doing. I love how Samsung really thought of everything and there's a setting for anything you might want to adjust. Lastly my ONLY beef is the fact that you cannot use mobile data while making a phone call. And is not just a setting you can change. This is the only thing where I feel like Samsung went backwards and removed a feature that was pretty useful. Overall? Get the phone. Immediately.
I upgraded from the Note 3, which I really loved. However, the Note 5 is a far better phone than I could imagine. The new Side Sync app not only let me transfer all of my files, it also cleaned up all of my duplicates in my phone book automatically. And the quality of the camera is absolutely amazing. When I show people pictures I took with my phone, they think I took them with my very expensive camera. I'm still learning all it can do, but I couldn't be more pleased with it so far. Most of the time I leave my tablet home now because the Note 5 pretty much does everything I need it to. Kudos to Samsung for continuing to improve on all of their products.
I looked at all the smartphones that are on the market and this phone is the best one money can buy. I have other Samsung products as well and they can not be beat in Quality. Next purchase will be a Samsung 4k TV when the networks start broadcasting in 4k.