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    September 30, 2016
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Mark's Reviews
 
Stay ahead of everyone with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Talk and browse for up to 20 hours thanks to the lithium-ion battery, and then rapidly charge it thanks to the Quick Charge 2.0 support. A massive 5.7-inch AMOLED screen on this Samsung Galaxy Note 4 means excellent resolutions and outstanding images.
 
  • Verified Purchaser
  • My Best Buy® Elite Plus Member
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
You'll love the Phone
on December 15, 2016
Posted by: Mark
Verified Purchase:Yes
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is a great phone. One review indicated that the phone is an international phone. Not the one I got. My phone's product number indicated it would have been a T-Mobile phone (N910T) (see gsmarena dot com). Regardless, it is fully functional on U.S. networks and operates on the 4G LTE network.
What is really nice about the phone is that it has 3GB of RAM and 32 GB internal memory. The most current (more expensive) phones have made incremental improvements for much more money.
The phone also has a micro SD slot for additional storage. I bought the 64GB Samsung pro+ micro SD which has a 90MB/second write speed, making use of the phone's faster processor speeds. See J. Yang's November 29, 2015 comparative review on Amazon regarding SD cards.
This particular phone has the quad-core Qualcomm 2.7 GHz processor and its operating system is KitKat 4.4. Samsung also made the phone with the octa-core Exynos 7. While I was trying to learn if the Note 4 octa-core was going to work domestically, the last one sold :( :( ! My research indicates the octa-core is slightly faster. My Qualcomm is good. Both run on the current 64-bit system.
Searches are reasonably quick. Email interface and settings are great. Downloads and live streams work well. GPS navigation is really good.
The only disappointment is that the literature indicates that the Note 4 OS is upgradeable to Marshmallow. After getting the phone, Samsung Best Buy could not find a download, and third party vendors I visited were not familiar with doing the upgrade. The literature indicates Marshmallow enables more apps to operate from the SD card, which would have been a very nice feature and for which I planned in buying that 64GB Samsung Pro + microSD.
The phone comes with an excellent earpiece, something I use all the time. It has built-in noise cancellation, and my wife can now hear me when I am driving. There is a real difference for the people on the other end of the call.
I also like the fact that the battery can be removed from this phone for replacement or forced shut-down (though I have not had to do either).
The charger is a fast charger, and this phone's charging system is noticeably quicker than those on preceding models.
This Note 4 also sports a very good camera. It has built-in stabilization and, between its auto-focusing system, megapixels, and lighting, the final outcome is a very high quality image.
Last, the S-pen is great. I have actually gone paperless now in some settings. And whenever someone passes on some information about which I need to make a short or temporary note, the S-pen is with me and perfect for pulling out to make the quick note.
The one negative of the S-pen is that it creates faint scratches on my Zagg Glass screen protector. I love the Zagg Glass for protecting the screen, and Zagg took care of the issue; but, the S-pen will scratch it.
You'll love the phone.
My Best Buy number: 4010427123
My Best Buy number: 4010427123
I would recommend this to a friend!
+13points
13of 13voted this as helpful.
 
  • Verified Purchaser
  • My Best Buy® Elite Member
  • Tech Insider Network
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Helpful prior to the purchase as well as after
on September 30, 2016
Posted by: Mark
Verified Purchase:Yes
I purchased an Asus 2-in-1 Q552U laptop a little over 6 months ago and bought a Geek Squad Protect and Support Plan to have the internal mechanical drive swapped for a new Solid State Drive which I had also purchased. Geek Squad did a great job not only on getting the drive work done, but on getting the entire system turn-key.
I typically do not buy service and warranty plans; however, there are three things to consider if you are swapping a drive on a new computer: the Geek Squad Protect and Support Plan will cover their swapping the drive; the manufacturer’s warranty is going to be void upon changing the drive and, from the consumer’s perspective, the Geek Squad Plan can substitute for that warranty; and, there is a certain amount of set-up required for a change-out from the HD to the SSD and the Geek Squad has expertise for doing it.
I had hoped to also upgrade the computer’s RAM. We were unable to do so since one of the cards was soldered on the motherboard. If it had been possible, the same three considerations above again would have applied if a change to the computer’s RAM would have been done.
In doing the drive swap, I asked and they provided a start-up boot disk, they walked me through finding and downloading for a Linux self-booting flash and operating system, and they put the drive that came out of the computer into my external USB case that I gave them, giving me an external drive which I use for making clone back-ups.
Geek Squad also provides a full scan and computer clean-up once a year if needed as part of the Plan (with Webroot and C-Cleaner, I don’t think I’ll need it).
I got the full three-year plan to make it worth their and my while (Here’s a guy who never buys a plan, but buys the longest one from Geek Squad.).
Let me add that several of the Geek Squad personnel in my service area have been excellent. They impacted my decision to buy from Best Buy as much if not more than anyone. While evaluating between a couple of competing computers and needing to know whether the systems could be upgraded to 16GB of RAM (as well as with the SSD), they were priceless in getting to the answer and from the get-go were flexible in working with me if we were to find anything different inside of the machine when it came time to install the upgrade.
I highly recommend the Geek Squad if you believe you may need equipment support or protection.
My Best Buy number: 4010427123
My Best Buy number: 4010427123
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
We live in an age of technology, with endless resources at our fingertips. Just turn on your PC, Mac, Android or iOS device and merge onto the information highway where you can shop, browse, communicate, share, socialize, work, bank and more. The wonders of the Internet are seemingly limitless, but similar to most things in life, with the good comes the bad. Lurking around every corner are malicious online threats that put your computers, mobile devices, information and identity at risk. While you answer e-mail, you're vulnerable to phishing attacks. Every new link may lead to a virus. Fake Web sites might look legitimate but could trick you into revealing crucial information. Malware could infiltrate your device at any moment. Don't panic — defend your identity and your technology with the powerful protection features of Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Security, and navigate the Internet without worry.Always-on protection means that whether you're shopping, banking, browsing or sharing, Webroot is there to stop the latest known and unknown threats that put you at risk. This software will warn you about infected Web sites before you visit them and provides continuous protection without interruptions or slowdowns. Facebook and Twitter are no longer such high points of weakness as Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Security provides comprehensive social network protection to help counteract tricky malware. To make life simpler, Webroot manages your passwords, so you only have to remember one, and lets you navigate security on your devices from one easy-to-use interface. This software also analyzes your operating system for existing system issues to get you started with a clean slate. Enjoy all that the Web has to offer without putting yourself at risk. Whether you have a PC, Mac, Android or iOS device — or regularly use up to three of them online — defend them with Webroot.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
The lightest footprint and no security breech
on September 30, 2016
Posted by: Mark
Verified Purchase:Yes
I was skeptical of Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus and Security and would not have put it on my machine had it not already been installed by the Geek Squad when I picked-up my new computer. Well, Webroot is great.
I purchased an Asus 2-in-1 Q552U laptop a little over 6 months ago and swapped its internal mechanical drive for a new Solid State Drive. I had planned on buying some of the robust sounding antivirus and security software I had read about online even though my system came with a one-year free subscription to Webroot. Since Webroot was already installed when the computer was picked-up, that is what I started with, and now will continue to use, and plan to renew with.
It has the lightest footprint I have ever experienced. It does not put a drag on the system whatsoever, start-up bios takes all of 7 seconds, a complete scan takes 35 seconds (note, with a Samsung 850 Pro Solid State Drive in the driver’s seat and an i7-6500 processor), and no security threat or virus has breached the system. It has been perfect for my home-office use.
If you are tired of antivirus and security software which put a drag on your system and still need something effective, I found Webroot to be great.
My Best Buy number: 4010427123
My Best Buy number: 4010427123
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.
 
Upgrade your laptop's storage with this Samsung 850 PRO MZ-7KE512BW internal SATA III solid state drive, which offers a generous 512GB capacity for digital data. SED (Self-Encrypting Drive) technology controls access to private information.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
A great drive for the technology of tomorrow
on September 30, 2016
Posted by: Mark
Verified Purchase:Yes
I purchased an Asus 2-in-1 Q552U laptop a little over 6 months ago and swapped its internal 1TB mechanical drive for a new Samsung 850 Pro 512GB Solid State Drive and love it. I wanted the higher stability for a portable device, the better performance for a longer period, and the greater speed for my work that solid state drives promise.
And that computer with that SSD is fast. It takes all of 7 seconds for start-up bios, with the speed feeling almost the same as turning on a light switch. Doing an “intelligent sector” clone of C using Macrium free version takes 8 minutes, and doing an exact copy (copying empty space as well as data space) takes 1 hour and 20 minutes—and that is through a USB port to an external spin drive (The 1TB that came out of the computer was put in an external case to serve as a clone back-up.). Webroot Secure Anywhere Antivirus and Security already has a light footprint. With the SSD, the entire computer is scanned in 35 seconds.
The Pro version has a 10-year warranty and the faster speeds.
If buying an SSD in conjunction with the purchase of a new computer for upgrading the computer’s drive, it might also be worth considering the Geek Squad Protect and Support plans. While I typically do not buy service and warranty plans, it is an excellent investment if swapping the drive. The drive change is covered under the Plan, the manufacturer’s warranty is going to be void upon changing the drive, the Geek Squad Plan can substitute for that warranty, and there is a certain amount of set-up required for a change-out from the HD to the SSD. I bought the plan which covered the install, and I am very glad that I did.
Note that some settings and maintenance schedules may need changing for the SSD. A couple of great articles helpful to me were “SSD Optimization Tips for Windows 10 You May Want to Know” (at disk-partition dot com), “12 Things You Must Do When Running a Solid State Drive in Windows 7” by Miguel Leiva-Gomez (at maketecheasier dot com), and Scott Hanselman’s article at hanselman dot com titled, “The Real and Complete Story – Does Windows Defragment your SSD?” I made sure to enable TRIM, and it may be helpful to discuss the points important to you with those doing the swap before swapping.
This is a great drive and will put your machine in steed for the technology of tomorrow.
My Best Buy number: 4010427123
My Best Buy number: 4010427123
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Asus Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop: Work and play wherever you go with this versatile 2-in-1 laptop. You can type in dim lighting using the backlit keyboard or use the convertible flip hinge to switch to tablet mode and swipe through features using the 15.6" touch screen. With a spacious 1TB hard drive, there's plenty of space to store pictures and music.
 
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
If you're like me, you'll love this machine!
on September 30, 2016
Posted by: Mark
Verified Purchase:Yes
I have been using my Asus for a little over six months now, and it is fantastic—quick, quiet, great display, easy touch screen, 2-in-1 flip, a number pad on the keyboard, and the many user interfaces intuitive. At 15.6”, it is large enough to serve as my desktop and still travel as a laptop for presentations and work away from the office. And Windows 10 has been great to me. The system runs better than my experience with previous iterations, and it has many more hard and software features with which to interface and make happen, from screen rotations to flips of the entire computer body to touch screen execution to incorporating mobile app environments.
At the time of purchasing the computer, I also bought a Samsung 850 Pro 512GB Solid State Drive. While I do not normally buy service plans, under the Geek Squad Protect and Support Plan which I did purchase, Geek Squad installed the SSD and put the 1TB that came with the computer into a new external enclosure. Though I cannot speak to the performance of the computer with the mechanical drive which comes with it, I love the SSD. Start-up bios takes all of 7 seconds from the moment I flip the switch.
And quiet. The computer is totally silent except on the occasions of a few seconds of a still-quiet fan. At the office, my Asus sits on top of a small bamboo wood platform made for laptops which increases passive air circulation underneath the machine.
The 1TB that came with the computer is now used to make a clone of the entire system every week or so. I considered all kinds of back-up systems and ultimately decided the free version of Macrium Reflect (macrium dot com) and an inexpensive external would do what I need without the extra cost. My system only takes about 8 minutes to do the Macrium “intelligent sector” clone of C drive (and about 1 hour and 20 minutes to do an exact copy (copying empty space as well as data space))—and this is through a USB. I have yet to find the “differential” option reportedly available on Macrium’s free version, which would decrease cloning time still further.
Since Windows 10 does not allow me to run from an external connected through a USB, actually booting and running on the clone cannot be done unless the 1TB is re-installed in the computer. From File Explorer, I can see and pull files on the 1TB external and believe that if there is ever a failure, everything will probably be sufficiently recoverable for my needs (if not seamlessly continuing to run without missing a beat with an install of the clone pending an SSD replacement). The Samsung SSD Pro has a 10-year warranty.
This computer has the fastest processor available that I could find at the time of my purchase for the 2-in-1s (the i7-6500U). Heat constraints apparently limit going to the speed and cache I liked more (the i7-6700HQ) which is available in their gaming computer—just not in the 2-in-1.
The one feature I really wanted and could not get in this Asus was 16GBs in RAM. After multiple calls to Asus, online research, and varying answers, this computer may have had a production run at one time with two removable cards on the motherboard, but not mine. There is one 8GB card plugged into the board and one 4GB soldered into the board. There is no increasing this machine to 16GB with two parallel 8GB cards. Too bad. What a scream machine if that had been possible (and Best Buy would have sold another set of 8GB cards). The 12GBs which come with this system do great for my business and online work—for now. I am not a gamer, and software always becomes more demanding with future development. This machine won’t be upgradeable, though, at least using 8GB RAM cards in parallel.
With my wood platform underneath the machine, I have created a docking station of sorts and plug in an ergonomic keyboard and a Kensington SlimBlade Trackball while at the office. Both enhance the system, love all the USB 3.0 ports, and highly recommend the Kensington (See my review of the SlimBlade at that big online retailer that changed the world.).
The system also came with a one-year free subscription to Webroot SecureAnywhere Antivirus Security. I was very skeptical and would have never used it had the Geek Squad not already installed it when I went to pick-up the computer. Well, Webroot has been great. No drag on the system whatsoever (a first in my world), and no viruses or problems have made it past the security.
A couple of other comments. My machine needed to be able to run fairly intense architectural videos flawlessly as well as aesthetically beautifully; so, I compared by streaming a video from my website’s video set at maximum high definition and connecting the Best Buy demo computers to Best Buy’s fast WiFi. Several competing computers did good; but, the Asus did the best. There was no jerking or distortion in the video or the sound, and the imaging is excellent. Note that to make a fair comparison, Asus’s ambient light sensor should be disabled (It toggles on and off with the simultaneous press of the “fn” and “A” keys.). Otherwise, Asus will look too dim in the store's lighting and may not provide an accurate comparison with other machines and their respective settings.
A close second for me when all features were considered was the Lenovo 14” 2-in-1/convertible with the active stylus. That particular model has the best writing stylus of any of the comparable systems and could probably get a die-hard paper guy like me to paperless. However, it does not have the number pad and is smaller and thus not as worthy to serve as the desktop as well as its very capable function as a laptop/tablet. Yes, it does have 16GB of RAM.
The Geek Squad Protect and Support plans might also be worth considering. As stated earlier, while I typically do not buy service and warranty plans, it is an excellent investment if swapping the drive. The drive change is covered under the Plan, the manufacturer’s warranty is going to be void upon changing the drive, the Geek Squad Plan can substitute for that warranty, and there is a certain amount of set-up required for a change-out from the HD to the SSD. Note that some settings and maintenance schedules may need changing for the SSD. A couple of great articles helpful to me were "SSD Optimization Tips for Windows 10 You May Want to Know" (at disk-partition dot com), "12 Things You Must Do When Running a Solid State Drive in Windows 7" by Miguel Leiva-Gomez (at maketecheasier dot com), and Scott Hanselman’s article at hanselman dot com titled, "The Real and Complete Story – Does Windows Defragment your SSD?" I made sure to enable TRIM, and it may be helpful to discuss the points important to you with those doing the swap before swapping.
Last, the keyboard’s backlighting feature was not working when Geek Squad had finished their work on the computer (keys “fn” simultaneous with “f3” or “f4”). A download and install of an Asus Touchpad Driver was necessary (the ATK Package for the Touchpad (asus dot com)). There still might need to be some checks and downloads. It all works so well that more tweaking has not been a priority.
If you’re like me, you’ll love this machine.
My Best Buy number: 4010427123
My Best Buy number: 4010427123
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Mark's Review Comments
 
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Mark's Answers
 
Stay ahead of everyone with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Talk and browse for up to 20 hours thanks to the lithium-ion battery, and then rapidly charge it thanks to the Quick Charge 2.0 support. A massive 5.7-inch AMOLED screen on this Samsung Galaxy Note 4 means excellent resolutions and outstanding images.
 

Will this phone work with Metro PCS?

Yes. I am on Metro PCS, and the phone works great... 4G LTE.
7 years, 3 months ago
by
Mark
 
Stay ahead of everyone with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Talk and browse for up to 20 hours thanks to the lithium-ion battery, and then rapidly charge it thanks to the Quick Charge 2.0 support. A massive 5.7-inch AMOLED screen on this Samsung Galaxy Note 4 means excellent resolutions and outstanding images.
 

Is this phone new? Not used?

The advertisement should indicate if it is new or refurbished. I bought new, and it was new.
7 years, 3 months ago
by
Mark
 
Stay ahead of everyone with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Talk and browse for up to 20 hours thanks to the lithium-ion battery, and then rapidly charge it thanks to the Quick Charge 2.0 support. A massive 5.7-inch AMOLED screen on this Samsung Galaxy Note 4 means excellent resolutions and outstanding images.
 

Is the Battery Replaceable

The back panel can be opened and the battery can be removed (and replaced).
7 years, 3 months ago
by
Mark
 
Stay ahead of everyone with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Talk and browse for up to 20 hours thanks to the lithium-ion battery, and then rapidly charge it thanks to the Quick Charge 2.0 support. A massive 5.7-inch AMOLED screen on this Samsung Galaxy Note 4 means excellent resolutions and outstanding images.
 

Is this phone for use in North America and not international?

It works in the U.S. and operates on 4G LTE.
7 years, 3 months ago
by
Mark
 
Stay ahead of everyone with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Talk and browse for up to 20 hours thanks to the lithium-ion battery, and then rapidly charge it thanks to the Quick Charge 2.0 support. A massive 5.7-inch AMOLED screen on this Samsung Galaxy Note 4 means excellent resolutions and outstanding images.
 

Did this phone come new with all the accessories including the head phone and can it be used in jamaica?

The phone comes with a fast charger for plug-in charging, its battery, and an earpiece.

The earpiece system is a good one. The phone has built-in noise cancellation/reduction and a disconnect button on the cord.

I recommend getting a phone case (I have a Motimo leather wallet case and a water resistant Supcase, and like them both). I also recommend getting the Zagg InvisibleShield Glass screen protector. It is glass and performs great. It also feels much better than the plastic screen protectors. Be aware, however, that the S-pen may cause faint scratches on the screen protector. The other option you might consider is a micro SD card for additional storage.
7 years, 3 months ago
by
Mark
 
Stay ahead of everyone with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Talk and browse for up to 20 hours thanks to the lithium-ion battery, and then rapidly charge it thanks to the Quick Charge 2.0 support. A massive 5.7-inch AMOLED screen on this Samsung Galaxy Note 4 means excellent resolutions and outstanding images.
 

does the note 4 has pen

Yes, the phone comes with its digitized S-pen, a great pen. Note that the pen may create faint scratches on your screen protector.
7 years, 3 months ago
by
Mark