A Quick Comparison Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs Apple iPhone 6 Plus vs Sony Xperia Z3 vs LG G 3 Design and build: Metal over plastic Achieving the zenith of premium design has long eluded Samsung, whose polycarbonate handsets are usually attractive if not drool-worthy. Earlier this year, Samsung broke the all-plastic mold with its metal-rimmed Galaxy Alpha, a move repeated on the Note 4. Silver accents around the rim and buttons look sharp on both the white and black versions we saw; they should class up the gold and pink tones as well. So how does it all look? Very good, and a lot better than pretty much every other Samsung phone you can buy, except perhaps for the Alpha. The backing is slightly more textured (and thankfully free of last years cheesy, chintzy faux stitching). The straight sides are comfortable to grasp and easy to hold onto. You can easily find physical buttons with your fingertips. The Note 4s straight sides make it easy to hold. Despite the improvements, though, the Note 4 still falls short of the LG G3 and HTC One M8s luxe metal contouring and finishes, and the Sony Xperia Z3s modern edges. Metal also structures the iPhone 6 Plus, which maintains a more seamless build quality than the Note 4 (although you cant remove the iPhones backplate.) Size and portability Theres big and then theres big, and the definition seems to swell by the day. Youll find the Note 4s exact dimensions and weight in the chart below, but what I think you really want to know is what its like to hold and carry around, especially compared to other supersize phones. Size-wise, its a hair taller and thicker than the Note 3 and almost identical to the iPhone 6 Plus. The LG G3 feels much more compact by comparison, even though its screen size is just 0.2-inch smaller. Seeing double? The Note 4 (left) and iPhone 6 Plus are closely matched in height and size. As a relatively short person with smaller hands, the Note 4 technically squeezes into my back pocket, though it looks comical sticking out of it. The same scenario goes for its palm-stretching effects: I find one-handed use pretty much pointless and almost impossible, even with Samsungs software modes turned on. However, several CNET editors with larger mitts and pockets didnt have much trouble with the Note 4s size, commenting on how nice it feels to grip. Size and weight Samsung Galaxy Note 4 iPhone 6 Plus LG G3 Sony Xperia Z3 Dimensions 6 x 3.1 x 0.34 inches (153.5 by 78.6 by 8.5mm) 6.2 x 3.1 x 0.28 inches (158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1 mm) 5.76 x 2.94 x 0.35 inches (146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9mm) 5.75 x 2.83 x 0.29 inches (146 x 72 x 7.3mm) Weight 6.2 ounces (176g) 6.07 ounces (172g) 5.26 ounces (149g) 5.36 ounces (152g) Ultra HD display Although its got the same 5.7-inch display as last years model, the Note 4 has jumped in display resolution, from 1080p HD up to a 2,650 x 1,440p quad HD AMOLED display. Its pixel density of 515 ppi soars over the Note 3s 386 ppi and the iPhone 6 Plus density of 401 ppi (but is less pixel-packed than the slightly smaller LG G3s at 538 ppi). These are big, impressive numbers on a big, impressive display that is undoubtedly clear and sharp. I spent a lot of time scrutinizing the Note 4s presentation of many HD images, Web sites, and even 4K video against the iPhone 6 Plus and LG G3, all of them with brightness cranked to the max. I also threw in the Note 3 for good measure. Apart from predictable differences in color temperature and tone between the LCD iPhone and G3 versus the AMOLED Notes, differences in lettering and image quality were minor, if visible at all. Display resolutions, compared Samsung Galaxy Note 4 iPhone 6 Plus LG G3 Sony Xperia Z3 Display 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED (2,560x1,440) 5.5-inch 1080p HD LCD (1,920x1,080) 5.5-inch Quad HD LCD (2,560x1,440) 5.2-inch 1080p HD LCD (1,920x1,080) Pixel density 515 ppi 401 ppi 538 ppi 524 ppi I will say, though, that the G3 looks noticeably dimmer at full brightness than the rest, and that the Note 4 exhibited smooth color gradients and strong contrast. It was perhaps just ever so slightly better than the rest, but not nearly enough to warrant a rowdy debate. Even when viewing 4K video, hawk-eyed CNET editors and photographers gathered around the phones could only tell slight differences in the amount of detail on display. Other external features If youre familiar with Samsungs Galaxy S5, you pretty much know what youre getting with the Note 4. A physical home button and two capacitive soft keys rest below the screen, each with a secondary function when you press them down. The power/lock button decorates the right spine, with the volume rocker on the left. A rapid-charging port at the bottom edge balances out the 3.5 millimeter headset jack and IR blaster up top. Below the camera lens, an LED flash module combines with the heart-rate sensor that is rapidly becoming another Samsung hallmark. The back cover pulls off to access the battery and microSD card slot, which you can fill with an up-to-64GB card (but not the 128GB you see on some other phones). The S-Pen holster bores into the back as well. Theres a lot of power inside the Note 4, just no waterproofing. One thing you wont notice is a rubber gasket surrounding the internal parts to help keep them free of water, unlike on the Galaxy S5. This isnt a deal-breaker by any means, though some folks find that waterproof phones (also like the Xperia Z3) are a little more convenient for their hydrophilic lives. Music plays nice and loud out of the speakers, though its certainly passable audio quality is a little tinny and thin, not quite the rich, rounded audio of the HTC One M8, for example. Behind the scenes, the Note 4 supports Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC. OS and apps Android 4.4 KitKat is practically a given on this phone, as is Samsungs custom TouchWiz layer. If anything, Samsung seems to have scaled back from the Galaxy S5 rather than piling more on top like it usually does. My Magazine, the newsfeed that lives to the let of your home screen, has morphed into Flipboard (which powered it anyway). The Toolbox feature that was introduced with the S5 is also gone. I also enjoyed color-coding app folders on the home screen, which is another relatively tiny Note 4 omission. Google Searchs always-listening ear is off by default, but you can turn it on in the apps settings menu under Voice. Android 4.4.4 is the backbone beneath Samsungs TouchWiz layer. Otherwise, youll find a slew of ways to customize things from motion control to the notification panel. Blocking mode and private mode are present, and those who find the UI a little too frenetic can switch to a simpler Easy mode. As a security measure, the biometrically-minded can set up the fingerprint scanner as well (though its time-saving property is dubious). Large phones like this one often come with settings to turn on one-handed operations. New in the Note 4 is a persistent panel hosting icons for your home-button functions, plus one to shrink down the application window for theoretically better one-handed use. You can expand or hide it on any screen, and of course, customize the icons. Features that would help me use the phone one-handed are some Id like to like, but in order for it to work, you have to be able to comfortably grip the phone and navigate with a thumb, something I had problems with while grabbing a pole on the bus and giving blood, both activities that really test these claims by taking an arm out of commission. Also, though its meant to be temporary, shrinking the app window defeats the purpose of having such a large display in the first place. Shrinking the screen is one way to use the Note 4 when youve only got one free hand. Just two more notes on apps before we move on. You may notice a few tiny changes to S Health. In the US at least, S Health gets a new optional coach you can use thats sourced by healthcare provider Cigna. In addition to checking your heart-rate, the app can also monitor your blood-oxygen level (SpO2). You might also notice fewer bundled Samsung apps in general, like the Kids Mode that came pre-installed in the S5. These havent disappeared, theyre just packaged into Galaxy Apps and include partner apps (many that comes with deals) like Dropbox and Kindle for Samsung. Any other bloatware you find on your phone is most likely courtesy of your carrier. Multitasking and more The Note 4 still supports a split-screen mode that lets you resize two app windows from a list of supported programs. You can now launch it several ways, including from the Recents tab, and can also create smaller pop-up windows to drag around the screen. Even more, you can shrink the size of a popup to float it around the screen as a persistent bubble -- a lot like a chathead in the Facebook Messenger lexicon, or like the Toolbox bubble found in the Galaxy S5.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 06:06:08 +0000
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