Tim in FeaturedNews 9 years ago

5 Reasons the Galaxy Note 5 is Worth Buying

Over the past few days, we have been listing out reasons for you to consider purchasing the top smartphones on the market. There are so many reasons and so many great phones, so we are going to keep this train moving along and deliver our 5 reasons the Galaxy Note 5 is worth buying.

With its large, gorgeous Super AMOLED display, amazing camera, and premium build quality, there are not many reasons you should not buy this phone. To us, it might purely come down to timely updates for Android and Samsung’s TouchWiz software.

Here are 5 reasons the Galaxy Note 5 is worth buying.

1. One of the best displays you’ll ever see.

When considering what the human eye is capable of, I would argue mobile display technology has reached the pinnacle. What I mean is, we don’t really need anything better than QHD. Heck, 1080p is good enough for most people, who still can’t make out pixels even with the phone a few inches in front of their face. If displays keep requiring more juice to power an absurd amount of pixels, we will need bigger batteries, and apparently, OEMs want to make phones even slimmer so this all seems counter productive. My point is, Samsung’s Super AMOLED QHD display is amazingly gorgeous, and we don’t need anything better at this time. Color saturation on the Galaxy Note 5 is rich and rightly calibrated, while the panel also handles blacks and whites exceptionally well. When playing games or watching videos from YouTube, you can’t really find a better viewing experience, at least from a mobile smartphone.

2. One of the best cameras currently available.

I love snapping photos on my phone, and I have had no better experience doing so than with the Galaxy Note 5. This thing, in the mobile photography department, is a beast. The camera features a 16MP sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS), allowing you to take clear photos even in poor lighting conditions, which is always important considering this is real life we are talking about. No one walks around with professional lighting equipment, so if your phone can’t work with what you give it, it’s pointless. Samsung’s software also allows for a ton of editing and customization options for photos, so you should always be able to tweak settings should you desire or need to. While I would say that the manual settings for photo taking is a bit more advanced on the LG G4 and V10, the Galaxy Note 5 still takes better shots overall than any other phone currently available.

You can see a few sample shots in my Galaxy Note 5 review.

3. Samsung nailed the design and feel.

If we gave out awards for Most Improved in the smartphone world, Samsung would take home the gold this year. If you compare the designs of the Galaxy Note 4 (2014) and Galaxy Note 5 (2015), and even the Galaxy S5 (2014) to the Galaxy S6 (2015), Samsung definitely cut the sh*t and made a quality product from great materials. Instead of plastic and faux leather garbage with crazy bezels, we have metallic and glass exteriors, all shaped and smoothed to fit the hand beautifully. When in-hand, the Galaxy Note 5 feels like a dream phone, dipped on its backside to allow for easier holding. If there was one point to take away from this post, it’s that the Galaxy Note 5 is probably the best looking and feeling phone of 2015.

4. Samsung Pay.

If you have a compatible bank and card provider, there is no doubt that Samsung Pay could be the king of mobile payment technology. Thanks to Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST), you can use Samsung Pay on non-NFC supported terminals, which is a major advantage over Android Pay. You just hold up the phone to virtually any credit card terminal, and boom, purchase complete. As many retailers are still upgrading their systems to support NFC mobile payments (Apple Pay and Android Pay), Samsung Pay already works at almost every retail location with a credit card swiper. Talk to anyone that has used Samsung Pay and they will tell you, it rocks.

5. TouchWiz software that doesn’t suck.

Before the launch of the Galaxy S6, Samsung claimed that they would be cleaning up TouchWiz significantly, and in my opinion, they delivered. I was once the biggest hater of the TouchWiz skin, and after I played with the revamped skin on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 5, my opinion took a complete 180°. While I still think a bit of thinning could be done to limit performance issues, Samsung has taken big steps to make the software more usable. Of course, the software still features all of the useful things like MultiWindow and S Health, so you won’t need to worry about missing out on any of Samsung’s helpful software.

Bonus Reason: Compatibility with Gear VR.

I may not be a fan of VR, but I admit that others probably enjoy it. What could seem like a gimmick to some, may be a total joy for others, and Gear VR certainly gives a great VR experience to anyone looking for one. When I was using Gear VR, before the seasick sensation came over me, playing games and watching videos in VR was a neat experience. More importantly, Samsung continues to bring new experiences for purchasers of Gear VR, which is a prime concern for anyone looking to invest in the technology. In the beginning, there seemed to be a serious lack in content, but with a big name like Samsung working with developers and Oculus, that is rapidly changing each and every day. Gear VR is now available to all for just $99, so it’s a major advantage to have a device that is compatible with this futuristic tech.

There you have it, 5 reasons why the Galaxy Note 5 is worth buying.