Apple Planning to Debut OLED iPhone in 2017

Apple is reportedly aiming to push up the debut of the OLED iPhone to 2017, reports Nikkei (via AppleInsider). The move would see Apple make the switch to OLED a year earlier than previously estimated.

In December, Apple contacted LG and Samsung about the potential to ramp up OLED production in time for the 2017 iPhone. However, the OLED technology would likely be limited to a higher-end iPhone like the 7 Plus or the rumored iPhone Pro due to possible supply constraints.

Apple, who is reportedly close to a deal with Samsung for flexible OLEDs, has been interested in using curved OLED displays in future iPhones, but Nikkei notes that Apple’s accelerated development may leave those plans temporarily stalled. Apple is apparently looking to quickly switch to OLED displays to juice iPhone sales, which analysts expect to stall.

In November, Nikkei reported that Apple expected to switch to OLED displays in 2018. Apple supplier Japan Display is planning for mass production of OLED displays for iPhones beginning in early 2018. Samsung and LG, however, are expected to provide the bulk of the OLED panel production, with Samsung planning to ramp up OLED production to 45,000 panels per month this year. The ever-reliable KGI Securities Ming-Chi Kuo reported in November that Apple was unlikely to fully adopt OLED displays until 2019.

Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Tag: OLED
Discuss this article in our forums

Slack rolling out voice calls beta to its desktop messaging platform

Slack has begun testing voice chat just a day after announcing the feature would be coming soon. Available in beta, the feature is currently only being tested on desktop in Slack’s apps and in Chrome. In a statement to TechCrunch, Slack’s Vice President of Product April Underwood said:

For customers who already use services like Skype, Google Hangouts, Zoom, and Bluejeans, it’s easy to initiate a variety of calling features from within Slack, but for customers who need a simple solution for voice calls with members of their Slack team, this new feature will make Slack more useful. We’re looking forward hearing feedback from customers testing the beta, and are eager to get this feature in the hands of customers in our Slack mobile apps soon.

As noted by TechCrunch, Slack says that the feature is currently only available to fewer than half of all users. However, if available, team administrators can check their Slack settings to enable the voice calling feature for their users.

For those with the feature enabled, you can initiate a call by clicking the phone icon at the top of a channel or a direct message thread. Whomever you initiated the call with will then be notified and you can start chatting away after they join.

Why you should try the $49 Amazon Fire tablet

In the past we’ve steered people clear of really cheap Android tablets. Not this time.

The Amazon Fire Tablet is both really cheap and Android, though perhaps not the Android you’re used to. There’s no Google to be found, which means no Play Store or Google Apps of any kind.

But if you go for the 7-inch Fire you’re only going to be asked to part with $49 of your hard-earned cash. I’ve been using one personally for a few months now, and I keep getting asked whether it’s worth a go.

The answer is yes.

I’m not going to run through how much hardware you get for your money and what that’s like, I’ve already done that in our extended hands-on. But there are a few things in particular that make this a great tablet that I’d happily recommend trying out if you’re remotely curious.

The first is the price. It’s one of the signature selling points for Amazon, and it’s almost too cheap to ignore. At $49 (£49 in the UK and €49 in the rest of Europe) it’s firmly in impulse buy territory. Amazon will even sell these things in a six-pack and you’ve still spent less than many tablets.

But expanding the price a little further, it’s a great tablet to travel with. I’ve had iPads and Android tablets before where the very cheapest was at least three times as expensive as the Fire. Because it’s so cheap I’m happy enough to travel with it and not worry too much if it gets lost/stolen/eaten/destroyed. It’s also extremely portable at a mere 7 inches, and slips into any reasonably sized pocket on a bag with plenty of space to spare.

It’s also pretty tough. Mine has seen a few child-induced falls to the floor, or worse, and lived to tell the tale each and every time.

Then you get to what you’re actually going to do with the tablet: Consume media. The Fire is perfect for this, and particularly good is being able to download Prime Video to a microSD card for offline viewing. 8GB of internal storage helps keep the price down, but a cheap SD card gives you tons of space to take content with you when there’s not going to be a connection. Offline content is why Prime has already surpassed Netflix as my favorite video service.

The 7-inch Amazon Fire Tablet’s microSD card can store Prime movies for offline viewing.

And while there’s no Google Play Store, the Amazon Appstore isn’t as bad as it used to be. You get tons of free apps through the Underground program, and if you’re a Prime subscriber (which you likely will be to get the most from the Fire anyway) you’re never more than a couple of clicks away from buying whatever you need. It won’t play some of the latest and most graphics-intensive games particularly well, but it’s just fine for casual titles.

Throw in Kindle and Audible and Prime Music, and you’re pretty much set. Amazon has a robust content ecosystem that, so long as you’re not entrenched in Google’s, has plenty to offer. Prime Music still falls a little flat, but since it’s included with your yearly Prime subscription for no extra charge, it’s hard to complain too much.

The 7-inch Fire tablet is absolutely something you should try. It’ll be better if you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, but if you want a basic tablet for consuming content or giving to the kids to use, it’s well worth your time.

Sure, the battery life isn’t terrific and the screen isn’t superb, but it does what it needs to do and doesn’t struggle with it. The software may take a little getting used to, but there’s nothing particularly bad about it and your content is always close at hand. Which is one of the most important things here, because consumption is what you’ll want one of these for.

For $49 you can’t go wrong.

See at Amazon 30-day free trial to Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime

• Benefits of Amazon Prime
• Get a free 30-day Amazon Prime trial
• Share Prime with friends and family
• Best movies to stream on Prime Video
• Shop smart with Amazon coupons

Kiss your old wall goodbye this Wallpaper Wednesday

Don’t let your home screen fall into a rut — switch out your wallpaper!

You don’t have to pull out a complex new theme like Deadpool to bring a breath of fresh air to your home screen. A new wallpaper can do wonders, just ask your iPhone-carrying friends. Launchers like Action Launcher can re-theme your entire launcher around a good wallpaper. In our effort to help brighten your device — and maybe your day — we’re compiling some wallpapers for you to try out.

If you’ve got a wallpaper you use everywhere, share it in the comments below! We’re always looking for something new. In the meantime, we’ve got a few to give your home screen a lift.

Sakura Butterflies

Spring feels like it’s already here in the South, but if you can’t find the warmth of spring in your neck of the woods, take this warm wallpaper based on a design used in some kimonos. Warm icons packs and gold icon packs will work well here, but a new icon pack by MLV called Royale with an orange-purple color palette would click here nicely, too.

Sakura Butterflies Wallpaper

Beauty and the Beast

There’s no shortage of gorgeous Beauty and the Beast artwork around, but this work by deviantart user umintsu tugs at the heartstrings in ways few do. This wallpaper works well with minimal and mixed home screens. You can zoom in from the border for a slightly cleaner look, and for icons, Gold or Navy colored variants in Glim and Golden Icons pair well with the work.

Beauty and the Beast by umintsu

Geometric Dusk

Geometric wallpapers come in many shapes and styles, but this uneven design begs for a home screen to call home. This design doesn’t care if you’re rocking a minimal or heavy layout; it’s ready to serve any style and size of screen, and can work with just about any icon pack you throw at it.

Geometric Dusk

Arabian Nights

This fractal wallpaper is mesmerizing, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s one of my favorite color schemes: navy and gold. You can set it horizontally and have a beautiful (if somewhat busy) wallpaper, or you can rotate it to portrait and have a beautiful wallpaper with plenty of space for widgets and icons at the bottom of the screen. Gold icons are a must here, like Golden Icons or Gold Luxury.

Arabian Nights by Natalie Kelsey

Rockman.exe

I’m still waiting for my net navi, guys. Google Now is fine, but I want a net navi that’ll sass me and remind me to be tactful around other people. Smartphones have evolved like the PETs shown in the show Megaman, but I still don’t see any personal net warriors/assistants that’ll help us stay on track and will obliterate viruses with their arm cannons or Roll Whips. Moving along, for this Rockman.exe (Megaman, for us Americans) wallpaper from deviantart user inualet, most blue icon packs will work, but Turbulence Blue and UIcons blue take especially well to the image.

Rockman.exe by inualet

‘Rocket League’ has an official championship

Rocket League is practically tailor-made for tournaments (it’s football/soccer with cars, after all), and Psyonix is determined to make the most of that fact. It’s teaming up with Twitch to launch the Rocket League Championship Series, an official 3-vs-3 competition with real-world stakes. The two are running 3-month seasons that will offer a $75,000 prize pool to the top players — peanuts next to some tourneys, but enough that it could be worth brushing up on your mid-air shots. Only PS4 and Windows PC players can qualify (at least at first) once the series begins this month, although every playoff match will be streamed over Twitch if you can’t join in with your Xbox One.

The alliance is part of a trend of Twitch partnerships, and hints that these kinds of eSports arrangements could be common going forward. Twitch stands to profit from hordes of viewers, of course, but it’s also a potential win for gamers. Official championships not only give you a reason to keep playing, but can keep your favorite game in the limelight for longer. You may not have to worry as much about a multiplayer-focused title like Rocket League dying a quick death simply because you’ve run out of fresh opponents.

Source: Rocket League Championship Series, Twitch

YouTube creators stand a real chance of winning Emmy awards

While movie and TV award shows are increasingly willing to recognize internet video, they still tend to focus on conventional productions with reasonably big budgets. However, they’re about to broaden their horizons: the Television Academy has expanded the Emmys to not only include more internet-friendly short form categories (such as outstanding actor/actress and outstanding variety series), but widen its definitions to make room for more internet-only video shows. While you probably won’t see your favorite “let’s play” star take home a statuette, this gives YouTubers with artistic ambitions (such as PewDiePie and Lilly Singh) a much better shot at winning a major, peer-voted award.

Internet video already has its own awards, like the Webbys, but they tend to live in the shadow of their decades-older counterparts. The Emmys move gives these online clips some added legitimacy in the public eye — they’re real artistic endeavors, not just homebrew projects recorded by people with webcams. That acknowledgment, in turn, could encourage online video producers to step up their quality in hopes of winning an award and making it big.

Via: Hollywood Reporter, Polygon

Source: Television Academy

Slack to start integrating native voice chat into its app

A couple of months ago, you could start making Skype calls from within Slack, an award-winning work chat app that’s pretty popular with a lot of companies (we certainly use it over here in the Engadget office). Now, however, voice calls are simply baked into the app itself, without you having to use an external service. The feature is in beta right now, and testing will roll out in Slack’s desktop apps as well as in Chrome. The voice calling feature actually comes from Slack’s acquisition of Screenhero over a year ago.

If you have it, you’ll spot a phone icon at the top of your screen next to the info button. Click it and you can initiate a voice call much like most other chat apps out there. This doesn’t work with just individual folks either; you can also make channel-wide calls with up to 15 folks, but this is only for Slack users who pay for the service. And because this is Slack — known for its wide range of emoji — you can also respond to voice chats with one of several colorful reactions imposed over your user icon.

This isn’t to say that Slack will stop supporting the aforementioned Skype or other voice chat services; it’s just another option. We should also note that rival Hipchat has had voice and video chat for awhile now. Still, for loyal Slack users, this is great news; here’s hoping that video support will be coming too.

Via: The Verge

Source: Slack

Perfect Screen Shot – Make your screenshots…perfect. [Review]

Overview – Perfect Screen Shot is my app choice when making images for AndroidGuys. PSS lets you import screenshots and places them in the frame of an existing smartphone of

Dell XPS 8900 Special Edition review – CNET

The Good The XPS 8900 is a decent-looking desktop tower with reasonable expandability. It’s only $999 as part of an Oculus Rift bundle, and includes a very good graphics card.

The Bad This VR-on-a-budget configuration may feel dated quickly as VR games become more ambitious. The Core i5 CPU holds this system back from being a PC-gaming workhorse.

The Bottom Line One of the least-expensive Oculus-ready PCs, the Dell XPS 8900 Special Edition hits the required specs for virtual reality, but just barely.

Visit manufacturer site for details.

It’s been a while since a standard tower desktop PC has darkened my computer testing bench. After all, laptops and hybrids are where all the action is at these days, and when I do review a desktop, it’s usually a small-form-factor system, such as the Mac Mini, Alienware Alpha or Intel Compute Stick.

But there are now several very traditional-looking desktops lined up in the CNET Labs. Is it because of a sudden surge in interest in computers that look like they dropped in from 2005? No, it’s because the first wave of virtual reality hardware — the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive — will only work on computers with desktop-level components. That means anyone interested in VR right now needs to invest in a desktop PC, or one of a very small handful of oversize laptops with desktop parts crammed inside.

View full gallery
Sarah Tew/CNET

Aside from the sticker shock of a $599 Oculus Rift or a $799 HTC Vive, the required PC system specs for these two VR headsets are going to be a major hit in the wallet for anyone who does not have a recently updated gaming desktop. Besides a reasonably current Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPU, Oculus and Vive require a desktop graphics card — at least an Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 or AMD R9 290 (and no, for a variety of technical reasons, laptop graphics cards, no matter how powerful, won’t currently work).

Fortunately, Oculus has already promised compatible gaming PCs for as little as $999. While VR-ready desktops with high-end Core i7 CPUs and Nvidia 980 or 980ti cards can cost $2,000 or more, the poster child for affordable VR computing is the Dell XPS 8900 Special Edition, a system specifically promoted by both Oculus and Dell as being VR-ready for less.

On its own, this specific configuration is $1,199 in the US, although periodic promotions have dropped it to $999. (The Oculus-compatible XPS 8900 is not currently being sold in the UK or Australia, but that works out to roughly £716 or AU$1,390.) Further, when ordered as part of an Oculus Rift headset bundle, the price drops by $200, and even if you’ve already ordered your Oculus Rift, you can log into your account and get a promo code for $200 off this configuration, or similar discounts on other VR-ready desktops from Asus or Dell’s Alienware brand.

View full gallery

The XPS 8900 is one of the least-expensive computers that will work with the $599 Oculus Rift.

Oculus

While the XPS 8900 can be configured with a wide range of components, including faster processors, more powerful graphics and solid state or hybrid storage, this model includes a current-gen Intel Core i5-6400 CPU (about as mainstream as you can get), 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive and the Nvidia 970 graphics card, all inside a plastic and metal chassis. Non-Special Edition versions go as low as $699 in the US, but those won’t work with VR headsets.

Dell XPS 8900 Special Edition

$1,199

2.7GHz Intel Core i5-6400

8GB DDR4 SDRAM 2,133MHz

4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 970

1TB 7,200rpm HDD

802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0

Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit)

On the upside, it’s a decent set of specs for the price, and fine for everyday computing and mainstream PC gaming. The system interior, accessible through a removable side panel, has some room for expansion, including three hard drive bays (just one is used here), four RAM slots (two are filled with 4GB RAM modules), and two extra PCIe slots. Note, however, that the power supply is a 460W one, but that’s enough for a Core i7 and GeForce 980 card.

View full gallery
Sarah Tew/CNET

The case feels gigantic, even if Dell calls this a mini-tower (full-size towers are rare these days outside of specialized gaming and design rigs). The black-and-chrome look is generically inoffensive, but the glossy, black plastic front panel and matte-black side panels feel a little mismatched. As we’ve seen with most modern mainstream desktops, USB and memory card slots are easily accessible on the front panel, while a small indented panel on the top, good for holding USB keys and spare change, offers access to a couple more USB ports and audio jacks. While optical media is relatively rare these days, the system comes with one DVD drive and an extra front panel door for a second drive — a throwback to the days when people needed not one, but two optical drives in their desktops (and let’s be honest, that was usually for copying music CDs).

But is it really ready for VR?

Assuming one doesn’t have a compatible desktop PC already, buying into one of the new VR ecosystems isn’t going to be cheap. Starting with a $599 Oculus Rift or $799 HTC Vive, a VR-ready computer can cost thousands. It’s cheaper to build or upgrade your own not-too-old machine, of course, but having a $999 (after the bundle discount) computer that’s ready to roll on day one is tempting.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 review

Buy now on Amazon
Update (3/1): With the arrival of the new Galaxy S7 family, the Galaxy Note 5 might no longer be the latest from Samsung, but it’s still one of the best. We’ve already pitted the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 vs the Galaxy S7 in a quick look, but we also felt now was a great time to the Note 5 review up to the front of the index. For those who prefer big screen phones, there’s really few better than the Note 5.

Over the past few years, Samsung has followed a release cycle featuring two major flagships, under the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note monikers. Apart from the obvious difference in size, there has always been some separation in design, build quality, and features between the two series, and the mainstream acceptance of large display smartphones led to the Galaxy Note series emerging as the more compelling option in recent times.

With a new, yet controversial, design language, and some enhancements underneath the surface, does the latest addition to the Galaxy Note family continue the legacy of the series? We find out, in this comprehensive review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5!

• Common Galaxy Note 5 Problems
• Best Note 5 Accessories & Cases

Design

Perhaps the most important part of the new Galaxy Note 5 is that it feels like we’ve been here before, and that starts with the design. Though much of the Galaxy design language remains as familiar as ever, the just-released Galaxy Note now takes its build quality cue from the latest Galaxy S series flagship, offering a metal and glass construction. Glass panels are kept together with a metallic frame, and all color options include translucent effects that literally make the phone shine and reflect.

The use of glass means that the Note 5 is also the most fingerprint prone Note device we’ve seen, which is another trope that it derives from the Galaxy S6. But, unlike the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, the Galaxy Note 5 manages to be just a bit more than a blown up Galaxy S6, with its subtle curves along the sides of the back, that actually help with the handling of this large phone.

Of course, much of what we all remember from Samsung devices returns here. The buttons are all where one would expect them, with the fingerprint scanner integrated into the tactile home button up front. The scanner now works with a simple touch, which is a far better implementation than the swipe version found with its predecessor. Down at the bottom is the microUSB port, the headphone jack, the speaker grill, as well as the S-Pen, nestled very neatly into the bottom right corner.

The S-Pen also gets some real updates in design, as is evident when you pop out the top, which has been done in order allow the pen to be flush with the body, making it look and feel sleeker than before. The click on the top is yet another toy to mess with, and any avid S-Pen user will probably take advantage of it as they gather their thoughts in between taking down any notes.

This is also a good place to address the “Pengate” controversy that has been making the rounds – while it is true that you are able to put the S-Pen into the slot backwards, that is certainly not a reason to do so. Even if the S-Pen could have fit backwards without affecting the sensor, I think all users should still be wary of how they are inserting this stylus, and the problem goes away.

The new design language of the Note 5 brings one very significant change that is quite the point of contention, and that is the lack of a removable back cover, and all that it entails. That means no expandable storage via microSD card, and no user-replaceable battery. These were two features that previously made Galaxy Note devices the go-to phones for power users, and that is unfortunately not the case anymore. Sacrificing these two features does make for the thinnest, most beautifully constructed Galaxy Note smartphone ever though. Handling might suffer from a pretty slippery glass design (up until the fingerprints and smudges slow it down), but the Galaxy Note 5 still manages to have one of the most appealing aesthetics, even if it now feels overly familiar.

Display

The Galaxy Note 5 comes with a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, which is, on paper, identical to the display of its predecessor. However, the display has been incrementally enhanced to improve on an already fantastic viewing experience. Quad HD makes a lot of sense on a larger display, resulting in an excellent pixel density of 518 ppi, despite the large size. The high saturation Super AMOLED construction proves to be as great as ever, allowing for vibrant, vivid colors, and plenty of brightness for comfortable viewing in broad daylight. You do have the option to tone down the saturation though, if that better suits your tastes.

What we think is the most important about this panel, however, is the really small bezel ratio. There is very little space on the sides of the display, which helps tremendously with the handling experience. For a phone that deals with text and writing, the screen really shines, but fire up a very colorful game or video and using this display will be an absolute joy.

Performance

Performance is a high-point for the Galaxy Note 5, thanks to Samsung’s use of its in-house processing package, which has been optimized for the toned-down TouchWiz. The octa-core Exynos 7420 processor, clocked at 2.1 GHz, returns from the Galaxy S6, where it really shined, bringing with it an additional gigabyte of RAM, for 4 GB in total. That combination allows for some strong multi-tasking, and that’s great, given the availability of the S-Pen and all of its features.

There is no doubt in our minds that this processing package is a great performer, as a whole week of above-average use has yet to slow down this phone, on which we’ve installed apps, used trackers, watched videos, played games, and taken lots of pictures and videos with. The Galaxy Note 5 succeeds where the Note line has always excelled – being the fastest and best iteration of the Galaxy experience in any given year.

Hardware

In hardware, some familiar additions return with the Galaxy Note 5. On the back of the phone, right next to the camera package is where the heart rate monitor can be found. It works about as well as ever, thanks to a streamlined S-Health app, but this is not a feature you will probably use very often.

The device packs a standard suite of connectivity options, including NFC, which will be a part of the upcoming Samsung Pay ecosystem. Phone calls come in loud and clear, and I had no dropped calls during my usage with the T-Mobile network. Speaking of audio, the single speaker unit on the bottom benefits from a better placement from before, but provides the expected quality. It gets pretty loud, but without much body in the sound, but we’re glad it doesn’t overdo the high ends though.

Fingerprint reading is a thing of the future, and Samsung makes it work quite well in the Galaxy Note 5. Setting it up for Web sign-in credentials is possible, but, for the most part, the primary use of the fingerprint scanner will be to unlock the phone. The scanner’s usefulness will also see a bump when Samsung Pay officially launches later this year.

On the storage front, the Galaxy Note 5 comes with 32 GB or 64 GB options, without the possibility to expand the storage, leaving power users dependent on choosing the larger version, along the premium it entails. As was the case with the Galaxy S flagships, the storage in the Galaxy Note 5 is UFS 2.0, which is a standard that can rival speeds of SSDs, and that helps with maximizing speed. That, of course, might not be reason enough to warrant the removal of expandable storage, but the smooth performance of the device can definitely be attributed to optimized internals, over a myriad of unknowns coming from microSD cards. A lot of people won’t be convinced, but it’s something we thought should be considered.

Finally, when it comes to the battery, the Galaxy Note 5 packs a 3,000 mAh unit, and that capacity does seem a little bit small at first glance. In our testing, we found that the device could still handle a full day of work without any problems, though getting anything more than that is a stretch. Screen-on time never really got beyond 4.5 hours, but with an impressive standby time, if the device remains unused a lot, it might by easy to get more than a full day out of it.

In attempting to keep the latest Galaxy Note phone as thin as possible, Samsung hit a hard limit on the battery size of the Note 5, and focused on charging it as fast as possible instead. For example, the Note 5 boasts faster wireless charging, although the high speeds are only available with Samsung’s own wireless charger. It is also nice that the device supports both the PMA and Qi wireless charging standards out of the box, but the cordless life that Samsung seemed very excited about at the launch event still feels a little far off.

The Note 5’s fast charging capabilities will prove more useful for most users, as the device requires only 10 to 15 minutes to get back to decent battery life, and only about an hour to be fully charged. Granted, fast charging does feel like a consolation prize for losing true longevity. But it shouldn’t be difficult to find 15-minute charging windows throughout the day, so that you aren’t worried about running out of juice.

Camera

The Note 5 retains the quality in the camera department, quite literally in this case: the camera on the device is basically the same with the Galaxy S6′, with its 16 MP rear shooter with a f/1.9 aperture and 4K video recording capabilities, along with a 5 MP wide angle lens front-facing camera.

By far, the best part about the camera experience is the ability to bring it up by simply hitting the home button twice, which will quickly and easily launch the camera app. The manual controls of the mostly familiar app have been given a few more options, such as being able to change the Kelvin reading in the white balance slider, which isn’t available with the Galaxy S6 camera.

There are all the usual modes as well, with everything from slow motion, to a new video collage mode that is fun to use. Live broadcasting is also now available, with YouTube as the platform, which is basically a Periscope built into the app. We think it isn’t something most users will use, and even then, more established streaming services like Snapchat or Periscope might still take priority. Shooting in the app is nice and quick in most situations, and though there is some spot metering when tapping to focus, a slider for changing the exposure does appear if you need it.

Picture quality remains as great as ever, keeping Samsung at the top of the heap in the Android world. Good saturation across the board keeps pictures from ever being dull, and detail is also captured really well. Users can benefit from the f/1.9 aperture for depth of field effects, and it does help a bit in low light situations. Of course, pictures do get the expected level of noise due to higher ISO compensation, and the app gets a little slow when trying to focus in low light conditions. Much like the Galaxy S6 proved earlier this year, the great camera experience of the Galaxy Note 4 can be improved upon, and thus, the Galaxy Note 5 gets all the benefits of this past year’s evolution in camera quality and performance.

See also: Blind Camera Shootout – the winner is…420

Software

On the software side of things, the main story is in how streamlined this version of Android has become, as much of what bogged down Samsung’s operating system has been stripped away. What remains is actually quite useful: namely, certain gestures and a theme engine that does well to change the look of the interface. Plenty of features can be found with just a little bit of digging, like easy access to Multi-window from the Recent Apps screen, as well as the one-handed features, easily triggered by hitting the home button three times. Just like with the Galaxy S6, there are far less tutorials and annoying reminders of what the phone can do, which is probably one of the highlights of this version of TouchWiz.

Of course, the additions mostly relate to the S-Pen, which has been streamlined with the rest of TouchWiz. Some features from before have been removed, instead prioritizing the most used abilities of the S-Pen, such as Smart Select, Screen Write, and memo creation. You can also use the S-Pen like a mouse, which is best demonstrated in places like the Gallery or while scrolling through text, where holding down and then dragging to select is nice and easy.

Creating memos is easier than ever on the Galaxy Note 5, as removing the S-Pen when the phone is in standby no longer wakes it, but instead, the display remains black, and a screen-off memo pad opens up. For any time when the user needs to quickly jot down any information, the Galaxy Note 5 is as accessible as a pad of paper, and even if this feature isn’t used all the time, its addition is certainly appreciated.

Taking the S-Pen out in any other situation, or pressing the button on it, opens up the refreshed Air Command menu, which now also includes a few shortcuts to user-defined applications, though it does feel weird to put anything on this list that doesn’t ultimately take advantage of the stylus. The Action Memo is still able to read handwriting and insert it into a number of different applications, though the feature mainly remains a way of quickly adding to S-Note. In S-Note, every note can be easily pinned to the homescreen, as well as turned into a reminder; both of these features are practical and make the Screen-Off Memo that much more appealing to use regularly.

Smart Select is also as powerful as before, as any portion of the screen can be cut out and easily shared. For anyone that likes to talk in messaging apps through pictures and memes, like I do, Smart Select is pretty awesome. Finally, there is Screen Write, which takes screenshots of the current workspace for editing and sharing. Now, scrollable places like Web pages can be pieced together automatically, creating a long image or note than encompasses everything you want to save from the page.

What is probably best about the S-Pen is that it actually feels a bit more essential than before, and that was achieved by not oversaturating it with buttons or tutorials, or even raw features. The list of S-Pen abilities is not as long as before, but there are solid use case scenarios for every single feature that is available. Even if you almost never use the S-Pen, it’s an addition that proves its worth every time you say “why not,” and perform your typical task with it instead.

Specifications

Display	5.7-inch Super AMOLED 2560 x 1440 resolution
Processor	Exynos 7420
RAM	4GB (LPDDR4)
Storage	32/64 GB
Camera	16 MP rear camera with OIS 5 MP front-facing camera
Connectivity	WiFi a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, GPS + GLONASS
Networks	LTE cat 6 300/50
Battery	3,000 mAh Fast charging WPC and PMA-compatible wireless charging
Software	Android 5.1 Lollipop with TouchWiz
Dimensions	153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6mm, 171g
Colors	black sapphire, white pearl, gold platinum

Gallery

Pricing and final thoughts

The Galaxy Note 5 was made available just days after its launch across all major carriers in the US, and as expected, it comes at a steep price point. In total, about $700 is what you will shell out to get Samsung’s latest addition to the Galaxy Note line, whether or not you use payment plans on AT&T, T-Mobile, or elsewhere.

So, there you have it for this in-depth look at the Samsung Galaxy Note 5! It’s hard not to look at the Galaxy Note 5 in comparison to what Samsung has offered in the past, because of the company’s decision to take quite a departure in design and hardware choices. This phone may not feel like a power user’s device anymore, and people who feel that way are completely validated in doing so. For those who expected more, this new iteration feels too much like the Galaxy S6 in terms of what features it leaves out.

On the flip side, the Note 5 takes the best of what the Galaxy S6 offered and brings it to a bigger and better package. The stellar display is even better at 5.7-inches, the performance is super smooth and reliable for any and all usage levels, and the camera is one of the best in Android today. Expandable storage and replaceable batteries might be missed, but we were still able to enjoy the Note in spite of that. If we work with what is given, this phone still delivers. At first look, many people were not convinced that the device was worth the upgrade, but spend some time with it, and there is a good chance that you will fall in love with the Note, just like you did before.

Buy now on Amazon

Next:

• Note 5 vs iPhone 6S Plus
• Note 5 vs Nexus 6P