Samsung Galaxy Note 6/7 vs Note 5 vs Note 4: What’s the rumoured difference?

Samsung’s Galaxy Note device is expected to launch in August, adding another smartphone to the company’s 2016 flagship portfolio.

By default, the next Note should be called the Note 6. Rumour has it Samsung will be skipping the 6 and heading straight for 7 though. This is apparently to allow the next Note to fall in line with the Samsung flagships that have already launched this year – the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

We will be calling the 2016 Note the Note 6 for the sake of this feature however. Read on to find out how it compares to the Note 5 and the Note 4, based on the rumours.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6/7 vs Note 5 vs Note 4: Design

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 measures 153.2 x 76.2 x 7.6mm and hits the scales at 171g. Although it still very much looks like a Note device, the Note 5 is more refined than its predecessors, falling more in line with the Galaxy S6 devices and tying the flagships together.

The Note 4 measures 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5mm and weighs 176g, making it slightly larger and heavier than the Note 5. Both devices offer the S Pen Stylus and they both have a similar rectangular builds that distinguishes them as a Note device.

The Note 6 is rumoured to be adding IP68 water and dust resistance to the party, following in the path of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. There haven’t been any rumours on the size and weight of the next Note, but an S Pen is certain to appear in some form. It has also been suggested the Note 6 will be offered in a dual-edge format only, like the Galaxy S7 edge, which could mean a slight move away from the traditional Note design cues.

Both the Note 4 and the Note 5 have fingerprint sensors on board, so we’d expect to see some kind of security scanner for the Note 6 too. Rumours claim Samsung will opt for an iris scanner for the Note 6, but we aren’t convinced at the moment.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6/7 vs Note 5 vs Note 4: Display

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 features a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution for a pixel density of 515ppi. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 4.

The Note 4 also features a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a Quad HD resolution for the same pixel density of 515ppi. Gorilla Glass 3 is on board for protection against scratches.

The Note 6 is rumoured to be upping the screen size to 5.8-inches but sticking with the same Super AMOLED technology. The resolution is also rumoured to stay the same as the Note 4 and Note 5, which would mean a slightly lower pixel density of 501ppi if the size increase is accurate. This wouldn’t be noticeable to the human eye though so if all the claims are true, we can still expect a great display experience from the next Note.

As we mentioned previously, the Note 6 could be coming with a dual-edged display over a flat one though. If this is the case, it would differentiate the Note 6 significantly from its predecessors, putting it more in line with the Galaxy S6 edge+ that launched in the UK last year instead of the Note 5.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6/7 vs Note 5 vs Note 4: Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 features a 16-megapixel rear camera coupled with a 5-megapixel front snapper, both of which have an aperture of f/1.9. The main camera offers auto focus, 8x digital optic zoom and it is capable of 4K video recording.

The Note 4 also has a 16-megapixel rear camera that is also capable of 4K video recording and auto focus is also on board again. The front camera has a slightly lower resolution of 3.7-megapixels compared to the Note 5.

The rumours claim the Note 6 will arrive with a 12-megapixel rear camera but there has been no mention of the front-facing snapper so far. Although a 12-megapixel snapper would be a lower resolution than both the Note 4 and the Note 5, it isn’t all about megapixels when it comes to smartphone camera performance.

The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge both come with a 12-megapixel rear camera offering an aperture of f/1.7 so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the same for the next Note. This should result in better low light images than both the Note 5 and Note 4. We would also expect the front-facing camera to be at least 5-megapixels on the next Note.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6/7 vs Note 5 vs Note 4: Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 comes in 32GB and 64GB models, both of which have 4GB of RAM. Neither offers microSD storage expansion. An octa-core Exynos processor runs the show, coupled with a 3000mAh battery.

The Note 4 has 32GB of internal memory but there is microSD support on board for storage expansion up to 128GB. A quad-core chip is under the hood, coupled with 3GB of RAM and a battery capacity of 3220mAh.

There have been a couple of different rumours surrounding the Note 6’s hardware. Word has it a Qualcomm or Exynos chipset will be on board depending on the region, which is the same as the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. There have also been reports of both 6GB and 8GB of RAM.

Storage options for the Note 6 have been touted as 64GB and 128GB, but 256GB has also been thrown around. None of the rumours have confirmed whether or not microSD will make a comeback for the Note 6 but if the larger storage capacities are accurate, it suggests not. The Note 6 is reported to be coming with a 4000mAh battery and USB Type-C.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6/7 vs Note 5 vs Note 4: Conclusion

Based on the rumours, it looks like the Samsung Note 6 could offer a slightly larger display than its predecessors, along with a more exciting curved design.

You can also expect to see improvements in the camera department and more powerful hardware including a larger battery capacity and extra RAM.

Everything is speculation for now though. We will update this feature as more rumours appear, as well as when the official specs for the Note 6 or Note 7 arrive. To read everything we know so far about Samsung’s Galaxy Note 6/7, you can head to our rumour round up.