Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Review: It's Hot Hardware
Our Summary and Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is the highest-performing Android-based smartphone we have tested to date. Whether we’re referring to CPU or GPU performance, the 2.7GHz Snapdragon 805 SoC with its Adreno 420 graphics engine at the heart of the Note 4 put up some of the best numbers we have seen. Single and Multi-Core performance is very good, and GPU performance is excellent in light of most other Android devices currently on the market. The Galaxy Note 4 outpaced other Android devices in every test we ran. Versus the iPhone 6 Plus, the additional GPU resources Apple built into the A8 SoC clearly paid dividends, as Apple’s flagship was slightly faster than the Note 4 in our graphics-related tests. The iPhone 6 Plus also performed well in single-core/single-thread tests, but the Note 4’s quad-core SoC gave it the edge in multi-core/thread benchmarks.
We’re going to make this conclusion short and get right to the point: The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is one of the most desirable large-screen smartphones currently on the market. With the exception of its USB port, virtually every aspect of the Note 4 has been improved over its predecessor. The Galaxy Note 4 has a better, higher-resolution screen, faster and sharper cameras, better construction, a more responsive S-Pen experience, higher performance, and the list goes on. The Note 4 also has more features than the Note 3, excellent battery life, and new additions like its heart-rate monitor. The Note 4 also has a more premium “feel” in the hand. This is a very nice device, there’s no other way to put it.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 takes everything that made the Note 3 great and improves upon it, and it also offers some features and capabilities not available in competing large-screen devices. If you’re contemplating the purchase of a smartphone in this class, you owe it to yourself to give the Note 4 a try. If you’re comfortable with its $299 (on contract) asking price, the Note 4’s features, performance, and build quality make it one of the best smartphones currently available in our opinion.
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