Galaxy Note 4 Reviews Start Pouring In

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The Galaxy Note 4 is finally in the hands of reviewers, and unsurprisingly, the phablet is getting rave reviews all around. In general, reviewers particularly seem to like the outside design, the zippy speed and even the battery life, which sounds remarkable for a phone the size of the Note 4.

Galaxy Note 4 design differs from Note 3

In general, the exterior design of the Note 4 is very similar to that of its predecessor. However, Gizmodo noted a few small improvements that make a big difference. For example, the edges are now chamfered and made of metal rather than being ribbed, made of plastic and just colored like they’re metal. The new edges also apparently make the device easier to hold onto.

The phablet still has the ugly pleather backing Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) is known for, but this time the company has omitted the hideous faux stitching.

Business Insider‘s Steve Kovach said the Galaxy Note 4 fit in his pocket better than the iPhone 6 Plus because it’s slightly shorter. However, he also noted that the iPhone 6 Plus is made of metal and glass and the Note 4 is still almost entirely plastic.

Galaxy Note 4 sports a big, beautiful screen

Another feature multiple commenters talked about was the beautiful 5.7-inch screen, which has a resolution of 2560 x 1440 and 518 pixels per inch. The Note 4 actually enables users to use two apps simultaneously right next to each other, although that feature only works with a handful of apps, including Chrome and YouTube.

In most cases, a big, beautiful screen like the one on the Galaxy Note 4 would drain a device’s battery quickly. However, The Verge‘s David Pierce reported that he got a day and a half of usage from it, including 36 hours of streaming podcasts and music, watching TV, playing games and shooting slow-motion video. He said with “normal use,” it would be easy for the average user to see two full days of use out of the Note 4’s battery.

Samsung has even included a fast charger that takes the phone’s battery from dead to half-full in just half an hour and all the way up in less than two hours.

Problems with the Galaxy Note 4

Unsurprisingly, the folks at Gizmodo also said it’s nearly impossible to type on the Note 4 with a single hand, but this isn’t exactly a problem that’s unique to the Note line.

Another thing reviewers were not impressed with is the fingerprint scanner, which several said doesn’t work as well as the Touch ID scanner on the iPhone 6. It’s apparently very finicky.

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