September is shaping up to be a very important month in the mobile phone world with lots of new handsets being unveiled to the world. Ahead of Apple’s recent iPhone 6 launch, Samsung held a special event where they also debuted two new smartphones – the Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy Note Edge. Here’s the lowdown on the latest additions to the Note family.
First up is Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4. As well as being one of the larger smartphones on the market at 5.7-inches, it’s also one of the world’s most powerful mobile phones. It features some of the most up to date mobile phone technology and boasts a stunning Quad HD (2560 x 1440 resolution) Super AMOLED 5.7-inch display. This means that it’s pixel density is right up there at 515 pixels per inch. The Note 4 screen really impresses with colours so bright they virtually jump out of the screen, enhanced viewing angles and it also comes with Adaptive Display technology so the colours are automatically adjusted according to its surrounding light conditions.
The latest member of the Galaxy Note series has also had a design upgrade with a premium look and feel. On the rear is a faux-leather effect cover which gives you a good grip on the handset and there is now a metal band within the frame to give it extra robustness.
Like the Galaxy S5 smartphone, the Note 4 also comes with fingerprint scanner on the home button and a heart rate monitor on the rear. A new feature for the Note 4 is the inclusion of a UV scanner which keeps tabs on UV levels wherever you may be so you don’t overdo it in the sun. The S Pen with the Note 4 has had a bit of a makeover – it’s twice as sensitive and there are new calligraphy and fountain pen options.
The camera on the rear is a 16-megapixel version in comparison to the Note 3’s 13-megapixel main camera. It now comes with Optical Image Stabiliser and takes sharper and brighter photos and performs very well in low-light conditions. There’s a good quality 3.7-megapixel camera on the front which has a handy wide-angle mode ideal for panoramic-style group selfies.
Inside the Galaxy Note 4 is a super powerful 3220mAh battery and the 32GB of onboard storage can be upped thanks to a microSD slot. It also features the latest and most powerful Snapdragon processor, the 805 and the RAM has been upped to 3GB. The Snapdragon 805 CPU is also very efficient so combined with the larger RAM the Note 4 is extremely quick with faster response times.
If you like the sound of the Galaxy Note 4 but are looking to stand out from the crowd then it’s well worth checking out the second new Note smartphone launched this month, the Galaxy Note Edge. Aimed at the top-end of the market, the Note Edge is also a phablet-sized smartphone but is slightly smaller in size than the Note 4 with a 5.6-inch Quad HD display. The big difference between the Note 4 and Note Edge is the screen – the Note Edge boasts a rather unique curved display which actually curves downwards and covers the right hand edge of the handset. Dubbed the ‘edge screen’ by Samsung, this extra dimension to the display can feature all manner of useful information such as notifications and app icons which can be accessed even when the main screen is switched off or is hidden inside a case or cover.
Broadly many of the specs of the Note Edge are similar to the Note 4 with the same processor, storage capabilities and RAM. There is likely to be a 64GB version of the Note Edge, both however can take a microSD card up to 128GB. The Note Edge also comes with the same cameras, scanners and monitors. The Edge is slimmer than the Note 4 measuring in at 8.3mm and weighing a couple of grams lighter and will be available in 2 colour choices, black or white.
We’re expecting that both the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge will be hitting our stores in October so keep your eyes peeled for the best deals very shortly.
