Well, it's looking more & more like incremental specs improvement.
5.7" 2K UHD display at 515 PPI
TWO versions of the Note 4: main version will be a flat AMOLED display; a flexible or bent-screen OLED will be available in "limited markets". Which 99% means USA won't get it
IP67 water & dust resistance
Snapdragon 805 for LTE phones, Exynos octacore everywhere else
Up to 4GB RAM
32, 64 or MAYBE 128 GB internal storage
16-20 MP camera with optical image stabilization
So this begs the question: as awesome an upgrade as this is over the Note 3, is it honestly worth the $650 - $800 full retail price? For those of us on Verizon unlimited data, we HAVE to go full retail or go on a tiered data plan. Yes, I could sell the Note 3 for probably $350-$400... bringing the out-of-pocket cost down to a more realistic and workable amount. But still, that's a lot. I will probably bite anyway... we'll see.
What do you think? How does this change your outlook and expectation level?
It fits in with Expectations. The Note 3 is only a Year-Old Phone by the time the Note 4 launches, so the only people who expected something amazing were the people with unrealistic expectations. It's 2014. Every flagship refresh is fairly incremental at this point. The market simply isn't moving at the same speed it was 3 years ago.
OIS is a huge upgrade, especially for video recording. It means you get uncropped footage out of the camera. This is great for 1080p (digital stabilization is why the phone has decrease field of view compared to optically stabilized camera phones). It's also going to be a boon for 4k recording and low light photography.
UHD still isn't necessary at that screen size, IMO, but makes a bit more sense given it's still bigger than the G3 screen and Samsung is going to be using an SoC designed to push those pixels (capable != designed and the G3 has lag and heat issues from using that screen on the processor they used).
It will likely have the Fingerprint Scanner. As well as the Heart Rate Monitor. The S Pen will likely be improved even more. The software will be a bit more refined.
I don't see what's not to like.
I hope Samsung uses a Sapphire Lens on it, like Apple and LG.
I don't think I'll get it cause I like to sleep around. I'm more interested in other platforms at this point.
The way tech is moving these days, is a boon to the consumer. It means:
1. There is less need to chase constant upgrades, cause the upgrades are only modest at best, so a phone is more usable across 2 years than ever (the Note 3 will be usable until 2016 if not longer given its hardware - since the battery can just be swapped out when it starts to lose capacity) and
2. Resale values are a bit better than they were a few years ago, because the phones are kept up to date longer and the hardware remains relevant a LOT longer than before due to overspeccing.
IMO, this is a BIG deal, since if the older phones cannot be sold for a decent amount shortly after buying (i.e. prices drop heavily and quickly) then the incentive to chase upgrades is even less. The reason why Apple can sell as many iPhones as they do is precisely because selling the previous models pays for 60-70% of the new phone in many cases.
Many Android users cannot capitalize on devices the way Apple users do, and it would be wise for OEMs like Samsung or HTC to really get their products to a point where most users can justify spending 800 on a new phone... Not because they have 800 in their pocket, but because they can sell their Note X-1 for 450+ and cover a majority of the upgrade costs that way. Upgrading incrementally can help that, since it does two things:
a. It makes it more viable for someone to buy the previous model and not feel like their throwing money down the drain.
b. It makes it more viable for someone to sell the previous model for more, which allows them to more equally upgrade to your latest model.
In addition to that... Getting someone to buy your previous models can help fuel sales of the models that follow them, especially when they feel like they are buying and upgrading to a premium device. If it's not a "big deal" to them (i.e. "just gonna get some cheap second hand Note" line of thinking), then that matters.
Mindshare is important, not just market share, because it breeds loyalty which also helps in other ways (exclusive services and app store sales). Fickle customers tend to avoid getting too investment. Apple's users aren't fickle, and they profit a lot off of that.
I hope they just incrementally upgrade the hardware while putting the majority of their focus on the software and user experience, IMO. That's where they're lagging. The hardware is fine, even if they use specs barely passing the Note 3 (since that device is still only barely behind, and in some ways even ahead, flagships that followed it).