It's out! It's out! No more rumors!

[The_Chief]

The Galaxy S5 tanked, so Sammy has to release the Note 4 early to make up the losses. It's now a pressure sandwich:

Grab premium materials as soon after the iPhone 6 quits clogging the supply chain, but still beat the iPhone 6 to market! All this without cobbling the parts together and putting out a lousy phone.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the executive offices of Samsung...

 

[chong67]

1. Are you going to do next day delivery? I think Tmobile ship out of TN at the SE region. So I think no point for next day delivery.

2. I am going to order extra battery & charger. I read Anker is the best so I will do that for the Note 4.

One month to go right?

 

[The_Chief]

One month today! WHOOT

 

[Dumbo53]

I am going to order extra battery & charger. I read Anker is the best so I will do that...

I got 2 Anker batteries for my Note 2 that worked a while (several months) but then caused random freezes or crashes whenever I used them. I'll stick to oem batteries if I get the Note 4.

 

[Morphiend]

In the latest note 4 post on bgr they're reporting a 4mp front cam.

What do you think the chances of that happening are?

Also do you think we get 4 gb of ram? If be extremely disappointed if it were 3 again considering that's what we got last year.

 

[The_Chief]

Well, the issue being that - as I understand it - 32-bit processors can't handle more than 3 GB of RAM. Hence the mad rush to get 64-bit Android up and running, and liberating manufacturers and users from that ceiling. I'll have a FIT, though, if it doesn't have a microSD slot. I have a 128GB card and it's filling up fast

I'm most excited about the possibility (however remote) that the premium flex Note will be available on Verizon and other US carriers. If not, I shall be keenly disappointed.

 

[vr4]

Have a stack of hundreds sitting here just asking to be spent. This phone better hurry up so I don't end up with another mustang in my driveway.

 

[dan409]

Guess the launch date is official now !

Samsung Set to Launch Galaxy Note 4 at September 3 Event | NDTV Gadgets

 

[chong67]

I see! So Samsung should price it even lower! Please do!


Galaxy Note 4 won't turn around Samsung's ailing fortunes, analysts say | PCWorld

 

[The_Chief]

Have a stack of hundreds sitting here just asking to be spent. This phone better hurry up so I don't end up with another mustang in my driveway.

Either a Note 4 or a Mustang?

The Note 4 had better not be THAT expensive! I does have my limits...

 

[rushmore]

This is a positive indicator as far as performance and battery life for the 805 version of the N4:

AnandTech | Galaxy S5 LTE-A: Battery Life, Performance

There is also mention of a more power efficient display tech to offset the increase in resolution that needs powered. Hopefully the S5 Qhd is the testing ground for the N4. The new 20nm modem designed for the 805 could also be significant for power savings. Less heat too for low signal conditions.

My big concern for the N4 is how locked down and what bloat it has. I need to be able to have card writes, so will not buy unless can be rooted. Android L is supposed to re-enable card writes, but I am still suspect of that considering Android teams well documented hate for micro sd.

Were it not for Apple component buyers during the first two years of the iPhone securing 90% of flash chips, the G1 would have been a 4GB device with no micro sd slot. This is also why the first Android devices had tiny flash storage. It was too expensive to put anymore.

We can all thank Apple for micro sd slots in most Android devices and that is pure truth.


Edit: The 20nm modems though might be only intended for Korea. It would be a good thing if the same 20nm design can be used for other radio bands as well.

 

[rushmore]

I've been studying the LG G3 which seems to be a great device, but understanding some of it's shortcomings, I think it's not the right phone for me.

I'd love to find some tangible data on the physical dimensions of the Note 4, but haven't found that yet. This little write up is about as good as it gets while I continue to wait and wait for some more information.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs LG G3 - Specifics and Price Comparison - The Fuse Joplin

The G3 is a nice device, but if a heavy user the Note 4 seems likely to be a much better option. I prefer the size of the G3, but not the display used. Too much compromise of battery life, heat and performance since I do use heavily. Also do not like the contrast, but I am used to amoled display since the Razr, S3 and S4. I like how images pop more. Especially movies and games.

 

[rushmore]

I see! So Samsung should price it even lower! Please do!


Galaxy Note 4 won't turn around Samsung's ailing fortunes, analysts say | PCWorld

I agree with this view. I also think Samsung is making a mistake with the Alpha. 4.7" 720p and no micro sd. Consumer surveys point a key like for consumers and Samsung devices is the micro sd. The 720p is odd as well. 720p is too low, Qhd too high, but 1080p is juuuust right

The Alpha seems like something Samsung would make as a pay as you go phone.

Added1: The S5 also did not have a 32GB option and for the first time, Verizon as example noticed more than normal people not buy the S5 and buy the G3- not just for the Qhd, but for the bigger 32GB storage as well. This year might be the turning point for higher storage interest from Android buyers. Especially since apps can not be moved to sd now.


Added2: This forum does not seem to have the same posting pizazz as the G3 rumor forum did. You would think the N4 would warrant strong interest too, but phablets are more niche, so less of a consumer base. Hence less posting traffic and pizazz I guess.

Oh well!

 

[dan409]

I agree, I would of thought there would of been a lot more traffic also,
especially being so close to the release date.
I'm not sure if it's the niche thing you mentioned, or the over saturated factor. I guess a bit of both. Seems as though for most consumers the novelty has worn off.
I know it has for me, especially during the summer months.
That is, until the Next Big Thing is released !

 

[chong67]

My big concern is that after 1 month of release Samsung drop the price by $100. That would be hard. The price on N3 didnt drop until this month bc N4 is coming out.

 

[drexappeal]

I only have two (2) items that would make me consider getting the Note 4, rather than waiting for the folding phones next year.

1) 64gb Internal w/ microSD
- I've been begging for this, since the Note 2. My 32gb internal is almost filled up. Thankfully, 128gb microSD had been released earlier this year and I swooped up one for my Note 3 and Note 8.

2) Smaller physical form factor than the current Note 3, while keeping screen size the same or somehow making it even bigger.
- The Note 2 and now the Note 3 are the absolute limit of what I can comfortably manage on a day-to-day, as far as a phone is concerned. Having purchased the G3 as a secondary phone (and eventually moving it over to my mother's phone line, so she could use it), I'm hoping that Samsung has taken note of what LG did shinking the bezels (while still keeping a 5.5 phone) and does something similar. If that means getting rid of the physical home button and capacitive buttons (and going with on screen), I'm fine with that (and actually, I think it'd be more advantageous for the Note series vs. the Galaxy S series, due to the S-Pen).

 

[drexappeal]

My big concern is that after 1 month of release Samsung drop the price by $100. That would be hard. The price on N3 didnt drop until this month bc N4 is coming out.

I remember there being a lot of deals, 1 month after the Note 3 release, where the subsidized price dropped to $199 (or $249 for Sprint). I got my phone at launch, but even saw a deal at one point for $99 on 2 year agreement extension.

If a person really wants it that badly, but can't afford the initial subsidized offer, I'd say it's worth paying attention to the price (from the different re-sellers), until there's a deal that fits their affordability range.

 

[rushmore]

I would pay full price so indifferent to price drops for contract......

If this is $800 I might be waiting a while. S4 would have to endure for longer.

No more contract payment spread with Verizon. Boo!

 

[mpavlansky]

This thread certainly hasn't had the level of interest that the G3 pre-release had. I would think that whoever was interested in the G3 would also be very interested in the N4 too.

I was alerted to the G3 battery deficiencies by Rushmore for months, and his prophecies have borne out. I admit that I broke down and bought one. I love the G3 and it grows on me a little more every day, BUT it's battery life is less than my S3 was, and that's the only disappointment of the phone. I hope/expect the N4 should rectify battery life need I have.

My concern is the overall physical dimensions of the N4. If it's not much bigger than the G3, I'm very interested. I'm also very interested in the rumors of a G3 prime with an 805 processor, but I think I'm one of very few in the whole world who is concerned about that.

I'm looking forward to learning the overall physical dimensions of the N4, and then seeing if a G3 prime might actually come to the US some time this fall.

 

[drexappeal]

September 15th potential release? I'm thinking that's outside the US though, which would make sense:

Galaxy Note 4 release could take place after September 15th | SamMobile

It's stuff like this that is having me hold out until the foldable patent is actually being tested and available commercially

Samsung reportedly starts testing a smartphone with wraparound display | SamMobile

 

[AnonGuy]

The Galaxy S5 tanked, so Sammy has to release the Note 4 early to make up the losses. It's now a pressure sandwich:

Grab premium materials as soon after the iPhone 6 quits clogging the supply chain, but still beat the iPhone 6 to market! All this without cobbling the parts together and putting out a lousy phone.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the executive offices of Samsung...

The S5 sold well, it just wasn't the massive record-setting sales people have come to expect from Samsung. HTC, LG, or any of those competitors would kill for those sales numbers.

The big issue, at least here, is that these phones are not worth what they're selling for anymore, because their predecessors are *more* than good enough for the software that's being pushed out these days.

This is why there's this new disruption of super cheap high end phones. Some companies see an opportunity there. Those Chinese Manufacturers are selling phones with Galaxy Note-level Specs for half the price - they aren't just competing... They're making it a no-brainer on which phone the consumer should buy by severely undercutting the prices of competitors. That's why they're getting destroyed in China...

Since they aren't running a platform/ecosystem exclusive to them, they cannot control the competition the way Apple, who competes with no one else in the iOS ecosystem, does.

Right now, I pretty much don't care about software. A new Note with the exact same hardware, but massively revamped software would be more attractive to me than one with hardware upgrades running the lackluster "Revamp" that is the S5's TW software (or any loose variant thereof).

Also, Google doesn't help. They have grown quite slow on the services end and the way they have decoupled so much from Android FW updates means it makes less sense to upgrade as often as we did in the 2010 to 2012 period, where you basically had to upgrade your Android FW just to run the new revamped version of GMail for Android.

These days, people need a benchmark app to tell them their phone is better than the last flagship, because the effects of the hardware upgrades are becoming almost invisible in everyday usage to the majority of users.

Software Design, Software Capabilities (not merely feature bloat, genuinely useful capabilities), and Services stand out a lot more these days than hardware upgrades.

 

[rushmore]

I am hoping the N4 is easy to root. No purchase if I can not enable sd card writes. Very important for me.

The 805 was designed for Qhd and initial battery and performance supports Qualcomm statements in this regard. The 801 was designed for 1080p and no way to spin otherwise.

My guess is the N4 will be a better phablet option than the G3 for heavier users.

Much better.

 

[chong67]

I think nobody was able to get rid of the Knox flag on the N3. I guess it would be the same for the N4? I never own a Samsung device and I wonder if they do put alot of unwanted stuff on there. If Samsung use their own file explorer then I will root to get rid of it just because of that one thing. LOL

 

[AnonGuy]

Err... Type in earlier post "I pretty much don't care about software..." should be "I pretty much don't care about hardware..." because these devices have effectively been way over-speced since mid-late 2011, anyways.

 

[Teegunn]

Not sure they are "over spec'd", but I do agree that the software inconsistencies between devices causes more issues than the hardware. Really, I want the N4 to have the same size screen, less bevel, but water/dustproof like the S5, have improved dual speakers, a great camera, lots of onboard storage and the capability of using an SD card. Would LOVE to get rid of the constraints that keep us from freeing up our phones on the software side. My N3 is still running 4.3 because I rooted and disabled auto-updating. It gets tiring when updates actually make a phone worse and mine is and has been very stable and I like to keep it that way. I usually jump at the next variant of the upgraded phone when it comes out, but I am happy with my N3 and want to make sure the N4 is not only a worthy upgrade, but rootable and has not other major issues that would actually make it a downgrade to my N3.