User Review History
decisivemoment's review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (CDMA)
original version, submitted Jan 8, 2015, 7:01 PM:
The phone that just works -- even ergonomically
Samsung delivered on this phone. No real cons, the mixed experiences first, then the clear advantages.
So . . .
Hardware usability -- the pen is tricky to learn though useful, and the bloatware on the phone sometimes interferes with the experience. But it still gets four stars for being very comfortable and secure to hold despite its size, with its grippy edges and back and hand-friendly profile.
Hardware quality -- consumer fundamentalism about metal has ironically resulted in a structurally weaker and slightly scratch prone phone, though still much better than the iPhone 6 and 6+. Gorilla Glass 4 a big plus; this will be a drop-resistant phone. Fit and finish are five-star though.
Interface speed -- basically very fast but the bloatware combined with Android 4.4 makes for annoying glitches. Regular maintenance (e.g. closing apps) helps. Thing is, you shouldn't have to worry about that. Hopefully Android 5 fixes it.
Clear pluses . . .
Reception -- outstanding. Motorola performance on a non-Moto phone, combined with low power consumption and an impressive SAR report from the FCC. Only downside is occasional 4G drops distant from towers.
Battery Life -- No complaints at all. A huge battery, combined with lower power draw than a Galaxy S3. And very fast to recharge.
Display -- It's incredible to do this on a mobile device. Superb color accuracy. Full user control over color rendering (sRGB, two modes that simulate Adobe RGB, and a "vivid" mode that is a bit Day-Glo-ish but improves contrast in sunlight). And bright enough for sunlight even in Adobe RGB. This is Eizo and NEC stuff more than a cell phone. It's that good.
Audio volume. Very very good but it should have a better speaker and/or two of them.
Camera. Impressive. Bye-bye point-and-shoot. Hello Nikon backup. The camera you have is the camera you use, especially if it's this good. Minor demerit for only including 16:9 aspect ratio.
edited Jan 8, 2015, 7:04 PM to read:
The phone that just works -- even ergonomically
Samsung delivered on this phone. No real cons, the mixed experiences first, then the clear advantages.
So . . .
Hardware usability -- the pen is tricky to learn though useful, and the bloatware on the phone can interferes with the experience. But it's very comfortable and secure to hold despite its size, with its grippy edges and back and hand-friendly profile.
Hardware quality -- consumer demand for metal has ironically resulted in a structurally weaker and slightly scratch prone phone, though still much better than the iPhone 6 and 6+. Gorilla Glass 4 a big plus; this will be a drop-resistant phone. Fit and finish are five-star though.
Interface speed -- very fast but the bloatware combined with Android 4.4 makes for annoying glitches. Regular maintenance (e.g. closing apps) helps. Thing is, you shouldn't have to worry about that. Hopefully Android 5 fixes it.
Clear pluses . . .
Reception -- outstanding. Motorola performance on a non-Moto phone, combined with low power consumption and an impressive SAR report from the FCC. Internet speeds excellent except where Verizon backhaul is insufficient. Only downside is occasional 4G drops distant from towers.
Battery Life -- No complaints. A huge battery, and lower power draw than a Galaxy S3. And very fast to recharge.
Display -- It's incredible to do this on a mobile device. Superb color accuracy. Full user control over color rendering (sRGB, two modes that simulate Adobe RGB, and a "vivid" mode that is a bit Day-Glo-ish but improves contrast in sunlight). And bright enough for sunlight even in Adobe RGB. This is Eizo and NEC stuff more than a cell phone. It's that good.
Audio volume. Very very good but it should have a better speaker and/or two of them.
Camera. Impressive. Bye-bye point-and-shoot. Hello Nikon backup. The camera you have is the camera you use, especially if it's this good. Minor demerit for only including 16:9 aspect ratio.
edited Jan 8, 2015, 7:05 PM to read:
The phone that just works -- even ergonomically
Samsung delivered on this phone. No real cons, the mixed experiences first, then the clear advantages.
Mixed . . .
Hardware usability -- the pen is tricky to learn though useful, and the bloatware on the phone can interferes with the experience. But it's very comfortable and secure to hold despite its size, with its grippy edges and back and hand-friendly profile.
Hardware quality -- consumer demand for metal has ironically resulted in a structurally weaker and slightly scratch prone phone, though still much better than the iPhone 6 and 6+. Gorilla Glass 4 a big plus; this will be a drop-resistant phone. Fit and finish are five-star though.
Interface speed -- very fast but the bloatware combined with Android 4.4 makes for annoying glitches. Regular maintenance (e.g. closing apps) helps. Thing is, you shouldn't have to worry about that. Hopefully Android 5 fixes it.
Clear pluses . . .
Reception -- outstanding. Motorola performance on a non-Moto phone, combined with low power consumption and an impressive SAR report from the FCC. Internet speeds excellent except where Verizon backhaul is insufficient. Only downside is occasional 4G drops distant from towers.
Battery Life -- No complaints. A huge battery, and lower power draw than a Galaxy S3. And very fast to recharge.
Display -- It's incredible to do this on a mobile device. Superb color accuracy. Full user control over color rendering (sRGB, two modes that simulate Adobe RGB, and a "vivid" mode that is a bit Day-Glo-ish but improves contrast in sunlight). And bright enough for sunlight even in Adobe RGB. This is Eizo and NEC stuff more than a cell phone. It's that good.
Audio volume. Very very good but it should have a better speaker and/or two of them.
Camera. Impressive. Bye-bye point-and-shoot. Hello Nikon backup. The camera you have is the camera you use, especially if it's this good. Minor demerit for only including 16:9 aspect ratio.
edited Jan 8, 2015, 7:07 PM to read:
The phone that just works -- even ergonomically
Samsung delivered on this phone. No real cons, the mixed experiences first, then the clear advantages.
Mixed . . .
Hardware usability -- the pen is tricky to learn though useful, and the bloatware on the phone can interfere with the experience. But it's very comfortable and secure to hold despite its size, with its grippy edges and back and hand-friendly profile.
Hardware quality -- consumer demand for metal has ironically resulted in a structurally weaker and slightly scratch prone phone, though still much better than the iPhone 6 and 6+. Gorilla Glass 4 a big plus; this will be a drop-resistant phone. Fit and finish are five-star though.
Interface speed -- very fast but the bloatware combined with Android 4.4 makes for annoying glitches. Regular maintenance (e.g. closing apps) helps. Thing is, you shouldn't have to worry about that. Hopefully Android 5 fixes it.
Clear pluses . . .
Reception -- outstanding. Motorola performance on a non-Moto phone, combined with low power consumption and an impressive SAR report from the FCC. Internet speeds excellent except where Verizon backhaul is insufficient. Only downside is occasional 4G drops distant from towers.
Battery Life -- No complaints. A huge battery, and lower power draw than a Galaxy S3. And very fast to recharge.
Display -- It's incredible to do this on a mobile device. Superb color accuracy. Full user control over color rendering (sRGB, two modes that simulate Adobe RGB, and a "vivid" mode that is a bit Day-Glo-ish but improves contrast in sunlight). And bright enough for sunlight even in Adobe RGB. This is Eizo and NEC stuff more than a cell phone. It's that good.
Audio volume. Very very good but it should have a better speaker and/or two of them.
Camera. Impressive. Bye-bye point-and-shoot. Hello Nikon backup. The camera you have is the camera you use, especially if it's this good. Minor demerit for only including 16:9 aspect ratio.
edited Jan 8, 2015, 7:09 PM to read:
The phone that just works -- even ergonomically
Samsung delivered on this phone. No real cons, the mixed experiences first, then the clear advantages.
Mixed . . .
Hardware usability -- the pen is tricky to learn though useful, and the bloatware on the phone can interfere with the experience. But it's very comfortable and secure to hold despite its size, with its grippy edges and back and hand-friendly profile.
Hardware quality -- consumer demand for metal has ironically resulted in a structurally weaker and slightly scratch prone phone, though still much better than the iPhone 6 and 6+. Gorilla Glass 4 a big plus; this will be a drop-resistant phone. Fit and finish are five-star though.
Interface speed -- very fast but the bloatware combined with Android 4.4 makes for annoying glitches. Regular maintenance (e.g. closing apps) helps. Thing is, you shouldn't have to worry about that. Hopefully Android 5 fixes it.
Clear pluses . . .
Reception -- outstanding. Motorola performance on a non-Moto phone, combined with low power consumption and an impressive SAR report from the FCC. Internet speeds excellent except where Verizon backhaul is insufficient. Only downside is occasional 4G drops distant from towers.
Battery Life -- No complaints. A huge battery, and lower power draw than a Galaxy S3. And very fast to recharge.
Display -- It's incredible to do this on a mobile device. Superb color accuracy. Full user control over color rendering (sRGB, two modes that simulate Adobe RGB, and a "vivid" mode that is a bit Day-Glo-ish but improves contrast in sunlight). And bright enough for sunlight even in Adobe RGB. This is Eizo and NEC stuff more than a cell phone. It's that good.
Audio volume. Very very good but it should have a better speaker and/or two of them.
Camera. Impressive. Bye-bye point-and-shoot. Hello useful tool The camera you have is the camera you use, especially if it's this good. Minor demerit for only including 16:9 aspect ratio.
edited Jan 8, 2015, 7:09 PM to the current version:
The phone that just works -- even ergonomically
Samsung delivered on this phone. No real cons, the mixed experiences first, then the clear advantages.
Mixed . . .
Hardware usability -- the pen is tricky to learn though useful, and the bloatware on the phone can interfere with the experience. But it's very comfortable and secure to hold despite its size, with its grippy edges and back and hand-friendly profile.
Hardware quality -- consumer demand for metal has ironically resulted in a structurally weaker and slightly scratch prone phone, though still much better than the iPhone 6 and 6+. Gorilla Glass 4 a big plus; this will be a drop-resistant phone. Fit and finish are five-star though.
Interface speed -- very fast but the bloatware combined with Android 4.4 makes for annoying glitches. Regular maintenance (e.g. closing apps) helps. Thing is, you shouldn't have to worry about that. Hopefully Android 5 fixes it.
Clear pluses . . .
Reception -- outstanding. Motorola performance on a non-Moto phone, combined with low power consumption and an impressive SAR report from the FCC. Internet speeds excellent except where Verizon backhaul is insufficient. Only downside is occasional 4G drops distant from towers.
Battery Life -- No complaints. A huge battery, and lower power draw than a Galaxy S3. And very fast to recharge.
Display -- It's incredible to do this on a mobile device. Superb color accuracy. Full user control over color rendering (sRGB, two modes that simulate Adobe RGB, and a "vivid" mode that is a bit Day-Glo-ish but improves contrast in sunlight). And bright enough for sunlight even in Adobe RGB. This is Eizo and NEC stuff more than a cell phone. It's that good.
Audio volume. Very very good but it should have a better speaker and/or two of them.
Camera. Impressive. Bye-bye point-and-shoot. Hello useful tool. The camera you have is the camera you use, especially if it's this good. Minor demerit for only including 16:9 aspect ratio.
