WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:07.120 The last time we got a Galaxy Note device for review, I declared it to be 00:00:04.640 --> 00:00:10.800 too big for humans and handed it off like a pair of dirty gym socks to the 00:00:08.800 --> 00:00:16.320 nearest Linus Media Group employee. In this case, it ended up being Luke to do 00:00:12.559 --> 00:00:19.119 the video for me. And yet, here we are a 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:24.960 mere 2 years later, and not only have I been using the Note 5 as my daily driver 00:00:21.920 --> 00:00:27.910 for a couple of weeks, I might have even 00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:34.960 enjoyed it. 00:00:34.960 --> 00:00:41.040 The Master Case 5 by Cooler Master gives you the freedom to truly make your 00:00:38.800 --> 00:00:44.559 midtower PC case your own with a variety of modular parts and accessories. Check 00:00:43.040 --> 00:00:50.239 out the link in the video description to learn more. So, let's start with a 00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:55.440 physical tour of the Galaxy Note 5. At the back is a camera, the flash, and a 00:00:53.199 --> 00:01:00.399 sexy leather finish vinyl skin, courtesy of Dbrand, who provided our phone. On 00:00:57.760 --> 00:01:04.479 the sides are the almost perfect lock button on the right and volume rockers 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:08.960 on the left. They've got great tactile feedback and are easy to feel for when 00:01:06.560 --> 00:01:13.200 you're not looking, but I wish the lock button was just a touch lower so that I 00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:18.560 wouldn't accidentally mash the volume down while pressing it. On the bottom is 00:01:16.080 --> 00:01:24.000 the headphone jack, the hopefully not long for this world microb charging 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:28.320 port, the retractable SPEN housing, and a speaker that makes up for its poor 00:01:26.400 --> 00:01:32.640 positioning by being surprisingly loud without distortion. A definite calling 00:01:30.479 --> 00:01:39.280 card of the Note series. And then finally at the front is the stunner of a 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:42.240 5.7 inch 1440p AMOLED display with 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:48.320 shockingly thin bezels, a 5 megapixel selfie camera, a satisfyingly 00:01:45.079 --> 00:01:50.840 tactile physical home button, and a 00:01:48.320 --> 00:01:56.560 couple of difficult to avoid in landscape capacitive buttons for back 00:01:53.520 --> 00:01:58.719 navigation and multitasking. something 00:01:56.560 --> 00:02:03.600 that I found myself wishing I could turn off in favor of onscreen buttons like 00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:08.520 with the OnePlus 2 during the frequent times that I was watching videos on this 00:02:05.520 --> 00:02:12.640 device thanks to how gorgeous the screen 00:02:08.520 --> 00:02:15.800 is. And yet the physical tour somehow 00:02:12.640 --> 00:02:18.720 doesn't tell the whole story of the Note 00:02:15.800 --> 00:02:24.239 5 somehow. And I don't know how they did it but I'm not the only one who noticed. 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:27.440 The Note 5 is big, but it doesn't feel 00:02:24.239 --> 00:02:29.680 as ungainainely and difficult to hold as 00:02:27.440 --> 00:02:35.519 other Fab class devices that I've played with in the past, like the One Max, 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:37.280 iPhone 6 Plus, and previous Notes. And 00:02:35.519 --> 00:02:43.280 there's more that's different about it as well. While Samsung used to use the 00:02:40.480 --> 00:02:48.000 bulky size of the Note series to cram every feature under the sun and their 00:02:45.760 --> 00:02:52.239 fastest hardware into what we argued at the time wasn't even really a phone 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:58.959 anymore. They've backpedalled on that a fair bit this time. I mean, sure, almost 00:02:56.080 --> 00:03:05.680 everything the S6 can do, the Note 5 can do better. It lacks a 128 gig model, but 00:03:02.640 --> 00:03:09.760 it's got the same Exynos 7420 octaore 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:13.120 CPU and GPU. a hefty bump up from 3 gigs 00:03:09.760 --> 00:03:15.200 to 4 gigs of low power DDR4 RAM surely 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:18.959 to assist with those uh TouchWiz multi-wind and split screen features 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:23.599 that only really make sense on a large screen device like this. The Corning 00:03:21.200 --> 00:03:28.560 Gorilla Glass 4 topped display, I know I already said this, but it merits another 00:03:24.959 --> 00:03:31.360 mention. Is absolutely fantastic with 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:36.879 pitch blacks, vibrant whites, and thanks to its barely existent bezels, a kind of 00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:39.040 like window into another place look to 00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:45.519 it. And it's got all the usual tech specs. NFC looking at you OnePlus AC 00:03:43.040 --> 00:03:49.599 wireless quick charging both on a wire and wirelessly on the Note and a 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:53.680 fingerprint sensor on the home button whose speed and accuracy I didn't 00:03:51.519 --> 00:04:00.480 properly appreciate until I spent a couple of weeks with the ZTE Axon along 00:03:56.640 --> 00:04:03.760 with of course an absolutely kick-ass 16 00:04:00.480 --> 00:04:06.400 megapixel still 4K video rear camera 00:04:03.760 --> 00:04:11.200 whose lightning fast launch times, great lowlight performance, and generally 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:16.000 amazing usability have contributed to a lot of captured moments of my kids that 00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:22.520 wouldn't have happened before I upgraded my wife to the S6 Active, which features 00:04:18.479 --> 00:04:25.120 the same camera. But is that good 00:04:22.520 --> 00:04:29.040 enough? Well, I guess there's also the S Pen. You click it and it turtles out 00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:33.759 kind of like Luke's lightsaber in that scene on Jabba's sailbarge. Then you 00:04:31.280 --> 00:04:39.040 unchath it so you can unleash your ideas, goals, and dreams or some [ __ ] 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:44.479 like that. Actually, it's nothing to do with Dreams. It's just a stylus. A 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:51.040 pretty good and thankfully batteryfree passive stylus, but still just a stylus. 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:55.759 It's low latency, but not latency free, it's not particularly ergonomic. While 00:04:53.280 --> 00:05:00.800 the palm rejection really is very excellent and the software does offer 00:04:58.080 --> 00:05:04.639 some handy features. Uh being able to press the button on the stylus to load 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:10.240 up useful cloud syncing apps like OneNote or quickly scribble on a screen 00:05:07.280 --> 00:05:14.960 capture stood out to me. I just didn't find myself using it much to jot down 00:05:12.880 --> 00:05:19.120 quick notes about like eggs I need to buy or whatever. I mean, maybe if I 00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:24.160 didn't type as quickly as I do on a touchcreen, or if I needed to add little 00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:27.120 doodles in any of the seemingly infinite number of ink colors, thicknesses, and 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:31.919 pen tips, each with their own distinctive simulated writing sound, it 00:05:29.440 --> 00:05:36.400 might make more sense for me. But personally, the benefit of quickly 00:05:34.400 --> 00:05:41.039 launching a note-taking app is quickly outweighed by the relative slowness of 00:05:38.560 --> 00:05:46.080 writing with a pen compared to typing. But if you're like me and you don't care 00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:50.240 about the stylus, never fear. Just put it into the phone backwards and you'll 00:05:48.320 --> 00:05:53.440 never be able to get it out again. Or you could just ignore it, whatever is 00:05:51.680 --> 00:05:58.160 better for you. Now, we're almost at the conclusion, but I do have a couple of 00:05:55.440 --> 00:06:02.160 more notes. Uh, TouchWiz adds a triple tap on the home button to get a smaller 00:06:00.720 --> 00:06:07.479 version that's easier to reach with one hand. That's a winner for me. The uh 00:06:05.039 --> 00:06:13.280 smart lock with trusted Bluetooth devices still sucks so much ass that 00:06:10.880 --> 00:06:17.600 it'll turn your teeth brown. I was using fingerprint authentication and when I'm 00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:22.000 in range of a trusted device sometimes and I can't quite find the pattern, I 00:06:19.440 --> 00:06:25.520 actually have to press unlock, slide the screen, and finally I still have to use 00:06:23.919 --> 00:06:30.319 my fingerprint to unlock the freaking thing. This is something that works just 00:06:26.960 --> 00:06:31.759 fine on other phones. There's more good 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:38.240 news though. The battery life is surprisingly good considering the anemic 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:39.919 3000 milliamp battery. And um yeah, I 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:44.240 don't know. I I guess okay, we can get on with the conclusion. It's like it's 00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:51.600 kind of an S series but bigger and ever so slightly better with a pen. And maybe 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:56.800 that's my issue here. Since when is the Note series supposed to be the S series 00:06:54.479 --> 00:07:02.160 with a couple of minute improvements and a bigger screen? In the past, it really 00:06:59.280 --> 00:07:08.400 had its own identity as a as a power user phone or a productivity phone. And 00:07:04.479 --> 00:07:10.400 while the stylus or S Pen remains, gone 00:07:08.400 --> 00:07:15.440 is the removable battery that allowed creative users to stuff multi-day 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:21.039 battery packs under modified rear housings. Gone is the expandable storage 00:07:18.160 --> 00:07:29.400 that allowed this user to equip his Note 2 with 288 gigs of storage back in 2013. 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:34.280 What do we get in return exactly, Samsung? Well, for me personally, I 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:39.680 guess I got a device that is ergonomically usable as opposed to one 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:42.960 that feels completely derpastic. It's astounding how much of a difference a 00:07:41.280 --> 00:07:46.880 couple fractions of a millimeter make. Although, I think Apple is taking it one 00:07:44.560 --> 00:07:50.400 step too far with their modified 3 and a half millimeter jack patents. But, I 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:55.440 just don't know if that's going to appease the power users who have been 00:07:52.400 --> 00:07:58.000 using Fablets since before it was cool. 00:07:55.440 --> 00:08:02.639 In typical Samsung fashion, they built an entire product category off of these 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:06.400 folks. And now that it's gone mainstream, they've just left them 00:08:04.800 --> 00:08:11.120 hanging. I mean, they're still going to sell a metric whack ton of these anyway 00:08:08.560 --> 00:08:16.639 since, and I understand this, for most people, a device that requires a plastic 00:08:13.520 --> 00:08:19.759 duad like a fly grip just to hold it has 00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:21.759 zero appeal. But this is still in my 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:26.560 mind the kind of short-term thinking that is exactly what keeps Samsung 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:30.240 focused on selling widgets to their customers rather than building 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:34.000 relationships with their customers through long-term support and 00:08:32.080 --> 00:08:38.719 understanding and meeting their needs the way that someone like Apple does. A 00:08:36.560 --> 00:08:44.720 point that was driven home by Apple's recent announcement that the iPad 2, a 00:08:41.440 --> 00:08:47.760 device from 2011, can now be updated to 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:50.399 iOS 9. The same cannot be said about my 00:08:47.760 --> 00:08:55.839 Galaxy Tab 10.1 that I purchased a full year later and has received barely any 00:08:53.040 --> 00:09:01.760 updates at all. Okay, so putting all of that aside, when viewed in a vacuum, is 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:04.720 the Note 5 a success? Yeah, it is. It's 00:09:01.760 --> 00:09:09.360 a beautiful masterpiece of a device. But I just had to get that last bit out of 00:09:06.959 --> 00:09:14.080 my system for previous Note users and anyone else who has an old Samsung 00:09:11.839 --> 00:09:17.920 device still running some antiquated version of Android and doesn't feel like 00:09:16.160 --> 00:09:22.480 Samsung puts enough effort into the long-term support of these gadgets that 00:09:20.160 --> 00:09:27.200 we drop what in the case of this one is an awful lot of money on. Speaking of 00:09:25.680 --> 00:09:32.160 spending an awful lot of money on your gadgets, why not drop an extra couple 00:09:29.440 --> 00:09:36.720 bucks over at dbrand.com/lininusnote5 and get a vinyl 00:09:34.160 --> 00:09:41.600 skin that'll protect it from incidental scratches while it's in your pocket or 00:09:39.519 --> 00:09:45.839 sliding across the table cuz you're Canadian and you're doing, you know, 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:51.200 fabt curling or whatever the case may be. They've got a wide variety of 00:09:48.320 --> 00:09:55.680 different styles, all precision cut to look and feel gorgeous on your device. I 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:59.760 mean, we're talking they got leather finishes, wood finishes, carbon fiber 00:09:58.160 --> 00:10:03.920 finishes, pretty much any color under the sun. And it's not limited to just 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:08.720 phones. They've actually got skins for anything from phones to game controllers 00:10:05.760 --> 00:10:12.800 to game consoles to even selected notebooks. So, check it out. That's 00:10:10.920 --> 00:10:16.240 dbrand.com/Linus note5, which is also linked in the video description. And a 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:20.640 huge shout out thanks to dbrand for hooking us up with the Note 5 and 00:10:17.760 --> 00:10:24.320 sponsoring this episode. So, thanks for watching, guys. If this video sucked, 00:10:22.800 --> 00:10:28.560 you know where that button is. But if it was awesome, get subscribed, hit the 00:10:26.560 --> 00:10:32.880 like button, or even consider supporting us directly by using our affiliate code 00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:36.240 to shop at Amazon, buying a cool t-shirt like this one, or with a direct monthly 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:38.800 contribution through our community forum. And now that you're done doing 00:10:37.839 --> 00:10:42.160 all that stuff, you're probably wondering what to watch next. So, click 00:10:40.880 --> 00:10:45.920 that little button in the top right corner to check out this awesome video. 00:10:44.480 --> 00:10:49.680 I personally think it's awesome. I'm a little biased. Where I build a wicked 00:10:47.760 --> 00:10:52.800 gaming rig with my three-year-old son. We had a lot of fun.