Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5 smartphone features a beautiful 5.7-inch display and an all-new durable aluminum and glass design, but this cutting-edge design language comes with a few compromises. The tradeoff is that it lacks a micro SD card slot for expandable storage and has a smaller, non-removable battery. A move that frustrates potential buyers.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus sibling were announced today in NYC and will be available worldwide starting August 21. Both devices have some of the best specs and features available today and are arguably two of the best Android phones on the planet.
For years the Samsung Galaxy Galaxy Note has been a do-it-all smartphone. With the best specs across the board, a stylus, tons of storage options, and a massive battery that lasts for two days. Something that can be replaced when finished. This year though, none of that is an option and buyers are getting a nice design instead, a move that has upset some buyers.
All Samsung devices are made of plastic, which is suitable for most and comes with expandable storage and removable battery options. Last year the Note 4 was better than most with its aluminum ring frame, but the rest of the device was still made of plastic. It came equipped with 32GB of storage and a micro SD slot as it is backed by a massive 3220GB memory. mAh Removable and replaceable battery that lasts for hours. Not to mention that some users have replaced it with larger extended batteries, battery cases and more, as well as added 128GB micro SD cards filled with content to enjoy.
With the Samsung Galaxy S6 earlier this year, we got a glimpse into the future as Samsung completely changed the design and removed both features. Many were hoping that Samsung would keep a few of these features with the Galaxy Note, as this is their last phone available and a micro SD slot makes sense. Having a big screen and a stylus for content consumption allows owners to do a lot, but not when they run out of storage space.
Shown above is a picture of the new Samsung Galaxy Note 5 with 32GB of storage. This year Samsung has completely removed the micro SD slot and the phone only comes with 32 or 64GB of storage. They don’t even offer a 128GB flavor like the Galaxy S6 earlier this year.
As a result, all the software, apps, TouchWiz and S-Pen tools end up users getting around 20GB or more of space and that’s it. There’s no way to add more like every other Samsung Galaxy S or Note device released so far. This has caused countless users to debate whether to buy the Note 5 or go and buy something else. It also seems to alienate existing Note users who no longer see any reason to upgrade.
@Samsung mobile With key features REMOVED, there’s no reason to buy Note 5 instead of Note 4! This will be the first Note I don’t have!
— Anthony Bailey™ (@MrAnthonyBailey) August 13, 2015
“Note customers are some of our most loyal customers. We listened to you”
Note 5 is not a note. We were betrayed.@Samsung mobile— Spencer Steele (@Steele_TheShow) August 13, 2015
Looking at Samsung Mobile’s announcement posts on Twitter and Facebook, we see numerous complaints about the lack of a micro SD card and the smaller battery. In fact, some users are calling it a downgrade over the Galaxy Note 4 from 2014.
Galaxy Note 5 to do away with SD card slots and swappable batteries. More like Galaxy Nope 5 to me.
— Erik (@CosmicN0mad) August 13, 2015
It’s worth noting that Samsung is offering a 32 and 64GB option for buyers, and we’ve heard a few rumors that a 128GB version will be offered, but Samsung didn’t mention that during today’s unveiling. Samsung claims the smaller battery won’t be a problem for many reasons. The more efficient 8-core processor and Android 5.1 Lollipop both help deliver similar battery performance with a smaller battery. The fast charging technology allows the device to charge so fast that the small battery is no problem and they even introduced “fast wireless charging”. All moves are aimed at appease the crowd of angry users who are annoyed by the small battery.
We see many users on Twitter stating that battery isn’t a concern, but the absence of micro SD is a major inactivity for many potential buyers. We agree on fast charging, the battery doesn’t break a deal, but the lack of a micro SD card slot for expandable storage was definitely a bad decision or a big oversight.
At the end of the day, users will have to decide whether these missing features are truly a deal breaker that will prevent them from getting one of the arguably best-looking and most powerful Android smartphones available today. Buyers have a few weeks to decide, as the smartphone becomes available to all carriers in the United States on or near August 21. Go with the Galaxy Note 5, try the stylish Galaxy S6 Edge Plus or check out the LG G4 that has a lot to offer, including a micro SD slot.
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