Samsung today announced the much anticipated Galaxy Note 5. Samsung hasn’t skimped on this device, packing it with top of the line hardware and a premium user experience. On the other hand, OnePlus recently announced the OnePlus 2, saying it was a “2016 flagship killer,” claiming to offer a better package than any device out there.
We’re pitting the Galaxy Note 5 and OnePlus 2 against each other today, seeing if the OnePlus 2 can live up to its claims on paper.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 comes in at 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm in size and weighs 171 grams. It has the metal unibody with Samsung’s usual button layout–volume rocker, power button, a SIM card tray on the sides, and the usual S-Pen slot on the bottom of the device. It also features a beautiful glass backing, illuminating a premium build quality.
The OnePlus 2 comes in at 151.8 x 74.9 x 9.9 mm in size and weighs 175 grams. It features a metal unibody made from a “strong and lightweight” aluminum. It also sports your usual layout: the volume rocker, power button, and SIM card tray are laid out on the two sides of the device. Interestingly, OnePlus has added an Alert Slider to the OnePlus 2 as well.
Winner: The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 not only weighs less, but has a premium feel to it.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 features a 5.7-inch 2560 x 1440 Super AMOLED display. It has a pixel density of 519ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, and a 75.9% screen-to-body ratio.
The OnePlus 2 has a 5.5-inch LTPS LCD 1920 x 1080 display, with a pixel density of 401ppi. You’ll find Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4 and a 73.3% screen-to-body ratio on the OnePlus 2.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 wins for the vivid colors of the Super AMOLED display, the significantly higher pixel density, and the better display resolution.
Hardware
The Galaxy Note 5 has Samsung’s own Exynos 7420 chipset, a quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU & quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57 processor. Additionally, you’ll find a Mali-T760MP8, 4GB of RAM, and 32/64GB storage options.
There’s also a 16-megapixel camera sensor on the back, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Interestingly, Samsung chose to use a microUSB port over USB Type-C, however, it does feature fast wireless charging technologies, touting a full charge in just two hours.
The OnePlus 2 is packing the controversial Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset, a quad-core Cortex-A53 and 1.8GHz quad-core Cortex-A57 processor, an Adreno 430 GPU, 3/4GB of RAM, and 16/64GB of internal storage.
It has a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, no microSD card support, and a USB Type-C port, which allows for significantly faster charging speeds.
Winner: It’s a tie.
Battery
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5 features a disappointingly small non-removable 3,000mAh battery. Given the large and detailed screen size, the device will no doubt chew through the battery life.
The OnePlus 2 has a 3,300mAh non-removable battery. The OnePlus 2 has significantly different specifications as far as the display goes, giving users plenty of extra battery life to manage.
Winner: OnePlus 2
Software
The OnePlus 2 will run OxygenOS atop of the Android 5.1.1 operating system. It’s a clean skin with little additions. What makes it unique is that it includes support for custom icon packs and icon grid resizing.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is running the latest version of TouchWiz atop of Android 5.1.1. There’s a lot of extra features packed into the device, which can a toll on performance. With this being a Note device, Samsung has thrown in a few extra pieces of S-Pen compatible software in addition to a new feature allowing users to stream to YouTube from the Camera app.
If you purchase the new Galaxy Note 5 via a carrier, there’s also the carrier’s own added software to think about.
Winner: It solely depends on preference.
Availability and Price
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will not go on sale until August 21, but it is available to pre-order as of today. It will no doubt be priced similarly to past Note devices, but Samsung says carriers will be setting their own prices for the device. However, it will average $349.99 on a new two-year contract, and around $849 off-contract.
The OnePlus 2 was originally set to launch in North America on August 11, however, the device has been delayed by several weeks. It costs $329 for the 16GB model and $389 for the 64GB model.
Conclusion
Samsung certainly hasn’t cut any corners with the Galaxy Note 5, whereas the OnePlus 2 has seen a lot of its own cuts, such as a lack of NFC. Fortunately, Samsung has put together the perfect package, yet again showing just how well Samsung builds premium smartphones.
What do you think of the Galaxy Note 5? Does the OnePlus 2 stand to be the “2016 flagship killer” as it says it is?
Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 vs. OnePlus 2
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