The Samsung Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ Review
by Joshua Ho on October 2, 2015 8:00 AM ESTSystem Performance Cont'd
Now that we’ve covered some of the traditionally CPU-bound tests, we can start to look at tests that more strongly emphasize GPU performance. It’s worth noting here that while 3DMark is supposed to determine gaming and graphics performance, the overall score includes a CPU performance component in the form of a physics test that means it isn't much of a pure GPU test.
Overall, there's nothing really surprising about these results. The Exynos 7420 should continue to deliver great GPU performance for anyone interested in a high-end phablet or smartphone. There are some improvements in 3DMark in regards to graphics performance, but it's likely that we're just looking at newer drivers as the GPU doesn't heat up fast enough for throttling to be affecting these results.
NAND Performance
At this point, it’s probably not a surprise to know that NAND performance can have very real effects on user experience. If an OEM decides to skimp heavily on storage in order to drive the price down, it’s at least somewhat likely that the device will start to exhibit major IO pauses at some point in the device lifecycle. In order to test this, we rely on our standard storage tests which include Androbench with some custom settings to get more realistic test results along with StorageBench for iOS which is comparable to Androbench.
In the case of the Galaxy Note5 we’re still looking at a UFS storage solution similar to what was found in the Galaxy S6, but it looks like this is slightly newer as the storage is identified as a Toshiba THGLF2G8J4LBATDA chip rather than the Samsung variant that was found in the Galaxy S6. It’s unclear whether Samsung is now multi-sourcing UFS storage for their mobile devices or what distribution exists here.
Interestingly, the Note5 regresses a little bit in storage performance relative to the Galaxy S6, which is likely due to the shift to Toshiba's NAND. However, this difference is small enough that in everyday use it's unlikely that it will be noticed. Performance over time should be acceptable as well.
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forgot2yield28 - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
How about a Moto X Pure review? I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to get your take on how it stacks up against the big Samsung and Apple phones.danbob999 - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
I would like to see screen-off and idle battery tests. Most of the time my phone sits on the table, receiving emails in the background.Dobson123 - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
THIS! I got some bad battery numbers with the S6 in idle mode with an active internet connection (WLAN and LTE), don't know what causes this.Shark321 - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
Agreed. My phone sits around with screen off 90% of the day.WoodyPWX - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
Great review as always, thank you!plonk420 - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
just a side note, in your comparisons between phones, why does the Lumia 735 (one i'm pondering) and a few others have a handful of lights reflecting? odd setup on your behalf? or is the CCD actually picking that up?JoshHo - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
I believe this is some extra lighting Brett uses, not a sensor issue.zimmybz - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
Dude... I can //feel// your disdain by reading written words. This review was clearly a chore. It's such a "meh" effort.I understand you prefer Apple products, and in this case, I can even readily admit that the 6S Plus is probably going to trounce this phone.
I used to come here because there was very little non-technical (specs don't lie) bias in your reviews. I guess those days are gone now.
Here is the major problem - some of us just don't LIKE iOS. It has nothing to do with whether or not it's a technically superior device year to year or whether it has a this or a that.
Reviews like this are what made me stop clicking a lot of other places. I can appreciate that you like iOS better. But an unbiased review of the product in which I can't hear you saying "whatever, it's not an iPhone" the entire time is not what Anandtech used to be.
zimmybz - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
That last line should read: But a biased review of the product....Ryan Smith - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
"I understand you prefer Apple products"While we appreciate the feedback all the same, just to be clear here, Josh is a day-to-day Android user. Which is not to say that he doesn't do a thorough job on both kinds of phones, but I hope you aren't ignoring a good article just because of misconceptions about the author.=)