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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Bragabondio - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
he-he, I was about to say that Anand (the former site owner) was much into Apple (he joined it and sold the site to the owners of Tom's hardware) but he was trying to be as objective as possible until the last few years when it was clear he was becoming increasingly seduced by the dark side" :)I got Iphone 6 free from work and like it despite its limitations but if it comes to buying my own Samsung note or Nexus 6p would be on the top of my list. There are many intangibles like having to call Apple to switch my country store and then of course not being able to purchase apps outside the particular country store etc. that remind we why Apple products are not my thing.
makemineamac - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
Um, you don't need to call Apple to change your country store, and there are a myriad of ways to purchase content from other stores. I have accounts in the US, Canada, and the UK and I use them interchangeably to purchase Apps, Programmes (UK) and more all the time....Kuzi - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
I find this article more balanced and unbiased:http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_6s-review-131...
ws3 - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
It was a good review. I agree.nerd1 - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
A good article? are you serious?beggerking@yahoo.com - Sunday, October 4, 2015 - link
John's review has always been biased.Kuzi - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
Agreed with every word you said zimmybz, and I feel exactly the same as you.I've been an Anandtech reader since 1998, and it was usually the first site that I came to for informative and unbiased tech reviews. But those days are over, especially since Anandtech became iAnandtech a few years ago. Most people can't tell or read between the lines, but I am sure old-time readers did. To me the Apple worship is obvious.
After noticing the bias few years ago, we found out some Anandtech guys joined Apple, including Anand himself. I guess Ryan, Joshua and the rest at iAnandtech are hoping to join Apple too, but it seems to me they arevalready under Apple's payroll.
Notice in this review the over use of the word decent, decent design, decent color accuracy, acceptable blah blah. And when testing the display and battery, there's no mention that the Galaxy phones are pushing almost 4 times the pixels as iPhone 6. Even a blind person can tell that the Amoled display on the Galaxy phones is better and noticeably sharper. Yet iJoshua insists that Amoled just finally reached Lcd quality (hinting at iPhone) and in a year or two-mile surpass it, what a joke... Actually Note 4 display from last year already surpassed the LCD display on iPhones.
The Garden Variety - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
By *far* the best part of Anandtech these days is reading the comments from angry, butt hurt nerds upset that their favorite brand got slighted, pretending it's all about "facts" and "figures." Dude, you're as bad as an Apple fanboi. Worse, actually, because you channel your irrational brand attachment into fist-shaking. So certain you have it figured out, you're going to post over and over again about how *wrong* the writer got it, as if you're correcting some great universal injustice.Spare us.
ws3 - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
How true. Even better is the fact that they don't really have a favorite brand. They just have a most-hated brand, for some unknowable reason. I say: just because *that* girl, who won't give you the time of day, has an iPhone, it doesn't mean that Apple sucks. It just means that you need to exercise and shave a bit more often.zimmybz - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
See - you misunderstood, and I don't blame you, because 9 out of 10 times, you'd be correct.But, in this case - I don't have a favorite brand. I used to be an iPhone guy. I got bored of iOS and have been playing with Android for a few years. I'm sure I'll go back at some point, but that point is not right now.
What I was really looking for is a review where the author put (AS MUCH) time and effort and energy into the Note 5 work as he/she did their Apple reviews.
This is clearly not the place for that anymore - which is sad, because it used to be.
Whichever tech you prefer, good on you brother, I mean that sincerely, I hope you enjoy it and it treats you well, and I'm not being sarcastic. In fact, you will see in my original comment that I am well aware the 6S is probably going to drop the hammer on the Note 5.
That is, however, irrelevant considering that I will not be buying one, and would still (shocking, I know, right?) like a review written without the eye-rolling tone of "this is not an iPhone but..." "this is not an iPhone but...." "this is not an iPhone but..."