Galaxy Note 5: big is about to get better, says Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will be unveiled in New York and London on Thursday – but UK release date remains unclear

Samsung Galaxy Note 5
(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung is expected to unveil its latest 'phablet' – the name given to large-screened handsets, half-way between a phone and a tablet – in London and New York simultaneously tomorrow. When the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will be available to buy, however, is still anybody's guess.

Originally, tech watchers expected the Note 5 to be released in the UK in September – but after Samsung sent out invitations to tomorrow's event, speculation mounted that it could appear before the end of the month. Tech Radar suggests that the release may have been brought forward to avoid a clash with the launch of Apple's iPhone 6S or 7 next month. The International Business Times, meanwhile, says that tomorrow's launch will include other devices.As well as the Note 5, the website expects Samsung to announce a larger version of the Galaxy S6 Edge. It says there may even be a third device - possibly a small tablet. But what might the new Samsung Galaxy Note 5 look like?

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 rumours

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Various leaks and speculation suggest we can expect the following from the Note 5:

  • A new display. Expert Reviews expects the device to have a 2K high-resolution screen and says there may even be a curved screen version of the phablet. Initial rumours talked of a super-high-resolution 4K screen, but Stuff poo-poos this.
  • It'll cost around £600, SIM-free, says Expert Reviews, estimating from previous versions. However, if there is a curved-screen version, Expert Reviews expects it to be as much as £760.
  • A metal frame. Stuff says that "pretty much every single" leak about the device suggests it will, like the Galaxy S6, have a metal frame and a glass back – the standard set by Apple five years ago with the iPhone 4.
  • A stylus pen. The Note 4's stylus pen is "one of the best we've ever used", says Stuff, and leaked high-quality photos of the phone show it will also have a stylus. Alphr suggests that the stylus will be held in place by magnets which can "change polarity to repel the S Pen out of the Galaxy Note’s body".
  • A 16 megapixel camera. Stuff says the Note 5 will come with a high-res rear-facing camera with optical image stabilisation. It will also have a 5mp front camera for video calls – as good as the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.
  • New processor structure. The Note 5's CPU, GPU, RAM, storage and modem will all be contained on a single chip.

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