Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Charcoal Black 32GB (Verizon Wireless)

by Samsung

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.1 x 0.3 x 6 inches ; 6.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00NKRDCFA
• Item model number: Note 4
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #879 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Accessories)
  • #2 in Cell Phones & Accessories > Contract Cell Phones
  • #35 in Electronics > Outlet

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

229 of 236 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Samsung...Home F-ing Run!!! October 25, 2014

By william chandler

Let me start with three quick disclaimers. I didnt buy this phone through Amazon, I got mines directly from Verizon so I cannot speak about Amazons service. Second, I will be comparing this quit a bit to the iPhone 6 plus because I do also have that phone. I have been using this phone for about 72 hours so the individual reader can decide if that is long enough to take my opinion seriously.

For anyone who is into tech like me probably has heard about the whole gap-gate issue with these phones. I will honestly tell you there is gap but it clearly a design of the phone to make the curved edge of the screen more pronounce, honestly its looks great but I can understand peoples concerns. You can slide a piece of paper around the edge of the screen but I will talked about that more in the design part of this review.

I will keep the specs to a minimum, if your reading this review just scroll up and all the specs are right there and stated much better than I can describe.

I will start with all of the things that I do not like. The speaker being on back instead of the front or the bottom is very annoying and forces you to hold the phone around the edges if you are watching or listening to something. I have been using the finger print scanner since the second I set it up, its works roughly 85% of the time, I trypically have issues only if I have one hand available to open the phone, such as driving (dont text and drive by the way) or if im holding something. In this case Apple's touch ID is much better but once I got used to Samsungs version it got easier to use. As petty as this is...Samsung its time to redesign that hideous phone dialer. The Note 4 is the only phone that uses a micro sim card so I have to use my Note and iPhone on different lines, if you have one phone this wont be an issue but if your like me and have a few this huge issue.

Now that is out of the way on to what I do like

Display: The screen on this phone is absolutely phenomenal, I have the iPhone 6 plus which also has a beautiful display but Samsung has absolutely outdone themselves this time. The colors are vibrant, the text is insanely sharp. I watched movie previews on Flixster and I was completely mesmerized at the clarity. Dont get me wrong the iPhone 6 plus display is beautiful but right now nothing on the market is coming close to this display.

Call quality: There are no phones right now that are getting bad call quality. I did a conference call yesterday over the speaker phone and it sounded great. The noise cancellation apparently works fine because the caller on the other end had no problems at all hearing me dispite my loud office. The iPhone 6 has no problems in this area either.

Battery Performance: I didnt test by doing any sort of streaming video test but real world testing I can tell you the battery is beast. I am out the door for work around 0630 in the morning, I am in the military at a small base about 10 miles outside of Boston, the Soldiers in my section all work in different areas of the base or even in the city so we constantly communicate via text message and phone calls, I doubt 10 minutes goes by where I am not on my phone plus I have a Moto 360 connected to it, as well as streaming pandora, Facebook notifications and emails. I consider myself a moderate to heavy user. I get home about 6 pm and the Note is hovering around 40 percent. You may use your phone more heavily than me or maybe more lightly but I have no doubt this will last a whole day. The iPhone is no slouch either, the battery on that definitely lasts me an entire day. If you look for a phone based on battery life both of these will easily do the job.

Camera Performance: Now this is where Samsung really pulls ahead in my opinion. The iPhone 6 plus has a very good camera no doubt about it. But the Note 4 has probably the best camera on any phone out right now. If you compare the still shots taken from the iPhone and the Note on their resprective displays they look pretty similar but when you port them to computer screen thats where you really see the difference. The detail in the iPhone photos begins to fall apart, this doesnt happen with Note. The Note has also made their camera interface so much more simpler and less convoluted but its still not as simple as the iphone. You can also download tons of extra shooting moods. The 4k video looks amazing, especially if you have a 4k monitor or TV. 1080p video vs the iPhone I still give the edge to the Note but the advantage is far less obvious than it is with stills.

Design: As everyone knows by thankfully Samsung redesigned the Note with a more premium build. I will say this, this is the best looking Samsung device I have ever used!!! The metal with chamfered edges looks absolutely beautiful, as a matter of fact it looks so nice that I dont even want to carry it without a case. I ordered some cases but until they arrive this phone will not go into my pocket. I love the design even more than the 6 plus but I will also say that while is feels great in the hand, the 6 plus feels a little better because of the rounded edges. But when I have my iPhone out of the case it feels like its going to squirt out of my hands. The note display curves at the edges and that is why there is a gap but the design looks amazing you have to see it to understand what I am talking about. Personally if saw them sitting next to one another I would chose the Note especially the white one (I settled for black, the white was sold out). Which design you prefer is completely up to personal preference, they both look good good tho.

S-pen: I have read that most people never even pull this out, I personally use mines almost everyday. I take notes or copy and past. It is an incredibly useful tool. If you buy this phone you probably already know what you can do it so I wont cover them here, if not please go onto YouTube and check out some of the tips and tricks videos, the S-pen is awesome. I can literally redefine how and what you use your phone for. The iPhone has no such tools, there are some third party styluses but that isnt even close to being the same.

Conclussion: I could have written this review for another hour but noone came here to read or hear the same things you can get on Phonedog or on TheVerge's website or watch on MKBHD or Flossy Carter's YouTube channel, they are actually experts. What I will say is I have both the iPhone 6 plus and the Note 4, and from the perspective of an average consumer they both cost pretty much the same price. But with the Note 4, I feel like I am getting more than just a big phone, it feels like Samsung gives you more extra's even if you dont use most of what they offer. The iPhone 6 is great phone and does exactly what it promises to do, great design, good camera, easy to use...ect but in my opnion, the Note 4 beats it in just about every single other category. I didnt even cover things like multi tasking, I just think Samsung gives you more for your money.

I am currently using the Note 4 and the iPhone 6 plus as my daily phones, the iPad Air, the Tab S and the Surface for my work tablet. I have also this year, the HTC One M8 (still an awesome phone, give it a look if your on a budget), Lumia Icon and the iPhone 5s.

UPDATE: I have been using the Note 4 since the 23rd, I have only used my iPhone once because I forgot to charge the Note and I was running late for work. I found a few more things that I am really liking with this phone, the multi-tasking split screen is awesome. I wanted to send my mom 3 pictures that I took while I was out in Boston over the weekend and when I got home I was able to use the multi-screen function wiht the s-pen and just click and drag the pictures from the gallery directly into the messaging app which was awesome. Also I am now getting the finger print scanner closer to 100%, On the customer support front, my Galaxy watch recieved an update but I wasnt able to get it to connect to my Note 4. I called Samsung, they had me download an app so the technician could remotely access my phone and fix it from where ever he is at in the world, I know I probably sound like a noob right now but it that was one of the coolest thing I have seen, he work on the problem for roughly 45 minutes till he fixed it, so big thumbs up for Samsung tech support. Read more ›

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The one to get and not regret October 25, 2014

By C. Hernandez

A 5 out of 5. I have been using the Note 4 for about 2 weeks now after returning the iPhone 6 Plus and wow is this Smartphone amazing. For starters the screen is just breathtaking. Although the jump from HD to QHD isn't always noticeable there are those instances where you can witness it (video play back). Colors are vivivid and details are superb. Viewing angles are the best in class.

One thing I did notice and I give Samsung props for is battery life. You would think that battery would suffer given the QHD display but unlike the LG G3 battery life is not sacrificed here. In fact, I feel that it outperforms the Note 3 (which had excellent battery life to begin with). I get a full day of use with it and when I don't (due to high graphics gaming) the quick charging support in this phone takes care of the rest. I am still suprised at high quickly I can charge my phone to 100% in a matter of minutes vs hours.

One thing we mostly forget about smartphones is that they are still phones and as a phone the Note 4 is a champion. I can hear voices clearly and without distortion. I also dont need to raise volume to its highest setting in order to hear in a noisy environments. So far the call quality is the best I've tested since the HTC One. On the other had, sppeaker phone is good but not the greatest. Can't match the Boomsound on the One M8 but it still manages to delivery decent levels of sound which remain clear even at high volumes.

I haven't tested the Camara to its fullest and will leave my review on that aspect for a later date. Overall I don't believe it will leave me disappointed. The Galaxy S5 has the same module minus the OIS and pictures on that device are outstanding.

One added miracle coming from Samsung is we now get a metal frame. It makes a big difference in the premium feel of the device but i wonder how long the painted portions will last. I'm comfortable with the size of the device and currently using it with a Samsung Flip Cover. I think it's the best way to keep your device clean and protected without adding bulk and turning your device into an unmanageable monster. I do wish however that this device included wireless charging out the box. I have a Samsung Qi pad which would of come in handy.

In regards to performance, I haven't had any issues. Everything is as smooth as butter. I have yet to experience any lags or freezes which is a suprise given TouchWiz track record. Games run amazing and running other apps simultaneously has not hindered performance so far.

Speaking about multitasking I have got to say... Samsung new "Window" feature is the best new benefit added to the device. The ability to minimize screens or create short windows on running apps is superb. Works great and without hiccups. It's like having your fingers work seemlessly as a mouse. It has proved it's worth already in many instance where copy/paste is required.

Overall I'm glad I purchased this device and believe this one is finally a keeper for many months or perhaps year(s) to come. You can't go wrong with the Note 4. There are many positives to this device and there is no other that can match it currently in the market. Read more ›

52 of 57 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST phone in 2014, and probably most of 2015... October 24, 2014

By Brandon

Edited 11/17/14 - Been loving it for more than three weeks now. I finally made an NFC payment (see below)!

*The size of this phone is the most obvious detail. I wanted a big phone, and I got it. Plenty of real estate to draw, organize, take pictures, edit pictures, etc. Maybe I'm a freak, but I'm mostly capable of operating this phone with one hand. It takes some dexterity and balance, but I haven't felt like I was going to drop it. I also have a heavy duty SupCase on my phone, so, 1) it's bigger than a naked phone, and 2) it wouldn't matter too much if I did drop it.

*The actual screen is the next most obvious asset this phone has to offer. It's big, bright, colorful and super sharp. Those extra pixels might be too close together for my eye to focus on, but they do make little details show up nicely. I personally love the saturation of the colors, but I am a more modern graphic designer at heart. As far as battery performance related to the screen goes, I certainly notice increased consumption when the screen is on, but I'm not afraid to fire it up even when I'm below 10% life. See the battery section for more.

*The S-Pen is great. Still very unique to the Note series, this was one of the reasons I really wanted this phone. I love to doodle and this makes it easier to do that anywhere, and in color. The S-Pen would not be hard to misplace, but there is a warning to be set up, which beeps and vibrates if it gets left behind, so that's comforting. Screen write is nifty, the phone takes a screenshot and then puts it right into a drawing program so you can write/draw/emphasize whatever. It will then save the picture to the gallery for easy sharing. Additionally, when the S-Pen is out of it's dock, and a keyboard dialog comes up, there is the option to input text via handwriting. I find this moderately easier than tapping with the pen, or putting the pen down. It takes a little learning, mostly to write in such a way that S's and 5's, O's and 0's are distinguishable. When I think about it though, it's probably forcing me to improve my penmanship.

*Battery life is pretty good, and charging, even with a standard cord plugged into a USB port is quick! I can regularly get 23.5 hours off the charger, with about 4 hours of actual screen on time. Charge times are about 1.5 hours on the adaptive charger or 3 hours connected to a computer usb. Over the weekend, I didn't use the phone as much as I had been (I'm mostly done tweaking options), and was able to get just about 2.5 days off of a full charge + 1 hour on the adaptive charger. I think that's pretty good! One excellent option is the Ultimate Power Saving mode. In this mode I still have the phone, SMS and alarms (in addition to a few other things) and usually only lose 1-2% over an 8-9 hour period. That combined with quick charge times have made me unafraid to turn my screen on, and to use it at full brightness! The removable battery is nice, though I wouldn't do it daily because of my case, but it's nice to know, I don't need to void the warranty/damage the phone if battery life ever starts to worry me.

*The IR blaster is something every man needs (I'm sure women will appreciate it too). The ability to walk into a room and control all/most remote controlled devices with a few seconds of setup is invaluable! I never need to ask, "Where's the remote?" because I know, it's on my hip! Things like air conditioners and car radios with remote controls are not out of reach either, they may just take some fiddling.

*The fingerprint reader is useful. I haven't used it for anything but unlocking the phone, but setting it up properly is very important. I registered both of my thumbs and one pointer, 5 swipes parallel and 5 swipes perpendicular at different angles each finger. Setup like this, I can get a positive match, one handed, 85% of the time. The other 15% I usually realize I'm not thinking about it, and once I do, I get a match quickly. I have not had to put in my password once in two weeks and hundreds of unlocks.

*The heart rate and SPo2 monitors are cool. There is also a function to test stress, which does so by measuring the "variability of the heart rate." I'm not convinced that is a good measure, but it's probably better than "how I feel." While it's nice to have these numbers, I think the best reason to have them come from my phone is that it's handy to have the logged results for review later. Whenever I have my phone I can test, and then pull up a graph of my past results, by hour, day or month. S-Health does also automatically track steps taken, and "Healthy Pace" i.e. running, which are also very helpful to have in graph form.

*Storage is another factor that made up my mind and I'm not sorry. While the phone has no storage variants and is only available in 32GB, it has the now rare MicroSD slot. 64GB cards are less than $30 right here on Amazon pretty regularly. I have two such Samsung EVO 64 GB cards at the moment, one in my phone, one in the wife's tablet. So, I have 96 GB minus 8.5 GB for system files and 2.3 GB for apps. For a phone, that I can remote connect to my computer and transfer files back and forth, that's pretty good!

*Call quality is decent. I can't say it's much different than my RAZR. Unfortunately, my work is in a shifty spot between towers... so I'm used to having dropped calls if I move around, but it hasn't gotten any worse at least. On the other hand, I'm told I sound much better, and I'm sure that's the GN4's superior noise cancellation. The volume on the phone is loud enough for me to comfortably make calls in loudspeaker or phone-to-the-head mode, even when my environment is noisy.

*The camera is great in daylight, not as great in low light. It takes nice quick pictures when the sun is up. In a low-lit room, it can take a second to focus and snap but it's not unbearable, it's the blur that results if the subject is moving that makes me sad. Video is a completely different animal though, very crisp, very smooth. OIS is great! The 8x slow-mo mode is neat, as is the 8x fast-mo. Having a toddler means they get a lot of use!

*I finally setup and used my "Softcard" to pay for groceries! It was as simple as putting in my pin (no fingerprint option, sigh) and tapping the phone on the terminal. I do use my fingerprint to unlock the phone, so that means in order to get my card info, someone would need to steal my phone, spoof my print, and guess my pin. Whether or not hacking is possible is a different discussion, but it's way more secure than CurrentC! Obviously, the gripe here is that NFC terminals are not the norm , except in stores like BJ's, Subway, Panera Bread and McDonald's... APPLE WAS NOT FIRST, but hopefully they successfully spread the tech to stores!

*TouchWiz, ah... Samsung making their presence known. This is my first Samsung phone since the Virgin Mobile Intercept, which came with Eclair... So TW is new to me. I'm still figuring it out, but I think I would much prefer stock android, more useful options. I'll be hoping with wild optimism that somehow the Lollipop upgrade won't be so tainted with TW... I came from a rooted and rommed RAZR, and there were so many options that I really felt like the phone was made for me. Installing "KK Launcher" (based on Nova) makes the home-screen experience better, and "Llama - Location Profiles" makes the phone more intuitive, but I've basically given up on TW making my life any easier...

*The hardware buttons on this phone are probably my biggest frustration with it. I know they are all Samsung standards, but if I'm being honest, I think Motorola has a better setup. The volume buttons being across from the power means I almost always squeeze them together, often with undesired consequences... The mechanical home button is very close to the bottom edge of the screen and I often end up hitting whatever's there on the screen along with the home button. My SupCase probably doesn't help with that though, the added bezel decreases the area available for a thumb...

-Acquisition Story:
I was forced to go directly to the big V because I missed the Amazon preorder, I want the $190 check from Samsung for pre-ordering, and I don't want BestBuy credit because I can get everything cheaper on Amazon!
However, that had the unintended consequence of me actually getting my phone on the 23rd of October, so I'm happy. Now that it seems "Pre-Orders" are finally shipping from Amazon (most to arrive around the 27th or 28th) this is not as important, but it's worth remembering...

The opinionated title of my review is based mostly on the shear number of useful features this device offers out of the box. It may not be the best selling, and I may have seen a biased review or two claiming that the apple team has a better handle on graphics processing, but I can already tell the features I've gone over will make this phone a tough one to beat functionally.

I'll be updating this review as I find solutions/workarounds/points of aggravation/etc. Read more ›