All you need to know about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4
With the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 release date widely tipped for September 3, latest Samsung Galaxy Note 4 rumours have suggested that the upcoming phablet will feature a retina scanner alongside an OIS camera.Adding to recent claims that the Galaxy Note 4 specs sheet will be headlined by a 5.7-inch QHD display, new reports have hinted that the introduction of an eye-based biometric sensor will improve the phone's security options.Teased by Samsung itself, the introduction of a retina scanner on the Note 4 has been hinted at by the official Samsung Exynos Twitter page.
The Korean manufacturer tweeted an image of a generic handset with an eye and detection reticule around the iris shown on the screen. Although not definitive confirmation, this appears to be a strong indication as to what Samsung has up its sleeves for future phone offerings.
Adding further fuel to the fire, the image was accompanied by the message: "unlock the future". The Samsung Twitter feed also proclaimed: “Security can be improved using features unique to us. That’s what we envision."
Further reports in recent weeks have suggested that the Note 4 could drop to a 12-megapixel camera in order to incorporate optical image stabilisation features. However, given's Samsung's obsession with the numbers-based stats race, we find this far less likely than the addition of a retina scanner.
We will be updating this page with all the latest Samsung Galaxy Note release date details, leaks, news and rumours as new information emerges, so bookmark it now to stay on top of all things Note 4.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Release Date: When will it come out?
Based on Samsung’s unwavering product cycles, a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 release date looks all but certain to follow an IFA 2014 unveiling this September – a timeframe tipped by Korean sources.
With the Berlin-based tech show to be held between September 5 and 10 – with press days preceding the public show – we anticipate that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will be formally showcased for the first time on Wednesday, 3rd September - this date has now been tipped by claimed insiders.
An unnamed 'insider' has been cited in reports suggesting the Galaxy S5 sibling will be formally unveiled in the days leading up to IFA 2014.
Although Samsung has yet to offer any official indication of a precise Samsung Galaxy Note 4 release date, Samsung’s Mobile Chief, Lee Young Hee reportedly informed news house Bloomberg earlier this year that the gadget would land during the second half of 2014 – a window that would fit with an IFA showing.
With a Q4 release likely to follow a late Q3 unveiling, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 could land within weeks of the iPhone 6, a handset expected to hit retailers during the first week of October.
Despite being one of the company's biggest announcments of the year, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 could be set to share the launch stage. According to recent leaks, the Note 4 will be unveiled alongside the manufacuter's answer to Google Glass.
A head-mounted werable with a single-sided display that will sit in front of the user's eye, the Samsung Gear Glass has been repeatedly tipped for an IFA unveiling.
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Samsung Galaxy Note 4 News
With Samsung having already confirmed that the Galaxy Note 4 will benefit from an "all new form factor" when it touches down later this year, a User Agent Profile for the currently unconfirmed handset recently leaked through Samsung's own channels, tipping an LG G3 mimicking QHD display for inclusion.
Although set to be one of the Korean manufacturer's biggest launches of 2014, the IFA-based Samsung Galaxy Note 4 release date will reportedly share the stage with the arrival of a Samsung Gear 3 smartwatch. Although there are few details currently available on the mooted wearable, it has been reported that the third-generation watch could come bundled with the Note 4.
Having confirmed plans for a revised design, Yoon Han-kil, Senior Vice President of Samsung’s Product Strategy Team recently stated: “Our ultimate goal is to make products that consumers really aspire to have. This is how we are trying to find a breakthrough in the stagnant premium market.”
Showing off this "new form factor", new Samsung patents have surfaced revealing a phone with a curved, three sided display (shown below).
According to KDB Daewoo Securities analyst Song Jong-ho: “The bent device is the first step towards testing the market and gauging how it would react to its foldable smartphones that are to be unveiled in the second half of next year."
He added: “The foldable phone would be the next Samsung flagship phone.”
Having helped spawn the phablet market, the Galaxy Note brand continues to grow in popularity, with the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4 release date generating plenty of expectation.
What’s more, with the Samsung Galaxy S5 failing to surprise many with its incremental updates, the Note 4 could be about to become Samsung’s true flagship phone with a larger, higher resolution screen, new CPU and improved usability features all tipped for inclusion.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Specs: We expect a new, 'QHD' screen
With the previous trio of Note offerings having jumped from 5.3-inches to 5.5-inches and now 5.7-inches in size, it seems safe to say that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4’s screen is in line for another size increase.
Surprisingly there are currently no rumours circulating around the Note 4 being on the receiving end of another size bump, although we expect the handset to measure up at around 5.8-inch or 5.9-inches in size. Given latest smartphone trends, we would also expect to see this larger display squeezed into a similarly sized body to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, with a reduced bezel helping create space.
More important than size, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 screen is set to get better. Samsung itself has hinted the phone’s display could boast a staggering 2,560 x 1,440 pixel display.
Teasing the future phone features during its annual Analyst Day in Korea last November, Samsung revealed a graph showing that 2014 will see it launch a handset with a WQHD 2560 x 1440p display. Given that the S5 has already passed with a 1080p panel, the Note 4 is left as the likely choice for an improved screen.
These expectations have since been backed up by a leaked Note 4 UAP, which has shown the phone will run a 5.7-inch QHD display.
Like the S5, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has been tipped to include a fingerprint scanner incorporating home button, with the security measure set to become a staple of the company’s flagship offerings.
Further Samsung Galaxy Note 4 specs tipped to make an appearance include a new 20-megapixel rear-mounted camera, up from the Note 3’s 13-megapixel snapper and S5’s 16-megapixel offering.
According to unnamed Korean insiders: "Samsung Electronics began to develop the 20-megapixel smartphone camera module with a view to releasing it in the second half of 2014."
A 20-megapixel camera would see the Note 4 edge closer to the photographic abilities of the 41-megapixel Nokia Lumia 1020 and the 20.7-megapixel Sony Xperia Z2 cameras.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Rumours: Snapdragon 805 processor likely
A number of Samsung Galaxy Note 4 rumours have added further backing to reports the phone will feature a new, near 2K panel.
With Qualcomm having already laid out its chipsets for the next year of smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is all but guaranteed to be powered by the Snapdragon 805 processing unit. The Note 3 followed the LG G2 in running the Snapdragon 800 chipset, a processing unit that has since featured in many high-end handsets.
A chip that will allow for 4K video recording, improved gaming and greater sensor accuracy for improved fitness tracking, according to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 805 will let smartphone users "Enjoy Ultra HD resolution content on Ultra-HD-capable mobile devices."
We also expect Samsung to further improve the handwriting recognition on the Note 4. A new Samsung patent has revealed the manufacturer will introduce advanced handwriting recognition in the next-generation of its Galaxy Note devices.
This will let users write out commands – such as call mum – the handset will reportedly transform your notes into actions. Whether this proves to be an easier method of making a call than traditional touchscreen menus remains to be seen.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 News: Samsung planning IP67 water and dust resistance
While we all want Samsung to release a premium looking, metal bodied handset in a similar vein to the iPhone 5S or HTC One M8, this isn’t looking likely to be the Note 4.
According to recent reports the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will, like the Galaxy S5 before it, feature a dust and water-resistant coating, which means plastic is most likely going to be the material of choice.
Reports out of the Korean media have claimed the Note 4 will host the same IP67 rating as the S5, meaning it can be submerged in up to one metre of water for 30 minutes without suffering damage. If handed a water-resistant coating, the phone’s USB power connection port will be covered by a protective flap.
Adding further backing to reports of a water-resistant Note 4, serial tipster ETNews has claimed Samsung recently cancelled an order for 5 million LDS (Laser Direct Structuring) antenna in order to snap up H-IMA (High-performance In-Mold Antenna) units, a component reportedly easier to waterproof.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Price: How much will you have to pay?
When it comes to price, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is not going to be cheap, not by a long shot. Although likely to feature a less than premium aesthetic, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is likely to be northwards of £600 at launch.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 cost £649 at launch, and with new features inbound, we expect the Galaxy Note 4 price will be at a similar level.
Stay tuned for all the latest Samsung Galaxy Note 4 rumours and breaking Samsung Galaxy Note 4 release date details right here.
What do you want to see from the Galaxy Note 4? Let us know in the comments.
