Software
The funny thing about performance. The note 5 could be the end all be all in our performance tests but if at the end of the day the software is buggy or hard to use all of the performance will go to waste. Lucky for us Android has leveled out the OS isn’t really different than the Note 4 or the S6. So let’s take a quick look at the OS then see what Samsung included with it for software. The Lollipop OS starts off with the standard home screen. We have five docked apps along the bottom that show on each page and then the rest of the page can be set to any app shortcut or gadget you like. For me I always need to have the time and then from there I just try to include any of the apps I use day to day. In addition to that I always keep a google search bar on my main screen for quick google searches and to use the microphone and find out the name of a song on the radio. The home screen isn’t limited to just the one page, there are a total of four pages you get quick access too.
The app menu has a similar layout to the homepages. You have five vertical rows and five horizontal rows. To save space Samsung by default includes a few folders to make getting to everything quick.
The Note 5 uses the default Android app. From here you can start a call or video call from the main page. Recent received and made calls are just above the number pad. There is a favorites tab as well as a full contact tab as usual. Nothing new or exciting here.
So what all did Samsung include for exclusive software? Well Surprisingly they kept things thin with just their S Voice version of Siri, messages app, and S Health. S Health is where they add a little value to the Note 5. This app has a huge list of different heath related functions it can track. You can measure things like heart rate, stress, and SpO2 at any point. Beyond that it keeps track of your steps every day. You can also track your food and drink input on multiple levels including tracking how much caffeine you input. What I was surprised about though was the lack of an IR blaster and with that the TV remote app that I have always loved.
