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Galaxy Note 5 Might Inherit Some of the Galaxy S6’s Biggest Problems

Published Jul 7th, 2015 3:05PM EDT
Galaxy Note 5 MicroSD Card Battery
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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Samsung will soon unveil the Galaxy Note 5 that Android fans are anxiously awaiting, but it looks like the phone might inherit some of the Galaxy S6’s most significant problems.

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The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge have an impressive new design, which some say was inspired by the iPhone 6. But to give fans the ultra-slim metal smartphone they wanted, Samsung had to drop the microSD card and the user-replaceable battery from the picture. Instead, the company came up with increased memory for base models, increased memory performance (UFS 2.0 storage), and built-in wireless charging.

Samsung fan site SamMobile suggests that it would be futile to expect Samsung to change its mind with the Galaxy Note 5 when it comes to microSD storage. The company might be interested in offering the same build quality features of the Galaxy S6 to buyers looking for a top-of-the-line Galaxy Note phablet, which means there wouldn’t be any room left for a microSD slot… or a replaceable battery.

Many reports looking at the UFS 2.0 storage included in the Galaxy S6 have explained why users shouldn’t worry about the absence of expandable memory. UFS 2.0 is significantly faster than microSD cards, approaching SSD-like performance on smartphones, so pairing it with removable cards isn’t a good idea. Not to mention that many services offer plenty of cloud space for backups and storage.

However, these might not be sufficient explanations for Android fans who need more local storage, especially considering Google is improving microSD performance in the upcoming Android M release.

And if Samsung won’t let you access the guts of the phone to swap out microSD cards, it’s not likely to let you replace the battery either.

A metal Galaxy Note 5 with a similar design to the Galaxy S6 would also force Samsung to ditch removable batteries. However, the phablet would have a bigger built-in battery than the Galaxy S6, and it would probably come with wireless charging as well.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.