See the 5 things the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 can do that the iPhone 6 Plus can’t

Samsung have engaged the iPhone in a serious battle of late.

The Korean company was the first major smartphone maker to launch a big phone, with the original Samsung Galaxy Note back in 2011. It was released with a 5.3-inch screen, which at the time most people thought was enormous, but has since become the expected size for flagship smartphones.
It was targeted at hardcore phone users, with serious performance specs, and Samsung built upon that with each iteration after. Their latest effort, the Galaxy Note 5 steps away from this slightly, and is really aiming itself at the mainstream smartphone buyer for the first time.
We’ve spent some time with the phone and put it head to head to find out what it can do that its most obvious rival, the iPhone 6 Plus cannot.



You can sign documents and make annotations

This one still appeals to the business power user more than anyone again, but that’s a big market of buyers and certainly a feature that makes life much easier. It’s something I had no idea how handy it would be until I actually had the option. It saved me needing to print off, then sign and scan forms several times, and anything that can help me to avoid using a printer is a lifesaver in my eyes.
Not to mention, the use of the S-Pen stylus makes it way too easy to draw male genitalia on photos of your mates. That could almost be a point on its own.

Surprisingly really handy. Source: AP

 

You can charge wirelessly, and it’s just as fast as wired charging 

Wireless charging for Android phones has been around for a while now, but I personally have never really cared much for them, simply because they charge your phone so much slower than regular cable charging. But with the Note 5, it can charge wirelessly faster than a lot of phones can charge with a cable, finally making it a useful feature. That is, until you consider it also charges ridiculously quick with a cable, going from empty to full in 90 minutes.



Read: What to look out for, when buying an Android phone



You can use it to pay anywhere you can with your card

While iPhone users still hopelessly wait for Apple Pay to come to Australia, the Note 5 and several other Android devices have their NFC chip, which allows contactless payment, activated for banks to access in their internet banking apps. So far, only the Commonwealth Bank and Westpac are supporting the system, but they enable you to pay anywhere you can pay contactless with your card. Combine that with cardless cash withdrawals, and you have no need for a wallet anymore.

 

Apple Pay won’t be in Australia any time soon. Source: Supplied

Stream live straight to YouTube

With apps like Periscope becoming the latest thing in our social network obsessed lives, the Galaxy Note 5 is the first device to allow you to stream directly to YouTube, the world’s biggest video platform. I tried it out a couple of times, and found it to be a bit hit and miss depending on my internet connection, but when it worked it did so well.



Read: All the ways on How to take a screenshot on Android phones, tablets





Photographers will love it

The snapper on the Galaxy Note 5 is brilliant, and on par with the iPhone 6 Plus. And while it still lacks a tiny bit when compared to LG’s G4, it shares a few of LG’s killer features that the iPhone doesn’t have. This includes the ability to take pictures in RAW, which means it doesn’t process the photo in the camera app and allows you to edit the photo in full detail in another program later on. There’s also the ability to change the shutter speed, which allows your to not only take really detailed lowlight shots with steady hands but also those cool light trail photos. Not to mention, the 5.7-inch screen is bigger than the iPhone 6 Plus while not making the size of the device any bigger. Combine that with its much higher resolution and you have a great portable screen to edit with on the go.
Don’t get me wrong, by making this list it does not mean I do not like the iPhone 6 Plus. I love it in fact, just as much, if note more than the Samsung. It still trumps the Note 5 in ease of use, consistency and iOS’ app options are almost always better than the Android equivalent. But even the most diehard Apple fan has to see that Samsung has come a long way, and no longer uses dumb gimmicks to try and better Apple’s iPhone, but is actually integrating useful features that Apple simply isn’t matching it with.