After unboxing and getting our hands-on on the Samsun Galaxy Note 5, we put it side-by-side versus the “2016 Flagship Killer” of OnePlus, the OnePlus 2. Checkout our review, comparison of the two flagship phones below and know which is a better buy.
Table of Contents
Design and build
Crafted with metal and Gorilla Glass, the Galaxy Note 5 makes it to the top list as one of the best looking Galaxy phone to date.
The Galaxy Note 5 most distinctive design element is the curved back (towards edges). Blended with slim metal framing and premium color options, the Note 5 easily makes the OnePlus 2 a pale looking smartphone besides it.
Note 5 is thinner than OnePlus 2, screen-to-body ratio is also higher.
Winner: Galaxy Note 5
Display
Samsung is known as one of the best mobile display manufacturer, and it is no surprise why Galaxy Note 5 is way ahead of the OnePlus 2 in terms of display sharpness and quality. Colors on the 5.7-inch 1440p QHD Super AMOLED is punchier than the 5.5-inch LTPS on OnePlus 2. Viewing angles is very excellent too on Super AMOLED.
Winner: Galaxy Note 5
Camera
Not only the 16MP of Galaxy Note 5 is higher than the 13MP sensor of OnePlus 2, but the image detail and color accuracy too. Galaxy Note 5’s main camera shoots sharp images with well-preserved detail and accurate colors and brightness.
The same goes in video shooting, Note 5 shows wider dynamic range (highest of blacks and whites) and excellent microphone pick up.
Still and video winner: Galaxy Note 5
Performance and benchmark
Samsung Exynos 7420 proves to be faster and more powerful than the Snapdragon 810 chip, and that is very true in our benchmark and speed tests of Galaxy Note 5 and OnePlus 2.
Galaxy Note 5 garnered higher scores than the Snapdragon 810-powered OnePlus 2. Not all tests were favored to the Note 5, however. OnePlus 2 managed to top the Basemark OS II and actual speed test in browsing.
AnTuTu benchmark test:
- Samsung Galaxy Note 5: 53989
- OnePlus 2: 49078
Basemark OS II test:
- Galaxy Note 5: 1077
- OnePlus 2: 1207
Geekbench 3 test:
- Galaxy Note 5: 1422 single core, 4655 multi core
- OnePlus 2: 1109 single core, 4312 multi core
We noticed that during Basemark OS II speed test, Note 5 takes more time to finish the benchmark. We don’t know why if the version of Basemark is the one that causing the problem or the Note 5 itself.
Winner: Galaxy Note 5
Speaker
Each has mono speaker at the bottom side. Audio loudness is the same for both speakers only that Note 5 output is clearer and more balanced. The sound level (highs, lows) are crispier on Note 5. OnePlus exhibits a bit tinny sound when tested.
Winner: Galaxy Note 5
Verdict, Value
One of the few feature of OnePlus 2 that Galaxy Note 5 cannot match is the price. OnePlus 2 16GB/3GB RAM is almost half the price of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5. For this price you will only get the good stuff from a flagship smartphone, if you’d want the best then go for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
OnePlus 2 specs and price |
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 specs and price |
| 5.5-inch 1080p LTPS (IPS LCD) display, 401 ppi | 5.7-inch Super AMOLED QHD, 518ppi |
| 9.9mm thick, 175g weight | 7.6mm thin, 171g weight |
| Gorilla Glass 4, magnesium frame | Gorilla Glass 4, curved back |
| Snapdragon 810 octacore chip | Exynos 7420 octacore, quad Cortex-A53 & quad 2.1GHz Cortex-A57 |
| 3/4GB RAM | 4GB RAM |
| 16/64GB storage, no microSD | 32/64GB internal, no microSD card slot |
| 13MP camera, Optical IS, laser autofocus, 4k HD video, dual tone LED flash | 16MP camera f/1.9 aperture, OIS, single LED flash, HDR, 2160p video |
| 5MP selfie camera | 5MP selfie, 1440p video |
| Dual 4G LTE nano SIM, WiFi ac, Bt 4.1, GPS, FM Radio | 4G LTE Single/dual SIM, WiFi ac, Bt 4.2,NFC, FM Radio, GPS, heart rate sensor, wireless charging, Fingerprint sensor, S-pen |
| Android 5.1 Lollipop, Oxygen OS | Android 5.1 Lollipop |
| 3300mAh | 3000mAh |
| Kevlar, Sandstone, Black, Bamboo | White, Black, Silver, Gold |
| $329 (P15k) for 16GB, $389 (P18k) for 64GB, all prices before taxes | P33-34k price in Philippines as of September 14 |
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