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.
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
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
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.
HDR Sample Shot
Single LED flash of Note 5 vs Dual LED flash of OnePlus 2
Night Shot
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
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:
Basemark OS II test:
Geekbench 3 test:
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
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
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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