Samsung Galaxy Note 4

The Galaxy Note 4 is Samsung's phablet follow-up to the Note 3. The Note really isn't cheap at launch. If you buy it directly from Samsung it will cost you an eye-watering £629 SIM-free, but you can find it for less if you shop around. These days it costs a lot less.

You get a lot for that price, though. A '2K' QHD screen, speedy Snapdragon 805 processor, fast charging and a new, improved S-Pen stylus all come as part an parcel. It also features a new premium metal design.

Thankfully Samsung has also listened to the moans of displeasure at the copious amounts of bloatware it packs on its handsets, and has significantly cut down on its own, often overwhelming, bundled apps.

The Galaxy Note 4 is one of those big phones that grows on you the more you use it. There are slicker phones around, but there's a whole lot to like about this giant. With an update to Android 5.0 Lollipop on the horizon, things can only get better for the Note 4, but it's facing ever stiffer big-phone competition from the iPhone 6S Plus and the Google Nexus 6P.

SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 4: DESIGN

The Galaxy Note 4 is a big phone and big phones pose some handling issues. The Note 4, much like the Note 3, actually doesn't feel too ridiculous to use in one hand or to hold up to the ear to take a call. But it doesn't mask its stature as well as the LG G3 or LG G4, but even for our smallish hands it didn't take long to adjust.

Compared to the Note 3, it’s taller, thicker and heavier, but the key difference is that it’s not as wide. It’s not by a great deal but this does slightly reduce the area you need to stretch fingers across to reach the other end of the virtual keyboard. You will want to type holding it in two hands, but it’s not a pain to use it in one hand either. Samsung does include a one-handed operation mode to shrink the screen size, which should help those who are really struggling.

Inevitably comparisons are going to be made with the iPhone 6 Plus and having had the big iPhone to compare, the Apple smartphone is taller and wider but slimmer than the Note 4. The curved sides on the Apple make it slightly nicer to grip, but both designs have their good and bad points.