The Note 4 wears its size better than that of the iPhone 6 Plus . Placing the two alongside one another reveals the Note 4 is shorter, even though it has a larger screen. Samsung's smartphone may be thicker than Apple's at 9mm, but the waistline works in its favour by evening out its proportions.

1440p screen; Fast charge battery; Integrated S-Pen stylus; 16 megapixel camera; Metal chassis

Frustrating finger scanner; Uncomfortable form factor for phone calls

Now that we've seen Apple do its first take on the whole big phone thing, it's time to see Samsung make its Note phablet better than ever.

Holy pigeon; that screen is freakin' amazing; looking clearer than the competition and boasting an extra boost when sunlight hits it; Amazeballs 4G speeds supporting Category 6 (first phone locally to do so; Solid performance; Support for high-resolution audio; The first time in a few years that...

Not so amazing battery life; Samsung's S Pen feels like it does less; No waterproofing like its S5 brother; Images still don't rotate in the gallery until you press a button (sigh

Known for its handwriting friendliness and screens pushing near six inches, Samsung's Galaxy Note series is the progenitor of the modern stylus-centric smartphone. It's easily the go-to choice for an Android phablet.

Two new Galaxy Note smartphones from Samsung are about the same size as last year's Note 3. What's different: A side screen on one of them and sharper cameras on both. Samsung also unveiled new wearable devices, including a virtual-reality headset , as part of its holiday lineup.

If you can't beat them join them. Then beat them. That seems to be Apple's response to the proliferation of large-screen Android and Windows Phone handsets. After years of holding out as the only important phone manufacturer without a phablet, Apple has gone all in with a smartphone/tablet...

iPhone 6 Plus has great specs and build quality; Like a smaller more connected iPad

Galaxy Note 4 has more raw power; Samsung's phone has better display specs

From an oddball that everyone was laughing at to becoming one of the most important Samsung announcement of the year - the Note series got to a place where now everyone else wants to be in too, including Apple.

5.7" 16M-color QHD Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with curved Gorilla Glass 3, Android OS v4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz UI, LTE Cat 6 support, Quad-core 2.7GHz Krait 450 CPU, Adreno 420 GPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset, 3GB of RAM, 16MP OIS camera with 2160p video recording @ 30fps, 1080p @...

Rear-mounted mono speaker; microUSB 2.0 is a downgrade over microUSB 3.0 on the Note 3; The uneven gap between the metal frame and curved screen glass takes a few points away from an otherwise excellent build; No enhanced resistance to liquids or dust; Wireless charging support only with an optional...

The Galaxy Note 4 is a shining example of how great a phablet can be. It's one of the best Android phones available today -- if not the very best.

Fantastic big-screen features; Cutting edge processing power; Great battery life; Best Android phablet; Plenty of storage space; Fantastic camera

Not waterproof; S-Pen controls hidden in settings; No good way to manage screen size; S Pen isn't a must-have feature

Armed with an incredible Quad HD AMOLED display, cutting-edge Snapdragon 805 processor, and Samsung's newfound premium design, the Galaxy Note 4 ($299.99 with contract) is easily one of the most impressive smartphones of the year.

Incredible Quad HD display; New premium look and feel; Flexible multitasking; Improved stylus features; Outstanding battery life

Trades comfort for style; Requires some work to get the most out of the experience

There are phones, and there are phablets. The iPhone 6 Plus ? Phone. The Note 4? Phablet. These are the two premier Big Phones on the market today. But despite similar sizes, they offer two very, very different experiences. The 6 Plus feels like an outsized iPhone.

Have you ever loved a stylus? You just may love this one thanks to excellent note-taking software; Fantastic cameras on both back and front side let everyone see your smiling mug; Battery life is so long-lived we're afraid we'll die before it does

Still riddled with gimmicky, novelty, useless UI elements; Come on, Samsung, just give us a pure Android OS with your specialty apps as options

Not only is the Note 4 the best Samsung smartphone I've ever used, but it's also the best large-screen phone on the market -- even better than the iPhone 6 Plus.

Gorgeous design with high-end materials; Nice display; Best camera in a Galaxy smartphone; Powerful performance; Great battery life

Isn't waterproof; Loudspeaker still needs work