Samsung started the trend toward larger smartphones with the original Galaxy Note and perfected the concept of pen-enabled handsets with last year's Note 3 . With competitors like Apple, whose iPhone 6 Plus measures 5.5 inches, entering the phablet space, Samsung has responded with its most...

Actually, a lot of people were wrong about big phones. When Samsung first came out with the Note in 2011, I wasn't the only one who laughed at the idea of a 5.3-inch smartphone. But I was wrong.

Fantastic display; Excellent battery life; Good-looking and well-made

Still just too much Samsung software; Overly complex in places; Seriously; look at all these settings

The Galaxy Note 4 is quite possibly one of the best smartphones Samsung has ever concocted.

Quad HD display with great viewing angles; Modern; metal-fied chassis; Takes fantastic rear- and front-facing photos

Single speaker on the back sounds tinny

This Note update is kind of boring. It's a spec bump with a few nips and tucks, but there's nothing significantly different. We think the Note Edge's existence shows Samsung is searching for something new in the phablet space, but until it finds whatever that new distinguishing factor is, we're left...

The metal frame with a chamfered edge is a nice step up in quality for Samsung's devices; The Menu button is dead! Samsung replaced it with a recent apps button; No more fake stitching on the back; A removable battery and a Micro SD card

Physical home buttons and styluses don't mix; Imparting force through a plastic stick into a clicky button is extremely awkward, Samsung chose branding over usability, The stylus feels like a toy.

Do you want a big phone? If so, you should get this big phone because it is the best big phone. Windowed multitasking, split screen options, and drag and drop stylus features turn the Note 4 into a device that actually has a reason to be as big as it is.

The Note 4 is a handsome phone; After years of plastic blobs, Samsung has hit its design stride; We saw the potential of this new look in the Galaxy Alpha, but its guts just couldn't follow through; But the Note 4 can; It's a great and great-looking phone.

The Note 4's single back-mounted speaker kind of sucks; It's loud, and has a clever little rib on its grill that keeps it from being muffled by a table, but it's sound quality is tinny and just all around bad; It's no way to listen to music.

Summary: Samsung's Note line always sets the bar for Android specifications and after spending a week with the Note 4, Matthew Miller is about ready to visit his carrier store.

The Galaxy Note 4 is quite possibly one of the best smartphones Samsung has ever concocted. It's outfitted in a seriously stylish metal outfitting and faux-leather backing, features a Quad HD display for a high-resolution viewing experience, and comes bundled with the ever-so-useful S-Pen stylus.

Premium metal design; Quad HD screen; Camera great in low-light

Too big for some; TouchWiz still not perfected; Expensive

Samsung was first at the phablet game, and it's still the best

As premium as Samsung gets; Brilliant camera; Best battery life on a 2K phone; Multi Window and S Pen make sense

Phablets aren't for everyone; Expensive; Lacks the S5's waterproofing

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.

Exceptionally sharp; vibrant screen; Brilliant battery life; Solid all-round camera; Packs plenty of power

S-Pen app discovery needs work; Plastic back still feels tacky; Some software features are not easy to find; Very expensive