Bow down to the king of phones!

Yep! That would be the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and… nope! I’m not getting any freebies from Samsung or any other affiliates/sponsors for writing this review.

Instead, I’m hoping to explain why this phone was the best choice for me over a few of its notable competitors. Apple aficionados, I hope you stick around, too; but if you must leave, then know that I still heart you dearly. Sidenote: if I could have two phones (you know, the way the stars always get photographed holding) then the Galaxy Note and the iPhone 6plus would be my choices.

Okay, on to the mini review. Don’t worry. This isn’t some super technical gushing about Qual modes and other jibber-jabber I can’t identify, yet alone explain. Nah. This is a “how I use my phone to survive my insanely hectic lifestyle” review.

Now, here’s the techie stuff I love:

1. The S-Pen – Yeah baby! I’m a writer. I actually prefer pen on paper over the laptop, but this little number allows me to get as close to that writing the old fashioned way as possible. I can jot down notes (cuz writers get hit with ideas at the most insane moments). Waking up and jotting something down comes easily when your pad-phablet greets you first thing in the morning.

Plus, I can jot down grocery store lists, make memos to me and remind myself to take that Warm Bodies DVD back to the library!

Yes! I can draw! Bow down to the S-Pen and the software that allows me to create stunning portraits. Since I have little to no time to pull out and set up a canvas this truly works for me when I have that rare moment known as free time. With the S-Pen on board, I get to keep my hands warm while filming my son’s latest lacrosse game. With this baby, I never even have to remove a glove. The Note 4 has improved substantially over my archaic Note 2 in that arena. The S-Pen deserves an entire post dedicated to its usages, so I’m going to end my drooling here.

2. The super big screen – 5.7inches of pure, crystal clear and vibrantly colored bliss. I will tell you that this comes from its Super AMOLED (2560X1440) display. And with a quadcore 2.7GHz Snapdragon 805 processor, the phone processes all this eye candy greatness in an instant.

I’ve compared my screen side-by-side to my friends’ new phones, (clears throat and mentions iPhone6) and even they have to admit the clarity in the screen is the bomb. The size allows me to do several things beneficial to my life/career/mental well-being: read my Amazon/NOOK/Kobo books all in one place, work on a blog post while surfing the Internet, to play my fashion games and forget they’re not real and create fantastic product reviews such as this one for my loyal readers.

As I’ve used the phone more and more throughout the months, I’ve learned how to toggle between the three types of AMOLED displays in order to bring professional quality shots to the table. Super perfect for my LiWBF’s magazine inspired layout.

3. The camera – OMG! What a joy I’ve found in Samsung’s mighty mega-pixeled lens. There’s 3.7 megapixels of front-facing camera joy packed inside. I now find taking Selfies (something I’ve never done in the past) a fun thing to do. I can even include a group of my friends inside because of the Note 4’s 120 degree wide angle option. Most of the pics I’ll be posting on LiWBF in the future will be taken with my Note 4’s  camera.

There’s an Optical Image Stabilizer that made some of my nighttime photos look as though they’d been taken during the day. My son is studying to become a professional photographer, so yes, he has concluded the photos are that good.

The HD videos look fantastic and contain a wow factor that most camcorders can’t even copy. Warning: all this Fabulosity comes with a hefty storage tag, though. One video ate up 3gigs of space! Yikes! My suggestion would be to sign up for a free storage account like photobucket. That way you can access your photo goodies anytime, even while you’re on the go.

4.  Other goodies – I have a heart rate and Oxygen monitor for helping me out during a run so I don’t have to carry 20 items in my flipbelt. Plus, there’s a super cool UV Ray Sensor, the first of its kind I’ve been told, which tells you when the ultra-violet rays in the environment could be harmful to your skin.

What’s not to like? Honestly… not much that’ll send your running back to the store asking for a refund, anyway. There’s a reason thousands of users have given this phone an almost perfect 5-star rating all over the review sites, and that’s because there isn’t a whole lot to complain about. Let me list a few things that I’ve seen and heard people griping about and offer my view on those issues:

1. The size of the phone takes some getting used to. Forget looking like a normal person ever again while taking a call during your next Starbucks visit. The Note 4 demands attention, and that’s okay. Yet, I’ve found most people either admire it from afar or approach and ask me how I like using it. However, I’ve been “gettin’ phablet with it” for almost two years now, and I have small hands. The phone gets easier to use once you learn how to utilize its one-handed operations.

Bonus points: it fits snugly inside most of my jacket pockets and I’ve been told the Note 4 like the iPhone 6 Plus will easily fit inside your Flipbelt’s pocket. Especially the inner ones. Forget about ever putting this baby in the pocket of your jeans. Not happening. It’s way too big. You might get the phone to slip inside the wider pockets that are found on jeans these days, but don’t say I didn’t warn you when your Note 4 refuses to stay hidden in place.

Trust me, it can be quite naughty when being tucked away in the dark sleeve of a pocketbook or anyplace designed to conceal its beauty. 😀 Plus, sticking something that costs more than the average flat screen does inside your back pocket is never a good idea, anyway.

2. The speakers – Come on Samsung, why ruin a great phone’s musical experience with a speaker situated on the back? Either my hands are covering it or a tabletop is smothering the sound. With that being said, if you can find a way to keep the speaker clear of fingers and things, then the overall audio experience is a huge improvement over my Galaxy Note 2.

3. The AMOLED display does some funky things in the sunlight. Perhaps, this is a case of a smart phone being too smart? Hmm.

In summary, the S-Pen, the ample amount of pre-installed memory 32gigs and super-advanced AMOLED display (translates to a lovely photography experience, btw) are what sold me on this phone.

I can blog (created this post with my Note 4), write using MS Word, socialize with my friends, perform transactions, keep track of my appointments with my kids’ teachers and take superfly photos with this phablet.

The phone costs $399.00 (with a 2-yr contract) but is well worth the price, in my humble opinion. Depending on your carrier, you may have the option of purchasing the Note 4 through an installment plan or some other way that conforms to your budgetary needs. I, however, am super happy with Samsung’s latest entry in the phablet market.

Now, join me in bowing down to the king of cell phones.