Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Roundup: Expected Release Date, Price, Specifications Details

Ever since Samsung announced the schedule of 'Unpacked 2014 Episode 2' event early this month, the buzz around the Galaxy Note 4 has reached a new high in the internet, with numerous reports surrounding the phablet's features confusing the fans what to expect in the upcoming device.

To help get a better perspective on the Galaxy Note 4 release date, price and specifications details, we have leafed through numerous reports and have pieced together list of probable features, which are likely to come in the Samsung's 2014 marquee phablet.

Galaxy Note 4 Display and Design Details:

Most of the reports we have heard so far has suggested that this year Samsung is expected to make a radical shift in building the new-generation Galaxy Note series phablet, most probably incorporating different design forms including the use of bendable display.

The main reason behind this shift is said to make the Galaxy devices as unique and premium as possible, to stand apart from rivals, considering the fact that most of new-generation smartphones are more of incremental in terms of specifications than innovation.

Adding woes to the company, Samsung's 2014 second quarter profit has also declined compared to last year. It reportedly posted revenue close to 7.2 trillion Won. Even though the nine plus figure looks massive for some, it has to be noted the company reportedly lost close to 25 percent revenue compared to last year's second-quarter revenue, which stood at 9.53 trillion Won, reported Forbes.

So in its bid to arrest the slow growth, compounded by the emergence of the competitive Chinese smartphone vendors and its arch-rival Apple's big-screen iPhone 6 device (slated for September launch), Samsung has reportedly used flexible screen.

The South Korean firm has been working on bendable display for quite some time. It had even showcased the 'YOUM' display technology at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2013, Las Vegas.

Here is the video showcasing Samsung's YOUM features at CES 2013:

Word on the street is that Galaxy Note 4 is expected to come in two variants - one having bendable OLED display and a normal flat screen.

This does not surprise many, as the South Korean company is renowned for its versatility in churning out different variants of the flagship devices to the market. For instance, Galaxy S5, already has more than three variants- Galaxy S5 Mini, rugged based S5 Active for AT&T, S5 Sport for Sprint, camera-centric phone- Galaxy K Zoom and many more (including the budget variant, Galaxy S5 Neo) are said to be in the pipeline.

As far screen is concerned, Galaxy Note 4 is said to keep the same 5.7-inch screen size as seen in its predecessor, but its display resolution is expected go up a notch this time to a staggering 2,560x1,440p resolution display, that's equivalent to 500 plus ppi (Pixels Per Inch) pixel density.

Galaxy Note 4 - Processor, RAM and Storage Details:

According to leaked AnTuTu benchmarking (via Mobifo) results, the upcoming Galaxy Note 4 (model number: SM-N910) is said to boast company's in-house built Exynos 5433 series Octa-core CPU. It will be backed by the ARM Mali T760 graphics engine.

Word on the street is that company is expected to retail this variant in Europe and rest of the global (Asian) regions, where as the Qualcomm's Snapdragon 805 series quad-core processor model is bound for American markets.

As far RAM capacity is concerned, Samsung is expected to incorporate minimum 3GB in Galaxy Note 4, as the company has already same amount of physical memory in its predecessor.

However, there is a possibility that Samsung might up the ante among the rivals by using 4GB RAM.

A few months ago, Samsung's semi-conductor division had announced the next generation 20 nm (nanometre) class-based 8GB LPDDR4 (Low Power Double Data Rate series 4) RAM for mobile devices.

The company has planned to integrate four of the new 8GB chips into a single 4GB LPDDR4 package that can provide the highest level of performance (50-percent more), density, efficiency and still be able to consume 40 percent less compared to the current crop of physical memory chips found in the high-end smartphones.

The new memory chip will enable smartphones to support high resolutions display, resource hungry 3D games and maximum data transfer rate per pin of 3,200 megabits per second (Mbps).

It was expected to feature in Galaxy S5, but never materialised, now many are expecting Samsung to incorporate 4GB RAM to efficiently manage the big-screen Galaxy Note 4.

In terms of storage, one can expect the new Samsung smartphone to come with 16GB/32GB inbuilt memory having expandable options via microSD card.

Galaxy Note 4 Special Value-Added Features:

Heart-rate sensor and UV (Ultra-Violet) sensor:

This year, the new Galaxy S5 came with heart sensor (below camera module on the rear). Though some were critical on the necessity of this feature in a smartphone, health conscious users praised the company for incorporating it. Now, reports are pouring from South Korea that Samsung is going to up the ante by introducing the ultra-violet sensor in the upcoming Galaxy Note 4.

Samsung community blog, SamMobile says the company will incorporate the ultra-violet sensor in the proprietary S Health app.

The sensor is said to measure the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation and caution users not to venture into the sun light to avoid damaging their skin, premature aging effect and restrict their risk of skin cancer.

Users need to tilt the Galaxy Note 4 in a 60-degree angle, pointing the sensor towards the sun's direction, and then the phone will provide guidance based on the current UV index level at that particular place and time.

Though UV sensor looks like good value-added feature for beauty conscious Samsung fans, but it is too fanciful to believe that this feature will indeed come in the Galaxy Note 4. We just have to wait a few more weeks to really know what Samsung has kept in store for us.

Fingerprint Sensor or Iris Scanner?

We have already seen the finger-print sensor in the current flagship phone Galaxy S5, so there is no prize for guessing that we might this feature in Galaxy Note 4 as well.

However, the recent tweet from the company's chipset arm – Samsung Exynos promises more, something that is more sophisticated than the finger-print sensor. The graphic eye image in the tweet, hints that the future Samsung smartphones may feature retina scanner, inciting speculations of the possibility of incorporation of the advanced biometric technology in the upcoming Galaxy Note 4.

Security can be improved using features unique to us. That's what we envision. What would you use? #ExynosTomorrow pic.twitter.com/KLgQ1q9GkP

— SamsungExynos (@SamsungExynos) July 12, 2014

Even Samsung Galaxy S5 rumoured to boast of iris scanner, but it never materialised.

Later reports emerge that Samsung ditched this feature for its technological limitations. The Iris scanner reportedly required Samsung technicians to plant a second dedicated camera on the front, leading to changes in the Galaxy S5's structural design. This short-coming forced the company to adopt the finger-print scanner.

Since then, enough time has passed by for the company to experiment with the new phablet, which is said to have a new form factor.

If Samsung does become successful in incorporating this advanced bio-metric technology, the company will certainly raise the benchmark for rivals.

For the uninitiated, 'Iris Recognition' is said to be more advanced and near foolproof system as it involves camera technology with subtle infra-red illuminations to capture the detailed nerve pattern on the iris (eye).

Using this information, digital impressions are re-created by mathematical and statistical algorithm so that accurate profile is created. This biometric technology is nearly impossible to crack by an imposter, unlike finger print scanner which can be forged with a fake thumb-print made out of latex.

[Also read: "Apple iPhone 5S Fingerprint 'Touch ID' Security Feature Breached, Says German Hackers"]

Ultra-Sound enabled S-Pen Stylus:

Last year, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 came with value-added S-Pen optimised features like - Air Command, Action Memo, Scrapbook, Screen Write, S Finder, Pen Window S Note, Multi Window, new Easy Clip and Direct Pen Input. This time Samsung in its bid to enhance user experience, the company has reportedly incorporated ultra-sound technology-based S Pen stylus.

According to the Samsung's leaked patent papers (available with Galaxy Club), the Stylus will be able to emit ultra-sonic waves and smartphone's four sensors (placed on both the sides) picks them to perform touch-less gesture functions.

Using of ultrasound technology will also negate the need for a digitiser on the screen, resulting in lower costs and a thinner display assembly, said SamMobile.

For the un-initiated, this ultra-sound stylus concept is not new to smart device industry. In April, American chipset manufacturer, Qualcomm introduced a developer tablet model featuring Ultra-sound enabled stylus.

It has to be noted that the Qualcomm's slate is powered by the 805 series CPU, the very same chipset, which is expected to feature in the Galaxy Note 4 LTE variant.

Check out the Qualcomm's Snapdragon 805 Mobile Development Platform video here:

Water-proof certifications:

Like the flagship Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 4 is most likely to boast of IP67 water-and-dust repellant certifications. If this feature does really come in the phablet, then users will be able to operate the phone one metre (or three feet) under water for close to 30 minutes.

Galaxy Note 4 Mobile Operating System Details:

Early this month, Samsung launched the new Galaxy Alpha smartphone [read full report, here] with the latest Android v4.4.4 KitKat, so we can expect see the Galaxy Note 4 ship with latest Android OS - v4.4.4 or yet-to-announced Android L.

Galaxy Note 4 Camera specifications:

According to the leaked internal document available with SamMobile, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is said to house the Sony's proprietary IMX240 (yet-to-be announced) 16.0-megapixel camera with OIS (Optical Image Stabilizer) feature and a 2.0-megapixel snapper on the frontside.

Even the numerous leaked benchmark results have shown that the Galaxy Note 4 is most likely to feature 16.0-megapixel main camera with 4K video-recording ability.

Galaxy Note 4 Release Date details:

Samsung has already announced that the company is hosting events in Berlin, Beijing and New York City. [Read full report, here]

The German capital is said to be the global platform for Samsung to launch the new Galaxy Note 4, as the city is also hosting IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin) 2014 (5-10 September). All previous Galaxy Note series devices have been showcased in this very event since 2011.

As for released date of Galaxy Note 4 is considered, Samsung phablet is slated to hit stores as early as mid- September.

If the leaked internal memo (available with Android Authority) is to be believed, the company has asked Samsung employees to not to take leave between 3 and 5 September, which actually coincides with the UNPACKED 2014 Episode 2 event and between 15 – 28 September, hinting the device might be made available in the market in the third week of next month.

Galaxy Note 4 Price Details:

A popular Indonesia based e-commerce site , Erafone briefly listed the yet-to-be announced Galaxy Note 4 and once the word got out in to the Internet, the webpage was pulled downed. However, by then many tech blogs had taken a snapshot of the page revealing features and price of the Samsung device.

According to the listing (courtesy, Droid-life), the upcoming Galaxy Note 4 is said to be priced IDR 9,499,000 (around $813/ €607/₹49,425)

Expected specifications of Samsung Galaxy Note 4 include: