Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Rumor Roundup Before IFA 2014, Berlin

Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Rumor Roundup Before IFA 2014, Berlin

We are just days away from the official announcement of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note 4. There have been a lot of rumors going around, so let’s gather them all up and see what we expect out of Berlin this week.

Note 4: One Final Rumor Roundup

We first started talking about the Galaxy Note 4 last year, shortly after the Galaxy Note 3 was released. At the time, it was speculated that a 20MP rear-facing camera could be used in the device. It seems like the plans have changed (or those rumors were false) – now we’re expecting to see Samsung’s own 12MP or 13MP ISOCELL sensor used.

Then, at the start of 2014, Samsung’s Mobile Chief told Bloomberg the Galaxy Note 4 would come with a ‘three-sided display‘. A few months later, we heard from Samsung’s Senior Vice President and he told us a little more about this new design.

Yoon Han-kil told us that Samsung was currently working on a Galaxy Note 4 with a ‘new form factor‘, but nothing was final. Later in the interview, he said that if Samsung was unsatisfied with the results that they could go with a more traditional design. Samsung is able to produce devices with a three-sided display, but it’s possible that the device couldn’t pass durability tests. It’s also possible Samsung has been unable to create intuitive functions for the additional sides. We’ve seen them used as shortcuts for apps and functions in a couple of patent filings, but Samsung might not be happy with what they have so far.

We’ve also seen patents from Samsung for advanced handwriting recognition. We don’t know whether or not this technology is ready for the Galaxy Note 4. It could be included at the launch – it could arrive with a software update, or Samsung could end up waiting until the Galaxy Note 5 before introducing it.

In April, we also read a report from CNMO about the rumored Quad HD display in the Galaxy Note 4. We’ve seen multiple rumors back this up, and with the inclusion of Quad HD in the LG G3, it would be interesting if Samsung decided to pass on this until next year. Samsung has been using a Quad HD Super AMOLED display in the Galaxy S5 LTE-A variant, so we suspect the Galaxy Note 4 will have this resolution display as well.

In May, we saw reports suggest the idea of a 5.5-inch Galaxy Note 4. Since Apple is rumored to release a 5.5-inch iPhone 6, it was said that Samsung might want to compete head-to-head with a device of the same size. Recent rumors suggest Samsung is sticking with the 5.7-inch display for the Galaxy Note 4.

In June, we learned about Samsung’s decision to release two variants of the Galaxy Note 4. One of these is said to utilize the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805, while the other would use the in-house Exynos 5430. A few days later, we saw rumors suggesting that Samsung will use the Exynos 5433 instead of the 5430.

In July, we came across a tweet from the Samsung Exynos Twitter account that teased a retina scanner for their Exynos processors. They didn’t directly say it would be included in the Galaxy Note 4, but it does seem possible, if not in the Note 4, then possibly the Note 5.

July was a hot month for the weather as well as Galaxy Note 4 rumors. Around the middle of the month, we saw a Samsung patent for ultrasonic sensors that would be used for the stylus. We’ve seen this technology used in a Qualcomm demo tablet but we have yet to see it incorporated into a device.

Toward the end of July, there were reports of Samsung working on an ultraviolet sensor for the upcoming Galaxy Note 4. This could be implemented into the S Health application or possibly in some sort of smart widget, like LG uses for the G3. Shortly after this, we saw alleged photos of the upcoming Galaxy Note 4. However, last week we saw some leaked cases that are also allegedly for the Galaxy Note 4. These cases don’t match what we were expecting to see because of the previously leaked photo.

We seem to have a general idea about what to expect from Samsung this week at IFA. There are some details that remain fuzzy, but all in all we have an idea of what Samsung has been working on.