The iPhone 6 Plus may be taking all the attention on the phablet front, but if you're more of an Android fan, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will be available in the U.S. on Oct. 17 with pre-orders starting Friday, the same day Apple's new iPhones hit store shelves.
Unveiled earlier this month at the IFA trade show in Berlin, the Note 4 features a 5.7-inch 2,560-by-1,440 Quad HD Super AMOLED display, advanced technology for the front and rear cameras, battery improvements, and S Pen enhancements.
"Samsung created the large screen smartphone category with the Galaxy Note and are on our fourth generation, a category others are just entering," Samsung Telecommunications America President and CEO Gregory Lee said in a statement, obviously alluding to Apple. "The Galaxy Note 4 delivers a refined Note experience, and the latest technology that consumers want in their smartphone."
Other features include a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera with Optical Image Stabilizer technology; a 3.7-megapixel front-facing shooter; Adaptive Fast Charging, which can give the phone 50 percent battery life in 30 minutes, and Ultra Power Saving Mode offering up to 24 hours of standby time on just 10 percent battery.
The Note 4 also has a metal frame, which should make it more durable than its plastic-bodied predecessor. It comes in black and white and will be available from the four major U.S. carriers — AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verzion — plus U.S. Cellular. You'll also be able to find it at major retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, Costco, RadioShack, Sam's Club, Target, and Walmart.
In a statement, T-Mobile said that demand for the device has been high since it opened up pre-registrations on Sept. 3. T-Mobile will start taking pre-orders on Wednesday, Sept. 24, and is offering the Galaxy Note 4 for $0 down, plus $31.24 monthly payments for the next two years for a total of $749 — the same price as the base iPhone 6 Plus.
For more, check out our Hands On with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs. LG G3: Spec Showdown.