As is the case with any flagship release from Samsung, the Galaxy Note 4 was one of the most anticipated smartphones of the year. While not giving up on plastic entirely, Samsung introduced some metal this around, and jumped to the front of the specifications race, with the Galaxy Note 4 featuring a Quad HD display and the latest processing package available. Samsung always packs a host of features into their devices, that we’ll tackle in a comprehensive review, but today, we’ll be taking a quick look at the unboxing, and give you our first impressions about the Samsung Galaxy Note 4!

Unboxing

Opening the box shows you the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in all its glory, and just looking at the phone and holding it allows you to feel the more premium build materials used with the latest addition to the Note series. Inside the box is what you’d expect, a microUSB cable, the battery, a premium quality pair of in-ear headphones with extra earbuds, the AC wall charging unit, and extra pins for the stylus.

First Impressions

As mentioned, the Galaxy Note 4 certainly feels a lot more premium that previous Samsung flagships, in part due to the metal frame that is found all around the device, a material choice that was first introduced with the Galaxy Alpha. The faux leather back makes a return from the Galaxy Note 3, this time without the fake stitching all around. Even though this is an European edition, and specified European SIM cards only during the setup process, I was able to get 4G LTE connectivity with my US T-Mobile SIM.

Getting into the user interface, you get the latest version of TouchWiz on top of Android 4.4.4 Kitkat. The UI has seen some some changes over the last few Galaxy devices, and is a lot more toned down than the previously cartoonish elements. That said, it is still as packed with features as ever, and is a positive or negative depending on how you use your Galaxy Note 4. Of course, the marquee feature of the Galaxy Note series is the stylus and all it offers. You also get a heart rate monitor on the back, that was first featured on the Galaxy S5, that now features the additional functionality of being used as a camera shutter button. We will of course, be further exploring all this hardware and software features in the upcoming full review.

Even if the overall design remains similar to previous Samsung flagships, the company is certainly going down the right path as far as build materials and quality are concerned. The faux leather back not only allows for better grip, but gives the phone an executive and professional look. The metal frame around the device also does wonders for the overall look and feel, proving that Samsung has come a long way from glossy plastic.

Now, we have to address a big issue that has been coming the rounds over the blogosphere and social media – #gapgate. Users have found a little gap between the screen and the frame, where people have been able to push some thick paper into it. Trying the same thing, I managed to place a post-it note in the gap, which doesn’t go very deep, but does get stuck in there.

The reason I don’t believe it’s as big an issue as it has been made out to be is because this gap is something that has been mentioned in the user manual of the Galaxy Note 4, and its predecessors before it, with the warning that a lot of friction and wear and tear may cause it to expand. It doesn’t take away from the look in any way and is barely visible. That said, if the gap does get wider or causes an issue, I will do another video about it.

Gallery

So there you have it – a look at the unboxing, and our first impressions about the Samsung Galaxy Note 4! The Galaxy Note series has reached a point over the last couple of years where it could be considered the flagship smartphone from Samsung, even more so than the Galaxy S line, and that is something we’ll be exploring in upcoming videos. Stay tuned with Android Authority as we continue to bring you more Galaxy Note 4 coverage, including, but not limited, an in-depth review!