Yes, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 got recalled and it literally is now dead. There are several top-tier flagships either in the market or about to enter it that will try to position themselves as alternatives. However all of them don’t have one thing that the Galaxy Note series is really famous for — the S Pen. Which brings me to this very logical and practical bit of advice. The best alternative for the Galaxy Note 7 MIGHT be the Google Pixel XL, iPhone 7 Plus, Huawei P9, or the LG V20. However in my humble opinion, the BEST alternative is simply… the Galaxy Note 5. Here’s why.

It’s Solid, Good, and Reliable

We used the Galaxy Note 5 as our daily driver for months and we didn’t encounter any major issue with it. Heck, we’re still happy with it today. It’s a fantastic device that delivers a virtually lag-free experience with a gorgeous display panel and an elegant metallic build.

The Camera is Very, Very, Very Good

While we haven’t done a direct comparison between the camera of the Note 7 and the Note 5, we can confidently say that the camera of the Note 5 is already good enough. The difference might be hard to tell with the naked eye. Click here to see our sample shots of the Note 5. Not satisfied? Here are a few more photos we took for your reference.

It’s Not that Expensive Anymore!

Various online stores are already selling the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 for under Php25,000. That’s way cheaper than the debut SRP of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 or any of the top tier phones we originally listed as alternatives.

Complete Ecosystem of Accessories

The good thing with a device being out for a while now is that almost all the accessories for it are already in the market. From cases to fast-charging pods, you name it, it’s already available.

Only Issue? No Expandable Storage

So what’s the real problem with the Galaxy Note 5? Samsung made the stupid mistake of removing the expandable storage slot. That said, you might be better off buying the 64GB model. The 32GB will only work for you if you’re the type that streams content more than stores in (Spotify, Netflix, iFlix, etc). Maybe they should release a Note 5 variant with a microSD card slot? Hehe.

Anyway, that’s actually our top recommendation for you guys. Just go for the Galaxy Note 5 or if you already have it, just be happy with it. There’s nothing really wrong with it unless the lack of the microSD card expandable storage is really bugging you. 🙂