15 Best Apps for Samsung Note 5: Get the Most from Your Device

Android phones are amazing. There are just so many options available, both for devices and applications, thanks to the de facto open source nature of Android programming. The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is no exception. Since the Note 5 uses the Android operating system, it has an incredible list of apps which you can use to get the most out of your device. So read on to discover the 15 best apps for Samsung Note 5.

Read More: 10 Must-Have Accessories for Samsung Galaxy Note 5

1. Waze

Probably the best app for any phone is a navigation app. Waze is one of the best in the business. It is indispensable for city driving especially if you are not familiar with the areas you will drive in.

Waze is unique because it has community-generated information and so it contains the most up to date information. Hence, it is the best way to navigate in the city short of being an expert in the layout.

Pros:

• Community generated information
• Very up to date

Cons:

• Community generated: may not always be reliable
• Requires GPS and data to be on at all times.

2. VSCO Cam

The Samsung Note 5 boasts a 16 MP primary camera. When it came out in 2015, it was great. But today it might need some extra help to keep it competitive.

Give yourself a leg up and install VSCO Cam so you can make awesome ‘gram worthy pics. With enough practice, you can even use your VSCO Cam enhanced camera and photo editing tools to make it appear as if the pictures were shot from a DSLR camera!

Pros:

• Enhances camera power above its rating
• Improved photography potential

Cons:

• App uses extra processing power
• Pictures have larger file size than standard pictures

3. Netflix

These days a lot of people, myself included, don’t have cable or satellite television services. Streaming is more affordable, (mostly) commercial free, and lets you watch what you want, when you want to.

Netflix is without a doubt the king of streaming, so the Netflix app is an essential part of this list of the best apps for Samsung Note 5.

Pros:

• Virtually unlimited choices in viewing
• Play anytime! Streaming speed adjusts to the speed of available data

Cons:

• Constant streaming drains battery power really fast.
• Paid service

4. Themer

Since it is your phone, you will want to personalize it. Don’t get me wrong; I like the starting themes. But for a truly personalized phone, it would be best to have a custom app that would allow you to make some custom themes.

Themer can do just that. With 325 themes, you have an incredible amount of choices. Not only will it give you a beautiful array of colors, but it will allow you to customize your categories to make it easier to find your desired apps.

Even better, Themer is still continuing to update and release new features.

Pros:

• Virtually unlimited customization options
• Allows your personality to come out like a charm
• Customize categories

Con:

• So many choices, you won’t know which to pick.

5. Pocket

If you are like me, you tend to see lots of interesting links that you would want to continue reading later because you just don’t have time to do it right now.

With Pocket, you can save the articles and then later just pull them out when you have more time. Perhaps the most awesome aspect of Pocket is that you don’t need Wifi or other data connection when you end up wanting to pull the article you wanted. So you don’t have to waste precious data to reload an article you already downloaded earlier.

Pros:

• Spares you from further data use when reading articles
• Acts like a de facto Kindle

Cons:

• Uses up memory to store files
• Keeps the backlight on, draining battery

6. Google Fit

They say we are now such sedentary people that we are starting to suffer lifestyle diseases at earlier and earlier ages. Well, this is partly true because we are so busy on our mobile devices that we are simply unable to take our attention away and towards keeping fit.

Do something about this with Google Fit. For both the noob and the fitness enthusiast, Google Fit has exercises for you. The device also has a built in pedometer function that counts your steps throughout the day.

Once you have your baseline figures, you can then set up a program to improve your circumstances by exercising. Google Fit can set your activity levels and then you can compare them with others so you can improve your motivation towards getting fit.

With Google Fit you can’t go wrong, and you can prove the naysayers wrong by getting fit.

Pros:

• Handy tool to improve fitness
• Structures activities for optimal energy use

Cons:

• Its just an app, the user defines if it can be useful
• Can be nagging sometimes

7. Snowball

If you are like me and social media is your life, then Snowball may be the best app for the Samsung Note 5 for you! As Android apps go, I think this one is indispensable.

It can be quite difficult to juggle all of the different social networking apps, so Snowball will solve this problem by helping you manage them all in one place.

Snowball offers you a list of choices for how you can handle your notification tray. It can even allow you to reply to messages without closing the app you are using at the moment. Hence it is a must-have for those who want to be active on social media, but you don’t want to be tangled in it too much.

Pros:

• Aggregates your social media so you don’t have to
• Saves time going to one platform to another

Cons:

• Waste more time browsing social media
• Easier to access private interactions if Snowball is hacked.

8. Spotify

Spotify is the premier app for playing music, at least in my opinion. It is the largest open source music playing app in the world. No other website can offer the level of music playing and the number of choices out there.

There is one minor downside: unless you have Spotify premium, it tends to play ads which can be annoying.

Pros:

• Virtually every song known to man is on Spotify
• The ability to set your own playlists

Cons:

• Near ceaseless ads unless using Spotify Premium
• Data needs to be on at all times unless using premium

9. SoundCloud

For the music purist, Spotify might not be enough. You might want to hear music from amateur musicians and even a few pros offering up their work.

You could even upload your own work and maybe get discovered.

Pros:

• Access to independent music creators
• Relatively unknown musicians get their start here

Cons:

• Sound quality isn’t always professional
• Copyrighted content is often reposted here

10. Youtube

I know, I know. Youtube gets flack for being ad heavy, but remember that those ads help support the people that make the content that you love.

And Youtube has videos for just about any possible interest or passion, so anyone can find content that they love on Youtube.

You can also try posting some videos of your own. The Samsung Note 5 is powerful enough that it can be your video recording device and editing studio all rolled into one.

Pros:

• Monetization potential for content creation
• Access to a wide variety of content creators

Cons:

• Some content is not safe for work
• Needs data to function

11. Facebook

Of course, if you want to become a Youtube Star like Pewdiepie then you need to grow your audience!

Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world, so even if you aren’t using it to promote a Youtube channel or website of your own, it’s still great for catching up with friends and engaging with pop culture.

Pros:

• Social Media mecca, all social media flows to Facebook
• Incredible levels of accessibility and information

Cons:

• Privacy issues and possible corrupt use of data
• Facebook ecosystem is almost impossible to escape once you are hooked

12. Twitter

Twitter may not be as big as Facebook, but it is still popular enough to be one of the best apps for the Samsung Note 5.

The way Twitter works is that it allows the rapid spread of short 140 character messages. While it is no longer as big as it used to be, Twitter can still be a useful tool to communicate with other people and spread your message.

Pros:

• Short messages are easy to read and digest
• Easy for tweets to go viral

Cons:

• Short messages can be misunderstood
• Twitter algorithm is difficult to understand

13. Skype

Skype is all about communications. Skype was the original app for beating the system when it came to voice-over-IP communications. Skype didn’t use up precious minutes; it used data. With Wi-Fi, a phone could call overseas without being change the dreaded international call rates!

Skype is still useful in 2018 because it is cheaper to use data to make calls than minutes. As a pure messaging App, it has fewer ads or other interruptions that might get in the way of the purpose for which it was obtained.

Even better, as a dedicated messaging app, using Skype will make you seem more professional.

Pros:

• Dedicate messaging app that appears professional
• High Quality Voice over IP service

Cons:

• Limited connectivity with other apps
• Dated interface

14. Facebook Messenger

On the opposite side of the spectrum is Facebook Messenger. Once an integral component of Facebook, Facebook Messenger became an independent app.

It is still integrated with the Facebook app when used on a computer. But when on Android it is a different app.

Due to the integration with Facebook and the users contact list, Facebook messenger is one of the most powerful instant messaging apps. After all, it is almost impossible for a person not to have a Facebook account. Therefore, they are all within the reach of people who are on Facebook Messenger.

Pros:

• Integrated with Facebook so it has powerful interconnectivity with other apps
• Connection with Facebook allows easy identification of contacts

Cons:

• Connectivity with Facebook means it tries to hook you into the Facebook ecosystem
• Tends to superimpose itself on normal calls

15. Kindle

If you enjoy reading, then you should consider the Kindle app to be indispensable.

You don’t have to carry a book or an ereader with you. Just install the Kindle app and you can access your Amazon library directly from your mobile device.

Pros:

• Replaces books for most people
• Kindle app does not need a Kindle device leading to much better portability

Cons:

• Samsung Note 5 does not have the largest screen making reading books hard
• Kindle only uses official Amazon provided files.

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