Galaxy Note 4 with Android 6.0 Marshmallow video posted on YouTube

Amid the growing cries of Samsung “forgetting”  and “pretending it doesn’t exist”, the Galaxy Note 4 managed to do the seemingly impossible when it was updated to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, at least for some users in Hungary. In truth the word is still out as to just how it happened, though it is believed to have been a mistake, similar to how some T-Mobile users found themselves in a similar situation with the Galaxy Note 5 last month. Nonetheless, one of the lucky users (ardaiaron) running Marshmallow has decided to post some footage on YouTube:

The video, which is about seven and a half minutes, highlights a few key points about Marshmallow on the Note 4, though many of them are problems rather than positives:

1. There is a considerable amount of lag present. At times the entire screen will just remain blank as background processes load. Additionally the multitasking app “Rolodex” also has lag. This kind of issue is likely a result of the pre-release software running on the device. OEMs usually spend several weeks or months testing and fine-tuning firmware updates so that they are properly optimized for the hardware running it. Granted this doesn’t always translate into the best results, but it would be quite surprising for Samsung to deploy the update featured in this video as “RTM” status.
2. Some of the Samsung-specific icons (S Health for example) are incorrectly sized and therefore appear significantly smaller than the rest.
3. Air Command and related functionality from the Galaxy Note 5 has been ported. This includes the ability to write with the screen off, as the video demonstrates.
4. There are some ongoing error messages (specifically “Samsung Cloud has stopped”) that randomly appear while in use. While the man recording the video was unsure just what this meant, we suspect it has to do with a synchronization error or problem related to being logged into a Samsung Account (possibly with Device Backup activated) and software compatibility issues.
5. Battery life is said to be the same as prior to the update. Also related, “Standard” power saving mode is now missing, with only Ultra power saving mode present. This may be a result of internal power optimization due to Android Doze or it could be missing from the build present on this device.

As we reported yesterday, this update is seemingly only available for the Galaxy Note 4: SM-N910F variant and may be part of a soak test or, as suggested in the introduction, possibly even a mistake. It should be noted that the visual changes seemingly being introduced to the Galaxy S6 Marshmallow build are nowhere to be found here.

In addition to the changes detailed in the video, Marshmallow also brings with it some core OS related improvements, including the new Doze mode to save on idle battery power consumption and Google Now On Tap, designed to search for results based on whatever content and text is displayed on-screen. The update is also said to offer some performance improvements, though with this particular build that does not seem to be the case.

We want to hear from you! Have you managed to score the update or flash it? Would you considering using it based on the performance as seen in this video? Have your feelings about the Galaxy Note 4 changed now that it is clear Samsung is working on merging it with Marshmallow? Leave us your thoughts and comments below!