New Galaxy Note 5 photos confirm your biggest fears

The Galaxy Note 5 gets leaked again. Photo: Droid-Life

The Galaxy Note 5 gets leaked again. Photo: Droid-Life

A removable battery and microSD card slot are two things we’ve long associated with Samsung devices, but since the South Korean company killed them both for the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, long-time Galaxy Note fans have been worried they’re in for the same treatment.

Now new images of the Galaxy Note 5 confirm those fears.

Samsung’s next-generation phablet has been leaked countless times in recent weeks, but these are the first close-up images of the device in use. You’ll notice it looks like its predecessors from the front — if you ignore the revamped TouchWiz icons — but it’s a whole lot prettier everywhere else.

The Galaxy Note 5 is essentially a bigger Galaxy S6 with a curved glass back. It has a familiar aluminum frame and physical buttons, and the same micro-USB port, which confirms USB-C won’t make an appearance with this year’s Note refresh.

Another improvement over previous models is the new S Pen, which has a metal time, and a spring-loaded mechanism that allows the stylus to be ejected with a quick press.

Photo: Droid-Life

Photo: Droid-Life

Droid-Life, which obtained these images, also confirms the Galaxy Note 5 will not have a microSD card or a removable battery. We expect to see 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB options — which should suit most consumers — but you’ll need to ensure you pick the right one, because there’s no upgrading later.

Samsung is expected to make the Galaxy Note 5 official alongside the Galaxy S6 edge+ at its August 13 Unpacked event in New York City.