Is TouchWiz set for another overhaul? Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Google has teamed up with Samsung to help fix its TouchWiz software, according to a new report. The South Korean company has made significant improvements with its latest lineup of devices, but there’s still plenty of room for optimization.

The Galaxy Note 5 gets even sweeter with Marshmallow. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Android

Samsung’s Android 6.0 Marshmallow update for the Galaxy Note 5 could be close to making its official debut after prematurely making its way to one user’s device already. The update packs a revamped user interface, Marshmallow’s new app permissions, and lots more.

TouchWiz icon badges be gone! Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

If you don’t mind using Samsung’s own TouchWiz launcher, but you hate the icon badges that leave your home screen looking messy, you’ll be pleased to know you can disable them. Samsung doesn’t make it easy, but it is possible in just a few steps.

Here’s how.

On your marks, get set, go! Photo: PhoneBuff

When it comes to specifications, Apple’s latest iPhones look like they’re lagging far behind their Android-powered rivals. But thanks to super-efficient software, they’re not as slow and as outdated as they might look on paper.

This is demonstrated in the real-world speed test below, in which the iPhone 6s Plus somehow batters a Galaxy Note 5.

This is the first Note that isn’t all about specs. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Android

After kicking off the “phablet” trend in 2011, the Galaxy Note series has become the bigger and better smartphone in Samsung’s lineup every year — and usually the best phablet on the market. But with this year’s Note 5, a lot has changed.

Samsung has snubbed a number of popular features to take a gamble on the new design language it first introduced with the Galaxy S6 earlier this year. It makes the Note 5 far prettier than its predecessors, but does it make for a better handset overall?

You bet your S Pen it does!