Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Release Date, Rumors: MicroSD Card Support Coming To 'Hybrid' Dual-SIM Variant

By Jomar Endriga
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The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 5, successor of the current Note 4 phablet (pictured), will reportedly sport a hybrid SIM and microSD card slot.  Samsung

Samsung is widely believed to unveil its latest line of mobile devices next week at its Galaxy Unpacked Event.  As usual, plenty of rumors have already circulated weeks before launch. Now, we are treated with yet another leak. This time, it's about a much-awaited feature of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 5 phablet.

In the past few weeks we have run into contradicting reports claiming that the Galaxy Note 5 will or will not sport a microSD card slot. Just as we resigned ourselves into accepting that it will not have expandable memory, a new report from Taiwan says that the device would indeed support a microSD card.

The Taiwanese publication mentions that the Galaxy Note 5 will have a dual-SIM variant. Typically, this is not surprising at all since that is something Samsung has already done with previous flagships. However, this rumored SIM setup is special.

The soon-to-be-unveiled phablet's dual-SIM variant is said to sport "hybrid" SIM card slots. One slot will be used to support a normal SIM card while another slot will allow users to insert a microSD card instead of another SIM card. This means that we can expand its storage and do noy have to rely on cloud services should the memory run out.

While this rumored feature, if proven to be accurate, is new for Samsung's premier line of phablets, it is not entirely unprecedented. Hybrid SIM card slots has already been integrated by the device maker in its Galaxy A series.

This microSD card support is something that Galaxy fans have fervently been waiting for since it was dropped by the company when it launched the current Galaxy S6 flagship.

Aside from expandable memory, the Galaxy Note 5 has recently been speculated to feature one of the "most technologically advanced S Pen." AndroidGuys.com published a story, along with a photo, describing that the device would be coupled with a metal-clad stylus with a clickable eject button on top. That button is designed to make the S Pen easier to remove.

As much as users would love to see Galaxy Note 5 rocking a microSD slot, there is one possible caveat. Samsung is historically inclined to release dual-SIM variants of its handset only to certain countries or regions. As such, those who'd like to get the device would have to resort to unofficial ways to purchase one, like asking a friend to buy it for them or shopping for it in a third-party online store.

Those efforts may probably be worth it, especially when we can have the option to carry around dozens of gigabytes of music, media, or documents in our pockets. Nevertheless, all of this is still speculation; had there been a picture of the alleged hybrid SIM card slot, we would be more inclined to reduce our skepticism. Anyway, we may not have to wait for long to find out as Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy Note 5 along with Galaxy S6 Edge Plus during the Unpacked event on August 13.

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