Database Users

Worried No Reviews out yet

as it stands im torn between getting the Desire Hd or the SGS, With this phone just less than 2 weeks away from launching. I find it strange that its not been reviewed yet by the likes of Engadget or GSMArena i would have thought HTC would have sent out a Review handset even with BETA firmware. The way its looking it will be onsale before its even been reviewed. I want to read a few reviews before making my mind up on which handset to get. I want a handset that takes good photo'S and videos and i know the SGS is great there but im put off with the problems GPS,LAG etc. I was hoping the DHD would be good but ive got a feeling that the samsung will be better for photo's and videos. Then again i know that HTC will most probably have more updates and the most likly to get gingerbread. Oh this is hard

Look! The database ate yesterday's replies!
Engadget is a US-only site and certainly won't review a phone that doesn't support their oddball 3G frequencies.

Volker1 said:
Look! The database ate yesterday's replies!
Engadget is a US-only site and certainly won't review a phone that doesn't support their oddball 3G frequencies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not necessarily true. Engadget reviewed the original Desire and the Legend.

SupremeBeaver said:
That's not necessarily true. Engadget reviewed the original Desire and the Legend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, but with the old Desire it was clear that it would be available in the US later (and, in fact, currently is in a CDMA-version). I don't know why they reviewed the Legend without mentioning the 3G bands supported, though

The DHD is basically Europe's etc EVO 4G without the LTE bands (from what I've read and seen). So I'm hedging my bets that the DHD and EVO will perform very similarly in regards to camera and video quality. Performance wise I've heard the DHD is better than the EVO but I can't remember the exact benchmark results, I'm sure googling knows the answer though.

stormfury_2 said:
The DHD is basically Europe's etc EVO 4G without the LTE bands (from what I've read and seen). So I'm hedging my bets that the DHD and EVO will perform very similarly in regards to camera and video quality. Performance wise I've heard the DHD is better than the EVO but I can't remember the exact benchmark results, I'm sure googling knows the answer though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im forced to disagree with your opinion on camcorder similarities. The EVO records up to 23 fps. If u see the vids it looks really choppy and not smooth at all.
I'll agree with many people here that, from what we've seen, the quality of the DHD isnt great, but it keeps a solid 30 fps throughout the clip and is far more smooth than the EVO (or any other HTC phone for that matter).

May be so but the actual hardware are identical in specs if you compare them on paper. May just be firmware or driver differences that make the difference in recording. (but honestly I don't know I'm just comparing the specs of both phones).

DHD and Evo have nothing in common except for the 4.3" screen. But that doesn't change the public perception that they are similar... even Engadget proclaimed that the DHD is "an Evo for the rest of the world". But then, as their recent editorials have shown, Engadet editors aren't too technically apt

stormfury_2 said:
May be so but the actual hardware are identical in specs if you compare them on paper. May just be firmware or driver differences that make the difference in recording. (but honestly I don't know I'm just comparing the specs of both phones).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure where you got that idea. The processor speed may be the same but it's a different CPU / GPU (and the GPU is a *lot* faster).

I am well aware the CPU and GPU are newer and much more efficient. My point in reply was that the physical camera could easily be the same model used in the EVO. As people have seen with the N1 and Desire a software update can bring in new features such as the 720p recording and so on.
Anyway I wouldn't be worried about the lack of reviews. HTC may be preventing the reviews from being published until release, it isn't unknown for companies to with hold reviews at their discretion for whatever reason. I wager the review units are out their and being played with and put through their paces right now and when ready you will see them in print and online.

stormfury_2 said:
May be so but the actual hardware are identical in specs if you compare them on paper. May just be firmware or driver differences that make the difference in recording. (but honestly I don't know I'm just comparing the specs of both phones).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must be comparing them in your head or something then, because the Desire HD has a 8255 Snapdragon processor, where as the EVO has a 8650 Snapdragon processor.
Both are 1 GHz in clock speed, but that's about all they share. The 8255 has a 45nm manufacturing process, which means less power consumption and lower heat compared to the 8650's 65nm manufacturing process, and the onboard GPU on the Desire HD is an Adreno 205 compared to the 200 on the EVO 4G.
Do a search for Adreno 205 on YouTube and you'll see just how much more advanced the 205 is. This will be really good when Android 3.0 comes out and we see an accelerated GUI.

cobhc said:
You must be comparing them in your head or something then, because the Desire HD has a 8255 Snapdragon processor, where as the EVO has a 8650 Snapdragon processor.
Both are 1 GHz in clock speed, but that's about all they share. The 8255 has a 45nm manufacturing process, which means less power consumption and lower heat compared to the 8650's 65nm manufacturing process, and the onboard GPU on the Desire HD is an Adreno 205 compared to the 200 on the EVO 4G.
Do a search for Adreno 205 on YouTube and you'll see just how much more advanced the 205 is. This will be really good when Android 3.0 comes out and we see an accelerated GUI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My previous post before yours explains what I was actually talking about in the first place. My fault for not making clear I was only talking about the camera.

stormfury_2 said:
My previous post before yours explains what I was actually talking about in the first place. My fault for not making clear I was only talking about the camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see, I must have been busy replying when you posted.

Just youtubed the 205 and you're right it does look pretty special. I think I'm going to bully my iPhone 4 toting friends when i get my DHD. Can't wait!

stormfury_2 said:
Just youtubed the 205 and you're right it does look pretty special. I think I'm going to bully my iPhone 4 toting friends when i get my DHD. Can't wait!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that game they showcased looked amazing to me.

My only real concern is battery life, but hopefully having a power efficient CPU/GPU should ease the drain. I'd be more than happy with a 2 day battery, I can just about squeeze that out of my Hero running Elelinux 1.9 - moderate to heavy use.

stormfury_2 said:
My only real concern is battery life, but hopefully having a power efficient CPU/GPU should ease the drain. I'd be more than happy with a 2 day battery, I can just about squeeze that out of my Hero running Elelinux 1.9 - moderate to heavy use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you buy a spare battery then you'd never have to worry about the phone dying on you again. You're effectively doubling your battery life, and it only costs like 15-20 pounds extra.

SupremeBeaver said:
if you buy a spare battery then you'd never have to worry about the phone dying on you again. You're effectively doubling your battery life, and it only costs like 15-20 pounds extra.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably the best idea, will wait and see my upgrade is due just after release so I'm hoping orange will stock it in enough numbers so I can get it. In fact I'll call them this week and find out, assuming they're not going to ignorant and unaware of it's existence still

I've been searching like crazy for reviews as well.
For some reason, HTC seems to be withholding them. I have no idea why, but I think positive reviews would only increase pre order sales and general perception of what is soon to be their flagship phone!
Seems a bit strange, but oh well!

Review
Hi there,
Been using the phone for 3 days (from saturday on):
Battery consumption overnight (8.5h with BT and WiFi on; 3G network): 10%
Phone is running smooth and fast.
Compared to my HTC HD2, the screen reacts faster and more precise.
Seems to be a bit heavier than HD2 and definitely is somewhat longer. No problem though to keep it in shirt breast pocket.
Screen is nice and clear, pixels not showing and less saturated colors than Samsung I9000 Galaxy.
WiFi is very fast.
BT is OK to other laptops, mobiles and carkit.
Voice quality is fine both incoming and outgoing.
The only thing nagging me: I can't change the color of my Exchange agenda items. It works ok with Google agenda's as long as you use the bottom three rows of colors. Exchange won't do it.
Recommend it to anyone searching for top smartphone.
Regards,

Rare 5-star review from TechRadar

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-s2-930907/review
I upgrade in 2 weeks, I'm sold on this! iPhone killer

subtlemocking said:
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-s2-930907/review
I upgrade in 2 weeks, I'm sold on this! iPhone killer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link, nice review. Waiting for my device to be shipped in a week's time

Yep. Nice Review. I just hope Samsung starts to ramp up production of these babies to send to the US already.

subtlemocking said:
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-s2-930907/review
I upgrade in 2 weeks, I'm sold on this! iPhone killer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome Review!! Cant wait for this phone!

it's 1am in Sydney and I've stayed up and read the review, now I can't sleep because I keep thinking about the gs2, just a week or two that's all I have to wait, anyone want to buy a second hand ip4 lol

its funny that one of the comments claims that the iphone 5 will be much better than the sgs 2...
sgs 1 even beats iphone 4 hands down and the diffrences between ip5 and ip4 is most likely just another camera

Jonas.M said:
its funny that one of the comments claims that the iphone 5 will be much better than the sgs 2...
sgs 1 even beats iphone 4 hands down and the diffrences between ip5 and ip4 is most likely just another camera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
read up on some rumors - iP5 will be thinner, slightly bigger edge-to-edge screen, dual core CPU, and I am sure a bunch of other cutting edge features. Apple is a respected power, can't deny that.

subtlemocking said:
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-s2-930907/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice review, thanks for the link!
Still, nothing more than a dedicated blogger could do - Where are the measurements?
Wifi: maximum range and throughput over range
Cell radio: quality of GSM / UMTS reception in known good and known bad spots
GPS: TtFF cold and hot, accuracy over time, both stationary and moving; comparison to a reference standalone GPS, ...
Audio: freq response, noise floor, harmonic and non-harmonic distortion, stereo crosstalk etc.
Screen: brightness (min and max), contrast, color accuracy
Camera: see any decent digicam review (but they did have full-res shots, yay!)
I'm not saying build a testing lab, but once upon a time the difference between an amateur review and a professional one used to be the testing equipment and methodology employed.
kreoXDA said:
thinner, edge-to-edge screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thinner, I don't know, it's gotten a bit ridiculous by now. The phones are getting hard to hold as it is. Same for edge-to-edge - where am I supposed to hold the thing? Even with current gen phones I manage to obscure the screen or even trigger something with my hand.
So I think we're golden!

Great review, cant wait!! Its also funny how the mention they havnt been this excited since the HTC Desire, which is the phone I'm about to replace with the GS II haha. I guess I have a good knowledge of smartphone's since its a big hobby of mine

XDA mark said:
Great review, cant wait!! Its also funny how the mention they havnt been this excited since the HTC Desire, which is the phone I'm about to replace with the GS II haha. I guess I have a good knowledge of smartphone's since its a big hobby of mine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't get me wrong - I love my desire but I think its a bit overrated by the techradar guys=)
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

subtlemocking said:
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-s2-930907/review
I upgrade in 2 weeks, I'm sold on this! iPhone killer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol. i chuckled when you said iphone killer. this thing obliterates the ip4. now ip5 is going to be a tough battle, but i think the "smarter" users will agree the sgs II will be better. From where i stand though, the only thing iphone keeps killing android is with extremely user friendly ui, especially how gorgeous apps look on the platform. Has anyone seen the dj app for ipad. i mean you cant get better than that. And secondly, the apps availability, android has maybe 50 good games, while iphone has over 500..same with regular apps.
I hope android starts focusing less on (sorry to say)useless features like live wallpapers and focuses on making the dev kit more polished like apple. Hardware wise, theres no doubt the sgs2 is a monster.

sckc23 said:
Don't get me wrong - I love my desire but I think its a bit overrated by the techradar guys=)
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know.. for its time the Desire was a "beast". I have a friend with an iPhone who said he loves the Desire, first phone besides the iPhone he considers. It was a very balanced smartphone, good price/quality etc.
Though 1 year later, it looks lame against the SGS II haha

XDA mark said:
I don't know.. for its time the Desire was a "beast". I have a friend with an iPhone who said he loves the Desire, first phone besides the iPhone he considers. It was a very balanced smartphone, good price/quality etc.
Though 1 year later, it looks lame against the SGS II haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could have been an even better device if not hampered by hardware problems like the multitouch bug and lack of internal memory. Nonetheless its no doubt one of the best android phone in 2010.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

sckc23 said:
It could have been an even better device if not hampered by hardware problems like the multitouch bug and lack of internal memory. Nonetheless its no doubt one of the best android phone in 2010.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree + the GPU that sucks. Internal memory is easily fixable though.

Unfortunately, apple can't afford to simply "catch up" with their android competitors. They need to come up with something new to make people feel "special" just because they have an iphone. After all, Apple has always been about making you feel like you were part of a VIP club when buying their products.

Eagerly waiting for Engadget's 7/10 review..

Toss3 said:
Eagerly waiting for Engadget's 7/10 review..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"On the plus side it's the best phone ever.
On the negative side it doesn't have a partially eaten shiny fruit on the back, so -2 points"

Lord_Buckington said:
"On the plus side it's the best phone ever.
On the negative side it doesn't have a partially eaten shiny fruit on the back, so -2 points"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well - 2 would have given a 8/10, you forgot the main negative point :
=> iPhone 5 might be better - 1 in advance

Lord_Buckington said:
"On the plus side it's the best phone ever.
On the negative side it doesn't have a partially eaten shiny fruit on the back, so -2 points"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know the negatives already:
-Plastic
-Still not best DPI
-Uninspired UI skin with quality issues

EleCtrOx666 said:
I know the negatives already:
-Plastic
-Still not best DPI
-Uninspired UI skin with quality issues
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-GPS seems to be better than SGS1 but we still managed to get lost in out underground New York City garage

Hemorrdroids.net Galaxy Note Review

Hi guys, I'd appreciate any feedback.
http://hemorrdroids.net/samsung-galaxy-note-review/
Video portion here --
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxxEm_P57JE

It's very well written and objective. I think that the best praise I could give is that you came with an open mind. When comparing to other reviews, many were immediately critical of Samsung for the large size - you acknowledged that it was for a niche audience.
Oh well ... there are people who like big phones.

AndyCr15 said:
Hi guys, I'd appreciate any feedback.
http://hemorrdroids.net/samsung-galaxy-note-review/
Video portion here --
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxxEm_P57JE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's pretty decent.
I remain amazed at how few reviews discuss how awesome it would be to use the Note as a GPS, with its fast lock time (GLONASS), large screen, and free Navigation. I think it's a big selling point, not just for the Note but for android as well.
- Frank

Agree with the comments above good review Andy and I am following you on youtube (along with NZtechfreak) as well.

Thanks guys
I'm a little annoyed with myself, I meant to put in a picture of me using it as a SatNav, as it certainly is very good for it. Maybe I'll edit it in this week

Very good review. Also matches pretty well my opinion of the device, except for camera that seams clearly worse then S2. I have the Note for an week and i took plenty of shot with it. I think the aperture of Note < S2, also the diameter of the lens is smaller

ChodTheWacko said:
It's pretty decent.
I remain amazed at how few reviews discuss how awesome it would be to use the Note as a GPS, with its fast lock time (GLONASS), large screen, and free Navigation. I think it's a big selling point, not just for the Note but for android as well.
- Frank
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree with you Frank

Great tip on Samsung Dive. Didn't know about that. Thanks given

mdalacu said:
except for camera that seams clearly worse then S2. I have the Note for an week and i took plenty of shot with it. I think the aperture of Note < S2, also the diameter of the lens is smaller
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, the only two shots I had I could directly compare, one I was worried it was more about weather, the other they looked very similar.

The only thing I would recommend (and this is for all Android phones) is that you abandon the usage of Quadrant as a benchmark. It is inaccurate in terms of real world performance. Sadly, it is also one of the most widely used.
As an alternative I would recommend perhaps Smartbench 2011.

Smartbench wont run on the Note though

Hey Andy, nice review, like your work - I'm pretty disenchanted with the major sites rubbish gadget reviews, it's really nice to see some of the highest quality ones coming from people such as yourself.
Agree with the dark lords comments about Quadrant as a benchmark too, I still include it because lots of people want to know, but I also make sure to include some better benchmarks. Smartbench and Chainfire bench are two of the better ones (of course as you say, and as I alluded to in my own review Smartbench is buckets o' fail for the Note right now).
Oh, and in terms of feedback - more screenshots are good, particularly in a Note review where you can annotate them from the device itself!

sauron0101 said:
The only thing I would recommend (and this is for all Android phones) is that you abandon the usage of Quadrant as a benchmark. It is inaccurate in terms of real world performance. Sadly, it is also one of the most widely used.
As an alternative I would recommend perhaps Smartbench 2011.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
their quadrant score seems a little low. mine hits 3865 running stock.

Nice review, however regarding the S-Note app, you can add pages by clicking the plus in the bottom right of the screen.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

sauron0101 said:
The only thing I would recommend (and this is for all Android phones) is that you abandon the usage of Quadrant as a benchmark. It is inaccurate in terms of real world performance. Sadly, it is also one of the most widely used.
As an alternative I would recommend perhaps Smartbench 2011.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As we all can see AnTuTu is clearly gaining it's fair share of reputation and well worth it I believe.
As for benchmarks tests for PC's, they usually subjective to the performance and not real world scenarios.
Also about Quadrant, I agree with what you said 100% but since it's so widely used we can only use it as average of what we are "supposed" to get. Nothing more.

Didnt read any reviews yet , dont own the Note yet ( but I will, unless the Nexus Prime will change my mind), but I did my own testing and comparison tests on some showrooms and I am quite impressed....even the Yamaha dac is better implemented...
I just could not test the GPS...
The gps chipset on my sgs1 needs some assist but it does the Job.(see videos on my sign)
I read that the sgs2 got the sirfstarIV chipset which is impressive cause all my standalone Gps devices got the SirfstarIII.
Does the note got the Sirfstar IV as well?
Tks.
« »

I have owned a lot of devices and SGN has the best GPS by far, yes, better than SGS2. Very accurate and quick!

Nice reviews thank you for taking the time. You reaffirmed what I suspected great device but big. For me considering my hand are big (+10" span) this actually will be better for people with large hands.

g
Thanks for good review!
Today was Samsung Galaxy Note release day in my country Latvia and first 50 phones were sold by the half price LVL 263.50 (~$ 540,00). I was lucky to get one by the half price
Phone is realy amazing so far!
Here you can check the link:
http://www.galaxynote.lv/http://www.galaxynote.lv/

katinsh said:
Thanks for good review!
Today was Samsung Galaxy Note release day in my country Latvia and first 50 phones were sold by the half price LVL 263.50 (~). I was lucky to get one by the half price
Phone is realy amazing so far!
Here you can check the link:
http://www.galaxynote.lv/http://www.galaxynote.lv/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where's the BUY BUTTON?!

FYI : Supercurio has joined the league: update new audioboost

https://twitter.com/#!/supercurio/status/144589639410384897
Update: Supercurio has tweeted that he is working on new audioboost application.

OMG, Nice!
Hopefully he can have a color tune for the G-Note.. really need to fix the gamma levels on the black and on the greys.

Awesome news

Sounds like a new era for our toys
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App

Indeed awesome news!
Yeah, it has few flaws... Cant wait to see what this guy will be doing! Hope he will do something with the color - hue shift that happens every so often (that can be seen on low brightness on white background ,mostly at night...)

zsolti256 said:
Indeed awesome news!
Yeah, it has few flaws... Cant wait to see what this guy will be doing! Hope he will do something with the color - hue shift that happens every so often (that can be seen on low brightness on white background ,mostly at night...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He will have to work on color calibration and gamma settings... Wish him good luck!
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App

sibere said:
He wil have to work on color calibration and gamma settings... Wish him good luck!
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably its the only thing im looking forward to.

Yes !

Welcome abroad,is the captain post still free?!!

This is awesome.. awesome news!
I'm having a hard time deciding if the note is just to large for me and I need a nexus.. this makes my decision even more complicated as I was getting the feeling no major dev support was going to be around.

The Note is brand new. Support will come. Especially when it gets released in the states.

BazookaAce said:
The Note is brand new. Support will come. Especially when it gets released in the states.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The mans a legend made me galaxy s a great audio device shame he cant with this one but his screen tuning app for the tab was amazing even at alpha stage
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

awesome news! looking forward to future developments!

Sound quality?
As an iPhone and Westone UM3x i'm having a hard time avoiding the purchase of a Note fearing that it could sound as bad as the Galaxy S2 (RF & CPU noise bleeding and sky high output impedance) thus if somebody with multidriver iems and discernimg ear could chime in it would help me an awful lot since the screen of the Note is so damn tempting that the iPhone looks like a cheap toy when i see them side by side at the store.

elfary said:
As an iPhone and Westone UM3x i'm having a hard time avoiding the purchase of a Note fearing that it could sound as bad as the Galaxy S2 (RF & CPU noise bleeding and sky high output impedance) thus if somebody with multidriver iems and discernimg ear could chime in it would help me an awful lot since the screen of the Note is so damn tempting that the iPhone looks like a cheap toy when i see them side by side at the store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Commented on another audio discussion thread already (see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1323764 - after page 7 approx, since the 1st few pages were just speculation and drivel), but I'm fairly happy with the Note, Neutron MP and a pair of Earsonics SM3's (v1). No RF/CPU noise with the Note at all. Not as detailed/rounded vs Galaxy Tab with Voodoo and Neutron MP, but overall quite good imo. As someone mentioned in the other Note audio discussion thread, audio output is tight and clean.

sportedwood said:
This is awesome.. awesome news!
I'm having a hard time deciding if the note is just to large for me and I need a nexus.. this makes my decision even more complicated as I was getting the feeling no major dev support was going to be around.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's cos most of us believed all the blather about this being a niche phone cos it's so different. It's beginning to look pretty mainstream to me though that might just be the case in India..

sibere said:
He will have to work on color calibration and gamma settings... Wish him good luck!
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that certainly needs work. On that test image I made the shades below 4 just cut off completely, no ramp. This causes black blotches in shadow detail in video. I don't know what the hell Samsung was thinking there, so dumb.
Also there needs to be an RGB slider color adjust tool. As we know some screens are greenish, some reddish etc. The screen needs to be calibrated. I know I would bump down the green on mine a few notches to get accurate grayscales.

aussiebum said:
Commented on another audio discussion thread already (see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1323764 - after page 7 approx, since the 1st few pages were just speculation and drivel), but I'm fairly happy with the Note, Neutron MP and a pair of Earsonics SM3's (v1). No RF/CPU noise with the Note at all. Not as detailed/rounded vs Galaxy Tab with Voodoo and Neutron MP, but overall quite good imo. As someone mentioned in the other Note audio discussion thread, audio output is tight and clean.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Knowing that no RF/CPU noise bleeds is a great relief.
What i still fear though is that the output impedance is as high as it is in the Galaxy S II. You can try to offset the tonal skew by eqing but i hate equalizers or any DSP. I run all my audio hardware flat. If it's good it will stand but i'm not so sure that the Note will stand. I tried on store a couple of Samsung preloaded tunes with my UM3x and i noticed the sound was not as full and detailed as it's on my iPhone. But to assess the sound quality loss i'm afraid i'd need to buy one and try out a couple of good sounding albums (Steely Dan, Wilco or Sheryl Crow stuff).
Anyway i guess that i could always carry around my 7G 240 Gb modded iPod (and whenever i feel the need to visit audio nirvana amp it with the awesome ibasso T3).
But i'd end up carrying around two devices instead of just an iPhone.
It seems that i must choose whether to please my ears (iPhone) or my eyes (Note).

after just 2days of careful inspection, Note is marginally better than S2 in terms of SQ... not to brag but i have serious gears and ears to backup my findings...
(you can view my profile on head-fi and mobile-review)
About iPhone; its very sterile and flat; analytic per se... i prefer the more fun sound sig of the Note or N8...
and about SUPERCURIO jumping on our ship; its a breath... i wonder whats on his mind, but i prefer it to further improve the SQ... i love his screen tuning app on my S2 but i spoil more my ears than my eyes...

Sorry I am new to all this custom ROM stuff but who is this Superserio guy? Did he make some legendary rom/mod or something?

ifixit teardown of the Galaxy Note 10.1

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-10-1-Teardown/10144/1
VERY Cool!

Very modular. Makes you wish they offer upgrades down the road such as a replacement camera sensor module, 802.11ac WIFI module, etc.

And that ladies and gentlemen is why we buy Samsung tablets.They reek of quality.Samsung NAND, Wacom digitizer, Broadcom radios, Samsung displays, screws and connectors instead of tape and solder.You can drop a Samsung tablet and not worry about parts becoming dislodged. The Prime suffered screen failures because the connector to the MB would fall off. Here's the teardown of the Prime. You can see the clear differences in approach between Asus and Samsung.
http://m.techrepublic.com/blog/crac...ardown-solid-tablet-but-not-without-flaws/399

but asus uses alumimun backing... it's gotta be high quality!
kinda reminds me of the hotel we stayed at this weekend. they spent lots of money to make the outside look great, but the rooms themselves were disgusting.
i want so bad to love asus, but i'm now on #7 of asus' tablets between only 2 different models. i quit and going back to samsung - i was trying to upgrade the gt 10.1.
BarryH_GEG said:
And that ladies and gentlemen is why we buy Samsung tablets.They reek of quality.Samsung NAND, Wacom digitizer, Broadcom radios, Samsung displays, screws and connectors instead of tape and solder.You can drop a Samsung tablet and not worry about parts becoming dislodged. The Prime suffered screen failures because the connector to the MB would fall off. Here's the teardown of the Prime. You can see the clear differences in approach between Asus and Samsung.
http://m.techrepublic.com/blog/crac...ardown-solid-tablet-but-not-without-flaws/399
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thanks for posting this.
Its always nice to examine what you're buying inside out - literally!
Wolfson Audio WM1811AE - same as used in the Galaxy SIII - nice to see Samsung didn't cut any corners on audio.

I simply love this piece of art ......... :highfive:

Digital Man said:
Thanks for posting this.
Its always nice to examine what you're buying inside out - literally!
Wolfson Audio WM1811AE - same as used in the Galaxy SIII - nice to see Samsung didn't cut any corners on audio.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for catching that, I left it out. I've been using the Note travelling for the past few days and can confirm the audio is awesome. Add in aptX lossless support and this is hands down the best tablet on the market for audio output. I also saw your BB test of IO performance on the TF700 forum. What you can't see really does make a difference in performance.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1842793

Here's a chart to help Identify the eMMC/NAND used:
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/product/flash-emmc/overview
Apparently Samsung used:
16GB
VHX
KLMAG2GE4A-A00x
169-ball BGA
12mm x 16mm
eMMC4.41
Class400
This article gives a perspective in terms on Samsung's nand class ie 1500 vs 400 etc:
http://phandroid.com/2012/08/02/samsung-begins-mass-producing-uber-fast-64gb-nand-flash-memory-for-smartphones-and-tablets/
Apparently class 1500 is the fastest in production
So it looks like KLMAG2GE4A is considered class 400. Howerver what that translates to in terms of speed I haven't been able to find.
The article says class 1500 is 4x faster than the previous generation of Samsungs chips so if 400 class is previous gen then speed of 1500 class/4 perhaps?
Would love to find a similar teardown for the ASUS TF700 and compare the NAND used there.

BarryH_GEG said:
Thanks for catching that, I left it out. I've been using the Note travelling for the past few days and can confirm the audio is awesome. Add in aptX lossless support and this is hands down the best tablet on the market for audio output. I also saw your BB test of IO performance on the TF700 forum. What you can't see really does make a difference in performance.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1842793
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A bit hard to make that call yet. My iPad has sort of unbelievable sound. I'm constantly amazed at the sound out of that little speaker. I will be comparing the two. I'm sure the Note is awesome (I haven't had time to listen to it really). (Paper specs are nice, but mean pretty much nothing ) Note: But then again, subjective test are pretty worthless also. A contentious thing this, no?

If this thing is as easily upgradeable as i hope it is, and the parts are available, i can see myself keeping this beauty for a long while, manufacturers making a market out of this would be nice
- Battery replacement, improved battery technology(longer/lighter)
- LCD replacement.
Wonder if any of the newer hi res screens on the market would fit, perhaps wishful thinking on my part, imagine a cheap compatible, ebay non functional tablet with functional hires screen
- Camera front and back,
Rather then buy the "next tablet", replacing the parts i'd need/want, at a cheaper then "next tab" price point, sounds pretty appealing to me

Thanks for showing.
I will look at this tonight.

macwilson said:
A bit hard to make that call yet. /QUOTE]
Do an XDA or Google search on "Wolfson DAC," "voodoo sound," and "supercurio." Unless the sound implementation in the Note is somehow different than other Wolfson-chipped Samsung devices it's a pretty safe call to make. Especially if supercurio's work on the SGS3 is directly transferable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

BarryH_GEG said:
macwilson said:
A bit hard to make that call yet. /QUOTE]
Do an XDA or Google search on "Wolfson DAC," "voodoo sound," and "supercurio." Unless the sound implementation in the Note is somehow different than other Wolfson-chipped Samsung devices it's a pretty safe call to make. Especially if supercurio's work on the SGS3 is directly transferable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Wolfson, the Voodoo, and Supercurio is an awsome brew. I stand corrected :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Ill say it again. I'm blown away by the sound quality of this device. I made it even louder with volume+. Everything is crisp and clear. Good bass also. I now hear the difference between true stereo separation/sound & the "stereo" sound the prime had(both speakers side by side on right side of tablet). After volume+ prime sounded really good but it can't touch the sound this note 10.1 pumps out.
Also, this device has a great display. Although same resolution as prime, the color reproduction is way better. Hard to describe but images just look better on this display. I especially notice it while playing games like nova3 or dead trigger. Everything looks more detailed. Movies and videos in 720P HD look great. That demo helicopter video that comes with this device is a perfect example. So I have no complaints with the display.. I like it

BarryH_GEG said:
And that ladies and gentlemen is why we buy Samsung tablets.They reek of quality.Samsung NAND, Wacom digitizer, Broadcom radios, Samsung displays, screws and connectors instead of tape and solder.You can drop a Samsung tablet and not worry about parts becoming dislodged. The Prime suffered screen failures because the connector to the MB would fall off. Here's the teardown of the Prime. You can see the clear differences in approach between Asus and Samsung.
http://m.techrepublic.com/blog/crac...ardown-solid-tablet-but-not-without-flaws/399
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow what a joke

BarryH_GEG said:
The Prime suffered screen failures because the connector to the MB would fall off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had that happen on my first Infinity, the screen would go on and off (mostly off), though the backlight would stay lit. My second one had the screen separation issue. I got my Note 10.1 today, guess what, it's 100% perfect! I love my Asus Mobo (Sabertooth 990FX) and my Asus Router (RT-N66U), but after that experience I am definitely going to stay away from Asus Tablets, their QC on tablets just isn't there yet.