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People who have/had a Galaxy S2 and are now using the Galaxy Note please share your toughts.
I'm thinking about getting a Galaxy Note.
Only 2 things concerning me is the size (I am big, so wouldn't matter that much) and battery life.
One Review could get 2.3 days other 1.5 day and some reviews didn't came further than 12/14hours.
On My Galaxy S2 (Rooted but stock) I unplug around 08:00 and around 22:00 I have 40% left.
My setup:
2 Exhange push, 2 IMAP (1Hour), Twitter (1 Hour), Weather (1 Hour), Facebook push, Whatsapp push. Total screen on time during a day is around max 2hours.
I am going to get a new phone end of November and thinking of Galaxy Note or Nexus Galaxy
I upgraded from the S2 to the Note. Size is good for me coz i like big screen. Battery life i will say it's better than the S2. and also, i didn't see any custom rom out there that improve the battery life for the note. so once some better rom out for note, it will be much better than s2.
I moved as well from S2 (rooted but stock as well) to this and it's the same experience albeit on a excellent and huge screen. I use my phone for multimedia purposes more than making calls so it was a no brainer for me.
The battery capacity is excellent even though it is powering a huge hd resolution screen. I have had it last all day with 2 1080p music video watching, Shadowgun game playing (10 - 15 min), web browsing (25 - 30 min), 2 x gmail (exchange) and 1 x hotmail (imap) account active as well as using to make and receive calls (15 min).
Hope it helps.
I loved the GSII, but I love the Note even more! At first I was getting poor battery life, like maybe 10-12 hrs with moderate use, but I went to running services and disabled several things that looked related to apps I had no use/desire for, and battery life has shot up. The battery usage screens are really handy. I'm now getting much better life, better than any other phone I've had. Extrapolating, I'm looking at 30-40 hrs per charge. I still need to go through and figure out which apps are keeping my phone awake and draining the battery so I can remove/disable and not have to manually stop the services after each reboot. These are stock apps/services, as I haven't installed that many apps, and none that I didn't have on my GSII, too.
Thank for the quick response.
What about the "poor" call quality (some reviews say)
I use my phone for chatting, mailing, browsing and texting...
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
xmoo said:
People who have/had a Galaxy S2 and are now using the Galaxy Note please share your toughts.
I'm thinking about getting a Galaxy Note.
Only 2 things concerning me is the size (I am big, so wouldn't matter that much) and battery life.
One Review could get 2.3 days other 1.5 day and some reviews didn't came further than 12/14hours.
On My Galaxy S2 (Rooted but stock) I unplug around 08:00 and around 22:00 I have 40% left.
My setup:
2 Exhange push, 2 IMAP (1Hour), Twitter (1 Hour), Weather (1 Hour), Facebook push, Whatsapp push. Total screen on time during a day is around max 2hours.
I am going to get a new phone end of November and thinking of Galaxy Note or Nexus Galaxy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Xmoo, nice to see you here too.
Your background use looks a lot like mine, you should have no problems with lasting the day with a healthy reserve on the Note (I'm finding it's battery life much better than my SGSII).
Call quality seems commensurate with the SGSII for me, I think on my end it sounds a bit better, but my fiance who is the main person I talk to on the phone says the call quality on her end may be slightly worse than the SGSII.
Call quality is quite acceptable to me; it's about the same as the GSII. I'm actually very happy with it, as I came from the Nexus One before the GSII, and while it was clear, it was way too quiet and difficult to hear. In addition, on the nexus one I couldn't hold the phone with my shoulder, as covering the second mic made it impossible for the other person to hear me. So now, I'm still very happy every time I talk in the phone because it's so much easier and pleasant, even though clarity is just average.
I currently have a SGS2 as well and it is the best phone I have owned by far. The only thing stopping me from buying the Galaxy note is reports of lag and slowness compared to the SGS2. The large size doesn't bother me, I tend to use my phones primarily for data. No shops stock the GN around where I live at the moment so cannot go and check it out for myself.
Any speed comparisons will be appreciated.
galaxy S2 to note
billu said:
I currently have a SGS2 as well and it is the best phone I have owned by far. The only thing stopping me from buying the Galaxy note is reports of lag and slowness compared to the SGS2. The large size doesn't bother me, I tend to use my phones primarily for data. No shops stock the GN around where I live at the moment so cannot go and check it out for myself.
Any speed comparisons will be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure the leg that you're talking about but I think it was due to touch Wiz. I switched to launcher Pro plus and everything is just very fast. What's really different about the Note, other than everything that's been mentioned here, is the size of the screen makes for much better widget-apps placement. The S2 uses a 4 x 4 icon grid, the note can use 5x6 icon grid with everything just as readable. I just took a look at the galaxy S2, boy does it look small and my Note has much faster scrolling with launcher Pro. I imagine that ICS will be great!
True, Touchwiz was also laggy on sgs2
Gonna go play with the note
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Interesting, TW is more lagfree than LP+ for me, I'd assumed that was because of hardware acceleration which SPB Shell also offers (while we wait for ICS which has it natively).
I wish I were any of you, with my GS2 and already upgrading to a note..
Hmz... Played with it today.
Everything felt better than my SGS2.
Only issue is the size. I got big hands and it just fitted.
But having a big phone like that doesn't allow me to wear skinny jeans
I am upgrading from a gs2 as well. i picked mine up on a trip to the Netherlands. i couldnt be happier. one handed operation is a little tricky even for a guy like me with big hands (more like fat fingers), but i could care less. battery life is as expected, not that great, but wait till someone cooks up a proper rom, my gs2 had a couple hours batt life and heated up enough to cook your face, but a custom rom fixed it and i was getting stellar batt life. in that respect i can only hope that Nitr8, responsible for the gs2 insanity rom gets a note, when i ran the insanity rom i was getting 4 days batt life on my gs2. typing on the note is like using my laptop. also i find myself using the web on it and other services i would never use on my gs2 due to screen size. webpages are easy to read and navigate, resolution is great, and obviously the samoled screen is a joy to look at. the only time i feel a little dissapointed is when i look at a solid colour background and see the grid lines, whether its to do with a scaling issue, or a faulty screen manufaturing process, i still dont care. do yourself a favor and download a 1080p copy of avatar and watch it on the screen. this will be the best demonstration of why amoled samoled and regular ole' oled screens are going to revolutionize how we see movies and tv. the color saturation is a little strong, but i like it. in my personal opinion, if you can live with the little faults, and you can actually hold it properly, i def suggest getting a note.
I just got mine this morning.
I've been using it ever since and every time i go back to the GS2, it feels tiny
xmoo said:
Thank for the quick response.
What about the "poor" call quality (some reviews say)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently, for at least some of the people who were having poor call quality, noise cancellation was apparently on during calls, and that turning it off during the call makes the problem go away. Supposedly, noise cancellation is supposed to be on in video mode only, not for calls, so I assume that it will be fixed. (If not by Samsung, then by this community!)
call quality is good on mine, i have had zero complaints, i even had someone talk on mine while i listened on another phone. everything sounded good. also there are no settings for noise cancellation that i could find..
Had my Note for two days now I use my phone a lot for call, my wife says it looks like a tabletop calculator at that point she picked up the calculator and held it to her head lol,
Its a lovely device but you really need to see it in the flesh cause it's BIG.
I love it but I'm still in undecided.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
Ive moved from the S2 to the note and back...
Im 193cm tall and Ive got large hands but I wasnt able to use the note with one hand.
Here my impressions compared to S2:
Pro Note:
Call quality
Battery life
HD Screen (watching video is great)
Contra Note:
Pen issue (its laggy and doesnt draw correct 2-3mm offset)
The note app is a joke, you cant scroll around like having a large paper
its to large for using it as a phone
its laggy comperd to my tweaked S2
To be real its not better then the S2 only larger with HD screen... The "note" function isnt worth to upgrade only the screen/size and for me its not a mobile device you can handle with one hand.
If only it came in 4.8inch.....
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Well what happened yesterday wasn't planned but I was out shopping with my wife, and I happened to see that the Carphonewarehouse had a white Samsung Galaxy S3 on show. Both my wife and I agreed the S3 was gorgeous to look at. And then I succumbed and bought one sim free. CPW also bought my Note which was a surprise. They also had a range of cases, so I bought one and a Zagg Invisible Shield screen protector which they fitted and guaranteed for 25 years. A good deal and service.
Below are some early opinions vs the Note -
1. The S3 feels more like a phone. Being honest it is far more manageable to use. It is incredibly thin and light and looks amazing.
2. Speed. This things flies compared to the Note. It reads the media on my SD card like a bullet.
3. Touchwiz. The version on here is much better. Then again every piece of software is far more advanced than the Note. Sorry to say this, but Samsung have clearly gone overboard with the S3. Example. The lock screen displays 4 apps for quick launching, weather, and news ticker if you want. Also, can use motion control on the lock screen to launch camera from lock screen. Volume hard keys adjusts ringtone volume, but also has a settings icon. Tap this and then the 3 volumes are available to adjust. In fact as you explore all the software and options there are improvements everywhere.
4. Camera. Rips the Note apart. There is no contest. The S3 is the best camera. It is better than the iPhone 4S too. The quality of the shots is amazing.
5. Audio. Use a wolfram DAC. Therefore after listening to some music, can confirm sound quality is superb.
6. The S3 has a front notification light. Very useful.
As this wasn't planned as such, I have many cases all good ones available. Plus a spare battery and the Samsung battery charger/stand. I will make a list so if anyone wants them, just make me an offer.
If anyone want to know anything specific ask away.
How much did they buy your note for?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
1. How is the battery life compared with the Note?
2. After you launched the Calculator, how is the lag when switching between
landscape and portrait modes. The lag on the Note is about 4 seconds.
Did not really measure.
Its all about the battery
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
Pretty interesting! I might end up buying this one for my wife
I got mine yesterday too. Not had it long enough to comment on battery life, but it seems to be really good. Tried draining it so I could do a full charge cycle on it. But I gave up after two hours, it was just taking too long to drain the battery.
Calculator takes 1 second to switch from portrait to landscape
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Many of the software improvements are also ICS improvements, like the volume control pop-up.
Sent from my Epic Touch (Blazer ROM) using XDA
gavinfabl said:
4. Camera. Rips the Note apart. There is no contest. The S3 is the best camera. It is better than the iPhone 4S too. The quality of the shots is amazing.
If anyone want to know anything specific ask away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume you're referring to the main camera. What about the front camera? That's one thing that drives me crazy about the Note -- poor front camera quality compared to the iPhone 4.
I think I'm going to buy it as my 3rd handphone
My main would be Note, 2nd iPhone 4s (company gave me one as part of my job scope).
avocco said:
How much did they buy your note for?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I certainly don't want to trade my Note, at least until the Note 10.1 is out but was curious so valued my phone on their website. It offered £205.
The reason I got the note was very simply the bigger the screen you have the better the experience where it counts - web browsing, games, movies.
Therefore personally there is no way the S3 can compete with the note, all of the things you mention are nice to have compared to the must have of the much larger screen.
I suspect from your comments about size and handling you probably weren't suited for the Note, not being funny but it seriously isn't for everyone
real comparison between Note & S3
this ll help all of u to make a decision between galaxy note and S3
http://geekaphone.com/compare/Samsung-Galaxy-S-III-vs-Samsung-GALAXY-Note
i love my GNote specially after ICS
n1 at this site
http://geekaphone.com/recommend
Always best to write a review on a phone after using it for a good week or so, using it as much as possible, i'm sure once its been on XDA for a while it will have as many issues as the next phone.
I tried one for 10 mins in the phone shop. So can only comment on very instant issues.
First thoughts too much like the ONE X, too small now I have used the NOTE, would miss the S-PEN,
nice phone it will sell similar to the S2 I'm sure, I guarantee buy one now at full price your loose way over a £100 by this time next month, wait a month until Samsung leak another super phone they going to release and the price will have dropped.
but that's me being a cynical ole tosser
hajime_android said:
1. How is the battery life compared with the Note?
2. After you launched the Calculator, how is the lag when switching between
landscape and portrait modes. The lag on the Note is about 4 seconds.
Did not really measure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure it takes four seconds to do that flip? Mine (running on stock LPF) almost flip instantly.
Answering all your questions.
The calculator switch is fast like under a sec. Yes I got about £200 but I only gave them the handset. I still have the headphones and charger. eBay would fetch £300 but after ebay takes it fees I would be left with £250 approx. I was happy to take the hit to avoid the hassle and have an instant solution.
I had told my friends that I would keep the Note for at least 2 years. But after seeing and actually holding the Note I was blown away. It is so good looking and it's light thin profile is far more manageable. So yes, from a size point of view I can agree the Note was not for me, even though I had been happy with its size.
However, remember the S3 is only half and inch less screen. Doesn't make a massive difference, but the Note still has the edge.
The link to the comparisons are inaccurate. The S3 has wolfram DAC for audio. There is no contest in that the S3 sounds better. There is a thread in the S3 section all about this.
Camera. The quality of the camera is better. I have taken several photos yesterday. The S3 HDR mode is better than the HDR mode on the iPhone 4S.
Some of the features I like are ICS based but it's the combined effort that makes this phones so good. I have read the comments on the S3 threads, words like epic performance appear, and these are from Note users.
Don't get me wrong, the Note is still a unique product. It's also old now so a new released device should in theory always be better.
I don't regret owning the Note. It caused many conversations with people, like what is that. Any I enjoyed it.
The battery life is epic. Waiting still for it to run flat. It was at 60% out of the box yesterday at around 1pm. It's 40% next day at 7.50am and I have been tweaking it a lot.
THUDUK said:
Always best to write a review on a phone after using it for a good week or so, using it as much as possible, i'm sure once its been on XDA for a while it will have as many issues as the next phone.
I tried one for 10 mins in the phone shop. So can only comment on very instant issues.
First thoughts too much like the ONE X, too small now I have used the NOTE, would miss the S-PEN,
nice phone it will sell similar to the S2 I'm sure, I guarantee buy one now at full price your loose way over a £100 by this time next month, wait a month until Samsung leak another super phone they going to release and the price will have dropped.
but that's me being a cynical ole tosser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly what I'm afraid of I'm getting too used to the big screen, S-Pen, and larger keyboard. If I were to get the S3 in a few months down the line the Note 2 had everything S3 has including that Wolfson DAC I would've wasted my money on the S3. So while the urge to get the latest and greatest tugs at me, I will have to put it off until more information is released on the possible Note 2.
The Wolfson DAC is really the only thing that would make me jump early. Everything else I could live without for now.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
That's technology for you. I'm sure the Note 2 will be marvellous. But I reckon that's months away still as all production will be focused on the S3.
At the end of the day both devices do the same thing lol
stephencwl said:
Are you sure it takes four seconds to do that flip? Mine (running on stock LPF) almost flip instantly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just under a second for my Note, running ICS LPY.
Are you comparing the S3 to the note with Gingerbread or Ice Cream Sandwich?
Most of your comments seem software based - and all my speed/software issues with the Note seemed to be solved with ICS (apart from the bugs!).
I wouldn't touch Touchwiz after using the alternative launchers and only use the camera for happy snaps (The DSLR comes out for anything serious!). And now too used to my stylus!
Would love the notification light tho!
Hello! I am seriously considering purchasing a Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
I'm coming from an Lg Optimus 4x Hd.
The question is:
This device has some kind of bug?
The camera is good?
The battery lasts about how long?
How is the performance of this device for gaming?
This unit heats up a lot?
The completion of this unit is painted or is it metal?
The function of the S-Pen is useful?
What do you think about this device?
Be honest, what you like and what you hate most on your Samsung Galaxy Note 2?
[EDIT]
Today got the Samsung Galaxy Note 2! I am very happy.
I hope that from now on everything runs as smoothly as possible with Samsung.
LG disappointed me a lot.
I had 3 devices (LG P500h), (LG P990) and (P880 LG).
All devices with critical defects, ranging in quality from the camera, touch screen and gaming performance.
I thank you all for the information provided, and support.
Team, we are now one more!
Thank you!
Sent from my MZ601 using xda premium
Ha ha... Don't think to much. Just go buy it. You will not regret it. If 5.5 inch n 720p is ok for u, then this phone is unbeatable
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
Hey OP that is the exact situation I was in, I had the crappy 4X HD and swapped it for a note 2. Honestly it was the best decision I have ever made re: mobile devices, it completely destroys the 4X and isn't locked down like the aforementioned LG atrocity. Do it.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
No big that I'm aware of. Except you cannot move apps to the sd card easily. Directory bind resolves this.
Personally for me the camera is very good. Maybe not the best on the market though?
I get all day of very heavy usage out of my battery and I've disowned my in car chargers now.
I play lots of games vice city, nfs, and they are all flawless.
It does not get hot at all.
The phone is plastic but I always use a case.
I don't really use the s pen but my kids love it.
I'm really glad I got this phone it is immense. The best phone I've ever owned. I couldn't go back to a smaller screen. The battery is a dream and it's so quick to use.
Buy it and let us know your thoughts
xavierleonelbr said:
Hello! I am seriously considering purchasing a Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
I'm coming from an Lg Optimus 4x Hd.
The question is:
This device has some kind of bug?
The camera is good?
The battery lasts about how long?
How is the performance of this device for gaming?
This unit heats up a lot?
The completion of this unit is painted or is it metal?
The function of the S-Pen is useful?
What do you think about this device?
Be honest, what you like and what you hate most on your Samsung Galaxy Note 2?
Sent from my MZ601 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bugs? No bugs that i notice.
Camera is pretty good, better than most phone camera's.
More than 14 hours battery life for me.
Gaming is awesome, will run nova 3, asphalt 7, and others perfectly.
Mine hasnt heated up at all, nice and cool unless i go mad flashing roms, then it gets warm.
Plastic, and i am enjoying the plastic.
Spen depends on what you use it for, most of samsungs functions seem a little gimmicky to me, however 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity with sketchbook pro for tablets makes this an awesome tool for an artist.
This is a very nice phone, i love it.
The only thing that might be considered bad is the lack of updates from samsung; but that can also be a good thing. I have a nexus 7 tablet, 4.1 was good, 4.1.2 was good, 4.2.1 ran poorly, 4.2.2 was good. The nice thing about slow updates is we will likely never see 4.2.1 for this phone, the bad thing is if we get a bad update we get stuck on it for a while.
Tl;dr awesome phone, you will probably love it.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
The only bad thing is, you will have the feeling of wanting to throw away other smaller phone...
Sent from my Galaxy Note II using xda premium
Guess what, there is a guy who used note 2 which came last year, bought s4 and sold it again to get note 2 again. Just shows how cool is this phone.
After using s1-s3, I was very hesitant to get this phone but honestly this has been my best ever experience since last 8 months with note 2. Just close your eyes and buy it.
What I loved most:
0% lag, thanks to quad core ad 2 gig ram.
battery is toooooo good for a smartphone, you will just love it.
Perfect size.
What I disliked:
Poor wifi signal reception, actually signals dropout/fluctuate very frequently.
Poor low light camera performance, just like other galaxy series phone.
Ooh, toughie. Will try to be as objective as possible. Mine:
Pros:
Absolute beast - no lags, runs anything that would run on it without any issues or stutters etc.
Wolfston Sound chip, which gives you excellent results with your high quality headphones if you use one.
Battery life - hands down the best battery life I've ever had in a smartphone. Can't seem to kill the battery even with super heavy usage.
Expandable storage - nuff said.
Gorgeous screen - in my personal opinion, it has the best SAMOLED screen of all other phones. Love the 5.5'' RGB amoled, calibrate and you get gorgeous contrast ratio and color reproduction with the screen.
S Pen - underrated, helps me to take notes, and browsing is far better with the S Pen out.
Those are the things I LOVE, there are plenty more I like a lot, which I can't even begin to list here.
Cons:
Camera is top notch, but if you're into taking pictures of moving objects, it's bit of a letdown.
Awkward to use one handed - you can use it, but it's still awkward. That should be obvious though, given how large the phone is. Amazing for two handed though, you'll struggle to type in tiny phones once you get used to it.
Relatively poor daylight visibility - much better than S3, but not on par with S4 or other LCD phones. I can see stuff on bright really bright daylight too, but it isn't terrific. If you're always using your mobile in the sun, that might be something to take into consideration though.
---------- Post added at 05:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:24 AM ----------
sohebq said:
Poor wifi signal reception, actually signals dropout/fluctuate very frequently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine actually has excellent signal reception You sure that it's not just an issue with your device?
^^
Device is fine, I updated rom and it did help but no as much as expected. I am not the only one with this issue I guess. The problem is that even in a room where I have router, it frequently fluctuate signals.
sent from: The New S-Pen
i love everything of my note 2 but my note 2 got sds insane chip that drives me crazy all the time but you are good to go with a kernel+recovery patched for sds otherwise this is the best thing i have ever had
sohebq said:
^^
Device is fine, I updated rom and it did help but no as much as expected. I am not the only one with this issue I guess. The problem is that even in a room where I have router, it frequently fluctuate signals.
sent from: The New S-Pen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, is it the router? I mean there must be some workaround surely, because mine has excellent wifi reception, better than my Nexus 7, actually.
I basically don't like the back cover, for me it's pretty slippery and I can feel myself losing grip on it when using it with one hand...and that's basically it
everything else I love about it!
tuxonhtc said:
Hmm, is it the router? I mean there must be some workaround surely, because mine has excellent wifi reception, better than my Nexus 7, actually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have 2 routers and issue is same. Do check 1 thing for me, stay in the room where the router is and monitor the signal strength from the wifi icon. Does it remain stable, I mean stuck at 4 full bars or fluctuates between 3 and 4 bars.
What I don't like is that you can't move apps to sd card and that's the only issue I have with this phone. I know there is work around but not feeling very confident about using it. What I like best is a row of numbers above keyboard. Using omega Rom and it's fantastic. This phone is blazing fast, very good battery life doesn't heat up like my old sgs2. And it actually feels quicker than my wife Xperia Z for some reason
sohebq said:
I have 2 routers and issue is same. Do check 1 thing for me, stay in the room where the router is and monitor the signal strength from the wifi icon. Does it remain stable, I mean stuck at 4 full bars or fluctuates between 3 and 4 bars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Checked for 1 minute, it seems stable, didn't seem to drop at all?
Anyways, regardless - if it was a noticeable issue, I would have experienced it surely?
tuxonhtc said:
Checked for 1 minute, it seems stable, didn't seem to drop at all?
Anyways, regardless - if it was a noticeable issue, I would have experienced it surely?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Consider yourself lucky then.
check these threads, wifi issue is addressed a lot of times.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1956155
-
- Device has no bug. There was this emmc chip bug and sds issue, but it's 'believed' to be fixed by Samsung.
- S Pen useful? Hell yes! I've mainly considered Note for it, and I'm very impressed. I'm not going back to Galaxy S lineup.
- Device heats up? Honestly I've been using Samsung smartphones for 3 years now and I just don't know what this heating up problem is. And I live in a place where real feel temp is 48°C at noon. People saying my device heats up a lot, no offense, but have no idea what is heating up actually.
- Camera? A lot of people will disagree with me I know, but I found the camera to be average, if not below. However I'm a SLR user. Still, iPhone cameras are way better than N2.
- Battery? At first, on 4.1.1, the battery life was awesome, unmatched in comparison to any other phone and unbeatable. Now with 4.1.2, it's not awesome, but still good, and better than any devices released so far. I don't know about S4 though.
- Gaming performance? I don't play games on mobile phone
- What do I think about the device? If you don't wanna wait for N3, and don't like S lineup then buy it eyes closed.
- What I hate most? Only one thing, PLASTIC.
'Swyped' from my GT-N7100
This device has some kind of bug?
The only thing that irritates me is that the Samsung sms app converts > 320 character sms messages into mms ones. Not really a bug, just an irritating feature which can easily be bypassed by using a third party sms app.
The camera is good?
Amazing. Only the s4 can really top it so far as phone cameras go, imo.
The battery lasts about how long?
Easily lasts a day of heavy use or as much as 2-3 days of light-moderate use. One day I was bored as all hell, used it for eight hours (screen on time) while connected to wifi and it still had 30% left when I plugged it in.
How is the performance of this device for gaming?
I'm not a heavy gamer but I doubt there is a single game on the play store which can make this thing lag.
This unit heats up a lot?
Gets warm if you're gaming or something, I'm ordinarily use like emails, Web, etc it is cool to the touch. Never felt it get uncomfortably warm.
The completion of this unit is painted or is it metal?
It's coloured polycarbonate with a painted silver plastic trim.
The function of the S-Pen is useful?
I use it to take quick notes all the time, in the same way I used to use a small notebook. Tbh the pen is just icing on the cake. Even if it had no pen it would be a great phone. The pen just sets it head and shoulders above all other phones on the market right now, even the gs4.
What do you think about this device?
I love it. At first I thought it might be too big, after 30 minutes of using it my Nexus 4 and gs3 just looked pathetically tiny - like toys in fact - and I knew I could never go back to a small phone like those ones. People still laugh at my phone because of its size. When I see them squinting to read emails on their lesser phones I laugh at them.
Be honest, what you like and what you hate most on your Samsung Galaxy Note 2?
I love everything about it - it's fast, big high quality, high res screen, good camera, good sound quality and volume, huge removable battery (becoming rare these days), micro sd slot, and even though it's big it's thin so the size isn't that much of an issue.
What I hate most is that I can't put the phone down. My Nexus 4 and 7, gs3, even my note 10.1 haven't been touched on the 6 weeks or so I've had this phone. In fact I'm selling all of them because this phone fulfils all my needs.
Sent from the mighty Note II
Like:
- Screen size!!
- Performance
- Battery
- Camera
- Smart Stay/Rotation
- Multiview
- More special Samsung features and gestures
- S Pen (I don't use it alot, but its nice..)
- Micro SD slot
Hate:
- Samsung not releasing whatever CM team needs (didn't really understand what they need..)
- AMOLED screen, I just don't really like it. You might will. Its personal
- Plastic build
Like:
- Screen size!!
- Performance
- Battery
- Multiview
- More special Samsung features and gestures
- Micro SD slot
Hate:
- Plastic build
- and the price..
Sent From My Galaxy Note II
This looks like one of the hot comparisions out there right now. Many of you are probably wondering if you should get the One or S4. I was in the same boat as some of you guys before buying the HTC One. I had been using a nexus 4 which felt fast and good in hand, but after breaking the screen and getting quoted $250 to fix it, i decided to buy a new one. I didn't even look at any phones other than the HTC One, Galaxy S4 and XPeria Z. I removed the XPeria Z from my list after hearing that the snapdragon s4 feels laggy on the 1080p screen and the screen is a little washed out compared to the other two. It was really hard to choose from the remaining two, but here are things that i thought were pros and cons of both phones:
Galaxy S4 Pros:
- Has SD Slot
- Has Removable Battery
- Processor is clocked 200MHz higher at 1.9GHz (Doesn't make much difference)
- AirView is pretty cool and would be pretty useful if more apps implemented (I don't think the API is open though)
- Faster unofficial updates since Google announced they would be providing updates for the stock version of GS4 which means the roms can be ported faster.
Galaxy S4 Cons:
- Doesn't have a premium feel with plastic polycarbonate body (the phone's plastic felt like the plastic used on my motorcycle's helmet)
- Has too many gimicky features that just take up space but you can never use (the eye tracking features are useless at night or where there is no perfect lighting, Air gestures are not practical for most people.)
- Only 16GB of internal storage (at the moment), and only about 10 GB is free for users to use, which means you cannot download apps that are more than that on size. Almost all big games on the android market are at least 1GB and can go up to 3, and if you install like 5 or 6 of them, you will be pretty close to running out of storage for apps.
- When i held the device on my hand, it felt slimey (its kind of hard to explain) as if it was dipped in some kind of oil.
- Phone speaker is tiny. I don't listen to music through the speakers, but while trying my friends GS4's speakerphone to call while driving, i felt like the volume was little too low.
- TouchWiz is really cluttered. I checked how many apps that i didn't need were installed by default, and there were more than 20 apps that i would never use.
- Periodic Jitters. The phone seemed to freeze up for a quarter of second randomly while using the phone. And sometimes the UI would totally skip animations. These aren't big things, but they make the user experience feel less fun.
HTC One Pros:
- Smooth aluminum finish definitely makes the device feel premium in hand and gives overall better hand feeling.
- Ultrapixel camera works great at low light conditions.
- The infrared blaster merged into the power button just makes the device look less cluttered.
- The PPI is the higest out of anything i have ever used. The display is so sharp that it looks like you are looking at a printed photo when you are looking at the picture on the phone.
- HTC Sense 5 is great. I was always an aosp fan, but they have optmised sense so much that i like sense better than stock now.
- Boomsound speakers are great. I never thought i would be using speakers to watch videos on my phone, but the boom sound speakers are so loud and clear that i like using them over my $200+ headphones while watching movies and videos. The speakers are something that you will not notice how good they are unless you actually use them. Head down to a Sprint or Tmobile or ATT store and try it out.
- Beats Audio sounded like a gimmick at first, but it surprisingly works really well. Some songs sound so much better with beats turned on.
- It has a built in amp for the speakers, which helps the speakers perform really good.
- It is iPhone smooth. No matter what you guys say, i had never used an android phone that could match iphone's smoothness before using the htc one. The galaxy s4 is smooth, but the one feels a lot more smoother than the s4 when using side by side.
- Call Quality seemed much much better than S4 on my tests.
HTC One Cons:
- No Removable Battery. This definitely sucks.
- No SD Slot.
- Still uses 4.1.2 instead of latest version.
- Only 4 MP camera. Way more than enough on daily use, but if you want to print a photo in really large size, you might want to look for a real camera.
- It's almost impossible to repair.
Well these were pros and cons from my tests. I ended up buying the HTC one after a long research. Here are some deciding factors and solutions for HTC one's cons that made me get the HTC:
- The One came with 32 GB which was enough for me. And since i have good network and unlimited data with tmobile, i could always use cloud storage if i needed more.
- The One supports USB OTG like the S4 which means after buying a $1 cable from ebay, i could just plug in my USB flash drive and watch movies and other things from there. This would save me internal space, and i could always use the usb if i wanted to watch a movie. This would compensate the non removable storage in the HTC One.
- The non removable battery in the HTC One sucks, but according to a lot of reviews it would last for a day with moderate use which was good enough for me.
- The non removable battery problems could be solved by portable chargers.
- Even though the battery is non replaceable in the HTC One, i don't think i will need to replace it for at least 2 years, and i wont be using this phone for more than 2 years. The battery is rated for charging cycles of 1000 times. This means even if you charge and discharge your phone completely 3 times in two days (which we don't normally do), the phone would easily last 2 years. And the 1000 times rating is the minimum rating, the battery could last even longer.
- The One has much more premium feel in hand compared to the S4. If you hold both in hands at the same time, you can totally feel the difference.
- Samsung's 16GB internal storage feels like too low for apps. Since you can only use 10GB out of the 16, i feel like i am going to run out of internal storage pretty quick.'
- The Audio quality from headphone port as well as the speakers is much better than the S4. I tried both side by side and One was far better in terms or audio quality.
- The display in HTC One seemed better than the S4 probably because of the higher PPI or samsung's use of pentile display tech. You wouldn't notice this if you were just using one of the phones, but if you had both phones side by side, the difference was noticable.
- The display on the HTC One works much better on sunlight compared to the Galaxy s4's OLED display. The difference is pretty big.
- I noticed that most pictures that i took with my phone were in low light situations. HTC One was much better in low light, even when the Galaxy S4's night mode was turned on.
- I actually liked the looks of HTC's sense compared to Touchwiz. Touchwiz just feels cartoonish compared to Sense.
Let me know if there are any pros or cons or any of the phones that i missed to mention above.
P.S. I am pretty biased towards the HTC one on the last part (deciding factors) since those were the reasons i got one instead of other. But i've tried to be as fair as possible on the pros and cons.
Update: Check this post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=41502507&postcount=27
Thanks for the info. I thought Verizon did me a favor and gave me one decision with the s4. Looks like there going to release it and I will have a decision. I've read all the pros and cons and you really have to hold the devices side by side and I did that yesterday for the first time.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
Fstall303 said:
Thanks for the info. I thought Verizon did me a favor and gave me one decision with the s4. Looks like there going to release it and I will have a decision. I've read all the pros and cons and you really have to hold the devices side by side and I did that yesterday for the first time.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
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Honestly, both phones are pretty similar in terms of performance specs. But its the tiny little things that make a big difference. Try both phones and don't make your decision based on the fact that verizon doesn't have the one yet. Since sprint already got the CDMA version, verizon should be getting one pretty soon.
Yes, the HTC One is "feeling" good in the hand because of the aluminum. But how things works and functions is way more important than how things feels.
But that feeling comes with a big cost. Aluminum is spreading the heat way more than plastic does. And because the temprature on the HTC One is way higher than it is on the Samsung Galaxy S4 (according to NordicHardware here: http://tinyurl.com/brskpgw), then i wouldn't really say aluminum is a good thing to have on a phone when a phone gets that hot.
And good luck holding that phone under heavy usage, because you know, over 57 degrees celcius and aluminum is NOT gonna fell good in the hand at all.
You should write this down as a cons / negative side for the HTC One.
Tom-Helge said:
Yes, the HTC One is "feeling" good in the hand because of the aluminum. But how things works and functions is way more important than how things feels.
But that feeling comes with a big cost. Aluminum is spreading the heat way more than plastic does. And because the temprature on the HTC One is way higher than it is on the Samsung Galaxy S4 (according to NordicHardware here: http://tinyurl.com/brskpgw), then i wouldn't really say aluminum is a good thing to have on a phone when a phone gets that hot.
And good luck holding that phone under heavy usage, because you know, over 57 deagrees celcius and aluminum is NOT gonna fell good in the hand at all.
You should write this down as a cons / negative side for the HTC One.
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Click to collapse
And if you would think about what you just posted, you'd know that heat dissapation is a good thing. Both phones have more or less the same processor, so they heat up about equally. The heat you feel on metal means that the heat is getting sucked away from processor and other electronics inside, preventing them from overheating. :good:
Tom-Helge said:
Yes, the HTC One is "feeling" good in the hand because of the aluminum. But how things works and functions is way more important than how things feels.
But that feeling comes with a big cost. Aluminum is spreading the heat way more than plastic does. And because the temprature on the HTC One is way higher than it is on the Samsung Galaxy S4 (according to NordicHardware here: http://tinyurl.com/brskpgw), then i wouldn't really say aluminum is a good thing to have on a phone when a phone gets that hot.
And good luck holding that phone under heavy usage, because you know, over 57 deagrees celcius and aluminum is NOT gonna fell good in the hand at all.
You should write this down as a cons / negative side for the HTC One.
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Click to collapse
hey mate i been using htc one for 2 month and i wanna correct you even i watching movie and playing asphalt 7 or nova or modern combat
my battery highest rate will go till 41 degree and i never feel hot or watsoever just warm if u going to ask me how the hell i check now i teach u guys and that dont know just press *#*#4636#*#* if the device battery heat higher than 48degree will be consider defected battery as what HTC service center told me.lastly im not a HTC fanboy i own samsung s3 previous and my sister own s4 now,we compare side by side and my sister said wanna sell of s4 and get HTC one no offense and peace
OP, as you can see by reading the sticky by jotha in this very section, comparison threads aren't allowed in this forum.
Tom-Helge said:
You can't see ANY differences from 441 PPI to 468 PPI with the naked eye. It's that simple. You are only imagine in your head that you actually are seeing differences. But in reality, you don't. You can't see any differences here before you gets the screens under a microscope.
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Normally I would agree with you on this...But the fact that the S4 uses a pentile display I would have to disagree! I'm sure most people can tell a difference side by side.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
gutrrob said:
Normally I would agree with you on this...But the fact that the S4 uses a pentile display I would have to disagree! I'm sure most people can tell a difference side by side.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Maybe you should read about the new Pentile technology that are in the Galaxy S4 before you claim it's bad because of earlier pentile techologies: http://www.displaymate.com/Galaxy_S4_ShootOut_1.htm
TLDR: The Super AMOLED screen on the Galaxy S4 are as good as the iPhone 5 screen is. It says enough.
Tom-Helge said:
Maybe you should read about the new Pentile technology that are in the Galaxy S4 before you claim it's bad because of earlier pentile techologies
TLDR: The Super AMOLED screen on the Galaxy S4 are as good as the iPhone 5 screen is. It says enough.
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Click to collapse
The HTC One has a far superior screen compared to the iPhone 5! Your comment doesn't hold any water.
Find a article where the S4 screen is just as good as the One.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
gutrrob said:
The HTC One has a far superior screen compared to the iPhone 5! Your comment doesn't hold any water.
Find a article where the S4 screen is just as good as the One.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
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Click to collapse
When it's about PPI, then yes, HTC One are better than iPhone 5. But everything is not about the PPI on a screen.
Maybe you could find the article / proof that says the HTC One's screen are better than iPhone 5 when it comes to color accuracy?
HTC One and iPhone 5 uses the same screen technology (both have RGB stripes). So the only thing we can compare between those 2 are color accuracy.
And if you then can find me the proof that HTC One is doing a better job at color accuracy than the iPhone 5, then sure, i will use the HTC One over the iPhone 5 to compare the Samsung Galaxy S4's screen with.
gutrrob said:
The HTC One has a far superior screen compared to the iPhone 5! Your comment doesn't hold any water.
Find a article where the S4 screen is just as good as the One.
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Sorry if I'll make you upset or something but IMO the iphone 5 screen is one of the best LCD's out there.
It has excellent calibration, sunlight visibility is superior to everything out there (even better than HTC one), excellent viewing angles and very high (maybe even the highest) contrast among mobile LCD displays.
Yes, the SLCD3 (of Samsung and Sony) in the HTC one is excellent but it's not perfect and the only place it's superior to the iphone 5's screen is ppi. Other than that, it's on par or inferior.
Check it yourself, and I know I'll be backed up by you and any other person who've seen the iphone 5's in person.
BTW, I still prefer the HTC one display over the iphone 5 display.
Tom-Helge said:
When it's about PPI, then yes, HTC One are better than iPhone 5. But everything is not about the PPI on a screen.
Maybe you could find the article / proof that says the HTC One's screen are better than iPhone 5 when it comes to color accuracy?
HTC One and iPhone 5 uses the same screen technology (both have RGB stripes). So the only thing we can compare between those 2 are color accuracy.
And if you then can find me the proof that HTC One is doing a better job at color accuracy than the iPhone 5, then sure, i will use the HTC One over the iPhone 5 to compare the Samsung Galaxy S4's screen with.
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Click to collapse
Funny how you keep bringing up the iPhone 5 when were talking about the S4 vs HTC One screen!
I'm done here Troll!
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
gutrrob said:
Funny how you keep bringing up the iPhone 5 when were talking about the S4 vs HTC One screen!
I'm done here Troll!
Sent from my HTCONE using xda premium
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Click to collapse
If iphone 5's screen superior (or on par) than the HTC one's screen than we can bring comparisons (that already made) between him and the S4 instead of the s4 against HTC one which we don't have professional comparisons unless you count the GSMArena comparison (for example) which gave the s4 the winning spot in the screen part:
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s4_vs_htc_one-review-913p3.php
sindresv said:
Tom-Helge:
Why do you come here and try to destroy a perfectly good thread? The OP was trying to help others in the same situation as he was in, and he was not blindly butchering the S4. He had many valid points both pro and cons on both devices, so I don't really see the problem.
You tell us the One's screen isn't that good compared to the S4, but yet the only phone you compare it to is the iPhone 5. I struggel to see your point as this isn't an iPhone 5 VS One thread.
And for the dark screen on the S4: when you compare phones, you have to do it in stock condition. Not everyone roots and flashes.. In fact most people don't..
I still don't get the fuzz over the battery not being able to be changed. I personally have never had the need to change a bettery, and neither have any of my friends.
I guess this thread will be closed, but I kind of liked it and found it useful
Ind just for your information: yes, the One gets a bit hot, but it's never been a problem holding it, and far from any discomfort!
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No, there's no a problem in showing the pros and cons of the devices but the list the OP listed is total biased towards the HTC one.
Almost all of the cons of the galaxy s4 and the pros of the HTC one was a matter of opinion and preference.
So yes, it's good for non-techy people to have such thread but not as biased toward the HTC one as this thread is.
Tom-Helge said:
I'm not destroying this topic. I'm correcting some points the op talked about witch isn't true.
When wasn't that allowed to do?
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The SGS4 screen was engineered with a pentigon style layout making the screen more green/blue than it should be , also making the whites more gray than it should be.
in reality the statments that you were bringing up do have some weight, but the SGS4 is a refreshed the SGS3.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Is there any reason that the only people who think that are owners of a S4?
EclipzeRemix said:
The SGS4 screen was engineered with a pentigon style layout making the screen more green/blue than it should be , also making the whites more gray than it should be.
in reality the statments that you were bringing up do have some weight, but the SGS4 is a refreshed the SGS3.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Have you seen the professional test of displaymate? The s4 (in movie mode) have accurate colors.
The "diamond" pentile use different sizes for each subpixel so in the end you can get accurate colors and in movie mode it actually have accurate colors as stated in displaymate tests.
sindresv said:
None of your points have been valid, and when you realise that, you just bring in another phone to compare it with...
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So my links that explains why the Galaxy S4 screen is that good as i say isn't any valid points?
I bring in the iPhone 5 because it have been the mainstreamphone to compare other screen on other phones to, because the iPhone 5 screen is pretty mu7ch one of the best screens out there (untilk proven wrong).
The fact that the display is perfect in some situations doesn't change the fact that it is s**t in other key functions. Not being able to use chrome is kind of a big deal for many people!
And you showed us a link telling us that the S4 display is s**t when browsing. Is that explaining how good it is?
I'll be returning mine for the following reasons:
Battery life is not that great.
Battery dies faster than expected on standby, especially compared to Note 10.1 and ipad.
The bezel is very large and I find that annoying. It makes the design seem very outdated.
Sent from my SM-P600 using xda app-developers app
dtziheucdavis said:
I'll be returning mine for the following reasons:
Sent from my SM-P600 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quite Happy with mine
Battery life is not that great.
Battery dies faster than expected on standby, especially compared to Note 10.1 and ipad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1: Battery Life : It's fine now since last few updates: 1/2% per hour on standby with wi-fi and cell on (now BBM too)
1.2:. About 0.8% per hour when streaming audio from radio or home network. (screen off). I consider it very decent.
The bezel is very large and I find that annoying. It makes the design seem very outdated.
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Click to collapse
2. Bezel I actually like it, it's not at all very large compared to many other similar sized tabs, makes for easier holding/reading for me with single hand operation, thumb over bezel. For me it makes the design well thought of, multiple use scenarios. Especially when you also bring the s-pen into the equation, bezel partly provides for very necessary palm/hand rest support.
Just bought one for my son. I think I'm gonna go get one for myself too. I like it. Battery life isn't bad at all.
intelliriffer said:
Quite Happy with mine
1: Battery Life : It's fine now since last few updates: 1/2% per hour on standby with wi-fi and cell on (now BBM too)
1.2:. About 0.8% per hour when streaming audio from radio or home network. (screen off). I consider it very decent.
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Click to collapse
How about gaming, intense heavy 3D gaming, how the battery life after update?
The bezel is not large. Its narrow and the right size to place your thumb without hitting the screen. I like my tablet FAR more than the ipad we own also.
I am very happy with this tablet, I don't game a lot, although the "Catapult King" game has been a little addicting to me.
I love the pen also.
EDIT: I just tried that 3d game for 15 minutes and it used 5%. The Nexus 7 uses the same amount. I don't have that game on the ipad to try because it costs money on ios.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using xda app-developers app
dewadewi said:
How about gaming, intense heavy 3D gaming, how the battery life after update?
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I am not an intense heavy gamer (on tablet) as i use pc for most of that.
however, I do run drastic emulator (emulators usually run 100% cpu most of their time) for Nds games and few other games.
depending on game I would say about 10%-20% / hour but this can vary a lot on other factors.Also the discharge is not linear.
IMO this tablet is not so optimized as a gaming device as better alternatives exist at lesser costs, however, productivity wise (niche target market for note series) it is a very good device.
intelliriffer said:
I IMO this tablet is not so optimized as a gaming device as better alternatives exist at lesser costs, however, productivity wise (niche target market for note series) it is a very good device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True but for the price range it should be able to handle every general task like gaming normaly if it's not better.. I'm previously using GT 7+ and it's at least have a 3.5-4 hour screen time of nonstop 3D gaming, and I'm expecting the note behave not far from that.
FYI I've been try to downclock the CPU (1,2 and even I try at 800mhz max speed) and GPU (266 mhz) and manually set the screen brightness to little above minimum, use the screen powersaving but the battery consumption is still unpleasant in terms of gaming
rooted stock out of the box 4.1.2
and I also do notice the media scanning process especially when the first time the device turned on is triggered a CPU intensive task which turned on all core at full speed and keep running on and on... and drains battery heavily
dewadewi said:
True but for the price range it should be able to handle every general task like gaming normaly if it's not better.. I'm previously using GT 7+ and it's at least have a 3.5-4 hour screen time of nonstop 3D gaming, and I'm expecting the note behave not far from that.
FYI I've been try to downclock the CPU (1,2 and even I try at 800mhz max speed) and GPU (266 mhz) and manually set the screen brightness to little above minimum, use the screen powersaving but the battery consumption is still unpleasant in terms of gaming
rooted stock out of the box 4.1.2
and I also do notice the media scanning process especially when the first time the device turned on is triggered a CPU intensive task which turned on all core at full speed and keep running on and on... and drains battery heavily
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Intense 3D Gaming is not a general task by any means, though to hardcore gamers it might seem to be so as its a necessity for them.
Secondly high price point can be due to lot many other things than just gaming performance.
For example a pressure sensitive active wacom digitizer and whole lot of software developed around it including touchwiz.
If these things do not matter to you then then this is not the device to have because you are unnecessarily paying for things you dont need.
For media scanning make sure your tags in media files are not corrupt. I fixed my entire library using some tool on pc and that resolved the issue.
intelliriffer said:
Intense 3D Gaming is not a general task by any means, though to hardcore gamers it might seem to be so as its a necessity for them.
Secondly high price point can be due to lot many other things than just gaming performance.
For example a pressure sensitive active wacom digitizer and whole lot of software developed around it including touchwiz.
If these things do not matter to you then then this is not the device to have because you are unnecessarily paying for things you dont need.
For media scanning make sure your tags in media files are not corrupt. I fixed my entire library using some tool on pc and that resolved the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do make use of the pen for noting and sketching (I'm a graphics designer) and it's being great
but the problem is, wether it's intense 3D or lite game like angry bird's, the battery drain is still huge... and lite gaming are by any means a general task for tablet these days..
as for the media scanning bug my work around is disable the media scanner on the application list, but might try your solution someday (as I have a 64gigs microsd I presume it would take a while)
i sold my note to get the 8, noting on the market for me is the same, note 10 is just to big and heavy, yes battery life isn't great but its not to bad, i just got a blackberry z10! now that has bad battery LOL
I love it. Battery life is fine. Bezel is just the right amount to hold. The design would look better with less bezel but I find that in use for reading it could actually do with a tiny bit more bezel to stop me from touching the screen. It is great for productivity and the few games I play on it run great - Dead Trigger 2 and Call of Duty Strike Team.
My two favourite features are the stylus which I use extensively in meetings to help me get rid of the paper mess on my desk and the IR remote I use around the house.
Sent from my GT-N5120 using xda app-developers app
dtziheucdavis said:
I'll be returning mine for the following reasons:
Battery life is not that great.
Battery dies faster than expected on standby, especially compared to Note 10.1 and ipad.
The bezel is very large and I find that annoying. It makes the design seem very outdated.
Sent from my SM-P600 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
I agree with all of the above, but I'm keeping mine because it's the only usable option for me, despite these disadvantages;
I had higher expectations based on the cost of this tablet. However, my primary use is taking digital notes. And as much as I dislike the design, battery life and low screen resolution, I still prefer it to any other option available at the moment (for work only- for play, no way!). But I will be upgrading the moment something better comes along! The iPad has better battery life, and now that it's lighter the size might also be OK. But writing with capacitive touch pen are like writing with a crayon, I cannot stand it! The Note 10 is just too big, too heavy. There may be some expensive windows options out there, but I suspect they are too big, too expensive, and have even worse battery. So that leaves the Note 8 with no real competition for people who need the s pen. But for those that do not need the pen, they are paying a premium for no benefit, so I can completely understand why they do not want to keep it.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using XDA Premium HD app
You made a lot of good points. I also have a note 8 and use my tablets for writing, annotating. That said, Op makes good points about how much the Note devices lag behind their ipad competitions in design and usability. The note 10.1 2014 for example, has noticeable lag and the ipad air will probably blow it out of the water. If Apple made a good fine point stylus with palm rejection that allows good pdf annotating, I will abandon the Note devices for sure. Ipad pdf handling visit already far superior to the Note devices, it just lacks a good stylus. The new Jot devices seem good, but not quite close to Spen yet.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app
kisrita said:
I agree with all of the above, but I'm keeping mine because it's the only usable option for me, despite these disadvantages;
I had higher expectations based on the cost of this tablet. However, my primary use is taking digital notes. And as much as I dislike the design, battery life and low screen resolution, I still prefer it to any other option available at the moment (for work only- for play, no way!). But I will be upgrading the moment something better comes along! The iPad has better battery life, and now that it's lighter the size might also be OK. But writing with capacitive touch pen are like writing with a crayon, I cannot stand it! The Note 10 is just too big, too heavy. There may be some expensive windows options out there, but I suspect they are too big, too expensive, and have even worse battery. So that leaves the Note 8 with no real competition for people who need the s pen. But for those that do not need the pen, they are paying a premium for no benefit, so I can completely understand why they do not want to keep it.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using XDA Premium HD app
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Very well said,
however people who don't need the S-Pen should not even by looking at the note series, as that is what primarily the note line is about, it does most of the other tasks but excels at nothing.
I too would get an overall better device when available, but I think we are still about an year or so from that (a device with high res, better battery, and pressure sensitive pen and optimized stock software to support the features.) and considering how samsung has been going about certain things lately, would like to see some competitor come up with similar products at competitive prices to topple up the monopoly a bit.
Now the ipad mini isnt a better product than the note 8. The ipad mini has serious issues with programs locking it up and crashing it. So then you have to turn it back on and redue what you were doing. The note 8 has never not once locked up and cut off. The ipad mini unfortunately does it often.
The ipad mini is being used in a restaurant for the servers to take an order. Its tough for them when it locks up. Now the ipad that is for the cash register and kitchen screen doesn't have issues. Only the minis do.
I like the note 8 and use it heavily every day.
With that said l cant wait for a 2014 edition of the 8
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I like it. About the only downside is the screen resolution, but that only affects me in one app...Teamviewer...and that's only because pretty much every computer I connect to has a higher resolution so I'm either scaling or scrolling, both of which suck. Otherwise it works great for everything I need.
I also think that the battery is not durable.
I also think that the battery is not durable
Sure I would have preferred a removable battery and a better camera and better resolution blah blah blah but it's the best and biggest tablet phone available with the spen and so I bought it... And I love it all the same!
Galaxy Note 8.0 Xposed Build N5120XXCMH2 / Baseband N5120XXBMD9 / Kernel CivZ-SpherEngine-Rev on Telstra LTE
Can't live without my note, I use it as phone, book(e-reader) white board, charger(with an otg cable I charge my e-cigarette), reference tool, organizer, video player, remote control, game console, alarm clock, music player, note pad, navigation, and now with my bullet proof tempered glass it even serves as a bullet proof vest!
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This has been a useful thread. I've been looking for a new device to replace my ageing original tab and whilst the Note 8 is far from perfect, the consensus seems to be it's still a very good device. A 3g model is now ordered. Thanks for everyone's comments.