Just Recieved a Galaxy S3 - First Newcommer Impressions! - Galaxy S III General

First of all, Hi all!
I have been on the Xperia Play section of the XDA Forums have just bought a new Galaxy S3.
The phone is very aesthetically pleasing! I am very impressed by the speed of the phone and the screen clarity, they are just simply amazing to someone who was used to a LED backlit LCD screen!
The S-Voice: (Yes I know it is a little bit of a gimmick) is pretty awesome and accurate, it definitely gives Siri a good run for its money (one of the things Apple pride themselves most in)
Camera: What can I say? They are just great, both probably better than Iphone 5, especailly the front facing camera!
Gyroscope: Awesome with Streetview when you hit the "compass mode".
LTE : Will not be able to test it out yet in another few weeks unit the UK will get it. Having near like broadband speeds or sometimes better just seems really great, especially if you're stuck in an airport waiting for delayed flights and you wanna watch a movie on Netflix or Youtube.
NFC: Sounds awesome but I will probably not be using it as most stores in the UK do not use this technology. There is also the security aspect of the thing I'm slightly worried about anyway.
UI: Not the best but well put together and an intuitive way of handling apps and widgets efficiently.
GPS: Very fast and accurate, much, much faster than the Xperia Play.
Wifi: Not great, I think the proximity range to my home hub has reduced slightly compared to the Xperia Play ( a 2011 model phone)
Data: Again, the 3g is very fast thanks to its HDSPA+ technology.
Memory: I have noticed that I cannot use this to move app data to SD card, this is all fine with a 16gb internal memory but can be a problem if you are interested into the high end games. I understand there is probably a fix to this with root but have decided not to root it just so that I have time to fully see the phone is fully functional without my warranty being voided.
Body: Large but just large enough to sit comfortably in my hand, I think the Iphone body quality is better and stronger than the S3. When removed, the back plate of the S3 just really feels very plasticy and malleable. However, it all compensates when put back together makes the phone a strong, thin and robust.
So yeh......
This is my own personal insight of the magnificent phone that I received today! Hope I can contribute as much info to this section as I can!

I too came from the play and the improvement is monumental imo. Obviously I'll miss the hardware game pad but I'm using fspe and sixaxis which is awesome and something you should look into.
-JOSH-

albanezi said:
First of all, Hi all!
I have been on the Xperia Play section of the XDA Forums have just bought a new Galaxy S3.
The phone is very aesthetically pleasing! I am very impressed by the speed of the phone and the screen clarity, they are just simply amazing to someone who was used to a LED backlit LCD screen!
The S-Voice: (Yes I know it is a little bit of a gimmick) is pretty awesome and accurate, it definitely gives Siri a good run for its money (one of the things Apple pride themselves most in)
Camera: What can I say? They are just great, both probably better than Iphone 5, especailly the front facing camera!
Gyroscope: Awesome with Streetview when you hit the "compass mode".
LTE : Will not be able to test it out yet in another few weeks unit the UK will get it. Having near like broadband speeds or sometimes better just seems really great, especially if you're stuck in an airport waiting for delayed flights and you wanna watch a movie on Netflix or Youtube.
NFC: Sounds awesome but I will probably not be using it as most stores in the UK do not use this technology. There is also the security aspect of the thing I'm slightly worried about anyway.
UI: Not the best but well put together and an intuitive way of handling apps and widgets efficiently.
GPS: Very fast and accurate, much, much faster than the Xperia Play.
Wifi: Not great, I think the proximity range to my home hub has reduced slightly compared to the Xperia Play ( a 2011 model phone)
Data: Again, the 3g is very fast thanks to its HDSPA+ technology.
Memory: I have noticed that I cannot use this to move app data to SD card, this is all fine with a 16gb internal memory but can be a problem if you are interested into the high end games. I understand there is probably a fix to this with root but have decided not to root it just so that I have time to fully see the phone is fully functional without my warranty being voided.
Body: Large but just large enough to sit comfortably in my hand, I think the Iphone body quality is better and stronger than the S3. When removed, the back plate of the S3 just really feels very plasticy and malleable. However, it all compensates when put back together makes the phone a strong, thin and robust.
So yeh......
This is my own personal insight of the magnificent phone that I received today! Hope I can contribute as much info to this section as I can!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with most of your comments, but if your model number is I9300 you will not get LTE, because it doesn't have an LTE modem, HSPA+ is decent for watching video with a decent signal.
And NFC is secure, it can handle encrypted traffic, also its maximum range is less than 20cm, so people have to be very close to intercept data and you will notice someone elses hand that close to your phone.
And finally if you don't like the UI change it

I came from last 3 generations of iPhones to Galaxy S3, and even with iPhone 5 out theres no way I would go back :laugh:
I rooted my galaxy within the 1st week and its been great so far with Omega rom, even thinking about ditching my iPad

julesg73 said:
I came from last 3 generations of iPhones to Galaxy S3, and even with iPhone 5 out theres no way I would go back :laugh:
I rooted my galaxy within the 1st week and its been great so far with Omega rom, even thinking about ditching my iPad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do it, you will not be disappointed, get the newest Galaxy tab

julesg73;31846114
I rooted my galaxy within the 1st week and its been great so far with Omega rom said:
When it comes to Tablets, Android is lagging way behind iPad.
Keep the iPad, seriously.
The app support for iPad is much better.
However when it comes to phone, throw away the iPhones .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

eggman89 said:
When it comes to Tablets, Android is lagging way behind iPad.
Keep the iPad, seriously.
The app support for iPad is much better.
However when it comes to phone, throw away the iPhones .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Verstuurd van mijn GT-I9300 met Tapatalk

I also came from 3 gens of iPhone. This phone is definitely the iPhone killer xD
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

S-voice is definitely a gimmick though because I keep asking for the time in Oz and it says it's the same time their as it is here (uk) lol but other than that this phone packs a huge punch compared to other high end devices.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

Congrats on your new purchase. As of now, this the most feature complete smartphone.
Just having a removable battery is ++ for me. Build materials can be improved but I guess they also want to maximize profit.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

Related

Atrix \ Galaxy S2 Comparison

I have prepared this thread to help myself and others compare and contrast the different phones and hopefully come to a decision here. If anyone has anything to add to the comparison that I have missed, please list it and we can get it all chocked up.
For the record. I have only listed something as a "Disadvantage" if I believe that the category is below what we would expect of the average Android.
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Advantages:
ATRIX
Battery Life - This is a big thing for me. I can make my vibrant last through a 14 hour day by crippling every single possible feature. But people here are saying that the Atrix runs solid though 30 hour periods. This is a huge plus for me.
Higher Resolution (even if its fake) - Even though this resolution is fake and can actually cause text to blur, I can say first-hand that I saw the screen in action at a local wal-mart and found it to be acceptable by my standards. I think it may help overall with browsing. The GS2 has a larger screen size, and no pentile matrix display, which could possibly be considered better. This is one that may work out to be a tie.
Tegra 2 - I list this as an advantage not because it is faster, the various benchmarks for either processor seem to be inconclusive at this point. I am listing it as an advantage because it has its own series of games optimized specifically for it, and because Google has chosen to build their framework around tegra 2.
Webtop - I am initially hesitant to even mention this. The phone has a webtop environment, it is most likely Debian Linux and it is said to also be very sluggish. If, in the future, devs gain access to this environment and find ways to optimize it and add in worthy apps such as Chrome and open office, then this will be a massive advantage, but right now it is pretty much just a gimmick.
The webtop interface retains its session when you disconnect it. So you can plug the phone back into another dock and go right back to what you were doing. This is one of the good things about webtop.
Laptop Dock - We all know it is hideously overpriced right now and maybe in the future a cheaper solution will be available. But regardless of how you get the dock, it is an advantage to run your apps in full screen, even if you don't use the sluggish webtop interface and firefox.
The dock charges your phone, but plays sound through your atrix speakers, it has no speakers of it's own, you can answer calls by removing the phone, picking it up on bluetooth or by just yelling at it from behind the laptop. The phone retains its session when you remove it and there is no special unmounting procedure, you just grab it and run.
GALAXY S2
Screen - Bright beautiful and extremely rich. Those who have seen the screen firsthand have claimed that there is nothing like it at all and that it is miles above even the old Super Amoled display. The 4.3 inch size is also a bonus for those of us with large hands. This is probably the best overall feature of the Galaxy S2.
Camera - 8 Megapixels, and 2 megapixel front facing camera. People say that megapixels don't really matter in the long run but the Atrix camera is also said to have a purple wash to it and that the video can be splotchy in certain situations.
Design - Even though it looks way too much like the iPhone, this phone actually looks exceptionally nice. I like the three button design much better than the 4, the search button is pretty useless overall. The thinness of this phone is also amazing if you are into that sort of thing. Naturally it may come down to the US carriers to ruin the design, but by it will likely be summer before that happens.
32GB internal storage - Expect to pay for it, but it is there, you get 64 gigs total with this phone.
Gingerbread - The Atrix won't likely get gingerbread until at least this summer, this phone will have it much sooner if you get the international version coming sometime this quarter.
Gyroscope - This phone has it, do any apps support it? Not sure, but it is there.
NFC - In the off chance that any stores upgrade to NFC this year, you will have the ability to use it. NFC may have other uses that we haven't envisioned yet. It is a protocol, so it can be applied to just about anything. You could potentially set it up to unlock your home, cars could start with it, whatever.
So it has a lot of potential use other than having your money stolen from you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disadvantages:
ATRIX
Bootloader - To sum it up for those not familiar, the phone can be rooted, a custom ROM can be flashed, but the kernel cannot be altered at all. (someone will likely correct me here) but if part or all of the webtop code is contained in the kernel somehow it will be difficult to alter it to add new software or make it run more efficiently. This would be a terrible shame.
I can tell you that Team Whiskey has made my Vibrant browse faster than I have seen in Atrix videos, with half the memory and a single core processor. It is scary to think of what this phone could actually accomplish if Moto decided to allow it.
Motoblur - I read that this requires you to sign up for an account before you can even use the phone. I find it alarming that Motorola has decided to help themselves to all this information and it makes me wonder just exactly what they really have access to and why.
Crippled FM radio - WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY. All of these phones have both transmitters and receivers for FM. So can someone tell me why in god's name anyone would disable them? FM radio has many more uses than just listening to local stations and why again should I have to burn my limited data on
internet radio when there is a receiver right in my phone?
GALAXY S2
Heat - My current Galaxy S runs very hot already, if the screen is active while the phone is being charged it will heat up to what seems to be a very dangerous temperature. The pre-release Galaxy S2 was said to be scorching hot after running with the screen on and the charger active.
Fail File System, Hideous and crippling lag - Update: the galaxy S2 is said to not use RFS. Chock one up for Samsung.
Updates - Samsung has a horrible reputation for updates when working with US carriers, even for new phones. If it was not for this community I would have likely given up on Android and Samsung altogether. Although I know that part of the update delay has been t-mobile, it is also in Samsung's interests to ship out new phones instead of updating their old ones.
Battery Life I have a feeling that Samsung tried to push the limits to get their phone to be as thin as possible and I am worried that they have done so at the expense of battery life. We won't know for sure until it gets in people's hands but I expect the battery life to be subpar.
NO HID Bluetooth Support (possibly) - I have had a black wiimote sitting here for 6 months waiting to connect to my Vibrant. I love emulated classics but action games are near impossible to play with the on-screen kb. So if you want this feature, I would make sure that the GS2 has it first, because it is not likely that it will.
Availability - What it really comes down to now. Unless you want to shell out over 1000 for the phone, you will probably need to wait 5 months from now for any kind of US availability this summer. And don't doubt that those versions will become crippled and even more bloated in the process. But again there is no locked bootloader here.
Ok I think that covers it. Having written all this down, I think I am really leaning more toward the Atrix. There just doesn't seem to be anything else out there now that will be able to match it at the moment. And as you can see, our experience with Samsung has not been exceptional.
Good comparison there. I am also looking at the exact 2 models and thank you very much, looks like Atrix will too be my choice.
I guess I'll get the atrix laptop dock too and prays for the devs here to make it all better. Otherwise, I think its still a good piece of hardware I don't mind owning.
""Samsung's dual-core, Gingerbread-powered Galaxy S II has appeared on Play.co.uk alongside a tentative SIM-free price and release date. According to Play, which is currently taking pre-orders for the phone, it'll ship Mar. 31 for £599.99 (~$960). Pre-release prices are never guaranteed to be accurate and are always subject to change, but £599 seams like a realistic price point for the Galaxy S II, as it's slightly higher than current single-core offerings from other manufacturers.""
Just published at androidcentral. £599.99 (~$960)?? Get a grip..
Not bad, just a couple of things to note that I thought of while reading. First, the screen resolution can be arguable considering the Pentile screen that the Atrix uses. That gives the SGS2 more sub pixels, but then it's a bigger screen, so less (I believe) pixel density still... it's really kind of a toss up, but I think they will both look great. I think the lower resolution and bigger screen on the SGS2 will look just fine with the full 3 subpixels per pixel.
Also, the SGS2 looks nothing like an iPhone. I wish people would stop saying that about every phone that comes out. Apparently every square black phone with a screen is an iPhone now.
And also it's been reported that the SGS2 does not use RFS.
The Galaxy S2 looks like a great phone, but even as much as I hate Motorola's implementation of the lockdown...I can't *STAND* Samsung for updates. They've promised up and down that they would release updates for every phone since Android came out, and they've delivered on about 3 of those promises...out of probably 20. They are *HORRIBLE* at updating devices and they don't even apologize when they cancel. I would *never* buy a Samsung on the hopes that it would get an updated OS.
As for the screens, I don't really notice much of a difference. I'm a pretty severe audiophile and videophile and although I can tell a difference it's absolutely not enough to make me go with one phone over another. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which has the best screen to date on a mobile phone...and even between that and my Atrix I barely see a difference. They're both fantastic screens.
hotleadsingerguy said:
The Galaxy S2 looks like a great phone, but even as much as I hate Motorola's implementation of the lockdown...I can't *STAND* Samsung for updates. They've promised up and down that they would release updates for every phone since Android came out, and they've delivered on about 3 of those promises...out of probably 20. They are *HORRIBLE* at updating devices and they don't even apologize when they cancel. I would *never* buy a Samsung on the hopes that it would get an updated OS.
As for the screens, I don't really notice much of a difference. I'm a pretty severe audiophile and videophile and although I can tell a difference it's absolutely not enough to make me go with one phone over another. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which has the best screen to date on a mobile phone...and even between that and my Atrix I barely see a difference. They're both fantastic screens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The updates aren't really an issue for people who visit sites like this. I would never rely on Samsung to update my phone. My Captivate has been running 2.2 for ages while they just released the update for everyone else. Yes, Samsung sucks at updating, but the hacking community will always get it done regardless.
I must be the only one, but i use the search hotkey absolutely all the time. I love it and I realize that you can hold menu for the same effect on the SGS2, but i'd prefer to have the 4th hotkey than their ugly stupid home button. It is not an iPhone, embrace uniqueness samsung.
eallan said:
I must be the only one, but i use the search hotkey absolutely all the time. I love it and I realize that you can hold menu for the same effect on the SGS2, but i'd prefer to have the 4th hotkey than their ugly stupid home button. It is not an iPhone, embrace uniqueness samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really miss the hardware home key! The orientation of the 4 buttons makes it a bit awkward to thumb navigate since its so close to the bottom. Its actually one of the things about the sgs2 that is making me think twice about my atrix. Despite how much I love it.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Man_of_Leisure said:
I really miss the hardware home key! The orientation of the 4 buttons makes it a bit awkward to thumb navigate since its so close to the bottom. Its actually one of the things about the sgs2 that is making me think twice about my atrix. Despite how much I love it.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't mind if the buttons were hardware, thats another debate. I just want all four of them!
The back button is beyond crucial. Maybe back and home should be two hardware with the other capacitive? For symmetry, obviously a concern for samsung .
I definitely want the new Galaxy S 2. I've heard that the Atrix was a huge let down. I used to own a Captivate and I loved everything about it except the ****ty build quality and lack of flash for the camera. It was so smooth with voodoo and custom roms. The Galaxy S 2 will have an amazing screen and I think it will do average on battery consumption. Just my 2 cents
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
King Shady said:
I definitely want the new Galaxy S 2. I've heard that the Atrix was a huge let down. I used to own a Captivate and I loved everything about it except the ****ty build quality and lack of flash for the camera. It was so smooth with voodoo and custom roms. The Galaxy S 2 will have an amazing screen and I think it will do average on battery consumption. Just my 2 cents
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
****ty build quality? Like hardware wise? I personally think the Captivate is the nicest of all of the Galaxy S phones. The hardware itself has been absolutely wonderful for me. The software quality leaves a lot to be desired from a stock standpoint though.
AJerman said:
****ty build quality? Like hardware wise? I personally think the Captivate is the nicest of all of the Galaxy S phones. The hardware itself has been absolutely wonderful for me. The software quality leaves a lot to be desired from a stock standpoint though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The plastic build was a huge downgrade for me, especially coming from a beautiful iPhone 4. I'm much happier with the Inspire 4G now though. HTC Sense is amazing and super smooth, and HTC build quality is great. The phone feels ultra solid.
SGS2 is apparently RFS-free. Also, some versions will have Tegra2 instead of Exynos - hope this includes us.
People knock Samsung's plastic designs, but they're actually a lot harder to break than the "well-built" iPhone 4.
Very good write up man, these are the posts that I like to see.
By looking at my signature, you can see that I just got the Atrix as well, and I love the phone. Amazingly fast, awesome screen (love the higher density and the effect itbhas on the overall experience), and the battery is pretty good too.
I'm seriously thinking about buying the laptop dock, but I don't know how well that will perform, and I haven't seen any live videos of it.
I really like the design and specs of the GS 2, but there are a lot of possible problems holding me back....
Rooted/ROM Captivate (For Sale)
Rooted Atrix
FLAC Vest said:
Very good write up man, these are the posts that I like to see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot, bro.
I am no engineer and I can't build tools. But I can put a few thoughts together and provide someone with some information.
This is an amazing community and what people do here is outstanding, I just want to do what I can to add to that.
King Shady said:
The plastic build was a huge downgrade for me, especially coming from a beautiful iPhone 4. I'm much happier with the Inspire 4G now though. HTC Sense is amazing and super smooth, and HTC build quality is great. The phone feels ultra solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S2 looks like meizu m9
I have both and a Galaxy S 2 on order
Why? I really liked the Captivate. My plan was to use both but the Atrix is so much more fun to use I'm selling the Captivate. Well, maybe. Maybe not.
Yesterday after I removed the SIM card and replaced it, the Atrix went bonkers with freezes and instability issues. After numerous soft resets, two factory resets and replacing the SIM card, SD card and battery a couple of times it seems to be back to normal. I suspect I had reinserted the SIM card incorrectly but maybe there was another issue.
So why would I pay $1000 for the Galaxy S 2? The Captivate was that much fun. Although I'm sure we will be able to do more custom rom's shortly on the Atrix, the Galaxy S 2 sounds like an even bigger blast than either. And boy oh boy does that LG 3D look interesting. But you have to draw the line somewhere.
Here is what the Atrix has that the Captivate does not:
1-better graphics and screen quality, dynamic and vivid visuals, a joy to read and watch (text as well as video quality is sharp and crisp, very clear)
2-more interactive features with outside devices (i.e. computers)
3-interacts more efficiently with e mail, voice and text programs (really like the way it handles multiple incoming calls especially when you are already on one-notification, instructions and directions for handling)(I can now actually use Excel spreadsheets and Word documents) (works well with contacts)
4-updated browser can handle more types of video content and pop up windows better
5-it feels better when you hold and talk or watch or do most anything with it (I did make one call and even though I could hear the other party clearly they could not hear me-I do not what happened.)
My friends all tell me I should get an iphone. I had one for years and the Androids are far more fun. I'll never return. I don't think. LG 3D anyone?
I think Tegra2 is actually a disadvantage for Atrix 4G.
As a new generation dualcore processor, it's early, but not strong.
It's video playback ability of H.264 is limited, but H.264 is currently the most frequently played format.
It has no neon support, big loss on processing power.
Till now Tegra2 has not proven itself in Graphics power. In benchmarks it's no superior to Hummingbird.
However the performance of Mali400MP on GS2 is also questionable, so just wait and see...
hotleadsingerguy said:
The Galaxy S2 looks like a great phone, but even as much as I hate Motorola's implementation of the lockdown...I can't *STAND* Samsung for updates. They've promised up and down that they would release updates for every phone since Android came out, and they've delivered on about 3 of those promises...out of probably 20. They are *HORRIBLE* at updating devices and they don't even apologize when they cancel. I would *never* buy a Samsung on the hopes that it would get an updated OS.
As for the screens, I don't really notice much of a difference. I'm a pretty severe audiophile and videophile and although I can tell a difference it's absolutely not enough to make me go with one phone over another. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which has the best screen to date on a mobile phone...and even between that and my Atrix I barely see a difference. They're both fantastic screens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 great post!
King Shady said:
The plastic build was a huge downgrade for me, especially coming from a beautiful iPhone 4. I'm much happier with the Inspire 4G now though. HTC Sense is amazing and super smooth, and HTC build quality is great. The phone feels ultra solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See, I don't understand that. There is far less plastic on the Captivate than the majority of the phones out there. The front is all glass, and the back is mostly metal. It's only the top and bottom on the back that are plastic, and they have both felt very solid to me since I got the phone on launch day. I came from an iPhone 4 as well, and granted nothing compares to the iPhone 4 in build quality, the Captivate definitely doesn't seem bad at all to me.
As long as you're happy with what you have now though, that's what matters. I just think the Inspire is a bit of a waste of money considering it's lack of power compared to all the other phones coming out now. It feels like it's last generation still. I did play with it a little at the AT&T store though, and it seemed nice. If it had come out last summer with the Captivate (even if it didn't have 4G), I might have gotten it. Now I'm going to wait until a dual core offering I like though.

To the owners, Is Note 10.1 worth buying?

To the owners, Is Note 10.1 worth buying?
Coming from SONY TABLET S !!!
Really didnt enjoyed good android experience on any of the tablets, do would u rate Note 10.1?
Why m hesitant is:
1. Nexus 7 price point
2. Love for Sony, Xperia Tablet coming
3. M'soft Surface, if priced well hell yeahh...
sent from seXperia S
xperiax10.awesome said:
To the owners, Is Note 10.1 worth buying?
Coming from SONY TABLET S !!!
Really didnt enjoyed good android experience on any of the tablets, do would u rate Note 10.1?
sent from seXperia S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since we bought it I would say we thought it was worth buying. I think the real question is do you think it is worth buying? That depends on what you plan to use it for.
Hell yes its worth buying to me. I would rate it a solid 8.75-9.0
I'm on a flight from Portland to Dallas writing this. I have the Note in portrait mode in multview connected to GoGo Wi-Fi. In the lower panel I have XDA open in a browser window and am watching a movie in the upper panel. No lag, no hiccups, pretty amazing.Try doing that on any other tablet. The guy sitting next to me (who's an ass) has an iPad and I can see him looking out of the corner of his eye in amazement. The more I use the Note the more impressed I am.
I am coming from TFP and it worth every penny.
Sony to Samsung
I was in the exact same boat as the OP. I had (still have) the Sony tablet and upgraded to the Samsung. Final verdict - Mixed bag.
The samsung is immediately and obviously faster than the Sony. The screen is of course slightly larger as is the tablet in general. The one thing you will be blown away by coming from the sony is the audio on the Note. The speakers are loud and placed directly on the front of the unit. I don't know if you are one of the people effected by the low audio problems with the Sony, but if you were you will be smiling from ear to ear.
As for all other aspects, the wifi signal strength is much improved, but the screen will be a mixed bag as well. While it is brighter, it will at first appear less crisp since it is essentially the same resolution of the Sony, but the Sony had those pixels squeezed into a smaller screen, so they were higher density. Does this cause any problems? Not in the least. The screen is still bright, crisp and easily viewed from a wide angle. I have read that Samsung "tweaked" the screen somehow so that it was not the same as every other screen out there in this resolution, and if so...it shows. Text is not as sharp as on the higher definition screens or the iPad, but it is sharper than it was on the Sony.
Web browsing is LEAGUES better than it was on the sony, and the apps that support the sPen are generally pretty decent. If you are using this for a multimedia device or games...look no further. The benchmarks for this tablet in those area are awesome. If you are a graphics artist or dabble in those things, the included photoshop is good, and I imagine will only get better with the first Samsung and Adobe updates.
Now the downsides...first, for the price, the screen really should have been better...but as I said, it's nowhere near being bad. The back of the unit is shiny plastic, so it's a fingerprint magnet...but it's upside is that since it's plastic, it has stronger wifi reception and gps. The pen that is included does NOT have the eraser you may have seen in some videos, but it does tuck away into the unit nicely and comes with several spare tips and a few varieties of them.
The biggest downside...and honestly for me it's 50/50. I started using my sony as a universal remote for every device in my home. The Samsung has such a remote, and in theory it should be FAR FAR better than the one on the sony....BUT...it only worked for the fist 30 minutes I set it up and never again. I searched online and only read more horror stories about that software (not the hardware...the note itself has no issues with its IR transmitter...only the included program). I updated the software and tried a thousand ways to fix this...but no joy. The built in software is supposed to not only control devices, but provide a visual guide of all the shows on TV, information about them, and learn your preferences much like a TIVO, but once it starts developing issues, they never seem to go away. But as with everything, YMMV, so take that with a grain of salt. I use ATT Uverse as my provider, so it may just be issues with them (although that would not seem to be the case online).
To sum it all up, I am happy with the purchase. At the moment, Amazon has a deal going on the 32GB version that is only $528 I believe, as opposed to the $549. The company providing it charges no taxes and only $8 shipping, so that's a HUGE savings. Would I purchase the unit again? Without hesitation. I picked mine up on the first day it was available, and only the 16gb version was available. I am planning on returning the 16gb and picking up the 32gb. So not only would I buy it again, but...I really am buying it again! LOL.
Hope that helped a little. If you have any questions, fire away
Totally
I had the tf300 and its not even close. The s pen is so useful and the software is much better than my last one. Highly recommended. I have not tried the tf700, but if outed like the tf300 this is the tab to beat.
As you already have a Sony tablet, I wouldn't buy the Note right now. Sony has their second attempt, Xperia Tablet, expected next month.
Wait and see how that plays out.
Hmmm, even the reviews are not very impressive considering the price tag..
sent from seXperia S
*Omnipresent* said:
Hell yes its worth buying to me. I would rate it a solid 8.75-9.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really like my Note. IMO, If you're buying it for some reason other than the active digitzer + stylus combo, you've probably bought it for the wrong reason. If you buy this tablet, you're buying it for productivity.
I took mine with me to class today, was able to write some very solid looking notes quickly and easily, while simultaneously recording audio. It has a few cons, like the cameras occasionally being terrible, and the back being made of what feels like a cheap plastic, but as far as I'm concerned the pros (digitizer + stylus, side-by-side app viewing, quad-core Exynos beast + 2GB RAM for multitasking) outweigh the cons by far.
Hell, the only reason I ever bought either the iPad or iPad2 was that I had this hope that I could somehow find a good, accurate stylus that would let me take notes in class and ditch my paper-and-pen notebook. With the Note 10.1, I've found that tablet. I already love it more than I ever loved my iPad(s).
Did I mention it's great for note taking?! :silly:
Many of us bought this for the pen. In this aspect it's peerless. Combined with this, it's also very good in most other ways.
People are complaining that it should have a higher resolution screen, I disagree. Reason: My eyesight isn't all that great, and to me the difference is minimal, and I would rather have the quad horsepower dedicated to the pen, and other functions rather than screen real estate.
In a year or so, the higher resolution tablets will be standard, but until then i'd rather have it this way.
Whatever. :laugh: The point is: this tablet is fairly perfect for what I wanted: A pen interface, in the iPad/Galaxy format.
xperiax10.awesome said:
Hmmm, even the reviews are not very impressive considering the price tag..
sent from seXperia S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's really interesting how the "professional" reviews don't match up at all with the real world hands-on experiences of the people on the forums. The way I see it, I don't even bother with reading reviews anymore when you can get much more thorough and unbiased reviews from the good folks here on XDA.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
NessLookAlike said:
I really like my Note. IMO, If you're buying it for some reason other than the active digitzer + stylus combo, you've probably bought it for the wrong reason. If you buy this tablet, you're buying it for productivity.
I took mine with me to class today, was able to write some very solid looking notes quickly and easily, while simultaneously recording audio. It has a few cons, like the cameras occasionally being terrible, and the back being made of what feels like a cheap plastic, but as far as I'm concerned the pros (digitizer + stylus, side-by-side app viewing, quad-core Exynos beast + 2GB RAM for multitasking) outweigh the cons by far.
Hell, the only reason I ever bought either the iPad or iPad2 was that I had this hope that I could somehow find a good, accurate stylus that would let me take notes in class and ditch my paper-and-pen notebook. With the Note 10.1, I've found that tablet. I already love it more than I ever loved my iPad(s).
Did I mention it's great for note taking?! :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm considering the upgrade of my tab10.1 to the note to use it taking notes in my classes as well. How the palm rejection works when you touch the screen with the hand who is writing? And, maybe it is the response at the first question as well, can i disable all the touch input excepting the active digitalizer of the s-pen? It would be perfect to me in that case :cyclops:
aNard said:
I'm considering the upgrade of my tab10.1 to the note to use it taking notes in my classes as well. How the palm rejection works when you touch the screen with the hand who is writing? And, maybe it is the response at the first question as well, can i disable all the touch input excepting the active digitalizer of the s-pen? It would be perfect to me in that case :cyclops:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Palm rejection is perfect, at least in the S Memo app that comes stock with the Note. Until other market apps are updated to support the Note, S Memi will probably be the one or two apps you'll want to use to take notes.. but it really is perfect. The app itself has a few quirks, but I'm sure they'll be ironed out over time. This morning when I was taking notes, it felt weird to leave my hand resting on the screen, and I was concerned my palm would get lots of grease on the screen -- but nope, everything was fine! It takes maybe 5 minutes to get used to. And yes, you can disable all touch input except the digitizer. There's a button for it in the note-taking app.
It really is that good for taking notes.
Thank you, I think you've settled the final word over my tablet upgrade with that post and your reassurances
Inviato dal mio Galaxy Nexus con Tapatalk 2
I didn't buy this for the pen.. I bought it cause it has the most powerful processor you can get in a tablet.
And that should last me quite awhile.
What is striking me as wierd is the mixture of reviews for the Note 10.1.
Gizmodo absolutely ripped into it and recommended against purchasing it while others seem to love it.
i the verge and gizmodo married they would make a new website called
ibiased.com
period.
It really comes down to what you want it for. I feel pretty sure they went with a less dense screen to improve speed, especially with the pen.
Browsing on this is as fast as with my laptop on Ethernet.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2
habs101 said:
i the verge and gizmodo married they would make a new website called
ibiased.com
period.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, cant they put their apple fanboy status aside.
Walt Mossberg I felt gave the note a very fair review. Given that he is an apple fanboy my opinion of him is even greater because the review was very objective.

What you like and what you hate most on your Samsung Galaxy Note 2?

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

Anyone else thinking of returning theirs?

I have had my t-mobile note 3 for 2 days now and I have to say its nice, but its not so much nicer than my note 2 that I need to pay 708$ The s pen sensitivity is pretty crappy on the bottom half of the screen and the build quality seems pretty cheap to me. Its constantly popping or creaking as I type or just handle it. Dont get me wrong, its a nice phone.....I was just curious if there were any other note 2 owners out there thinking about taking it back before the 14 days is up.
I paid $300 for my AT&T version, so I'm not as far in the hole as you, but I'm loving this phone
I'm also coming from an HTC One, not a note 2
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
DefiantMenace said:
I have had my t-mobile note 3 for 2 days now and I have to say its nice, but its not so much nicer than my note 2 that I need to pay 708$ The s pen sensitivity is pretty crappy on the bottom half of the screen and the build quality seems pretty cheap to me. Its constantly popping or creaking as I type or just handle it. Dont get me wrong, its a nice phone.....I was just curious if there were any other note 2 owners out there thinking about taking it back before the 14 days is up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you have a defective device? I played with the AT&T's floor model and found the spen extremely responsive. also I didn't get the whole popping/creaking feel to it. If you like it enough try to return it for another, if not then return it for your cash and grab your GN2 and put her back to work
for 300 I think I too would probably keep it hahaha
SgtGoldy said:
Maybe you have a defective device? I played with the AT&T's floor model and found the spen extremely responsive. also I didn't get the whole popping/creaking feel to it. If you like it enough try to return it for another, if not then return it for your cash and grab your GN2 and put her back to work
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am going to keep it a few more days, like I said its a really nice phone but its not substantially nicer than the note 2, I dont think its enough to justify the rather HEFTY price. At least not for me. 95% sure its going back.
DefiantMenace said:
I am going to keep it a few more days, like I said its a really nice phone but its not substantially nicer than the note 2, I dont think its enough to justify the rather HEFTY price. At least not for me. 95% sure its going back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At over 7bills I can't blame you. I would have to be 110% happy with it to keep it.
My only real concern is the regional lock that is the subject of many posts here at XDA.
I have not experienced any of the problems you mention and it seems silky smooth and fast compared with my Note 2. There are some software glitches that I'm sure will be sorted out soon but the increased performance, better display, 32 GB, wireless ac and increased internal memory means I will be keeping mine.
I will still be keeping my eye on the forthcoming Nexus 5 and HTC One Max but neither are likely to have a microsd slot and a removable battery.
If something better comes along, I'm pretty sure there will be a good second hand value on the Note3 anyway.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk 4
SgtGoldy said:
At over 7bills I can't blame you. I would have to be 110% happy with it to keep it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have the note 2 now? I am really interested to hear what others who made the leap from the note 2 are thinking. I think if I was coming from like an s3 or anything else I wouldnt be having second thoughts
DefiantMenace said:
Do you have the note 2 now? I am really interested to hear what others who made the leap from the note 2 are thinking. I think if I was coming from like an s3 or anything else I wouldnt be having second thoughts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No Sir, first galaxy device. I'm coming from the worst phone I've ever owned so anything will be better :laugh:
htc6500uk said:
My only real concern is the regional lock that is the subject of many posts here at XDA.
I have not experienced any of the problems you mention and it seems silky smooth and fast compared with my Note 2. There are some software glitches that I'm sure will be sorted out soon but the increased performance, better display, 32 GB, wireless ac and increased internal memory means I will be keeping mine.
I will still be keeping my eye on the forthcoming Nexus 5 and HTC One Max but neither are likely to have a microsd slot and a removable battery.
If something better comes along, I'm pretty sure there will be a good second hand value on the Note3 anyway.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine is pretty smooth as well, one of my complaints with the note 2 is gallery load time. I have picassa and dropbox synced in gallery and it takes forever to load. I figured the note three would not have this issue because of the difference in specs but it still does, not to the extent of the note 2 but it still has some chop to it. Also whenever I am sending a text and another text is coming in it will have the slightest delay, again way better than the 2 but still present, which also is a bit of a bummer.
I'm considering returning mine before the 14 day window is up, especially if a root solution isn't found soon (AT&T). I think I'll end up waiting for the Nexus to be released and then decide which I'd rather have.
SgtGoldy said:
No Sir, first galaxy device. I'm coming from the worst phone I've ever owned so anything will be better :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I think you will be really happy, fyi movies on this screen are especially brilliant, I mean WOW!
DefiantMenace said:
Well I think you will be really happy, fyi movies on this screen are especially brilliant, I mean WOW!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I constantly watch movies, play games, and torrent just about everything in the world :laugh:. Thats the whole reason I'm going with the Note 3. I'm tired of lugging a tablet around to the Car Detailers, Work, When I'm at my sons school waiting for him, doctors office (only if my wife is there so I can stash it away in her purse), anywhere that I have down time pretty much lol
munnarg said:
I'm considering returning mine before the 14 day window is up, especially if a root solution isn't found soon (AT&T). I think I'll end up waiting for the Nexus to be released and then decide which I'd rather have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you come from a note 2? I never root my phones, I used to....used custom roms...but every single time that something really cool was happening and I needed the camera or just anything really the Fu*&ing phone would freeze and or not work and need a restart. Just gave up on custom, now I just disable the crap I dont use and press on LOL
SgtGoldy said:
I constantly watch movies, play games, and torrent just about everything in the world :laugh:. Thats the whole reason I'm going with the Note 3. I'm tired of lugging a tablet around to the Car Detailers, Work, When I'm at my sons school waiting for him, doctors office (only if my wife is there so I can stash it away in her purse), anywhere that I have down time pretty much lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cant tell any difference on Netflix, however high resolution movies that I have put on there look fantastic. I too torrent just about everything, the Utorrent app and pirate bay browser work quite well on it, just fyi.
I came from a VZ Note 2. I am on T-Mobile now for the Note 3. I just received my second Note 3 today, and the build quality far surpasses the first one I received. No gaps between the bezel and screen, plus the home button isn't super loose. This one was for another family member, but after seeing the discrepancies, I called T-Mo for a replacement for my first Note 3. That one should be here Tuesday. For the price I think Samsung should have some better QC. I hope I get lucky with the replacement or I'm keeping this well built Note 3 I got today, I paid for it...
Note 2 was excellent, but I am bored with it. Pure and simple. I use my phone a ton and it is always with me. If I am going to splurge on one thing, it might as well be my phone.
I got my N3 yesterday and have spent a full day setting it up exactly like my N2 it's replacing. I'm a heavy productivity user and actually buy Note's for all their s/w features. I have 131 apps installed on my device and have about 10 push(ish) syncs going at all times. I'm kind of a power user.
The N3 runs circles around the N2 in every conceivable way. I'll post a full comparison in the N2 vs. N3 thread after I've used the N3 for a few days the way I previously used the N2.
Here's some early observations:
You can use S Voice while the phone's locked. So with the phone sitting on my desk I can have it open the dialer, e-mail, messaging, or contacts by voice so it's ready to use when I pick it up.
Bluetooth audio output is friggin amazing. The N2 was significantly better than my ex-One X but the N3's separation, clarity, and depth played over my high-end(ish) car audio system is so superior as to make it seem as if I was listening to "mono" audio before.
The capacitive buttons working with the stylus is almost worth the price of the upgrade. And the N3 is the first device I've ever used that finally allows you to use voice commands (Google Now, S Voice) while connected via A2DP. I have no idea why it was so hard previously but that and 100% interface control with the stylus is enough for me never to look back at the N2.
The multiple page lock screens are pretty cool too. It's amazing how much you can control and access without having to unlock the phone.
Going from the N3's display back to the N2 makes the latter's look downright cloudy and dingy. Auto brightness on the N3 is significantly brighter than the N2's as is max brightness. Reading the display in bright sun is a joy. It helps that Samsung finally moved away from black and teal for their stock apps.
Battery life is impressive; far better than the N2's and charging speed is remarkable.
The rectangular shape with a flat textured back makes it so much easier to hold; especially in landscape. And the speaker everyone's been *****ing about is plenty loud and even louder than the N2's in certain situations because being bottom (vs. rear) mounted ensures it won't be covered up if you lay it flat or hold it in your left hand vertically or right hand horizontally. The N2 feels a generation behind the N3 physically when you move back to it from the N3. The N3 feels like a serious mobile device where the "designed by nature" ovoid shape of N2 seems a bit tired in comparison. But obviously that' subjective.
There's no discernible lag even with all the crap I have loaded on my N3 where the N2 stuttered occasionally (not its fault; mine).
To each their own but I'm pretty shocked at how much more advanced the N3 is over the N2 in pretty much every area I care about. My Gear arrives Monday so I’ll have even more kit to play with.
As for people like OP, I don't know what to say. I think people have different expectations based on how much they use their device to accomplish. To plays some games, browse, listen to music, and update social it doesn't really matter what high-end device you use because they'll all be competemt. I use my devices hard and can't imagine anything coming close to the N3. And I loved my N2 and said the same thing about it but it's totally eclipsed by the N3.
Came from Sprint Note 2. Um... Not really a big difference. BUT.... I like new gadgets. If I didn't feel as if I had to have the N3 I would have stuck with the note 2. Very expensive phone and accessories make it hard to stomach..I agree.
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk 2
I ended up selling mine and getting the HTC Butterfly S. Overall I didn't care for touchwiz and it's hardware button layout. I just really wasn't feeling the phone. I'm back using my Nexus 4 until my Butterfly arrives and I still prefer the N4 over my time with the Note 3. I think I will stay clear of all future Samsung devices.
Ehh to each it's own. I'm coming from a note 2 and a iPhone 5s, so I'm literally in love with this thing.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk 4

10.1.2014 versus Sony Xperia Tab Z

I've seen lots of discussion comparing with the various iPads, but not much discussion on the Sony Xperia. I was pretty much sold on the Note originally as I LOVE my S3 phone, but I must admit I do see the reason behind all the negative Samsung reactions in terms of bloatware. Man do they put a bunch of junk on there! Luckily I have my S3 rooted and have successfully turned off bunches of bloat, and the phone is now massively faster . . . . . even on the stock ROM.
The more I play with the Xperia and read the reviews, the more I like it. The biggest 2 drawbacks in comparison are (1) lower screen resolution and (2) no S-pen. Neither one of those are deal brakers for me, but they do factor into the overall decision.
So, I know I'll get lots of pro-Samsung comments given the forum I'm in, but I'd like some honest feedback. Has anyone had lots of time with both tabs that can give some user level insight as to which way they would recommend? I have no doubt both are quality devices. Just trying to make a smart spend with my hard earned $. :fingers-crossed:
Thanks in advance.
~Vol
P.S. The new Kindle HDX is sneaking into the discussion, too. It has a *whopper* of a set of specs at a great price point. Root and install a well-built custom ROM, and maybe it kills all of them??
Vol4Ever said:
I've seen lots of discussion comparing with the various iPads, but not much discussion on the Sony Xperia. I was pretty much sold on the Note originally as I LOVE my S3 phone, but I must admit I do see the reason behind all the negative Samsung reactions in terms of bloatware. Man do they put a bunch of junk on there! Luckily I have my S3 rooted and have successfully turned off bunches of bloat, and the phone is now massively faster . . . . . even on the stock ROM.
The more I play with the Xperia and read the reviews, the more I like it. The biggest 2 drawbacks in comparison are (1) lower screen resolution and (2) no S-pen. Neither one of those are deal brakers for me, but they do factor into the overall decision.
So, I know I'll get lots of pro-Samsung comments given the forum I'm in, but I'd like some honest feedback. Has anyone had lots of time with both tabs that can give some user level insight as to which way they would recommend? I have no doubt both are quality devices. Just trying to make a smart spend with my hard earned $. :fingers-crossed:
Thanks in advance.
~Vol
P.S. The new Kindle HDX is sneaking into the discussion, too. It has a *whopper* of a set of specs at a great price point. Root and install a well-built custom ROM, and maybe it kills all of them??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love the resolution and feel of the 10.1 2014 but hate lack of root (0x0) and the physical button. S-Pen is a must for me or I would probably just go with the upcoming Nexus 10 refresh.
I really just wanted to say.....GO VOLS
Are you saying root and custom Roms won't be possible on the 2014? THAT would be a deal breaker for sure! Haven't looked much at the N10, but I guess I should. When is refresh product due out?
And on the Big Orange, I firmly believe Butch is the man to get it done. Our true freshmen have shown some "sparks" here and there. Just don't have the exp or conditioning to bring it for 60 solid minutes. I remain big time optimistic we are finally headed back up. Goodness knows we mist definitely bottomed out over the last few seasons. Wow.
ckelly33 said:
I love the resolution and feel of the 10.1 2014 but hate lack of root (0x0) and the physical button. S-Pen is a must for me or I would probably just go with the upcoming Nexus 10 refresh.
I really just wanted to say.....GO VOLS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what refresh? as far as i know nothing has been announced and rumors say there wont be another 10 inch nexus this year
The Xperia Tab Z was my first choice was as I have an Xperia Z1 phone, however I ended up returning the XTZ after a couple of days and getting the new Note 10.1.
The biggest issue with the XTZ for me was the video playback quality. When viewing 1080p movies it seemed to be dropping frames, and as well Netflix and Youtube playback was no where close to my iPad. I didn't want a situation where I was only able to use the tablet for some things and then had to go back to using my iPad for watching movies or reading ebooks. There is also the issue of the Bravia engine on the XTZ which seemed to be putting too much contrast and sharpening into all of the videos and images. I can understand why they are using Bravia as it does give the illusion of a slightly higher resolution display, but it's no where near iPad quality.
The XTZ is a great tablet though, and if the Note 10.1 didn't exist it would be the Android king without a doubt.
The best thing for me about the Note 10.1 is that it is capable of doing everything with pretty much state of the art quality. I've had a few jaw dropping moments with it where the display truly give the illusion of looking through a window. It's fantastic for video playback.
It's been a long time coming to finally get an Android tablet that matches or exceeds the iPad and I'm so far pretty thrilled with my 10.1.
30Seconds said:
It's been a long time coming to finally get an Android tablet that matches or exceeds the iPad and I'm so far pretty thrilled with my 10.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are your comments on the bloatware and all the built-in Samsung apps? Did you delete or disable a bunch of those? And I doubt I'll be doing much movie watching on the tab, but I do like to play some of the higher end games every now & then. Currently read a lot of e-books on a rooted Nook Tablet, but hoping the new device will ultimately replace that as well. And I agree that one of your obvious goals is one of mine. Use 1 tablet for pretty much everything outside of phone & texting with my S3.
I also remember now why I punted the Nexus . . . . . no SD card. That plus constantly changing connectors plus the "do it our way or not at all" mentaility is the main reason I moved away from Apple products. I used iPhones up through the 4 models, and then made the Android switch. Haven't looked back on that particular decision!
30Seconds said:
The best thing for me about the Note 10.1 is that it is capable of doing everything with pretty much state of the art quality. I've had a few jaw dropping moments with it where the display truly give the illusion of looking through a window. It's fantastic for video playback.
It's been a long time coming to finally get an Android tablet that matches or exceeds the iPad and I'm so far pretty thrilled with my 10.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Truth. The display is the best I've ever seen on a tablet. At full brightness it's absolutely incredible. The functionality of the SPen was the main draw for me with this tablet though. If you're a student or work in a setting that demands a lot of note taking then this tablet is the way to go. If I didn't need these functions, I would have waited for the new Nexus 10, which I'm sure will be superb as well. The ability to use this tablet as a virtual notebook for all of my classes made this the right choice for me though, even though it was quite expensive.
I currently own both of these tablets Samsung better screen better speakers and its faster I would go with the Samsung myself but the Sony is a nice tablet I have it running pacman ROM and it is very smooth
I am going to China on the weekend and was actually thinking of returning my samsung taking the Sony with me and then trying to find the 10.1 LTE version in Hong Kong on my way home so on a side note does anyone know how much the LTE version will cost in Hong Kong and a good place to buy it thanks
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium HD app
I loved my Z while I had it. My only complaint was that bad boy was a fingerprint magnet. I haven't yet tried a Note 10.1 2014 because there is no development for it or the Note 3.
golfinggino said:
I currently own both of these tablets Samsung better screen better speakers and its faster I would go with the Samsung myself but the Sony is a nice tablet I have it running pacman ROM and it is very smooth
I am going to China on the weekend and was actually thinking of returning my samsung taking the Sony with me and then trying to find the 10.1 LTE version in Hong Kong on my way home so on a side note does anyone know how much the LTE version will cost in Hong Kong and a good place to buy it thanks
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know, 10.1 2014 is not yet available in Hong Kong.
Vol4Ever said:
What are your comments on the bloatware and all the built-in Samsung apps? Did you delete or disable a bunch of those? And I doubt I'll be doing much movie watching on the tab, but I do like to play some of the higher end games every now & then. Currently read a lot of e-books on a rooted Nook Tablet, but hoping the new device will ultimately replace that as well. And I agree that one of your obvious goals is one of mine. Use 1 tablet for pretty much everything outside of phone & texting with my S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far all I have done is install Nova Launcher and turn down the animations to 0.5 in the developer settings. This makes it more than fast enough for me and I am not going to root or flash until we get a look at more finalized OTA firmwares. I know there are a lot of early reviewers that say this tablet lags, but since the first OTA update it has been running as quickly as one would expect it to.
I'm completely thrilled with this tablet, I can finally get rid of my IPad.
I've had the chance to own both for a while and there's pros and cons to each. The xperia was light, quick enough, NFC, DLNA, etc. Screen was good for movie watching. Expandable memory. Water proof. And it seemed less bloated although it really does have a crap load of Sony stuff on there. On the flipside, as one user said, it was a finger print magnet. It also felt extra long in portrait mode. Luckily it's a light tablet so it's not super uncomfortable but it does create a weird experience in portrait. Also, being a snapdragon s4 chipset, it's significantly slower during intense operations or even if you put a live wallpaper like ditalix live wallpaper on it.
The note has all the specs necessary, minus NFC. S pen is great just like my note 3. Screen in gorgeous. Relatively light in the hands. But again, as another user mentioned, the physical button is quite annoying in portrait mode and for a tablet so expensive, there should be no stuttering. Rooting is a fix for that though.
Although, neither was meant for portrait use, Web browsing feels more natural in portrait mode, much like the ipad. I still own both tablet, along side the ipad air. Note 10.1 2014 is my productivity beast at work and I travel with it. The xperia is my wife's favorite because she can read in the pool with it without a care, and takes it to the beach. The ipad is my favorite at home. Perfect for browsing the Web, chromecasting content, watching videos in bed, reading magazines, etc. Although, the note can do those things perfectly fine, it just doesn't have the same feel as the ipad for me when I'm in lazy mode.
Basically, if you u spend a lot of time outside with the tablet, xperia. If you need productivity first, note. If you want an all around great experience without all the bells and whistles, ipad.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
30Seconds said:
The Xperia Tab Z was my first choice was as I have an Xperia Z1 phone, however I ended up returning the XTZ after a couple of days and getting the new Note 10.1.
The biggest issue with the XTZ for me was the video playback quality. When viewing 1080p movies it seemed to be dropping frames, and as well Netflix and Youtube playback was no where close to my iPad. I didn't want a situation where I was only able to use the tablet for some things and then had to go back to using my iPad for watching movies or reading ebooks. There is also the issue of the Bravia engine on the XTZ which seemed to be putting too much contrast and sharpening into all of the videos and images. I can understand why they are using Bravia as it does give the illusion of a slightly higher resolution display, but it's no where near iPad quality.
The XTZ is a great tablet though, and if the Note 10.1 didn't exist it would be the Android king without a doubt.
The best thing for me about the Note 10.1 is that it is capable of doing everything with pretty much state of the art quality. I've had a few jaw dropping moments with it where the display truly give the illusion of looking through a window. It's fantastic for video playback.
It's been a long time coming to finally get an Android tablet that matches or exceeds the iPad and I'm so far pretty thrilled with my 10.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To echo this, I would go into Best Buy to play with the tablets all the time, coming closer and closer to pulling the trigger to purchasing but stopping. When I read the specs of this tablet, I had to bite and I've been rewarded immensely for my purchase. I've had those jaw dropping moments as well. I ask it to do so much and it's almost like it's mocking me, tackling everything I throw at it with ease.
Between the Note and the Xperia, it all comes down to the screen. The Note wins, hands down.
I do like the whole waterproof thing, and it's a touch lighter than the Note. But the large bezels really make it feel clunky and less weildy in landscape mode. Samsung's decision to trim the bezels really pays off in usability. It feels closer to the iPad in portrait mode even though it's still the same 16:10 screen.
BTW, another area where the Note wins hands down is reading comic books. It's the closest thing to the printed page. I am awed by how great comic books look on the Note, even though the pages are less resolution than the screen itself.
I was looking at buying the xperia but decided to wait for this to come out. I tried both of them in a shop and the xperia was too bezzly for me and the screen of the Note was unreal. Anyways I just got my Note about an hour ago and the screen alone makes this awesome.
I have had a Xperia Tablet Z since it was released and its very nice. My wife loves it as well. The thing that is nice is that its extremely fast and has no lag. I am very impressed with the build quality, and battery life as well. I am not a fan of the case I have on it because it is a el cheapo leather case that is not that impressive. That doesn't detract from how happy I am with this tablet.
I am going to get a Note 10.1 2014 through work in the next week or so. When that comes in, I will give my wife the Xperia since she loves it. I think the Note 10.1 is going to be better for what I do than the Xperia. I am most worried about lag or response time with this device. I am going to use Nova launcher for sure, and root the device if possible.
One area where the Note beats the Xperia hands down is remote desktop. The MS app defaults to 1280 x 800 on the Note and is very fast. It defaults to 1980 x 1200 on the Xperia and chugs along with lots of tiling with tiny touch targets. The SPen allows you to hit touch targets too small for your finger and allows you to hover over links and menus. It's a fantastic rdp implementation on the Note but almost unusable on the Xperia.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2464769

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