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Galaxy Note review

Sorry for my choppy English, I'm not a native speaker.
When we first reviewed the mighty Galaxy S II back in June, we called it the best phone ever. But when the Galaxy Note was announced in IFA this september, we thought that it will be the new best phone ever. As it turns out, it wasn’t, and here’s the explaination why.
Design
Galaxy S II already was a huge phone. 4.3” might be too much for some people (usually for iPhone users). Keeping that in mind, try to imagine what were the initial reactions when we first took a glance of Galaxy Note in our hands. An unstoppable stream of many swearwords was ended by „...how big!”. And, if we look at the competitors, there is no surprise why it feels so big – Galaxy S II, Sensation and RAZR – all of them are 4.3inchers, Dell Streak is using 5” screen, but the smallest of tablets are sporting 7 inches. After two weeks of Note usage, almost every phone looks very small.
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Image courtesy of GSMArena.com
Samsung itselves are calling this device neither a smartphone, nor a tablet – it is in a segment of its own. It is in a planet of its own. Of course, the big screen is comfy for Internet, Angry Birds or HD movies, but using this device as a, umm, phone, is a bit tricky. You see, operationing with one hand is pretty much impossible, because the finger can’t touch this. Or that. Or every corner. (Hello MC Hammer!) To reach a control, you must change your grab, and it is not only unconvienient, but a bit dangerous too, since there is a possibility to drop the device and shatter your 700$ on the floor.
Apart from that, you must forget about tweeting and messaging with one hand, because it’s impossible to reach the keys in the other side of the screen. And when I was too lazy to use both hands, I figured that using my nose to touch the controls I can’t reach is good enough. Of course, that sort of device is bought by people who know they will confront with some inconveniences like these, and they just deal with it, knowing that 5.3” screen is included in their needs (architects, IT admins etc.) And, of course, the mighty experience of browsing Internet on screen this big is absolutely magnificient.
Galaxy S II users will recognize many familiar shapes, because the front of Galaxy Note is made by a single piece of Gorilla Glass, which is covering the big screen, a home button, and two illuminated capacitive Back and Menu controls. However, the distance between them is too big, and I can’t reach them with one hand. There is Samsung logo in the top, a speaker, sensors and frontal camera. The proximity sensor leaved us with a bit of disappointment, because its job was to lock the screen down during the call, but all it did was flicker the screen.
Image courtesy of GSMArena.com
The back is more flat on the Note than it was on S II, it hasn’t got the curve that was on the bottom of S II. The back cover is made from black plastic, which, although it isn’t as rough as it was on S II, feels a bit cheap. It is very thin and light. The phone also is very thin and light. Anyway, there are lens on the top, which is companioned by LED, but on the bottom there is Samsung logo and very weak speaker.
Fortunately, the lock button is on the right, and, if you think about it, putting it on the top would be more than insane on a phone this big. On the left we find a volume rocker, which is too high, but on the top is 3.5mm jack and noise-cancelling microphone. There is S-pen stylus and microUSB on the bottom.
Design rating – 8. The design and ergonomics are very well fitted for a screen this big, and, even though it is very inappropriate to think about Note as a phone for daily usage, and it’s too small for being a tablet, as a golden compromise it’s very good.
Hardware
Even though there are many phones that have claimed its title, the mighty Galaxy S II still is the king of smartphones. Its hardware is very great and powerful, and it’s the closest definition of the word perfection. And Samsung thought: If we have such a great piece of hardware, why should we bother of making new one, if the old hasn’t been broken? Indeed, they did transplant it from S II to Note. For example, the chipset is the same (Exynos), the GPU is the same (Mali-400MP), and the ARM-Cortex A9 based dualcore processor (although it has been a tiny bit overclocked to 1.4GHz), is the same. Even though this configuration was initially launched in February, it is still one of the most powerful yet.
The device is powered by 2500 miliamperhour battery, which is huge, measuring it after phone standarts, and, once again, mediocre as a tablet battery. Assuming it is more of a phone than tablet, we will measure it after phone standarts. Even though Samsung is promising cake, magnets and unicorns with its battery life, we didn’t actually get more battery life than from a normal phone, for example, S II. That said, it is very good indeed, meaning that you’ll end up with 20% of battery life at the end of a really busy day.
As we said earlier, the front is occupied by 5.3” SuperAMOLED HD display. Of course, it’s an AMOLED, what would you expect from it to do? Indeed, it has very great and vivid colors, deep blacks and high contrast. It has 800x1280 resolution, which is very popular among laptops, not phones. Its DPI is 285, but we aren’t sure if it’s any better than Galaxy S II which has much lower DPI rates. Prepare for James May mode, because I’ll explain why.
See, SuperAMOLED Plus is better than the original SuperAMOLED, because it has RGB pixel layout instead of Pentile, which means it has the same amount of green subpixels, as it has red or blue subpixels, making it total of 12 subpixels within a pixel. However, SuperAMOLEDs are using PenTile rather than RGB, which means a lower amount of subpixels, making it a total of 9. That’s because AMOLED technology isn’t advanced enough to put enough subpixels in such high DPI, or, let’s put it the other way round, RGB AMOLED pixels are too big to make enough DPI – that’s where Pentile comes in. That’s the reason why Galaxy S II has only 217DPI.
Image courtesy of GSMArena.com
Of course, in daily usage you’ll not notice it. Only, viewed close, yes, you can say it’s PenTile. And, displaying very small text shows up all the disadvantages of PenTile. But, yes, that’s the mark against AMOLED – we hope that until the release of Galaxy S III, which, if all the rumors are true, has HD display too, Samsung will have resolved thi issue.
This phone, being a flagship, doesn’t lack everything in connection departement, and it sports WiFi b/g/n with DLNA and WiFi Direct, 3G HSPA, GPS, NFC in some regions, Bluetooth 3.0, USB-to-go and other familiar things. It has 16/32GB storage, which can be expanded with microSDHC card. It’s possible to connect the device to the big screen with MHL audiovideo cable.
The device has 8MP camera, which is the same as on Galaxy S II. Of course, it can capture HD video. Image quality is very good and you can think of it as a replacement of point-and-shoot cameras.
Hardware rating – 9. The device is very well equipped. Of course, you would demand a RGB screen, but that’s not a big deal – just a little disappointment. Everything else is just great.
Software
Note has Android 2.3.5, which is topped by Touchwiz 4.0. The device’s ROM is very well optimized and the battery consumption is handled nicely, bounding CPU frequency between 200MHz and 1.4GHz. The max frequency is used only 5% of time. Of course, this being XDA, you wouldn’t be interested too much in the stock ROM, but this is one of the best stock ROM’s I’ve ever seen.
The TouchWiz itself is very colorful and flash. Many will dislike it, but we loved it. It’s very functional and easy to use, and, because of the big screen, it has been made possible to put 5x5 icons/widgets on desktop or menu.
Software rating – 10. TouchWiz 4.0 is great, the ROM is optimized very nicely, and it’s a very nice gesture from Samsung to have the bootloader unlocked.
To buy or not to buy...
Amazon has put Note’s price circa 700 dollars.... I would say – not to. Of course, if you aren’t the sort of person who especially wants a big screen – then, and only then – Note is a great buy. But, if you are a normal bloke who wants a great phone with a big screen, you wouldn’t want more than Galaxy S II. It has the same hardware, but a smaller screen, which would be more comfortable in everyday usage. It also is cheaper, more popular and with a better screen (SuperAMOLED+). If you want something smaller than Note but bigger than the pack, you should take look at HTC Titan/Sensation XL, but, because it is more expensive than it’s really worth, and, has the specs of 2010, we wouldn’t recommend it either. That’s the conclusion – if you want a Galaxy S II on steroids, buy Note, but if you are fine with the S II, why should you not take it in the first place?
+ Huge screen
+ Great performance
+ Nice camera
+ Android 2.3.5 + TouchWiz 4.0
+ S-Pen stylus
- Cheap plastics
- Price is too high
- Too huge screen
- Pentile ruins the party
CTRL.lv rating – [9/12]
(Galaxy S II had 11/12)

wow great review! although the note is beautiful, i though the screen might be a little too big, as well.

Thank you!

Thanks for the review. I have added it to the note review sticky. So no need to keep this thread open now.
Thread Closed​

[DEBATE] What do you want to see in the next Galaxy S IV?

Since apparently the S IV is only a few months away...
I thought it would be a good idea to start this thread, about the expectations and demands of the public.
Would you like the next Galaxy S to retain it's current size? Or would you like it smaller or bigger?
Do you care for a faster processor or more ram? Or is the current generation already an overkill?
Would you like to see a new shape and new materials used in the SGS4?

same screen size (4.8" with oled)
exynos 5250
2gb ram
13megapx samsung camera
2500mah battery
hdmi+micro usb ports (without need hdmi-microusb adapter)
software up to date

wo-hoo! ( in Texas it would be a Yeehaw !) & wha-haha!
well to be honest, on my side i will keep my S3 at least 16-18 months from now, or at least until that rumored Galaxy S IV will become way cheaper than the initial release price
and that - because my S3 serves me damn well so far
Period
PS :screen with OLED only and not super AMOLED?

EdgaBimbam said:
same screen size (4.8" with oled)
exynos 5250
2gb ram
13megapx samsung camera
2500mah battery
hdmi+micro usb ports (without need hdmi-microusb adapter)
software up to date
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This, and Samsung need to ditch Touchwiz (I mean the whole GUI, not just the launcher). It's not doing them any favours now.
Pure Android would be much better, much cleaner and modern. More likely to tempt the "should I get a Samsung because the iPhone 5 is so dull?" crowd.

Flexible display
3day battery
must comply with some military standards for being dust, water and shock resistant
and should not have a considerable delay to get os update

sjgore said:
This, and Samsung need to ditch Touchwiz (I mean the whole GUI, not just the launcher). It's not doing them any favours now.
Pure Android would be much better, much cleaner and modern. More likely to tempt the "should I get a Samsung because the iPhone 5 is so dull?" crowd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeh because touchwizz is making quad core cpu and 2gb rams joke. TW isnt well optimized+not so much features. I would be inlove if samsung would use something like apex launcher with all those features.

EdgaBimbam said:
same screen size (4.8" with oled)
exynos 5250
2gb ram
13megapx samsung camera
2500mah battery
hdmi+micro usb ports (without need hdmi-microusb adapter)
software up to date
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This plus :
Full HD Super Amoled+
SD card support
Removable battery
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

1. 4.8 is ideal. If I want bigger, I can still buy Note series...I do not want any phone bigger as that...
2. I want all the things which SGS3 already has plus more RAM, better proc, better resolution screen and a lot better battery live somewhere near the battery live of my old Nokia 3310 LoL
3. Should be cheaper LoL ...the €599 price tag for the SGS3 pre-order (I bought it with pre-order) back then in June hurts...
4. Dedicated micro-HDMI port...not via MHL or something else...
5. Throw away TouchWiz!

I'm going to keep my S3 until the new 2013 Nexus phone comes I reckon so I'm not too fussed about the S4.
Just as long as Samsung keeps the two main reasons why I bought an S3 over a One X:
1. microSD card slot (love that my phone has 80GB of storage)
2. removable battery/large battery capacity
All the S4 really needs is amazing screen, amazing battery life and amazing storage option with a CPU and GPU to match. It's mostly the software side that I want to see more of a difference. Less Touchwiz, more Vanilla but still retain some of those useful Samsung motion features and improve upon them. More implementation of NFC sharing capabilities and a big push of touch payments by courting banks and organisations like VISA.

IMHO, Samsung knows the current size is maximum. When they say 5 inch screen, they may think of zero bezel frame so the whole size does not change or may be smaller.
I wish they keep the s3 goodies such as notification light, ext sd, removable batt, etc.
The case should be upgraded to ceramic. Yea.
Exinos 5250 or 5450 would be great.
True world phone please so we can use any carrier in the world with this s4 one device!
Bigger battery is always welcome. I hope they use the latest battery tech. so the size remains yet the capacity is doubled.
I believe the S4 will be a real monster. I feel that Samsung is determined to piss off apple with this.
Sent from my GT-N7000

Holographic capabilities - I want a virtual stripper .
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

I'd like to see them just copy the current iPhone design, they'll get accused of it anyway.
That way we can have a decent phone with a massive selection of covers and accessories!

Wish there will be a better casing ceramic not plastic but knowing samsung it will be plastic..also battery life is great on samsung devices (although i flashed li7 and it is poor but whatever) faster cpu wont be necessary as well as gpu but ram should be increased.. notification light is welcome as well but idk what should i buy next year hopefully u will try some htc phone or even nokia windows phone..
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

I would also like a much more professional feeling weight/texture/material to the case. And please, show a MF to Apple and give us a more rectangular sleek design - not the oval soft edged design of the S3. I want my S4 to even 'look' cutting edge!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I hate the Touch Wiz UI as well.
Whatever happened to that report long time back about Samsung hiring CyanogenMod founder, Steve Kondik??
Didn't that report come out sometime around Aug last year?
I stopped following that story after a while so sorry if I missed out on any big news about it after.
Can that be the big secret coming out with the S4?

More battery
ram 2gb
Screen not bigger than this
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

I want bigger battery, more ram, and OLED. Nothing else. Though i wont get S4, because I'm on 2 year contract.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

Better build quality.
For other things i dont care, samsung will do everything like it should...

Good built quality. Like WAVE - I.
And more ram,
Please don't increase screen size anymore.

Bigger capacity battery, more important thing is unique body frame like Moto, HTC & Nokia.
Nothing to say except above two features.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

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I seriously want it to look like this w/o the stylus of course.

Should I get the SGS2 or the HTC One S?

I have a chance to grab any of these phones for $99 on a $20 plan.
The HTC One S has a dual core snapdragon S4 processor running at 1.5ghz and I am a fan of HTC.
But its near impossible to find this phone at any retailer
Sent from my HTC Desire C using xda app-developers app

if your a fan of htc, go for it.
One S is still fairly newer so expect more updates than the GS2
GS2 has an micro SD card slot ( One S doesn't so limited internal memory for One S )
Both phones are good, go for what feels best for you.

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HTC one S is what you will get.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

Thanks for the reply and for the reminder about no sdcard! Does anyone know which display is better?
Sent from my HTC Desire C using xda app-developers app

MrToastedAndroid said:
Thanks for the reply and for the reminder about no sdcard! Does anyone know which display is better?
Sent from my HTC Desire C using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
one s shuld have a better display and resoloution.. But s2's super amoled plus screen is not bad either

As a previous owner of 3 HTC smartphones (2 of them flagships), and a current owner of an S2, I'd advise you to stay away from them and go for the S2. HTCs are plagued with issues, both hardware and software. Also, expandable storage is a bonus and the option to add a bigger battery to the S2 is great. The only advantage of the One S is the higher resolution of the screen but don't be fooled, the One S had an amoled screen with a pen-tile matrix while the S2 has a full RGB matrix. Even though on paper the HTC's resolution is better, there is not a dramatic difference in real life.

Get one s instead
Feels better in hand, not so slippy thought as s2.
Touchwiz is deadly boring thing when compared to sense 4.
Even on ics 4.0.4 one s feels little more fluid in graphics and more responsive than s2 on leaked official jellybean.
Have not tried one s running custom roms like cm10, but s2 gives me little dissapointment on custom rooms, most of them are broken due lack of full hardware acc/ project butter support.
Hovewer if you need micro sd support, extended replaceable battery, standart slot for sim cards, S2 may be good choice over one s too
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

The S4 1,5 Ghz Krait processor in One S is paired in performance with SIII's quad, being net supperior to SII (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C661Tdorbl0 )
One S S4 has already received JB update with Sense 4+, SII still waiting.
BUT,
SII has a better screen (IMHO), has removable battery cover and a card slot of max 32 Gb. This means that you can buy a second battery for extra "stamina", or replace it if the original one gives signs of old age (prolonging the life of an S2) and extand the memory to a total of 12 GB (internal usable) + 32 GB = 44 GB :good:. Last, but not least, SII has an overall better community support as well as other small things such as accessories (you'll always easily find accessories for S2 with much more alternatives...hands-free, cases, bumpers, screen protectors, battery covers, batteries, etc).
To sum up:
If you upgrade your phone for a long period (one year or so) I would recomand SII. If you plan to change the phone in the next months, than you can go with HTC.
This is my opinion, take it as it is.

I have SGS2 and my gf HTC one S and I like both phones a lot but htc is way smoother
So if price is the same htc all the way

AW: Should I get the SGS2 or the HTC One S?
I would not get the One S, like all HTC phones there are many manufacturing errors, my Desire HD died after 6 months of usage, also HTC Support is ****, my battery Cover broke after a week and they promised me to send a new one, but it never arived.
Sent from my Galaxy S2 with Tapatalk

Okay, let me brush you through the disadvantages or limitations of the S2:
- Regardless of the ROM you use, there will always be some lag when you open the contacts app for the first time (or whenever it gets killed)
- There is a delay of 1 second when you wake the device from standby.
- Certain people (like me), have issues with screen quality (black crush, bad color temperature, yellow tint, greenish greys, linen looking texture on grey backgrounds at low brightness).
-The S2's screen is 32bit, but Android doesn't use that color depth... So you will see color banding on almost every gradient background. (if you don't know what color banding is, you should google it...) I think the Mali 400 GPU also has something to do with this. Somebody correct me on this one.
- The S2 uses a Yamaha audio chip.This is a downgrade from its predecessor's Wolfson audio chip. The Yamaha chip is outright horrid. Forget about punchy bass and that wow factor. If you enable bass boost or make any EQ modification which increases bass, you will hear horrible distortion and speaker clipping. But loudspeaker performance is great.
- The camera modules (only rear camera) on certain S2's (like mine) are defective. There is stuttering while recording videos which have dark/light lighting (extremes).
Also, there is a pink spot in the center of all photos which are having grey or white colors. (This particular issue is faced by each and every S2 regardless of the camera module, if people deny it... they just aren't as observant.
- The battery life of the S2 is mediocre (not for me). Users complain that the S2 doesn't last them even 24 hours. (I'm in a different boat for this one)
Although the battery drains super fast while gaming or leaving the display on auto brightness.
However, you can always get a larger capacity battery which will make your S2 thicker. And uglier. And heavier. OK you got it.
- You will not receive updates on time, but you'll at least get updates. Due to the pending lawsuit with Apple, Samsung is silently disabling/changing certain features. (I shall not talk about these here, as its a vast and debatable topic)
Some of these issues that I have mentioned here can be fixed or camouflaged by either getting a replacement S2 or by rooting and flashing custom mods or ROMs.
Bottom line: There are several advantages of the S2 which the other users will tell you about, but I feel that the S2 shouldn't be on your list. Either get the One S or get something even better that has no or lesser issues and will last for a while.
Cheers.
EDIT:- I forgot to tell you about these issues:
- eMMc brick-bug issue, which means that if you root and use clockworkmod recovery to wipe the device, it will never wake up again. (i haven't had this issue)
- The screen burn-in issue which is there on all AMOLED phones.
- There is no notification LED.
- There is a delay when you press the home button. (can be fixed)
That's all.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

Also the S2 has got a replaceable battery.

Odp: Should I get the SGS2 or the HTC One S?
Sgs 2 on JB leak can use 64gb sdxc cards

zachwyt said:
Sgs 2 on JB leak can use 64gb sdxc cards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Higher resolution, beautiful industrial design, faster processor (significantly so) and most importantly Samsung have nothing to do with it. Why would you even consider the SII over the One S?
Ive since moved from the SII to greener pastures but owning the SII was one of the most frustrating expereicnes ive had with any item of technology (bar its predecessor, the Wave) in recent years .

Did not expect this many replies. The community that supports this phone is amazing. So a lot of posts tell me S2 is the way to go.
I really don't need a massive amount of storage (all my Top Gear episodes and Pimp my Ride series are on my 320GB PS3 Slim) but the pain of downloading a show, say a formula 1 race onto a computer then transferring the huge file on the One S is tedious then if you download the formula 1 race directly onto the sdcard then play it off the phone.
Screen size is not an issue, the pentile matrix on the One S doesn't really matter to me because I'm writing this on a device that has a VGA resolution. Higher density also is not a big deal, and since the screen is basically the same-even in size, it doesn't matter.
I do listen to music and I can tell that beats audio is a huge waste of money, and it's showing up everywhere, from laptops to a 2013 Chrysler 300C! I don't know what HTC was smoking when they decided to dump money into things that don't make any difference. I never knew about the audio chip set. I always thought that it was part of the motherboard! Shows how little I know about these things.
Camera is not an issue since I am no means a photographer and have no interest of that subject. I don't mind the SGS2's pink camera syndrome. Also, I did read in a review of the HTC One S that the display was better calibrated than the normal SAMOLED display.
I do miss the notification LED from my beloved BlackBerry 8520 and the HTC Wildfire S. It is not nesscary because the two capacitive buttons cam light up when I get a notification using root access and an app from the play store. And the notification LED on the HTC One S is barely noticeable.
So far with HTC I had no quality control issues, my sister who now has the wildfire s is careless to say the least and drops it everywhere. But it still works fine! I always get cases for everything, and I don't make any device of mine to fall 5 stories and expect it to work.
I want stock 4.0 and up look. I don't like manufacturer overlays like Sense or Touchwiz. So people tell me to root and recovery and cyanogenmod. But as with any device, all cyanogenmod ROMS have issues. I am not familiar with the issues on cm10 for this device, but development for cm10.1 for the htc one s has no working Camera whatsoever.
I do not want to upgrade again for around 2-3 years so as someone said, the SGS2 has more development than the One S but as long as there is cyanogenmod or paranoid android I will be happy. The one s seems future proof since HTC didn't release any info of its next flagship phones but you never know.
Again, thank all the posters for the advice on what to get.
Sent from my HTC Desire C using xda app-developers app

I also forgot I am in no means Bear Grylls meang someone who takes their phone with them for a 2 month trip climbing Mount Everest and expects their phone to last for the trip (exaggeration lol )
I do not need a replaceable battery, however having that feature is nice. I remember the LG Rumour2 and LG Xenon had the same battery and I always swapped them out when I needed more juice. Funny story: back in the day I was moving and didn't have access to power for the most part, so I used the car battery to charge but I had to keep the engine running so the battery doesn't die and the alternator does all the work. Leaving the engine idiling made it overheat since the car was pretty old (1990 Honda accord) and we had to wait at our old house until the engine cooled with the last bits from the old house. Sitting down for 2 hours is not fun. So after that I always try to charge my battery on all my devices so I don't need to worry.

I am a previous owner of HTC Sensation XE, had to give it up, my s2's screen has tint but service guys won't replace it, Sensation had same screen and I'd prefer that over S2's, rest, S2 has lots of issues, that guy mentioned Em in detail ^^
One S is the way to go.
Edit: One S will have less buggy CM Roms and Sense isn't that bad
Edit 2: Just checked One S forum, Go for S2 if you want stock Android , I'm leaving it soon though.
Sent from my Galaxy S2 using XDA Premium app!

I think a good device for your would be the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Right now, you can get one for relatively cheap, from 200-260 the device is a steal. You won't be needing to worry about it becoming obsolete for another 2 years, as it is still supported by Google and has a huge developer base community. And the best thing is...... AOSP ROMS will always be bug free and stable, due to sources from Google. It comes with 16 GB of storage like the One S, but has a replaceable battery. Did I also forget to mention that the Nexus has an HD screen? I understand that it to is AMOLED, but it doesn't seem to have as many issues as the Galaxy S2. I used to have a G- Nexus, but sold it due to a display issue. Don't get me wrong, I bought the device second hand, so don't think that all Nexus phones have issues. In my short time with the Nexus, it beats the S2 or performs equally in general use, to gaming, to browsing due to properly implemented Project Butter. If I hadn't got my S2 for 150 brand new, I would have bought another Nexus. Hope this helps!

I don't like the Galaxy Nexus because I'm outside for long periods of time on weekdays and my friend complained about the screen being too dark in sunlight. The One s and galaxy s2 screen is brighter.
Also, I cannot get that phone for $99 on a $20 plan.
Sent from my HTC Desire C using xda app-developers app

[SPECS] Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Specifications

Hey all
Here is a thread to discuss the general specifications and design of the S6 Edge. Anybody planning on picking one of these up over the standard S6?
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Specifications:
Display - Super AMOLED, 5.1 inches, 1440 x 2560 pixels (~576 ppi pixel density)
Chipset - Exynos 7420
CPU - Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57
GPU - Mali-T760
RAM - 3 GB
Memory - 32/64/128 GB
Camera - 16 MP, 3456 x 4608 pixels, optical image stabilization, autofocus, LED flash
Secondary Camera - 5 MP
Sensors - Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, gesture, heart rate
Connectivity - Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth v4.1
Battery - 2600 mAh - Non removable
Dimensions - 142.1 x 70.1 x 7 mm
Weight - 132 g
Color Availability - White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum, Green Emerald​
Source: gsmarena

i am interested, but
probably won't buy it because
1- 5.1 inch screen if only it was 5.5
2- 3gb of ram i think it need 4 to compete
3- the camera that stood out of the device too much
4- there is no micro sd

I was interested too, but now that I see that the casing looks about identical to iphone 6 plus. Its mind boggling how a multimillion dollar company cant come up with their own ideas.

abogrhen said:
i am interested, but
probably won't buy it because
1- 5.1 inch screen if only it was 5.5
2- 3gb of ram i think it need 4 to compete
3- the camera that stood out of the device too much
4- there is no micro sd
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. its a phone not a phablet
2. compete with what?
3. case fixes that
4. 128gb on board storage not enough for you?

DSA said:
1. its a phone not a phablet
2. compete with what?
3. case fixes that
4. 128gb on board storage not enough for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. 5.5 does not make it a phablet, I wouldnt call the LG g3 a phablet. I just prefer that size
2. Your right top end phone are coming with only 3gb
3. Your right again, but for some I prefer a nude phone
4. No 128 is not enough anymore.
Not trolling, Just my opinion

1) I would consider 5.5 going into the Phablet area. Not that 5.5 would be bad, I just don't think this phone is trying to compete in that market. I'm sure the new Note will do that.
2) I was expecting 4 as well. All top phones are coming with 3. Just there way of cutting costs and leaving room for the next phone.
3) I PREFER a nude phone... but never do it out of plain fear. it's not even that I'm afraid of dropping it. I'm afraid of things in my pocket scratching it.
4) This is what is making me want to drop Samsung and go to HTC. I can live without a replaceable battery. I mean those portable battery chargers are cheaper than a batter and I have a few. I find it hard to give up the SD slot. @DSA - I agree that 128gb is enough storage for most. Honestly, 64gb is probably enough for me. For me though it's not the size, it's the functionality. Fight now, for every phone I've had, I've just popped out my MicroSD card, put it into the new phone and I was done. All my music, all my pictures, everything was there and ready. What if you drop your phone in water and it dies. I mean, total death, doesn't turn on at all. Before, you pull your MicroSD card out and all your date is still OK. Now, if your phone is dead, your data is gone. Who is backing up 128gigs to the cloud? With the lack of unlimited data, who wants to anyway. I don't want my pictures on the cloud.
So yea, the only killer for me is the SD card. Once again, it's not a size issue, it's just a functionality issue.
Another interesting thing with these phones... has anyone heard anything about a Developers edition coming out?

the_rooter said:
I was interested too, but now that I see that the casing looks about identical to iphone 6 plus. Its mind boggling how a multimillion dollar company cant come up with their own ideas.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considering the current iPhone generation was "inspired" by HTC's M7/M8 you could easily argue that Apple is having trouble coming up with their own ideas. Sure the double curved edges are utterly useless and diminish the S6's ergonomics but at least the design is unique.

I must say 5.1 " is the minimum i go for. I take the phone in a close look as my extension of contract approaches and i need something new to play. I will wait till i hold it in my hands before i decide. The rounded edges really looking nice on photos.

S6 wateroroof
Every phone I Destroy is because it is not waterproof.
are all of the openings for Water around the edge ? Then some good quality tape may make it waterproof ? comment's Please Roland

Do we know yet if it will have Googles always listening? I know it's not for everyone, but it should be an option.

abogrhen said:
i am interested, but
probably won't buy it because
1- 5.1 inch screen if only it was 5.5
2- 3gb of ram i think it need 4 to compete
3- the camera that stood out of the device too much
4- there is no micro sd
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want a 5.5" phone you should be looking at the Note line, this is not a phablet.
How is 3GB not enough? What other phone has more?
The camera has stood out for a while, most people uses cases so it won't be a big deal.
True, but many of us don't need more than 128GB of storage on a phone.
the_rooter said:
I was interested too, but now that I see that the casing looks about identical to iphone 6 plus. Its mind boggling how a multimillion dollar company cant come up with their own ideas.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only the bottom edge looks like an iPhone 6, what else looks like it?
rroland said:
Every phone I Destroy is because it is not waterproof.
are all of the openings for Water around the edge ? Then some good quality tape may make it waterproof ? comment's Please Roland
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you should buy a Casio G'Zone and put it in a Lifeproof case.

geoff5093 said:
If you want a 5.5" phone you should be looking at the Note line, this is not a phablet.
How is 3GB not enough? What other phone has more?
The camera has stood out for a while, most people uses cases so it won't be a big deal.
True, but many of us don't need more than 128GB of storage on a phone.
Only the bottom edge looks like an iPhone 6, what else looks like it?
Sounds like you should buy a Casio G'Zone and put it in a Lifeproof case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The whole phone but the button. That's a Samsung in a iPhone.

the_rooter said:
The whole phone but the button. That's a Samsung in a iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The iPhone doesn't have a glass back, the front doesn't look remotely the same, especially the edge, I think people see the bottom with very similar design that mocks the bands of the iPhone and immediately say the phone copies the iPhone.

geoff5093 said:
The iPhone doesn't have a glass back, the front doesn't look remotely the same, especially the edge, I think people see the bottom with very similar design that mocks the bands of the iPhone and immediately say the phone copies the iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The older phones did. Your in denial if you don't see it. Samsung steals from Apple and Apple steals from Samsung. All these visual casing specs screams iPhone. The bottom half is the iPhone 6+, the glass back is the older iPhone. Lack of expandable SD screams apple. Shall I continue? Samsung sees how apple sells off crap and they are doing the same thing. I see 3 different versions of an IPhone in that pic. The only difference is the name Samsung is on the back. That's it.

the_rooter said:
The older phones did. Your in denial if you don't see it. Samsung steals from Apple and Apple steals from Samsung. All these visual casing specs screams iPhone. The bottom half is the iPhone 6+, the glass back is the older iPhone. Lack of expandable SD screams apple. Shall I continue? Samsung sees how apple sells off crap and they are doing the same thing. I see 3 different versions of an IPhone in that pic. The only difference is the name Samsung is on the back. That's it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you consider older phones, like the 4 year old iPhone 4, you are going to find similarities... There are only so many different designs that a rectangular device can have.

geoff5093 said:
If you consider older phones, like the 4 year old iPhone 4, you are going to find similarities... There are only so many different designs that a rectangular device can have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look everyone it's a samapple. Besides the main button in the front this looks 100% like the Samsung Galaxy 6. The 6 edge has curved edges. So take this same phone and curve the edges u get the op phone. Have a good night

it is enough to me I can't wait

I posted this on another thread but would like to add that the Chinese are going to smoke this phone. The new Lenovo's are just as good looking and better value and Meizu (with a cool $500m+ from Alibaba) will prove it. They already have a phone of similar dimensions and specs with a bigger screen. Here's my original post:
I'm having a hard time understanding what these phones offer for the price. I don't want or need Qhd. 1080p is perfect for me. I've not even looked at the M9 yet but I've read up on the S6. It's a great looking phone but my first problem is the Edge screen itself. How do you protect it? I don't care if it's Gorilla Glass 3 or 4, it will shatter. Simple. Samsung have essentially raised the screen above the bezels, so how do you protect it? The so called functionality of the Edge notifications is 'ho hum' in my opinion. My Nubia Z7 Max has that built into it's user optional split screen function with a standard screen. I love the looks, the new chip technology and many other things about the Edge but I'm simply not going to pay twice as much for 'innovations' that don't really have any advantage over phones that cost half the price.

It's obvious that 99% ranting have no technical background and can't see why Samsung did what they did and how it has set them so far apart from any other phone.
They kept the SD card and removable battery till technology caught up to the point where those 2 are not needed.
Battery = wireless charging + super fast charging when plugged in
SD card = bottleneck that has been removed. Now you can take 3 pictures in RAW format. A single picture is 25 MB. 3 pictures taken in RAW format saved in 1 second = 75mb. Using a SD card you'll be waiting and complaining Samsung software is slow when it is the SD card.
Storage is now super fast while everyone is stuck using last years slow storage.
In house processor that is faster than what is in any other phone.
Camera that out performs the iPhone
RAM that is faster than last years.
You'll be able to do more things at once on the phone without any slow downs.
You'll be able to install programs quicker. Open the camera quicker.
Themes so you don't have to look at the default touchwiz.
Comes with 115gb of cloud storage. Throw your pictures and videos into the cloud them move them to your computer / delete them when your done and have more room on your device.
This device is going to be the phone to be in 2015 and beyond since most companies will be asking Samsung for their products to put in inside their phones just to compete with the S6 and S7.

specs
does anyone have the radio bandwidths for the s6 edge? can't seem to find it anywhere

Asus Zenfone 2 Review USA Spec 4gb/64gb version

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In this review i am looking at Asus’s flagship phone for 2015 the Zenfone 2 complete with 64gb of storage and 4gb ram (most in any phone to date). As a flagship it is going up against some stiff competition such as the Galaxy S 6, the LG G4, and the One M9. With the specs Asus’s top version of this phone boasts it fits well into that crowd but there are areas that they did need to “skimp” on in order to reach that magical $299 unlocked price. There is a lower spec’d version of the Zenfone 2 for $199 unlocked but it does come with a slightly slower processor and 2gb of ram. We shall be focusing on the higher end one here.
Look & Feel​
As you can see from the pictures i was able to grab the red version of the phone. i’m a huge fan of red so any phone released with a red option already gets a bit of an edge in my mind but i won’t let that come into my decision here. I do like that they left the front of the device all black so all you can see in the front is the small chrome speaker grill, chrome Asus logo and the hardware keys. I think it looks rather tastefully done and it does have the premium look that many seem to want these days.
The back of the phone is plastic but they do a good job hiding that a bit with a “metallic” finish with a bit of texture that help in keeping a grip on what is a large phone. It is not a fingerprint magnet by any means. In my opinion it feels even a little better in hand then last years LG G3 even is the Zenfone 2 is a bit taller thanks to those hardware keys. I personally am not a fan of these but many are...all comes down to your taste. Taking more design cues from LG the Zenfone 2 has its volume rocker is on the back. They did opt to put the power button in my opinion the worst spot on such a large phone... Dead center on the top of the device. Not only that... It's also quite "mushy" giving little to no tactical response to let you know you actually pressed it. The Zenfone 2 does have double tap to wake and sleep function as well but it did not work as intended to me all of the time.
The device’s dimensions are 152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 mm (6.00 x 3.04 x 0.43 in) and weighs in at 170g (6.00 oz) It is a bit thick but the sides slim down to 3.5mm which make it much nicer to hold. What i will say is where the front glass on the phone meets the small “chin” below the hardware keys there is a very noticeable sharp lip. Not enough to hurt but enough to become annoying in my short time with the phone. Overall it’s a well designed phone and for the price.
Under the Hood​Under the back cover you will find a micro SD card slot for up to 128GB of expandable storage and 2...count them 2 sim card slots. This is a bit strange to have in a phone in north america but very common in other areas of the world. I did test this out and switching between phone numbers was easy enough but only sim slot 1 can handle 3g and LTE. The second slot is only for 2G and Phone calls. Inside you will also find a 3000mAh battery but this is not user removable which is a bit of a shame but that’s the way most phones seem to be going. Do note that this phone comes with Intel’s version of quick charge and the $299 version of the phone comes with a high amp quick charger. It does work with all chargers with Qualcomm’s Quickcharge 2.0 spec as well.
User Interface​The Zenfone 2 comes out of the box running Android 5.0 Lollipop which is nice to see. I did receive an OTA right after turning on the device but the version number stayed at 5.0. Everyone is now waiting on phones to get 5.1 but Asus am an interested to see how up to date they keep their not flagship. I will say that this phone as the most “bloatware” I have ever seen on an unlocked device. Even comes running Cleanmaster out of the box...classy. Asus is nice enough to let you uninstall much of it but for the review I wanted to keep most of it intact. I did uninstall Cleanmaster as it was just too annoying to deal with. I do however like that almost all of the phones apps live in the Play Store and can be updated without having to wait for a full firmware update. Nice moves.
Over all Asus stuck to the material design aspects of Lollipop with its revamped ZenUI. The menus are in list view and are easy to navigate. The notifications pulldown is close to stock with few differences but the quick toggles have been completely re-skinned and are customizable. I actually like the way this works and give you a quick brightness slider and access to some of the tools you may use most often on your device.
The only part of the UI i really have a problem with is the one you see most often...the launcher. To get into Google Now you must long press the home button then swipe up... not the most intuitive or the best implementation of this feature. There is also no google now hotword support built into the launcher. It took me about a day to install the Google Now Launcher and all is well.
Performance​ One word can describe the performance of this device...Fast! With 4gb of ram to work with i would expect nothing less. Couple that with the Intel Atom Z3580 clocked at 2.3GHz (Intel Atom Z3560 1.8 GHz in the 2gb version) and this thing is a screamer. I have had Zero slowdowns or stutters since i started playing with it and that is also after loading it up with all of my personal apps and having all of my accounts syncing all of the time. Pretty great!
On the graphics and video handling of this device it was again very good. Running the PowerVR G6430 (same as the iPhone 5s) it has no problems playing some of the most intense games. Its pushing a 1080P screen so not as many pixels as many of the other 2015 flagships. I do not run benchmarks on my phones but can tell you that you will not be disappointed.
Display​ The phone boasts a 72% screen to body ratio which is not too shabby. It comes with a 5.5 inch 1080p IPS display which come out to be 402ppi and to my eyes it is perfectly adequate. Images look sharp and its 3 built in screen modes. Comes set on the balance mode out of the box but has a Reading to cool things down and a Vivid mode which really makes colors pop like on the GS6, even a mode to let the user make their own settings. I left mine on balanced. Where the display does not do well is with readability outdoors. It does not get bright enough to overcome even an overcast day. At the same time does not get dark enough when trying to watch a video or read a website in pitch blackness...my eyes did feel strained. The display is just fine but it is clearly one of the areas that Asus had to give a little to keep the price down.
Camera​ In the press and at the US launch event this is the one area Asus spent the most time talking about. Asus is very proud of this camera and they should be...it is quite good. Lets start out front where the Zenfone 2 is rocking a 5 Mega-Pixel, Fix Focus, Wide View, camera with Asus’s PixelMaster tech. It takes decent selfies and has many modes to help you tweak them to your liking. Out back is a 13 Mega-Pixel camera with Asus’s PixelMaster tech. While the mega-pixel count may seem low for a flagship phone today it actually takes some good shots. In good lighting it did very well. It does not has the optical image stabilization of some of the more expensive phones but it even does well in dim to low light situations. Not the greatest camera but one the best i have seen at this price point for sure.
Battery Life​ One of the most important specs in any mobile device and I am happy to report that the Zenfone 2 delivers in the battery life department. I an not easy on my phones battery. I have all of my social media as well as 4 google accounts and 8 other email accounts constantly updating in the background. While testing i kept the phone on auto brightness. With its 3000mAh cell I was always able to through a whole day with some to spare. As mentioned before it does not have a removable battery but the quick charging is definitely a plus if you have really been hammering on it for a few hours.
In Conclusion​ Asus really wants to make it clear that they are coming to play. The Zenfone 2 delivers in many areas and ticks all the right boxes for what most would want out of a flagship level device. With that said even though Asus is comparing this phone to the likes of the GS6, I am much more comfortable comparing it to the 2014 flagship phones from all of its competitors. The GS5, the LG G3, the HTC One M9, let’s even throw the Oneplus One in there… all still cost more when purchased new and unlocked then the Zenfone 2 at $299 for the top model. I think that is the biggest win here for Asus. Lets not forget that it starts at just $199 unlocked! That is what most flagships smartphone cost for their lowest spec model on contract.

Just a couple notes --- you can reach Google now by holding down the home button for a moment and swiping up. Discovered this through serendipity [emoji14]
And it's odd how everyone talks about the screen being hard to see in sunlight, since I have absolutely no trouble seeing it in direct sunlight with my transition glasses. I must have weird eyes or something [emoji14]

jerflash said:
The only part of the UI i really have a problem with is the one you see most often...the launcher. With no swipe up from home to reach google now you are relegated to using Asus’s google search widget. There is also no google now hotword support built into the launcher. It took me about a day to install the Google Now Launcher and all is well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can pull up to Google Now from the home button. Press the capacitive home for a second and Google Now icon shows up. Just slide finger to it once it does. And from Google Now, you can set the 'OK Google' keyword to be used from any screen.

richard_rsp said:
You can pull up to Google Now from the home button. Press the capacitive home for a second and Google Now icon shows up. Just slide finger to it once it does. And from Google Now, you can set the 'OK Google' keyword to be used from any screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey thanks for the tip i did not come across that at all while using it. still not very intuitive or the best implimentation

TOT_tomdora said:
Just a couple notes --- you can reach Google now by holding down the home button for a moment and swiping up. Discovered this through serendipity [emoji14]
And it's odd how everyone talks about the screen being hard to see in sunlight, since I have absolutely no trouble seeing it in direct sunlight with my transition glasses. I must have weird eyes or something [emoji14]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those are some special glasses lol

Interesting! I use transition lens myself and this is good news! Still waiting for my phone to arrive though. ?
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