pro 8.4 Teardown - Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2, 10.1, 8.4 General

So I was bored today and decided to poke around the guts of my US tab pro 8.4 and after pulling the back off low and behold but despite popular belief the battery is not soldered. It is replaceable. Currently I'm looking at the WiFi deciding if I want to try to rig something up to fix this infernal thing.

conan1600 said:
So I was bored today and decided to poke around the guts of my US tab pro 8.4 and after pulling the back off low and behold but despite popular belief the battery is not soldered. It is replaceable. Currently I'm looking at the WiFi deciding if I want to try to rig something up to fix this infernal thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you explain how you took off the back cover? I'm having battery issues with mine...

Ok so I have found a source of everyone's wifi Signal problem. Samsung used a cheap ribbon wifi antenna attached to the tablet back? It is on the lower left corner if your holding it in portrait. It is the single smallest and worst connected ribon wifi strip I have ever seen. Samsung cheaped out in a huge way on this and we are paying the price. Currently I am contemplating how I want to use to fix their mess.

I'm very curious about your explorations. Keep us up updated! I'd love to fix the weak wifi signal and possibly upgrade the battery later at some point.
I'd also like to know how big a deal it was to take the back off. I looked into doing the same but felt like I was going to break it.
Sent from my SM-T320 using Tapatalk

Do a youtube video on the teardown, or at least post pic's
Sent from the Galaxy TabPro 8.4 aboard the StarShip Enterprise

Well after a long day of playing around i managed to accomplish getting around the signal drop by using a peice of conductive metal tape as a carfully cut strip going down the speaker and across the battery. Works good. Till I played some more and broke my stupid wire connection. Now ima have to call samsung and see if they even sell the part which I doubt lol. Playing with the wifi antenna of a broken galaxy note 10.1 atm but it doesnt want to play nice. Still the conductive tape works well. If you dont break your tablet lol. I may do pics tomorrow

Sounds good, good luck on fixing the antenna, I'm sure there's parts for it. That's stuff is pretty universal
Sent from the Galaxy TabPro 8.4 aboard the StarShip Enterprise

Here are some photos of the internals on the sm t320 I took apart
To disassemble the sm t320 I sinply used a prize tool around the screen edge. You can watch a video tutorial teardown of the note 10.1 2014. Same process
Sent from my SM-T320 using xda app-developers app

This is the tiny wifi antenna on the lower left of the tab pro 8.4 in portrait mode. I believe this is the cause of most of the signal woes on this tablet. It connects to a wifi board simply by pressure contact and it is not made of quality materials to give good range

This is 8.4 tiny wifi antenna card. After modifying this card several times in repeated attempts to get better and better signal I busted the contact of of this card. This called me no end of aggravation and it took me almost 10 hours to come up with hey new solutions so that I could get wifi signal again. I had to modify the chassis and use a note 10.1 wifi card in my galaxy Tab Pro 8.4. My signal is now as good as it ever was but no better due to the impedance of this card. I did succeed in boosting signal on the original but I got greedy. In the process of trying to figure out the part number of this board so I can order a new one. If you look closely you will see the contact for the wifi antenna that is attached to the inside of the back cover

It's a little blurry but I can see it,
Sent from the Galaxy TabPro 8.4 aboard the StarShip Enterprise

The sm t320 battery is replaceable, not soldered like some have said.

If you can while it's apart, provide some quality detailed pics of the placements of the tabs holding the back on. And the best place to start disassembly.
Would also like to see your fix for improving the signal
Thanks for all your work, it really helps alot
Sent from the Galaxy TabPro 8.4 aboard the StarShip Enterprise

They need to make a bigger battery. Battery life is good, but could be better.

I agree, I took back off yesterday and checking things out, needs higher may then what it has.
I thinking of doing a disassembly video for youtube, just not sure when I'll have the time.
Sent from the Galaxy TabPro 8.4 aboard the StarShip Enterprise

conan1600 said:
Here are some photos of the internals on the sm t320 I took apart
To disassemble the sm t320 I sinply used a prize tool around the screen edge. You can watch a video tutorial teardown of the note 10.1 2014. Same process
Sent from my SM-T320 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the bezel stick on to the screen or back cover?
10.1 2014 has the bezel stick on the back cover. Tab pro 8.4 seems the bezel stick on the lcd.
Please CMIIW..

droidan said:
Does the bezel stick on to the screen or back cover?
10.1 2014 has the bezel stick on the back cover. Tab pro 8.4 seems the bezel stick on the lcd.
Please CMIIW..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Watch a disassembly video of the note 10.1 2014. Same thing

When taking back off mine (8.4) I started at the sdcard location, which made it easier.
Just remember to be careful not to plunge tool into device to far and also to not break holding clips off.
Sent from my SM-T320 using Tapatalk

Does it look like there are pins to connect a qi inductive charging receiver? With the battery life being a concern, it would be nice to be able to use a charging mat to top off.
Sent from my SM-T320 using XDA Free mobile app

Not sure I didn't do much, except to remove the back. As far as the receiver goes, I guess anything is possible if you have the knowledge.
Sent from my SM-T320 using Tapatalk

Related

>>> Build Quality - The Good, Bad, Ugly <<<

Good : Well i love the new tablet and in hand its light and a pleasure to use, the Plastic back is nice in hand and not slippery and visually this tablet is great. But ...........
Bad and Ugly : Here's my issue with the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
What is happening and i can see this being a big problem down the road of use is that when i hold the Tab with my left hand in portrait with the dock connector on my palm of the left hand, the thin piece of the housing is getting bent and pulled away from the glass and over time i see this getting stretched out. i think Samsung should have built the aluminum edging more webbing in the glass to keep that delicate piece from being so flexible and flimsy.
Anyone else having/noticing this issue or any other flaws, defects ????
Here's a few pics of what i am mentioning :
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/204/img0528y.jpg
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/34/img0529ze.jpg
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/854/img0534n.jpg
Damn, and here I was pondering returning my Transformer for a better build quality Samsung. Shootz!
I still may do it though since I never use portrait mode and for the most part it will be on a stand, but still, it sucks to see that.
You must have a 10.1v
I have the Google i/o edition and the side looks different than your with regard to the placement of those round hole covers on either side in relation to the curve.
I think that on the i/o (hopefully it will be the same as the 10.1) it has resolved that issue. I am trying to hold it as you are mentioning and I see no movement whatsoever. even if i try to pry at it, it is super solid.
is your a 10.1v?
R
^^ No mines the 10.1
H0CKEY said:
^^ No mines the 10.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same as the previous poster my LE from I/O does not look like that either. So what 10.1 do you have?
cosimoss said:
Same as the previous poster my LE from I/O does not look like that either. So what 10.1 do you have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mines from San Fran USA - Dev Conference , its the white back Limited Edition
Everyone needs to specify details regarding there unit if they have one. It is clear that the limited edition/early release galaxy tabs are not identically the same as the one yet to be released.
thats really strange, your tablet looks way different than mine which also came from the recent i/o event.
picture attached...
it would seem there were multiple version of the same device if you have the limited edition white backed then...
anyone else? which do you have?
R
im trying to re-create your picture to make sure its not an optical illusion, but your bottom half of the silver bezel looks so angular/curved compared to mine which as you can see from the picture above is much less curved. Espeically noticeable with the small round hole covers on either end of the connector, mine are not very curves, yours seemvery curved and angular.
???
R
three weeks left and still so many questions and so little definitive answers! oh the humanity
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
RTessi said:
thats really strange, your tablet looks way different than mine which also came from the recent i/o event.
picture attached...
it would seem there were multiple version of the same device if you have the limited edition white backed then...
anyone else? which do you have?
R
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No mine looks the same from that angle , here's a pic
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/84/img0535cj.jpg/
I don't understand - are you using it while something is plugged into the dock connector, or is just from normal use? Maybe you are just holding it wrong?
normal use , i take very good care of my toys hahaha
And no i don't have it plugged in when using it
if you hold it left handed its normal i find that the palm and strong of the thumb seem to put stress on the thin strip of aluminum and slightly pulls it away from the glass since on mine the thin strip is not any thicker under the glass as what i can see visually. so its seems to be a weak point of the aluminum bezel
Bummer i wonder if a port plug would help.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
I am not experiencing that same problem, but the glass in one of the corners does appear to be pealing up. Link below. Hoping that this is as far as it raises, but who knows... I talked to the Samsung guy at Google I/O and had my first device replaced for a similar issue I noticed there, and he said this first batch was made by hand in a bit of a rush so that they would be available for us googlers. I expect that the automated and machine driven build process for the production units will have more consistent quality.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/854/imag0206a.jpg/
brianwilcox said:
I am not experiencing that same problem, but the glass in one of the corners does appear to be pealing up. Link below. Hoping that this is as far as it raises, but who knows... I talked to the Samsung guy at Google I/O and had my first device replaced for a similar issue I noticed there, and he said this first batch was made by hand in a bit of a rush so that they would be available for us googlers. I expect that the automated and machine driven build process for the production units will have more consistent quality.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/854/imag0206a.jpg/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Harsh that looks bad. I think the quality of the aluminum bezel is to thin and over time with alot of use our holding styles will cause these kind of issues.
H0CKEY said:
Harsh that looks bad. I think the quality of the aluminum bezel is to thin and over time with alot of use our holding styles will cause these kind of issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just got off the phone with Samsung about this issue. They will allow me to send the unit to them for repair/replacement. Im just a little worried about going through the whole process only to find that they will send me back a unit with similar or worse build quality issues... Anyone else noticing problems with the screen raising up? Might just stick with what I have for fear of winding up with an even worse unit. Really was starting to fall in love with this thing.
brianwilcox said:
Just got off the phone with Samsung about this issue. They will allow me to send the unit to them for repair/replacement. Im just a little worried about going through the whole process only to find that they will send me back a unit with similar or worse build quality issues... Anyone else noticing problems with the screen raising up? Might just stick with what I have for fear of winding up with an even worse unit. Really was starting to fall in love with this thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm getting the same thing. Mine was this way out of the box at the conference, and with the plastic back pulling back, it looked like the tablet was warped. I popped it back into place and it looked good so I didn't say anything to anyone at the conference about it. I probably should have though, because now the screen is separating from the housing again in those two corners.
I stupidly threw away the blue card they gave at I/O that had the contact info for Samsung, who did you talk to about getting it repaired?
Not exactly getting a warm fuzzy feeling from this thread. I pre-ordered online. Starting to think I might want to cancel that and just wait for it at Best Buy, if even the Samsung tablets are having build quality issues.
Oh no. I was afraid these reports would begin to surface on the 10.1. Some of these issues described Ive seen in the 10.1v as well, although my biggest gripe with these is the severe backlight bleeding. I have now exchanged this device with Vodafone AU twice and seen a total of 6 units and all have had backlight bleeding and inconsistent build quality.
With the first unit I received both right corners of the screen were popping out over the bezel a little. I believed it to be a problem with the adhesive used, because if you were to put pressure on the corner it would hold for a second then release, and you could hear the "sticky" sound as the adhesive separated.
All the units I've sampled though have had really shocking problems with backlight bleeding/leakage. If you're someone who planned to watch movies on this tablet in dimly lit rooms, you could find this distracting. I do. Its a shame really because I otherwise like the quality of the display, and both 10.1 models are nicely designed and nice to hold. In a lot of ways I prefer the feel of the 10.1v over the iPad 2. Too bad though that the build quality is questionable across the range of what is now 3 different variants of the 10.1 that Samsung has produced. What's the deal Samy?!
I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet but most likely I'll return this 10.1v to Vodafail for a refund and wait it out for the 8.9. Perhaps I'll have better luck then?
Sent from my GT-P7100 using XDA Premium App

Back In The Note Club.....

Long story short - sold my Note about 2 weeks ago in anticipation of the Nexus. After some reading of reviews on the Nexus, and working off my Atrix in the interim, I quickly began missing the speed and display. I just don't think the Nexus screen is going to do it for me after the Note.
Just got my shiny new Note this morning and I am again satisfied. It's going to take quite a piece of technology to top this. Either way, I have a Nexus on the way as well so I can have both in front of me and compare a few days each. We will see.
One of my issues with the Note was that it seemed quite cumbersome handling it on the road. This time around I am equipped with the Samsung flip cover, and it provides a better grip to the phone - I think.
I did the same. Bought it, returned it and went back to my matrix, missed it and bought it again. I can't go backb o a small device again.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
randypurcz said:
Long story short - sold my Note about 2 weeks ago in anticipation of the Nexus. After some reading of reviews on the Nexus, and working off my Atrix in the interim, I quickly began missing the speed and display. I just don't think the Nexus screen is going to do it for me after the Note.
Just got my shiny new Note this morning and I am again satisfied. It's going to take quite a piece of technology to top this. Either way, I have a Nexus on the way as well so I can have both in front of me and compare a few days each. We will see.
One of my issues with the Note was that it seemed quite cumbersome handling it on the road. This time around I am equipped with the Samsung flip cover, and it provides a better grip to the phone - I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol its hard going back hu
Sent from my GT-P1000 using xda premium
welcome back..

Debating to purchase the tf300. Just sold my Prime can't bear the wifi issue.

I was researching which tablet to buy next. I did purchased the Samsung galaxy tab 2 7.0, but is returning that one too. So far the tf300 has the best Spec for your buck.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
Mine is excellent so far. I wanted the tab 2 7" but they were out so I bought this. Excellent tablet.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk 2
Love my transformer pad, great battery life as it lasts almost a day and a half on a single charge. Just waiting for a replacement keyboard dock and I'm all set.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
I had a transformer Prime but could not stand the Wifi issues either. Any more than 15ft from my router and the wifi signal was horrible. I ended up returning it and getting the 300. I am much happier now. Wifi is great and fast anywhere in my house, bottom and top floors. The biggest concern I had was the screen difference. For me the screen on the 300 is plenty bright and colors are crisp. I actually only have brightness around 25% because all of my use is indoors. The Prime's IPS+ screen would melt your retinas on + mode, but I never actually used it. All in all I am extremely happy now with my tablet.
I am going back to the Prime, the screen, haptic feedback, and better camera with flash and longer battery life are worth it to me.
You can use IPS+ and turn the brightness down, the colors will be better and the images are certainly sharper on the Prime. I just feel that this tablet won't hold up, especially around the power port, that little plastic edge is going to break off, just feel how weak it is, also if you look really close it is slightly bent downward where they shove the gasket in because the plastic isnt stiff enough to stop that from happening.
I had a Transformer prime for two weeks before the screen cracked for no reason. Until that point I loved the device apart from the fact that I had to practically sit on top of my router to get WiFi. When the screen broke I returned the tablet to Amazon for a full refund.
Three days ago I bought a TF300T and have not regretted this choice from the moment I turned it on after 16 hours of charging the battery.
Instead of sitting on the router to get onto the net, I can now go into the garden which is well over 80ft from the router and still have full WiFi coverage.
I can also still see the screen in daylight, so I can't see the fuss of the super dooper Prime screen. And as for not having a flash for the camera?
Come on people, its a computer and that is why I own a dSLR with some sexy lenses.
Ho and the battery life, is considerably better than the prime. I got almost two days messing around before the tablet got its first full re-charge today.
All in all for £100 less, I get a plastic case, no flash for a camera that I'm hardly going to use and a screen brightness which won't be tested all that often as I live in a cloudy country, a battery that is exceeding my best expectations and best of all I have superb WiFi reception.
What more can I ask for?
Ready2Mosh said:
I am going back to the Prime, the screen, haptic feedback, and better camera with flash and longer battery life are worth it to me.
You can use IPS+ and turn the brightness down, the colors will be better and the images are certainly sharper on the Prime. I just feel that this tablet won't hold up, especially around the power port, that little plastic edge is going to break off, just feel how weak it is, also if you look really close it is slightly bent downward where they shove the gasket in because the plastic isnt stiff enough to stop that from happening.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Prime rules. my wifi is great
@the lemming
Great review! If the red or white should release before the infinity I would definitely order a unit.
safarigirl said:
@the lemming
Great review! If the red or white should release before the infinity I would definitely order a unit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Girls!!! Lol.
the lemming said:
I had a Transformer prime for two weeks before the screen cracked for no reason. Until that point I loved the device apart from the fact that I had to practically sit on top of my router to get WiFi. When the screen broke I returned the tablet to Amazon for a full refund.
Three days ago I bought a TF300T and have not regretted this choice from the moment I turned it on after 16 hours of charging the battery.
Instead of sitting on the router to get onto the net, I can now go into the garden which is well over 80ft from the router and still have full WiFi coverage.
I can also still see the screen in daylight, so I can't see the fuss of the super dooper Prime screen. And as for not having a flash for the camera?
Come on people, its a computer and that is why I own a dSLR with some sexy lenses.
Ho and the battery life, is considerably better than the prime. I got almost two days messing around before the tablet got its first full re-charge today.
All in all for £100 less, I get a plastic case, no flash for a camera that I'm hardly going to use and a screen brightness which won't be tested all that often as I live in a cloudy country, a battery that is exceeding my best expectations and best of all I have superb WiFi reception.
What more can I ask for?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the battery supposed to go down while the tablet is located and WiFi is on? I think mine went significantly....
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using XDA
Returned my Prime for the TF300 and so far has exceeded my expectations...The dock works excellent and i seriously don't know why complain about the screen..I run it at 20%-25% and i see it really well..
apart from the EXCELLENT wifi signal and range, the "working" Bluetooth is a ++++ over the prime as I use my Dr Dre wireless for music and it works great without any skipping issues which the prime had..
*yawn*

[Q] S4 vs Note 2

I already got 2 S4 coming, but question is, I keep reading around in different threads that maybe the Note 2 is a better device than the S4, a few people who've already got their S4 are saying that the S4 does not compare to the Note 2, my wife wanted the note 2, and I talked her out of it....man I am in deep shi$ if she gets wind of any of this....and she reads a few areas here in xda...I smell the dog house coming
Throw out a few opinions...PLEASE! save me
TheAxman said:
I already got 2 S4 coming, but question is, I keep reading around in different threads that maybe the Note 2 is a better device than the S4, a few people who've already got their S4 are saying that the S4 does not compare to the Note 2, my wife wanted the note 2, and I talked her out of it....man I am in deep shi$ if she gets wind of any of this....and she reads a few areas here in xda...I smell the dog house coming
Throw out a few opinions...PLEASE! save me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have never used a S4 (I do own a Note 2) and based on specs alone the S4 wins (full hd display with almost twice the pixel density and dual quad core processors). Good news is, if your wife really wants a Note 2 you should be able to easily sell your S4, buy a Note 2 and pocket a few hundred bucks.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
JB910 said:
I have never used a S4 (I do own a Note 2) and based on specs alone the S4 wins (full hd display with almost twice the pixel density and dual quad core processors). Good news is, if your wife really wants a Note 2 you should be able to easily sell your S4, buy a Note 2 and pocket a few hundred bucks.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for that advice, spec wise is what I sold her on, but there a few people out there bashing the S4.
I am going to keep her out of the forums until she gets the S4 in her hand, she has a note 1 now.
My wife has a note 2 and the only thing to be envious about is battery life. After using the s4 for a week or two now, I'm always taken back on the screen quality of the note 2. It's no where near as good as the s4. Same goes for ergonomics, camera and so on. You made the right choice, don't listen to trolls and ask yourself, if the note 2 is so much better, why are their fan base posing in the s4 section?
Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 2
robstunner said:
My wife has a note 2 and the only thing to be envious about is battery life. After using the s4 for a week or two now, I'm always taken back on the screen quality of the note 2. It's no where near as good as the s4. Same goes for ergonomics, camera and so on. You made the right choice, don't listen to trolls and ask yourself, if the note 2 is so much better, why are their fan base posing in the s4 section?
Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once the S4 gets some stable custom roms out with custom kernels I am sure the S4's battery life issues will be a non factor. I run Jedi Master 13 with Saberkernel 23 on my Note 2 and the speed and battery life of the rom blows the Note 2 stock rom out of the water. You are right, people are just trolling. Based on the S4s specs it is a superior phone.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Thanks guys, I kinda knew the G4 had better graphics, on the battery side, the Note gets her some serious time. I think I made the right choice, seen a few posts where some of the G4 users are selling them off now. wow. Don't remember, but I think this issue came up when the G3 was released also. man, I can not wait till I have that phone.
thanks, much appreciated!!!!
TheAxman said:
Thanks guys, I kinda knew the G4 had better graphics, on the battery side, the Note gets her some serious time. I think I made the right choice, seen a few posts where some of the G4 users are selling them off now. wow. Don't remember, but I think this issue came up when the G3 was released also. man, I can not wait till I have that phone.
thanks, much appreciated!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really, only get the Note if you need the s-pen features and plan to actually, you know, take notes on the thing. Otherwise, go for the newest shiny.
burhanistan said:
Really, only get the Note if you need the s-pen features and plan to actually, you know, take notes on the thing. Otherwise, go for the newest shiny.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly what my wife and I discovered. She came from the LG Lollipop to the Note2, and she was ecstatic about this thing, even though she "hated touchscreen phones" (mostly due to her experiences a long time ago with the Motorola Backflip, and the HTC Pure ... I don't blame her). She loves the Note2 because of the huge screen and low DPI (yet the picture is very clear and sharp at 720p) - excellent for texting and navigating around. She has no problems with a touchscreen now! Oh, and the camera is pretty good on the Note2 as well, with a snappy shutter time and extras like slo-mo video and such.
When she saw my S4, she was actually somewhat jealous! We've been comparing the devices side-by-side for a couple weeks now, and we've determined that the S4 is overall a much better phone. The primary exclusion to this statement is that the Note2 has the S-Pen, which is a really, really nice feature - for those who really use it. She uses it rarely to doodle or take some notes when she doesn't feel like dealing with the onscreen keyboard, so it would not be a huge loss for her if it were gone.
The sacrifice of .5in of diagonal screen space is noticeable by comparison, but the 5" screen the S4 has will still outshine nearly any other smartphone - especially at 1080p.
Lastly, I will comment on the covers. We purchased the official Samsung flip cover for her device, primarily because it was too difficult to find a third-party cheap-knockoff that actually included the NFC antenna. They exist now, but they were hard to come by when we were shopping. At least the S4 doesn't include the NFC antenna as part of the battery cover. >_<
I purchased the S-View cover at the nearest corporate AT&T store (30mi away or so in the next town) because I wanted it on Day-One (I had my phone on Day-Negative-One, and I was eager to buy the silly cover). After shelling out $60, I drove home with the shiny S-View cover, and I once again made my wife jealous. While she'll admit that the S-View window is a tad gimmicky, she both finds it "really cool!" and actually kinda useful for every-day use.
So, just as burhanistan stated: if you have a great need for the awesome S-Pen that the Note2 provides, buy it. Otherwise, the S4 certainly competes to be the best phone ever created to-date (IMHO).
She has been reading this thread at work, the pen she said is a plus, I think I got her leaning toward the G4, you guys are helping a bunch. I like the idea of the earlier reply, sell the G4 if she is not happy, get her the note 2 and save some $$$.
Or just keep it, and pass it on to some devs to help out with the rom progress, that would be my contribution to the cause.
This seriously is helping, cause she is seeing it from other people who have the phone and have been using it already.
Thanks
Aou said:
That's exactly what my wife and I discovered. She came from the LG Lollipop to the Note2, and she was ecstatic about this thing, even though she "hated touchscreen phones" (mostly due to her experiences a long time ago with the Motorola Backflip, and the HTC Pure ... I don't blame her). She loves the Note2 because of the huge screen and low DPI (yet the picture is very clear and sharp at 720p) - excellent for texting and navigating around. She has no problems with a touchscreen now! Oh, and the camera is pretty good on the Note2 as well, with a snappy shutter time and extras like slo-mo video and such.
When she saw my S4, she was actually somewhat jealous! We've been comparing the devices side-by-side for a couple weeks now, and we've determined that the S4 is overall a much better phone. The primary exclusion to this statement is that the Note2 has the S-Pen, which is a really, really nice feature - for those who really use it. She uses it rarely to doodle or take some notes when she doesn't feel like dealing with the onscreen keyboard, so it would not be a huge loss for her if it were gone.
The sacrifice of .5in of diagonal screen space is noticeable by comparison, but the 5" screen the S4 has will still outshine nearly any other smartphone - especially at 1080p.
Lastly, I will comment on the covers. We purchased the official Samsung flip cover for her device, primarily because it was too difficult to find a third-party cheap-knockoff that actually included the NFC antenna. They exist now, but they were hard to come by when we were shopping. At least the S4 doesn't include the NFC antenna as part of the battery cover. >_<
I purchased the S-View cover at the nearest corporate AT&T store (30mi away or so in the next town) because I wanted it on Day-One (I had my phone on Day-Negative-One, and I was eager to buy the silly cover). After shelling out $60, I drove home with the shiny S-View cover, and I once again made my wife jealous. While she'll admit that the S-View window is a tad gimmicky, she both finds it "really cool!" and actually kinda useful for every-day use.
So, just as burhanistan stated: if you have a great need for the awesome S-Pen that the Note2 provides, buy it. Otherwise, the S4 certainly competes to be the best phone ever created to-date (IMHO).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have a pic or a link to the cover?
I had both but returned my S4 & switched back to my GN2 since I'm changing carriers. At first it was hard to get use to since I was so use to the GN2.
I rarely use the spen but the big screen & not having to charge every night with the GN2 is awesome.
I was getting about 20-22hrs w/ 5-7hrs screen time with my S4.
I do admit being able to use the phone with one hand is cool but typing was a little awkward since I'm so use to typing with 2 hands on my GN2.
Now that I'm back to my GN2, I'm not sure if I want to get the S4 when the 32gb for TMO comes out but knowing my habit of always wanting the latest gadgets, I'll probably do get it. Lol.
-Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II using Tapatalk 2
TheAxman said:
You have a pic or a link to the cover?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This YouTube video shows it in action, but I think it's French or something (dun car, not English). Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8mQOrk2DBg
Here' my experience with the S-View cover:
If you do not have a password/pattern/number lock on your lock screen (simply set to swipe-to-unlock), just opening the S-View cover will turn on and unlock the device. You open it, and it's ready-to-use immediately.
Closing the lid will lock the device for the most part, and for the next 10 seconds or so, it will show the time and notification icons (and battery/signal/etc) through the little window. After 10 seconds, the device shuts off. You can power it back on like this with the power button, but it doesn't unlock it until you open it again.
The window itself appears to be made of glass. It's fairly nice - I was half expecting it to be crappy plastic. If it's not glass, it's really nice plastic.
You can answer or decline incoming calls through the glass when it rings with a swipe of a little round icon one way or the other. Pretty neat, but if you have the touch sensitivity all the way down, you might have a slight trouble using this feature. I haven't tried it since the OTA update, so they may have improved that!
You can hang up an existing call in a similar fashion.
The flip cover itself needs some time to "break in". When you first put it on, it will not lay flat onto the glass of your phone without some convincing, or being held in place by your pocket. After enough use, or a day or two, it gets much better. Don't think the cover is defective from this, it's just too tight in the "hinge" at first, but will loosen up with use.
Occasionally, if I have the cover flipped backwards for long periods, it somewhat emulates the same effect as the above point. It will shy away from the screen for a brief while, and then return to normal. I suspect after several more weeks, this will go away entirely at this rate.
One thing that I really do like about this cover: Because it replaces the battery cover of your phone, it adds virtually no bulk to the phone. It is very slightly thicker, and I can tell you that I appreciate it for one reason: The normal battery cover is inset, such that the camera lens sticks out the furthest, and when placing the device on a flat surface, it rests on the edge of the camera lens. On the S-View flip cover, the new back sticks out just a hair past the camera lens, so it no longer rests on the camera anymore. I take a lot of pictures, so I like to keep my camera lens immaculate.
The glass window will get rather dirty, especially if you shove the phone against a greasy head. Not a big deal, just use a microfiber cloth once in a while and some screen cleaner to get it shiny again.
The normal covers have no window, and so when you open it all the way (flipped around backwards), you can't use the rear-facing camera! With the S-View cover, it lines up such that you can use the camera straight through the glass on the cover. A nice touch, really. Because I take a lot of close-up shots and other detailed pictures, I choose not to flip the cover all the way around, because sometimes the window is dirty. So I just flip it downwards or whatnot.
The flip cover, even when purchased through AT&T, does not have AT&T's logo on the back, like the normal battery cover. I like it that way better. Even better: the front shows "Galaxy S4" near the bottom, and makes it a lot easier to show that you have a really, really cool phone.
I hope this all helps if debating whether to drop $60 on the S-View cover or not. Generics are starting to become available, but I don't know anything about the quality, etc.
---------- Post added at 12:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:30 PM ----------
RMXO said:
I had both but returned my S4 & switched back to my GN2 since I'm changing carriers. At first it was hard to get use to since I was so use to the GN2.
I rarely use the spen but the big screen & not having to charge every night with the GN2 is awesome.
I was getting about 20-22hrs w/ 5-7hrs screen time with my S4.
I do admit being able to use the phone with one hand is cool but typing was a little awkward since I'm so use to typing with 2 hands on my GN2.
Now that I'm back to my GN2, I'm not sure if I want to get the S4 when the 32gb for TMO comes out but knowing my habit of always wanting the latest gadgets, I'll probably do get it. Lol.
-Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't mention battery at all, but you bring up a point. The Note2 has excellent battery life, there's no doubt about that. The S4 has "good" battery life in my experience, especially coming from the S2. People are saying that battery life has improved with the OTA update recently, but I haven't had a good chance to test that out. Freezing bloatware has really been a big help to increasing the battery life, regardless.
My S4 easily lasts the day, and can last two days with moderate/intermittent usage. I think the OTA update may have improved the battery life significantly, but I will have to test this out over the next couple days. Also, keeping it on Wi-Fi where available seems to be the best way to conserve battery life in my area.
Went from the note 2 to s4 pre update, ui fluidity was the only issue. I addressed it with nova launcher and the options in the developers setting, which made the ui very fast. Update addresses that issue and everything else on the s4 is better and my battery life is very comparable. I get 20+ hours with 4+ hours of screen time easily and I'm sure it will increase with roms and kernels.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
porkaysi said:
Went from the note 2 to s4 pre update, ui fluidity was the only issue. I addressed it with nova launcher and the options in the developers setting, which made the ui very fast. Update addresses that issue and everything else on the s4 is better and my battery life is very comparable. I get 20+ hours with 4+ hours of screen time easily and I'm sure it will increase with roms and kernels.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I needed this one....
I had the Note 2 for a week before I traded it for the S4. They are both awesome devices, but imo the S4 was the right choice for me. Much easier to carry it in your pocket. Battery life not as good, but that was expected. Cant go wrong either way. Go to the store and play with them both.
qbanlinxx said:
I had the Note 2 for a week before I traded it for the S4. They are both awesome devices, but imo the S4 was the right choice for me. Much easier to carry it in your pocket. Battery life not as good, but that was expected. Cant go wrong either way. Go to the store and play with them both.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
funny you said that.. we just got back from the mall...saw them both....the wife agreed on the S4...so I am safe..for now....she will be ok when it arrives Monday. thanks...I showed her a few of the posts here...thanks to you all....very good imput.
TheAxman said:
funny you said that.. we just got back from the mall...saw them both....the wife agreed on the S4...so I am safe..for now....she will be ok when it arrives Monday. thanks...I showed her a few of the posts here...thanks to you all....very good imput.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
She made a wise choice, I have a Note 2 and would gladly trade it for a S4. I don't even use my Spen, I got it last September because it had the best guts and it's a Samsung. Never buy a HTC. PITA software and very unforgiving. Buy Sammy, Odin is your friend. Enjoy your S4's!
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
JB910 said:
She made a wise choice, I have a Note 2 and would gladly trade it for a S4. I don't even use my Spen, I got it last September because it had the best guts and it's a Samsung. Never buy a HTC. PITA software and very unforgiving. Buy Sammy, Odin is your friend. Enjoy your S4's!
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a htc hd2...it was a nightmare..to flash roms...a win phone..dual boot crap..rock solid...hard to deal with...hehe i ask her..how much are you really use that pen..also the res on the s4 was SWEET...they had the perfect wallpaper on that demo...i showed her she said ok. so when she gets that new rom on it...she won't even mention the note. its on now.
as far as the G3...i love the damn thing..my son is keeping his...so i will be hanging around here for awhile still...sold 2 keeping 1...

Beware, faulty Spen. *Broken*

I use the Spen frequently and today while ejecting it out from the phone the top shot out like a bullet and the spring went flying, God knows where. and I look in my lap and have the top piece laying there. hoping to get a straight across replacement with tmo.
While everyone was worried about the backwards insertion thing, this was my concern. How long on average for heavy users until that clicky mechanism just breaks from normal use?
#pengate continues
maybe they should have gone with 7000 series aluminum.
(Sent from another Galaxy via Tapatalk)
Is it known for the clicky mechanism on ink pens to break? I would assume the same for the SPen.
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
Sorry for the late response, got the replacement phone no issues and then had to set it all back up.
Anyway, I use it several times a day. I'm a doodler / love to sketch, I got it on launch day so exactly 1 week.
The two pieces are IMO cheaply put together. A simple dimple/bump locking mechanism plus what I assume is a bit of adhesive. That is what failed causing the spring to break it all loose and go flying. The actual pen it's self was still in the phone. Luckily I was able to tap the phone and retrieve it. Had I of been able to locate the spring I might have fixed it myself but I'm glad I went into tmo store.
Mine did the exact same thing. I found the spring though and super glued it back together. Lovely quality
Sent from my SM-N920T using XDA Free mobile app
Samsung builds the most premium note to date while sacrificing the spen. Seriously the Note 4 as well as note 10.1 are far more durable

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