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Hi guys,
I am having some serious thoughts on what to get... Basically I am a software developer and I have a Galaxy Nexus, a Galaxy S1 some ond Xperia and a Nexus 7. It is time for me to switch to a new device as my daily driver. The options I have are Galaxy Nexus 5 and the Note 3. The Note 3 is more expensive with around 150$ in my country, considering the type of contract I am getting. The phone will be used for at least one year.
Nexus 5: well, no review yet. Price is reasonable in my country and has the new 4.4. The new android version doesn't impress me. To be honest I find the google experience pretty boring but I have to admit I liked receiving fast updates on my Nexus.
Note 3: I have been reading around the forum for the last days. I saw that many have problems with the home button, the battery life, the screen issues. I like the s-pen features but I am not sure how much I'll use them.
What advice do you give me ? What should I get ?
alinescoo said:
Hi guys,
I am having some serious thoughts on what to get... Basically I am a software developer and I have a Galaxy Nexus, a Galaxy S1 some ond Xperia and a Nexus 7. It is time for me to switch to a new device as my daily driver. The options I have are Galaxy Nexus 5 and the Note 3. The Note 3 is more expensive with around 150$ in my country, considering the type of contract I am getting. The phone will be used for at least one year.
Nexus 5: well, no review yet. Price is reasonable in my country and has the new 4.4. The new android version doesn't impress me. To be honest I find the google experience pretty boring but I have to admit I liked receiving fast updates on my Nexus.
Note 3: I have been reading around the forum for the last days. I saw that many have problems with the home button, the battery life, the screen issues. I like the s-pen features but I am not sure how much I'll use them.
What advice do you give me ? What should I get ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have galaxy note 3 but if i time returns i will choose nexus 5
Please mention your reasons. It would help me a lot. Thanks
I'm using note 3 at the moment and my nexus 5 is on its way to me, will give more accurate impression once received.
Features I prefer nexus 5 over note 3
Design look and feel (massive improvement)
No TW bloatware (another massive factor)
Easier to carry around
More regular software updates kat 4.4
No lag freezing (hopefully)
Features I will miss coming from note 3
camera not impressed at all (will miss that the most)
4k video recording
Battery life
S-pen (just a little)
Multi screens (what a feature)
Large screen
Ext memory
Have you encountered any problems with the Note 3 ? Does it lag ? Do you have that effect on low brightness for dark borders ? How does TW bloatware affect you ?
Battery wise note has 50%more juice. Home button issues - do you mean the button moving around? It is not a problem, people are too much complaining about tiny tiny things they should never find unless they read about it.
Camera - i think nexus5 is way better than n3. Its not the pixels that matter, or software options. Nexus 5 camera is next level, focus is about 10 times faster.
Bloatware yes, samsung puts 700mb of bloatware that you dont receive on nexus. Not sure if anything of that is usable. But cyanogenmod should arrive soon!
I wish note3 had the new camera and with optical stabilization, then it would be perfect!
As for 4.4 - its just a number. There will definitely arrive new android versions fast on the n3, just that you have to flash it yourself and void the warranty.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app
I like Nexus because:
- The design of the device and the appearance of the UI is more appealing to me. I like to keep things on my phone looking pretty "minimalistic" with few colors and lots and lots of black. I absolutely hate the Touchwiz cartoony look and I always change everything about it, the process starts immediately on first boot of the phone. Everything about Touchwiz looks awful - the icons, the menus, the choices in colors, those horrible big green quick settings toggles in the notification bar. Stock Android is much much better when it comes to looks. The Nexus 5 and its software looks like it's been designed by a design team made up of adults who actually make cohesive decisions together. Touchwiz looks to me like the school project of a pre-school class where everyone can add their favorite color and everyone gets to participate and add their touch to the design. Little Johnny wants a big blue, round icon there - OK let's put it right next to Jenny's rectangular pink icon there and add Lisa's green toggles! Fun for everybody.
I like Note 2/3 because:
- The battery is bigger. I've never been this satisfied with battery life.
- The screen is bigger. Honestly after using the Note 2, I cringe every time I use my iPhone 4 (I keep it as my spare phone) or my wife's Galaxy S III. The displays are so tiny, I don't think I could go back. Not even to a 5" display.
- I don't like the on screen nav buttons of stock Android. I want the physical menu, home and back buttons.
- The S-Pen. I'm not a heavy S-Pen user but it has really nice features on the Note 3. I use it much more with my Note 3 than I did with my Note 2.
- Memory card slot. Seriously. I could not live without one.
- Removable battery - not a big reason but nonetheless it is nice.
I hate the Note 2/3 because:
- I get to a point where I'm never satisfied with the ROM I use. New stuff is released on XDA and I feel this pressing need to try other ROMs. All the time. Sometimes it seems all I do with my phone is restoring backups. With the Nexus I think that I would be more easily able to just stick with one ROM.. Maybe even the stock ROM, just rooting it.
Don't listen to them
I just bought Note 3 after using Note 2 for couple of months
And go for Note 3 believe me this is the beast .. Note 3 Snap dragon
I am in the same boat as op.
I have a s2 now for 3 years and looking for an upgrade.
Minimum 5 inch screen, preferably a tad bigger.
Key feature should be office workability, due to a upcoming promotion as a project manager.
So I need info from all sorts of documents on the fly. Including excel.
Does the note provide this?
For free time I love playing games and viewing movies.
Help appreciated.
EJ
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
U may have to wait for few weeks to get the full hands on review about this. Nexus 5. The specs r good. But we don't know about battery life, camera performance, and heating issues. Note 3 is good in these areas.
Sent from my SM-N9005
I am planning on using the Note 3 with stock firmware from Samsung... because of warranty issues of knox trigger. This would also help on trying to reproduce bugs that appear on TouchWiz platform easier. So, having stock on Note3 sucks performance wise ?
efjbdejong said:
I am in the same boat as op.
I have a s2 now for 3 years and looking for an upgrade.
Minimum 5 inch screen, preferably a tad bigger.
Key feature should be office workability, due to a upcoming promotion as a project manager.
So I need info from all sorts of documents on the fly. Including excel.
Does the note provide this?
For free time I love playing games and viewing movies.
Help appreciated.
EJ
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps wait for nokia lumia 1520.
That's ideal for such mundane tasks. Lol
---------- Post added at 02:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:39 PM ----------
alleshi said:
Don't listen to them
I just bought Note 3 after using Note 2 for couple of months
And go for Note 3 believe me this is the beast .. Note 3 Snap dragon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note 3 is far better then note 2 for sure but is it the best ow no. It's a beast but not the best.
If i didn't have the Note 3 already i would be pretty tempted to buy the Nexus 5. It's half the price, here, with great hardware, Kit Kat, Google updates, etc. But those touch buttons (why?) on the screen are a no no for me.
Thank you all for replies. After doing a lot of reading on the Buyers remorse thread I see that most of note3 users are happy. The only notable problems are: very weak audio output because of the small speaker, the pink effect around black edges on low brightness settings and the wobbly home button. Also I see that the battery isn't so great.
I am really thinking what to get, as I said, the difference would be around 150$ in price.
If I didn't have N3 already I would have the N5. I had N4 previously.
N3 has plus and minus points.
+ points
Battery Life - best I ever had
SD Card - installed 64GB,some users have install 128GB.
Big Screen - I like the screen some don't like AMOLED colors.
Fastest CPU & 3GB RAM
Multi Window & Pen Window
IrDA port - can control devices from my phone.
- points
Design - not very stylish
Build quality - my back cover already creaks only 1 month old. Others have experienced Home button and screen/multi touch issues
External Speakers - embarrassing from Samsung.
Samsung bloatware - unnecessary
Wireless Charging - not built in but @ extra cost
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Costum ROM
why wouldn't you just wait on xda to get pure 4.4 android and install that ROM on your note 3 ?
Hi,
the Google Nexus 5 is indeed a very good phone. Having switched from Nexus 4 to Galaxy Note 3 I can basically give you good explanations.
The Galaxy Note 3 has plenty more features than the Google Nexus 4 abd 5 which is great.
I would say the Note 3 wins everywhere against the Nexus unless you tell me you prefer smaller screen. In my case, the screen size was the reasob why I moved.
On the otherside, yes there are a lot of Samsung apps and that sucks to me. The Galaxy Note 3 can be rooted easily, so you can easy remove those bloatwares which make me feel more confortable that way.
On the other hand, I do prefer the PURE Androis that the Google Nexus has to the TouchWiz by Samsung because it uses way less resources.
The perfect phone for me would be a Note 3 with a AOSP Rom. (CyanogenMod or Android Open Kang Project (AOKP) because it would give the pure android feeling which means higher battery life, no bloatwares, faster updates.
Ok guys, some N5 reviews have appeared and to be honest, things don't look that good in battery and camera departments. Actually that was kinda expected considering the 2300 mAh battery and 1080p screen.
Now back to note 3, all the small things that bothered me (wobbly home button, pinkish black borders, bloatware) are not important anymore. The things that worries me most is the screen burn in. I saw some reviews where this is mentioned (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3mbkoXCMhs&feature=em-uploademail from 19 minute). I have own so far a Galaxy S1 and a Galaxy Nexus both having amoled screens. On my GNex sometimes I can see the keyboard shadow after using it, but I haven't really noticed any permanent retention as it goes off after a few seconds. I just did a quick check with blue color all over the screen and I can see a very faint shadow of the top bar, but nothing really noticeable. BUT, I use the phone on auto brightness and considering that Note 3 has the most bright amoled display built, I am afraid that it will suffer from permanent burn in because of blue pixels. Could anyone tell me if they have burn in ? This is a major drawback for me and might be the point which may convince me to give up on note3 in favor of N5.
Thanks all for your help. I really appreciate it.
For me it's so simple. They don't even belong to the same category.
Do you need/like the S-Pen features (and do you actually use them)? Do you need the bigger screen and the amazing Full HD @60fps video (let alone the 4K)?
If not then the Nexus 5 is a no brainer at this price point. Plain and simple.
Apps and bloatware are of no importance to me. I always remove them to my preference, to me flashing ROMs is an integral part of a smartphone like Note 3.
I agree with you, but if the screen has issues than all the other features are pointless, considering that the screen is the thing we see most.
It would be really great if owners could do some screen tests and return with the result.
Does anyone have experience running Note 2 Custom ROMS and can provide comparisons to running Note 3 rooted after pruning all the bloat?
Trying to decide between the two and was looking for some straight comparisons, such as snappiness, visual quality in graphical programs/games, and possibly s-pen recognition/accuracy.
One particular thing I'm interested to know is how hooking up to a smart dock compares between the two, what resolutions they output and any interesting performance comparisons with that specifically.
I asked some similar questions at this post, but this is much less AT&T specific.
amsky145 said:
Does anyone have experience running Note 2 Custom ROMS and can provide comparisons to running Note 3 rooted after pruning all the bloat?
Trying to decide between the two and was looking for some straight comparisons, such as snappiness, visual quality in graphical programs/games, and possibly s-pen recognition/accuracy.
One particular thing I'm interested to know is how hooking up to a smart dock compares between the two, what resolutions they output and any interesting performance comparisons with that specifically.
I asked some similar questions at this post, but this is much less AT&T specific.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i say its best you try out both and decide which one u prefer.
when i got my first fone(the glorious htc HD2) i played around with their original/modded roms vs cm/aosp and i found i prefer CM6(latest back then) because of its ease of use and minimalistic looks.
it took a bit of getting use to but once i did,i found i love CM more as the days went by.
I have the note 2 and note 3 and had them since their early launch.used both TW and CM.i still prefer the simplistic nature of CM.and TW cannot even come close to it.
Plus,with a customised rom,u get rid of all that samsung bloatware and free your ram & memory so the phone can perform better and have more space to store things.
that being said,there are pros and cons between the 2,the best is you give each one a go.
My opinion,even though i have the note 3 now,i still use my note 2 with CM 10.1.3 because its rock stable and minimalistic.if i cannot put cm in my note 3,i'd probably sell it off since its practically worthless with all its hardware glory but useless TW rom.
Thanks for the response. So even though the note 3 is supposed to be blazing fast at everything compared to the note 2 in terms of specs, you find yourself using the note 2 more often because of the custom ROM making it that much more easy to use, familiar, snappy etc.? The more you can elaborate on a comparison the better, especially with custom ROM + note2 vs note3.
I'm really looking for like you responded, tons of opinions on performance considerations between the two. I've tried tons of custom ROMs on the android phones i've used in the past, and I'm hesitant to try one on the note 2 that I got at best buy recently because I'm seriously considering just getting a note 3 for the performance alone and being done with it. I really like the size of the notes and the s-pen functionality in particular so all it comes down to at this point is whether giving up custom ROMs for the note3 is worth it.
amsky145 said:
Thanks for the response. So even though the note 3 is supposed to be blazing fast at everything compared to the note 2 in terms of specs, you find yourself using the note 2 more often because of the custom ROM making it that much more easy to use, familiar, snappy etc.? The more you can elaborate on a comparison the better, especially with custom ROM + note2 vs note3.
I'm really looking for like you responded, tons of opinions on performance considerations between the two. I've tried tons of custom ROMs on the android phones i've used in the past, and I'm hesitant to try one on the note 2 that I got at best buy recently because I'm seriously considering just getting a note 3 for the performance alone and being done with it. I really like the size of the notes and the s-pen functionality in particular so all it comes down to at this point is whether giving up custom ROMs for the note3 is worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i use note 2 more becoz i like CM and not TW.Stock TW runs alot of useless apps on the background.eating up my ram,cpu and battery.not only does that affect performance(battery life,snappiness etc),its irritates the hell out of me when i see apps i dun use running in the background.and the interface on TW is pretty bloated,i usually change CM launcher to Nemus launcher for minimalistic look and performance...again customisability.
if you want a detailed comparison,i can't give you. but what i can let you know is the following:
-note 3 specs are better note 2 obviously.
-note 3 on TW performs abt the same as note 2 on CM.its snappy,no lag issues.spen fuctionality is limited on CM and full on TW(for obvious reason).so imagine if you put CM on note 3,it will be the ****z.
-note 3's battery life is on par with note 2 on CM.this is due mainly with kernel and rom issues since CM in minimalistic and running minimal apps in the background as compared to stock,unmodded TW on note 3.put CM or a modded TW in,note 3 will beat note 2 hands down.
-note 2 does not have knox,while note 3 has,that is a major crap every note 3 users are facing.this means,flashing customised rom or recovery will trip knox counter and will limit your note 3 to pretty much paper weight.
(http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=47865015#post47865015)
-note 3 uses usb 3,that means faster charging and data transfer rate and its backward compatible with usb 2.a major improvement in my opinion and its not using some proprietary cables like crapple.
in all,i find the improvements on note 3 and note 2 are about 30-35%. except for a higher resolution,a slighty faster 4 core cpu,a slight better gpu, abt 1 gb more ram, and a bigger battery/screen.
compared that with a note to a note 2,the improvements are like almost 60% imo.
but its best to get new phones than old imo.coz when every one starts moving to newer model of phone,development for old ones will start to die.unless its the HD2..where it never dies.....lol.
I am trying to decide which phone to buy, the Galaxy S5, or the Galaxy Note 3. So if you kindly give me some advice based on my argument I will much appreciate it.
Why I don't want to buy the S5 although it has:
1. Superior camera auto-focus and clearer images (as far as online reviews go)
2. Superior battery life by about 1 and a half hours phonearena.com (http://www.phonearena.com/phones/benchmarks)
3. Better portability, dust proof, and water proof (but I wouldn't take shower with it personally).
4. Superior processing power.
The reason is this:
1. Galaxy Note 3 has 32GB internal storage. How does this translateto me? Longer 4K video recording capability. And it also translates to better compatibility with KitKat as a I heard that there will be restrictions for Google Apps to store on SD card. So the external SD card is going to be useful to store movies and music, and that's all.
2. Larger screen & pen may mean that the internet browsing experience is going to be more enjoyable as the pen can act like a mouse when it hovers over non-mobile friendly websites.
3. The pixel density (resolution vs. screen size) is not much higher from the S5 but strangely the Note 3 screen seems to have a warmer display in comparison to S5 which is slightly more bluish. As I intend to buy the Note 3 to read books and web surfing it seems to be a better choice for that.
4. The galaxy Note 3 is around 70USD cheaper from where I buy it, so why do I need to pay money for less RAM and a heart sensor? The processor clock rate difference is it that worthy?
At the same time, why I am afraid to buy the Galaxy Note 3?
1. A friend of mine told me that the device freezes from time to time and he has to restart, this has happened after the KitKat update.
2. A user review was complaining that the battery drained faster after the latest update to KitKat on his Note 3.
Consider the huge delays of Samsung to fix updates on their devices, it is a concern to me whether I should get the Note 3 and wait for updates from Samsung, or buy the latest S5 which will probably receive faster updates (if indeed it's needed since it's already 4.4 KitKat).
I am usually not with the philosophy to buy old phones, but in this case, Samsung is trying to sell me a slightly superior device with less functionality, and the price vs value ratio is clearly going to the Note 3.
At the end of the day I am so confused, and I need your input!
Note 4 should be announced in September, I'd wait until then to decide.
If you can't wait, others can provide better insight.
please questions goes to Q&A forum , avoid asking questions at the general forum and read the xda rules
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
If you really want to put price to performance ratio just get the Note 3. They are basically the same device but the Note 3 has some cool S Pen features and minus a few newer features the S5 has like the ones you stated.
The Note devices are without a doubt the true Samsung flagships if you appreciate its size off course.
After selling my note 3 and getting this I can honestly say that if someone was to offer one to me today I would trade back in an instant
The camera on the S5 is better sure but the one in the Note 3 is probably only 2nd to the S5 and not by much
I had far better battery life then I do on this S5 (both SD models, stock rom)
Yeah but S5 still isn't a small phone either and .... meh
By 200mhz on cpu, only a benchmark will see that difference (SD models)
I wish they'd stop with 16GB models epecially when half is taken by os, skin and bloatware. yep that is an issue
Oh yes far better for viewing web content ... I never used pen but its there
Pixel density of over 350 and you're golden IMO anything else is kind of going overkill unless you want to zoom for closer detail
Good question. why pay for less screen and ram and get features you don't need like the sensor and ip57 ... if you can get N3 cheaper then I say take it
The S5 isn't perfect either I have had to take my battery out or restart it on occasions aswell
I would agree that you are getting far better value if you buy a note 3 over a S5. fact is the note has a bigger screen, more ram, more onboard storage and is only 200Mhz slower on the cpu
Go with the Note. I've had mine since it came out and I've never had a freezing issue. It sounds like you would like to have the Note 3 as well, so why not get one? It's a fine piece of hardware.
Can anybody give me any last-minute advice before I sell my iPhone 6 Plus for a Galaxy Note 4?
I'm not looking for any iOS vs Android arguments, but after switching between iOS and Android, I seem to prefer Android much more.
However, I want an Android phone with a top-notch camera and it seems like the Note 4 has the best (?) camera available. I have two little kids and often don't take my camera with me, so I want a phone with a very good camera and excellent video capability as well. (I probably take slightly more videos than I do pictures)
I also want something at least 5" or larger. I'm mostly used to the "large" iPhone 6 Plus size, so I don't think the Note 4 will be a problem.
My top phones I'm deciding between are: Note 4, OnePlus One, LG G3, Sony Xperia Z3, Galaxy S5, Moto X.
Price isn't a concern because I'll be selling my iPhone 6 Plus to recoup the costs.
EDIT: I am a little concerned about the higher resolution on the Note 4 slowing down some light gaming, or having scaling issues with games, etc...
I actually just switched from a 6 Plus to a Note 4 in the past two weeks and I havent really regretted doing so. I have also owned the OPO, G3, and S5 and to my liking the Note 4 overpowers all. Note 4 takes wonderful pictures as you already with OIS as well as great videos. Since I have had the device I haven't snapped a lot of videos but I know there wouldn't be an issue in that category when it comes down to it.
As for slowing down when you are gaming, idk much about that since I do zero gaming on my device. You going from the 6 Plus to the Note 4 will be a breeze since the Note 4 is easier to hold in hands, despite people saying that the edges are sharp on the Note but that doesnt affect me since I run a case on my Note 4.
If you are taking lots of videos and pictures then having that external memory is a plus already. I am running an 128GB sd card in my device which I know is overkill but its there if I need it. I can also store a few 4k videos up there if I really wanted to. I don't think you will be dissapointed with the switch to the Note 4. Yeah it was a stretch coming from how smooth iOS is and then going back to bloaty Touchwiz but TW has been optimized a little more and with a few tweaks it can be very smooth, I say hit some comparison videos up on YouTube and then make the decision.
Thanks so much for the information!
I'm still doing research, and is it true that the AT&T version has it's bootloader unlocked, but the T-Mobile is unlocked?
I'd like to stay with AT&T, so would there be a problem purchasing the T-Mobile version and activating it on AT&T?
Unfortunately one of the applications I use (ARUnchained) requires root access so I do want an Android phone that can be rooted...
I am also on the edge of buying note 4. I am actually using z3 right now and the reason I would be switching is the camera. It is not so good as it looks on the paper and the only reason why I would be changing.
Everything else I like a lot and I actually don't like Samsung as a brand and almost hate touchwiz so the change is not easy..
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Yes! Just go for the note 4 mate that is a top notch android phone.. With a good built quality, camera are also good specially on outdoors but comparing in low light shot iphone camera is still on the top. Battery are great now with fast charging and ultrapower saving mode.. A lot of features and customization (cuz android) also the spen!
And those beautifully 2k display man you can never go wrong
Sent from my SM-N910C
sofakng said:
Thanks so much for the information!
I'm still doing research, and is it true that the AT&T version has it's bootloader unlocked, but the T-Mobile is unlocked?
I'd like to stay with AT&T, so would there be a problem purchasing the T-Mobile version and activating it on AT&T?
Unfortunately one of the applications I use (ARUnchained) requires root access so I do want an Android phone that can be rooted...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the AT&T version right not cant be rooted but I have been following a few threads where people are working on it now but there is not ETA as to where the AT&T version will be rooted, I am also desperately needing root. I think there is also a thread where people are using AT&T service on a T-Mobile phone but there are some disadvantages I think, There should be a thread in the AT&T Note 4 section with all those concerns. But the T-Mobile version can be rooted. If you want a rooted phone and also great quality all around, I would say my next option would be the G3. Very easy to root and also has a great camera. I just couldn't get with LG interface over Android.
CandyAndy said:
I am also on the edge of buying note 4. I am actually using z3 right now and the reason I would be switching is the camera. It is not so good as it looks on the paper and the only reason why I would be changing.
Everything else I like a lot and I actually don't like Samsung as a brand and almost hate touchwiz so the change is not easy..
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah Touchwiz is what it is at this point. I also hate it with a passion but like I said with a few tweaks and I run Nova Launcher, it can be very smooth and right now I have no complaints. I cant speak of the Sony Z series as that is one series I have not yet played with or owned yet.
---------- Post added at 02:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:03 PM ----------
Markpuge said:
Yes! Just go for the note 4 mate that is a top notch android phone.. With a good built quality, camera are also good specially on outdoors but comparing in low light shot iphone camera is still on the top. Battery are great now with fast charging and ultrapower saving mode.. A lot of features and customization (cuz android) also the spen!
And those beautifully 2k display man you can never go wrong
Sent from my SM-N910C
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct my friend, Even though in the beginning I was leery to switch away from the 6 Plus that was a great phone for me, The Note 4 just has too many features to pass up!
Gaming is good for me using my exynos variant
I switched to the Note 4 (Exynos) coming from an OPO. I wouldn't recommend the OPO since it has serious QA issues. My unit had this awful touchscreen issue which rendered the screen unusable when it got too hot. And it's a PITA to RMA it AFAIK.
I'm really liking the Note 4 a lot. Coming from stock or close to stock Android (I owned a Nexus 4 and 5 before the OPO), TouchWiz doesn't feel nearly as bloated as before. Everything is smooth and performance in games is top notch.
It feels great in the hand, the S Pen is quite handy, the screen is absolutely fantastic, the camera is great... My only complaint would be the rear facing speaker.
Samsung really won me over with the Note 4. Glad I picked this one up instead of the Nexus 6.
sofakng said:
Can anybody give me any last-minute advice before I sell my iPhone 6 Plus for a Galaxy Note 4?
I'm not looking for any iOS vs Android arguments, but after switching between iOS and Android, I seem to prefer Android much more.
However, I want an Android phone with a top-notch camera and it seems like the Note 4 has the best (?) camera available. I have two little kids and often don't take my camera with me, so I want a phone with a very good camera and excellent video capability as well. (I probably take slightly more videos than I do pictures)
I also want something at least 5" or larger. I'm mostly used to the "large" iPhone 6 Plus size, so I don't think the Note 4 will be a problem.
My top phones I'm deciding between are: Note 4, OnePlus One, LG G3, Sony Xperia Z3, Galaxy S5, Moto X.
Price isn't a concern because I'll be selling my iPhone 6 Plus to recoup the costs.
EDIT: I am a little concerned about the higher resolution on the Note 4 slowing down some light gaming, or having scaling issues with games, etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simply put it's just the best device on the market right now. Nothing comes close to it. Go for it, you won't regret it like you did the iPhone
after deciding that the note series is the best phablet, you still have to choose between
Exynos Note4, Snapdragon Note4 or Note Edge
after using exynos note4 for sometime, I am considering switching to note edge for the cool curved screen. The feeling of curved glass on thumb is amazing.
I would suggest a in store hands on with the Note Edge first, than go read the exynos vs snapdragon thread on the note 4 if you dont like the Edge.
good luck
I bought The note 4 after long times of researching and I absloutely love it. I own The 6 plus as Well but I like The Note 4 more. I like carrying both operating systems in my pocket. I use the Note for work and taking pics and use 6 plus For chatting and connecting with friends
If you want to use the Gear VR - only Snapdragon runs smooth because of the better GPU
Hello folks.
I'm looking to replace my current cell phone. It needs to be an unlocked CDMA (Sprint) phone. Things that are important to me:
high quality screen
processing power
decent storage
Things that aren't that important to me:
camera
I have a price limit of $150. Given the above, I am looking at:
Moto E4
Galaxy S5 (refurbished)
Galaxy J3 Emerge
Moto G4 Play
All of them have 5" screens, but the S5 has the highest resolution (the rest are 1280x720). The S5 also has the highest clock rate.
My concern is that the S5 is using technology from 4 years ago, while the rest are more recent. Should that be a concern, or is the S5 the best option here?
Thanks!
mrfeh said:
Hello folks. I'm looking to replace my current cell phone. It needs to be an unlocked CDMA (Sprint) phone...
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Your best bet is to post this question within one of the following threads that is specific to your question.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1846277
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1620179
Good Luck!
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I DO NOT provide support via PM unless asked/requested by myself. PLEASE keep it in the threads where everyone can share.
yes
mrfeh said:
Hello folks.
I'm looking to replace my current cell phone. It needs to be an unlocked CDMA (Sprint) phone. Things that are important to me:
high quality screen
processing power
decent storage
Things that aren't that important to me:
camera
I have a price limit of $150. Given the above, I am looking at:
Moto E4
Galaxy S5 (refurbished)
Galaxy J3 Emerge
Moto G4 Play
All of them have 5" screens, but the S5 has the highest resolution (the rest are 1280x720). The S5 also has the highest clock rate.
My concern is that the S5 is using technology from 4 years ago, while the rest are more recent. Should that be a concern, or is the S5 the best option here?
Thanks!
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in my opinion, for this expense and one of the best!
I use a Samsung Galaxy S5 Neo and everything works fine.
2 weeks ago there was an update for the S5 over OTA. It is still alive and good.
In USA the normal S5 is still a smartphone that is one of the bestsellers.
I have no need to get another phone.
And the original S5 is better than my neo.
Gesendet von meinem SM-G903F mit Tapatalk
I would go with the S5...
Amoled screen, wireless charging, fingerscan...16mp cam..
Put LOS or RR and youll get the best deal...
Or try a xiaomi mia1
Hello, had a galaxy s5 for around 3 years. My unit had a bit of a network issue, which sullied my experience, so be careful when buying a refurb!
Also, if processing power is important to you, you should note that it has constant slowdowns/stutters and, though not as often, crashes. It also heats up pretty quick and has mediocre battery life, draining pretty fast with any decent usage. The chipset really does not hold up compared to mid range chipsets now imo. Near the time I upgraded, it became nearly unusable for a bit whenever i turned the wifi on, though a factory reset and a sparser app library has alleviated the worst aspects of using the phone. It might be powerful specwise, but in irl use I find newer midrange chips outperform it in day to day use.
I recently upgraded to a redmi note 5 (china) and it was an upgrade in every way. From build to smoothness to battery life (and both cameras but you don't care about that). It also has the 6' display while retaining the same width as my s5, thanks to the 18:9 display. The aspect ratio is great in all apps that aren't games and in general UI use. It also has oreo out of the box and will get updates in the future, unlike the s5.
The redmi 5 plus(china) could also be a replacement that's cheaper, but I can't vouch for the screen on that one. The redmi note 5 has a bright lcd that looks really good. It's not amoled, but the transition hasn't bothered me at all, it's quite excellent! I've gotten compliments on the screen from many friends who have seen it in person as well.
So, yeah, look into the phone and see if your budget can be adjusted. Shoot for the 3/32 GB which is a steal imo. Oh, and it has a micro sd card slot, just like the s5, so storage won't be an issue. Another plus with these phones is that they actually have a fingerprint scanner that's not trash - another thing from the past that does not hold up.
I looked up the prices for these phones and they seem to be out of the 150$ budget, so, if the budget is rigid you might want to look into the redmi note 4, which can be found for 160$ and has all the same internals as the redmi 5 plus. I cannot vouch for how good the screen is, but it's 1080P IPS LCD. I would personally consider it a better phone to buy than the Galaxy S5 as well (working fingerprint scanner, larger screen, equivalent if not better chipset usability wise).
Anyway, I'm not really as knowledgable as most people in xda but I am a s5 owner, so I figured I'd chip in and try to help.
While S5 is still a nice phone, it is not worth buying one at this time. The best option would be to get current/last year mid end phone. Look at the local market websites, maybe there are good deals. Xiaomi redmi 5 plus is nice phone for low price, also redmi note 4 is nice phone too, you will get better peformance than S5, or at very least the same, more ram, much better battery life due to bigger battery and better chipset, you will get android updates.
S5 is still a great phone.. Do not buy refurbished.. you can find great deals on Ebay.. My cost $110 no dings, or dents or scratches.. Phone actually had very little call time on it.. Moto's IMOP are junk.
Hi ,
I personally think you should go for a newer phone like Honor 8. The main problem i would have with an S5 is the fact that it only has 16GB internal memory. Apart from that it is still a great phone.
With those 16 GB you will always struggle if you want to install many applications and keep Whatsapp data on your phone.
loomax12 said:
Hi ,
I personally think you should go for a newer phone like Honor 8. The main problem i would have with an S5 is the fact that it only has 16GB internal memory. Apart from that it is still a great phone.
With those 16 GB you will always struggle if you want to install many applications and keep Whatsapp data on your phone.
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It does support SD Cards up to 128 GB though. I'm a kinda heavy user and never had problems with storage, always around 3-4 GB free in internal. Though I did put my games on my card obviosly (there was some app that does this, I forgot name).
i picked mine up monday for 45$. cracked rear camera glass. still takes photos fine.
anyway, i love the thing. i went from an s7 to an iphone 7 then to and old moto then to this. i love the effing thing. i get 2 days in low power mode with the original battery. im hunting for a parts phone now.
the s5 has issues from what ive heard but so far, im running fine.
After 2 weeks using the S5 of my wife I have to reverse my opinion. I installed latest lineageos 14.1 on it and it works like a charm. With lineageos there is still a lot of internal memory left for apps. Bluetooth which is often a problem for custom roms seems to work pretty well.
I've actually recently bought an S5, and although it is not the best option, the support for it has been huge over time and its still going on with amazing roms like AEX or CrDroid.
The only part I dislike is the storage, because yea 16GB are little to me. And the fact that it is refurbished is good contrary to what people assume, because, then that means its already fixed, you wont have to go through that pain as you would with a new one waiting to fail, that's how it is, you have more chances of a new one having issues than a refurbished one because that one already had them and its already fixed. On the other hand, "refurbished" doesnt always mean "it broke and we fixed it", usually its because people return it to the store, the package is open, they cant sell them as new, even if theres nothing wrong with it, it automatically falls to the "refurbished" category and not many people think of that.
Now, the Moto G4 is actually a better option, it has a good performance, but you should opt for the Plus version with 32GB internal
So, I'd recommend the G4 Plus, if you cant buy that, then the S5 is the way to go
S5 is still going strong.
I would not change it, but I need a dual SIM phone now.
So if you can get one, go for it.
However, I am not aware of CDMA capabilities or tested it, sorry. I have European model...
My uncle gave me his old S5 back in January to replace my dying S4 LTE-A, and with LineageOS 15.1, it feels like a brand new phone
im now rooted and running the latest lineage 14.1 and its awesome.
12 hours of battery, 4 hours of SOT and no issues. these nougat kernels are pretty nice. lol
people talking about storage, flash Lineage, have a clean sd card in and use the SD card as adptive storage. it shows it as all internal storage and works like a charm.
Bodisson said:
S5 is still going strong.
I would not change it, but I need a dual SIM phone now.
So if you can get one, go for it.
However, I am not aware of CDMA capabilities or tested it, sorry. I have European model...
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would you recommend the S5 as a backup to the Note 4?
I still have an S5 as a backup phone. Main phone Xiaomei Redmi Note 4x which I bought due to its superior battery life. The S5 imo is still good as backup phone and has an excellent camera (if you stick to TouchWiz based roms).
mrfeh said:
Hello folks.
I'm looking to replace my current cell phone. It needs to be an unlocked CDMA (Sprint) phone. Things that are important to me:
high quality screen
processing power
decent storage
Things that aren't that important to me:
camera
I have a price limit of $150. Given the above, I am looking at:
Moto E4
Galaxy S5 (refurbished)
Galaxy J3 Emerge
Moto G4 Play
All of them have 5" screens, but the S5 has the highest resolution (the rest are 1280x720). The S5 also has the highest clock rate.
My concern is that the S5 is using technology from 4 years ago, while the rest are more recent. Should that be a concern, or is the S5 the best option here?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello!
I can definately assure you that:
A. Off the phones you have listed AND
B. Your stated price range
The S5 is your choice!!
It is amazing!! You will not be dissapointed! Unlimited battery life (multiple batteries), screen resolution, clock speed etc etc.
I am currently typing from one! Lol, I have the OnePlus 3 and my good ol' trusty S5! Some tips:
You stated about being older firmware (S5 is marshmallow) whilst others are nougat..... The S5 is one of the most developed phones ever! even still!!! In literally 5 minutes and little knowledge you can flash a custom recovery and then a custom ROM, no root needed. I have used the S5 since the early days and have used pretty much EVERY rom, honestly!
I can suggest resurrection remix as THE most customisable, they have features beyond any other! They have 100% stable nougat build and Oreo also, I use them both. In fact we have multiboot so can run 2 ROMs at once just choose at boot!
We have lots of kernels if you choose to root like myself, this way you can have 2.1 amp quick charge, boot windows or Linux on PC from phone, double battery time, gaming performance and over clocking to 2.84 GHz!!!! The phone is a beast!! It is reliable as hell too! I have had mine rooted for 4 years, overclocked and its given me no worries....And waterproof with a removable battery!!!!!!
Hope this helps, any questions at all please ask, happy to help
ErbDroid said:
Hello!
I can definately assure you that:
A. Off the phones you have listed AND
B. Your stated price range
The S5 is your choice!!
It is amazing!! You will not be dissapointed! Unlimited battery life (multiple batteries), screen resolution, clock speed etc etc.
I am currently typing from one! Lol, I have the OnePlus 3 and my good ol' trusty S5! Some tips:
You stated about being older firmware (S5 is marshmallow) whilst others are nougat..... The S5 is one of the most developed phones ever! even still!!! In literally 5 minutes and little knowledge you can flash a custom recovery and then a custom ROM, no root needed. I have used the S5 since the early days and have used pretty much EVERY rom, honestly!
I can suggest resurrection remix as THE most customisable, they have features beyond any other! They have 100% stable nougat build and Oreo also, I use them both. In fact we have multiboot so can run 2 ROMs at once just choose at boot!
We have lots of kernels if you choose to root like myself, this way you can have 2.1 amp quick charge, boot windows or Linux on PC from phone, double battery time, gaming performance and over clocking to 2.84 GHz!!!! The phone is a beast!! It is reliable as hell too! I have had mine rooted for 4 years, overclocked and its given me no worries....And waterproof with a removable battery!!!!!!
Hope this helps, any questions at all please ask, happy to help
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Hello.
Please make recomendation for Nougat and Oreo firmwares