Database Users

Leo - To buy or not to buy - what you guys think?

OK - so aside from bias/ability to afford/shipping/tax/price or other logistical factor - can we have a show of hands as to who has already bought a HD2 and has something to say - particularly what about the device makes you happy, what makes you sad?
Let's try keep it away from supplier/delivery issues or local network/band/signal issues - just pure usability/hardware/software.
Personally after trying one out in a store last week I finally received the experience I feel you want when moving to a PDA from a smart phone. What does our community think after using it for a while?

noofny said:
OK - so aside from bias/ability to afford/shipping/tax/price or other logistical factor - can we have a show of hands as to who has already bought a HD2 and has something to say - particularly what about the device makes you happy, what makes you sad?
Let's try keep it away from supplier/delivery issues or local network/band/signal issues - just pure usability/hardware/software.
Personally after trying one out in a store last week I finally received the experience I feel you want when moving to a PDA from a smart phone. What does our community think after using it for a while?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
too subjective a question....for every person on here that says get it, there will be one that says don't get it.
the final decision must be yours....nobody here can make your decision for you. Make a list of the important things for you in a phone, then find the phone that matches those needs the best.
for example, I think the iphone has a much nicer interface, more apps, better screen (touch interface, not size or clarity), but for me it just doesn't handle business functions very well and that made me choose the HD2 since this was my primary need.
if you do the same process you might find the ideal phone for you

I got mine on Sunday just gone, was an upgrade from a Diamond. I loved my diamond, but as soon as I had setup my HD2 with contacts and apps etc I was loving this even more. Each time I use it I find something new, like facebook linking, then seeing in a contact card all communications with that person.
I'm yet to use the footprints, but look forward to trying it out.
The main thing for me was the screen size, I always had problems with the tiny diamond screen, but this is so crisp, easier to use and much easier to keyboard with.
Also the damn speed of the device is amazing, so fast, the OS loads so quick. I soft resetted it and put it down to expect a few minutes wait like on the diamond, but was rebooted so quick!
The one thing I would love to see is a facebook tab, like the twitter tab, shame they didn't implement that!
The specs that come with this phone are truely awesome, and that was the overall selling point for me, as I knew how good HTC phones were I just had to have something with the specs that this phone comes with.

twisted-pixel - good point about the subjectiveness. I suppose what I'm fishing for here are peoples post-usage horror/love stories - moreso with regard to hardware and usability. It's a nice big screen but it's also a nice big slab of tech - how do you find the size, whats the battery life like, do you notice anything bad about the capacitive screen, how often (if ever) do you feel the need for a stylus and say 'doh', does the headphone port become dodgy after use - or the micro usb port? I suppose because of this community we all have flexibility and solutions around software, so I meant to make this more hardware related I guess.

noofny said:
twisted-pixel - good point about the subjectiveness. I suppose what I'm fishing for here are peoples post-usage horror/love stories - moreso with regard to hardware and usability. It's a nice big screen but it's also a nice big slab of tech - how do you find the size, whats the battery life like, do you notice anything bad about the capacitive screen, how often (if ever) do you feel the need for a stylus and say 'doh', does the headphone port become dodgy after use - or the micro usb port? I suppose because of this community we all have flexibility and solutions around software, so I meant to make this more hardware related I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I admit to loving the phone...with one exception...the sensitivity of the screen is a complete disaster for me. it's very difficult to type on, someones it responds to the slightest touch, other times it doesn't. accuracy is also an issue (that was to be expected on a screen with high resolution I suppose)
and yes, I've tried all the tweaks going before anyone suggests it (currently running v3.3 of the tweak with sensitivity on)
I think if I had come straight from my HD then I would have been impressed, but I come from an iphone where the screen was a delight to use.
however, the rest of the phone makes up for that small failing.

noofny said:
twisted-pixel - good point about the subjectiveness. I suppose what I'm fishing for here are peoples post-usage horror/love stories - moreso with regard to hardware and usability. It's a nice big screen but it's also a nice big slab of tech - how do you find the size, whats the battery life like, do you notice anything bad about the capacitive screen, how often (if ever) do you feel the need for a stylus and say 'doh', does the headphone port become dodgy after use - or the micro usb port? I suppose because of this community we all have flexibility and solutions around software, so I meant to make this more hardware related I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, you will find more people venting than praising any device on this forum, as people only seek help when they have problems.
I must admit, I personally think it is the best device I have ever used.
For a quick overview from me (in comparison to the X1, but most comments are applicable):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=5667230&postcount=6

I stumbled on this video on youtube;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-3Bi-Eg2gQ
...and love his brutal (albeit bias and sometimes naive) honesty, it helps you make a decision because it's not a rant. So far you guys are proving some intelligent feedback also - so thank you and let's keep it coming!

I got the HD2 the day it was available in my country (one of the first in europe) and despite all the fixes and xda-dev recommendations i couldn't have it for more then 1 weekend. I sold it on monday morning.
I hated typing (i did try the keyboard cab which should lower the sensitivity), loading sms with some exchanged texts already (loading was awful for such powerful device), visibility outside was horrible, battery,..
Maybe my rant will be understanded better if i mention i'm a blackberry user that likes to try out new "hot phones" (no matter which brand or type of usage).
I've also tried the Nexus One and would say i liked it a tiny bit better then HD2, but still couldn't have it for more then a week.
So, why am i writing this.. After MWC last week, i've kind of wanted to give HD2 another shot. For the following reasons..
I've came across some nice taskbar buttons (which make it look so much better..), I saw there is a fix for sms loading time, i guess i could always install a different keyboard,.. and most imortantly i got a very nice (cheap) offer for a brand new HD2. Yesterday i even ordered a nice case (didn't like the one that comes in the box) and a screenprotector (which might reduce the fingerprints, which i hated so much and a visibility outside,.. hope i'm not too optimistic).
If i somehow manage to be happy with HD2, i might even go for the exnteded battery. And i'm kind of feeling the hype for WinMo7 rom for this device.. Don't know if it will be any better or worse, i just know there is some excitement about it
Hope my rant / "long mess" didn't bore you too much

+1 to buy with eyes closed.

OK, this will be quick because I'm supposed to be doing something else right now but anyway...
I've just sent my HD2 back because of a problem with the microphone so if anyone should be telling you to think of other alternatives - it should be me.
But I can't because I love the phone. It's fast, responsive, it's got most of the features that you could ever want (minus USB host), the screen is gorgeous and the interface is pretty damn usable.
It's not perfect however... Customising it is more trouble than it should be. There is a slight pink hue in the middle of the camera when the contrast and saturation are turned up high enough to make the colours look half lifelike and when the screen is completely white, at certain angles you can see the grid dots that make the screen's matrix.
So to resume, if you don't mind spending some time on it and you're not completely obsessive about things being absolutely perfect (I am and I can still get to sleep at night) then you should be very happy with an HD2.

NeoGreendawg said:
There is a slight pink hue in the middle of the camera when the contrast and saturation are turned up high enough to make the colours look half lifelike and when the screen is completely white, at certain angles you can see the grid dots that make the screen's matrix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The pink hue is solved with an update from HTC (here)
The dots are also visible on an iPhone, its down to the technology, not the device alone.

rp-x1 said:
The pink hue is solved with an update from HTC (here)
The dots are also visible on an iPhone, its down to the technology, not the device alone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I'm sorry but the HTC hotfix did slightly improve the issue but it certainly didn't resolve it in my case. I love the phone believe me but I somehow doubt that anyone who isn't employed by HTC or affected by Daltonism could honestly claim that it has completely solved the issue.
Edit : Not trying to be rude or make out that it's a deal-breaker but I know that as a potential buyer I'd want to know about it.

I've had the HD2 for three weeks and use it every day. I also end up resetting it every day. I've come from a Nokia N96 and before that the N73, so I'm comparing it to the N96. I am very pleased with the speed of the phone and how operations take way less than a second to perform, instead of several seconds a la N96.
The phone itself is a bit too big. Perhaps a 4 inch screen would have been enough. Even though I have big hands, it's just too big to walk around and hold the phone with one hand. I'm scared of dropping it. The headphone port's on the bottom of the phone - it causes the cable to tangle up around the phone when in a pocket.
I have found plenty of bugs in the stock O2 1.43 firmware and know how to deal with the main ones.
I didn't realise the phone had an FM tuner until I found it after a few days on the Start menu - I used the N96 FM tuner almost every day. Unfortunately the tuner on the HD2 is really poor. It is unable to obtain a good quality signal. Sound dips out. There's an awful lot of interference in places where the N96 would have relayed a good quality signal. In places where the N96 got a poor signal, the HD2 has static. BBC Radio 1 has the most powerful signal in my area, yet the HD2 fails to get consistent reception. There's just too much interference and I often just shut the radio off. A huge let down; I wonder if it's hardware or software at fault.
The N96 music player was very well featured, but incredibly (pathetically) slow. In contrast, the HTC Music app has no such delays, is very fast but somewhat basic in comparison. A lot of cool N96 features are missing; there's no way to call up the keyboard to locate tracks, track details can't be edited, tracks can't be deleted, backing out of an album takes you to the top of the album list and not to where you were. There's no hardware buttons to change tracks when the phone's in a pocket (a swipe up/down on the lock screen to change tracks would be nice). Volume control has too few stages so is either too loud or too quiet; volume within the Music tab has more stages but doesn't always work (error in Services.exe). General audio quality is rather poor - even the iPod classic 5G sounds better! Occasional unexplained sound dips and audio which lacks in bass and treble. The oddest thing is the shuffle feature tends to replay swathes of tracks that have already been played.
Video playback is very impressive because of the screen size. Can't fathom why the Windows Mobile OS cannot play WMV. Get quite a few dropped frames and put that down to the poor quality 1.43 ROM and perhaps not-fully-developed decoders. Video viewing in general is very nice, although an afterthought within HTC Sense, as the video playback has essentially just been tacked on to HTC's photo viewing app.
I do like the phone, it is good enough to stop me wanting to go back to my last phone. I'd get one, but the HD2's not quite the tech lover's wet dream that some of the big review sites make it out to be. Having bought it from the O2 network, I'll seriously doubt I'll ever be able to officially upgrade the firmware (HTC isn't even listed on their software upgrade pages), so I'll have to learn alternative methods one of these days to see if I can iron out some of the bugs!

Wish they would just whack a snapdragon and capacitive screen in a HD and re-release it....think that would satisfy a lotta folks. Cheers all for your input, it's really helping me to set realistic expectations.

I was contemplating on whether I should buy a Nexus One instead of the HD2, but I decided to go for the HD2 instead because it was cheaper, had a nice screen resolution, specifications don't differ much between both devices, and i'm looking forward to the Windows 7 release on the HD2

i am currently contemplating to switch from HD to HD2....is it worth it?

Buy it!
I come from the HD. The HD2 is what the HD should have been from the first instance.
Fantastic:
- speed (and I am using a stock French Orange ROM based on 1.43!)
- screen
- usability
As far as precision is concerned: I need a phone to check and type (even long) emails, and read documents. XT9 works just great, but even in ABC mode in landscape the accuracy is pretty good (and I type fast!).
If you need to play around with programs using stylus-based input, yes, then it gets really annoying (try to edit your registry in Total Commander and you'll get crazy).
In summary: if you want to tweak it like crazy all the time or intensively use older programs with small menus, then consider buying an alternative with a resistive screen and a stylus. But if you actually want to USE your phone with the standard applications, just buy it and you'll get the best of the market today imo!

to buy or not
i have it for a month after the trinity.
sorry but it hasnot voice call
no handwriting recognition
battery ends quickley
no video call
no .chm file reader
all of these were on the trinity.
so i am sorry buing it

Mastoid said:
I was contemplating on whether I should buy a Nexus One instead of the HD2, but I decided to go for the HD2 instead because it was cheaper, had a nice screen resolution, specifications don't differ much between both devices, and i'm looking forward to the Windows 7 release on the HD2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you do realize that there may eventually never be a WP7 release for the HD2?

rottttman said:
i have it for a month after the trinity.
sorry but it hasnot voice call
no handwriting recognition
battery ends quickley
no video call
no .chm file reader
all of these were on the trinity.
so i am sorry buing it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U'd better search for infos about the phone after buying it

Gripes I have about my Note

Don't get me wrong, I love this phone and think it'd be PERFECT, but nothing ever really does come perfect and for those who are really keen on buying this, I think you should take a look at some of the things I certainly wish they'd done better.
1) No notification LED - Maybe this is a Samsung thing but for a device catered for business, I really wish they've added this small detail that can do so much good! And don't tell me to get NoLED from market either, the point of the LED is that I can see notifications without having to press any buttons.
2) Poor sound and call quality - It might have to do with the Yamaha codec that others on the forum have been complaining about. My phone before the Note was a Motorola Milestone 2/Droid 2, and Motorola beats Samsung's call quality big time. Motorola has CrystalTalk which would spoil anyone who needs to make calls all the time, whether I'm in HK's busy subway or its most crowded districts, I'm able to hear and the other party can hear me just fine. With Samsung Galaxy Note, I push my incoming call volume to the highest and can hardly make out what the other party is saying unless they voice up. The other party can hardly hear me as well. There's no noise-cancellation whatsoever. It's a tad better if you make calls without a headset, but as a girl, it looks super silly holding up the Note to my face. I use Marshall Minor earphones for conversations and they worked wonderfully well with Motorola, not that great with Samsung. I am not sure if high-end noise-cancellation earphones the likes of Sennheiser or Shure would work better but I'm no audiophile and I really don't want to have to pay half the price of the phone for some quality conversations. Music is passable, both on the speaker and on the earphones, but don't expect it to do a good job with low-bass. If you're an audiophile, you'd need a dedicated MP3 player or HTC's Sensation XE might be a better phone for you.
3) Not-so-great power button placement - The Power/Screen Off button is right where the volume rocker buttons are placed on the other side of the phone. I find myself accidentally pushing the screen off button when I really just want to adjust the volume. There's so much space on the top of the phone for this button.
4) No dedicated camera shutter button - Not really a HUGE deal here but a device this big can come with one. I recently notice that the new phones coming out are dropping this
5) Pre-installed keyboard not good enough - Coming from a Milestone which has a dedicated QWERTY slider keyboard, some might think I'm biased about this, but no, I've played with HTC's Sensation keyboards and hardly make a typing error, and it definitely made me switch to an all touch-screen device. For this one, if you don't get the Thumb Keyboard or some other keyboard you're used to, then you might find it quite frustrating to message or type up e-mails. Of course, you can use the S-pen and handwriting recognition, which I find quite pleasantly smart.
6) Poor customizability - Please note that this is not a Note-exclusive problem but with Touch-Wiz. I am not keen of the Touch-Wiz interface and immediately changed the interface to Launcher Pro, unfortunately, many of the widgets that are part of the Touch-Wiz UI can no longer be added. I wish Samsung would change that.
7) Phone does not include S-Pen tutorials as well as other Note-exclusive features - Unless you download the full 190-page manual (English version), there's not much help in getting to know the features of the phone. There are pop-ups now and then telling you certain features, but if I didn't watch a ton of Youtube 'first impression' videos, I wouldn't know of the gestures functionality and other cool features I can do with the S-Pen. However, this is not a reason for NOT buying the phone.
8) Poor Touch-Wiz Low Customizability- If you don't love Touch-Wiz, you won't like the pre-installed interface. You can always change it to Launcher Pro but that means there'd be widgets you cannot use if you don't use Touch-Wiz. I like the Calendar widget but have to make do with Pure Grid Calendar Widget if I use Launcher Pro. And for some reason, if you're a root user, you still cannot change the battery icons (I've created another thread about this), but I probably should not blame this on Touch-Wiz or the ROM Samsung uses, as rooting is fully a personal choice. I just wish we have themes to turn off the ugly green Android is so fond of using (can't wait till ICS comes out because I see blue finally!)
9) S-Pen is hard to draw with off-table - Unless you have a super steady hand, I find writing (not to mention drawing) on the Note a challenge. There's several promotional videos from Samsung showing off the artwork that can be done with the S-Pen just by holding the Note in your hand as you would a PDA but I personally doubt it'd be easy unless you're a seasoned artist with a very steady hand. However, the S-Pen is FUN to use and amazing for jotting notes, so again, it should not be something to deter you from getting this phone if you don't plan on replacing your WACOM pen tablets with this.
10) Battery Removal required for SIM or MicroSD cards access- You'd think a phone of this size will allow you to swap out at least the MicroSD without having to power off, but unfortunately, this is not feasible with the Note.
So far, these are the few "quirks" I don't like about the Galaxy Note, but otherwise, the phone never ceases to amaze others not only because of its size but it's functionality and brilliant screen.
P.S. Forgot to add one more point, there are no A/V or media ports other than MicroUSB and 3.5mm audio jack (no HDMI or other ports) which doesn't bother me but might others.

If those are your gripes, this phone must be amazing.

Thanks for your POV!
With regards to 1,6 and 8, I agree that these are Samsung wide problems at the moment. But obviously its all down to personal preference. I use ADW Ex on my SGS2 but the fact that you can't use the Samsung S widgets on it means I might actually try TW for a while first!
Just out of interest, where did you get your Not from and how much did you pay in total for it?

JoyR2 said:
If those are your gripes, this phone must be amazing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha...yes, other than the poor voice quality, I do think it's an amazing device.

vinokirk said:
Thanks for your POV!
With regards to 1,6 and 8, I agree that these are Samsung wide problems at the moment. But obviously its all down to personal preference. I use ADW Ex on my SGS2 but the fact that you can't use the Samsung S widgets on it means I might actually try TW for a while first!
Just out of interest, where did you get your Not from and how much did you pay in total for it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got it from a shopping plaza in Mong Kok District of Hong Kong. That plaza sells many 2nd hand as well as new imported phones. I got mine for HK$5760 (~USD 742), they also allowed me to trade-in my good ol' Milestone 2 so I only paid a total of HK$4160 (~USD 536).

1) Notification LED - hopefully we will get a custom kernel with BLN support soon You have rooted it, right??
8) So TouchWiz sux - but there are lots of other Launchers to choose from.
10) Actually you CAN remove the SIM and sdcard without removing the battery - you just need to pry up the edge with a small tool - they are pretty flexible.
I'll add two gripes to your list:
- The protective camera glass on the back is slightly RAISED, so it is gonna get scratched up FAST if you ever put your Note down on any dirty/uneven surface. And because the glass is actually part of the CAMERA (not the case), it's probably not replaceable.
- The S-pen is too small, and pretty laggy in some apps, making it not even worth using (like drawing). And its touch-sensitivity is pretty worthless. And you can't tap the menu/back buttons with it.
But I still love my Note And it's only gonna get better as the custom ROMs start showing up.

RashaMatt said:
8) So TouchWiz sux - but there are lots of other Launchers to choose from.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...which would make some of the widgets obsolete.
RashaMatt said:
10) Actually you CAN remove the SIM and sdcard without removing the battery - you just need to pry up the edge with a small tool - they are pretty flexible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...true, but why need a tool in the first place, why can't Samsung just design it so you can remove them easily?
RashaMatt said:
- The protective camera glass on the back is slightly RAISED, so it is gonna get scratched up FAST if you ever put your Note down on any dirty/uneven surface. And because the glass is actually part of the CAMERA (not the case), it's probably not replaceable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange, but my camera glass is actually indented into the area surrounded by the metal square. My Note is imported from Poland, I wonder if they have different builds?
RashaMatt said:
- The S-pen is too small, and pretty laggy in some apps, making it not even worth using (like drawing). And its touch-sensitivity is pretty worthless. And you can't tap the menu/back buttons with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you're right about the small part, I'm Asian and a girl, so my hands are pretty small which makes the pen just right, but I can understand some people with bigger hands will find using it a real pain. I do agree with you on the other points!

wendyalison said:
Strange, but my camera glass is actually indented into the area surrounded by the metal square. My Note is imported from Poland, I wonder if they have different builds?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got a Polish "plus" Network model too (from handtec.co.uk) - how weird. Poor quality control...

First some comments on the above gripes :
noled shows you led notifications without you needing to touch the screen. It's pretty decent. I'd rather have a real led but it's not bad at all. Try it.
If you are using the stylus you hit the button and swipe up for the menu, and or swipe left to go back. That's how you get around the button issue.
Now my gripes:
The capacitive buttons (menu, back) are WAY too sensitive and I find myself accidentally hitting them constantly. One handed use is almost possible too, but I keep rubbing those buttons and it wrecks everything.
I think I need more friction to write with the stylus - I don't use it much at the moment.
- Frank

Performance
what about the performance is there an issue or lag
as i couldn't get a conclusion of this point

ChodTheWacko said:
First some comments on the above gripes :
noled shows you led notifications without you needing to touch the screen. It's pretty decent. I'd rather have a real led but it's not bad at all. Try it.
- Frank
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you find that NoLed impares the battery function of your phone? I have heard reviews on the SGS2 that it kills the battery while others say it is OK. As far as I am aware, NoLed turns the entire screen on while displaying its mini icons, would be nice if it could just activate a few icons on the top left or right of the screen.
I guess they put the notification LED in the Nexus, keeping it excluisive to that.
I am willing to buy the Note sight unseen because I love my friends S2's and I drooled over the LTE HD edition coming out. The Note is like 50 times better. I can't wait for my shipment on Monday!

tito17182 said:
what about the performance is there an issue or lag
as i couldn't get a conclusion of this point
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends what you're running. With Launcher Pro, I do feel a wee bit of lag when I use the Pulse widgets on one of the homescreens, I have 3 of those dragged out though and they all need to gather data, so I wouldn't expect it to go smoothly.
Otherwise, i'm playing Asphalt 6 while playing music with PowerAmp and I don't feel lag.

wendyalison said:
I got it from a shopping plaza in Mong Kok District of Hong Kong. That plaza sells many 2nd hand as well as new imported phones. I got mine for HK$5760 (~USD 742), they also allowed me to trade-in my good ol' Milestone 2 so I only paid a total of HK$4160 (~USD 536).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AWESOME!!!
I will go there first chance I get!

bbdj69 said:
Do you find that NoLed impares the battery function of your phone? have heard reviews on the SGS2 that it kills the battery while others say it is OK. As far as I am aware, NoLed turns the entire screen on while displaying its mini icons, would be nice if it could just activate a few icons on the top left or right of the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, remember that this is amoled and each pixel is lit up individually. So it doesn't 'turn the entire screen' on unless you turn the entire screen white. Or you run on an lcd phone with a backlight.
It runs fine for me at the moment Although i want to do more battery tests to see what uses how much power. It could still be the case that noled drains battery via cpu usage or wakeups.
Frank

ChodTheWacko said:
First of all, remember that this is amoled and each pixel is lit up individually. So it doesn't 'turn the entire screen' on unless you turn the entire screen white. Or you run on an lcd phone with a backlight.
It runs fine for me at the moment Although i want to do more battery tests to see what uses how much power. It could still be the case that noled drains battery via cpu usage or wakeups.
Frank
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is from the NoLed FAQ, similarly to what I have read online, opinion varies:
Q: What about battery drainage ? How much battery percentage does this app consume per hour ?
A: To answer this question, I quote our friend evilhunter101 from xda-forums.com
"That's a question that simply can't be answered for you and everyone else who wonders. Why? Because all the available settings change the battery consumption, as well as what other apps you have installed and what kernel or OS you are using. Simply put, try the app. If you like it, keep it. If not, uninstall it. You have literally got nothing to lose.
P.s. I see no difference with or without NoLED, while others swear its a battery hog. I imagine we have it set up very differently."

wendyalison said:
P.S. Forgot to add one more point, there are no A/V or media ports other than MicroUSB and 3.5mm audio jack (no HDMI or other ports) which doesn't bother me but might others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the MHL adaptor for GS2 working well~~

wendyalison said:
Yes, you're right about the small part, I'm Asian and a girl, so my hands are pretty small which makes the pen just right, but I can understand some people with bigger hands will find using it a real pain. I do agree with you on the other points!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am a short guy with pretty small hands, so I'm curious about how you feel using it. Is it even possible to do anything one-handed for you? Do you feel it's comfortable holding in one hand and using the other other for navigating? And finally, is it comfortable using the on-screen keyboard, might it be too big?
Thanks for your input so far. Good having people saying what's not so good as well.

wendyalison said:
I got it from a shopping plaza in Mong Kok District of Hong Kong. That plaza sells many 2nd hand as well as new imported phones. I got mine for HK$5760 (~USD 742), they also allowed me to trade-in my good ol' Milestone 2 so I only paid a total of HK$4160 (~USD 536).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you get the Galaxy Note? at the plaza in argyle street at the end of ladies market? If so I couldn't find one...

Fair comments,
Actually make me feel a lot more confident in buying the Note - just need to convince the wife now!

wendyalison said:
And don't tell me to get NoLED from market either, the point of the LED is that I can see notifications without having to press any buttons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not following this comment. NoLED doesn't require you to press any buttons.
wendyalison said:
It's a tad better if you make calls without a headset, but as a girl, it looks super silly holding up the Note to my face. I use Marshall Minor earphones for conversations and they worked wonderfully well with Motorola, not that great with Samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait, you're saying call quality through earphones is WORSE than call quality just holding the phone? This is very alarming as that's how I make most of my calls. Can anyone else confirm this?

Good job HTC.....Good Job........

Got mine today from 3 (UK) and have to say, thus far, best Android phone ever........
Simple stuff, it's set up with M$ exchange and tasks (a must for me) and the seamless integration with Google+,Facebook and Twitter is brilliant (missed this with every other Android phone).....
Loving the Blink feed.....
Haven't used the camera much yet, however the TV Remote app (Watch) or whatever its called.....easy set up on both TV and SKY and it's a genuine brilliant feature.
So far, well happy and nothing Sammy can throw at their (SG3s)comes close to this....
Dai

dai_griff said:
Got mine today from 3 (UK) and have to say, thus far, best Android phone ever........
Simple stuff, it's set up with M$ exchange and tasks (a must for me) and the seamless integration with Google+,Facebook and Twitter is brilliant (missed this with every other Android phone).....
Loving the Blink feed.....
Haven't used the camera much yet, however the TV Remote app (Watch) or whatever its called.....easy set up on both TV and SKY and it's a genuine brilliant feature.
So far, well happy and nothing Sammy can throw at their (SG3s)comes close to this....
Dai
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better than stock?!

Very nice. Good hearing positive things about blinkfeed. Let us know any other interesting things you find out about.
coming from the og one x

Silver or Black?

I got my silvet one on 3 today.To start with it's the best android smartphone I ever used. Design is awasome and the phone sits very pleasant in my hand. Damn it HTC worked very well on aesthetic of UI.it's so refined detail driven and tuned I am having good times just staring at it.I am detail driven person thats part of my work and I have appreciation and eye for things like this. Battery was around 80% when I got phone it lastet around 9hours on 50% brightness 3g and WiFi combined.Email YouTube browsing music listening an so on. I believe camera softaware could be tweakened more... sometimes highlight details gets overexposed and wide angle lens tends to distort image on the sides the latter I am not sure if possible to correct on the phone but the editing program. Having said that low light shoots are my favourite. Camera does really good job and keeps colour very close to natural. Another good thing is your photos are only a little over 1MB .what a compact size. Dual Speakers are in they own league it sounds stereo and is clrar. Phone is smooth and fast. I like blinkfeed and I think it does a job for me.At the moment I have my FB telling me all new stories. Screen is crisp and clear with natural colour and good viewing angles. Coming from sgs2 I didn't have a problem to navigate through the phone I think it's quiet intuitive.So far so good. I don't regret for a single second I got this phone. If I had a second chance to choose the phone without a doubt I would pick The One.....Enjoy your new phone HTC fellows!

hope all of you that got it today die in a fire :laugh:

snorkle said:
hope all of you that got it today die in a fire :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's okay, their phones would be fine.
Whats the melting point of the aluminium used I wonder?
Plastic would just melt! :laugh:

Nokiacrazi said:
It's okay, their phones would be fine.
Whats the melting point of the aluminium used I wonder?
Plastic would just melt! :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not only would it melt, it would melt in an unusable gooey blob and look like **** + the fumes would mess up your brain (maybe thats why samsung users like their devices ..)
The One however will be a nice piece of aluminum, that can be remelted and recycled and reborn as a new one

voltron2k11 said:
Not only would it melt, it would melt in an unusable gooey blob and look like **** + the fumes would mess up your brain (maybe thats why samsung users like their devices ..)
The One however will be a nice piece of aluminum, that can be remelted and recycled and reborn as a new one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I lol'd, you may have a point, how hot do thsoe phones get? slow burn so you dont realize it? causing brain damage, is the only way someone would want to buy those phones again..

Seeing as I did play with the phone in shops many times, nothing about the experience of this phone comes as a surprise. Its fast, smooth (no lag what so ever), UI is fantastic infact just simply the best, camera is fantastic have only taking one pic, but i took many when I used it in shops, same as video, dual speakers and in headset audio second to none!!! i dont even care about the features of the s3s which is a very good phone btw but certainly not on the Ones level!!! this is just the best phone ever made!!!! forget good job HTC, excellent job HTC, next year just add a memory card slot and much bigger battery to please all those who complain about battery and memory. I was confused as to why they called it the one and orginally thought M7 was better but now having it as my own phone rather than a shop model - it deserves the name ONE!!! coz its number ONE!!

MIX as primary device since November. Thoughts.

Coming from an LG G Flex 2 (hailed a failure amongst devs for the device, but mine ran stable and smoothly all the time just by following the stickies here; IMO original G Flex showed so much potential ). Running global 6.12.8, with some xposed tweaks. I haven't touched a thing since I got that setup. I run the device continuously, with no reboots, and its respectably stable at any given moment. Let me know I'm missing out on anything huge by letting the weeklies go by.
The screen size upgrade was much appreciated - I have big hands, I can Swype reasonably fast using the thumb of the hand I'm holding the phone with. Heft and size plus added reach make two hand usage more comfortable, nonetheless.
Screen itself is absolutely stunning (and tbh, I've never really qualitatively observed any quality problems with 1080p on mobile devices); colors are brilliant.
TLDR: The display is enjoyable to look at
No need for a stylus here. I once rocked an iPad mini as a full fledged phone using GV voice (when it was so simple), and had a stylus for that. Carried that for a while during undergrad. Never cared for styluses since.
Phone camera does what phone cameras do. I'm no expert in cameras (well kinda - Optics PhD student), so I choose not to count too much on the numbers/specs provided. I get good shots that contain all of the information necessary in a phone camera image.
I cheated a bit. I use Nova Launcher. Have settings locked down to a science since LG launcher fail in the original Flex.
No complaints. Everything is quick and fluid. I also have a neat trick that enables knock ON/OFF, so the phone behaves itself and gets locked (one way or another).
The softkeys and accessibility button provide more than enough shortcuts to do whatever you need to do is. Fingerprint sensor is right where it should be, and recognizes my fingers at any given time.
I have a Google voice number, so I switched my default dialer and incoming call receiver to Hangouts dialer. NO COMPLAINTS. I used the regular phone app to make calls plenty before I realized I wasn't actually dialing out through GV (MIUI issue, afaik). VOIP sounds better through the phone's screenspeaker than does a traditional voice call. My carrier tallies my data usage to a ridiculously low number every month, so I don't think VOIP phone causes trouble.
Battery life is a must for me. I'm OCD perfect with battery management of my devices, but I need to know I can take my phone to work every day a and use it for lots of real stuff and/or leisure. 8-9 hours of work a day sets me back to the realm of ~65% battery life. I could come home and play nintendo DS on 400% speed for hours on that kind of juice. 4400 mAh was a major selling point for me, and that's paid off.
Speaker quality is surprisingly good for what the speakers look like sitting there at the bottom.
Once you've rooted and used Lucky Patcher to block ads, you've got one smooth, slick, stone to carry around that will not fail you; cavemen would be very jealous.
Concerns:
Dropping. The case provided makes for a really nice grip. I have never once almost dropped the phone. It's slid out of my pocket once, but short fall = no damage.
Features I miss:
IR blaster. I love them. They make owning entertainment centers even lazier.
Not much else.

Thanks for your impressions. I ordered mine from Light in the Box two weeks ago, and am (im)patiently awaiting.
Quick question on MIUI; I started with Samsung phones, then had a Nexus 6, so full Android all the way. Do you feel like there's a learning curve, getting around MIUI? I love tech, but don't like change too much; I'd love to get this phone working as close to AOSP as possible.

jeromekobriger said:
Thanks for your impressions. I ordered mine from Light in the Box two weeks ago, and am (im)patiently awaiting.
Quick question on MIUI; I started with Samsung phones, then had a Nexus 6, so full Android all the way. Do you feel like there's a learning curve, getting around MIUI? I love tech, but don't like change too much; I'd love to get this phone working as close to AOSP as possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kinda why I opted for a Launcher I was familiar with (it's MIUI themed though, so I get points for trying). I've never found there to be more of a different learning curve from one Android device to another. You figure out what your device can and can't do, you set up your shortcuts, gestures, other personal accessibility options, and then you use it. When you find something about it you don't like, you fix it.
I could give you an enormous list of XPosed tweaks and small things here and there that I've changed, but that might not do you any good because it's personalized to me.

Good to know, thanks. I haven't played around with MIUI yet, so wasn't sure just how different it might be. Xposed on the other hand; that was my bread and butter on my Note 3 and Nexus. That'll go a long ways.
Thanks!

No calls on Verizon.
I have date and text working, no voice calls going thru. Have updated the apn as per the site here. What am I missing. Would appreciate any help.
Thank you.
bigcc32 said:
Coming from an LG G Flex 2 (hailed a failure amongst devs for the device, but mine ran stable and smoothly all the time just by following the stickies here; IMO original G Flex showed so much potential ). Running global 6.12.8, with some xposed tweaks. I haven't touched a thing since I got that setup. I run the device continuously, with no reboots, and its respectably stable at any given moment. Let me know I'm missing out on anything huge by letting the weeklies go by.
The screen size upgrade was much appreciated - I have big hands, I can Swype reasonably fast using the thumb of the hand I'm holding the phone with. Heft and size plus added reach make two hand usage more comfortable, nonetheless.
Screen itself is absolutely stunning (and tbh, I've never really qualitatively observed any quality problems with 1080p on mobile devices); colors are brilliant.
TLDR: The display is enjoyable to look at
No need for a stylus here. I once rocked an iPad mini as a full fledged phone using GV voice (when it was so simple), and had a stylus for that. Carried that for a while during undergrad. Never cared for styluses since.
Phone camera does what phone cameras do. I'm no expert in cameras (well kinda - Optics PhD student), so I choose not to count too much on the numbers/specs provided. I get good shots that contain all of the information necessary in a phone camera image.
I cheated a bit. I use Nova Launcher. Have settings locked down to a science since LG launcher fail in the original Flex.
No complaints. Everything is quick and fluid. I also have a neat trick that enables knock ON/OFF, so the phone behaves itself and gets locked (one way or another).
The softkeys and accessibility button provide more than enough shortcuts to do whatever you need to do is. Fingerprint sensor is right where it should be, and recognizes my fingers at any given time.
I have a Google voice number, so I switched my default dialer and incoming call receiver to Hangouts dialer. NO COMPLAINTS. I used the regular phone app to make calls plenty before I realized I wasn't actually dialing out through GV (MIUI issue, afaik). VOIP sounds better through the phone's screenspeaker than does a traditional voice call. My carrier tallies my data usage to a ridiculously low number every month, so I don't think VOIP phone causes trouble.
Battery life is a must for me. I'm OCD perfect with battery management of my devices, but I need to know I can take my phone to work every day a and use it for lots of real stuff and/or leisure. 8-9 hours of work a day sets me back to the realm of ~65% battery life. I could come home and play nintendo DS on 400% speed for hours on that kind of juice. 4400 mAh was a major selling point for me, and that's paid off.
Speaker quality is surprisingly good for what the speakers look like sitting there at the bottom.
Once you've rooted and used Lucky Patcher to block ads, you've got one smooth, slick, stone to carry around that will not fail you; cavemen would be very jealous.
Concerns:
Dropping. The case provided makes for a really nice grip. I have never once almost dropped the phone. It's slid out of my pocket once, but short fall = no damage.
Features I miss:
IR blaster. I love them. They make owning entertainment centers even lazier.
Not much else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Pointmanipo said:
I have date and text working, no voice calls going thru. Have updated the apn as per the site here. What am I missing. Would appreciate any help.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I've never messed with CDMA networks (Verizon is still considered CDMA, right?); my cell service has always been GSM based.
I use Hangouts to handle all of my phone calls now, mainly because I did have a few issues getting Google Voice to play nice with MIUI, so I'm probably not the right person to ask. I'd suggest making a new thread - increasing your chances of getting the answer you're looking for (it is a legitimate issue, so it's worthy of a new thread).

bigcc32 said:
Unfortunately I've never messed with CDMA networks (Verizon is still considered CDMA, right?); my cell service has always been GSM based.
I use Hangouts to handle all of my phone calls now, mainly because I did have a few issues getting Google Voice to play nice with MIUI, so I'm probably not the right person to ask. I'd suggest making a new thread - increasing your chances of getting the answer you're looking for (it is a legitimate issue, so it's worthy of a new thread).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes thank you for your reply.

Love mine as a daily driver too, have had it since January or so. Got a transparent tpu case for grip and off i went. I have everything working data wise and software wise, even got my Samsung gear s2 to sync up and run well.

Nicolfa said:
Love mine as a daily driver too, have had it since January or so. Got a transparent tpu case for grip and off i went. I have everything working data wise and software wise, even got my Samsung gear s2 to sync up and run well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many have reported that due to the case, the piezoelectric speaker doesnt work as intended giving a very low volume during calls, could you comment on your experience while making or receiving calls with ur tpu case on? is it that low? or perhaps you dont notice cos use earphones or bluetooth earphones??
Please if you could be detailed it would be much appreciated.

Calls and volume have been fine as long as your holding the headset like a phone and not at odd angles or other methods I've seen people do when talking on the a cell phone.

mp3elv said:
Many have reported that due to the case, the piezoelectric speaker doesnt work as intended giving a very low volume during calls, could you comment on your experience while making or receiving calls with ur tpu case on? is it that low? or perhaps you dont notice cos use earphones or bluetooth earphones??
Please if you could be detailed it would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, I use hangouts for all my voice calls, and it seems as though Hangouts has a significant volume boost over the standard phone app.

bigcc32 said:
Again, I use hangouts for all my voice calls, and it seems as though Hangouts has a significant volume boost over the standard phone app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do u use a case on your phone? a tempered glass? or just naked, it seems these addons affect the sound from the piezoelectric device

mp3elv said:
Many have reported that due to the case, the piezoelectric speaker doesnt work as intended giving a very low volume during calls, could you comment on your experience while making or receiving calls with ur tpu case on? is it that low? or perhaps you dont notice cos use earphones or bluetooth earphones??
Please if you could be detailed it would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mp3elv said:
do u use a case on your phone? a tempered glass? or just naked, it seems these addons affect the sound from the piezoelectric device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got a tempered glass screen protector on right now. I haven't noticed any degradation of call quality.

Had mine since november and absolutely LOVE it. I have treated it so carefully, and yet I managed to bring it out with me while partying saturday. Got drunk which I rarely do these days and smashed it in the pavement. I immediately ordered another one. It simply cannot get here soon enough.

I have been using my Mix as a daily driver for a month now running Epic ROM. Glass screen protector and case and no problem with quality of sound. Probably the best phone I have ever used(been using Nexus 6, OPO and OP2 before). When I will miss stock Android I will flash RR or Lineage OS. But for the time I like something different and EPIC Rom (MIUI ) is good for a change.

benziii said:
Had mine since november and absolutely LOVE it. I have treated it so carefully, and yet I managed to bring it out with me while partying saturday. Got drunk which I rarely do these days and smashed it in the pavement. I immediately ordered another one. It simply cannot get here soon enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to hear about that.
Are you getting a better price this time?
IDK what you paid previously,but, I'd imagine pricing is a little bit better than when it first became available.....
Sent from my Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 using XDA Labs

KOLIOSIS said:
Sorry to hear about that.
Are you getting a better price this time?
IDK what you paid previously,but, I'd imagine pricing is a little bit better than when it first became available.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Paid 780$ last time (4/128). This time around 620$ (6/256). Could probably look around for an even better offer, but I was still buzzed and freakin out hehe.

Got mine today (6/256);
I need to agree with 1 simple fact; pictures & videos are not able to do this device justice. I can safely say that this is THE most premium (excluding the likes of Vertu) device I held.
Amazing. (but slippery AF).
I just finished setting it up with my apps & will report usage after a while.
All in all, apps run super smooth.
The only issue I encountered till now, is the slow transfer speed via USB. I get 2x-3x higher speeds on the same PC with my other devices.
I need to isolate the issue - whether it's the cable, or the handset itself.
#EDIT 2017-05-05
- Still need to underline how slippery it is ;]
- call volume is quite low, even on the highest settings
- the USB cable is thin, so I am expecting needing to buy a replacement after a short time

It has rendered my laptop as useless, haven't turned it on since owning the mix just don't need it with this screen size.

Impulse buy

I picked this device up as a impulse buy to replace my Note 8 and even though there was quite a lot of negative talk about this phone mostly for the software I have to say I don't regret my purchase in terms of why I bought it. I was considering the Z Fold 2, but couldn't justify wasting THAT much money for something I'd most likely break just using it (screen). Anyway, the Duo has been a great multitasking device so far. The only area I'm highly disappointed by is not so much the crappy potato camera, but the fact 1. it takes soooo long to deploy the camera ready to take one. 2. the gigantic f$%&ing delay when taking a picture vs when the camera shutter sound signifies it took a picture. I'm hoping that future updates resolve this phones issues although it sounds like there hasn't been much attention given other than this past January... At any rate, I've bought a few things to improve the usability of this phone. Magnetic usb-c cable for charging and data transfer (miss Qi charging...) and added screen protectors. Finally made some vinyl overlays for the outsides and used CF for grip although negated when the screens are folded open.

Looking forward to receiving mine next week to finally try dual screen. Will be interesting to see how it compares to the Note 10 I've been using for the last year or so, particularly for battery life. Also heard it doesn't support ARCore which will be disappointing as was key to one of the main uses I wanted this phone for.

Pretty cool
A lot better build than any of the Folds...

wez_p said:
Looking forward to receiving mine next week to finally try dual screen. Will be interesting to see how it compares to the Note 10 I've been using for the last year or so, particularly for battery life. Also heard it doesn't support ARCore which will be disappointing as was key to one of the main uses I wanted this phone for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, I think you'll be disappointed straight away. You'll have to forget most of what you expect a android phone, much less a phone to be and learn how to navigate Microsoft's version of Android and a duel screen (not all Microsoft's fault and the nature of duel screens). With that said if you get comfortable enough with how they want you to do things you may start to love it more than any single screen phone and not want to go back. While I feel pretty adjusted and comfortable with using it for what it is as I was intending. With that said I've run into a few situations where the Duo will just NOT replace a phone at least a flag ship like what I was used to with my Note 8. I don't know if this good or good enough, but I can take the Duo off the charger, go to work, have the bluetooth connected to my headset, playing video, screen at around 15% brightness, be browsing the net or social media at the same time the video is playing and after my 8 hr shift be at around 10-5% battery left. Or I can do a charge for about an hr and a half? and be at around 80 - 90%? Not sure what ARCore is. Let me know if you need any info or help, although in some ways still learning myself.

blackhawk said:
Pretty cool
A lot better build than any of the Folds...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I feel like I'd have wrecked the screen if I had a Fold. I'm not hard on devices, but I still expect it to hold up since I have to use touch so much to interact.
I've changed the outer protectors since this original post. Since I have the ability to make my own vinyl stuff I've been experimenting with a logo. The CF was too big and was peeling at the edges so I needed to adjust the size of the vinyl and cut a new one out. My laptop for comparison to cover the stock logo.

vipfreak said:
Thanks, I feel like I'd have wrecked the screen if I had a Fold. I'm not hard on devices, but I still expect it to hold up since I have to use touch so much to interact.
I've changed the outer protectors since this original post. Since I have the ability to make my own vinyl stuff I've been experimenting with a logo. The CF was too big and was peeling at the edges so I needed to adjust the size of the vinyl and cut a new one out. My laptop for comparison to cover the stock logo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, the Folds are designed to self destruct like a Mission Impossible tape... brute force not needed
This isn't intended as a phone per se but I really like the way it's hinged and its conservative but innovative solid design.
A sharp micro laptop... Gene Roddenberry would have loved it.
I'm very interested to hear what your experiences are like with it. It a cool hybrid

blackhawk said:
This isn't intended as a phone per se but I really like the way it's hinged and its conservative but innovative solid design.
A sharp micro laptop... Gene Roddenberry would have loved it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely agree. It's really nice hardware. Speaking of which I will watch re-runs of Star Trek TNG if it's on some times.
blackhawk said:
I'm very interested to hear what your experiences are like with it. It a cool hybrid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My primary use case is in "Nintendo DS" view where I have a screen for video playback on top and then I'm browsing the net, social media, or games on the bottom screen. This is where I think it shines the most. My second use case is like regular phone with one screen mostly for ease of typing like replying to a text message. A cool use case that I haven't done all that much is book view where I have youtube open playing a video and doing whatever on the other screen. This view is primarily nice if I have music playing off of youtube because usually if you try to multi task and youtube will stop the music and close the app entirely. With the Duo I don't have to worry about youtube taking up the screen since I have a secondary one. Something a single screen can't do. Why don't I pay youtube? I'm cheap and part Chinese. lol...

Hi,
Well, given the massive price drop from Microsoft, I decided to go for one that I bought from the MS Store directly.
Openend the package and powered up the device. Well, first thing is you will probably have to wait for 30 minutes for the successive updates to apply... Not really nice on a device that still is 800€ after 50% rebate, but OK.
Once powered up and ready to go, the first impression is amazing. The build quality is about the best you can get. The displays despite what reviewers write, are splendid. And the "Duo" panels are just amazing. App are installed super fast (not sure what memory they used, but here is it indeed pretty fast) ; GPS is super accurate ; communnication areoud and clear and so that is all good
But unfortunately, that only last for some time... And then the problems arise :
- no Led or outter display : you don't have a watch. You'll have to grab the device and open it just to know what time it is. You got a notification ? Same thing just to see what arrived. Even worse : you get a phone call ? You have to grab your phone, open it, see who's calling... and half the times, you'll miss the call because you weren't fast enough !
- the hinges ? Superb piece of craftmanship. Honestly. They feel super solid. They have the exact balance between being stiff enough to allow the displays not to move by themselves but still not to be too difficult to operate and unfold. But once your device is open and if you display, say a webpage, in "full screen" (so on both displays) then you'll just have a gap and so some parts of the page won't be legible... I thought MS would have worked on a seamless displaying of the pages when in "full screen", but no. They went the easy route ;
- the way the dual display are working is totally confusing. When I launch an app, it sometimes will display on the left panel, sometimes the right one. Why ? No idea. But that is OKAY. A little more problematic : let's say that I am using my web browser in full screen (on both displays). I get a notification that I got an e-mail. I go to recents and check the mail, then go to recents again to go back to browser... it works, but will go back to single display, not "full screen", so I have to drag the slider again to have full screen. Maybe I would be able to live with that. But on my device, one of the displays randomly decides to power off. I have to close the Surface Duo and reopen it to get the second display back. That really doesn't fill me with confidence in durability :-(
- and then there is the battery. It's melting like snow in hot summer day. I am used to 5kAh batteries that last almost a week-end given my usage. I know MS wants to mimick some of Apple's features, but why taking the worst and choose the same battery power ? Here, playing a simple game like "Cody Cross" and I will be out of juice within 2h30...
I will not talk about other small glitches, like the MS launcher, which in the Surface Edition is simply a joke ; the fact that some apps will not work in the Surface ; the incredibly poor camera (I don't care, I don't use it but did they even gave a look at the smartphone reviews where the stupid reviewers can take away 1 full star out of 5 for a smartphone just because it's camera is not stellar ?) ; the lack of accessories (proof that it simply hasn't sold)... and some other details.
But the ones I described earlier will probably get me to send the Surface Duo back to MS.
Will wait until September 22 to do that.
Let's see what they'll release on Surface Duo 2...
Because I really would like to love it and justify spending 800€ on a smartphone !
Regards

I bought mine Amazon $419 just to play and get to know - it is a fun device - I couldn't justify the Fold 3 which I had been using contemplating. If I trade this in for a Duo 2 and get US $250+ it's all good.
It fast charges really quickly. It can get to 40C and yes it drains battery terribly.
Even SwiftKey seems buggy - whole thing is more prototype than a finished product - they should be paying us!
But I think I'll wait for Android 12 at this point. 11 is a great already a year old. Also the I like to wait 4-6 months anyway for the any issues.

Hi,
If the Surface Duo was sold in France for 400€, I'd keep it too
But best brand new price I've found here is 800€ (for 256GB model) unfortunately.
This is why keeping it is a question for me :-(