Database Users

Do you regret buying a Galaxy Note?

So, with all of the fuss around the Galaxy S3, potentially a new iPhone and other quad-core phones bustling out onto the market, I have had one or two people ask me as to whether or not I regret purchasing a Galaxy Note considering that it only features a dual-core processor and may not even get Jelly Bean unlike S3 which is almost guaranteed to. So, do you regret purchasing the Note and wished you'd gotten an S3/other device instead or not? I, personally, love my Galaxy Note. I couldn't afford both a tablet and phone, so this fills that gap perfectly. The S3 has admittedly got better processing power, but the Note is still the only phone which has true 1080P resolution screen (as far as I am aware).

Brad387 said:
So, with all of the fuss around the Galaxy S3, potentially a new iPhone and other quad-core phones bustling out onto the market, I have had one or two people ask me as to whether or not I regret purchasing a Galaxy Note considering that it only features a dual-core processor and may not even get Jelly Bean unlike S3 which is almost guaranteed to. So, do you regret purchasing the Note and wished you'd gotten an S3/other device instead or not? I, personally, love my Galaxy Note. I couldn't afford both a tablet and phone, so this fills that gap perfectly. The S3 has admittedly got better processing power, but the Note is still the only phone which has true 1080P resolution screen (as far as I am aware).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not a bit. I came from a SGS2, and haven't looked back. And what's this rubbish about not getting JB? We'll have JB quite soon; have you seen the news about CM10?
Note is not 1080p (1920x1080), it's 1280x800, which is still great. It has a higher pixel density than the iPad3.

If I had known 'bout the emmc brick bug, I may have bought a nexus.
I mean it does get updates super fast and all.
But weather I regret it or not,
well I don't.

Nope, best phone I've ever owned. Imported from Germany as soon as available for way too much.
Fast, beautiful screen and great size. I actually wouldn't mind a bit bigger. I hope they don't muck up version 2 too much.

My only regret on the Note is the EMMC bug. I mean, what the heck! we paid the phone more than 700usd when it was released and we get a bug in the official firmware that can brick this expensive phone for good!! This is completely unacceptable....but I will still get the Note 2 just because of the large screen!

The Note can be compared ONLY to another Galaxy Note, which does not exist.
Criskelo 4.04 ICS LRG v9, LRB Modem, speedmod k3-9 kernel, Carrier: AT&T (US)

Not at all. No other phone has 5,3" amoled screen - i dont really care about quad-core, dual core is enough at the moment for me.

Brick bug is the only flaw with this entire device.

Dungeon47 said:
Not a bit. I came from a SGS2, and haven't looked back. And what's this rubbish about not getting JB? We'll have JB quite soon; have you seen the news about CM10?
Note is not 1080p (1920x1080), it's 1280x800, which is still great. It has a higher pixel density than the iPad3.
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Click to collapse
Don´t regret it one bit,all this rubbish that its to big and won´t fit in your pocket is just bul***it,had it in ever paar of jeans I own with no probs.Used to own a HTC HD2(r.i.p:cryingwhen that came out it was the biggest phone on the market at that time and now.....its standard with the size and now when I get a phone that size I think...hmmm...a bit small Software,ok a few problems to begin with but now with 4.0.4,TOP :good: Played with an S3 for a while but it didn´t turn me on a bit were as with the Note...100% pure sex
The Note has a resolution from 1280x800 but records at 1920x1080 and has a max. video output of 1920x1080 full HD.

Da mOnKeY said:
Don´t regret it one bit,all this rubbish that its to big and won´t fit in your pocket is just bul***it,had it in ever paar of jeans I own with no probs.Used to own a HTC HD2(r.i.p:cryingwhen that came out it was the biggest phone on the market at that time and now.....its standard with the size and now when I get a phone that size I think...hmmm...a bit small Software,ok a few problems to begin with but now with 4.0.4,TOP :good: Played with an S3 for a while but it didn´t turn me on a bit were as with the Note...100% pure sex
The Note has a resolution from 1280x800 but records at 1920x1080 and has a max. video output of 1920x1080 full HD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never have a problem putting it into my pockets (normal fitting jeans) and sometimes carry 2 phones in the same pocket at the same time (Note plus either the Epic 4G/Nexus S 4G).
LOVE my Note. I've been owning it for over 4 months now and it still runs just as good as the day I bought it and I'm still on GB (stock but rooted). Heck it has been so good even while stock, I still run TW launcher! I also own a Nexus S 4G and Epic 4G (on Sprint, work phones) and I still default to my Note for just about anything that I don't do on my laptop. I also own an HP Touchpad (bought during the firesale has WebOS and CM on it) and ever since I've had the Note, I rarely use it, now mainly my kids play with it. The Note truly is the best all-in-one device. The only thing is the eMMC bug which I've hesitated updating to ICS, but even on GB it does everything I need it to do. If/when Sprint carries the Note 2, then I'll upgrade then. Heck I am already upgrade eligible on Sprint, but rumors of a Note 2 announcement on August 30 is making me sit on my upgrade until a Note 2 is released on Sprint.

Nope. Best device I've ever owned.
Never going back to CDMA, either. Love the flexibility GSM affords me.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

If you're going to regret buying something because something (arguably) better gets released 8 months later,
then you might as well not buy anything at all.
- Frank

You kind of had to know before hand that purchasing this would be outdated slightly since the s3 was due out for five months down the line. Plus Samsung treats the galaxy note line as if it were a [email protected]@rd orphan child that gets it hand me down.
It's a bigger phone so give me better specs dammit.
The firmware update mishaps , crappy battery ... need I say more?
It would be hilarious if the owners of xda launched a public service announcement national commercial listing evening wrong with the galaxy note.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

.... If I were to change the note.... Longer battery life, maybe, more accurate pen in horizontal position, camera button, less mega pixel camera with bigger photo receptors, pen out light, more ram, and steel case to attach a chain to it so people can't ever steal my awesome awesome phone/star trek Data pad.
I'm future proof until 3d ar glasses come out.

Not even for a second, quad core phones are useless really, im glad things are moving forward and eventually quadcore will be utilized, but the only thing that could possible use al that processing power on phones is games, and there isn't asingle game out there tha exclusively for the power of quadcore, all the high spec games run fine on dualcore phones. So im not in any rush to upgrade ill upgrade after 12 months of having the note which is december. Hopefully the note 2 :-D

Alexanderbooth said:
Not even for a second, quad core phones are useless really, im glad things are moving forward and eventually quadcore will be utilized, but the only thing that could possible use al that processing power on phones is games, and there isn't asingle game out there tha exclusively for the power of quadcore, all the high spec games run fine on dualcore phones. So im not in any rush to upgrade ill upgrade after 12 months of having the note which is december. Hopefully the note 2 :-D
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Click to collapse
I won't be upgrading the Note till mid-2013 roughly, but I love my Note too so no worries.

I regret reading and replying to this thread.

Yes I do, for the simple reason that as soon as I went an bought mine, Samsung announced its successor, thereby making me spend more on the older model than I need have, and preventing me from buying the new one as soon as it comes out.:crying:
But then that's just how my luck runs.
C'est la vie....

I bought the note three weeks ago, so way after the s3 announcement. Had the s2 up to then. Made the choice because the s3 does not feel or look so nice (imo) and does not feel like a decent upgrade (don't get me wrong I do think it's the best phone out there, just not a huge upgrade to the s2).
The Note feels like a true upgrade, despite being basically the same specs, because screeeeeeen
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app

I bought it since over 7 months now was my first android handset,but still did not grow on me this is at best one laggy OS most probably will get the next iphone but will surely miss both the big screen and the Flash support in the browser.However it was a very interesting experience.

I got my Asus TF700T yesterday. Im gonna sell it & buy a Note 10.1

I am a Note II owner and love the phone. Then I really felt like buying an Android tablet. I went and got me Asus Transformer Infinity yesterday & boy Do I regret!! I just put an ad to sell it 100$ off price just to get rid of it & get a Note 10.1 !
Here's what pissed me off. Its a ***** to get the bootloader unlocked. You gotta use Asus unlocker tool & their servers dont respond. its been 48 hrs almost and still no luck.
Theres like only 1 or 2 costume roms available for it and for that this needs to be unlocked.
What pissed me off most that it had only 1gig ram. I thought since it was pricier then a Note 10.1 then its probably at least the same specs.
And damn is it laggy! I guess it could be the ICS' fault and that the JB for it will be smoother but right now it cant be compared to smoothnes of my Note phone at all!
The charger connector is also not standard mini usb which sux and the keyboard for it is too pricey!
One thing I was really looking for was to play Tegra 3 games on it & of the 5 games I tried only 1 was not buggy!
anyways... from what Ive seen from the Note 10.1 dev forum it looks just as promising as my NoteII.
so if anyone here thinks I am making a mistake or something I missed plz let me know.
donno why I even bothered buying this. I was so happy with my Note2. It would have been logical to get another galaxy product!
It was an expensive lesson I even ordered a screen protector for it which costs 30bux inc shipping!

I think you're making the right decision, but....
You should know that the Note 10.1 also doesn't use a mini-usb plug. It's also proprietary.

Don't waste your money.
The Note 10.1 didn't have ANY ROMs out when I bought mine,
and technically there still isn't any official JB for my N8013.
I would wait.
The Note 10.1 is not perfect, no tab is. Based on your post,
you seem to be a hasty kinda buyer cuz you seem to not
research your purchases beforehand. Keep in mind:
The Note 10.1 also has a proprietary non-standard charger/connector.
The few available docks if you want one are rare and pricey as well.
The TF700 has a far better display (by ppi)
The Note 10.1 is not tegra 3 but exynos quad.
Samsung is NOTORIOUS for taking forever to push updates

blud7 said:
Don't waste your money.
The Note 10.1 didn't have ANY ROMs out when I bought mine,
and technically there still isn't any official JB for my N8013.
I would wait.
The Note 10.1 is not perfect, no tab is. Based on your post,
you seem to be a hasty kinda buyer cuz you seem to not
research your purchases beforehand. Keep in mind:
The Note 10.1 also has a proprietary non-standard charger/connector.
The few available docks if you want one are rare and pricey as well.
The TF700 has a far better display (by ppi)
The Note 10.1 is not tegra 3 but exynos quad.
Samsung is NOTORIOUS for taking forever to push updates
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a bit of an overstatement?
No one is saying the Note 10.1 is perfect.
Well, about the lag, the Note 10.1 doesn't lag at all - yes, I'm not saying this just because I own one, it's because it doesn't lag at all.
It's fast and fluid, and with the correct use, it will blaze at an amazing speed.
It has already many custom ROM's available and it's hack-friendly. Samsung releases the open-source very often for their devices.
Oh, and about the updates, Samsung was actually quick to bring in Jelly Bean. It makes your Note 10.1 be twice as fast (in some cases).
You can also have a plethora of keyboards (non-OEM) that are cheap, and some even turn to be covers as well.
All in all, it's a pretty nice buy, but if the non-standard charger/connector is a no-GO, then it's a don't buy this. This tab uses the proprietary connector.

ricardosteve said:
That's a bit of an overstatement?
No one is saying the Note 10.1 is perfect.
Well, about the lag, the Note 10.1 doesn't lag at all - yes, I'm not saying this just because I own one, it's because it doesn't lag at all.
It's fast and fluid, and with the correct use, it will blaze at an amazing speed.
It has already many custom ROM's available and it's hack-friendly. Samsung releases the open-source very often for their devices.
Oh, and about the updates, Samsung was actually quick to bring in Jelly Bean. It makes your Note 10.1 be twice as fast (in some cases).
You can also have a plethora of keyboards (non-OEM) that are cheap, and some even turn to be covers as well.
All in all, it's a pretty nice buy, but if the non-standard charger/connector is a no-GO, then it's a don't buy this. This tab uses the proprietary connector.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 on that add also the multiwindow option /svoice /airview /front stereo speakers and n8000 model can do gsm calls and allot more, i used note II for like a week before buying note 10.1 and personally i think spen on 10.1 is some what more senstive and more ergonomic, something to note also the spen can work as a mouse in web browser to review links, etc and scroll
Sent from my X10S using xda app-developers app

did you vote yes or no ?
hoss_n2 said:
+1 on that add also the multiwindow option /svoice /airview /front stereo speakers and n8000 model can do gsm calls and allot more, i used note II for like a week before buying note 10.1 and personally i think spen on 10.1 is some what more senstive and more ergonomic, something to note also the spen can work as a mouse in web browser to review links, etc and scroll
Sent from my X10S using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you vote yes or no ?

I got my Note last Friday and can say that I love it. The quad core and 2GB of RAM keeps it fast and responsive, something I can't say about my first gen Android tablet that this replaces. I'''ll upgrade my Android phone next year once I see which LTE may come to my area; however, I know it will have similar specs to the Note.

toofank said:
I am a Note II owner and love the phone. Then I really felt like buying an Android tablet. I went and got me Asus Transformer Infinity yesterday & boy Do I regret!! I just put an ad to sell it 100$ off price just to get rid of it & get a Note 10.1 !
Here's what pissed me off. Its a ***** to get the bootloader unlocked. You gotta use Asus unlocker tool & their servers dont respond. its been 48 hrs almost and still no luck.
Theres like only 1 or 2 costume roms available for it and for that this needs to be unlocked.
What pissed me off most that it had only 1gig ram. I thought since it was pricier then a Note 10.1 then its probably at least the same specs.
And damn is it laggy! I guess it could be the ICS' fault and that the JB for it will be smoother but right now it cant be compared to smoothnes of my Note phone at all!
The charger connector is also not standard mini usb which sux and the keyboard for it is too pricey!
One thing I was really looking for was to play Tegra 3 games on it & of the 5 games I tried only 1 was not buggy!
anyways... from what Ive seen from the Note 10.1 dev forum it looks just as promising as my NoteII.
so if anyone here thinks I am making a mistake or something I missed plz let me know.
donno why I even bothered buying this. I was so happy with my Note2. It would have been logical to get another galaxy product!
It was an expensive lesson I even ordered a screen protector for it which costs 30bux inc shipping!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm done with ASUS, too...
TF700 has a superb display, and thats about it...mine was laggy,too. OTA wouldn't work, so i did an unlock using ASUS's unlock-tool, tried to update with TWRP and downloaded update.zip - would't work either but kept the tablet in a bootloop. ASUS of course refuses warranty because unlock, tries to charge me repaircosts 90% of a brandnew device - come on guys, kidding??? Sold the keyboard, bought the note 8010, fast and smooth with root and Team Union Jelly Bean...an expensive lesson for me, too...

I'm not bashing the Note. I have the phone and the tab as well and love both.
I'm commenting on the op's qualms about the choice he made, which he regrets.
All I'm saying is the op obviously didn't do any research before buying. Some of the
stuff he hates about the Asus TF are also present with the Note. Which means he
is still making the same mistake of not researching.
The reason I said he should keep it is cuz he seems to be guilt-tripping over a perfectly
good purchase. That and he's going to sell his perfectly good tab and be out $100 bucks
because of it.
And you're making a point of there being cheaper docks for the Note 10.1.
Cheaper dock options are also available for the TF700.
And no, the note does NOT have LOTS of ROMs but dev is heading there. On that subject
I was saying that if he waits, dev will get better for the TF.There are ~20 custom ROMs
on xda for the TF700 and less than ten for the Note 10.1. Two or three for the WiFi only devices.
I still also maintain that Samsung drags its feet when it comes to updates.
The TF had JB since October. As of writing this there still is no JB for the N8013, no
leak, no official. Asus is in fact known for their frequent updates.
The tab has quality control issues as I well. I had to return the first one I bought since
the screen was defective. If you read up, this very forum will confirm that I was not alone
in this. Some report lag with the software. Asus is well known for having poor quality
control though.
With all that said, I considered both tabs when buying, did my research and bought the
Note. I love the one I have now and don't regret it at all. It is amazingly good despite any reviews
saying this or that is better.

I've had both and the Note is a better choice (for me at least). A lot less lag and more options. I have the OG note for my phone and have it running stock android. I much prefer touchwiz on the 10.1. Multi window is awesome and I actually use the IR blaster a lot more than I thought I would. Lots of cool features that vanilla android doesn't offer. I vote Note
Sent from my big 10 inch..

Since the Note and N10 have come out the TF700 forum has become a ghost town. Picture tumbleweed. Scott Crossler, the magician who made the TF700 usable, is no longer supporting it. Others are trying to keep up his work but picture "Otto Pilot" from the movie Airplane. Asus has done little or no marketing for the TF700 and it's just sort of floating out there. Asus’ Q3 sales of 10.1" tablets was actually down year-over-year.
Here's my elevator conversation summary of the three most talked about Android tablets:
Note 10.1 - It's the most complete tablet available (any OS) and has unique features like multiview, inking via a Wacom digitizer with palm rejection, S-Note, and a slew of Samsung developed features not available elsewhere that make it a joy to use. It's powerful, has JB (kind of), has great sounding front mounted speakers, gets above average battery life, and has a great display with decent (for Samsung) color accuracy, good contrast, and is nicely bright. There are two downsides and they apply mostly to consumption-only buyers. The 720P display isn't as good on text and computer generated graphics as higher PPI tablets and all the things that make the Note great at creation and productivity add a lot of complexity for people that aren't going to use those features. It's also available with 3G and when so equipped it doubles as a giant phone. The only tablet I'd consider replacing my Note with is another Note with a higher PPI display.​
N10 - I, like many people, saw the specs for the N10 before it was released and thought it was "game over" for all other 10.1" Android tablet makers. As it turns out the N10 is a "value" tablet not a "high-end" tablet. It has the highest PPI of any tablet on the planet but it's fairly dim, is pretty warm, and has just average contrast. The number of N10's reported with light bleed on their displays is pretty shocking (at any price) for a Samsung-built tablet. The N10's A15 SoC is state-of-the-art and kick-ass powerful. But, because of the mammoth PPI it's powering, it's no more powerful than the Note. It also has a bizarre quasi-phone UI which wastes a tremendous amount of display real estate and looks awkward on a 10" tablet. It's "Pure Google" which is fantastic for updates but, feature wise, it's a barren wasteland compared to the features bundled with TW. Battery life is below average and recharging time is six hours. The N10 is a great consumption device for the price. And that's about it.​
TF700 - The Infinity is nothing more than a gussied up Prime which means its design is over a year old. It's also using a Teg3 SoC whose design is eighteen months old and at the end of its useful life and now used primarily in budget devices. It has no 5GHz Wi-Fi, uses single channel memory (the Note and N10 are dual channel), has 1GB of RAM, has IO issues that Asus has made famous, and is built using outdated components that, in a lot of cases, are from second-tier manufacturers (EG: AzureWave Wi-Fi radios). Asus' QC is dreadful, their repair center in TX horrible, and to unlock the bootloader you agree to completely void your warranty. There are a couple of things that are unique and, IMHO, the only reason people should be looking at a TF700. They are: the keyboard which also extends battery life, expandable storage, and the Super IPS display that makes it great for outdoor use. Someone only looking for PPI is better off with a N10.​
So, as someone above said, no tablet's perfect. Of the three, I think living with the Note's perfectly acceptable but lower PPI display involves the least amount of compromise. For someone wanting/needing a higher PPI the N10's a decent choice and a good value. For someone who has to have a keyboard and/or higher PPI and expandable storage there's the TF700. But based on it and Asus' history, declining sales, and price, you're probably better off leaving Android and buying a W8 tablet.

BarryH_GEG said:
Since the Note and N10 have come out the TF700 forum has become a ghost town. Picture tumbleweed. Scott Crossler, the magician who made the TF700 usable, is no longer supporting it. Others are trying to keep up his work but picture "Otto Pilot" from the movie Airplane. Asus has done little or no marketing for the TF700 and it's just sort of floating out there. Asus’ Q3 sales of 10.1" tablets was actually down year-over-year.
Here's my elevator conversation summary of the three most talked about Android tablets:
Note 10.1 - It's the most complete tablet available (any OS) and has unique features like multiview, inking via a Wacom digitizer with palm rejection, S-Note, and a slew of Samsung developed features not available elsewhere that make it a joy to use. It's powerful, has JB (kind of), has great sounding front mounted speakers, gets above average battery life, and has a great display with decent (for Samsung) color accuracy, good contrast, and is nicely bright. There are two downsides and they apply mostly to consumption-only buyers. The 720P display isn't as good on text and computer generated graphics as higher PPI tablets and all the things that make the Note great at creation and productivity add a lot of complexity for people that aren't going to use those features. It's also available with 3G and when so equipped it doubles as a giant phone. The only tablet I'd consider replacing my Note with is another Note with a higher PPI display.​
N10 - I, like many people, saw the specs for the N10 before it was released and thought it was "game over" for all other 10.1" Android tablet makers. As it turns out the N10 is a "value" tablet not a "high-end" tablet. It has the highest PPI of any tablet on the planet but it's fairly dim, is pretty warm, and has just average contrast. The number of N10's reported with light bleed on their displays is pretty shocking (at any price) for a Samsung-built tablet. The N10's A15 SoC is state-of-the-art and kick-ass powerful. But, because of the mammoth PPI it's powering, it's no more powerful than the Note. It also has a bizarre quasi-phone UI which wastes a tremendous amount of display real estate and looks awkward on a 10" tablet. It's "Pure Google" which is fantastic for updates but, feature wise, it's a barren wasteland compared to the features bundled with TW. Battery life is below average and recharging time is six hours. The N10 is a great consumption device for the price. And that's about it.​
TF700 - The Infinity is nothing more than a gussied up Prime which means its design is over a year old. It's also using a Teg3 SoC whose design is eighteen months old and at the end of its useful life and now used primarily in budget devices. It has no 5GHz Wi-Fi, uses single channel memory (the Note and N10 are dual channel), has 1GB of RAM, has IO issues that Asus has made famous, and is built using outdated components that, in a lot of cases, are from second-tier manufacturers (EG: AzureWave Wi-Fi radios). Asus' QC is dreadful, their repair center in TX horrible, and to unlock the bootloader you agree to completely void your warranty. There are a couple of things that are unique and, IMHO, the only reason people should be looking at a TF700. They are: the keyboard which also extends battery life, expandable storage, and the Super IPS display that makes it great for outdoor use. Someone only looking for PPI is better off with a N10.​
So, as someone above said, no tablet's perfect. Of the three, I think living with the Note's perfectly acceptable but lower PPI display involves the least amount of compromise. For someone wanting/needing a higher PPI the N10's a decent choice and a good value. For someone who has to have a keyboard and/or higher PPI and expandable storage there's the TF700. But based on it and Asus' history, declining sales, and price, you're probably better off leaving Android and buying a W8 tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would really like your opinion on why you think the n8013 in the US has not seen the JB update and why there seems to be not even a peep about it. All promotion of the note 10.1 happens only on the Samsung Mobile International Facebook Page, including the big Christmas vid, but not word about the 10.1 on the Samsung Mobile USA page. It is like the product vanished.
Thoughts?

rap6388 said:
I would really like your opinion on why you think the n8013 in the US has not seen the JB update and why there seems to be not even a peep about it. All promotion of the note 10.1 happens only on the Samsung Mobile International Facebook Page, including the big Christmas vid, but not word about the 10.1 on the Samsung Mobile USA page. It is like the product vanished.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because HTC, Motorola, and Samsung all suck at managing device updates. Before I got my N2 two weeks ago I was using a Teg3 One X. In an official press release with quotes from their CEO HTC said the Teg3 One X JB roll-out was going to be in October. Taiwan (HTC's home country) got a JB update in October that was so bad the roll out was stopped for the rest of the world. It started again two weeks ago and only five regions out of over a dozen have received it. In between, regional HTC offices have been providing inaccurate and conflicting updates on what the JB schedule really is.
Back to Samsung. Having nothing to do with updates Samsung's s/w management process is a cluster f-k. A single device can have over twenty four "current" versions of s/w running on it because Samsung creates unique s/w for each region a device is sold in. A good example is that while rolling out JB to the N8000 they were still releasing 4.0.4 ROMs in certain regions of the world. So there are newer ICS ROMs than there are JB. HTC rolls out a single version of "current" s/w that all of their devices globally (except specific Asian markets) get updated to within the span of a few weeks. So HTC's managing two versions (global and Asia) of s/w per device while Samsung's managing dozens. And the complexity this creates makes Samsung's update process overly complex and difficult for us on the outside to track and make sense of.
So, the short answer to your question of "where's the N8013's JB update?," is that it's stuck somewhere in Samsung's plumbing waiting to be deployed. It's fun to talk about reasons for delays like patent issues and the like but I really think it’s just Samsung being Samsung. The OG 8.9 on AT&T just got ICS last week after the rest of the world received it in August. Go figure.
The upside is that Samsung's s/w is versatile for end-users to manage with Odin so that when a newer ROM comes out for a different region you can just use that with no repercussions. My Brazilian N2 is running a Panamanian ROM and my also Brazilian Note 10.1 is running a British ROM. At some point soon either someone on XDA or Samfirmware is going to post a complete MD5 file for the N8010. Once that happens every 8010/3 user can update to it using Odin without the current complexity of loading a new ROM followed by using recovery to update it to JB from SD. Look at it this way; at least we have some options. The poor folks waiting on HTC and Motorola just have to wait.
This is kind of old but makes the point of how complex Samsung's s/w managment process is. This is a list of ROMs deployed just for the N8000. Kind of scary.

I don't understand what the problem is with the proprietary connector? Seems to work fine for me.

SkizzMcNizz said:
I don't understand what the problem is with the proprietary connector? Seems to work fine for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is twofold:
Compatibility
Portability
Which are two sides of the same coin. You must use Samsung's connector
which limits your options for peripherals, unless you get an adapter. Even
then the lack of a separate HDMI port and the fact that you can't charge via
your PC's USB port (not enough current) are annoying. And you can't use your
devices chargers which means one more charger to carry around.

blud7 said:
The problem is twofold:
Compatibility
Portability
Which are two sides of the same coin. You must use Samsung's connector
which limits your options for peripherals, unless you get an adapter. Even
then the lack of a separate HDMI port and the fact that you can't charge via
your PC's USB port (not enough current) are annoying. And you can't use your
devices chargers which means one more charger to carry around.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
small price to pay for the dogs bollocks of android tabs, I have been putting off buying waiting for decent specs with micro sd, bought a nexus 7 & took it back next day, felt like cheap plastic crap! I would love to see a review for the note 10.1 based on a price of £268 which is what I paid after cashback, im sure it would get editor's choice awards across the board!

goodie said:
small price to pay for the dogs bollocks of android tabs, I have been putting off buying waiting for decent specs with micro sd, bought a nexus 7 & took it back next day, felt like cheap plastic crap! I would love to see a review for the note 10.1 based on a price of £268 which is what I paid after cashback, im sure it would get editor's choice awards across the board!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was just answering his question :crying:
And that's a good price. I paid $499 plus shipping.

You can charge on a PC's USB... Just reeeeeeeeeally slowly.... Best to leave overnight to charge in this instance, but I have been using it before and charging at the same time...

Thanks for all the info. Im still waiting for someone to buy the asus
The thing that was most dissapointing was the lag. Jerky surfing and delayed responses.
Dont care much about that tiny higher screen resolution

blud7 said:
Don't waste your money.
The Note 10.1 didn't have ANY ROMs out when I bought mine,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The JB update came out the day I bought mine so YMMV.
and technically there still isn't any official JB for my N8013.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is relevant only if the N8013 is the version he is going to buy (and seeing that he is from Norway it most probably is not).
The Note 10.1 is not perfect, no tab is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure but IMNSHO it's the best one out there.
Based on your post, you seem to be a hasty kinda buyer cuz you seem to not
research your purchases beforehand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, how could he assume for example that the Transformer had to have 2GB of Ram just because it was more expensive... :silly:
[*]The Note 10.1 also has a proprietary non-standard charger/connector.
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Click to collapse
Yes, which means neither of them has an advantage over the other in this respect.
[*]The few available docks if you want one are rare and pricey as well.
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Click to collapse
False, I got a Samsung original desktop dock (stand, charge and audio out) for € 20 (in Italy) and it works with practically all of the Samsung 7" and 10" tablet lines.
[*]The TF700 has a far better display (by ppi)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is its ONLY advantage.
[*]The Note 10.1 is not tegra 3 but exynos quad.
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Which is actually a PLUS (unless you are a gamer maybe, which I am not).
[*]Samsung is NOTORIOUS for taking forever to push updates
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False, Asus has been one of the best ones for their tablet line but Samsung is not bad at all when you compare it with all of the others and has actually been pretty good with their smartphones.
I run the official JB on my Note 10.1 3G and should get the official JB update on my OG Note very soon.
What he should keep in mind is:
- the Note 10.1 has 2GB RAM (a killer spec for how I use it)
- MultiWindow
- the 3G version is one of the handful of 10" tablets in the world (all of them Samsung AFAIK) that have full GSM call and message capabilities (another killer spec for me)
- it has the S-Pen (I don't use it all that often but when I need it it's VERY useful)
- very good and loud stereo audio
- Touchwiz and Samsung added SW, services and personalizations
- I don't know how it would do with games (I don't have a single one installed on my mobile devices) but on everything else the quad-core Exynos is the fastest and smoothest Android tablet I have ever seen.
- very good battery life
- one of the very best non-HD displays
- light and with a PLASTIC back (I HATE metal bodies!!!!)
- it has an IR blaster and you can use it as a smart remote

New Tablet

Just got my Note Pro and this thing is huge. Formerly, I have owned the Note 10.1 and Note 10.1 2014 edition. I also use a Note 4. I have looked at other tablet, but I'm kinda hooked on the multiwindow and and s-pan handwriting. It is a fast way for me to take notes. I'm a preacher and use my tablet for sermon prep and during sermons, so the additional screen real estate is a boost for me. Look forward to playing with this things. I have already rooted and installed a custom ROM (better speed and battery life). Look forward to everything I can learn on this forum.

Got mine on Friday. Rooted and attempted to debloat myself.
Loving the tablet even though it's not up to date (not even 4.4.4 lol). Nova launcher plus a few xposed mods filled the void though.
Kinda sucks the community isn't as active due to slow update rollout but I look forward to trying out some of the active developed ROMs for the P900.

I don't know if I'm allowed to mention the ROM, but a well-known and respected developer has a customer ROM for the Note Pro that I'm running now and finding that I gained some performance and battery life, as well as what seems like unlimited customization (especially when combined with xposed).

I love mine too. Give inkredible a try, I think its great. Also lecture notes might be useful for you.

Illusive Man said:
Just got my Note Pro and this thing is huge. Formerly, I have owned the Note 10.1 and Note 10.1 2014 edition. I also use a Note 4. I have looked at other tablet, but I'm kinda hooked on the multiwindow and and s-pan handwriting. It is a fast way for me to take notes. I'm a preacher and use my tablet for sermon prep and during sermons, so the additional screen real estate is a boost for me. Look forward to playing with this things. I have already rooted and installed a custom ROM (better speed and battery life). Look forward to everything I can learn on this forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Noticed you're a preacher... might want to try out MySword, to which there are plenty of freebie commentaries and even a few extra bible versions floating about.
I got my 12.2 the day before Lollipop was released. An adventure (not good) involving the Logitech keyboard ensued, but since I'd just bought that as well I was able to send it back and buy the less flashy but perhaps even better service-wise Samsung keyboard -- and for just a bit over 30 bucks on Ebay. Love this baby. Stuck a 128g microsd in it with over 10,000 books of mine -- tons of Christian teaching and theology of every variety along with an even bigger mystery book collection.
The word processor on this thing is perfect for my use. A laptop that's Android. A tablet that's... well, hugely Android. The samsung mouse I ordered should be here soon, and then I guess we're just about there. Hehehehe...
As a long-time believer in root, root, root, I have done that as well, which allowed me to ditch some of the sillier ad-ons but keep the basic Samsung s-pen and other niceties. Quite happy.
Blessngs.

Right now I"m using LOGOS Bible software (which I really like). I have the very basic package, but that includes a lot. While I was waiting for mine to arrive, I used a paper Bible at church and got laughed at because for years no one has seen me use one! All of my sermons and teaching notes are on my tablet. I don't use a keyboard. I have gotten very good using the handwriting (I use an app called Stylus Beta because it takes up less screen real estate than the Samsung keyboard). I also use a full sized stylus for comfort.

Illusive Man said:
Just got my Note Pro and this thing is huge. Formerly, I have owned the Note 10.1 and Note 10.1 2014 edition. I also use a Note 4. I have looked at other tablet, but I'm kinda hooked on the multi-window and and s-pan handwriting. It is a fast way for me to take notes. I'm a preacher and use my tablet for sermon prep and during sermons, so the additional screen real estate is a boost for me. Look forward to playing with this things. I have already rooted and installed a custom ROM (better speed and battery life). Look forward to everything I can learn on this forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been a fan of the note series from the original, the s-pen and multi-windows have always added the functionality I've needed. I upgraded from the Note 10.1 about a year ago, and I've gotta say the increased pixel density and screen size make this the perfect tab for me. It is big, it is heavy, but that screen real estate makes it the perfect tab for professionals, or those wanting to get maximum productivity from their tab. I also have a Tab S 8.4, it's perfect for reading books or light gaming, but for anything else I find myself reaching for my Note Pro. I've never had a issue with performance, be it on a stock ROM or custom, the octa-core CPU and 3 GB of RAM still power through all the task I throw at it, the GPU is getting a little dated compared to some newer offerings, but runs everything I need it to at a smooth frame rate. Overall, best tab I've ever owned, keep it up Samsung! (and please give us some stock theme options, touchwiz is still damn ugly! albeit slightly improved in Lollipop)
Illusive Man said:
I don't know if I'm allowed to mention the ROM, but a well-known and respected developer has a customer ROM for the Note Pro that I'm running now and finding that I gained some performance and battery life, as well as what seems like unlimited customization (especially when combined with xposed).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem you mentioning the ROM you run, especially if you point out the benefits and or bugs. I was running hyperdrive from the get-go, nice ROM, lots of customization options and performance tweaks. Could not help flashing a stock Lollipop ROM a month or so ago, very happy with it. Some have experienced battery drain issues, but I've not had this problem. Now if we could get a port of Remix OS, I could see great potential for the Note Pro as a surface replacement, especially now Microsoft have released Office for Android:good:

Hey... I have had my note pro stolen this evening from my car..... I really loved the tablet after having it for a year, I used it a massive amount... It is not insured I am afraid, I am replacing it with a pixel c but do feel I will be making the wrong choice.. The note series hasn't been improved upon over the last 18 months.. I never updated to 5.1.1 as the update on my note 3 did break things..
Any thoughts on my choices??
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Tricky103 said:
Hey... I have had my note pro stolen this evening from my car..... I really loved the tablet after having it for a year, I used it a massive amount... It is not insured I am afraid, I am replacing it with a pixel c but do feel I will be making the wrong choice.. The note series hasn't been improved upon over the last 18 months.. I never updated to 5.1.1 as the update on my note 3 did break things..
Any thoughts on my choices??
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't get a pixel C until multiwindow or split window shows up, and then still I am not sure I could scale down to a 10 inch device. I have seen the LTE models of the Note on Ebay for as low as 300.
Also hopefully you went into your google account under Sign-in and Security, then recently used devices and remove your account from the Note Pro you had stolen. That won't stop them from getting whats on the device but better than nothing. Bummer about the theft.

Tricky103 said:
Hey... I have had my note pro stolen this evening from my car..... I really loved the tablet after having it for a year, I used it a massive amount... It is not insured I am afraid, I am replacing it with a pixel c but do feel I will be making the wrong choice.. The note series hasn't been improved upon over the last 18 months.. I never updated to 5.1.1 as the update on my note 3 did break things..
Any thoughts on my choices??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not suggest purchasing the Pixel C if your original Note's use case was for productivity. Considering the C lacks multi-window support and a native stylus

Also the Pixel-C has *no* micro-sd slot. Deal breaker for me. Nifty machine looks-wise, though. 2 to 3 times as expensive as buying another Samsung 12.2 Note from ebay or amazon....
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk

Note 8 still worth getting after 2 years?

Hi,
I can get a brand new Note 8 for $200 CAD. Do you think it is still worth it to get? Is the $200 asking price reasonable for a two year old technology? Can $200 get a newer technology? I will mainly use it for web browsing, email, and stuff like that. I was planning to get the Tab S 8.5. Bestbuy has it on clearance for $329. What do you think?

I can tell you that I was surprised to find that there Isn't anything out there right now from Samsung worth replacing my Note 8 with. Although I've grown kinda restless with it the screen is better than some of the new offerings. The Tab A 9 inch tablet has a screen that's of way worse quality. The Note 8 is actually pretty stout. Check out some benchmarks on it, I'm sure it holds its own with some of the newer tablets. The screen is also nice, it's not killer by today's standard but still better than 70% of what's out there even now.

God no, this tablet is around 3 years old now, and is running 3 year old tech. Screen is not great (for today that is), battery life is poor (again for today), and it doesn't seem like you'll have any use for the pen, which is the only real purpose for this tablet, and what differentiates it from the rest. And with that, pen support is poor, S-Note is a worthless app, and 3rd party support for the pen is poor. Paying $200 for it is beyond insane.

Still rocks
My Note 8 3G on TouchWiz 4.4.4 still gives me 16+ hrs screen time (mostly book reading & writing) even after two years (obviously after de-bloating & tweaking). It's pretty solid with no issues whatsoever. This may not be the thing for those who always need the latest this or that, but I wouldn't change this tablet for anything yet -- is there any really worthy replacement?

I'm going to get right to what you want to hear. No, for $200 the Note 8 isn't worth it nowadays. You'd be better off taking that same $200 into a pawn shop and buying a decent laptop. You're just using it for browsing the web and checking email. Plus you can do so much more with a PC than you could on a tablet.

If you want web browsing, etc. Spend the $200 towards a Chromebook. Best browsing out there. Dell & HP ones are really great.

AkiOrpheus said:
My Note 8 3G on TouchWiz 4.4.4 still gives me 16+ hrs screen time (mostly book reading & writing) even after two years (obviously after de-bloating & tweaking). It's pretty solid with no issues whatsoever. This may not be the thing for those who always need the latest this or that, but I wouldn't change this tablet for anything yet -- is there any really worthy replacement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, you didn't answer his question. Would you, now, pay $200 for it. Forget tweaking, most people don't have the time, knowledge base, or desire for that, evaluate the stock device, as is. Is it worth $200? IMO, no way. I would rather pay $500 for a modern device that doesn't require any tweaking and debloating, to get acceptable battery life or performance, than spend days or weeks tweaking something. My time is more valuable than that. And I will argue that in real-world usage (browsing, videos, etc), your device will not come close to the 16 hours you claim. Book reading and writing is not typical usage, and any modern device will likely beat your battery life with zero time invested in modifying it. My 1+ year old iPad Mini Retina absolutely destroys my Note 8 in battery life. It's not even close. Not that it's without it's share of issues, but overall, it's a much better tablet than the Note 8. Of course, it's much newer, so that's expected.

sputnik767 said:
Well, you didn't answer his question. Would you, now, pay $200 for it. Forget tweaking, most people don't have the time, knowledge base, or desire for that, evaluate the stock device, as is. Is it worth $200? IMO, no way. I would rather pay $500 for a modern device that doesn't require any tweaking and debloating, to get acceptable battery life or performance, than spenda days or weeks tweaking something. My time is more valuable than that. And I will argue that in real-world usage (browsing, videos, etc), your device will not come close to the 16 hours you claim. Book reading and writing is not typical usage, and any modern device will likely beat your battery life with zero time invested in modifying it. My 1+ year old iPad Mini Retina absolutely destroys my Note 8 in battery life. It's not even close. Not that it's without it's share of issues, but overall, it's a much better tablet than the Note 8. Of course, it's much newer, so that's expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not at all an Apple fan -- no SD Card support & a Mini 4 (16GB Cellular) costs $529! Also, Apple is nothing compared to the Android customization. I wonder if we were to put all the 431 Samsung stock apks on iPad Mini, how it would be on battery.
Regarding Note 8: Compared to the initial $499 price, $200 is a good price for me personally. According to the reviews Samsung Tab 3 not that good, I'll surely buy a Note 8 for $200, if I need one again. Tweaking is very easy due to Boeffla kernel and it's own apk with pre-made profiles. The only thing taking an hour is deleting unnecessary stock apks with Titanium. Obviously my tweaking did not take days or weeks (people spend more time on unnecessary things ). Since, I'll be using tablets or smartphones till I die, knowledge base is very useful in the long run rather than be a noob always . I do some browsing on the tablet during my lectures but I prefer big screen laptop for that, and movies definitely on laptop, not on an 8".
This tablet never gave me errors (even a FC) except when I mistakenly erased certain partitions about a year ago due to my noobness.

Thanks for the reply. I have decided to get the Tab S 8.4. Now is $329 a good deal? I know I can wait til Black Friday. But that is 1.5 months away. By that time the Tab S will probably all gone. I like the Tab S for its screen. Should I go for it?

Haha thats funny, thats the exact tablet I was looking at to replace my note. The screen on it is gorgeous I just wish the back was that faux leather like the Pro 8.4 has. Also you may want to look at the pro which has the same ppi its just Super lcd not oled like the Tab S. Anthet thing to consider is at least on Android Central theres a few people complainiing of lagginess o the Tab S. Best Buy has Tab S's open box for about $280. I had one in my hand, just couldnt justify getting over my Note and losing the S Pen. Plus although the screen is nicer its not $280 nicer so I couldnt justify it for me.

Tab S 8.4
jtcb said:
Thanks for the reply. I have decided to get the Tab S 8.4. Now is $329 a good deal? I know I can wait til Black Friday. But that is 1.5 months away. By that time the Tab S will probably all gone. I like the Tab S for its screen. Should I go for it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you go for Tab S 8.4, don't upgrade to stock Lollipop 5.0.2 -- friends told me it's pretty bad -- just keep the original KitKat. Especially, the Tab S battery is 300 mAh higher than Note 8, so does screen resolution (170 dpi more) -- almost double. Hence, the Tab S will use more battery. No proximity sensor in Tab S, which is very useful in Note 8 to wake the screen without using consuming HW buttons. No S Pen, which is bad if you like to use the tab as a handwriting notepad (Note 8 is pretty good at it). Also, Tab S 8.4 isn't a cellular tab.
However, in the end it's upto the person who spends the money!
Edit: If you can afford $100 more, this latest Samsung Tablet is definitely a winner >>> Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7
Tab S2 review

I have a note 8. I wouldn't pay 200$ for one because of the screen and lack of support from Samsung. You'll have to use a customized rom to get newer version of Android. You lose most of the pen functionality when you do that. That said, I would not opt for the tab s at $330 either. Limited support from Samsung and from what I've read, not a stellar performer based on the software.
Couple questions - are you stuck on Samsung? And do you have to buy new? A better Samsung option might be the tab A that has stylus. Not as much ram as the Note 8, but newer OS and I "think" samsung even announced another update for it.
Best option IMO would be to find a used Nvidia Shield. Can be found for the same $200 and its gotten the latest updates for Android and when it does get them they're timely.

dr_pepper said:
I have a note 8. I wouldn't pay 200$ for one because of the screen and lack of support from Samsung. You'll have to use a customized rom to get newer version of Android. You lose most of the pen functionality when you do that. That said, I would not opt for the tab s at $330 either. Limited support from Samsung and from what I've read, not a stellar performer based on the software.
Couple questions - are you stuck on Samsung? And do you have to buy new? A better Samsung option might be the tab A that has stylus. Not as much ram as the Note 8, but newer OS and I "think" samsung even announced another update for it.
Best option IMO would be to find a used Nvidia Shield. Can be found for the same $200 and its gotten the latest updates for Android and when it does get them they're timely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always prefer new so yes I would buy new. I have considered Tab A but the screen resolution is the worst in all tablet I have seen. I like the stylus in the Note 8 and A. But I can always get a separate stylus. I also consider Nexus 9 just for the frequent update.

jtcb said:
I always prefer new so yes I would buy new. I have considered Tab A but the screen resolution is the worst in all tablet I have seen. I like the stylus in the Note 8 and A. But I can always get a separate stylus. I also consider Nexus 9 just for the frequent update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
shield has a stylus as well

AkiOrpheus said:
I'm not at all an Apple fan -- no SD Card support & a Mini 4 (16GB Cellular) costs $529! Also, Apple is nothing compared to the Android customization. I wonder if we were to put all the 431 Samsung stock apks on iPad Mini, how it would be on battery.
Regarding Note 8: Compared to the initial $499 price, $200 is a good price for me personally. According to the reviews Samsung Tab 3 not that good, I'll surely buy a Note 8 for $200, if I need one again. Tweaking is very easy due to Boeffla kernel and it's own apk with pre-made profiles. The only thing taking an hour is deleting unnecessary stock apks with Titanium. Obviously my tweaking did not take days or weeks (people spend more time on unnecessary things ). Since, I'll be using tablets or smartphones till I die, knowledge base is very useful in the long run rather than be a noob always . I do some browsing on the tablet during my lectures but I prefer big screen laptop for that, and movies definitely on laptop, not on an 8".
This tablet never gave me errors (even a FC) except when I mistakenly erased certain partitions about a year ago due to my noobness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried that kernel, and all it's tweaking options. I have tried debloating, overclocking, undervolting, etc. Nothing gave me any appreciable improvement in battery life or performance, and many "tweaks" gave me stability issues. In regular usage, I would be lucky to get 7 hours on the Note 8, stock or otherwise. But like I said, that would be expected for a tablet that came out over 2 years ago.
The reason why I brought up my iPad was not because I am an Apple fan, but because it's a much more modern device with easily 3 hours more battery life in real-world use. Modern Samsung tabs get similar results, but my iPad was provided to me by my job, so that's what I have. This device's only selling point is the pen. If the OP needs one, this tab is for him, regardless of the price. If not, $200 is way too much to spend on almost 3 year old hardware. And I have a feeling that he is like 99% of people out there, in that he has no interest in investing (read: wasting) the amount of time necessary to learn tweaking, flashing, debloating, etc, and there are better choices than this one out of the box.

sputnik767 said:
I tried that kernel, and all it's tweaking options. I have tried debloating, overclocking, undervolting, etc. Nothing gave me any appreciable improvement in battery life or performance, and many "tweaks" gave me stability issues. In regular usage, I would be lucky to get 7 hours on the Note 8, stock or otherwise. But like I said, that would be expected for a tablet that came out over 2 years ago.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's strange sputnik767, because out of the box, Note 8 gave me minimum 12 hours with all the factory junk running. That time I knew nothing about tweaking or de-bloating. I heard some Note 8s had hardware issues since the factory; that may be your case.
sputnik767 said:
This device's only selling point is the pen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the reason I went for Note 8 + multi tasking, which are tremendously useful for me. However, judging a tablet just by specs is a difficult thing. Hidden hardware issues, OS issues, and battery issues only can be known after usage (sometimes user may never know ).

200... Yes yes and yes
Big screen... Yes
3g and calling ... Yes
Upgradeable to 5.1.1... Yes
And most important is the pen. Microsoft onenote is THEE industry leader to pen notes (sorry google keep).
Many people don't know what they want until they have it. And nothing on the market has this size screen with calling and a pen
FIN

Do you use the S-pen? I've used it for designing and drawing, including professional work, and then @$200 it's absolutely worth it. Which version is it the 4G LTE or the regular one? Could you link it here? I can say this is the best tech investment I've ever made. To me the size is perfect, and I use it as the GPS in the car, the kids watch movies on it, use it to draw manga and what have you, and it is still pocketable in a jacket, and I bring it with me everywhere. It's also the home modem hotspot for all computers. Too bad Samsung didn't sell enough of them, so there's no new version.

You can find one cheaper
I was able to get one for $75 a few months ago. Bought it off someone from a Facebook group. I am always looking at these groups in my city for all sorta deals form electronics to tools. If you really want something like the Note 8.0 take a look, there has to be someone out there selling one.

I recently switched from my Note 8.0, which I owned for about 2 years, to an Asus Zenpad 8.0 S (4Gbyte Ram, 64gb flash) and it works great with the z stylus from Asus. I can highly recommend it.
All together it cost 330 Dollar and you get a modern thin, light tablet. I use the tablet mainly for taking notes (LectureNotes), surfing and email. I also owned a Note 10.1 (2014 edition) for a few months, but that one was too heavy and big (and not cheap, otherwise a great tablet though).

Note 5 vs Nexus 6P, its inevitable

What do you guys think? Software, hardware, android updates, rooting, features and why do you think one is better than the other? Cheers
Sent from my SM-N920I using Tapatalk

Lots of discussion here about that:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6p/help/nexus-6p-vs-note-5-t3212443

I like the size of the note better (I couldn't care less about front speakers). The note barely fits in the place I put my phone in my car, I don't think the 6P would.
Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Thats from a nexus forum perspective. I wanna hear from the note side of things.

I'm trying to convince myself to get the 6P but can't find a good enough reason to make the switch just yet.
Development community and updates don't mean as much to me anymore as they used to. I no longer flash roms or have the desire to (but I will root). Updates don't matter as much to me either because I always get the latest phones anyways and don't last long enough with phones to worry about updates.
With that said if the 6P was the size of the G4 and definitely not bigger than the Note 5 and had a IR blaster, I've might have been all over it.
Other things I'll be looking for is the 6p screen actually the same quality as the Note 5 screen? How about outdoor visibility, is it as amazing as the Note 5 is?
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

Hey buddy, nice to see you here. I'm keeping my Note 5. The Note 5 is the absolute perfect size for a 5.7" screen device. 6P is too big to me and I don't care about front facing speakers.
But my main reason is I hate stock android. Looks like crap and is boring. I know roms and themes can help that but I'm completely over rooting. It just doesn't add the benefits that it used to and I'm tired of doing it.
So with all that being said, I feel that I have the better device. And I like using the S-Pen.

Right now there are no benefits to get that phone. The strongest argument nexus people make is that they have great developing community, however it takes around 3 months for developers to get their units and to add features. By that time sd820 will be out. On top of that, nexus developers won't be able to bring any cooler features that the note 5 already has. I love the scroll to capture feature on the note 5 for example. Stock android is pretty boring as well, and like previous dude said, I am bored of flashing and running custom roms every week, new bugs and stuff like that. As far as it regards the hardware, I believe the note 5 kills the new nexus.

Same here. Man tapatalk quotes have not been working today. I love my Note 5 and i keep trying to get an excuse to try the 6p but i would be giving up too much by getting rid of my lovely note.
Sent from my SM-N920I using Tapatalk

@WizeGuyDezignz Hey man! (WizeGuyDezignz)Glad to see you again! Yeah man stock android is quite boring. Even if i were to get the 6p i wouldnt keep it a month if that. The S pen is really fantastic. Once you start using the features of the note its hard to get something else.
Its for you WizeGuyDezignz, even mentions are not working for me besides the quotes for some odd reason.
Sent from my SM-N920I using Tapatalk

By the way, I forgot the mention the camera interface. Google camera might be good but that camera interface is so outdated. Yes I can always install a third party application, but man the whole camera experience on the Samsung is a total different Galaxy!

Even though I have the option to return the N5 once there 6p is out, I think I might keep the N5. Haven't owned a nexus device before, just ended up flashing an AOSP based ROM on the Samsung device I owned.
Just might wait it out until someone releases one for the N5.

Only thing nexus is better its updates and roms support

If you want stock, front facing speakers, and ROMs get 6p.
if you like a faster cpu/gpu, a pen, Samsung Pay, better camera (in most ways), and TouchWiz enhancements get note 5.
I also like the size of the note 5 more. 6p is too tall for me.
Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

This is why I got my Note 5 over a Nexus 6P
**Hardware**
The Note 5 will undoubtedly have superior hardware.
The 14nm Exynos 7420 is miles ahead of the SD810 both in terms of speed and efficiency. Early benchmarks of the SD820 which is also 14nm are actually comparable to the 7420 which is a huge kudos to Samsung for having this chip out there 12 months before Qualcomm in the chipmaking world which runs on 6/12mth cycles. The SD810 in the 6P (even v 2.1) is going to get hot and then throttled as the system underclocks it to compensate. Its just a matter of when, which depends on Huawei's cooling. The SD808 even shares the same problem to a lesser extent.
TLDR: Exynos 7420 chip is miles ahead of the SD810 and has a degree of future proofing.
-NAND storage UFS 2.0 in the Note 5 vs. eMMC in the 6P. Yes its proprietary, but UFS gives much higher read/write speeds.
-4GB RAM vs 3GB. More is better. The aggressive app closing that people have complained about in Galaxy's can be fixed to maximise the use of this for multi tasking.
-Best in class camera – the 6P sounds like it's going to have the best camera ever in a Nexus, but it's still below the S6 edge according to DxoMark, which is going to be below again the yet to be reviewed Note 5. OIS with manual settings is something else altogether if you know what you're doing. Eg http://i.imgur.com/LLp4WQS.jpg – I took this beauty with a super slow shutter speed whilst resting the phone on someone's head lol.
-Best in class screen – there is no way the 6P is going to get the Note 5's screen which has been rated best in class by displaymate and anandtech. Best case scenario is maybe the Note 4's screen which is better than the Nexus 6, but still 40% less efficient compared to the current gen Note 5 (http://www.displaymate.com/Galaxy_Note5_ShootOut_1.htm)
Build – I'm not a huge fan of the slippery glass back on the Note, but kudos for the screen to body ratio and tapered edges to help with one handed use, while maintaining the same screen size as the note 4. I use cases for all my phones, so in a way build materials don't really matter. The aluminum build on the 6P also looks nice, but the bezels top and bottom bezels are huge (for the front facing speakers?) and is reflected in the relatively poor screen to body ratio (71.4% vs. 75.9%)
True compared to the Note 4, the omission of the mSD card, IR blaster and replaceable battery are disappointing. There are ways around lack of mSD (see below) and sadly it's a trend that a lot of other smartphone makers are adopting as well. The battery although smaller actually provides more juice compared to the Note 4 thanks to processor and screen improvements in efficiency. If you decided to keep the device for 3+ years, the sealed battery is actually replaceable – not super easy to do, but there are guides online. It's not as if the Nexus 6P has any of these features either.
The Note 5 also has wireless fast charging for a sacrifice of 0.3mm of thickness, which was the main reason Nexus 6P engineers have given for its omission.
**Software**
I'm the first to admit that I'm a huge pure android and nexus nut, but Marshmallow may be the first new version of android that I really can't get excited about. The touted features in Marshmallow are not ground breaking and represent disappointing incremental features which already exist in Lollipop with xposed and even 3rd party apps. True it's giving people who don't root their phones access to them for the first time, but for the power user there really isn't much there. See: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/10/android-6-0-marshmallow-thoroughly-reviewed/
TLDR:
Doze – can still be bypassed by developers of apps. Only affects standby time so will make no difference to the biggest drain which is screen, app usage and cellular reception quality. Can do similar already with greenify, amplified and other similar apps.
On tap – very hit and miss. More miss than hit
Permissions – nice and about time I guess, but already doable with 3rd party apps (AppOps) / a firewall
Google launcher changes – had these for months already with nova launcher
In context voice commands – nice if you use voice commands often. I don't know many people who do.
Xposed won't work for a while and there will undoubtedly be new bugs as always until 6.1.
All up, the maturity of android is making the latest and greatest pure android updates less mandatory.
My last experience with Touchwiz back with the Note 2 were pretty negative. However, with a dark material theme from the theme store, nova launcher and xposed, the gaudy bits of touchwiz are no longer as bad as they once were. Samsung have really pulled it back and you can do the rest with a simple debloating app or a modded stock ROM. With the [dark material theme](http://www.xda-developers.com/material-and-material-dark-hit-samsungs-theme-store/), it really isn't too disimilar to stock android.
I'm not a huge stylus person, but some of the TW features like signing PDFs and better hand writing recognition seem genuinely useful. Multi window which was touted in the developer preview of Marshmallow but disabled at launch has been around in TouchWiz for years.
The cons of the Note 5 would be that updates are 4-6 months late and there will be no AOSP custom ROM support given it runs on exynos. This means updates for only 2 years at most. However, the maturity of android as an OS has meant that there are less "essential" features to upgrade to or problems for custom ROMs to fix. Xposed framework is a miracle in allowing a degree customisation that only customs ROMs used to be able to offer.
Samsung is also committed to monthly security updates for android, which is huge as you're no longer reliant on a nexus for this. http://www.androidcentral.com/samsu...urity-updates-every-month-its-android-devices
**Price**
Local RRP for the 6P is $899 which call it what you want (gouging, Australia tax, market factors) is a huge increase in the $499 US that US customers pay.
Unfortunately I think it will be harder to source cheap grey Nexus 6P stock this time around, as all countries except for North America (with the US Bands version) got done over by the [international pricing model](http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/09/30/prices-nexus-5x-nexus-6p-across-globe/). Hong Kong/Asia where a lot of grey stuff comes from is not significantly cheaper than Australia (+27% vs +21%) and that's without a GST. You can probably get one for $840 delivered from Clove/Handtec at launch, but at these similar prices I'd personally pay an extra $50 for excellent 2 year playstore warranty. Historically, Nexus devices have had stock supply issues initially and thus haven't always had cheap grey stock prices for 3+ months after launch.
Either way, it's going to be more expensive than the Note 5 in the foreseeable future.
Samsung has pretty good price retention as well. Brand new Note 4s still retail for $650-$700. Resale value used is ~$500-550 on ebay compared to the Nexus 6 which is $400-450. When I got my [Nexus 6 in December](https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/174328), I remember it actually cost more than the Note 4 (paid $765 via Amazon France, Note 4 was ~$720 on a ebay sale).
TLDR
The Note 5 has undoubtedly miles better hardware and will be cheaper than the Nexus 6P at launch. The benefits of pure android and the latest android updates are no longer as important as they once were given the maturity of android as an OS as evidenced by only minor incremental updates in Marshmallow. Advancements in TouchWiz and xposed framework have made non pure android much more tolerable than it once was.
The only other major con I see with the Note 5 is the absence of a 64GB version in Australia, and if it does come it'll be ridiculously expensive (+$300 over the 32GB currently from grey imports and no stock as well). There are ways around this with cloud storage. I uploaded my 20GB music collection to Google music and can stream it free. I run a networked storage drive at home for media streaming. You can also get USB OTG dongles for your mSD card which work well when you want to carry extra media locally.

@PearsonDKA Why not return your $800 device and get a $500 device if you want to run aosp? Quote isn't working... That is for PearsonDKA.

WizeGuyDezignz said:
@PearsonDKA Why not return your $800 device and get a $500 device if you want to run aosp? Quote isn't working... That is for PearsonDKA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, I like having the options to go back and forth between TW and AOSP in case I get bored with one of em or something. I'm actually still on the fence about returning it as well, just gonna see how the N5 handles for the next week.

Here is the thing though, in my honest opinion the Note is just a better device overall and im not just talking about specs.
I understand that people love stock android cause you get the updates quickly and a nexus is a dream for people who love to root and all that. This is xda developers and the chances are that people here (all over xda) will mostly be in favor of the nexus because you can root, rom it, have aosp, flash kernels and all that good stuff and this is the site where it all goes down. Thats all beautiful and they are perfectly right.
But when it comes to having a phone that have features and that truly utilizes that big ass display, really nothing out there competes with the note 5. Its a productivity user's dream. It offers an excellent camera (arguably the best), its absolutely future proof with the 4GB of ram and the powerful SoC, it has arguably the best display on a smartphone, it has the S pen which no one can match on the market at the moment.
People who own the note should use these features, use multiwindow and screen capture and all that, you will see that you wont be able to use another device because you have a mini computer in your pocket that performs wonderfully and do things that other devices cant . As a smartphone, what can beat the note 5 when all is considered? Not a thing.
As a developer's phone, as someone who likes to root and tinker with their device to their liking, nothing can beat a nexus especially the 6p with its amazing specs. Honestly the choice is pretty clear: if you wanna root, rom, flash aosp and CM and all that, you MUST go with a nexus. If you want a phone full of features with the best camera on the market and is a productivity champ you have to go with the note. Forget things like battery life and performance and all that cause both devices are champs. I am using a non carrier note 5 which is expected to have android 6.0 by year's end or early next year, im not sweating it cause the phone works extremely well for me. If i get a nexus 6p now, its only because of the hype but i know what type of user i am and the note 5 works best for me. I skipped the nexus 6 this past year, used many devices and im still alive despite not having used a stock android phone
....just saying
One last thing lol, before the note 5 i had the Iphone 6s and i loved it. But then i wanted a bigger display and i was on the fence between the 6s plus and the note. When i returned my 6s at the apple store to grab the 6s plus, thats when i knew i had to get the note 5 cause i saw how much the 6s plus was just a big phone that does not take advantage of the big display, same with the 6p.
Check out this video guys, trust me its worth it.
https://youtu.be/EYRIX9YP3Lk

Ill keep it simple.
Note 5 has:
Multi Window
Pen
Brighter screen in daylight
Better camera
Wireless charging
Tiny bit better dimensions
More attractive/professional build quality
Samsung pay
Better cpu/gpu
More ram
Nexus has
Dual forward speakers
Type c port
Bigger battery
Rootable without voiding warranty
Instant updates
Note 5 wins.

liqn7 said:
This is why I got my Note 5 over a Nexus 6P
**Hardware**
The Note 5 will undoubtedly have superior hardware.
The 14nm Exynos 7420 is miles ahead of the SD810 both in terms of speed and efficiency. Early benchmarks of the SD820 which is also 14nm are actually comparable to the 7420 which is a huge kudos to Samsung for having this chip out there 12 months before Qualcomm in the chipmaking world which runs on 6/12mth cycles. The SD810 in the 6P (even v 2.1) is going to get hot and then throttled as the system underclocks it to compensate. Its just a matter of when, which depends on Huawei's cooling. The SD808 even shares the same problem to a lesser extent.
TLDR: Exynos 7420 chip is miles ahead of the SD810 and has a degree of future proofing.
-NAND storage UFS 2.0 in the Note 5 vs. eMMC in the 6P. Yes its proprietary, but UFS gives much higher read/write speeds.
-4GB RAM vs 3GB. More is better. The aggressive app closing that people have complained about in Galaxy's can be fixed to maximise the use of this for multi tasking.
-Best in class camera – the 6P sounds like it's going to have the best camera ever in a Nexus, but it's still below the S6 edge according to DxoMark, which is going to be below again the yet to be reviewed Note 5. OIS with manual settings is something else altogether if you know what you're doing. Eg http://i.imgur.com/LLp4WQS.jpg – I took this beauty with a super slow shutter speed whilst resting the phone on someone's head lol.
-Best in class screen – there is no way the 6P is going to get the Note 5's screen which has been rated best in class by displaymate and anandtech. Best case scenario is maybe the Note 4's screen which is better than the Nexus 6, but still 40% less efficient compared to the current gen Note 5 (http://www.displaymate.com/Galaxy_Note5_ShootOut_1.htm)
Build – I'm not a huge fan of the slippery glass back on the Note, but kudos for the screen to body ratio and tapered edges to help with one handed use, while maintaining the same screen size as the note 4. I use cases for all my phones, so in a way build materials don't really matter. The aluminum build on the 6P also looks nice, but the bezels top and bottom bezels are huge (for the front facing speakers?) and is reflected in the relatively poor screen to body ratio (71.4% vs. 75.9%)
True compared to the Note 4, the omission of the mSD card, IR blaster and replaceable battery are disappointing. There are ways around lack of mSD (see below) and sadly it's a trend that a lot of other smartphone makers are adopting as well. The battery although smaller actually provides more juice compared to the Note 4 thanks to processor and screen improvements in efficiency. If you decided to keep the device for 3+ years, the sealed battery is actually replaceable – not super easy to do, but there are guides online. It's not as if the Nexus 6P has any of these features either.
The Note 5 also has wireless fast charging for a sacrifice of 0.3mm of thickness, which was the main reason Nexus 6P engineers have given for its omission.
**Software**
I'm the first to admit that I'm a huge pure android and nexus nut, but Marshmallow may be the first new version of android that I really can't get excited about. The touted features in Marshmallow are not ground breaking and represent disappointing incremental features which already exist in Lollipop with xposed and even 3rd party apps. True it's giving people who don't root their phones access to them for the first time, but for the power user there really isn't much there. See: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/10/android-6-0-marshmallow-thoroughly-reviewed/
TLDR:
Doze – can still be bypassed by developers of apps. Only affects standby time so will make no difference to the biggest drain which is screen, app usage and cellular reception quality. Can do similar already with greenify, amplified and other similar apps.
On tap – very hit and miss. More miss than hit
Permissions – nice and about time I guess, but already doable with 3rd party apps (AppOps) / a firewall
Google launcher changes – had these for months already with nova launcher
In context voice commands – nice if you use voice commands often. I don't know many people who do.
Xposed won't work for a while and there will undoubtedly be new bugs as always until 6.1.
All up, the maturity of android is making the latest and greatest pure android updates less mandatory.
My last experience with Touchwiz back with the Note 2 were pretty negative. However, with a dark material theme from the theme store, nova launcher and xposed, the gaudy bits of touchwiz are no longer as bad as they once were. Samsung have really pulled it back and you can do the rest with a simple debloating app or a modded stock ROM. With the [dark material theme](http://www.xda-developers.com/material-and-material-dark-hit-samsungs-theme-store/), it really isn't too disimilar to stock android.
I'm not a huge stylus person, but some of the TW features like signing PDFs and better hand writing recognition seem genuinely useful. Multi window which was touted in the developer preview of Marshmallow but disabled at launch has been around in TouchWiz for years.
The cons of the Note 5 would be that updates are 4-6 months late and there will be no AOSP custom ROM support given it runs on exynos. This means updates for only 2 years at most. However, the maturity of android as an OS has meant that there are less "essential" features to upgrade to or problems for custom ROMs to fix. Xposed framework is a miracle in allowing a degree customisation that only customs ROMs used to be able to offer.
Samsung is also committed to monthly security updates for android, which is huge as you're no longer reliant on a nexus for this. http://www.androidcentral.com/samsu...urity-updates-every-month-its-android-devices
**Price**
Local RRP for the 6P is $899 which call it what you want (gouging, Australia tax, market factors) is a huge increase in the $499 US that US customers pay.
Unfortunately I think it will be harder to source cheap grey Nexus 6P stock this time around, as all countries except for North America (with the US Bands version) got done over by the [international pricing model](http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/09/30/prices-nexus-5x-nexus-6p-across-globe/). Hong Kong/Asia where a lot of grey stuff comes from is not significantly cheaper than Australia (+27% vs +21%) and that's without a GST. You can probably get one for $840 delivered from Clove/Handtec at launch, but at these similar prices I'd personally pay an extra $50 for excellent 2 year playstore warranty. Historically, Nexus devices have had stock supply issues initially and thus haven't always had cheap grey stock prices for 3+ months after launch.
Either way, it's going to be more expensive than the Note 5 in the foreseeable future.
Samsung has pretty good price retention as well. Brand new Note 4s still retail for $650-$700. Resale value used is ~$500-550 on ebay compared to the Nexus 6 which is $400-450. When I got my [Nexus 6 in December](https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/174328), I remember it actually cost more than the Note 4 (paid $765 via Amazon France, Note 4 was ~$720 on a ebay sale).
TLDR
The Note 5 has undoubtedly miles better hardware and will be cheaper than the Nexus 6P at launch. The benefits of pure android and the latest android updates are no longer as important as they once were given the maturity of android as an OS as evidenced by only minor incremental updates in Marshmallow. Advancements in TouchWiz and xposed framework have made non pure android much more tolerable than it once was.
The only other major con I see with the Note 5 is the absence of a 64GB version in Australia, and if it does come it'll be ridiculously expensive (+$300 over the 32GB currently from grey imports and no stock as well). There are ways around this with cloud storage. I uploaded my 20GB music collection to Google music and can stream it free. I run a networked storage drive at home for media streaming. You can also get USB OTG dongles for your mSD card which work well when you want to carry extra media locally.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL at 'miles better harder'?... You are exaggerating quite a bit. BTW, it has been confired that the 6P uses the latest Samsung panel.
"Miles better hardware' yet multitasking, scrolling and animations are faster and smoother on the 6P. Advanced Kryptonian technology won't make Touchwiz smooth. You care too much about spec sheets dude. Real life performance is much more important.
---------- Post added at 06:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:02 AM ----------
seh6183 said:
Ill keep it simple.
Note 5 has:
Multi Window
Pen
Brighter screen in daylight
Better camera
Wireless charging
Tiny bit better dimensions
More attractive/professional build quality
Samsung pay
Better cpu/gpu
More ram
Nexus has
Dual forward speakers
Type c port
Bigger battery
Rootable without voiding warranty
Instant updates
Note 5 wins.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You forgot more efficient and smoother software under Nexus.
---------- Post added at 06:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:03 AM ----------
Reviews are in for the 6P and almost all of them are stating it's the best Android smartphone period including the Note 5. It just goes to show you that the sum of it's parts and amazing optimized software trump spec sheets. Pre-ordered 5 days ago. Going to sell the Note 5 as soon as it arrives. Can't wait to leave touchwiz!

Cool have fun with no s pen, no multi window, no one handed mode, no quick reply, a worse camera, bland speakers, and no wireless charging. Oh and a garbage processor with a full gig less ram. Bye.