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[Q] Note II vs GS4?

Hello, I'm wondering which phone I should buy: the n7105/i317m, or the i9500/i9505.
The screen is bigger on the Note, and the S-Pen is nice, but the S4 has 1080p vs 720. Can you use the S-Pen on the S 4?
Which CPU/GPU is better?
Exynos Quad with Mali400-MP, Exynos Octa with PowerVR SGX 544mp3, or Snapdragon 600 Quad Krait 300 w/Adreno 320?
Is there a different CPU on the i317m?
I know both S4 GPUs are better than the note's, but is the difference very noticeable?
Currently I have an S II LTE i727r, which is pretty old. Which one has better AOSP/CM support? Will I be able to use the S-Pen/S4 features under a CM or AOSP rom?
Sorry about all the questions, I just want to know all of the facts before I buy anything. I would be buying unlocked/no contract from Canada.
Thanks in advance.
EDIT: Or the HTC Butterfly/Deluxe?

theo1998 said:
Hello, I'm wondering which phone I should buy: the n7105/i317m, or the i9500/i9505.
The screen is bigger on the Note, and the S-Pen is nice, but the S4 has 1080p vs 720. Can you use the S-Pen on the S 4?
Which CPU/GPU is better?
Exynos Quad with Mali400-MP, Exynos Octa with PowerVR SGX 544mp3, or Snapdragon 600 Quad Krait 300 w/Adreno 320?
Is there a different CPU on the i317m?
I know both S4 GPUs are better than the note's, but is the difference very noticeable?
Currently I have an S II LTE i727r, which is pretty old. Which one has better AOSP/CM support? Will I be able to use the S-Pen/S4 features under a CM or AOSP rom?
Sorry about all the questions, I just want to know all of the facts before I buy anything. I would be buying unlocked/no contract from Canada.
Thanks in advance.
EDIT: Or the HTC Butterfly/Deluxe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would go with Samsung Galaxy S4 you can draw on it as well from what I heard.
If you decided to go with the Note 2 its slower then Samsung Galaxy S4......

animeware said:
I would go with Samsung Galaxy S4 you can draw on it as well from what I heard.
If you decided to go with the Note 2 its slower then Samsung Galaxy S4......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you use the S-pen on the S4?

theo1998 said:
Can you use the S-pen on the S4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use anything on the screen of the S4! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEdLhRzGi-U

I don't believe you can use the S-Pen on the S4, but then again I don't think you really need to. Thanks to air view, any of your 10 fingers can function as an S-Pen. Some features will carry down to the Note II, but there will also be features that won't. I'm not sure what those are, but if I had to guess, dual recording might be one of them. As far as the octacore vs the Snapdrag600, it depends. The Snapdragon variant supports LTE, but the Exynos does not. However, the Exynos is a bit better as far as processing power, audio, and battery is concerned. If you live in an area with LTE, I'd personally go with the 600, otherwise you'd probably be better off with the Exynos.
The Galaxy S4 will have a superior CPU/GPU. I don't know how reliable this video is, but it's the quickest I could find:
Benchmark comparison: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Benchmark-comparison-Galaxy-S4-vs-Galaxy-S-III-vs-Note-2-vs-Optimus-G-Pro-vs-Nexus-4-vs-HTC-One_id41542
Spec comparison: http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone2=5152
*Disclaimer: While both phones have 2GB RAM, the Galaxy S4 uses DDR3 while the Note II uses DDR2.

theo1998 said:
Can you use the S-pen on the S4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think you can use the S-Pen on the S4, but if you want to use an S-Pen and don't mind waiting, you might want to wait for the Note 3.

FragJuice said:
I don't think you can use the S-Pen on the S4, but if you want to use an S-Pen and don't mind waiting, you might want to wait for the Note 3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Approximately how long until the Note 3 is announced, do you think?

theo1998 said:
Approximately how long until the Note 3 is announced, do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably 4-5 months.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium

I've had the Note 1 and Note 2, and while the S-Pen is pretty cool and works wonderfully, I find myself never using it again after a few days with the phone. I have a Note 2 right now and can't wait for my S4 to get here! Better screen, better camera, better processor, better features...I definitely think it's worth the upgrade.

Maybe on 3Q of 2013, Because the note was announced September 2011 and the note 2 was announced august 2012.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

I too was wondering about S-Pen functionality, but I suspect that it's probably not compatible.
Only reason is sometimes I do like to write notes with the S-Pen, and it's still hard and inaccurate to write with fingers.

I'd get the GS4. Love the s-pen feature on my galaxy note. BUT the real trick is the next note rootable? If not I'd get the s4 since chainfire and the gang figured out a way on how to root the damn thing. Personally I'd wait for the note 3 since i love the big screen. If you need a phone in your case and need the spen get the note 2 used on ebay.

chery2k said:
I'd get the GS4. Love the s-pen feature on my galaxy note. BUT the real trick is the next note rootable? If not I'd get the s4 since chainfire and the gang figured out a way on how to root the damn thing. Personally I'd wait for the note 3 since i love the big screen. If you need a phone in your case and need the spen get the note 2 used on ebay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Galaxy lineup will always be rootable.
Or any Android phone with unloacked bootloader for that matter.

chery2k said:
I'd get the GS4. Love the s-pen feature on my galaxy note. BUT the real trick is the next note rootable? If not I'd get the s4 since chainfire and the gang figured out a way on how to root the damn thing. Personally I'd wait for the note 3 since i love the big screen. If you need a phone in your case and need the spen get the note 2 used on ebay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is no trick at all, galaxy s phones
have always been easily rootable. Why wouldn't it be with the note 3?

Note. 3 will have plastic oled says sammobile

Personally, absolutely note. Battery life, Screen size and S Pen - I could afford to miss the latter, but not the other two. I guess most Note II users would only upgrade with N3, since they'd have most likely bought it for those three aspects in the first place. In love with this damn phone.
---------- Post added at 12:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:02 PM ----------
j510 said:
Note. 3 will have plastic oled says sammobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They say a lot of stuff, these "rumors" are hardly reliable. I'd be happy if that's the case though. Just hope they don't make it way too large and compromise on the battery life (if possible, add some extra mAh )

On a side note, the e300 will have octa with LTE.
Sent from my IM-A860K using xda premium

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6-a_sQbRSo
Damn, so airview doesn't work well with browsing then?

Get the S5 over the S4 or wait for S5 Prime / Galaxy F?

What are your opinions?
Prime / Galaxy F:
805 Processor, Adreno 420 GPU supposedly
3GB RAM
Metal body
Same camera and screen
Or just get the S5 now?
Does anyone have any ideas on how much longer we have to wait for the S5 Prime / Galaxy F?
September might be too far away for me...

Just get S5 with 4G now ! At isnt that bad and its performance is awesome(805 a bit faster). You`d wait for for Galaxy F for 2 months... changed my note ii to s5 and i`m amazed. The body of S5 good(idk why people says bad things about it) + i`m not sure that Galaxy F will be waterproof
---------- Post added at 11:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:42 AM ----------
+ you can root stock firmware without tripping knox

I want to wait for Note 4
Also metal body is more sympathetic than plast. My opinion is wait

But then there's the option to get a case like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I3UWHX2/ref=gno_cart_title_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2SFKRF5TPZMT5
It's basically metal, so really is there kind of any point waiting for a phone with just a metal frame when in most circumstances there are metal cases and no one is really dumb enough to carry around a phone without a case these days? I kind of don't care about the build quality of the S5 if I get a nice case, and I doubt I will find any reason to complain about the phone within a year. (Hopefully)
Just now not sure how much of a difference the extra 1GB of RAM and CPU and GPU upgrade will be on the next Galaxy series phone and if that is worth waiting 2 months.

[Q] Better phones than Note 4?

Hello
I'm an owner of a Note 4 Exynos and I got tired of it and Samsung Devices.
Don't get me wrong the phone is good but I've been using Samsung phones for 5 years straight and I got tired of it and I want something else
I want a phone that is superior of Note 4, has microSD slot and a better camera.
A good choice would be LG G4 or V10 (even if it is a little bulky) but I don't know about other phones or other brands.
Can somebody help?

Me too ..but want more updates and I luv features it seems note 4 is still the best

MariosFFX said:
Hello
I'm an owner of a Note 4 Exynos and I got tired of it and Samsung Devices.
Don't get me wrong the phone is good but I've been using Samsung phones for 5 years straight and I got tired of it and I want something else
I want a phone that is superior of Note 4, has microSD slot and a better camera.
A good choice would be LG G4 or V10 (even if it is a little bulky) but I don't know about other phones or other brands.
Can somebody help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try flashing different roms and mods.
I am also user of Note 4
And I think it's one of the best smartphones in the market.
But yes if you wanna you can change.
I recommend you to but Nexus actually its pure andriod experience.
6P is a better option but there are some issues with some people related to microphone.
Better to read reviews before buying.
G4 is also a good option.

Custom Roms for me are prohibited in Samsung Devices cause of warranty and they lose resell value
Still I have checked every high end device and nothing got me hyped up

I want the same. The 6p is good but snapdragon 810 is a step backwards from 5433 and the amoled screen on the note 4 is superior. Only benefit is direct updates

Well, the note 5 is "maybe" better... but sd-card and the chance to change the battery any time is such a big advantage...

MariosFFX said:
Custom Roms for me are prohibited in Samsung Devices cause of warranty and they lose resell value
Still I have checked every high end device and nothing got me hyped up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think there are alot of devices out there but yeah most of the features are now almost same in most high end smartphones
But you may try Xperia z5 or note edge plus
They have somehow different from other devices
---------- Post added at 03:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:57 PM ----------
Ausboy 2011 said:
I want the same. The 6p is good but snapdragon 810 is a step backwards from 5433 and the amoled screen on the note 4 is superior. Only benefit is direct updates
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you say that 810 snapdragon is a step backwards?
Does it not perform better than Exynoa 5433 and uptil now it's the best chip from snapdragon available.
I know 820 is also available but it's not in any phone yet
---------- Post added at 04:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:59 PM ----------
deroyabun said:
Well, the note 5 is "maybe" better... but sd-card and the chance to change the battery any time is such a big advantage...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it's a better option for those who don't want more storage but there is option you can buy 64gb but yeah non removable battery is fine on one side as most of the phones now don't give this option but I will prefer removable battery.

deroyabun said:
Well, the note 5 is "maybe" better... but sd-card and the chance to change the battery any time is such a big advantage...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't forget the IR blaster. I'm using that a lot myself.

I also plug into tv and projector can't do with note 5

Which variant should i buy??

I intend to buy a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and i found out that there are two variants
one with snapdragon processor and the other with a different one
i want to know which is better ?
in regards to performance , battery and system updates\support here ?
also what is the model number of it?

Don't go for snapdragon, I own the device from past 3 months, had vary high expectations, but it's completely useless, tried everything, every rom, every mod, experience comes nowhere near to what I had with HTC m8, after marshmallow , user interface is quite smooth, but gaming is still bad, I just posted another question about dvfs , read that, u'll understand. .
---------- Post added at 07:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:22 PM ----------
To be honest I am not sure exynos version would be any better, better go for Note 5

Snapdragon - battery ; Exynos - performance

fireheart2008 said:
I intend to buy a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and i found out that there are two variants
one with snapdragon processor and the other with a different one
i want to know which is better ?
in regards to performance , battery and system updates\support here ?
also what is the model number of it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The very first question is your operator(carrier). What bands of LTE does it use?
You should find out this first and then you can choose which variant covers all the bands for your operator.
The last possibility is that if more than one variant satisfy your operator, you can choose the model you like.

I think in this case you can go for either, Exynos has as good support as SD variant if not better.

RishiChhikkara said:
Don't go for snapdragon, I own the device from past 3 months, had vary high expectations, but it's completely useless, tried everything, every rom, every mod, experience comes nowhere near to what I had with HTC m8, after marshmallow , user interface is quite smooth, but gaming is still bad, I just posted another question about dvfs , read that, u'll understand. .
---------- Post added at 07:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:22 PM ----------
To be honest I am not sure exynos version would be any better, better go for Note 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the reply
so in your experience HTC m8 is better ?
i've compared between them on phonearena and Note 4 is supposed to be better, and even my current xperia Z2 is better.
i've seen your post about dvfs , what i understood is that they decrease the performance to decrease the temperature resulting from the snapdragon. so is this fixed in note 5? or just guessing ?

if you care about system updates ...........keep away from Samsung

fireheart2008 said:
thanks for the reply
so in your experience HTC m8 is better ?
i've compared between them on phonearena and Note 4 is supposed to be better, and even my current xperia Z2 is better.
i've seen your post about dvfs , what i understood is that they decrease the performance to decrease the temperature resulting from the snapdragon. so is this fixed in note 5? or just guessing ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What??!!
Xperia z2 and HTC m8 better than Note 4?? This got to be a joke. A dry joke.

Abdl said:
What??!!
Xperia z2 and HTC m8 better than Note 4?? This got to be a joke. A dry joke.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
both note 4 and xperia z2 are better than the One M8.
i don't know how you misunderstood!

When I was going to buy mine I was all set for "F" variant and had no plan to buy "C" variant but..... I bought "C" model instead of "F". Then later, I read few reviews of both SOC's compared their performance, battery life and benchmarks.
This is the conclusion of my finding: "You will get a little more battery life on "F" variant with less cpu performance and with "C" variant slightly less battery but more cpu performance."
Guess what? I am more then happy with my decision and totally enjoying N910C performance.

fireheart2008 said:
thanks for the reply
so in your experience HTC m8 is better ?
i've compared between them on phonearena and Note 4 is supposed to be better, and even my current xperia Z2 is better.
i've seen your post about dvfs , what i understood is that they decrease the performance to decrease the temperature resulting from the snapdragon. so is this fixed in note 5? or just guessing ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't go for reviews on tech sites, check the real life usage reviews here on xda, best way would be to go in specific device forum & check the que-answer section, search for things like gaming performance & yes M8 if far too better than I have ever used, reason being simple, their sense UI is best, I am not a fan of any specific brand, but I always praise what is true, as for Note 5 , that thing is built upon exynos with 14mm cpu, very responsive & fast, no stuters in games like on note 4, rest you should check by visiting the local stores , manually check them...my guess is, since Samsung was in hurry to rush QHD for Note 4 , but SD805 isn't powerful enough to handle QHD gaming with their resourcehungry Touchwiz on top, it throttles very badly, but with Note 5 , they were ready
---------- Post added at 06:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:58 AM ----------
Abdl said:
What??!!
Xperia z2 and HTC m8 better than Note 4?? This got to be a joke. A dry joke.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, not a joke, as I said earlier M8 is much better than Note 4 that I have, atlest better than SD805 version, & yes I still own both devices, M8 not showing any sign of slowing down even after around 2 years, perfect device for anyone who wants 5" screen , next thing, audio quality of note 4 comes nowhere near M8 , both speakers & headphones, it completely crushes the note 4 , but again I like Note 4 for its Camera & Screen , perfect for me, but ever since I owned it, I am regularly fixing it everyday, it's been 2 years never had to root the m8, trust me, still unrooted, flawless experience, but the moment I bought Note 4, the first thing that I did was to root it, or should I say had to root it, tried everything , every custom rom, fluidity is no where near to M8 & as I said earlier I still own both devices, I am not making any false assumption.

Sense is better than TouchWiz undoubtedly, but I am finding tremendously hard to believe that M8 is that much better than Note 4 LOL! In fact Note 4, with a custom kernel and with different governor other than stock, is one of the smoothest Samsung I have ever used! Obviously Note 5 will be better, but not all are okay with glassy greasy puddle of mess.

ithehappy said:
Sense is better than TouchWiz undoubtedly, but I am finding tremendously hard to believe that M8 is that much better than Note 4 LOL! In fact Note 4, with a custom kernel and with different governor other than stock, is one of the smoothest Samsung I have ever used! Obviously Note 5 will be better, but not all are okay with glassy greasy puddle of mess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As you said "smoothest samsung", try to get your hands on M8 someday & u'll understand why I am so much irritated with Note 4, I bought the device with same expectations & yes with custom roms & kernels it gets smooth, but nowhere near to M8, trust me,I have both devices sitting right besides me. The only reason I still have note 4 is the screen size, 5" is too small for me & I like colors on Amoled, also note 5 is still overpriced for now & I certainly don't like to waste my hard earned money, sInce my brother will be going to dubai this week, i'll get note 5 from there...price difference is around 18000.

RishiChhikkara said:
As you said "smoothest samsung", try to get your hands on M8 someday & u'll understand why I am so much irritated with Note 4, I bought the device with same expectations & yes with custom roms & kernels it gets smooth, but nowhere near to M8, trust me,I have both devices sitting right besides me. The only reason I still have note 4 is the screen size, 5" is too small for me & I like colors on Amoled, also note 5 is still overpriced for now & I certainly don't like to waste my hard earned money, sInce my brother will be going to dubai this week, i'll get note 5 from there...price difference is around 18000.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True that, I have an m9 which leaves my note 4 in the dust. I've heard that HTC's are almost the fastest android devices around, second only to nexuses.

yesteryearisoverhere said:
True that, I have an m9 which leaves my note 4 in the dust. I've heard that HTC's are almost the fastest android devices around, second only to nexuses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I had nexus 5 also, bought it after reading so many praises of the device everywhere, had to sell it within a week, cheap build quality, worst audio through headphones, also I would prefer Sense UI over vanilla android any day, didn't notice any speed difference between N5 & M8..

s5 mini vs alpha vs ..

Hi
I'm trying to find a good sub-5" smartphone for ~$200. Looks like my options are s5 mini, galaxy alpha, a3 and sony z3c. I don't want another glass phone after having nexus 4 (way too fragile), which rules out a3 and z3c.
What are the opinions on s5 mini vs galaxy? As I understand galaxy is not water-proof, has smaller battery and no SD, anything else? What are the main problems of s5m?
Thanks!

What is the exact model of the other Samsung model? Even S5 mini has more than one variant... Do you need a Dual SIM device?
In any case there are sites that compare models, just search on internet "model1 vs model2" and you should get a few comparisons.

lfom said:
What is the exact model of the other Samsung model? Even S5 mini has more than one variant... Do you need a Dual SIM device?
In any case there are sites that compare models, just search on internet "model1 vs model2" and you should get a few comparisons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
galaxy alpha on either exynos5 or snapdragon 801. g800f for the s5 mini as I need LTE. Dual SIM not needed.
All the sites provide just basic feature to feature comparisons, saw all of them. I'm more interested in real life experience like durability, real battery performance, buggyness etc

The Galaxy Alpha costs significantly more than an S5 mini from what I gather (100$ difference in some cases). If you're after performance the Alpha is an obvious choice. It's only downfall seems to be it's tiny battery. The S5 mini doesn't fare much better on the battery front but it's bigger and the device will consume less by comparison. The S5 mini will also evidently be much more rugged, plus it has as much gimmicks as it's flagship older brother(Good or bad). The Alpha on the other hand has a better camera, bigger screen, more RAM and appears to come in an LTE version despite what you claim. The choice of these two depends on how long you intend to keep the phone and how well you'll take care of it. The S5 mini will perform well enough (not perfectly) but can be more readily replaced if broken, whilst the Alpha will be much smoother, but won't survive the accidental dunk in the pool.