The design is already out there - its the Samsung FAST CHARGE pack - Samsung Galaxy S7 Guides, News, & Discussion

The design is already out there - its the Samsung FAST CHARGE pack - Samsung Galaxy S7 Guides, News, & Discussion

I have a charge pack, and looking at it, I reckon its the same shape and size as the S7. Its uncanny.

I am not sure what exactly you saying!?
Need more details, photos etc.,

The design is out there because it's extremely similar to the S6/Note 5 design, which has been out for around a year.

Related

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Review Thread - All Reviews To be Posted Here

Samsung Galaxy Note Review Thread
As with the original note, i am sure there will be a massive influx of reviews for the upcoming Note 2. We are all keen to take a look at what this great device is going to be like, so i think a centralized place for all reviews is a good idea. Hopefully it should keep the general section clean(er) and give a great resource for future note 2 owners. I will ask all to keep this thread clean of idle chit chat, all we want is quality reviews to give a clear picture of the device.
Thanks in advance to anybody who contributes

The first review is out
Solid rating from PA:
http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-II-Review_id3134
I generally don't give much importance to PA reviews, but no harm in reading it whoever is interested.

Another preview: http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note_ii-review-811.php

A Korean review (note II got released on South Korea today). Of course I didn't understand a word but I noticed a new feature @1:53, the Note II has the same split screen feature as in the Note 10.1. Pure win. :highfive:

BGR's short pre-review:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaZrC98fnOk
Dialaphone review:
www.dialaphone.co.uk/blog/2012/09/27/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-a-display-of-power/

Hell Guardian said:
Thanks guys, great feed back
any news about the camera unit? no change at all? i know they wanted to use Sony's new BSI 13mp units but the production yields were low and LG already pre-ordered them for its Optimus G so Samsung had to stick with 8Mp camera units, so did they actually get better ones or used the same ones that take REALLY REALLY bad low light pictures? :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure why you think the Galaxy Note II produces really really bad low light pictures? I have seen a Galaxy Note 1 & 2 picture comparison where it does seem like the Note 1 produces better pictures in wide dynamic range scenes.
http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-II-vs-Galaxy-Note_id3136/page/3
But the difference is still minimal. I'm sure there will be a HDR mode like on all Galaxy phones, so when told to, it should be able to produce better images during harsh lighting conditions where there is intense brightness and dark shadows.
From what I hear, the 13 megapixel sensor on the Optimus G isn't all that great. It is providing marginally better resolutions in optimal lighting conditions while doing worse in low light situations than a 8MP sensor. From all the reports I'm reading, I'm seeing that the Note 2 will have a BSI (backlit sensor). Is there an article saying otherwise?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Check out my huge collection of 64GB Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Videos (Demos, Accessory Reviews)

http://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-retail-unboxing-and-quick-hands-video
Amazing phone.

It may be of interest to some that the Mains charger that comes with the Note II has a 5 Volt 2 Amp output. With the large battery capacity, some of the existing
chargers you may have around your home (as well as car adaptors) are likely to be of a far lower output - typically 0.5 Amp to 1.0 Amp,
My Note II came from Handtec in the UK but the box clearly shows Samsung France and the default language on set up was French.
Not a review as such but a very recent Samsung promo from Korea showing many of the features including the split/multi screen mode (around 2min 10secs through video)
available only in some of the latest ROM versions.

phones4u review:
(can you really trust reviews from a place that sells phones though?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGxTDlVuoIs

Goodm7sn said:
I think he mentioned that bluetooth has to be ON for the phone to alert u when the s-pen isn't in place!??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, he said bluetooth has to be on to detect if you walked away from the pen.
Regardless I don't believe this, and it doesn't say this in the manual.
I'll be testing it.
Another review:
http://www.autoomobile.com/news/samsung-galaxy-note-2-review/1004297/

Thread Cleaned
As much as the comments are appreciated, this is a review thread. The idea was to give prospective note 2 owners a good list of reviews to aid there decision. All of the discussion is just going to dilute this. So please i ask you, only post reviews in this thread.
I have now moved the comments thread from the original note forum. Please use that for general comments.

Cnet Review
http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-note-2/4505-6452_7-35426722.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DigitalTrends Review
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/samsung-galaxy-note-2-hands-on/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

First impressions mini review
I was lucky enough to be one of the first to buy the phone on the pre-launch day in London 30th September. I previously owned the Original Note and currently also have a Galaxy S3 so I was keen to compare them.
First thing I noticed was the Note II seemed less bulky but also appears to be heavier in the hand than the original. It's subjective but I also feel it looks more premium and more attractive. Some people aren't fans of the S3 styling but if like me, you are, then you'll love how the Note II is clearly the bigger brother of the S3.
The screen is vibrant and definitely brighter than original. Loss of the pentile matrix isn't that noticeable, there isn't a blue tint but I can't help feel there is a tiny hint of red instead. It's hard to tell.
Placing the S3 and Note II side by side however revealed something that made me a little disappointed. The text just isn't as sharp as the S3 and although I realise this is down to the overall resolution and on a much bigger screen, it just made me feel a little let down. It's still amazing of course and it was always going to be a challenge to beat the S3. Fortunately the Note II has many more goodies to distract you.
The S-Pen is better, being longer and now has a slight texture to the button making it easier to locate. Also shaped slightly different for easy slot loading. These are welcome changes. There's also a few neat tricks that have been introduced in what happens when you remove, insert or leave behind the pen. Some new gesture commands and clever interactions with various apps have been introduced.
I am not going to dwell on these features as they are all demonstrated in any of the online reviews you look at online. This review focuses on what my first impressions.
For the first time in a long time though I actually had to consult the manual to work out and discover the new smart features, because there are many of them! Various gesture and motions to interact, some useful others gimmicky. I found that: with the screen off and phone laying flat, you place your hand near to the screen and it glows and fades in slightly to reveal any missed notifications. This was a handy one for me. Then there's a way the phone knows you are laying on your side to view the screen so it doesn't rotate to landscape mode. It works and it's amazingly useful.
The speed of the device is highly noticeable over the original Note, understandably. It flies through any amount of screen swiping. Even with a custom launcher and hundreds of installed apps I stuck on there, it has no obvious lag at all.
Battery life is outstanding. Bearing in mind I haven't done too many recharge cycles, the battery is easily lasting all day with the screen on so much of the time and all those apps I mentioned! No issues for me there.
The camera is on a par with the S3, haven't had the pleasure of a nice day outside to test it fully. Low light shots are a slight improvement over previous incarnations.
Sound from the speaker is - at last - very very good. It's loud and has more bass and less distortion. Really am pleased this has been improved.
So for me, Samsung have done a great job with this 2nd generation. Build quality, battery life, raw power, feature rich and fully loaded. Difficult to fault and even more difficult to put down!

apprentice said:
I was lucky enough to be one of the first to buy the phone on the pre-launch day in London 30th September. I previously owned the Original Note and currently also have a Galaxy S3 so I was keen to compare them.
First thing I noticed was the Note II seemed less bulky but also appears to be heavier in the hand than the original. It's subjective but I also feel it looks more premium and more attractive. Some people aren't fans of the S3 styling but if like me, you are, then you'll love how the Note II is clearly the bigger brother of the S3.
The screen is vibrant and definitely brighter than original. Loss of the pentile matrix isn't that noticeable, there isn't a blue tint but I can't help feel there is a tiny hint of red instead. It's hard to tell.
Placing the S3 and Note II side by side however revealed something that made me a little disappointed. The text just isn't as sharp as the S3 and although I realise this is down to the overall resolution and on a much bigger screen, it just made me feel a little let down. It's still amazing of course and it was always going to be a challenge to beat the S3. Fortunately the Note II has many more goodies to distract you.
The S-Pen is better, being longer and now has a slight texture to the button making it easier to locate. Also shaped slightly different for easy slot loading. These are welcome changes. There's also a few neat tricks that have been introduced in what happens when you remove, insert or leave behind the pen. Some new gesture commands and clever interactions with various apps have been introduced.
I am not going to dwell on these features as they are all demonstrated in any of the online reviews you look at online. This review focuses on what my first impressions.
For the first time in a long time though I actually had to consult the manual to work out and discover the new smart features, because there are many of them! Various gesture and motions to interact, some useful others gimmicky. I found that: with the screen off and phone laying flat, you place your hand near to the screen and it glows and fades in slightly to reveal any missed notifications. This was a handy one for me. Then there's a way the phone knows you are laying on your side to view the screen so it doesn't rotate to landscape mode. It works and it's amazingly useful.
The speed of the device is highly noticeable over the original Note, understandably. It flies through any amount of screen swiping. Even with a custom launcher and hundreds of installed apps I stuck on there, it has no obvious lag at all.
Battery life is outstanding. Bearing in mind I haven't done too many recharge cycles, the battery is easily lasting all day with the screen on so much of the time and all those apps I mentioned! No issues for me there.
The camera is on a par with the S3, haven't had the pleasure of a nice day outside to test it fully. Low light shots are a slight improvement over previous incarnations.
Sound from the speaker is - at last - very very good. It's loud and has more bass and less distortion. Really am pleased this has been improved.
So for me, Samsung have done a great job with this 2nd generation. Build quality, battery life, raw power, feature rich and fully loaded. Difficult to fault and even more difficult to put down!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to read more confirmations of the loudspeaker volume-quality as Samsung typically has been surprisingly weak there. Is the screen significantly brighter than the S3? How are the whites? I hope the camera burst mode is better than the S3?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1915487

Many pictures from russian review: http://hi-tech.mail.ru/review/misc/samsung_galaxy_note_2_n7100_obzor.html

An extensive review at Trusted Reviews. Scores higher than Fruitphone 5.

http://www.reghardware.com/2012/10/03/review_samsung_galaxy_note_2_gt_n7100_android_smartphone/
Highest score i've seen, there

GSMARENA Review
Samsung Galaxy Note II review: Writing home
Final Words
The Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100 is one beast of a droid and a major step forward for the class it represents. The second generation of the phablet is a massive upgrade, doubling the processing power of the predecessor, and bringing a bigger, and better, screen and an ampler battery.
The slimmer waistline and narrower body improve handling a great deal, and while the Note II still isn't the easiest smartphone to wield, it's much better than the original Note. There's also the new S Pen, which is not only more comfortable to use now, but also way better integrated into the platform.
Last, but certainly not least important, the Note II has received a host of software upgrades, which take the user experience a level up. From the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean platform and its Project Butter to the Buddy screens - it's obvious that Samsung's developers spared no effort to make the new Note as good as it can possibly get.
So the second-gen phablet comes across as a mature device that's able to deliver straight out of the box and give you a really smooth ride. A 5.5" screen however is certainly not for every taste, so recommending it isn't as easy as it may seem. As usual it all depends on the type of user you are.
The way we see it, there are several groups of users that would do well to consider the Galaxy Note II as their next device of choice.
First and foremost, it's those who want a true all-in-one smartphone. The Note II is able to match everything currently on the market for resolution and processing power and then raise the bid with the S Pen and the extra large screen.
Jelly Bean is still hard to come by on the market too, so the Note II is going to use that to its advantage as well, along with the various home-baked tweaks that Samsung delivered with TouchWiz.
So if you are the type of power user, who values performance over one-handed use and have pockets deep enough (literally and figuratively), the Note II seems like a perfect match. It certainly is more expensive than the Galaxy S III and the One X, but the screen upgrade alone is enough to justify the price difference, with the S Pen coming as a bonus.
The second group Samsung is aiming the Note II at is media buffs. Once again, the huge screen and the ample battery are the key weapons in the phablet's arsenal, but it also has vast codec support (both video and audio), and the expandable memory and mass storage mode to back it up.
If you fall in this group, you'll ideally have a tablet, which seems a bit better suited to the purpose, but it would be next to impossible to carry around in a pocket. We understand that the sheer size of the Galaxy Note II can put some users off, but we find it more than reasonably portable. Also there's the price thing - a capable smartphone and a good tablet will cost more than the Note II.
So if you want to save some cash and/or the effort to carry a bag for your tablet at all times, the Note II seems like a good compromise. In that case though, we'd suggest you check it out in person before forking out the cash.
Next up are people who like sketching things up on their smartphones (designers and the likes) and those who prefer taking notes the old-fashioned way - with a pen or a stylus. Samsung has made the Note II a pretty good device for the purpose and Wacom's input is easily able to make a huge difference between the Samsung phablet and anything else there is in the smartphone market.
And, finally, upgraders - and we'll just say it again: the Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100 is a worthy upgrade of its predecessor. You will notice an improvement in just about every part of the user experience, barring perhaps the camera. However, it's also a pricey upgrade and the original Note is still a pretty solid device. In a bit of a quandary there to be honest - if you love the original Note you'll want the second gen badly. But having money to burn will definitely help.
At the end of the day, the Samsung Galaxy Note II seems to have completed all it's here to do. Samsung have solidified its lead in the phablet market, while offering enough novelties to keep those already in it interested. There's also plenty of exclusive stuff too.
We guess some people will still be less than impressed by a bigger Galaxy S III with a stylus. And we're not saying that a big screen and a stylus is exactly what makes a near perfect smartphone better. But they can certainly do wonders for the right users.

Having come ftom the original Note I have been generally impressed and agree with much that has been said in the previous comments.
My only real disappointment has been to find out that apps cannot be moved to micro SD card. I have discovered that the Note II shares this 'feature' of the S3.
Having a large collection of apps that I have been accustomed to storing on a 64GB card on my original Note, I feel somewhat limited with 16GB of internal memory. I did try to get a 32GB or 64GB variant but their availability has yet to be announced.
Of further concern is that I have read that some leading devs are not supporting some Samsung products so I don't know if there will be a solution to my storsge concerns. Maybe I will have to swap my 16GB model when the 64GB model is released.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

Preliminary battery life review: http://www.digitalversus.com/mobile...te-2-battery-life-test-it-s-beast-n26373.html
Among Samsung handsets alone, the Note 2 pulverises its predecessor by practically doubling battery life! It's the same story compared with the Galaxy S3 too. In fact, the benchmark test showed 15 hrs 10 mins of feasible use time, which basically means the Note 2 can power on for two days of regular, reasonable use. Heavy users can knock about a third off that, however.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

General thoughts so far....

For those of you that now have this phone, what are your thoughts? I'm liking this phone more and more but do I need it, well, not really. I'm perfectly happy with my Nexus 4 running PA but there's something about this that has me wanting it. I think part of it is the fact that it's kind of the underdog. It will be exciting to see what the dev's come up with, ROM wise. Anyway, my brain is just spinning as usual, haha.

davela72 said:
For those of you that now have this phone, what are your thoughts? I'm liking this phone more and more but do I need it, well, not really. I'm perfectly happy with my Nexus 4 running PA but there's something about this that has me wanting it. I think part of it is the fact that it's kind of the underdog. It will be exciting to see what the dev's come up with, ROM wise. Anyway, my brain is just spinning as usual, haha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm coming from a sony X10 but the oppo find 5 is working good, I had no dead pixels everything worked out of the box.
I have some problems with contact syncing and gmail updates. Photographs are beautiful, but HDR is not really good on dark spots. (lots of noise because of ISO value's)
I did not wanted the nexus 4 because of the glass back. But I think I would also be happy with the nexus 4. But it is overpriced in the Netherlands, my oppo is cheaper then the nexus 4.
It is super fast compared to my X10. No idea how fast the nexus 4 is.
I think you can better donate some money to charity instead of buying yet another high-end phone

nice
previous phone: HTC Sensation
+ Display: WOW! youtube trailer in HD and people start peeping their eyes out!
+ Sound: I never heard a phone playing it sounds like this
+ Speed: I changed the default (ugly) launcher to APEX, this give's the phone a better feel
+ Camera: Although my previous phone was already 2 year old hence i cannot compare it to recent in-phone-camera's it looks great
+ Desgin: It is sharp but not too sharp edged, it's light and thin. the phone is big in size but because its slim dimensions you will not notice it in your jeans (unless you wear skinny jeans i guess, but who does that )
- Temperature when under load, i feel the device is getting pretty warm, your hands start being sweatty.
- Stock UI

Display
Simply Amazing. Bright & Crisp.
However, the screen responsiveness to your touch isn't very good. I find myself having to tap many things twice or three times to get it registered.Battery
Terrible. It seems to be draining even while sleeping.
My usual morning routine, I unplugged the phone from the charger. It's charged to 100% over night. I do a few light tasks like replying to text messages, flipping through Flipboard, see one 30 sec YouTube video, brightness setting at 50%.
After 20 minutes of usage, my battery gotten down from 100% to 78%.Speaker
Nice and loud. Best, I have ever heard. But, when you lay it on its back, the speaker will be completely muffled.Camera
Sucks. 13MP only in spirit. Colors are over saturated. And, the balance isn't there. Lots of graininess in images, even in ample light. Also, don't use the LED flash. Your pictures will be almost all blown white. Absolutely no setting like macro, scene mode, white balance, panaroma, etc.. Just point and shoot and hope for the best...and often times, it isn't.
My 8MP Nexus and 5MP iPad Mini can take picture and video much better.Stock Launcher
The widgets are fugly. Period.Build Quality
Strong like my unibody Macbook Pro. However, the power and volume rockers shifts around. The micro USB port is weak. I feel like I'm gonna break that port anytime soon.Software
Random reboots at least twice or three times a day. No idea why. I feel like I'm using Windows 95 all over again. Oh, and Gmail doesn't open up. Yeah, seriously, Gmail DOES NOT work on this phone. I have to use the other mail app instead. Latest firmware & Gmail update.
Software is actually 4.1, not 4.2. Coming from Nexus 4, that was a let down. I miss the swype style keyboard on 4.2.ROM
Currently, as of late March, no ROMsSide Note
USB wall charger & headphones look EXACTLY like the ones for iPhones. Apple will be calling them soon, if not already.
Conclusion
Beauty & the Beast.......okay, maybe just the Beauty and not much else.

Interesting perspective, thanks for sharing. Hopefully a lot of these things can be fixed with future updates. What's the deal with the Gmail not working and is this something that OPPO is aware of?

I really am happy with the phone. Looks great and stands out in the crowd. Screen is fabulous. It's a new kid on the block, so there are a few things that are not quite there yet. But it seems Oppo are really working hard to make a proper go at this. So far weekly updates and regular fixes. I attached a simple benchmark to give you an idea of the spec. I'm sure there are better performers out there, but it seems to hold it's own!

It seems that my take is a lot different than other peoples on the board, or maybe I got really lucky and got the perfect unit, My Droid DNA is in my drawer and my Oppo Find 5 is sitting on my coffee table right now. All I have to say is wow I am really quite surprised with the device, and I have a Droid DNA now, and my previous device was HTC One X International Version. So I have saw some very nice displays lately, and the Oppo Find 5 is right up there with the best of them, it handles its own. The only fault was that I got my Oppo Find 5 with 1 stuck pixel, you don't even notice it only if you look for it when it’s on the black part while its booting up, once the screen comes on you can’t even see it.
+ Display is really NICE! 1 pixel stuck, on par with Droid DNA SLCD3 and just as bright so you don't have to turn it up that far and waste battery.
+ Build Quality I can’t say enough about this, this thing feels like I could Drop it off the roof and it would last.
+ The All black front display looks so good just as nice or better than the One X, and it has that nice curve in the glass that makes it nice to use.
+ I haven't tried the stock ear buds, but with my Sony ear buds, this thing sounds great, no distortion at all, with bass high, all amps sound good.
+ The stock speaker is also a pleasant surprise, it sounds really good at high volume levels also, when set right, no distortion and it gets loud
+ I stuck with the default launcher to give it a try and it is pretty smooth, has a really nice settings layout. I may switch, it reminds me of MIUI
+ The camera is just as good as my HTC DNA, I don't remember which review said it was about like about like an 8MP LG, It shots fine pictures.
+ The white matte finish does not leave any fingerprints and the screen must have that stuff to keep fingerprints off it also, it barley gets fingerprints
+ I have ran plenty of benchmarks and my unit did not get hot at all as someone said, maybe I wasn't holding it where it was getting hot at on their device?
+ The complete design is what really shines on this phone on the outside, it looks so sleek, and I have already caught people glancing and looking at it, and I have only owned it for one day, if that says anything at all?
+ or - Don't know enough about battery life yet but so far mine seems to be holding up better today, now that it is on its second charge, With a full HD Display you have got to know how to manage your battery, turn things off that you are not using at the time, it worked on my One X and that thing was a nightmare. On my One X I also disabled all my apps that I didn't ever use. At least until we get Roms that will take out all the bloat junk. Today my battery is doing really well almost 2 hours screen time and 76% left.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- I would have to say that the launcher would have been better stock, but I like trying new things out. I really hope Paranoid Android comes to this phone that will be my rom of choice. I already know CM and MIUI are coming soon.
-- The Ugly widgets, Oppo have so many better widgets on their other phones (Oppo Finder, Oppo Way, Oppo 3?) all those widgets look better IMO. I wish I could replace them somehow by switching APKs; maybe someone knows how and could let me know?
-- Contrast I like the over saturated look we have a developer that is working on a kernel or app to set your display just how you like it, at least I think so anyway?- hopefully we can get this fixed soon I know it’s being worked on by paperweistage and his kernel hopefully he gets it figures out, but if you want to help he is looking for some help in his kernel thread, He is looking for JDI Display white-sheets. So help out if you can
And support our developer, that’s how we eventually get more custom Kernel Roms and Apps. Donate to them a couple dollars for a cold one or a coffee.
-- or + It is a little bit on the heavy side but look how it’s made! Some could call this a negative but I left it neutral because it is well balanced and with a full metal frame inside around it, I don't really mind it weighing 20 extra grams, at least hopefully my phone won’t shatter into a thousand pieces if it falls on the ground.
Add more later after I use it awhile longer.
Stock Find 5 Score
[/IMG]
BELOW MY DROID DNA with a custom kernel, once we get a custom kernel for the Find 5, I think it will do better than the DNA I couldn't get the scores I'm getting with the Find 5 with my DNA when it was stock maybe 18900 or 19500.
[/IMG]
[/IMG]

drvsbsm, awesome review! I was checking the OPPO forums earlier and was really getting mixed thoughts on the phone. I know this phone is new and things are just getting started and I think that is some of what's driving me to it. I remember when the Nokia N9 came out with it's Hartmann/Meego OS, I fell in love with that thing and it was pretty much a dead platform when released. It looks like OPPO is keeping up with bug fixes and putting out updates so that's a good sign. Most of all though, I think the thing is SEXY, a beautiful device.
I'm guessing the vendor on Amazon is the place to get it from, the one located in HK?
Thanks again guys!

Very , very good rewiew !
knite75 said:
Display
Simply AmazingBattery
Terrible. It seems to be draining even while sleepingSpeaker
Nice and loud.Camera
Sucks. My 8MP Nexus and 5MP iPad Mini can take picture and video much better. Absolutely no setting like scene mode, white balance, panaroma, etc in stock camera appStock Launcher
The widgets are fugly. Period.Build Quality
Strong like my unibody Macbook Pro. However, the power and volume rockers shifts around. The micro USB port is weak. I feel like I'm gonna break that port anytime soon.Software
Random reboots at least twice or three times a day. No idea why. I feel like I'm using Windows 95 all over again. Oh, and Gmail doesn't open up. Yeah, seriously, Gmail DOES NOT work on this phone. I have to use the other mail app instead.ROM
Currently, as of late March, no ROMsSide Note
USB wall charger & headphones look EXACTLY like the ones for iPhones. Apple will be calling them soon, if not already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1...... The good think is that the almost everything can be repaired (soft related )

Video camera isn't that very good.
Video is okay if the subject stands still. However, when subject runs or any fast moments, then video gets blurry or ghosting.
For example, here's a video of my daughter at her Taekwondo practice. Notice how she gets blurry when she starts running?
http://youtu.be/ln_2YvN6f78

knite75 said:
Video camera isn't that very good.
Video is okay if the subject stands still. However, when subject runs or any fast moments, then video gets blurry or ghosting.
For example, here's a video of my daughter at her Taekwondo practice. Notice how she gets blurry when she starts running?
http://youtu.be/ln_2YvN6f78
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hopefully this will be addressed as OPPO is releasing an update within a few days for camera related issues.

I have a question about the screen durability. I read somewhere, maybe GSMArena, that the screen rippled very easily and was a bit flexible. That sounds very concerning. I've also heard a few things about poor touchscreen response. This may also be hardware only problem that can't be fixed with any updates.
A lot of these smaller phone makers can just buy off the shelf parts (figuratively) and bulid their own phone. They don't need to develop their own hardware components, just how everything fits together and the overall design. The camera is an Exmor RS from Sony, and the screen is probably a 1080p panel from Sharp. Of course the processor is Qualcomm.
The biggest problem these small relatively no name companies face is the software. It's the brains that makes the smartphone smart, and having a small and inexperienced team, especially while trying to make your own skin, can lead to many shortcomings, from bugs to performance issues to compatibility to poor hardware utilization and battery life. A lot of this stuff even the big boys have trouble with and they have far bigger teams with far more experience. Oppo should go the route that BLU is taking in the future. BLU has a really horrible skin, allegedly, and unstable and buggy phones, but they are supposedly putting stock Android on their new Life series line of phones.

From what I've gathered, the screen is made by JDI?

katamari201 said:
I have a question about the screen durability. I read somewhere, maybe GSMArena, that the screen rippled very easily and was a bit flexible. That sounds very concerning. I've also heard a few things about poor touchscreen response. This may also be hardware only problem that can't be fixed with any updates.
A lot of these smaller phone makers can just buy off the shelf parts (figuratively) and bulid their own phone. They don't need to develop their own hardware components, just how everything fits together and the overall design. The camera is an Exmor RS from Sony, and the screen is probably a 1080p panel from Sharp. Of course the processor is Qualcomm.
The biggest problem these small relatively no name companies face is the software. It's the brains that makes the smartphone smart, and having a small and inexperienced team, especially while trying to make your own skin, can lead to many shortcomings, from bugs to performance issues to compatibility to poor hardware utilization and battery life. A lot of this stuff even the big boys have trouble with and they have far bigger teams with far more experience. Oppo should go the route that BLU is taking in the future. BLU has a really horrible skin, allegedly, and unstable and buggy phones, but they are supposedly putting stock Android on their new Life series line of phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screen is from JDI. seems pretty sturdy to me. They seem to be keeping on top of things. But they have a very good reputation in the high end Av community. It's also not their 1st phone. Just their first soiree in the international market.

I have had my Find 5 for more than a week now sans screen protector. Unfortunately, there are lots of micro scratches already. And, I'm very conscious about where I put and use my phone.
Same practice, my Nexus 4 fair much better even after six months of usage.
All in all, have screen protector or don't have too long of finger nails.
katamari201 said:
I have a question about the screen durability. I read somewhere, maybe GSMArena, that the screen rippled very easily and was a bit flexible. That sounds very concerning. I've also heard a few things about poor touchscreen response. This may also be hardware only problem that can't be fixed with any updates.
A lot of these smaller phone makers can just buy off the shelf parts (figuratively) and bulid their own phone. They don't need to develop their own hardware components, just how everything fits together and the overall design. The camera is an Exmor RS from Sony, and the screen is probably a 1080p panel from Sharp. Of course the processor is Qualcomm.
The biggest problem these small relatively no name companies face is the software. It's the brains that makes the smartphone smart, and having a small and inexperienced team, especially while trying to make your own skin, can lead to many shortcomings, from bugs to performance issues to compatibility to poor hardware utilization and battery life. A lot of this stuff even the big boys have trouble with and they have far bigger teams with far more experience. Oppo should go the route that BLU is taking in the future. BLU has a really horrible skin, allegedly, and unstable and buggy phones, but they are supposedly putting stock Android on their new Life series line of phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

New firmware 328,it has camera fixes...

No marked improvement or fixes to camera with latest firmware.
Just new feature: panorama.
Oppo should focus on fixing all the basic camera problems, rather than, adding gimmick useless feature.

knite75 said:
No marked improvement or fixes to camera with latest firmware.
Just new feature: panorama.
Oppo should focus on fixing all the basic camera problems, rather than, adding gimmick useless feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow knite please get back to your iphone.
They tweaked a bit around with the iso settings. But not something really spectaculair.
At least they did something. Most companies will be like :"DEAL WITH IT!"

Haas8 said:
Wow knite please get back to your iphone.
They tweaked a bit around with the iso settings. But not something really spectaculair.
At least they did something. Most companies will be like :"DEAL WITH IT!"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most company would release software when it's ready and in decent condition for general public consumption... Not beta....or alpha in this case.
Check the camera... Aside from poor image quality.... Do see any basic features like:
Macro
White Balance
Scene Mode
As a matter of fact, on Oppo forums, lots of threads and discussion on how poor the pictures and video are turning out... Oppo just ignore them...basically, saying "DEAL WITH IT!"
Instead, they spent their finite limited development resources in adding useless Panorama feature. When is the last time you took a panorama picture, aside from just wanting to see how it works?

I took a panorama earlier at dinner actually. I did the update out of the box and didn't know it added that so that's cool lol.
Sent from my X909 using xda premium

Would you buy 2014 Galaxy S5 or 2016 flagship chinesse phone ?

mostly all of my phones were chinesse brands (big brands) so i am quite familiar with them and love them but as you may know the support on roms is a little bit limited because they are not open source , but even with that the manufacturers are upgrading for at least one android version upwards
so basically thats why i am in dilemma because of those 2 things
better support and the beautiful Amoled screen which most chinesse brands are not using
so my budget is around 200 pounds (GBP)
i dont know if i should get the Samsung s5 (upgradable to android 6.0) which i can find for that price on ebay or wait and get a phone with the new Mediatek Helio x20 processor which is 2016
only thing i dont like with the Samsung s5 is the battery which is like 2800mah and now there are some chinesse brands like Oukitel that are making 6000mah batteries
so at the moment cannot decide Galaxy s5 or Oukitel k6000 Pro which is like 130 pounds but that battery is soooo eye catching
or wait for Oukitel k6000 premium which should come with amoled display but not sure if it would exceed my 200 pounds limit
if you are familiar with chinesse brands phones share your thoughts what would you get and why
here is a comparision of the 3 phones mentioned
http://www.devicespecifications.com/en/comparison/4e4176268

6000mAh battery in a Chinese phone is probably 2000mAh fake
S5 every time

*Detection* said:
6000mAh battery in a Chinese phone is probably 2000mAh fake
S5 every time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nono Oukitel is very popular brand because of their big battery phones
this is not a lie there are plenty of videos on the internet that are proving that they are not fake
in case you want to see it there is a teardown already made and you can see the huuuuge battery
http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/oukitel-k6000-disassembly-t3310779

mite_jan said:
nono Oukitel is very popular brand because of their big battery phones
this is not a lie there are plenty of videos on the internet that are proving that they are not fake
in case you want to see it there is a teardown already made and you can see the huuuuge battery
http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/oukitel-k6000-disassembly-t3310779
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey folks,
Before I chip in my two cents, I want to state that this is an opinion and my facts could be wrong. Please feel free to correct me at any time, but this is my general understanding on battery tech -
Batteries using current tech simply cannot be larger capacity at the same physical size. IMO (again, may be incorrect) these budget chinese brands simply won't have the funding to use any "forward" or "advanced" tech to enable higher capacity in smaller size so the trade off is either larger/thicker phone - OR as is the case in a lot of these chinese brands - a straight up lie on the capacity of the battery (6000mAH instead of 2000mAH doesn't sound unreasonable). Make sure you check, check and check again on the battery capacity before taking that as the truth. If the phone is similar size to the S5 (I haven't checked dimensions), chances are you'd be buying a relatively similar sized battery within the device. Certainly not (again, unless more expensive tech is used/created) a battery pretty much double the capacity.
Secondly - my opinion on which will be better.
2 years in tech is like 20 years in most industries in terms of how quickly things advance. Look at the change from the S3 to the S5 (or the S5 to the S7). Things (technologically speaking, lets leave design preferences to the side) there have been massive leaps in terms of the processors, battery handling capabilities, screen tech, general efficiency, cameras etc etc. The chinese "cheap" phone is likely to be as-good if not better than the S5 in most, if not all of these areas. Maybe not so much the camera, because Samsung being a company that also produces cameras has the technical know-how to make this a great area.
That been said though..
Support from developers will be short lived and small, if at all.
Future updates will either not happen - or happen once, twice if you're lucky.
If you break it, parts can be hard to source as you'll be likely to struggle to find someone that can or is willing to put their hands on and repair it.
General build quality will be comparitively worse (and yes I am referencing this against the S5 which isn't exactly known for it's general build quality).
My honest opinon - go with the S5. It's had 2 years to mature to what it is now and the dev backing is huge. Depending on the ROM you choose, battery life is likely to be amazing (in fact it'll probably be at least GOOD, regardless of ROM). The camera, generally speaking, is incredible in well lit scenarios and more than acceptable in low light scenarios. The video recording is still absolutely fantastic in comparison to other phones on the market today.
I'll update this once I've read up on the phone you're looking to buy. I own a mobile phone repair company and as a result I get a good idea of what a phone will be like from its specs etc so I'll have a gander.
>>Edit as promised.
Right based on what I can see, that phone is clearly designed based on the iPhone 5/5S model that Apple released. Not a bad thing at all, that phone is gorgeous, just saying...
It does however look pretty.. big. It looks to me to be pretty thick and that leads to me believe that their claim for the battery size is actually true. The battery appears to be taller and wider than that in the S5, plus likely is to be thicker due to the space they have in the phone.
I'm sticking to my original recommendation but that does at least clarify the claims of the battery size. You'll no doubt be happy with your choice either way though - but the S5 DOES and WILL have a much larger developer backing for a lot longer, and thats purely due to the popularity of the S5.

yetep said:
Hey folks,
Before I chip in my two cents, I want to state that this is an opinion and my facts could be wrong. Please feel free to correct me at any time, but this is my general understanding on battery tech -
Batteries using current tech simply cannot be larger capacity at the same physical size. IMO (again, may be incorrect) these budget chinese brands simply won't have the funding to use any "forward" or "advanced" tech to enable higher capacity in smaller size so the trade off is either larger/thicker phone - OR as is the case in a lot of these chinese brands - a straight up lie on the capacity of the battery (6000mAH instead of 2000mAH doesn't sound unreasonable). Make sure you check, check and check again on the battery capacity before taking that as the truth. If the phone is similar size to the S5 (I haven't checked dimensions), chances are you'd be buying a relatively similar sized battery within the device. Certainly not (again, unless more expensive tech is used/created) a battery pretty much double the capacity.
Secondly - my opinion on which will be better.
2 years in tech is like 20 years in most industries in terms of how quickly things advance. Look at the change from the S3 to the S5 (or the S5 to the S7). Things (technologically speaking, lets leave design preferences to the side) there have been massive leaps in terms of the processors, battery handling capabilities, screen tech, general efficiency, cameras etc etc. The chinese "cheap" phone is likely to be as-good if not better than the S5 in most, if not all of these areas. Maybe not so much the camera, because Samsung being a company that also produces cameras has the technical know-how to make this a great area.
That been said though..
Support from developers will be short lived and small, if at all.
Future updates will either not happen - or happen once, twice if you're lucky.
If you break it, parts can be hard to source as you'll be likely to struggle to find someone that can or is willing to put their hands on and repair it.
General build quality will be comparitively worse (and yes I am referencing this against the S5 which isn't exactly known for it's general build quality).
My honest opinon - go with the S5. It's had 2 years to mature to what it is now and the dev backing is huge. Depending on the ROM you choose, battery life is likely to be amazing (in fact it'll probably be at least GOOD, regardless of ROM). The camera, generally speaking, is incredible in well lit scenarios and more than acceptable in low light scenarios. The video recording is still absolutely fantastic in comparison to other phones on the market today.
I'll update this once I've read up on the phone you're looking to buy. I own a mobile phone repair company and as a result I get a good idea of what a phone will be like from its specs etc so I'll have a gander.
>>Edit as promised.
Right based on what I can see, that phone is clearly designed based on the iPhone 5/5S model that Apple released. Not a bad thing at all, that phone is gorgeous, just saying...
It does however look pretty.. big. It looks to me to be pretty thick and that leads to me believe that their claim for the battery size is actually true. The battery appears to be taller and wider than that in the S5, plus likely is to be thicker due to the space they have in the phone.
I'm sticking to my original recommendation but that does at least clarify the claims of the battery size. You'll no doubt be happy with your choice either way though - but the S5 DOES and WILL have a much larger developer backing for a lot longer, and thats purely due to the popularity of the S5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dude have you seen the size of that battery ?
it is like the whole phone fat
so yes it is definitelly if not 6000mah at least 5500mah
if not check the post where i posted the teardown pictures
i agree to the fact that in same size you cannot squeaze more mah but this is lot bigger in size

mite_jan said:
dude have you seen the size of that battery ?
it is like the whole phone fat
so yes it is definitelly if not 6000mah at least 5500mah
if not check the post where i posted the teardown pictures
i agree to the fact that in same size you cannot squeaze more mah but this is lot bigger in size
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I put my response on without looking at the phone itself, so no - I hadn't seen the size of it.
Basically to me that phone would be a step BACKWARDS in terms of design and build quality. Save yourself the hassle, get the S5.

yetep said:
I put my response on without looking at the phone itself, so no - I hadn't seen the size of it.
Basically to me that phone would be a step BACKWARDS in terms of design and build quality. Save yourself the hassle, get the S5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i get it that you like most of the people are not into chinesse tech and that is fine but dont criticise before checking
so let me save you the checking
k6000 pro uses the sony imx214 sensor which can be found in Nexus 6 , Sony Xperia Z2
maybe not the same software camera optimization like those brands but pictures should be close
i have owned previously chinesse phone with same sensor and pictures were perfect (Jiayu s3)
the processor and GPU are not its best side they are midrange but good enought
like i said the only thing i like in the Galaxy S5 is the amoled display and support , but i believe there wont be any official support after marshmallow for the S5 (and we all know how good are the future unofficial ports)
for the K6000 pro there is more possibilities that it will get Android Nuts, Nesquick, Nutella or whatever it is going to be called
actually i like metal designs more on phones so i dont see it as step backwards
i think i will wait for the premium version of Oukitel K6000 with the flagship Helio x20 processor and Amoled screen and if it is going to be around 200 pounds i will buy that one without thinking
anyway thanks for your opinion

mite_jan said:
i get it that you like most of the people are not into chinesse tech and that is fine but dont criticise before checking
so let me save you the checking
k6000 pro uses the sony imx214 sensor which can be found in Nexus 6 , Sony Xperia Z2
maybe not the same software camera optimization like those brands but pictures should be close
i have owned previously chinesse phone with same sensor and pictures were perfect (Jiayu s3)
the processor and GPU are not its best side they are midrange but good enought
like i said the only thing i like in the Galaxy S5 is the amoled display and support , but i believe there wont be any official support after marshmallow for the S5 (and we all know how good are the future unofficial ports)
for the K6000 pro there is more possibilities that it will get Android Nuts, Nesquick, Nutella or whatever it is going to be called
actually i like metal designs more on phones so i dont see it as step backwards
i think i will wait for the premium version of Oukitel K6000 with the flagship Helio x20 processor and Amoled screen and if it is going to be around 200 pounds i will buy that one without thinking
anyway thanks for your opinion
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you've made up your own mind. Enjoy the phone.
> Side note, I am very much into chinese tech. In fact, if it werent for the longevity of Samsung I would tell you to go with the other option but basic facts are facts - the alternative will last 6 months, tops.

yetep said:
Sounds like you've made up your own mind. Enjoy the phone.
> Side note, I am very much into chinese tech. In fact, if it werent for the longevity of Samsung I would tell you to go with the other option but basic facts are facts - the alternative will last 6 months, tops.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
still havent decided because i want phone quickly and this Oukitel k6000 premium version is going to be on the market maybe after 2,3 months
so still considering the Samsung s5 and at the same time for some other branded phone with Helio x20

purchawice galaxy s5 (exynos vs snapdragon)
Hi,
I have the opportunity to buy galaxy s5, which select the versions: snapdragon801 or exynos5422? which is better?
please help,
I greet

What makes Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge so great?

Hello XDA users!
As you probably know Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 Edge was the highest selling Galaxy S phone of all time.
The prices of this device even now are on a quite high level (in EU for example).
What is it in Your opinion that makes this Galaxy edition so successful?
Is it for example: microSD slot, better cam performance in low light, the fear of infinity display in S8/S9s, IP67 certificate, better battery stamina per mAh?
Or maybe there is something else?
Keep in mind that for example the price drop of S8 edition is much faster than S7. Interesting, huh?

Low light Performance (not really better in S8, S9 i dont know)
Great Display (not really better in S8)
Last Samsung Flagship with Hardware Keys
I am very happy with mine
And the Problem for me is, there is AOSP ROMs for S7, but NOT for S8?! Dont understand why...

Ing_Emperor said:
Low light Performance (not really better in S8, S9 i dont know)
Great Display (not really better in S8)
Last Samsung Flagship with Hardware Keys
I am very happy with mine
And the Problem for me is, there is AOSP ROMs for S7, but NOT for S8?! Dont understand why...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed I forgot to mention: Last Samsung Flagship with Hardware Keys
With that and the fear of infinity display (bezel in S8/S9 makes people accidently touch and turn something on that they do not want, what do You think guys?)
BTW: I like keeping Samsungs intact so what is this AOSP thing?

androidbadboy said:
Indeed I forgot to mention: Last Samsung Flagship with Hardware Keys
With that and the fear of infinity display (bezel in S8/S9 makes people accidently touch and turn something on that they do not want, what do You think guys?)
BTW: I like keeping Samsungs intact so what is this AOSP thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AOSP refers to "Android open source Project"
just google it for more information.
Reason why i love S7 Edge
1. 26 days standby time if detox mode is activated
2. S7 edge (last good phone released by samsung)
i do not like 18:9 phones..its size is too big..phone must be in size of S7 edge (its perfect you know)
all other features that they have released on s8 ,s9 are useless for me
whenever i watch samsung new phone trailer..i keep asking...your phone size is getting bigger why can't your battery ?
i will most likely buy another new phone only if samsung delivers...
1. 4k display
2. More contrast and colors (a new display technology better than amoled)
3. Batteries above 6500mAh (IF THEY CAN BRING 512 GB SIZE ON A TINY SD CARD...They can obviously do something about increasing the capacity of battery...)
4. Improvements to audio (i know this s9 thing came with dolby but(auto,music,movie) why there is no tuning ?customization of our own ? like the dolby atmos by worstenbrood(i think dolby by samsung has still got audio restrictions)
5. and if xda provide root, custom rom for that phone ( it will be terrible to use stock rom of samsung...it's just crap bloatwares.. just don't like it
before i was bought s7 edge in 2016 (i was using s3 which i bought in 2011) so while i upgraded S3 to S7Edge (it was a huge upgrade for me)
lately samsung what do with their phones is making the phone size bigger, improving camera, processor, increasing RAM, Storage...adding useless features and bloating the phone very well
what's the point of upgrading it when i can't use all new features with full satisfaction or low brightness levels (always worrying about battery life draining fast )
No for me...i think samsung won't work on these features anytime soon for the next 3 years but atleast i'll be saving money not spending it on their new phone for these tiny upgrades...i really don't care.

Fingerprint sensor on the front. When the phone is sitting propped up in my wireless charging stand at work it is really nice to not have to take the phone off of the stand to reach around the back to use the fingerprint sensor. It's been a reliable device for me for 2+ years now. It's starting to show its age a bit, but it's held up quite well overall.

Hi all,
to me there are few points that make that phone great, but also making its successor NOT so great - hence the effect of S7e keeping the shape still...
It is a very subjective view, so not all may find that relevant for their perspective:
- fingerprint - it is in front that may appear somewhat oldfashioned these days but it is best placement if you use your phone on a deskstand or carkit. the successor (s8) has in the back and also in very unfortunate placement (non-centered) which I heard requires some time to adapt to
- hardware buttons - another oldstyle but some my find it more useful/functional, also s7 DOES NOT have bixby useless button
- better battery. both in capacity as well as in daily ops. period.
- I am not expert but seing many analysis on youtube - it seems the performance is also not an advantage of the successor - pretty comparable, same with camera quality
- and the best to the end - SCREEN - and here I have lot of thoughts as below.
of course the wider aspect ratio in s8 is a trendy one these days so again s7e with its 16/9 is a rep of an oldfashion stream - however to me it is all about the perception when you take the phone to hand yourself. I did not notice the effect until I started to use my s7e daily, especially in video media consumption. S7e wrapped screen is really 16/9 but as it is wrapped within that ratio - it is appearing more slim than 16/9 for sure. Still, as most of the media is 16/9 it still fills in perfectly leaving you with the impression it is just wider than 16/9. Hard to explain but I'm sure you know what I talk about.
When you have both in hands - S8 appear little small comparing to s7e, and that is due to its vertical lenght, also as for all non-standard screens - the 16/9 media needs to meet the compromise - either to accept the cropping or proportion flattening or black vertical bars. Not very convenient.
The point that I personally find unlucky - the screen rounding in s8 is way to big. I also use round-corner app (which in amoled works as a dream) but I am setting the rounding diameter on few milimeters, not a centimeter almost...
All that possibly make people keeping away from upgrade to s8, s8+ is possibly too big for some, s9 is too expensive yet. Similar concerns may come if you migrate from other brands... Let's see if the s7e attractiveness will keep still if s9 price goes down For the moment - I do not see better Galaxy.

For those thinking about the s21 ultra? DONT DO IT!

So I went ahead and bought the s21 ultra. I'm coming from the N9860 HK Snapdragon version and I got fed up with the fact that we are still on the November update running Android 10.
I purchased the new s21 ultra snapdragon G-9980 (also HK Snapdragon). In my view, while it's a nice device, the bottom line is, there's hardly any difference between this device and the note 20 ultra except for the fact that the screen is smaller which causes a whole number of display compromises. For example picture-in-picture is basically unusable when compared to the note 20. It's a longer and slimmer device which means that they had to resize the way text is shown and often it is not nearly as pleasant to look at as it is on the note. Just take a look at the weather clock widget. Or the fact that folders are now only 3 items wide (not 4). Using Netflix you really notice the smaller size difference, and the curves, and it reduces the immersive nature of viewing video. The sound in my opinion is not as good on the note 20. Its.not as loud on speakerphone either. I certainly don't notice any difference in speed. And I'm so used to the square shape that I feel like I'm using just another Android device, as opposed to the note 20 ultra which is so unique. Yes the battery life and camera are marginally better (and yes the fingerprint reader is definitely better for me) but at the end of the day the note was good enough for my purposes.
So if you're on the fence and thinking about upgrading make sure you're able to return the device if you don't like it and don't sell your note 20 too fast!
Of course this is only after a day or two of use and maybe I will get used to it! Bit so far I'm already missing my note!
Update: So FINALLY the Note 20.Ultra n9860 got the android 11 update. Unfortunately what I thought are the weird layout issues on the s21 are bundled into the new android 11 update ! So the devices are now more similar than ever, except the size and shapes. What is interesting is the new 'enhanced processing' option... I tested both devices with this setting side by side (they are both snapdragon) and weirdly, the note 20 is actually faster! It's probably less efficient, but nevertheless interesting.

Couldn't agree with you more.
The only thing good/plus on the S21 ultra? The ability to smoothly go from 1x to 3x then to 10x, thanks to the extra camera, other than that, no way. Especially when the rip features like the Micro SD Card slot. When I thought, when are they stopping the ”nonsense” hybrid slot Bellshill... ? They just sort out the problem by removing it altogether.
Dam Samsung...
By the way, Android 11 and One UI 3.0 is now rolling out on my 9860 since today lol.

ekerbuddyeker said:
So I went ahead and bought the s21 ultra. I'm coming from the N9860 HK Snapdragon version and I got fed up with the fact that we are still on the November update running Android 10.
I purchased the new s21 ultra snapdragon G-9980 (also HK Snapdragon). In my view, while it's a nice device, the bottom line is, there's hardly any difference between this device and the note 20 ultra except for the fact that the screen is smaller which causes a whole number of display compromises. For example picture-in-picture is basically unusable when compared to the note 20. It's a longer and slimmer device which means that they had to resize the way text is shown and often it is not nearly as pleasant to look at as it is on the note. Just take a look at the weather clock widget. Or the fact that folders are now only 3 items wide (not 4). Using Netflix you really notice the smaller size difference, and the curves, and it reduces the immersive nature of viewing video. The sound in my opinion is not as good on the note 20. Its.not as loud on speakerphone either. I certainly don't notice any difference in speed. And I'm so used to the square shape that I feel like I'm using just another Android device, as opposed to the note 20 ultra which is so unique. Yes the battery life and camera are marginally better (and yes the fingerprint reader is definitely better for me) but at the end of the day the note was good enough for my purposes.
So if you're on the fence and thinking about upgrading make sure you're able to return the device if you don't like it and don't sell your note 20 too fast!
Of course this is only after a day or two of use and maybe I will get used to it! Bit so far I'm already missing my note!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. The shape of the screen is never going to suit me after I've used a note phone. I hope they never stop making the note series.

tiho5 said:
I agree. The shape of the screen is never going to suit me after I've used a note phone. I hope they never stop making the note series.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, so true.
Unfortunately, all points out to Note 20 Ultra being the last Note.
It's just Samsung being greedy , trying to shift traditional Note users to the latest Foldable trend (More ways to justify the crazy price jump every time they launch a new phone).
In my humble opinion, I will never shift to a Foldable phone until their screen gets a real glass feel (and not easily scratched).

I have both and I'm pretty satisfied with my s21 ultra. Have to admit that it's easier to hold the s21 ultra though. At the end of the day it's to each his own but I'm using both phones anyway.
I'd say if you don't have a note 20 ultra and you're deciding whether it's this or s21 ultra, I'd choose s21 ultra.
Either way you can't go wrong that's for sure.

tiho5 said:
I agree. The shape of the screen is never going to suit me after I've used a note phone. I hope they never stop making the note series.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The rounded display corners puke me out.
No way. Sick of the lame CRT retro look.
Samsung and Android have given me little valid reasons to leave my 10+/Pie platform and plenty of good reasons not to.
Samsung turning out half baked, high dollar phones in an economic recession. Idiots.
Android's scope storage and obsession with security is laughable.
Google its self is the biggest security risk.
Overlays and critical tools are gone starting in Q.
Without those tools security and troubleshooting unrooted phones becomes an even worse guessing game than it was with Pie. Key apps are now useless.
Puny Google.
Put these failed concepts together and you have a big $loppy me$$.
No.

fjorger said:
It's just Samsung being greedy , trying to shift traditional Note users to the latest Foldable trend
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The logic points that way, I agree. However, I think that this game is not going to play well for Samsung. Because there are two types of phone use:
- using a phone with one hand
- using her phone with two hands
Obviously the foldable phones are the choice for the second type of use.
On the other hand I like using my phone with one hand most of the time. Foldable phones allow you this type of use, but on a smaller limited screen. Therefore I would never use a foldable phone until the size of the unfolded(single) screen becomes as large as the size of the screen of the today's Note Ultra phone.

tiho5 said:
The logic points that way, I agree. However, I think that this game is not going to play well for Samsung. Because there are two types of phone use:
- using a phone with one hand
- using her phone with two hands
Obviously the foldable phones are the choice for the second type of use.
On the other hand I like using my phone with one hand most of the time. Foldable phones allow you this type of use, but on a smaller limited screen. Therefore I would never use a foldable phone until the size of the unfolded(single) screen becomes as large as the size of the screen of the today's Note Ultra phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung has sunk huge sums of money and resources into the Fold series R&D and limited (lmao) production runs. Poor sales,multiple and many failures. Samsung neglected their much more lucrative product lines, idiots.
They rolled the dice with the Fold, again and again, and keep landing nothing but snake eyes.
Like a bad gambler they're now into it deep and being driven by the demon named Hope.
Luck done left the house and Hope's not far behind. Bah-ha-ha-ha, pathetic.
No water or dust proofing, no SD card, and a fold screen guarenteed to fail that is impossible to fully protect. Betaware at the best.
A real masterpiece.
Meanwhile during a global recession their key product lines are drastically rising in price with not much bang for the buck.
They really think the masses will buy a new expensive flagship phone every year especially if they didn't get a great experience?
Add to that Samsung support is some of the worst on the planet.
The 10+ was Samsung's last great flagship phone. Pie was Android's last good OS.
No signs either are cognizant of their blunders but consumers vote with their wallets.
No rigging this vote*...
*Not that they didn't try. Look at all the glowing reviews for the Folds when they first came out.
Not one negative one.
Same for Q. Google stopped posting their OS version breakdown because users hate 10 and 11.
I call bs...

ekerbuddyeker said:
So I went ahead and bought the s21 ultra. I'm coming from the N9860 HK Snapdragon version and I got fed up with the fact that we are still on the November update running Android 10.
I purchased the new s21 ultra snapdragon G-9980 (also HK Snapdragon). In my view, while it's a nice device, the bottom line is, there's hardly any difference between this device and the note 20 ultra except for the fact that the screen is smaller which causes a whole number of display compromises. For example picture-in-picture is basically unusable when compared to the note 20. It's a longer and slimmer device which means that they had to resize the way text is shown and often it is not nearly as pleasant to look at as it is on the note. Just take a look at the weather clock widget. Or the fact that folders are now only 3 items wide (not 4). Using Netflix you really notice the smaller size difference, and the curves, and it reduces the immersive nature of viewing video. The sound in my opinion is not as good on the note 20. Its.not as loud on speakerphone either. I certainly don't notice any difference in speed. And I'm so used to the square shape that I feel like I'm using just another Android device, as opposed to the note 20 ultra which is so unique. Yes the battery life and camera are marginally better (and yes the fingerprint reader is definitely better for me) but at the end of the day the note was good enough for my purposes.
So if you're on the fence and thinking about upgrading make sure you're able to return the device if you don't like it and don't sell your note 20 too fast!
Of course this is only after a day or two of use and maybe I will get used to it! Bit so far I'm already missing my note!
Update: So FINALLY the Note 20.Ultra n9860 got the android 11 update. Unfortunately what I thought are the weird layout issues on the s21 are bundled into the new android 11 update ! So the devices are now more similar than ever, except the size and shapes. What is interesting is the new 'enhanced processing' option... I tested both devices with this setting side by side (they are both snapdragon) and weirdly, the note 20 is actually faster! It's probably less efficient, but nevertheless interesting.
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Thanks for the tip on the very few differences on the s21 ultra & "my beast"! A couple of the online reviewers were saying similar, but glad to learn of a "hands-on" review from the troops in the XDA Army? So, I'll go back to re-read, but saw you finally got your slice of the buttery bread
Android 11 + One UI 3.0h-No...you kept your beast, the n20u1?
Good read, bruh, ty for sharing!

freezingpoint said:
I have both and I'm pretty satisfied with my s21 ultra. Have to admit that it's easier to hold the s21 ultra though. At the end of the day it's to each his own but I'm using both phones anyway.
I'd say if you don't have a note 20 ultra and you're deciding whether it's this or s21 ultra, I'd choose s21 ultra.
Either way you can't go wrong that's for sure.
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Yeah. I agree. If they would have had SD card support then i would have just got that instead of the Note 20 Ultra. I do like the square screen design on the note though. The Screen technology is also MUCH nicer than what we have with the Note. The Colors look much better. It is also alot brighter. The battery in the S21 Ultra also is alot more efficient thanks to the new panel in the S21 Ultra as well.
With that said i do absolutely love my Note 20 Ultra. I just think Samsung should have put a much larger battery in it

No SD Card, no built in SPen holder is enough for me. Have to have a big ugly case that the pen snaps in the side of. No thanks. Also prefer the less rounded look of the Note.

znel52 said:
No SD Card, no built in SPen holder is enough for me. Have to have a big ugly case that the pen snaps in the side of. No thanks. Also prefer the less rounded look of the Note.
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Just saw this same set-up you described at a Verizon store near me recently. Awkward, and that combo, the wannabe S-Pen+Samsung Case you get to purchase yourself along with the 25w fast charger, if desired? SERIOUSLY, could this be true?

Honestly I couldn't and wouldn't get the s21 ultra because I don't wanna be another few dollars that convinces samsung to ditch the note series in favor of anything else.

Datboi459 said:
Yeah. I agree. If they would have had SD card support then i would have just got that instead of the Note 20 Ultra. I do like the square screen design on the note though. The Screen technology is also MUCH nicer than what we have with the Note. The Colors look much better. It is also alot brighter. The battery in the S21 Ultra also is alot more efficient thanks to the new panel in the S21 Ultra as well.
With that said i do absolutely love my Note 20 Ultra. I just think Samsung should have put a much larger battery in it
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Right to the point

So I got S21 ultra because only because there was a great discount + combo offer on the S7+ tab. The only advantages are
- slightly better low light camera performance
- 3x optical zoom dedicated camera, 10x optical zoom vs 5x on Note 20 series
- slightly better display in terms of color accuracy and brightness
- Fingerprint sensor is a little bigger so unlocking is more accurate
- Rounded corners make it easier to hold in hand vs N20U (but narrower screen takes away from the immersive experience you get on N20U)
This S21 Ultra however is a THICCC boi and feels a lot heavier than N20 Ultra. It is like going back to a 4 year old brick phone. I am all for a bigger battery but in this case the extra weight doesn't really double your battery(despite of lack of S-pen), but you do get longer runtime than N20U obviously. The increased thickness doesn't make sense when microSD and MST being removed. This thing runs warm to hot all the time, that Snapdragon 888 is like a dragon breathing fire and probably have worse battery wear over time lol. N20U runs very cool.
I switched back to Note 20U after using S21U for a week as it is a downgrade when compared to N20U. Got Samsung Care Plus on N20U for long term use in case this turns out to be the last Note phone, and gonna keep S21U as a spare and eventually trade it in to get next Note(hopefully).

VICosPhi said:
So I got S21 ultra because only because there was a great discount + combo offer on the S7+ tab. The only advantages are
- slightly better low light camera performance
- 3x optical zoom dedicated camera, 10x optical zoom vs 5x on Note 20 series
- slightly better display in terms of color accuracy and brightness
- Fingerprint sensor is a little bigger so unlocking is more accurate
- Rounded corners make it easier to hold in hand vs N20U (but narrower screen takes away from the immersive experience you get on N20U)
This S21 Ultra however is a THICCC boi and feels a lot heavier than N20 Ultra. It is like going back to a 4 year old brick phone. I am all for a bigger battery but in this case the extra weight doesn't really double your battery(despite of lack of S-pen), but you do get longer runtime than N20U obviously. The increased thickness doesn't make sense when microSD and MST being removed. This thing runs warm to hot all the time, that Snapdragon 888 is like a dragon breathing fire and probably have worse battery wear over time lol. N20U runs very cool.
I switched back to Note 20U after using S21U for a week as it is a downgrade when compared to N20U. Got Samsung Care Plus on N20U for long term use in case this turns out to be the last Note phone, and gonna keep S21U as a spare and eventually trade it in to get next Note(hopefully).
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Datz a good call, bruh.Didn't the 512gb s21 ultra come stock with less than 12 gb ram too? No 25w fast charger in the box, no micro SD slot, no s-pen in the box, as it's a "credits" deal with a certain case you select, or buy with your credits separately with a case that it won't attach itself to? Did I get most of that right? smh
Did you return your s21 ultra 5G then?

evnStevn said:
Datz a good call, bruh.Didn't the 512gb s21 ultra come stock with less than 12 gb ram too? No 25w fast charger in the box, no micro SD slot, no s-pen in the box, as it's a "credits" deal with a certain case you select, or buy with your credits separately with a case that it won't attach itself to? Did I get most of that right? smh
Did you return your s21 ultra 5G then?
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Yeah, pretty much. They give you a coupon code to use on accessories but no charging brick or earphones are included.
It does come with 16GB RAM (512GB model) but way too many other compromises. NO eSIM support either in USA despite them advertising it on S21U product page (removed now), Samsung went out of the way to disable it! I still have the S21U, if I return it then I have to also return S7+ tab so I chose to keep it, but only as a backup phone to N20U.

VICosPhi said:
Yeah, pretty much. They give you a coupon code to use on accessories but no charging brick or earphones are included.
It does come with 16GB RAM (512GB model) but way too many other compromises. NO eSIM support either in USA despite them advertising it on S21U product page (removed now), Samsung went out of the way to disable it! I still have the S21U, if I return it then I have to also return S7+ tab so I chose to keep it, but only as a backup phone to N20U.
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You can get a Samsung fast charging 25w brick and cable for $20 now. Just got one.
No SD card and those lame round corners are a complete buzz kill for me though.

blackhawk said:
You can get a Samsung fast charging 25w brick and cable for $20 now. Just got one.
No SD card and those lame round corners are a complete buzz kill for me though.
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I got one of those GaN PD chargers and has been working well for me. It has two USB-C ports too so helps with charging the tablet. Yeah, the rounded corners make it look like a vintage CRT and videos don't look immersive at all. Not good for reading websites as well...

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