Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
Hi as the devices are out in the German speaking countries, some initial comments from my side. I am coming from different devices including Fold 1, N20U and the one with the i, just as a background. My main daily driver in the last 12 months was the Fold 1 which I absolutely loved, that's why I ordered the Fold 2 on the first day.
- Overall a real 2.0 version of a 1.0 product I loved. A lot of improvements
- The small screen is a lot better, I was using the small Fold 1 screen quite often and liked also typing on it, as I swype heavily, and the short distances make it really quick. That advantadge is still there, but smaller, on the other side typing of words which you can't swype like passwords is easier now due to the additional screen real estate.
- The quality of the small screen has significantly improved from my point of view in terms of brightness and clarity
- I hated the small screen for only being able to arrange three apps in the permanent row at the bottom, and it is 5 now! Big improvement
- Audio is incredible, I also had the Mi10 which was the king in that category from my point of view, Fold2 equal or better. Incredible loud. Don't forget to turn Atmos on.
- I treated the Fold 1 very carefully for a couple of weeks, until I found out that nothing happens - actually my 1 year old Fold 1 is in best condition although handled like any other phone. I am in the same phase now with the Fold 2 - I am worried
- I have the Aramid standing cover and I don't like it. It looks cheap and covers only a part of the device, additionally it is more instable on a desk than without it. I am planning to switch to the leather cover
- Training the face recognition is so incredibly fast (1-2 seconds) that I think this cannot be save....
- You have to switch the large display to tablet mode in order to get tabs in the browser or multi window in outlook, this setting is only visible if you have the display open. Took me time to find it. Only then the large inner display makes real sense
- I am a heavy user of the small display and mainly use the large one for media consumption, which results in something like 60/40 usage small/big. With this setup, the battery seems to be fantastic, although to early to provide any detail. The German magazine CHIP made exactly that test and came to incredible runtime with the small display.
- The haptic of the whole thing made a big step forward compared to fold 1, especially the hinge. Real great feeling.
- Not really a dealbreaker, but strange: The flashlight is the weakest I had on a phone for years
- I am everything but an expert for smartphone cameras, more the point and shoot average user. Photo quality seems great to me, but look for better experts to talk about that. The usability is great, fast and responsive
- Generally, same comment applies to N20U and S20U, I think the OneUI made big steps forward in the last two years. Especially looking at the whole eco system with watch and earbuds, the whole user experience is now really great and close to an other phone (can' remember the name, someting with an i as far as I remember)
This are my initial impressions. I am happy with my purchase up to now.
Digging the Samsung Notes app on the big screen. Obviously doesn't support S-Pen but finger writing works surprisingly well.
Sent from my SM-F916U using Tapatalk
So after 5 days, thoughts...
First of all, the delivery was surprisingly on time, (never bought directly from Samsung Germany before) so that was a good start with the experience.
I wasn't overly impressed with the unboxing though. But still, unwrapping the warnings of was a good feeling. Then closing the device for the first time was a "wooow" moment. Coming from the Fold, that hinge feels so sturdy and worthy. I guess I played around, opened , closed the device for a minute or 2 before booting up the device.
It's screen protector in and outside are perfectly fine for the moment. The inside feels a bit "rubbery" and cheapish if I may say so, but it does the job fine.
The big screen is bright enough and clear enough for the everyday use. Regarding the flex mode, I do not give much about it. It's not mature enough yet to use it fully IMHO.
The outer screen, geez I use it a lot. I already used it quit often on the original Fold, but this upgrade is an enlightening. One hand usage, swiping my messages away. A quick look at social media is lovely, reading quickly any article is OK.
The build in general is sturdy, mature and a joy. I have the Mystic Black version. No need to tell anyone it's a fingerprint magnet. It's slippery as well.
And that's what annoys me a bit. I don't care they didn't put any extras in it this time. I mean, you just spend 2000 euro/dollar on a device. Then 60 Euro shouldn't be that big of a problem either. But they should've had it available in shops, online etc to get a case, cause you want to protect it, and this Mystic Black version is slippery as an eel.
I need a case or skin for this version.
But the conclusion is, samsung nailed it, to give us a 2000 euro experience, that feels like a 2000 euro device.
Did I need they phone? No, do I wanted the phone? Yes. But can I go back to a "normal" phone after 2 generations of foldable phones? Probably, but difficult it'll be...
After heavily utilizing my Mystic Black Fold 2 for a weekend, here are some of my thoughts below. I'll try not to repeat common things that I've read here or seen in reviews, but overall, I'm loving this device and having a pocketable large screen!
- The narrower front screen is surprisingly easy to type on, even without swiping. I have nubs for thumbs and I was shocked that I wasn't producing typos left and right.
- The visibility outside for both screens is pretty good, though the inside screen suffers from high reflectivity when outside in the sun. It doesn't affect you as much if you're looking straight on and slightly closing the hinge to angle the display helps.
- This device is so slippery it continually falls out of my pocket when I get in my car or sit at an angle. Where are you Fold 2 cases?! So far no damage but there have been a couple close calls.
- I have tried to be extra careful with this device but the inside screen protector is scratched up. I only notice it at certain angles under bright light but it makes me sad. I'm tempted to remove the inside screen protector but I'm not sure the ultra thin glass would hold up any better.
- The power button is a bit awkwardly placed for my hands and I found that I was constantly swiping up/down on it by accident which opened/closed the notification shade so I turned off that gesture.
- Speaking of that power button, it's tough to feel the button when attempting to scan my fingerprint but that could be due to me being used to face unlock with my iPhone 11 Pro and Pixel 4XL. I'm sure this will become more natural over time and the fingerprint scanner is mighty quick.
- I haven't found many widgets I like as they're not yet optimized for the screens (this includes some of the Samsung apps which surprised me). Many take up a lot of room on my homepages but then have small/compressed text/images. Hope this improves over time.
- I love the ability to be able to have multiple apps open but I initially got confused (and frustrated) with the Android split screen multi-tasking. I hope to be able to take advantage of this more as I use the phone.
- Very minor gripe but I wish there were more stock live wallpapers like how Google provides with their Pixels.
- Not sure if anyone else is encountering this but when I open to the bigger screen, there's a click that happens if I press down on the hinge on a bit. I found that opening to the larger screen by applying more pressure with the tips of both thumbs prevents this.
- Sometimes I get "disoriented" over which screen orientation I'm on when using the larger screen (i.e. is it currently in portrait or landscape?).
- When I have the device open in landscape, I like to keep the speakers on top both to project the sound a bit better and b/c the back half with the camera is a bit more grippy compared with the front screen (I took off the front screen protector).
- Haven't had any issues using Samsung Pay with this device.
- This device is amazing when you're out shopping with a significant other and need to keep the kids entertained with the large screen and loud-ish speakers!
Needs a TOTAL makeover!
I love it yeahhh!
My absolutely favorite phone is ... Nokia e90 Comunicator. I had this 3 times ln the past. Still have one Nokia e7 in perfect condition. I had also Htc Z . My first Android. I love foldables because... I love it, just love this Wow effect and of course more functionality. Bar phones looking like soaps. Even bigger and bigger Soaps!
propov8 said:
I love it yeahhh!
My absolutely favorite phone is ... Nokia e90 Comunicator. I had this 3 times ln the past. Still have one Nokia e7 in perfect condition. I had also Htc Z . My first Android. I love foldables because... I love it, just love this Wow effect and of course more functionality. Bar phones looking like soaps. Even bigger and bigger Soaps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Love the Nokia Communicator. And even flashbacks to the Psion Organiser that I still have in a drawer somewhere.
Related
I got this phone because I've been waiting for a smaller Android device that doesn't treat you like a second class citizen. This is really the first one out there that does this, I found it for £360 on sale which is only £30 more than the 32gb Nexus 5 and tbh since it has a micro SD slot, I think it is a really great deal,, especially seeing as the specs are like a main flagship device.
So some thoughts...
- Really well made, feels like an iPhone 5/5s for Android.
- I've been with my Mum today and she had a go on it and said it is the first Android mobile she'd ever think about upgrading to because of the small size.
- When I put it side by side with the iPhone 5, it really isn't much bigger, just a tad wider which is better since my biggest complaint with the 5 is the screen is so narrow
- I can easily use the phone one handed and use the whole screen, I've got average sized hands and I've found all these 5inch Android phones to have just gotten too big, especially my old HTC One, I hand to slide the phone up and down my hand to use the power button.
- Power button is great, the volume rocker is slightly too small as is the camera button, but they're minor flaws.
- The Sim tray and Micro SD slot I found to be really tricky to use, the Sim especially seems rather fiddly and I doubt the average user would work it out without possibly breaking the tray.
- I love the led charging light by the top speaker, I'm not sure if it doubles up as a notification light, but I hope it does.
- The loud speaker is not great, it's serviceable, will get you by, but you wont want to be listening to music or video out of it. That said I never wanted to do that from my HTC One and always used an external speaker or headphones any ways as no small speaker is that good in a phone. However if you walk the dog up the fields like me and don't like using headphones as you want to hear what is going on around you, the loud speaker isn't going to cut it, I struggled to hear it sometimes.
- The Magnetic charging is a cool touch, it really is needed as having to open that flap all the time would be so annoying. I mean I bought a Micro USB to Magnetic charge adapter for a few quid on Amazon, I'd suggest you all do the same as it is pretty necessary, I don't understand why one isn't sold with it as standard.
- Comes with a nice usb adapter so you can do stuff like plugging in your PS3 controller to play games. Maybe this would compliment screen mirroring or Chromecast gaming? I dunno, I haven't tried it, but just a nice little bonus.
- The X reality engine is ****, it just ruins the picture, usually just makes a picture too bright like it has been over exposed. The phone comes with it on by default... turn it off.
- The screen is a mixed bag for me, resolution and pixel density wise, I cannot fault it, looks as crisp as an iPhone and tbh I don't get why people care about having 440PPI when I cannot see a pixel at 340PPI, you never look at a screen under a magnifying glass. Again it is 720p, but for the size screen I just turn browse text to large and everything looks crisp and great, I really do not miss having the 1080p screen of my HTC One. Maybe if I was using a 4.7 inch+ screen again I'd want 1080p, but for this small screen 720p works, Apple have proved this as no one cares abut the iPhones resolution, which is like 640?
That said though I can see the digitizer when the sun glances off the phone, it is a downer as I never saw it on my last phone (Nokia 1020) or my HTC One before that. Though screens are a lottery it seems as they're all made from different companies, my friend got a HTC One and could see his badly.
The black levels aren't that great, neither are the viewing angles, I'm being picky here as they're totally fine, just I'm used to an OLED screen now and it is hard to go back. Black levels on OLED screens aren't perfect, they do have light bleed and a weird effect as the pixels go from colour to black, but... it is hard to adjust back to seeing more of a grey if you're in a dark room.
The colours seem fine to me, the white seems fine, I don't notice any tints, though maybe if I compared it side by side to other phones I would. However I wouldn't let this bother you as you'll never do that in real life, as long as the whites aren't so far off they're obvious.
I'm am struggling however with brightness levels, there doesn't seem to be much control like other phones. I wish there were more brightness presets, I can turn it down to the lowest on the slider and it still seems too bright, I could really make my other phones go quite dark. I dunno if it is brightness or if it is just washing out light colours in particular, but the x reality engine makes it worse... like way worse!
Overall though the screen is good, it isn't the best, but it is still a great screen that I've personally been picky on as I've owned a lot of different phones.
- The software is good, Sony don't mess around with it too much, it is a non offensive Android Skin. My only problem is I'm on 4.3 and that seems a bit weird, you'd have thought it would have a newer version by now. Some things are nice with the software as well, Sony have added some good apps of theirs and the battery stuff is cool. Everything is so fast, faster than any other phone I've used, including HTC One, iPhone 5 and Nokia 1020, omg just SO FAST! The 720p screen also probably helps it too over 1080p screens.
- On to battery, it is amazing, I don't get how they can cram so much life into such a small phone, I can say it is definitely a major step up from the 1020 and the horrible life I seemed to get from Windows Phone. It seems a step up from my HTC One as well and it performs better than my Mum's iPhone 5, though that is a year old now so the battery is probably less efficient at this point. I find it amazing how fast it charges over USB alone on my PC and through the magnetic charge, way faster than anything I've used before. Also though I was playing some games on it earlier and the battery didn't seem to go down much at all.
- The phone doesn't heat up that much, I was expecting worse since it is so small and light, but while I noticed it get hot, it wasn't bad like my Nokia 1020 and obviously since it is a plastic back it doesn't act like the HTC One, which got hot like a radiator... series that was the worst! Never get a mobile with a metal back and that isn't made by Apple, not a good idea.
- I find the speaker position just fine, I kept hearing how it was easy to cover up... with my usage, I haven't experienced that, even when gaming and most likely you'll get a case any ways.
- The camera is a mixed bag and sadly a bit of a downer I'm afraid, I was expecting better from a phone with a larger sensor than the Nokia 1520. Auto mode seems worse than useless, every picture just looks plain bad and I have a feeling it is restricting the pictures to 8mp and there is no way to increase it. Manual mode is really the only viable way to take pictures, sadly though there is no higher res 16:9 option. Every picture though seemed to be different, I could never take the same picture twice and I ended up taking several just so I would get a good one. The good news is when the software did it's job the quality did look good, not as good as I was expecting, but I have been using a 1020 until recently, so maybe that is why it is such a shock.
My main problem with the camera though was the screen never really reflected on what the final picture would look like. Your screen would be out of focus and blurred, yet when the picture comes from, it looks fine, also all the colours and lighting would change, I could never get it to accurately display what I was going to take.
The good news though is the camera is fast and I think it uses oversampling like Nokia's Pureview when it is in 8mp auto mode. Though I'm sick of smart phones today and how they all over saturate everything, the Z1 compact is no different, even the 1020 did this, but at least with the 1020 I could use a .DNG file and open it in lightroom to get natural colours, no such raw files on this phone exist, so you have to live with it.
The Mic performance on recording video is great, unlike with most Android Phones I've had in the past (including the S4) you're able to record loud noises like a concert. I turned up my sound system pretty high with the sub woofer going and it coped as well as Nokia which was amazing for concerts.
The video quality is fine too, the software stabilization works fine, I'm not a fan of OIS is mobiles, I never thought it worked well in the 1020 or HTC One, it always made the image into a watery or dreamy effect and recording on my bicycle was impossible as a result. Yes it is a bit less stable, but tbh so was my 1020, OIS worked poorly on it, though the HTC One it actually worked ok. I'm not missing OIS, all I'm saying, yes it works on dedicated cameras, you can shake them all you like and they cope, but no mobile has managed to perfect it yet.
So the camera is a mixed bag, I'm sure it can all be fixed with software, but I dunno how well Sony do on updates?
My only question really goes out to how well the screen protector Sony put on as designed hold up. It is THE major flaw really and I can see it frustrating a lot of people who do not know it comes with it as it scratches so easily. That reason alone is why I couldn't recommend it to women who shove their phone in their handbag, the phone wouldn't hold up. If you put a screen protector over it (one comes free with in the box) then it is fine, but I just think it is stupid to put a screen protector over a screen protector. There is no protective coating on the glass under either... which means you cannot simply just take it off.
Conclusion...
I love it, looks so premium, feels so premium, has the functionality of a 5inch + screened Android phone, it is the fastest phone I've ever used, Sony's software isn't bad or intrusive like TouchWiz or some other Android skins and the camera is potentially really good but needs a firmware update to fix auto mode.
I have pointed out bad points, but I could do that with any phone, I mean I couldn't stand Windows Phone and how it has no apps and no functionality. With this Z1 Compact I've mirror'd my phone to my TV effortlessly and without chromecast, I can just screen mirror and it works every time. This hasn't happened with any other phone I've used, I could never get it to work with my HTC which had it built in either.
I really think it is THE best iPhone alternative for people who don't want IOS and I think it is finally THE handset to buy for Android if you want a smaller device without all the internals being downgraded.
My favourite Android mobile ever!
I love the colour I chose too, it reminds me of the colour of an old Adidas watch I had in the 90s...
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh316/SkyForce6/Adidaswatch.jpg
The Yellowing Green one.
http://s15.postimg.org/c6ttrs2ij/IMG_7694.jpg
+ I've never liked Sony before, it is my first Sony experience when it comes to mobiles.
Added this to the resource thread!
Great review!
I want to add that the LED light on the camera bleeds into the pictures, so it is pretty much worthless, though I've never used led flash on a mobile for anything other than a torch, Xenon is the only thing worth it.
This is probably a hardware design fault tbh, maybe fixed with a replacement back that doesn't have a see-through layer that lets the light bounce to the side? I dunno.
I used semi-permanent marker fix around the rim of the camera and it stopped the light bleed into it from the LED. My guess is Sony will do a hardware refresh on this, so maybe hold out until they've done that.
I didn't realise the rear cover was the problem until I searched fro fixes, I guess I was right about the clear part leaking light from the LED into the camera.
Its of course selling eggs to grandma as you guys probably have this phone but I just wanted to say its the best phone I have ever used.
I have come from an iPhone, and previously used a Galaxy S4, HTC One and Note 3
1. Build quality - lovely. Samsung needs to leave iPhone 3 style and plastic fantastic. HTC is also very nice - difference is a taste thing
2. Screen. Excellent. Can't really comment. Samsung looks more 3D but also more weird. Sony is somehow more crisp.
3. Takes an SD card - yay!
4. Buttons really nicely placed
5. A photo button - Sony's camera division makes itself know
6. Sony software is non-intrusive
7. Mostly weather proof
8. Battery capacity significantly higher (3200 vs 2800&2800). However S5 does have a removable battery
9. On switch on the side (not the top which is a pain) and can set the phone to have a double tap to switch on, which is great
Galaxy S5 looks and feel disappointing, still plastic fantastic.
HTC One M8 very nice. Not much in it. Prefer the more military look of the Z2
It was also nice to get a screen protector in the box. A small thing I know but useful.
Development points ? have to say something to sound honest but really can't think of much. The door covering the charger point looks a bit flimsy. understand its needed for the water proofing but lets see how it goes. Would like a numeric line of keys in default keyboard. Could someone also make a dock that can be used with the a case on!!! Some silly extras, like a 4k res screen but I guess this will happen at sometime in the future
Perhaps the top phones are so good these days that its all down to taste really, but the keyboard is good on the Z2 and I feel, along with the Note 3, that Android has finally answered the usability of the iPhone but with much enhanced functionality.
best rgds
It definitely is a amazing phone.
1. Screen is amazing & super sharp quality, images look great on it (I turn off x-reality as it kinda "samsungs" the colours & makes them too poppy)
2. No issues with sound quality, others have complained about notification volume etc but last night I was on the PC, the TV was on & the phone was sitting on the couch way across the room & I got a notification & almost jumped, guess it depends on the quality of the sound files you use, call quality is also good & you can tweak the equaliser.
3. Battery life is amazing, I'm getting just over 2 days with 7 hours+ SOT, gaming browsing, emails & syncing etc.
4. Build quality is pretty damn good other than slight gap issue, last 2 devices were galaggy S & galaggy S3 & really hated the plastic lightweight feel of them, Z2 feels much more premium & nicely weighted.
5. Camera quality is good as well, it will never be as good as a dedicated camera but it does a damn good job of coming close, just look at some of the pics taken by members here in various threads.
6. The sony UI is much more subtle, quicker, smoother & less invasive than samsungs touchwiz though there are a few niggles.
7. Waterproofing is a bonus but I for one won't be dunking it in water.
8. Music quality is great as well & there a good few settings you can tweak to get it to sound better, I like to listen to Led Zeppelin bootlegs & the sound settings allow me to get it sounding great even if it a AUD or SBD recording.
9.Double tap to wake works 95% of the time for me.
10. It is sleek & super sexy to look at.
Some gripes.
1. Really miss a reboot option in the power menu but then I used to custom roms.
2. Can get very warm when gaming, using the camera or websurfing on sites that have lots of animated gifs.
3 Lockscreen widgets seem to be restricted in size, I use Chronus on the lockscreen & notice that some info like weather & date are slightly truncated unless to drag down on the widget then it displays ok but goes back to being truncated again.
4. The glass back does make the phone feel a lot more slippery than I would like but it too sexy looking to put a case on, bit like having a supermodel but putting a bin liner over her head when going out.
5. The over heating does worry me as it gets very hot right where the microSD card is & I have experienced music playback issues right after gaming, let it cool down & music played back fine.
6. Sometimes the lockscreen swipe doesn't work with a horizontal swipe but it does with a vertical swipe.
BanziBaby said:
The glass back does make the phone feel a lot more slippery than I would like but it too sexy looking to put a case on, bit like having a supermodel but putting a bin liner over her head when going out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On my Nexus 4 (also has a glass back) I put a screen protector on just the back of it (back protector, I guess?). This made it much less slippery without sacrificing much, if anything, in terms of aesthetics. You could give it a shot.
@JMonkeYJ yeah I might just do that, doesn't help that I have sweaty hands lol
Hey guys! Just made my first impressions video on the Galaxy Note 4! Went a different route and didn't get into the obvious since it's not a full review, and just went into how it felt using the device for a short time.
Video link:
The Galaxy Note 4 - My Casual First Impressions: http://youtu.be/-FPV6Vlu0qg
Written:
The first thing you’re going to notice with the Galaxy Note 4 is it’s excellent build quality, rivaled by only a few phones. Having owned a Note 3 and being satisfied with it’s fake metal banding, once you get a phone with this kind of build quality you really realize what you were missing out on. Holding it gives you a very premium feel in your hand which is awesome. Even with the chamfered edges, it’s still comfortable to hold. I’d say it feels better and more substantial in your hand than that of the LG G3 even with it being quite a bit larger.
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The display on this is my favorite. Displaymate also says this is the most accurate display on the market today. One thing I missed from using phones with an LCD display, is when the background is black.. the pixels are still lit up. As we all know, this is not the case with samsung phones and the blacks are purely black and really make the images pop. Oh, and for all the people that complain and say the screen it too vibrant? You realize you basically have a TV in your pocket, right? Go to the settings and CHANGE it do a different mode. Cinema mode is what seems to be the most accurate.
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The back, still being faux leather, still feels very nice in the hand and personally.. I like a plastic back. When I owned the HTC One I was way to scared to set that thing down without a case because I didn’t want to either, A, mess up the screen. Or B, mess up the nice metal backing. Not to mention in the winter it can get quite cold to the touch and just isn’t worth the trade-off to me.
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Performance on this thing is just incredible. Now I don’t like stock launchers. Even with the Nexus 6 I will be putting Nova launcher on it. So all of that “touchwiz lag” people talk about, I’ve yet to see it no this phone while with my Note 3, the first day you could notice it right off that bat with certain things. Keep in mind, switching the launcher only changes your homescreen, touchwiz is still everywhere else. But.. it’s a lot better than it was.
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One thing that I’ve noticed with this phone and that can get quite annoying is the feature to minimize whatever screen you’re on. It’s a really nice feature, but I find myself accidentally activating it all the time when trying to go to my notification tray. I like to swipe down from the corner, and now that is how you minimize the app. So, I now have to adjust a bit and make sure I’m not hitting the corner exactly.
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One thing I didn't plan on mentioning with this phone was the whole "gapgate" issue. Because to me, while I could see very clearly in videos that there is some sort of gap, I figured it wouldn't effect anything on a day-to-day basis, if at all. That was until today.
I took my phone out of my pockets (it's the weekend, I'm wearing only sweats and casual clothes), and sure enough.. there was lint or something at the top of the display. So I had to actually take a receipt I had laying around to dig it out because sadly, my nails would not suffice.
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Conclusion:
Other than the small gripe I have with the minimizing the window and the.. I'm not even sure if it should be a big deal to me or not, gap issue, this phone is absolutely incredible.
However, if you're ready for an upgrade, wait until the Nexus 6 is out officially before deciding on whether you should get this, the Nexus 6, or for you Verizon folk, the Droid Turbo.
nice video
appreciate your input, good video!
Turn off multi window if you don't use it and it won't minimize window
You can turn of the swipe to minimize gesture but still keep multi window on but you'll have to activate it by holding the back button
Hi friends, I have a Samsung Galaxy Note since 2012 and I used to love it. It was fast, big, it had a good camera, an almost perfect screen (The first HD Super Amoled screen) and the amazing S-Pen. It went from 2.3.5 Gingerbread to Android 5.0 Lollipop (Unbelievable). But yes, after 3 years of heavy using it, it started to show problems. The camera stopped working fine, It didn't focused anymore, the S-Pen started malfunctioning (moving elements of the screen without even touching it), the USB board went bad (including the microphone and usb jack) and the screen has burn-in issues. Then I assumed that was time to change it. Now I'm looking for the new flagship, the Note 4 (which I'm going to buy in January). So I read almost every review of it, every video and photos taken with his camera and everyone says that the phone is almost perfect (I mean almost because the 80% complains about the Touchwiz Layer in the OS, which I love and I don't have any problem to live with it) and doesn't have any flags. So I came here to ask to the people who already owned it and have some daily experience with the device what are their thoughts, problems and good things about it. Also some little things that I'm a bit worried:
-How good the camera is?
-It's early to ask because no one had this phone for more than 4 months, but does anyone experienced screen burn in? And how looks the screen in direct sunlight?
-What parts of the phone are metal? Only the frame or the whole body? And how feels it? It's good to handle or still feels like cheap plastic?
-What about the phone duration? Anyone had scratches on it? How bad they're? Please if you can add some photos of them, because the phone isn't even released here in Argentina and they arent any covers or protectors for the it so I need to stay for around 3 months with a "nude" phone.
Sorry for too many questions, but I really need to know how good this phone is because the price is really high. Thanks!
galaxynote2 said:
Hi friends, I have a Samsung Galaxy Note since 2012 and I used to love it. It was fast, big, it had a good camera, an almost perfect screen (The first HD Super Amoled screen) and the amazing S-Pen. It went from 2.3.5 Gingerbread to Android 5.0 Lollipop (Unbelievable). But yes, after 3 years of heavy using it, it started to show problems. The camera stopped working fine, It didn't focused anymore, the S-Pen started malfunctioning (moving elements of the screen without even touching it), the USB board went bad (including the microphone and usb jack) and the screen has burn-in issues. Then I assumed that was time to change it. Now I'm looking for the new flagship, the Note 4 (which I'm going to buy in January). So I read almost every review of it, every video and photos taken with his camera and everyone says that the phone is almost perfect (I mean almost because the 80% complains about the Touchwiz Layer in the OS, which I love and I don't have any problem to live with it) and doesn't have any flags. So I came here to ask to the people who already owned it and have some daily experience with the device what are their thoughts, problems and good things about it. Also some little things that I'm a bit worried:
-How good the camera is?
-It's early to ask because no one had this phone for more than 4 months, but does anyone experienced screen burn in? And how looks the screen in direct sunlight?
-What parts of the phone are metal? Only the frame or the whole body? And how feels it? It's good to handle or still feels like cheap plastic?
-What about the phone duration? Anyone had scratches on it? How bad they're? Please if you can add some photos of them, because the phone isn't even released here in Argentina and they arent any covers or protectors for the it so I need to stay for around 3 months with a "nude" phone.
Sorry for too many questions, but I really need to know how good this phone is because the price is really high. Thanks!
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- The Camera is fine, in my opinion, but that probably depends on the persons preference and use.
- I can't say I have experienced any burn-in, but the screen is okay in direct sunlight; however, if you angle your phone to inspect the glass in sunlight with the screen on, I notice a reddish tint all over with that blurryness you would experience if you were in a well-lit city at night without glasses when you need them haha :silly:
- Admittedly, the phone feels a tad delicate, but that's what cases are for! I have been using an s-view case without a screen protector since purchase and it still looks like-new! If you aren't going to use a case for your phone though, a full metal body might be better.
- With my s-view case and no screen protector, my phone has no scratches - that I can see. Unless you carry your phone in the same pocket as your keys and other objects, you will be fine :3 Unless you carry sand in your pocket Phone duration seems to vary among different models though. I am using a 910V (?) and I get anywhere from 4~6 hours of Screen-on time. The stand-by time is the best part though imo. I can usually go 2 days or more without a charge.
edit:
The red tint usually happens if I angle the phone on purpose I leave my brightness settings on automatic and the screen is always clear (as it would be at nighttime) with the sun directly over me.
JippleStar said:
- The Camera is fine, in my opinion, but that probably depends on the persons preference and use.
- I can't say I have experienced any burn-in, but the screen is okay in direct sunlight; however, if you angle your phone to inspect the glass in sunlight with the screen on, I notice a reddish tint all over with that blurryness you would experience if you were in a well-lit city at night without glasses when you need them haha :silly:
- Admittedly, the phone feels a tad delicate, but that's what cases are for! I have been using an s-view case without a screen protector since purchase and it still looks like-new! If you aren't going to use a case for your phone though, a full metal body might be better.
- With my s-view case and no screen protector, my phone has no scratches - that I can see. Unless you carry your phone in the same pocket as your keys and other objects, you will be fine :3 Unless you carry sand in your pocket Phone duration seems to vary among different models though. I am using a 910V (?) and I get anywhere from 4~6 hours of Screen-on time. The stand-by time is the best part though imo. I can usually go 2 days or more without a charge.
edit:
The red tint usually happens if I angle the phone on purpose I leave my brightness settings on automatic and the screen is always clear (as it would be at nighttime) with the sun directly over me.
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Thanks for the fast answer! And how do you feel using this phone? Do you have any complain or something that didn't liked about it?
galaxynote2 said:
Thanks for the fast answer! And how do you feel using this phone? Do you have any complain or something that didn't liked about it?
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If I had any complaints, the s-pen would convince me that it's worth it so I'm pretty biased xD
The phone is just fine. But u should buy the qualcom varients as this is my 3rd note 4. Its qualcom but backside 4g+ is written. Its true if u see the display from an extreme angle you will see red tint but its normal for me cause almost nobody watch the display from 170 or 180 degree. Qualcom chipset has better ram and bettery management over exinos one. And the phone really looks premium. Not only looks but u will feel it when you touch it. No problem seeing the display at direct sunlight. And it does not matter if they use gorilla glass 10 it will have scratch if you do not use screen protector or flip cover. So be careful.
Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
I've used my phone for about a week now, and I just love it. The phone is great, quality, screen color, brightness, comfortable in the hand, great photo quality, nice sound. My only BUT is MIUI, but well, for the moment I use NOVA.
I have been using this phone for a month now but I have noticed a left-right wobble in the screen. Is that normal or I need to get it checked from xiaomi. The wobble just ruins the premium overall experience with the phone.
harmeet_randhawa5 said:
I have been using this phone for a month now but I have noticed a left-right wobble in the screen. Is that normal or I need to get it checked from xiaomi. The wobble just ruins the premium overall experience with the phone.
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I think that's normal, I've seen it reported on a couple of the video reviews. That's the price you pay for a slider mechanism and no notch. A small price, imo.
After the first 12 hours, I'm very ambivalent about this phone. I absolutely love the display, it gorgeous to look at, very nearly bezel-less, and much sharper than my previous Samsung AMOLED (albeit an old one). What I don't like is the weight and the slippery surfaces. It's a bit better with the cover on, but what's the point of a flashy ceramic surface if it's only usable with a case over it? I realize this is a general problem with pretty much every high-end phone, not just this one, and I suspect that people who don't like plastic are the same ones who worry about themes.
Recieved mine 3 days ago.
I think it's good. Coming from a Mix 2, it's a refined version of the concept working pretty well.
Mine has also this left-right wobble, it's not wobbly.. you can push it to the side a little, if you push it but it makes a litte.
Been using mine for a few days now, and I'm getting used to the increased size. Using gestures helps a lot with general ease-of-use, particularly with one-handed operation. I can't see any wobble issues with mine, but the sliding mechanism is quite stiff compared to what I've seen in the videos, so maybe I got one that's a bit tighter. The speed of the thing is something to behold, booting takes a few seconds, and even running a TWRP backup is super-fast at a couple of minutes at most.
She's a hefty beast of a phone. I often use my phone to read in bed and having an oled display should be nicer for my eyes but even at the lowest brightness it is still fairly bright. The phone is quite heavy. I notice a tad wobble without a case if I am pushing the top right corner. I do not use the front facing camera. Not at all. MIUI is smooth but it has numerous bugs some of which make me frustrated. The main bug is that gboard will not allow me to use a personal dictionary. Other users on MIUI phones suffer the same bug. Still unresolved (there is a bug-ticket) Another bug includes the inability to keep Edge Gestures open. The gestures baked in are nice but being primarily bottom edge gestures it makes you(read me) hold the phone much lower and exacerbates the weight of the device.
Battery performance is excellent. The assistant button is awesome. You can map it. I find myself using google assistant way more because of it.
I will be unlocking and adding a custom ROM as those two bugs make my everyday use of the device harder than it should be. Especially the keyboard. It is incredibly frustrating when I need to type names and places in Japanese because of it.
I came from the mi mix 2 (gifted to my wife) and I also use the Redmi 4x. Both solid phones thanks to the community of developers. Xioami isn't available in my country so if something breaks I am SOL. However, I feel Xioami products are worth the risk.
tl/dr: Solid phone. Heavy. Fast. MIUI is good. But depending on the usuage bugs can be frustrating.
invisiblewave said:
After the first 12 hours, I'm very ambivalent about this phone. I absolutely love the display, it gorgeous to look at, very nearly bezel-less, and much sharper than my previous Samsung AMOLED (albeit an old one). What I don't like is the weight and the slippery surfaces. It's a bit better with the cover on, but what's the point of a flashy ceramic surface if it's only usable with a case over it? I realize this is a general problem with pretty much every high-end phone, not just this one, and I suspect that people who don't like plastic are the same ones who worry about themes.
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I felt the same way about using the cover, but I purchased a transparent protective film for the back and the screen, and I took away the slippery issue and allowed the phone to look like it had nothing on. It looks gorgeous!
alexisjmz said:
I felt the same way about using the cover, but I purchased a transparent protective film for the back and the screen, and I took away the slippery issue and allowed the phone to look like it had nothing on. It looks gorgeous!
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Can you post a link to what you used? I'm now using the phone without the cover, since it makes a surprising difference when trying to wedge it into the pocket of my workout shorts, but I'm scared to death of dropping it every time it's in my hand.
invisiblewave said:
Can you post a link to what you used? I'm now using the phone without the cover, since it makes a surprising difference when trying to wedge it into the pocket of my workout shorts, but I'm scared to death of dropping it every time it's in my hand.
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I used this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KN36KFM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A30R5FB6PSKP9L&psc=1
If you're looking for a hard shell, these won't do, but it will provide some grip and scratch protection. Hope it helps.
alexisjmz said:
I used this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KN36KFM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A30R5FB6PSKP9L&psc=1
If you're looking for a hard shell, these won't do, but it will provide some grip and scratch protection. Hope it helps.
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Thanks, I may well give that a try. I highly doubt the ceramic will scratch, it's harder than the glass on the front, but I definitely need more grip. Once it's on, is there any way to get it off easily?
invisiblewave said:
Thanks, I may well give that a try. I highly doubt the ceramic will scratch, it's harder than the glass on the front, but I definitely need more grip. Once it's on, is there any way to get it off easily?
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Yes, it's a protective film, it isn't that hard to remove.
is there a SUPER NIGHT SCENE MODE? or was that the Night Scene Mode
Is this a good phone? Happy day to day use? Is the headphone adapter decent? Does anybody LOVE this?
ToneLa said:
Is this a good phone? Happy day to day use? Is the headphone adapter decent? Does anybody LOVE this?
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I do, now I have vanilla Android on it! The hardware is outstanding, the software it ships with I found difficult to use. Now I no longer have MIUI on it, it's by far the best phone I've ever owned. It performs like a flagship, but at nearly half the price of most of its competitors, and it's visually gorgeous. I can't comment on the headphone adapter since I don't use cables other than for fastboot operations.
invisiblewave said:
I do, now I have vanilla Android on it! The hardware is outstanding, the software it ships with I found difficult to use. Now I no longer have MIUI on it, it's by far the best phone I've ever owned. It performs like a flagship, but at nearly half the price of most of its competitors, and it's visually gorgeous. I can't comment on the headphone adapter since I don't use cables other than for fastboot operations.
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Great! I'm likely to go for a custom ROM / not MUIU myself so it's great to hear the hardware is top notch.
I think this is my next phone. Still a bit curious about how custom ROMs deal with the excellent camera and the slider, but that's not necessarily an immediate concern.
Happy to see it get some love! I might get the jade one, and put the EU ROM on it
invisiblewave said:
I think that's normal, I've seen it reported on a couple of the video reviews. That's the price you pay for a slider mechanism and no notch. A small price, imo.
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Can you better describe this "wobble"? I don't think I understand what you are referring to. I'm just curious. I have the phone since two weeks ago and don't see anything weird in the screen.
Marcelocohenarg said:
Can you better describe this "wobble"? I don't think I understand what you are referring to. I'm just curious. I have the phone since two weeks ago and don't see anything weird in the screen.
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If you haven't noticed it, just forget about it. There's nothing wrong with my screen either. The hardware is rock solid, the software leaves a lot to be desired, imo.
Mi MIX 3 is the best android phone I have had so far and I went through all versions of Samsung Galaxy and Google. I am using my global version with stock launcher on T-mobile LTE with no connection issues.
1. Display is just perfect, bright and beautiful with no ugly front camera cutouts.
2. Sliding the phone by default opens the selfie camera, but customizable to any other app.
3. There is a separate button on the side of the phone (like Bixby), which is completely customizable as well.
4. I love how fast the finger print scanner works in this phone. Overall phone operation speed and app launching/operation is faster than my Google Pixel 2 XL and Galaxy note 9.
5. Always on display (AOD) works as expected most of the time (it tends to move up on the screen and turns off in low light conditions).
6. There is a small message indicator light which flashes white light.
7. There is a Edge Glow (similar to Samsung Galaxy phones) feature which is supposed to only work when you receive notifications and AOD is off. I noticed the glow on occasion with AOD on and now I am using a android app "Always On Edge - Edge Lighting" to further customize and use the feature.
8. The phone ships with a plastic phone case/10W wireless charger base/Type C-3.5 mm adapter cable.
9. Camera in this phone is one of the best in the business (especially in low light).
10. Battery appears to be on the smaller side but I have had no issues with moderate use (over 60% left from morning to bed time).
11. Ceramic back is beautiful but a fingerprint magnet ; I am still using the phone without a case, which makes it a bit slippery; I placed a back protector clear film which did not help with the fingerprints but a bit easy to hold.
12. Phone is ~10 grams heavy compared to the Samsung Galaxy note, but it has a great balance and well made feel. You will notice it in the front shirt pocket for few days after the initial use (especially with a case).
13. There is a small movement of the screen in the top left corner (when you tap), due to the slider mechanism, which is barely noticeable.
14. MIUI launcher/ software is very smooth and I never felt the need to root the phone and install vanilla android version. I just changed the defaults for the browser/text apps to google. There is a drop down menu similar to any android with a screenshot toggle.
15. MIUI gives you only two sound options Regular (audible ring)/Silent. Silent mode can be programmed to vibrate; I wish Xiaomi makes it simple with sound/vibrate/silent modes with next SW update. There is a Do not disturb (DND) mode which can be programmed.
16. The stock "vibration intensity" is very low compared to Samsung or Google phones. It is easy to miss a notification or call when the phone is inside the pocket especially with a case. I don't know if any apps can let you change the vibration intensity without rooting.
17. So far, I love everything about the phone which is made better than any other android at any cost. If I drop the phone and break the display, I may not easily find a replacement screen in the local store. For ~$550 phone cost compared to ~$900 I spent on Samsung/Google phones, I am taking that risk.