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[Q] What Android Phone should I buy?

Hey, my family is insisting they buy me an smart phone for my 21st Birthday.
So they're asking me which one do I want. I'd rather have something like a Router, or NAS, but they are insisting on getting me a phone or a camera. Since my Current phone is a pretty old Nokia phone. I have a desktop which i use most of the day.
I think the budget would be close to 400$. We will not be using a contract phone. They are considering the
iPhone4(S) [Used] (I was thinking of stepping out of iOS and using An Android Phone since most of the users are iOS in my house),
Sony Ericsson Xperia S (I heard the battery timing is low) (not much of resale value here)
Galaxy S2 (A bit of an older series)
Galaxy Note ( A bit more expensive)
Wont be using 3G / 4G much except for when travelling. Need good battery timing, even with WLAN enabled. Something with a good camera, touch focus, flash etc.
I am a heavy Computer user, texter, browse a lot of forums, like linux, WEP cracking etc.
Any suggestions? Most of these models are at least 8 Months old. The S3 is a bit overpriced and not as good as the HTC One X

xperia arc s

Get the Galaxy Note, its the best dam phone out there! (ok so yes its the phone i have but still )
And if you love linux even better, it works very well with my linuxonandroid project
But if the huge screen frightens you get for the love of god get anything other than a iphone

monstercable said:
xperia arc s
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better than a S2? battery timing?
zacthespack said:
Get the Galaxy Note, its the best dam phone out there! (ok so yes its the phone i have but still )
And if you love linux even better, it works very well with my linuxonandroid project
But if the huge screen frightens you get for the love of god get anything other than a iphone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the note faster than the S2? And I like huge screens, wont be carrying it around much maybe. Will use it as a secondary phone. Does the S2 work with the linuxandroid project?

ryandigweed said:
Better than a S2? battery timing?
Is the note faster than the S2? And I like huge screens, wont be carrying it around much maybe. Will use it as a secondary phone. Does the S2 work with the linuxandroid project?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the S2 works well to, between the two devices the hardware is pretty much the same.
The differences are, Galaxy Note has the 5.2 inch screen and a bigger battery to make sure that beast of screen has enough power. Oh and the spen which is pretty call but I dont use it much.

It depends on which price you would let them extend too~ Huawei have great spec devices for a lot lower prices, worth a look.

zacthespack said:
Yes the S2 works well to, between the two devices the hardware is pretty much the same.
The differences are, Galaxy Note has the 5.2 inch screen and a bigger battery to make sure that beast of screen has enough power. Oh and the spen which is pretty call but I dont use it much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for all that info, you're making me think of getting the note
H3aRt_L3sS said:
It depends on which price you would let them extend too~ Huawei have great spec devices for a lot lower prices, worth a look.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any good models that come to mind? I thought Huawei is poor quality. Can extend the budget , and there are used mobiles that would come in that much.

I would look for something from HTC.
Dont scream at me - samsung is very slippery (both galaxy s and s2) and doesn't appeal to me with build quality. I know, they are quite sturdy, just they look plastic.

renw0rp said:
I would look for something from HTC.
Dont scream at me - samsung is very slippery (both galaxy s and s2) and doesn't appeal to me with build quality. I know, they are quite sturdy, just they look plastic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like HTC as well, but which model? They're slightly more expensive as compared to samsung, with lower specs and great build quality.
Yeah their Cases got that plastic-y look to them. Especially the behind cover.
I will be using a a case on whatever phone im using. my hands get sweatyy
Also, i would like to say, this phone is going to be with me long longggg longgg time 5 years? (if it lasts hopefully) and so i want a phone with gorilla glass, or a strong front panel ..

Might want to consider the galaxy nexus. Pure vanilla and timely updates, as well as a large hacking community.
5mp camera is its specs, but I heard its quite good. Remember, no matter how many mp a camera is, it all comes down to the lenses
All for $350 new unlocked off google play
Sent from my MB508 using xda premium

gagdude said:
Might want to consider the galaxy nexus. Pure vanilla and timely updates, as well as a large hacking community.
5mp camera is its specs, but I heard its quite good. Remember, no matter how many mp a camera is, it all comes down to the lenses
All for $350 new unlocked off google play
Sent from my MB508 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info, yeah it depends on the lens and the sensor, i've been a major fan of the nexus, since the start. Some say there's a noticeable performance of the galaxy s2 over the galaxy nexus.
Almost double the battery and a bit bigger screen with higher ppi Faster than the S2 according to this:
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According to this, the camera is better too! ..
http://hemorrdroids.net/samsung-galaxy-nexus-vs-samsung-galaxy-sii-s2-camera-test/
Omg, Thanks a lot for reminding me of the nexus, is the battery removable? Im just kinda bummed about the lack of additional storage..
THe screen drop test scares the **** out of me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyMBC5R_oEU

I recently got a Galaxy S3 with ATT. It's been pretty solid so far, especially after rooting and some tweaking. A large phablet like the Note would be nice, but the Snapdragon S3 it uses turns me off.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

ryandigweed said:
Thanks for the info, yeah it depends on the lens and the sensor, i've been a major fan of the nexus, since the start. Some say there's a noticeable performance of the galaxy s2 over the galaxy nexus.
Almost double the battery and a bit bigger screen with higher ppi Faster than the S2 according to this:
According to this, the camera is better too! ..
http://hemorrdroids.net/samsung-galaxy-nexus-vs-samsung-galaxy-sii-s2-camera-test/
Omg, Thanks a lot for reminding me of the nexus, is the battery removable? Im just kinda bummed about the lack of additional storage..
THe screen drop test scares the **** out of me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyMBC5R_oEU
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery is removable but yeah, no SD. Bugs me too. I haven't checked to drop tests, ill edit my post in a few min when I do.
Also, I never knew the camera is actually better than the S2's thanks for that link!
EDIT: like they said, its only gonna break if its facedown. But its completely destroyed when it is. Lcd and digitizer but I think a high quality screen protector will solve the problem, if u don't mind having screen protectors that is
Sent from my MB508 using xda premium

ryandigweed said:
Hey, my family is insisting they buy me an smart phone for my 21st Birthday.
So they're asking me which one do I want. I'd rather have something like a Router, or NAS, but they are insisting on getting me a phone or a camera. Since my Current phone is a pretty old Nokia phone. I have a desktop which i use most of the day.
I think the budget would be close to 400$. We will not be using a contract phone. They are considering the
iPhone4(S) [Used] (I was thinking of stepping out of iOS and using An Android Phone since most of the users are iOS in my house),
Sony Ericsson Xperia S (I heard the battery timing is low) (not much of resale value here)
Galaxy S2 (A bit of an older series)
Galaxy Note ( A bit more expensive)
Wont be using 3G / 4G much except for when travelling. Need good battery timing, even with WLAN enabled. Something with a good camera, touch focus, flash etc.
I am a heavy Computer user, texter, browse a lot of forums, like linux, WEP cracking etc.
Any suggestions? Most of these models are at least 8 Months old. The S3 is a bit overpriced and not as good as the HTC One X
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i suggest you get the Galaxy Nexus if you like to have updated OS all the time....

from that list i would go with the galaxy note

I disliked the part of the 16GB limited storage on the nexus, so i went with the note !.. anyone got a tut to install ICS or JB? ? Im on GB dont know if its rooted or not.. :S
-------
Checked it with root checker. its Still not rooted.. And i've got no memory card, any pointers to how im supposed to Root it with ICS?

ryandigweed said:
I disliked the part of the 16GB limited storage on the nexus, so i went with the note !.. anyone got a tut to install ICS or JB? ? Im on GB dont know if its rooted or not.. :S
-------
Checked it with root checker. its Still not rooted.. And i've got no memory card, any pointers to how im supposed to Root it with ICS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The note sub forum is your friend, plenty of guides to do everything under the sun http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1346

I would say either go for something like the HTC One S or the Galaxy Nexus GSM

I'm in a similar situation. I'm between the Nexus and Note- made this thread about the topic. Most are suggesting the Nexus. IMO, I think the Note is the best in your list and the Nexus, if you can afford it, should be considered. The problem is that you may have a different opinion than the guys on here so I would suggest trying the phones out in a local shop before you buy them.

My next phone will be a Galaxy SIII, really loved this phone and all its properties!

Nexus 5 or G2 if they are priced the same?

I can get a 16gb nexus 5 and LG G2 base model for around the same price (give or take 20 dollars) Which one would you choose? My concern about the nexus 5 is its battery life, which the G2 is great at.
Thanks for the input!
Sent from my LG-P930 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Between the two at this exact moment, I'd take the LG G2 personally because battery life is quite important to me in a portable device of most any kind. Reviews show it has fantastic battery life (meaning the G2) and I doubt seriously - considering the size of the battery in the Nexus 5 - that the Nexus 5 will get anywhere near what the G2 is proving quite capable of.
So, for me the LG G2 would be a no-brainer since we know KitKat will be showing up quite soon since the source is available - we just had a 4.4 build created by houstonn for the LGOG which I happen to have, it's mostly functional but I'm sure soon enough it will be 100% to go.

br0adband said:
Between the two at this exact moment, I'd take the LG G2 personally because battery life is quite important to me in a portable device of most any kind. Reviews show it has fantastic battery life (meaning the G2) and I doubt seriously - considering the size of the battery in the Nexus 5 - that the Nexus 5 will get anywhere near what the G2 is proving quite capable of.
So, for me the LG G2 would be a no-brainer since we know KitKat will be showing up quite soon since the source is available - we just had a 4.4 build created by houstonn for the LGOG which I happen to have, it's mostly functional but I'm sure soon enough it will be 100% to go.
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That was a quick response. Thanks man!
Sent from my LG-P930 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Agreed. If battery is your main concern and the price is similar, I would choose the G2. Battery isn't that important to me though. All I really need from a phone is a full average day on a single charge and I think I will get that from the N5. I get a full day with my N4 on most days, but I run it conservatively.
I have a G2 now, and I get 2-3 days with the G2 and I get 1-2 days with the Note 3.
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Another possible benefit to the G2 is that has Audience's Earsmart noise cancellation chip. It remains to be seen if the Nexus 5 will have it, but since it would impose extra licensing fees, I'm guessing it's more likely than not that the Nexus 5 won't have it (Google has to cut corners somewhere, to sell the Nexus 5 for a low price).
Audience's noise cancellation chip is by far the best noise cancellation out there. Much better than Qualcomm's native solution Fluence (which the Nexus 4 uses). The Nexus One had the Audience chip and was one of the first phones to use it. I really miss that. I could be in super loud environments and people thought I was at home. The Nexus 4 has been a huge step down in this respect. After the Nexus One, the iPhone 4 used the Audience chip (and of course everyone acted like Apple invented noise cancellation, even though they were late comers to the game). In any case, it got much praise on the iPhone 4. But it has been dropped from the iPhone 5 for Apple's own in house solution and the (very few) critics how pay attention to this have pointed out that it's much worse. These days for the most part it's only Samsung that consistently uses the Audience chip in its top tier phones.
Anyway, I care a lot about call quality, so I'd really like the have the Audience chip again. I'm still waiting to see if it's in the Nexus 5. But if I had to decide now, without knowing, that would definitely be a feature pulling me toward the G2 instead.

I would take the G2 because of the battery life and camera performance ... and I'm saying this while I bought the nexus 5

im lucky that the price is so different!
it would be horribly tough to work it out.
g2 is clearly the better phone. better accu, bigger screen, better camera.
but hell man...nexus5 will have 18 month of Top noth Updates PLUS the Community will blow minds becwuse it will be THE device they All have and develope for. with the g2 you wont have that.
i keep telling people that Not the Hardware is the big Star of the cellphone but the Software is.
So choice is as the Situation is thaaaaat easy for me.

I had both and I'd recommend the Nexus 5 any second. KitKat runs super smooth and I love the looks! I hate the glossy plastic on the G2 and I totally love the soft silky back of the N5. I have been touching it nonstop for the last hour. I might need professional help.

DJ-Tumor said:
im lucky that the price is so different!
it would be horribly tough to work it out.
g2 is clearly the better phone. better accu, bigger screen, better camera.
but hell man...nexus5 will have 18 month of Top noth Updates PLUS the Community will blow minds becwuse it will be THE device they All have and develope for. with the g2 you wont have that.
i keep telling people that Not the Hardware is the big Star of the cellphone but the Software is.
So choice is as the Situation is thaaaaat easy for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 in a couple weeks, there'll be some announcement where this cpu is better than etc etc. Hardware gets better all the time but software more or less stays the same and that's what we as users can compete on. Not on the hardware because something will be better in a matter of weeks / months etc.
If having a good community in terms of rom and kernels as well as receiving the newest and latest android on a stock android experience matters to you then a nexus phone is a no Brainer.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

DJ-Tumor said:
im lucky that the price is so different!
it would be horribly tough to work it out.
g2 is clearly the better phone. better accu, bigger screen, better camera.
but hell man...nexus5 will have 18 month of Top noth Updates PLUS the Community will blow minds becwuse it will be THE device they All have and develope for. with the g2 you wont have that.
i keep telling people that Not the Hardware is the big Star of the cellphone but the Software is.
So choice is as the Situation is thaaaaat easy for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm still disappointed with the 2300 mah battery, I would have been totally satisfied with a 2600 mah battery...
Better accu? :silly: this forum is filled with Germans , I love when i realize that I'm not the only one who keeps mixing the languages :laugh:

Chad_Petree said:
I'm still disappointed with the 2300 mah battery, I would have been totally satisfied with a 2600 mah battery...
Better accu? :silly: this forum is filled with Germans , I love when i realize that I'm not the only one who keeps mixing the languages :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We say Akku in German though

Chad_Petree said:
I'm still disappointed with the 2300 mah battery, I would have been totally satisfied with a 2600 mah battery...
Better accu? :silly: this forum is filled with Germans , I love when i realize that I'm not the only one who keeps mixing the languages :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah happens.. *smile*
but accumulator is Not wrong either in english i guess....but yeah native english speakers Do say battery All the time.
/edit: but it seems BATTERY seems ok from One can read from others. but be careful with that Information! people are still hyped to the Max with the new device the may get too euphoric about it.

Hard decision but honestly I got burned hard by the Optimus 2X and anyone else who owned that phone would likely agree with me, it was a solid phone but the software support was horrendous (not helped by Nvidia...). The only reason I got the Nexus 4 was the fact it was made by LG which make QUALITY hardware but lack a large software dev team so as the Nexus is done by Google it was a very easy decision . I wouldnt leave the Nexus series so long as it stays at the price point of £300 as the developer community alone is amazing, so many talented developers working on one device we would never get left in the dark.
The G2 is a better device interms of battery life but for me the device size definitely goes past the perfect spot which is the N4 and N5 (width is important!). Would I have paid extra if the N5 had a stepped battery in it, of course I would as I do want longer battery life but I think the N5 will meet my requirement now as its better than the N4! I think the decider for me if they were the same price would be the developer community as I would go for the one with the biggest following, if the G2 can keep up with the N5 in terms of custom rom android versions then it would be fine and I would be tempted but still would need to hold it in the hand as I think its too wide.
Tough call! Would wait till Jan before deciding on the community personally.

I would get Nexus 5. I don't use my phone 8 hours a day and I don't live in the woods so I have access to the charger most of the time.

DJ-Tumor said:
im lucky that the price is so different!
it would be horribly tough to work it out.
g2 is clearly the better phone. better accu, bigger screen, better camera.
but hell man...nexus5 will have 18 month of Top noth Updates PLUS the Community will blow minds becwuse it will be THE device they All have and develope for. with the g2 you wont have that.
i keep telling people that Not the Hardware is the big Star of the cellphone but the Software is.
So choice is as the Situation is thaaaaat easy for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you assume that after 18 months Google will no longer update the N5?

mazinya said:
Do you assume that after 18 months Google will no longer update the N5?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, after Google said they stopped supporting the Galaxy Nexus I'm not that optimistic either. But it doesn't matter to me since this is a Nexus.

mazinya said:
Do you assume that after 18 months Google will no longer update the N5?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that is what Google says and seems to be the reason why the samsun nexus does Not get updates any more.
possibly because of Qualcomm being the cpu we may get Lucky to get One Last Update after that 18 month.
only time will tell.
As of what we Do Know now...we should shot expect Updates after the 18 month.

eksasol said:
Honestly, after Google said they stopped supporting the Galaxy Nexus I'm not that optimistic either. But it doesn't matter to me since this is a Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DJ-Tumor said:
that is what Google says and seems to be the reason why the samsun nexus does Not get updates any more.
possibly because of Qualcomm being the cpu we may get Lucky to get One Last Update after that 18 month.
only time will tell.
As of what we Do Know now...we should shot expect Updates after the 18 month.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google did say the reason that the Gnex will no longer get updates... Im not a fortune teller but I think Qualcomm will survive more than 18 months.
Either way, once I see that the N5 will stop getting updates, that will be the moment when I root my phone.

mazinya said:
Google did say the reason that the Gnex will no longer get updates... Im not a fortune teller but I think Qualcomm will survive more than 18 months.
Either way, once I see that the N5 will stop getting updates, that will be the moment when I root my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What reasons, this is all I see so far: https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/3468085?hl=en
And if its because TI is no longer making the chips, that's not convincing, while I'm no developer, TI OMAP chips are much more open than Qualcomm (which is why they are found in a lot of other opensource linux devices) so even if Google receives no help from TI it should still be easier to release KitKat for it than with a Qualcomm device having to deal with more proprietary codes (one of the reason a Nexus 7 factory image was temporary pulled).
Anyway, what ever the reason its unfounded and here is why: http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-nexus/development

Exactly - the reason for the lack of a 4.4 update for the Galaxy Nexus is because TI basically pulled out of ARM chip making and they won't provide support to Google so Google has no choice but to pull out of any potential updates for that particular device.
In time I'm sure you'll see a 4.4+ ROM appear soon enough for the Galaxy Nexus. Hell, if old devices like the Galaxy S can run 4.3 (and it does, surprisingly well, probably will run 4.4 too without a problem) you can be positive that 4.4 will make it's way to the Galaxy Nexus soon enough.
But it's not Google that pulled the plug for that update, it was Texas Instruments...

My comparison betwen the S4 and Nexus 5

This is just my opinion, with a couple hours of hands on with the Nexus 5, compared to my S4. I am not starting a flame war, or saying one is way better than the other, just my thoughts between these two great phone.
I have had my ATT S4 for a couple months now. And my brother just got his Nexus 5 this past week.
I dropped and broke my Nexus 4 back in September, and couldn't wait for the Nexus 5 release, so I find a killer deal at Best Buy for new S4's @ $49ea. Was bummed at first, I wouldn't be getting the new Nexus, and had to settle with just a plain Galaxy phone, but I am so happy now that I did.
Quick opinions;
- Screen; Maybe I am used to the Plasma deep blacks of my HDTV at home, but call me crazy, I actually like AMOLED, and love my S4 screen, the reds and blues just pop, and blacks are deep, and viewing angles are great. Where as the Nexus 5 looks washed out, with terrible viewing angles, just like my Nexus 4. I guess the bright whites on the N5 look better, that's about it.
- Performance; I know the benchmarks tell the story, the Snapdragon 800 blows the S4 out of the water. But in real world performance, using both phones side by side for two hours, I could barely tell a difference in speed, just messing around with the phone. But we both have Nova launcher installed, with same settings. I guess the N5 was a hair snappier, but honestly so hard to tell much of a real world difference.
- Battery life; My brother had the phone for maybe 5 days at that point, and he said battery life was ok. He said heavy use would drain the battery down pretty quick, but that standby time was excellent. He said on average was getting like 3.5h to 4h On Screen time. On my S4 I get 5.5h to 6h On Screen time, and my phone with extreme heavy nonstop use lasts 14 to 16 hours, and on light days goes 24+ hours easily. My S4 I know gets better battery life.
- Haptic Feedback; For some reason, I never really like the haptic feel on my Nexus 4, it felt strange compared to other phones I owned. Same feel with the N5, just a weird vibration or cheep rattle feel. My S4 feels more solid when vibrating or using haptic feedback.
- Build Quality; I know the Galaxy S4 is no Lexus, it's still all plastic, but even my Brother commented that the feel of my S4 felt more premium than his N5. He said the volume and power button on my S4 felt solid, and more machined accurately, with a better pressing feel. He said his N5 buttons felt very cheap.
- Bottom line; My Brother is coming from a Galaxy Nexus, and he said to quote "Going from the EVO 4G to Galaxy Nexus felt like a night and day massive upgrade, but going from the Galaxy Nexus to the Nexus 5 now, doesn't feel nearly as a big an upgrade" He likes the Nexus 5, but said it just doesn't totally wow him, or blow him away. He said the N5 is cool, he'll keep it, mainly due to the price, and he would never spend over $350 for an off contract phone anyways, so no way would he spend $650 on a flagship phone out of contract. He's on Straight Talk ATT with the N5 by the way.
- Vanilla Android vs TW; I am a big stock Nexus fan, I like pure Android the best. But on my S4, I am running Nova + Kit Kat icon pack, plus Wanam Xposed Framework, and several other rooted tweaks, so my phone doesn't even really like a TW device anymore. I really couldn't tell a massive difference OS wise between both phones.
IMO, I am happy with my Galaxy S4, and I am a big Nexus guy. After playing with my brother's N5, I wouldn't even do an even-Stephen trade for a brand new Nexus 5 over my two month old S4. I like my screen better, I have better battery life, plus i have gotten pretty used to the bottom middle button to press and turn the screen on, I really like that.
Oh well, this is just my opinion. I think the phone for me in 2014, will be a Galaxy S5 Google Play Edition, if they make one.

Zorachus said:
This is just my opinion, with a couple hours of hands on with the Nexus 5, compared to my S4. I am not starting a flame war, or saying one is way better than the other, just my thoughts between these two great phone.
I have had my ATT S4 for a couple months now. And my brother just got his Nexus 5 this past week.
I dropped and broke my Nexus 4 back in September, and couldn't wait for the Nexus 5 release, so I find a killer deal at Best Buy for new S4's @ $49ea. Was bummed at first, I wouldn't be getting the new Nexus, and had to settle with just a plain Galaxy phone, but I am so happy now that I did.
Quick opinions;
- Screen; Maybe I am used to the Plasma deep blacks of my HDTV at home, but call me crazy, I actually like AMOLED, and love my S4 screen, the reds and blues just pop, and blacks are deep, and viewing angles are great. Where as the Nexus 5 looks washed out, with terrible viewing angles, just like my Nexus 4. I guess the bright whites on the N5 look better, that's about it.
- Performance; I know the benchmarks tell the story, the Snapdragon 800 blows the S4 out of the water. But in real world performance, using both phones side by side for two hours, I could barely tell a difference in speed, just messing around with the phone. But we both have Nova launcher installed, with same settings. I guess the N5 was a hair snappier, but honestly so hard to tell much of a real world difference.
- Battery life; My brother had the phone for maybe 5 days at that point, and he said battery life was ok. He said heavy use would drain the battery down pretty quick, but that standby time was excellent. He said on average was getting like 3.5h to 4h On Screen time. On my S4 I get 5.5h to 6h On Screen time, and my phone with extreme heavy nonstop use lasts 14 to 16 hours, and on light days goes 24+ hours easily. My S4 I know gets better battery life.
- Haptic Feedback; For some reason, I never really like the haptic feel on my Nexus 4, it felt strange compared to other phones I owned. Same feel with the N5, just a weird vibration or cheep rattle feel. My S4 feels more solid when vibrating or using haptic feedback.
- Build Quality; I know the Galaxy S4 is no Lexus, it's still all plastic, but even my Brother commented that the feel of my S4 felt more premium than his N5. He said the volume and power button on my S4 felt solid, and more machined accurately, with a better pressing feel. He said his N5 buttons felt very cheap.
- Bottom line; My Brother is coming from a Galaxy Nexus, and he said to quote "Going from the EVO 4G to Galaxy Nexus felt like a night and day massive upgrade, but going from the Galaxy Nexus to the Nexus 5 now, doesn't feel nearly as a big an upgrade" He likes the Nexus 5, but said it just doesn't totally wow him, or blow him away. He said the N5 is cool, he'll keep it, mainly due to the price, and he would never spend over $350 for an off contract phone anyways, so no way would he spend $650 on a flagship phone out of contract. He's on Straight Talk ATT with the N5 by the way.
- Vanilla Android vs TW; I am a big stock Nexus fan, I like pure Android the best. But on my S4, I am running Nova + Kit Kat icon pack, plus Wanam Xposed Framework, and several other rooted tweaks, so my phone doesn't even really like a TW device anymore. I really couldn't tell a massive difference OS wise between both phones.
IMO, I am happy with my Galaxy S4, and I am a big Nexus guy. After playing with my brother's N5, I wouldn't even do an even-Stephen trade for a brand new Nexus 5 over my two month old S4. I like my screen better, I have better battery life, plus i have gotten pretty used to the bottom middle button to press and turn the screen on, I really like that.
Oh well, this is just my opinion. I think the phone for me in 2014, will be a Galaxy S5 Google Play Edition, if they make one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange
I hate touchwiz. I have had this phone 3 days and still tweaking to make it feel stock like my Nexus devices. I LOVE stock android. I have a MF3 GS4 so I cant ROM it and it annoys me a device that is as powerful as the N5 is still on 4.2 (ATT).
I honestly held both phones in the store and me and my GF both said the GS4 felt like flimsy paper next to the Nexus 5. The 5 just feels sturdier and like it has some sort of heft. Im worried having the GS4 in my pocket because bending my leg the wrong way puts pressure on it. Most Nexus devices feel strudy though. My Nexus7 is great and my Nexus S was a TANK!. My brother has gone through 3 GS4 screen and almost anyone else I know who has one has had their screen crack. I swear the image of the dandilion they use just LOOKS like a cracked screen so maybe its an omen.
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My S4 has decent battery now but I literally had to turn EVERYTHING off on it.
The bloatware on the S4 is CRAZY! Why do I need like 3 different movie and music players just because Samsung and ATT want to try and earn money from me using their store. Rooted the phone and froze all those apps out with Titanium.
Holding them side by side I liked the N5 screen better. Both being 5" I actually thought the N5 was smaller in hand until the rep corrected me. I personally prefer a smaller phone. Why have a phone 2/3 the size of my tablet? In the way of image, they seem the same to me.
I personally prefer a smaller phone.
I got the G4 because it was free and it would make a good backup device to have. My GF told me already she was getting me my N5 on Xmas.... Im just a nexus guy.

Thanks for your impressions between the two phones. Really helps my decision on considering getting rid of my S4 and switching to the N5.

The S4 and N5 weight the exact same at 130 grams. And size wise too, they are nearly identical. But I have a Spigen Neo Hybrid case on mine, adding more bulk and weight. I agree, without a case the S4 feels very light and wimpy.
Try Nova launcher with Kit Kat icon pack, and also install Wanam Xposed framework, both those will really allow some good tweaks, and make it look a lot different than stock TW.
Of course you need to be rooted. And with root, you can debloat this phone. I got rid of every ATT .apk, and a lot of Samsung crap I never use. By doing that, my battery life went up big time

Theoriginalgiga said:
Thanks for your impressions between the two phones. Really helps my decision on considering getting rid of my S4 and switching to the N5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not worth it IMO. The N5 is a side grade to the S4, not a massive upgrade by any means. I think the N5 has a lesser quality screen, and worse battery life than the S4.

Screenshot of my home screen;
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app

Zorachus said:
Not worth it IMO. The N5 is a side grade to the S4, not a massive upgrade by any means. I think the N5 has a lesser quality screen, and worse battery life than the S4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What gets me is the locked bl of the S4. Back when I was able to run task650's rom I was getting .3% battery drop an hour in standby running 4 emails constantly pushing along with bunch of texting and a little game play. I'd average 20hrs with 3 to 4 hrs screen time which IMO wasn't bad at all. After I blew out the chip on that one (from it being on my dashboard from a 700 mile drive using it as GPS) I got a replacement with Mf3. Now I'm getting anywhere between 2.2% to 9% battery drain an hour with less than 2 hours screen time with the EXACT same setup and usage. By lunchtime I put the thing on the charger. Oh I've used TiBu and frozen 99% of all the bloatware, and it helped getting it down from 13% drain an hour. I want the ability to use custom ROMS as I feel the devs on XDA are miles ahead of any of the devs with sammy or any other company. I'm not a stickler for screens, so long as I can see it outside and I can read messages I'm fine. Now my brother on the other hand... he's special when it comes to what is screen looks like :laugh:. I'll check out the battery life on the N5, maybe find a custom ROM that'll get better battery life. Worst comes to it and I don't like the N5 I'll hang onto it for a few months and trade for the next latest gadget phone.
Thanks for your feedback!

I agree 100% on the locked bootlaoder. That really pisses me off, and almost made me sell my S4. But with Root, and Wanam Xposed framework + Nova Launcher, and other.apk's, I am very happy with my S4 now.
Yes The Nexus 5 is great with the freedom, and all the custom ROM's and Kernels, etc... To me that is a big selling point to a Nexus device.
But end of the day, I care about battery life #1, and a beautiful screen #2. My S4 is gets sick battery life, somewhat close to what my old Note 2 got, and from what I read here about the N5's battery life, my S4 blows it out of the water. And screen preference is subjective, but I like the 1080p AMOLED, compared to LG's IPS displays.
I also got a S4 for my Wife, and her battery life is great too, of course her phone is rooted, with ATT and Samsung .apk's deleted. She comes home after work with 14 hours of usage, and still has 70% battery life left, but with only like an hour or little more of On Screen time. Her phone sits on her desk at work, on the ATT network, no WiFi ever for her at her workplace, and she only loses like 30% over 12+ hours with light use.

yeah the MF3 lock screws the potential of this phone. Why is it still on 4.2 (mine) when its capable of running much more.... my guess is their bloatware isnt compatible with anything higher.
I use APEX launcher myself I just find it more stable in my past experiances.
I Think for the modding, updates, and sturdiness alone the N5 is actually a better phone and more of an upgrade IF you didnt pay for your GS4 and are stuck on MF3, if you paid money then off it and get teh N5

tevil said:
yeah the MF3 lock screws the potential of this phone. Why is it still on 4.2 (mine) when its capable of running much more.... my guess is their bloatware isnt compatible with anything higher.
I use APEX launcher myself I just find it more stable in my past experiances.
I Think for the modding, updates, and sturdiness alone the N5 is actually a better phone and more of an upgrade IF you didnt pay for your GS4 and are stuck on MF3, if you paid money then off it and get teh N5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well you can jump to 4.3 if you wanted to, but again the phone is locked down so you can't root or SS which makes it kinda useless IMO. As for launchers I use Nova Prime. I really like it and it isn't heavy at all.
Agreed, it's a fantastic device, with an unlocked BL this phone would still smoke the N5 hands down. Heck if I could trade my phone over to an MDL or MDM phone so I could reload a custom rom I'd do it and never think twice about the N5. But with the phone the way it is, it's only a little better than the Iphone. Heck that's where the button came from. If apple wouldn't have fought so hard about the button, the S4 wouldn't have one. I buy android to do what I want, how I want and if I can't do it, I want the ability to make it happen. With an android phone locked and bloated that just doesn't happen and IMO detracts from what Android stands for.
/rant

Theoriginalgiga said:
well you can jump to 4.3 if you wanted to, but again the phone is locked down so you can't root or SS which makes it kinda useless IMO. As for launchers I use Nova Prime. I really like it and it isn't heavy at all.
Agreed, it's a fantastic device, with an unlocked BL this phone would still smoke the N5 hands down. Heck if I could trade my phone over to an MDL or MDM phone so I could reload a custom rom I'd do it and never think twice about the N5. But with the phone the way it is, it's only a little better than the Iphone. Heck that's where the button came from. If apple wouldn't have fought so hard about the button, the S4 wouldn't have one. I buy android to do what I want, how I want and if I can't do it, I want the ability to make it happen. With an android phone locked and bloated that just doesn't happen and IMO detracts from what Android stands for.
/rant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear you. The locked bootloader on the S4, and now the ATT Note 3 too, really sucks. Every Android phone I have owned, has been rooted, with customer Recovery on it, and ROM's flashed on it all day long. Now this S4 being locked down, is so alien to me, not being able to flash anything on it, I feel stuck, or like an iPhone without a Jailbreak.
Thank God for Root + Wanam Xposed Framework + Nova at least :good:
I blame ATT mainly for this BS. Samsung doesn't lock down other S4's or Note 3's. The International versions, and T-Mobile, and Sprint versions can all be unlocked easily. It's ATT pulling this crap.

The KitKat theme you're running - is it KitKat (Apex Nova Adw theme) by BLADEXDESIGNS?

Zorachus said:
I hear you. The locked bootloader on the S4, and now the ATT Note 3 too, really sucks. Every Android phone I have owned, has been rooted, with customer Recovery on it, and ROM's flashed on it all day long. Now this S4 being locked down, is so alien to me, not being able to flash anything on it, I feel stuck, or like an iPhone without a Jailbreak.
Thank God for Root + Wanam Xposed Framework + Nova at least :good:
I blame ATT mainly for this BS. Samsung doesn't lock down other S4's or Note 3's. The International versions, and T-Mobile, and Sprint versions can all be unlocked easily. It's ATT pulling this crap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you're right that the AT&T phones have been the hardest to crack but rest assured that Samsung will pass these locked bootloader techniques to the rest of them. Samsung has been in so many patent wars with Apple, they're really starting to follow suit with them.
I do mainly blame AT&T as well. their whole fear of network insecurity and "wanting to ensure user's experience" is just bull. They don't know how to manage their network which causes these issues. But I don't lift any responsibility from Sammy either. If Samsung wanted to embrace the true vision of Android they'd follow HTC's model. HTC offers (at least they used to) a "developer" unlock for theirs device from their own website. Sure it would void the warranty, but so does any rooting (which is another rant for another day). I'm voting with my wallet from here on out, no more locked phones and no more Samsung phones until they offer them unlocked as well. And seriously the person who invented the Qfuse needs to be taken out back and beaten with a rubber hose lol.

Theoriginalgiga said:
you're right that the AT&T phones have been the hardest to crack but rest assured that Samsung will pass these locked bootloader techniques to the rest of them. Samsung has been in so many patent wars with Apple, they're really starting to follow suit with them.
I do mainly blame AT&T as well. their whole fear of network insecurity and "wanting to ensure user's experience" is just bull. They don't know how to manage their network which causes these issues. But I don't lift any responsibility from Sammy either. If Samsung wanted to embrace the true vision of Android they'd follow HTC's model. HTC offers (at least they used to) a "developer" unlock for theirs device from their own website. Sure it would void the warranty, but so does any rooting (which is another rant for another day). I'm voting with my wallet from here on out, no more locked phones and no more Samsung phones until they offer them unlocked as well. And seriously the person who invented the Qfuse needs to be taken out back and beaten with a rubber hose lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Next phone I buy sometime in 2014, I will really investigate first, to make sure it can be unlocked easily. But unfortunately, that means paying full price for a 'developer edition' or getting a Nexus phone. I don't see any contract phones being rootable out of the box in the future.
For sure the Galaxy S5 and Note 4, on ATT, will be locked down tight like a submarine, no custom recoveries on those phones. Maybe the upcoming HTC 1 will be unlocked ?
There are only three phones I am interested in 2014;
- Galaxy S5 = Feb / March release, but will be locked down
- HTC 1 = March release, maybe open bootloader ?
- Asus Nexus 6 = October release.

Please take this discussion here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2433789

Explain the reasons for buying this phone

Serious, explain your motivations for deciding to purchase the Note 5. Currently, i have the Tmobile note 4. i want to buy a note 5 but no removable battery, no SD card slot, no Samsung pay if you are rooted, who here is not gonna root their phone? to me this is just an iphone with a better everything, tell me how you think. am i the only one who thinks this is the one of the worse Samsung phone releases?

proman505 said:
Serious, explain your motivations for deciding to purchase the Note 5. Currently, i have the Tmobile note 4. i want to buy a note 5 but no removable battery, no SD card slot, no Samsung pay if you are rooted, who here is not gonna root their phone? to me this is just an iphone with a better everything, tell me how you think. am i the only one who thinks this is the one of the worse Samsung phone releases?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your opinion of it being "worse" is subjective, more in favor of it being not true for most users. This is not like a better iPhone, rather an iPhone is trying to be like it. Don't forget who created / invented the phablet category. It's Samsung, not Apple.
Regardless, the Note 5 is from a hardware stand point an upgrade. That's not a perception nor is it minor. You can't argue the CPU. The SnapDragon 805 in the Note 4 isn't a slouch, but it is at the same time no where in the same league as the Exynos Octa Core. Not even in the same conversation. 1GB of extra RAM may not seem like much, but it's still an upgrade. The Note 3 had 3GB and guess what so does the Note 4. Overall build quality is undeniably better. The Note 5 has better hardware period. = It's an upgrade.
There is no need to justify anything hardware wise by choosing to think that they're minor upgrades when they are not. The Exynos Octa Core CPU alone is worthy of praise to call the Note 5 an upgrade just from that alone. Even if it only came with 3GB and same "everything" else. The issue here is obviously the software and for most on here the inability to remove the battery or having a SD card slot is the culprit. Not the core hardware.
The price tag is also subjective, because for some ~$1000 or not, it's not an issue. Most people pay monthly with a JUMP upgrade from TM, not all up front. Zero down. Zero Interest.
What kills the Note 5 for me is purely the software as LP is becoming more and more locked down with each version.
Storage Solution?
128GB would be plenty + Unlimited Cloud. Airplane? Boonies? Micro USB to USB 3.0 OTG cable for about $1.50 with my 256GB Flash stick. I can't justify the idea of not being able to fit all the movies that I could possibly watch on the 128GB for my usual 5.5-6 hour flight? Even if you were flying from L.A. to London, you'd be able to watch only 6-8 movies and I don't think 128GB (less what the system eats up) is too small for that. That goes for music too....ACC, FLAC or not....if it can go on a microSD it can fit on a regular USB. 3.0 Flash Stick. The point is I think we're making it out to be a bigger issue than it really is. Plugging in an OTG adapter is much faster and easier than taking a case off (for those with cases), popping off the cover, and replacing a microSD. For the nit pickers, yes, wear and tear too. (Which I don't even think about....)
Battery?
My 12,000mAh portable battery bank. Although it's 3000mAh, you also have to factor in efficiency. Bigger is not always better. But then again, this all depends on the software.... The whole time I've had my Note 4, I've never had to swap batteries...it's not really an issue, especially if the software allows for it to be more efficient.
Software?
You're SOL. Sorry. You can thank google for that one. The builds are getting worse and worse.

iunlock said:
Your opinion of it being "worse" is subjective, more in favor of it being not true for most users. This is not like a better iPhone, rather an iPhone is trying to be like it. Don't forget who created / invented the phablet category. It's Samsung, not Apple.
Regardless, the Note 5 is from a hardware stand point an upgrade. That's not a perception nor is it minor. You can't argue the CPU. The SnapDragon 805 in the Note 4 isn't a slouch, but it is at the same time no where in the same league as the Exynos Octa Core. Not even in the same conversation. 1GB of extra RAM may not seem like much, but it's still an upgrade. The Note 3 had 3GB and guess what so does the Note 4. Overall build quality is undeniably better. The Note 5 has better hardware period. = It's an upgrade.
There is no need to justify anything hardware wise by choosing to think that they're minor upgrades when they are not. The Exynos Octa Core CPU alone is worthy of praise to call the Note 5 an upgrade just from that alone. Even if it only came with 3GB and same "everything" else. The issue here is obviously the software and for most on here the inability to remove the battery or having a SD card slot is the culprit. Not the core hardware.
The price tag is also subjective, because for some ~$1000 or not, it's not an issue. Most people pay monthly with a JUMP upgrade from TM, not all up front. Zero down. Zero Interest.
What kills the Note 5 for me is purely the software as LP is becoming more and more locked down with each version.
Storage Solution?
128GB would be plenty + Unlimited Cloud. Airplane? Boonies? Micro USB to USB 3.0 OTG cable for about $1.50 with my 256GB Flash stick. I can't justify the idea of not being able to fit all the movies that I could possibly watch on the 128GB for my usual 5.5-6 hour flight? Even if you were flying from L.A. to London, you'd be able to watch only 6-8 movies and I don't think 128GB (less what the system eats up) is too small for that. That goes for music too....ACC, FLAC or not....if it can go on a microSD it can fit on a regular USB. 3.0 Flash Stick. The point is I think we're making it out to be a bigger issue than it really is. Plugging in an OTG adapter is much faster and easier than taking a case off (for those with cases), popping off the cover, and replacing a microSD. For the nit pickers, yes, wear and tear too. (Which I don't even think about....)
Battery?
My 12,000mAh portable battery bank. Although it's 3000mAh, you also have to factor in efficiency. Bigger is not always better. But then again, this all depends on the software.... The whole time I've had my Note 4, I've never had to swap batteries...it's not really an issue, especially if the software allows for it to be more efficient.
Software?
You're SOL. Sorry. You can thank google for that one. The builds are getting worse and worse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
great points, i am not saying that the note 4 is better than the note 5. in my opinion i think the note 4 is better for me, ill wait until i test the note 5 maybe i will change my mind, but to be honest right now from what i seen of the note 5 will not work for me. the battery life is a big problem with my note 4, most people will just look at the smaller battery and say the battery life is worse than the note 4, but thats false because of the new CPU.

proman505 said:
great points, i am not saying that the note 4 is better than the note 5. in my opinion i think the note 4 is better for me, ill wait until i test the note 5 maybe i will change my mind, but to be honest right now from what i seen of the note 5 will not work for me. the battery life is a big problem with my note 4, most people will just look at the smaller battery and say the battery life is worse than the note 4, but thats false because of the new CPU.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed. The Note 5 feels very premium and it is noticeably lighter in the hands. I personally like the ergonomics of it much better with the curved glass back. Some of the things that I've noticed right away from an outside perspective is that the speaker is much better too. It has much more integrity than the Note 4 and seems to be able to handle higher volumes without sounding tinny or metallic.
The screen, although the same resolution as our Note 4, is much crisper and brighter. It has more of a cool tone (kelvin temp) whereas our Note 4 is a lot warmer and is more yellowish. I prefer the Note 5 screen for sure.
We'll have to wait and see for how well the battery holds up! But then again...it's all in the software so LP just might ruin it for what it could due with a much better custom ROM.

Tried to order the 64gb version but T-Mobile somehow screwed up my account. The only thing I could jump to are some cheesy tablets! Hope they fix this soon!

Here are some pics that I've taken with my Note 4 of the Note 5. Notice how strongly they are pushing the hardware LOL.....which is undeniably better, but lets just hope Lollipop doesn't screw it up.
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jutaejrtouch said:
Tried to order the 64gb version but T-Mobile somehow screwed up my account. The only thing I could jump to are some cheesy tablets! Hope they fix this soon!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange...I've noticed that too...hmmm...

jutaejrtouch said:
Tried to order the 64gb version but T-Mobile somehow screwed up my account. The only thing I could jump to are some cheesy tablets! Hope they fix this soon!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought that I was the only one with that problem. I click upgrade device I get taken to page with tablets, wifi hotspots and the
Gear S (which I already have ironically). Sometimes the upgrade option takes me to a page with phones but if I try to add one the page errors out with "our systems are currently unavailable please try again".

Strange...I've noticed that too...hmmm...[/QUOTE]
nice, lets hope Android M is better. i dont really know much about but seems like that lollipop was all for looks

I agree. M is our only hope. If Google doesn't get their act together, a lot of the phone companies might go elsewhere. Samsung's own OS (Tizen) looks promising. Open source too.

iunlock said:
Indeed. The Note 5 feels very premium and it is noticeably lighter in the hands. I personally like the ergonomics of it much better with the curved glass back. Some of the things that I've noticed right away from an outside perspective is that the speaker is much better too. It has much more integrity than the Note 4 and seems to be able to handle higher volumes without sounding tinny or metallic.
The screen, although the same resolution as our Note 4, is much crisper and brighter. It has more of a cool tone (kelvin temp) whereas our Note 4 is a lot warmer and is more yellowish. I prefer the Note 5 screen for sure.
We'll have to wait and see for how well the battery holds up! But then again...it's all in the software so LP just might ruin it for what it could due with a much better custom ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i cant really use anything but touchwiz because i bought the Gear 2
P.S. not a very good idea. its an amazing watch but i cant use it with CM witch is way better than touchwiz.
P.P.S my S4 has better battery life with the more usage and screen on time. my note 4 doesnt even last till 1 pm, i go to work at 7 am. thats really sad, but you know note 4 has a bigger screen and other stuff that will use more battery but it also has a bigger battery so there is not excuse.

iunlock said:
I agree. M is our only hope. If Google doesn't get their act together, a lot of the phone companies might go elsewhere. Samsung's own OS (Tizen) looks promising. Open source too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tizen is open source? huh i didnt know that, that makes it 10x better in my eyes. i will have to do more research on M but google is very secretive of everything they do

I get 5 hours of screen time on average with my Note 4. It's your software buddy. You should look into the ROM I'm using. PM me if you need help. (See my signature for some info.)
But I hear ya. ..I personally like TW and it works as well if not better than CM with the ROM I'm on.

iunlock said:
I get 5 hours of screen time on average with my Note 4. It's your software buddy. You should look into the ROM I'm using. PM me if you need help. (See my signature for some info.)
But I hear ya. ..I personally like TW and it works as well if not better than CM with the ROM I'm on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'll happily try it because with the battery life im getting right now (like 2-3 hours screen on time) i dont mind going back to kitkat for better battery life.
im having problems with random reboots and bootloops for awhile, even though it worked perfectly fine
i think its the battery, im gonna order a battery from amazon and see ill just use my S4 for now

I have been playing with android M, even though smoother, it is nothing to do jumping jacks for...Android Marshmellow is what Lollipop should have been and should have been the final milestone for lollipop. Lollipop 5.2 maybe?
You will sadly...be disappointed if you are hoping for a big kapow to blow lollipop out of the water.

speedy1979 said:
I thought that I was the only one with that problem. I click upgrade device I get taken to page with tablets, wifi hotspots and the
Gear S (which I already have ironically). Sometimes the upgrade option takes me to a page with phones but if I try to add one the page errors out with "our systems are currently unavailable please try again".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude my coworkers are mad at me because they had to deal with my disappointment lol. Glad to know it wasn't just me.....hang in there I talked to like 3 T-Mobile supervisors and they are working on it. One asked how can we make you a happy T-Mobile customer? My reply, "give it to me free"! Hahahaha!

proman505 said:
Tizen is open source? huh i didnt know that, that makes it 10x better in my eyes. i will have to do more research on M but google is very secretive of everything they do
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. There is a very bright future for Tizen. We shall see soon as it might show up as early as next year in selected devices.

I bought it because I'm attracted to shiny objects. I'm pretty happy with my year-old LG G3, but when I saw the Note 5 in the store, the display simply dazzled me! Also wanted a phone with a great fingerprint sensor, because I'm sick of my phone waking up in my pocket and doing sh!t by itself, but I hate having to do some kind of unlock dance.
I'm a bit irked by not being able to replace the battery, but honestly haven't had to use a second battery since my Galaxy Nexus, several phones ago.

I'm getting it because it feels so much better in the hand than the Note 4, and the performance improvements in hardware are nothing to ignore. I've never really cared all that much about a replaceable battery. The MicroSD situation does irk me a bit, but you have to adapt to the times. I think someday there will be no phones with the slot, and I think I'm OK with that. Between the available storage on board (I'm getting 64GB) and the cloud, it's not really as much of an issue as it used to be.
Also, as I age, I find I'm caring less about root. I do less and less with it every year, and now that I don't even really use TiBu anymore, there's really no point. I just want a fast phone that works with my apps. Note5 fits the bill, and it's sexier than my Note4.

Simple Answers ......... I have had Every Samsung Galaxy and Note devices. The Note 4 is a very nice device.
The Note 5 is 20% faster CPU
Better Software
Better Battery life
Better Camera, Same as the S6 .... The S6 Camera is the 1st decent performing camera on a Samsung devices. So, Those are the Plus's
....... I do not use Pay on my phone so I really do not care about that
The "no sd card" is a bit of a drag but I have a external Memory mini flash that I can use so not such an issue
The Closed battery........ Yeah that bothers me more, but the worst is the glass back.......... looks awesome but is way more vulnerable to breaking, that concerns me
Should have released with 64 gig standard and 128 option, then it would be more palatable...... definitely worth getting
But, either way, Getting mine tomorrow night..........

Im a hard user of phablet, been since note 3, now using note 4. To be honest, all the "issues" pointed here are not such a big deal, a friend of mine, who's Apple hard core user, says that Samsung at last are doing what Apple been doing for years, having one memory internally will make the data transfer faster instead of trying to find it on both, internal and external, it will make the phone faster and finally the OS will work with no lag.
Design on note 5 is beautiful, very premium, internal hardware is a big plus with octacore and 4gb of ram, awesome camera, better software.
Since I have been using smart phones, I have never ever replaced the battery, never care, didn't actually thought about it, I have always had the access to charge it and carry my charges wherever I go, now, the note 5 with fast wireless charger, is a big plus, I was in new york a week ago and I saw in all the Starbucks the wireless charger on the tables, I hope they can have it all over the place, Im pretty sure soon all Starbucks will have it.
Honestly, external memory and battery are not big issues for me, I record bunch of videos and I use the phone for tethering, games, videos more than a regular person and note 5 will be a great upgrade. I have a 32gb note 4 and 16gb external, my internal memory is not even half full, external have a couple of movies.
By the way, sorry for english!
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app

Perplexed S8+/S7E

So a little background...I currently own a LG G4 and my Wife has a G5. Against better judgment my wife decided to ignore my suggestion to put her case back on her phone and of course she dropped it and shattered the screen. I am due for an upgrade and plan on giving her my G4 and I want to upgrade to either the S7 Edge or the new S8+. I was leaning for the S8+ because of the VR that you get for free but was wondering if the S7E would be a better option. I mostly play basic games, FB, and web surf on my phones, and my phone is usually my go to camera and with a baby on the way I want to make sure I have as good of one as I can get. I will use the VR quite a bit I think as long as there are some cool apps out there for it. So basically S8+ or S7E or is the S8 a better option?

Latest is greatest. Go for S8+ or S8. Better screen, bluetooth 5.0, better video card, 2 versions of android from 7 to 9, 64 gb internal etc.

You will most definitely enjoy the amazing S8+ screen if you consume a lot of media and surf the web, and of course VR is improved once again. The S8/S8+ camera is currently the best that there is in any phone, very good at low light, and takes detailed shots with excellent colors.
But you should definitely first try the S8 and S8+ in real life, especially when you have owned a smaller phone like the LG G4 before. I bought the plus version because I have the Galaxy S6 Edge+, and the width of the S8 plus version is almost the same, only a bit taller. The normal S8 is roughly the same size as your previous phone (the LG G4), but still packs a huge display, making it great for media consumption. Buying the normal S8 will only decrease the battery size by 15%, but will cost $100 less (at least where I live, buying the phone unlocked) and you can handle the phone with one hand, while having a huge display for media. Camera and performance are the exact same on both devices.
So, I suggest you to try the phones in real life to see if you like the S8 or the S8+ better, they are the very best that there are right now, and the best that there will be until August. :good:

You would quickly regret getting the s7e IMO. The note 7 spoiled me and the s7e isn't even comparable to it IMO. I'm hoping the s8+ has the same tech (minus exploding batteries) as the note 7.
If you want a s7e bad enough, I will sell you mine on the 21st.

I have never even seen a note 7. To me a stylus would be annoying and slow down using the phone. What were the best things about the note 7? Everyone raves about them hopefully the note 8 is cool

The S7 Edge is a great phone, have it now. May also be the last phone Samsung makes that comes with an unlockable bootloader, root and xposed. I have an S8+ coming but it will be swiftly exchanged for an S7 Edge if it arrives locked down to such an extent that I deem it not to be fundimentally android anymore...

Thanks for the replies. I also agree that if the S8 is locked down to that extent I don't see myself wanting to keep it. It's like buying a house and not being able to decorate it the way you want.

S8 sd835 will for sure be locked down, if I were you I would get the exynos s8. I currently have the s7e so the s8 isn't enticing to me, but if I had anything else I would definitely jump to s8, cameras between the two r basically identical

Shuthefrontdoor said:
S8 sd835 will for sure be locked down, if I were you I would get the exynos s8. I currently have the s7e so the s8 isn't enticing to me, but if I had anything else I would definitely jump to s8, cameras between the two r basically identical
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some are saying exynos to will be equally locked down if thats the case i will return it for the exynos S7 edge; which i have now and i must say, it is awesome! Xposed and root is pretty sweet!

johnwayne27 said:
I have never even seen a note 7. To me a stylus would be annoying and slow down using the phone. What were the best things about the note 7? Everyone raves about them hopefully the note 8 is cool
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The note 7 was just on a different level as far as smoothness/quickness. I'm not sure if it was the processor or just UI differences, but I never had any lag at all on it. I've now had 2 s7e's and they both lag or hesitate when doing simple stuff like pulling up samsung pay. With the note, all I did was swipe up and pay, and with the s7e I have to swipe up and wait for 1 or 2 seconds before the screen becomes responsive again. Its small things like that.

dumpyloser said:
The note 7 was just on a different level as far as smoothness/quickness. I'm not sure if it was the processor or just UI differences, but I never had any lag at all on it. I've now had 2 s7e's and they both lag or hesitate when doing simple stuff like pulling up samsung pay. With the note, all I did was swipe up and pay, and with the s7e I have to swipe up and wait for 1 or 2 seconds before the screen becomes responsive again. Its small things like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The note was on another level. The design was pretty much perfect. Synergies now in the s8 but the height might piss us all off more than we think. Time will tell.
But the note smoothness was real and I fear that we have fond memories of a phone we didn't have long enough for it to "SammySlow" like all their products do. It kills me but I'm gonna take another leap of faith again.
I love my pixel but it's also supremely boring. Had the note never failed I wouldn't have owned the pixel. It teaches you that Google is far superior in software and that pizzazz means a ton more than that to me I guess.
Sent from my Pixel XL using XDA-Developers Legacy app

I am actually considering canceling my S8+ pre-order and getting the S7 Edge mainly because I do NOT want Buzby, the text doesn't go all the way to the Edge on the S8 like it does on the 7 and of course, cheaper.

cantenna said:
Some are saying exynos to will be equally locked down ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Source?
I haven't heard that..
Edit:
This?
Quote:
Finally, the Exynos 8895 also includes what Samsung is calling an “enhanced security sub-system with a separate security processing unit” for use with user authentication, mobile payments, and the like. Based on Samsung’s description this sounds a heck of a lot like Apple’s Secure Enclave, which would be a very welcome development, as in Apple’s case it has made their phones a lot harder to break into.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/11149/...-8895-soc-10nm

spent a couple years in iOS land wanting something different, came back to android for the Note 7. I have had every single note series phone except the note 5, lack of expandable storage ruined it for me (iphone at least had 128gb options)
Note 7 would survive me normal using it, from about 7am to 8-9pm at night and still have 20-25% battery left.
The S7E has been a real POS. Battery life sucks, the curved edge is steeper than the note 7 was and I get phantom touches out the ass that make using the phone a pain sometimes. Phones halffway dead for me by 11am, completely done in by 2pm. Have to then get it to a charger. I feel like I have to baby the phone.
I thought it was the fact the note 7 was on 7.0 and the S7E was on 6.X at the time. We have had 7.0 for a bit and surprise, phone still blows monkey chunks. Even after a factory reset.
I've seen some people luck out, but I've also seen a heavy mass of people have battery life issues. Even after a reset and installing 0 apps.
another thing, while I think about it, the Note 7 was just smooth, no matter how much you threw at it, it felt smooth. The S7E is laggy all the time. If I go in and clear out the ram it's alright for a short bit, then next thing I know it's back to total suck fest.
While I've been told the S7E works as intended, the ram for me is always 75-80% used even after being cleared and no apps running in the background. The note 7 when I had it was often at 40-45% and I don't think I ever saw it past 60%. To me, this is a real confusion and a problem and I assume a massive fault from Samsung in software between the S7E and Note 7.
All said, I cannot WAIT to get my S8+. Even if it just fixes some of the downfalls of the S7E, I'll be so much happier.

dumpyloser said:
You would quickly regret getting the s7e IMO. The note 7 spoiled me and the s7e isn't even comparable to it IMO. I'm hoping the s8+ has the same tech (minus exploding batteries) as the note 7.
If you want a s7e bad enough, I will sell you mine on the 21st.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't agree with you more. I went from the S7E to the Note 7... I then went to the iPhone 7+ just for the resale value this month.
johnwayne27 said:
I have never even seen a note 7. To me a stylus would be annoying and slow down using the phone. What were the best things about the note 7? Everyone raves about them hopefully the note 8 is cool
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Stylus really enhances how the phone is used. I loved it!!!

Eddiemc said:
Source?
I haven't heard that..
Edit:
This?
Quote:
Finally, the Exynos 8895 also includes what Samsung is calling an “enhanced security sub-system with a separate security processing unit” for use with user authentication, mobile payments, and the like. Based on Samsung’s description this sounds a heck of a lot like Apple’s Secure Enclave, which would be a very welcome development, as in Apple’s case it has made their phones a lot harder to break into.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/11149/...-8895-soc-10nm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup! Thats what some folks are saying. Google xda s8 bootloader unlock, you'll see i have exhausted myself advocqting for Samsung to keep android, android (lol)
Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk

nosympathy said:
spent a couple years in iOS land wanting something different, came back to android for the Note 7. I have had every single note series phone except the note 5, lack of expandable storage ruined it for me (iphone at least had 128gb options)
Note 7 would survive me normal using it, from about 7am to 8-9pm at night and still have 20-25% battery left.
The S7E has been a real POS. Battery life sucks, the curved edge is steeper than the note 7 was and I get phantom touches out the ass that make using the phone a pain sometimes. Phones halffway dead for me by 11am, completely done in by 2pm. Have to then get it to a charger. I feel like I have to baby the phone.
I thought it was the fact the note 7 was on 7.0 and the S7E was on 6.X at the time. We have had 7.0 for a bit and surprise, phone still blows monkey chunks. Even after a factory reset.
I've seen some people luck out, but I've also seen a heavy mass of people have battery life issues. Even after a reset and installing 0 apps.
another thing, while I think about it, the Note 7 was just smooth, no matter how much you threw at it, it felt smooth. The S7E is laggy all the time. If I go in and clear out the ram it's alright for a short bit, then next thing I know it's back to total suck fest.
While I've been told the S7E works as intended, the ram for me is always 75-80% used even after being cleared and no apps running in the background. The note 7 when I had it was often at 40-45% and I don't think I ever saw it past 60%. To me, this is a real confusion and a problem and I assume a massive fault from Samsung in software between the S7E and Note 7.
All said, I cannot WAIT to get my S8+. Even if it just fixes some of the downfalls of the S7E, I'll be so much happier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get occasional ram button lag which is frustrating but battery life has been great! Mind you i have been using a custom rom and kernel since i got it. Anyways, a good example why an unlocked bootloader is a good thing!
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dumpyloser said:
The note 7 was just on a different level as far as smoothness/quickness. I'm not sure if it was the processor or just UI differences, but I never had any lag at all on it. I've now had 2 s7e's and they both lag or hesitate when doing simple stuff like pulling up samsung pay. With the note, all I did was swipe up and pay, and with the s7e I have to swipe up and wait for 1 or 2 seconds before the screen becomes responsive again. Its small things like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do realize that the note 7 has the same processor and memory as the s7e right? And now they have the same UI since s7e is now running 7.0. only real difference between the 2 is a slight ergonomics, screen size by .2" and a spen. Of course with the spen was specific software to run the spen.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

cantenna said:
I get occasional ram button lag which is frustrating but battery life has been great! Mind you i have been using a custom rom and kernel since i got it. Anyways, a good example why an unlocked bootloader is a good thing!View attachment 4110962View attachment 4110963
Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think you might be one of the lucky few. Many many people post of the same issues I have. Seems to be a real hit or miss phone. Reminds me of when HTC would sell phones with 3 different grades of processors. You could check which you had. If you lost the lottery and got a low grade one, you had lag and bad battery life. You wouldn't know until you turned it on and checked though.

nosympathy said:
Think you might be one of the lucky few. Many many people post of the same issues I have. Seems to be a real hit or miss phone. Reminds me of when HTC would sell phones with 3 different grades of processors. You could check which you had. If you lost the lottery and got a low grade one, you had lag and bad battery life. You wouldn't know until you turned it on and checked though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive actualy checked my cpu grade, it is the second best one availble, but this battery life is mainly due to having an unlocked bootloader which lets me run xposed tweaks such as Greenify Beta and Amplify, with amplify I have overide system wakelocks. Additionaly, im also running a custom kernel with governor "smartassv2" and for the little core on the cpu i have reduced it to below what is allowed by stock.
This is the advantave of having an unlocked bootloader phone, if you put the time into it, its worth it!
And if my S8 international exynos arrive with an
Un-lockable bootloader, i will simply pack it back up and send it back to Samsung with reason of return:
"this is poopoo"
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