After having this for 2 days now I thought I would post this :
As a Person who has owned every Note device as my daily phone, I thought I would write an Abbreviated 1st impressions, thoughts and review of the New Note 5
First impressions, tend to set opinions before fact……. That said, Samsung did a very nice job on the design and build. It is beautiful to look at… it has a luxury feel and interacting with the device is definitely satisfying.
My only concern is the glass back. That seems to pose a potential break hazard .
The non removable battery and no External SD Card……. Yeah I feel ya, I didn’t like that idea either, but TBH I only used the SD Card for archiving files and a few other things, most of what I use only demands about 10 gigs of space, so it is not a big issue. That coupled with the fact I been using the SanDisk 64 gig mini flash (it has both a micro USB and normal USB that slides). That has been much more useful for me.
There are ways to work around the integrated battery, and ways to mimic pulling the battery ….. so this hasn’t been to much a concern either.
Credit to Mocsab for posting the shutdown methods:
1) just hold power until phone turns off - then restart
2) Hold power, home and volume up - Samsung logo appears - continue to hold - Samsung logo goes black and capacitive buttons flash three times - release - phone goes to recovery - then choose option - reboot or whatever
3) Hold power, volume down and home, when screen goes dark, switch to volume up, power and home - wait until Samsung logo appears - continue holding - when screen goes dark or when capacitive buttons at bottom of phone flash three times release - it goes into recovery - then you can reboot -
Only on the Note 1, did I actually buy a 2nd battery. So, unless you are gaming on this device ….. this battery is plenty
Surprises :
This morning started charging right before taking a 10-15min shower and the was @ 27% battery, got out 10-15 min later was @ 67% ……. THAT is Impressive.
The Camera is actually better performing than the S6, (the software), this camera is finally getting good enough to take decent pixs that even a person like myself who has High end camera equipment can really appreciate the quality.
Another Surprise ……. Its physical size is smaller than the note 4, 3 or 2, it is about the same size as a 5.3-5.5 phone (see attached pixs of a Meizu M1 vs. the Note 5). This fits into my pocket where the Note 4 it was super tight to get in and out.
There are so many little tweaks to mention.... that in the past, I would either have to download or modify, Samsung has taken the time to pre-install these so the customization is more native. This is Samsung commandeering the Dev's and Modders improvements (probably from the XDA members- ) and inserting them directly into the stock experience.
Everything else is all similar to the note 4 with Noticeable improvements. This phone finally gets the S-Pen working in such a way that you will use it without hesitation. They REALLY …… made the S-Pen desirable to use, especially with the instant note taking without opening up the phone…… this is Way useful……
My recommendation is this; if you do not have the Note 4 and want a Note, I would Highly Recommend this device. If, you do not think you will ever use the S-Pen, then get the S-6 or the other iterations of that device. But, if you like the features all the previous Note devices had to offer, this is an interaction delight all codified as the new Note 5.
This is the best Business device out there 2nd to none …and possibly the best device period……. Those are my 1st impressions …….. thanks for reading……….
P.S. The Last Pixs is the Vibrant, S6, Meizu M1 and Note 5 side by side ..... Yes, I still have my 1st Galaxy phone ....running Lollipop....:fingers-crossed:
Nice mini review, helpful for those of us that are on the fence... I'm probably going to get one myself. Still debating though, I hate not having spare batteries.
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I agree with your sentiment, I am really missing vanilla android, may stick with nexus 6 after all
That brought nostalgic memories with that Samsung Vibrant... Those days was.... Ahhh... Memories.
Great mini review! Personally, I love the Note 3, and this just makes Note 5 alluring in ways. Alas, you know my work and travels @oka1! There are times I'm out of the network realm that I have to rely on my SDcard for files, music, etc.
So much choices! Not like before, Vibrant/Captivate was the "it"!
Man those Vibrant days were so damn amazing. Still hard to find a phone with such enjoyable development!
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---------- Post added at 11:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:39 PM ----------
OP, on high brightness and a white background, do you notice screen pwm flickering? On all display models I have seen, it was present and sometimes distracting.
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helikido said:
Man those Vibrant days were so damn amazing. Still hard to find a phone with such enjoyable development!
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---------- Post added at 11:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:39 PM ----------
OP, on high brightness and a white background, do you notice screen pwm flickering? On all display models I have seen, it was present and sometimes distracting.
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Yes...The Vibrant was my 2nd Android device... I had the Dream 1st ......then the HD2.... then the Vibrant, Wow That launched so many into the Android world Cyanogen, Aokp, and others Got their teeth cut on that phone and the rest is History ........... it was and still is alot fun to dev on.........
No, I did not .....I did notice that there is less light leak than my note 4 showed. Once I have it rooted, I ll be able to adjust the lighting and optimize it so that would not occur. My guess if someone experiences that is, a bit of insufficient grounding when the light is maxing out resulting it to waiver from max demand to some safety default. Just a guess though. Adding a slight blue to the white sometimes will provide a better optical white without that demand, but until we get root, look under the hood, and toy with it ......... no way to know for sure.
Nice short review. I too came from the 4 and as of right now couldn't be happier with a stock device. I just wish they had kept the IR blaster, I thought it was a great feature.
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Solid review @oka1 ! Wife just picked up Tmo variant and I have been messing with it all day. Can second all of your findings, phenomenal upgrade from N4
tommason1968 said:
Nice short review. I too came from the 4 and as of right now couldn't be happier with a stock device. I just wish they had kept the IR blaster, I thought it was a great feature.
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yup I kinda wanted the IR Blaster but I am guessing there were not a lot of people you used it ...ergo ... it went away.....
Warrior1975 said:
Nice mini review, helpful for those of us that are on the fence... I'm probably going to get one myself. Still debating though, I hate not having spare batteries.
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Whats up warrior[emoji2] i was like you on the fence because of the battery. Ive had a spare battery for every note since note 2 and loved the option of just switching it out opposed to waiting for a charge. A couple months ago i bought the Anker 24,000 since i have 3 kids with Samsung phones that game all day so im covered there and like oka i was shocked at how fast this phone charges. Really amazing. I set it down to charge, ate lunch and it was at 80% from 4. I think youll be fine especially once we get some rom and kernel development.
@sshafranko-Long time no speak bro!! Hope all is well.
I saw your post in the battery thread, you had incredible battery life. I'm definitely leaning more towards getting this device than not. Before I knew what the deal was, I was going to get it... But as I saw the horror stories, no removable battery and SD card gone, I said no.
Have to change with the times though... I don't think those things matter as much as they once did. I really do prefer having spare batteries, have had 3 for each of my last 4 phones...with the super fast charging, it won't matter much.
Last concern will be development. I'm sure it will be super slow with this device. Note 4 is much less developed than the 3...
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Warrior1975 said:
@sshafranko-Long time no speak bro!! Hope all is well.
I saw your post in the battery thread, you had incredible battery life. I'm definitely leaning more towards getting this device than not. Before I knew what the deal was, I was going to get it... But as I saw the horror stories, no removable battery and SD card gone, I said no.
Have to change with the times though... I don't think those things matter as much as they once did. I really do prefer having spare batteries, have had 3 for each of my last 4 phones...with the super fast charging, it won't matter much.
Last concern will be development. I'm sure it will be super slow with this device. Note 4 is much less developed than the 3...
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Yea i agree with the dev statement but i think that is because the n3 was such a great phone imo prob the best note i ever owned, and the upgrade to n4 wasnt warranted for most people so they stuck it out with the n3 waiting for the 5. I think a lot of people will be on the fence like you because of the battery and storage situation but as time goes by and you hear all the good things about the phone youll dive right in. Not sure if there will be as much dev as the n3 but i think or at least i hope the most important ones will be here. All im looking for is Lean(Imoseyon) and Tweaked(Dwith). Unbeatable combo...keeping my fingers crossed
Dwith would be great to have for sure. There are a couple of good devs here already...so there is hope. I'm more than likely going to get the Note 5. I'll goto tmobile tomorrow. I'm getting more and more excited.
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COMING FROM A GALAXY S6 EDGE, HERE IS MY LITTLE REVIEW NOTE 5 VS GS6 EDGE
Don't want to start an argument just a few things i notice, own both phones.
NOTE 5
much MUCH smoother faster touchwiz no lag/stutter (both factory reset and after same apps installed test)
does not heat up even when gaming. (not even warm)
battery life i get around 5:30-6hr SOT
Screen is about 30-40% brighter, white looks whiter ( i didn't believe until owning both device)
BOTH phone almost same spec but feel like 2 completly different phones. i hate how the edge touchwiz bug down, reload icons and widget, freeze when you are using heavy usage ram apps etc. If you guys can get a hold of the GS6 edge plus rom which is already ported to the edge, try that and see if it fix the issues.
i think the problem is touch wiz (eat so much ram)cause even my note 5 usage at the end of the day is around 87%. (and this is with package disable pro, disabling about 120 background apps which i also used on my edge)
I actually wanted to try the NOTE 5 not for the reason mention above, just that i hate using cases and the Edge is to SHARP to hold for my liking, i was gonna buy the regular GS6 for this reason but since the note 5 was going to be release soon i waited. To my surprise i got much more than what i wanted.
probably will be selling the GS6 edge, right now im using has my daily driver the NOTE 5, love the S-pen make things much easier to screenshot,crop and share which i do often. taken notes when screen is off is so usefull.
Edit: Has of now the built quality has been excellent. No pinkish or color shift screen, no polish scratches in the screen, no lose buttons. The only thing i'm kind of disappointed is that i was expecting a louder speaker, The speaker IS THE SAME has the GS6 edge..... is loud but i would figure with a larger device you would get a larger speaker . I heard the fingerprint scanner is more accurate but i havent try it yet. It seems that ALL NOTE 5 are coming with the SONY LENS CAMERA SENSOR. unlike the GS6 which it was a hit or miss.
Just find out that the IR blaster was stripped therefore can not use the note 5 as a remote control. Samsung and Peel have been working together since the s4, I don't know why in the world that feature too was taken off.
Is there theme store support?
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From what I've read, yes there is.
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chocolatet said:
Is there theme store support?
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Theme support is now part of Toucchwiz...will you use the themes? Thats another story.
For a lady such as myself, I wont mind them...but even I find some of them way too damn cute I just want to gauge my eyes out.
If I ever get a Touchwiz again, I am hopiing there will be better themes out by than
mgbotoe said:
Theme support is now part of Toucchwiz...will you use the themes? Thats another story.
For a lady such as myself, I wont mind them...but even I find some of them way too damn cute I just want to gauge my eyes out.
If I ever get a Touchwiz again, I am hopiing there will be better themes out by than
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I've been using the themes and I Love it. My Wife is running CM On her S5 and the Tw theme store is set up very similar to the CM theme Store.The main difference that I noticed is on the CM theme set up you can pick what part of the Phone you want themed. For e xample you can theme the icons and not the Keyboard. on the new TW theme setup you can't pick what parts to theme it just themes it all or whatever is included in the theme. Who knows the theme devs may Like this setup and we may have a huge selection to piKK from. Well I hope anyway. ALSO its awesome not to have to flash anything, it takes a few seconds to apply a theme. I've been switching between Material dark and Light. Anyway I personaly Love it . Wrote this post with my spen so sry for the grammar errors. ALSO all this can be done 'without root. I think its delicious Like the ribeye I just ate.[emoji2]
sshafranko said:
I've been using the themes and I Love it. My Wife is running CM On her S5 and the Tw theme store is set up very similar to the CM theme Store.The main difference that I noticed is on the CM theme set up you can pick what part of the Phone you want themed. For e xample you can theme the icons and not the Keyboard. on the new TW theme setup you can't pick what parts to theme it just themes it all or whatever is included in the theme. Who knows the theme devs may Like this setup and we may have a huge selection to piKK from. Well I hope anyway. ALSO its awesome not to have to flash anything, it takes a few seconds to apply a theme. I've been switching between Material dark and Light. Anyway I personaly Love it . Wrote this post with my spen so sry for the grammar errors. ALSO all this can be done 'without root. I think its delicious Like the ribeye I just ate.[emoji2]
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CM theme is one of the view decent ones there lol
95% needs work. I'm patiently waiting out for them to open the theme development to more users who play around on XDA, like the themer of the CM theme.
That way I will have choices that are not so cartoonish or just simply bad.
Related
These seem like the three hottest phones right now, and i know i throw this up in the S4 forum so i am sure to get a bit biased replies, i am curious about comparing all 3.
To me it seems like the One has better sound quality and screen, the S4 supposedly has a bit better speeds (and probably best development) and the OGP has biggest screen size.
I don't love the interface design on the One, specifically no menu button or ability to see recently used apps, could be a deal breaker on it's own. The LG phone is an interesting one...seems like a nicely designed phone, and if you don't really have a need for most of Samsung's zany apps and stuff, it might be a great phone. Biggest problem i am worried about is - lack of development. I got burned on an OG Note when the Note 2 arrived and Samsung basically moved on, never to release an official JB version. I would hate to buy into another great phone only to get burned by lack of a following or something.
I'm sure anyone would be happy as a clam with any of these three bad boys, but anyone have an opinion when comparing them first hand?
Dillsnik said:
These seem like the three hottest phones right now, and i know i throw this up in the S4 forum so i am sure to get a bit biased replies, i am curious about comparing all 3.
To me it seems like the One has better sound quality and screen, the S4 supposedly has a bit better speeds (and probably best development) and the OGP has biggest screen size.
I don't love the interface design on the One, specifically no menu button or ability to see recently used apps, could be a deal breaker on it's own. The LG phone is an interesting one...seems like a nicely designed phone, and if you don't really have a need for most of Samsung's zany apps and stuff, it might be a great phone. Biggest problem i am worried about is - lack of development. I got burned on an OG Note when the Note 2 arrived and Samsung basically moved on, never to release an official JB version. I would hate to buy into another great phone only to get burned by lack of a following or something.
I'm sure anyone would be happy as a clam with any of these three bad boys, but anyone have an opinion when comparing them first hand?
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I owned the One for a week and switched it for GS4. The Audio on the One sounds better(double front facing stereo speakers > single backfacing speaker) although the volume is about the same, and the screen is brighter, However the 4MP camera couldn't get enough detail for me and the photos looks really fuzzy on my 1440p screen. The AMOLED screen on the GS4 is beautiful and not too bad in sunlight either(One'LCD is better under the sun, but not much better).
Another benefit of GS4 is that the battery life is significantly better than the One, even when I run the GS4 at max brightness(Dynamic Mode) at all times,
Haven't used an Optimus G Pro, but I have both the One and S4. You're right about the button placement on the HTC, it's infuriating. There are custom kernels that allow you to sweep the capacitive buttons or hold the HTC logo to wake and sleep the phone, but they don't work as reliably as I'd like. The S4 is much better in that sense, in my opinion anyways. I prefer the screen on the HTC. I do a lot of Web browsing and I find it's much easier on the eyes. I've done a factory reset, turned off animations, and disabled S-Voice, but my S4 is noticeably more laggy than the HTC. It's actually shockingly laggy given the hardware. I don't take a ton of pictures, but when I do it's almost always in good lightning conditions, so for me the S4 camera trounces the camera on the HTC.
At this point you honestly can't really go wrong. Battery life is similar for my usage, maybe marginally better on the S4. If you can live with 32gb of storage (realistically about 26gb) I'd go for the HTC.
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I used the Optimus G Pro (OGP) for 2 days before exchanging for a GS4. I exchanged because the battery life on the Optimus G pro was horrible. I had a NOTE II before and that battery would go all day & some. The screen did get a little brighter than the Galaxy S4, but that was the only benefit for me. I changed because of the battery drain, the lack of assessories, and the predicted lack of development. Both have locked bootloaders, but I figured I would get that unlocked sooner on the GS4 and have more ROMS available to me. I did like the customizable options included with the OGP, but I would choose the GS4 over it again if I had a chance.
I have all 3 phones. I use the LG Optimus G Pro as a daily driver at this point as my sgs4 lags big time and battery life sucks. My batter life on LG Optimus G Pro is very good and I have a note 2. I can go two days with heavy usage no issues. The screen is the best on LG Optimus G Pro compared to HTC one and sgs4.
HTC one build, look and feel is the best it is the iPhone of the android world. However I had the capacitive buttons they suck. The sound is better then any phone out there and I think screen looks good but battery life sucks. Will have decent dev support and comes in 64 or 32gb. No removable battery or sd card.
Sgs4 has nice big screen, 16gb storage total crap as 9gb is only use bale, you can get 32gb now. Cheap plastic build feels worst from all 3 phones. The phone is not as smooth as HTC one or LG Optimus G Pro unless you use a custom rom like CM. The size and screen is perfect if you want a bigger screen but not a big phone. Will have decent dev support. Removable battery and sd card slot.
Lg Optimus G Pro comes in 32gb with micro sd and Removable battery. Has best screen from all phones I have. It is super fast and battery is great. Boot loader is locked with no info if it will ever be unlocked so development is none at this point. Screen is 5.5 and 1080p. I like note 2 so this is a direct replacement for it until note 3 comes out. The phone is actually lighter and not as wide as note 2 so easier to hold single handed.
Hope this helps.
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Galaxy s4 Octa is better than all others... GRAPHIC CPU SCREEEN RAM MEMORY DDR2 ETC ETC
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ardianow said:
Galaxy s4 Octa is better than all others... GRAPHIC CPU SCREEEN RAM MEMORY DDR2 ETC ETC
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To bad it's not lte and costs a lot in US to folks like negri or expansys but yeah I agree the intl sgs4 is better always is the case with samsung they give us in US the crap version.
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Of you are looking for development then the answer is simple, GS4. Reason being is Google is releasing an S4 with stock Android and it is supported by Google, not Samsung. We should have the best of both worlds. Pretty easy decision if you ask me
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Have all three, imo its S4, G Pro, One in that order. Ever since development took off for the S4 and the lag was removed, S4 hands down is the best phone on the market (again, imo)...Optimus G Pro was a huge surprise as its an EXCELLENT phone with a great screen and decent battery (nowhere near as good as Note 2, right on par with S4)...the only issues I have with G Pro is reversed capacitive buttons and the screen is impossible to see outdoors, which is when I simply grab my S4 and go...the One is a great phone, I just got too used to physical home button and multi-tasking (through multi-window or Q Slide), plus I really, REALLY don't care for Sense in any of its iterations...G Pro volume is low even with an aux cable in my car, but fine with Bluetooth, S4 is loud, and One is loud. Clearly One wins design, but if functionality is what you want, I'd go with S4 and G Pro every time.
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jev3gs said:
Of you are looking for development then the answer is simple, GS4. Reason being is Google is releasing an S4 with stock Android and it is supported by Google, not Samsung. We should have the best of both worlds. Pretty easy decision if you ask me
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HTC one is also releasing a Google edition this summer so choice is narrowed down again.
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I was another one of those guys on the fence between these three phones. Ended up ruling out the LG for two reasons: I can't stand the gov't issue LG phones they gave us to use at work and I really don't think I can handle lugging around a phone with a 5.5" screen in my uniform all day.
So that put me between the One and S4. While the one is favored for its front-facing speakers and LCD3 screen, it features no removable storage or user-accessible parts. Have a failed battery? Too bad, need to replace your entire phone. Need more space? Too bad, you only get what's on it (even though 64GB isn't too shabby). So, yes, the One is basically the iPhone of the Android world that just so happens to already have a decent amount of development now, but what will it be like when HTC moves on to whatever new phone it chooses to support? Those of us who owned an Evo knows exactly what I'm talking about.
That being said, the consumer-level development on the One is impressive. They've managed to remove the menu bar for apps that aren't ICS-compliant (Viper will, for one) and allowed you to finally bring the clock speeds back up to be comparable to (if not better than...at your own risk) the S4.
I will personally stick with the S4. There's always a bigger push for development for Samsung's phones, they tend to have better resale potential, and I will actually benefit from a user-accessible battery and SD card storage. Since the S4's SD slot is SDXC-compatible, should they manage to find an ability to have a cards' size in excess of 64GB, you've got MONSTER potential for storage.
One more vote for the S4, and not one from a Samsung fanboy. I was reluctant to decide on it after my Epic 4G was an Epic FAIL, but I feel it's the superior phone for me.
I would opt for the Samsung Galaxy S4 just because there is more development in it other then the other two phones. Also IMO the phone is much easier to use and has a smaller learning curve then the HTC One. The lag on the S4 truly sucks but for some reason I feel the lag is going away with time or as apps update so maybe the problem is getting taken care of. I primary feel the lag when receiving text messages. I use the iPhone as my benchmark for software and smoothness and the Galaxy Note 2 was the closest android phone to iPhone in terms of stability lack of lag and reliability. I thought samsung was taking things in the right direction but I feel they took a step back with the S4. Hopefully they redeem themselves!
For me, it came down to how I was going to use the device. Rarely do I play games or watch movies/tv on my phone, so why would I need front facing speakers anyway? I have a bluetooth stereo speaker if I want to listed to music with friends (jawbone). The ability to replace the battery, sd-card, and the lack of a MENU button pushed me over the top for the ONE. With the LG, it ended up just plain being too large, I have enough tablets in my life. The S4 actually isn't that big, the screen is just bigger because there's a smaller bezel. That left me with one choice, the S4, as much as I hate the rounded corners and plastic feel, the first thing we all do is put a case on it anyway.
sabre31 said:
HTC one is also releasing a Google edition this summer so choice is narrowed down again.
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Really? Cause there's no proof of that rumor. HTC denied it anyways so yeah.
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---------- Post added at 09:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:43 PM ----------
thdaddy34 said:
I would opt for the Samsung Galaxy S4 just because there is more development in it other then the other two phones. Also IMO the phone is much easier to use and has a smaller learning curve then the HTC One. The lag on the S4 truly sucks but for some reason I feel the lag is going away with time or as apps update so maybe the problem is getting taken care of. I primary feel the lag when receiving text messages. I use the iPhone as my benchmark for software and smoothness and the Galaxy Note 2 was the closest android phone to iPhone in terms of stability lack of lag and reliability. I thought samsung was taking things in the right direction but I feel they took a step back with the S4. Hopefully they redeem themselves!
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Click to collapse
The note 2 was laggy as first too. It'll be fixed.
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S4 is a piss poor release from Samsung. Let's all get our fanboy hats off for a minute. It will be a good phone do to custom roms and devs supporting like CM. People jumped all over apple for releasing iPhone 5 which was similar to iPhone 4s. Samsung copied and did same thing with s4 compared to s3. Note 2 was stable and lack free from day one I had it and used it every day from first day of release until sgs4 was released. I do have an sgs4 and samsung could have done much better.
sabre31 said:
S4 is a piss poor release from Samsung. Let's all get our fanboy hats off for a minute. It will be a good phone do to custom roms and devs supporting like CM. People jumped all over apple for releasing iPhone 5 which was similar to iPhone 4s. Samsung copied and did same thing with s4 compared to s3. Note 2 was stable and lack free from day one I had it and used it every day from first day of release until sgs4 was released. I do have an sgs4 and samsung could have done much better.
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The gs4 and gs3 was a pretty decent jump. you talk about it so negatively... why do you have it
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jetlitheone said:
The gs4 and gs3 was a pretty decent jump. you talk about it so negatively... why do you have it
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I have all the newest phones but I also am unbiased and don't stick to one brand or phone and call it like it is. With time and with custom roms sgs4 will be good. It is not my daily driver until cm10.1 comes out for it.
It just blows my mind how Samsung got it so right with the Galaxy Note 2 and couldn't replicate it with the Galaxy s4. I would assume all they had to do was take a product or software that was one of their best and improve it but instead they made it worse. I am really hoping for an update to be released soon to fix many of the software glitches. I am also wondering if this is more of an American galaxy s4 problem that's the international version does not suffer from or A cross-platform problem. But other than the occasional lagginess the Galaxy s4 blows away the competition.
sabre31 said:
I have all the newest phones but I also am unbiased and don't stick to one brand or phone and call it like it is. With time and with custom roms sgs4 will be good. It is not my daily driver until cm10.1 comes out for it.
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Same for me. I had the One IPhone 5 and the galaxy note 2 and this is my favorite by far. The lag isn't too bad at all especially with custom kernels and such. Why use cyanogenmod with this though?
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jetlitheone said:
Same for me. I had the One IPhone 5 and the galaxy note 2 and this is my favorite by far. The lag isn't too bad at all especially with custom kernels and such. Why use cyanogenmod with this though?
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To be honest my phone is really lagging I may have a bad unit to be honest I am hoping cm10 will fix this or some custom tw rom. But phone is perfect screen size and size for phone.
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Hello everyone.
So heres how this works,
You can tell everyone what you personally love and hate about your device, even if its been said you can say it as many times as you would like. After all its your own opinion, then we all can share our opinion on what you had to say (in a respectful manor). Simple enough?
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I like:
the gorgeous screen,
the form factor.....It feels right and many other phones feel small
the sdcard slot
the replaceable battery
the IR port
the battery life
wireless Qi charging..Installed my Qi receiver about a week ago.
**thought of another like**
the ease with which I was able to sim unlock my S4
I don't like:
the locked boot loader
the fact that my FIIO E07K headphone amp doesn't work with the S4's usb OTG.
the way the emmc is partitioned, leaving only 9GB or so free on the 16GB version of the S4
I wouldn't call my ATT Galaxy S4 the perfect phone, there's definitely room for improvement, but in my opinion it's still the best phone I've used and I don't regret upgrading from my international i9300 S3 (which is still a great phone. )
love:
Dev support - super easy to root/flash recovery
4.2.2!
customizable toggle/expandable toggles
lock screen music controls
performance
battery life
more logical system menus
hate:
page buddy is gone
single finger zoon is gone
"light" theme compared to "dark" theme of s4, though its growing on me
16 gig is really less than 10 gig
heavily bloated
Here ill go, I love the phone. Specifically the hands free features, I can really wow people with that. I like the fact that this phone has alot of popularity, that means more development!:thumbup: there is not much to say because it speaks for itself!
The only thing I really dislike is the feeling of thinking I'm gonna break it, or the hard time I'm having adjusting to the Samsung keyboard. That's really the only things I don't like really! Haha which one of those isn't even due to the phone it's my own problem. But really this phone is damn near perfect!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
My only complaint is that coming from the Note1 the S4 is way too small. I also miss phablet mode (210dpi is unusable on the s4)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
Braxton355 said:
Here ill go, I love the phone. Specifically the hands free features, I can really wow people with that. I like the fact that this phone has alot of popularity, that means more development!:thumbup: there is not much to say because it speaks for itself!
The only thing I really dislike is the feeling of thinking I'm gonna break it, or the hard time I'm having adjusting to the Samsung keyboard. That's really the only things I don't like really! Haha which one of those isn't even due to the phone it's my own problem. But really this phone is damn near perfect!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Google keyboard from the play store will solve all your woes.
I really like the form factor.
My only complaint thus far, coming from a Nexus device there isn't much development for this phone, comparatively.
I think I also preferred on-screen buttons only vs the physical home button.
davanw said:
I really like the form factor.
My only complaint thus far, coming from a Nexus device there isn't much development for this phone, comparatively.
I think I also preferred on-screen buttons only vs the physical home button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is, this is a newer phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
Having just come back to it from the ONE I can confidently two you that the s4 is the best phone on the market. The display is perfect the home button is a life saver and the overall form factor just works better for me. Now that I've got the Google edition ROM I've basically got a 5 inch 1080p display Nexus with removable battery and expandable memory with the perfect button setup!
Sent from my SGH-I337 using xda premium
Coming from the IOS world, I can honestly say I'm glad I made the switch to Android.
What I like:
Size/Form Factor
Removable Battery
Smart Screen, Motion Gestures
Built in Call blocking features
Removable SD Card
Being able to flash ROM's
Not having to have dedicated software for my apps..ie..iTunes
Dev support
What I don't like:
The plastic back. It wasn't a deal breaker I just don't like how it feels.
The speaker is on the back of the phone.
S-Voice, I really relied on Siri and S-Voice just doesn't cut it to me
ddre73 said:
Coming from the IOS world, I can honestly say I'm glad I made the switch to Android.
What I like:
Size/Form Factor
Removable Battery
Smart Screen, Motion Gestures
Built in Call blocking features
Removable SD Card
Being able to flash ROM's
Not having to have dedicated software for my apps..ie..iTunes
Dev support
What I don't like:
The plastic back. It wasn't a deal breaker I just don't like how it feels.
The speaker is on the back of the phone.
S-Voice, I really relied on Siri and S-Voice just doesn't cut it to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S voice is junk compared to Google now. Witch you do have I believe by double tapping your home button or one of those. Google now > siri
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
It's been amazing so far since i bought this device. Coming from the HTC One X which was also a great device but felt like a huge upgrade when i got the S4
Things i like:
External SD
Great Battery life
IR Blaster
Smart Stay
Amoled Display (really missed it from my samsung captivate and nexus s)
Nottach Xposed (so many tweaks and customization)
Dev support is great and we can run international roms with a loki'd kernel. What's not to like
Maybe the only thing i dislike or taking a bit time to get use to is the home button. I have gotten use to having all capacitive buttons. Will miss the sweep2wake feature i had with the One X a little.
s1l3nt said:
It's been amazing so far since i bought this device. Coming from the HTC One X which was also a great device but felt like a huge upgrade when i got the S4
Things i like:
External SD
Great Battery life
IR Blaster
Smart Stay
Amoled Display (really missed it from my samsung captivate and nexus s)
Nottach Xposed (so many tweaks and customization)
Dev support is great and we can run international roms with a loki'd kernel. What's not to like
Maybe the only thing i dislike or taking a bit time to get use to is the home button. I have gotten use to having all capacitive buttons. Will miss the sweep2wake feature i had with the One X a little.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came from the one x also and I agree sweep2wake was an awesome feature!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
Dislike how my phone lags at times
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
Love:
Clarity of screen (coming from an S2)
Smooth feel of its operations
802.11ac (seriously, invest in a 802.11ac router and stream 1080p from your phone. It's sick)
Some of the camera options and quality
Battery life
Dislike:
AMOLED is made of egg shells
Stock body is slippery as heck (compared to the friction back of the S2)
Bloatware like made
Shakey cam before fine tuning.
Still love this phone. I don't care if I spent $200 to repair it's first cracked screen. This phone is well worth it. Can't wait to finish my current development project and go back to Android dev work.
Sent from my Galaxy S4 on Tapatalk 2
Like:
Beautiful display
Fast and powerful
32gb option
Sd card
removable battery
Dislike:
physical home button
bloatware (rooted and froze it)
speaker on the back
body is slippery (use a case most of the time but would like to go naked sometimes)
Overall I love this phone, I was unhappy with touchwiz, but Google edtion rom has "fixed" all my software woes.
My only complaint is about the buttons at the bottom of the screen, they are so close to the amoled, i often accidentally "hit" items at the bottom when clicking menu, home, back etc...
Braxton355 said:
Dislike how my phone lags at times
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. My note2 didn't lag like this. Rooted gs4.
I'm surprised how good the battery life is. Easier to pocket due to smaller size.
Braxton355 said:
Dislike how my phone lags at times
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same here I had tried all Stock based ROMS and the lag still there,,, the only ROM that doesn't lag is AOKP, but I'm not a fan of AOSP.
eortizr said:
same here I had tried all Stock based ROMS and the lag still there,,, the only ROM that doesn't lag is AOKP, but I'm not a fan of AOSP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RCranium666 said:
This. My note2 didn't lag like this. Rooted gs4.
I'm surprised how good the battery life is. Easier to pocket due to smaller size.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this and see if it helps
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2345856
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
Figured we needed one of these since of all the hate threads when clearly most problems people are having is due to the user, People should know this is a great phone, The best I've had so far since coming from s3/note 2/xperia z/s4.
Post what you most enjoy about the note 3 to show it's not a dissapointment!
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium HD app
The people enjoying it are probably not posting here
Yeah you're probably right but still, it would be nice for people to show the good side of the note 3 for others considering it
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium HD app
I just responded in a "Note3 Disappointment" thread on how these lengthy negative "opinions" feels almost strategic in a way.
I've recently read articles on how businesses would hire ordinary folks to post positive comments on different popular comment boards and forums. It feels like this forum has been targeted by negative postings to try to sway potential buyers from purchasing a Note3.
I'm just saying.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I spent a good amount of time with the Note 3 at an AT&T store today and I was blown away by it. It meets all of my expectations and needs handily. (I'm hoping the t-mobile network will satisfy as well )
-I like the plastic back. It's textured and has great feel.
-I love how thin it is (even with a SpiGen Bounce case I'm expecting it to be pretty svelt) - the Note 2 felt a bit chunky to me (thick).
-The screen size is perfect - I won't miss my Nexus 7 (and I love my N7)
-The screen is gorgeous. Colors are vivid and the display is clear.
-The massive array of settings, configuration options, and functions make me more than happy to "deal with" Touchwiz. I haven't liked Touchwiz since the Gingerbread days... The Note 3 looks to change that.
-Performance was beyond expectations. Super fluid and without lag. The experience was seamless and performance is blistering.
-There is no other device that competes with the Note 3 - The SPen and its functionality set the Note 3 apart from the pack. This is the only phone I would purchase at this point in time (for my needs).
-It's drop-dead sexy in white. Black has been done to death - mix it up!
I can't wait for mine to come in
I have the s4 and cant wait to play wit the N3 in a few days... ive been reading the the pros and cons threads and some of the ppl just complain about everything... I love TW just not all the bloatware that att puts on it but thats why we root it to change it all up to our liking...anyways thanks for the postive thread it will make my decision a lil easier
Thanks
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app
lawalty said:
I just responded in a "Note3 Disappointment" thread on how these lengthy negative "opinions" feels almost strategic in a way.
I've recently read articles on how businesses would hire ordinary folks to post positive comments on different popular comment boards and forums. It feels like this forum has been targeted by negative postings to try to sway potential buyers from purchasing a Note3.
I'm just saying.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, no kidding, the word premium is repeated over and over when referring to other devices and plastic when referring to the note 3, most of the other gripes are from people that didn't do any research, the back was never advertised as leather, I don't. Know what people were expecting, the sound quality of the speaker.? Seriously? They would have been griping about the bezel size if they put forward facing speakers.
Who would honestly think the back would be made from leather?? Dear me...
I've come from an HTC one (and galaxy nexus, moto razr i, S2 and Tab 7.7) and I'm really liking the Note 3.
Size wise, it''s hard to explain but it's small enough to still be a phone but the screen is large enough (and pixel dense enough) to use as a bridge device. I wanted something that could replace using a PC/laptop for most things (I will always use a PC/laptop for work though) and this seems to be doing it for me.
Speed wise, it's as fast and as smooth as anything I have ever used. I'm not a touchwiz fan so I am using nova launcher but I will admit that touchwiz is very smooth and quick, I just don't like the grid size and icons. The home screen is smooth, apps open pretty much instantly and it seems happy to play any type of media format you throw at it.
I am an AMOLED whore so I love the screen, it's all about the true black for me. I really liked the HTC one screen so it's nice to have an AMOLED screen with a similar sharpness to that of the HTC. Icons and text look nice and smooth and images/video look incredible.
The pen has proven to be quite useful as I like to write down what parts/stuff that I need for work as I am working through things and I am less likely to misplace my note 3 than I am a post-it note.
I am happy with the battery cover as well. I am on my second device as the first had some dust or something in the screen and my replacement has a battery cover that is much softer feel than the first. Does it feel like leather? I think so, or does leather feel like soft touch plastic?
All in all, this is the best mobile device I have ever used and will probably result in the Tab 7.7 being retired.
The Note 3 is many things and will probably appeal to many people. For me a Smartphone is primarily a business productivity tool. This incarnation of the Note is better than all others. The S Pen is more precise for note taking, Action Memo is a great addition. The multi screen is now better because of the higher resolution and new copy and paste controls. The music playback on headphones is very good and probably better than the HTC One. Finally the large screen and speed make the device a joy to use. I don't mind the plastic body as I'll be using it mainly in the S View case, which itself adds to the usability of the Note 3.
Sent from my GT-I9295 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
What Color?
Hi, all. This week will be my first ever Samsung phone. I'm jumping ship from my HTC One S for something bigger. Don't get me wrong I have been extremely happy with my HTC phone. Camera has been it's best feature. My question is should I get the white or black Note 3? It appears with the amazing screen the black accentuates the screen better. Is that true? Thoughts?
Had started that the other day due to the typical trolling and I didn't want anyone to be pit off this awesome phone http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2462220
Sent from my HTC One using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I love the sound from the wolfson audio chip. My IEMs have a new breath of life. Definitely the most underated feature of Note 3. For audiophiles, the Note 3 will not dissapoint!
BigBernardAgain said:
Who would honestly think the back would be made from leather?? Dear me...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's because people are so used to fake leather now they don't bother saying it's fake/faux or pleather anymore. It bugs me enough that when I see a review or product recommendation saying leather I almost always take the time to look at the product description long enough to confirm that it isn't REAL leather.
I actually think the hard plastic leather-look material makes a device look tacky/cheap compared to the normal shiny plastic Samsung normally uses. I sorta prefer the grippy soft plastic on the back of my Nexus 10.
It's all fashion & marketing. Sometimes aluminum is in style, or glass, or leather, or plastic. Whatever we haven't been seeing a lot of lately, or whatever is used on the latest hot selling item.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
I really like this phone visually & so pleased it has a raised edge for the screen protector. I always fit them.
I had the "serviceindex" issue which made it hard to use for the 1st 2 days.
The corrupt file causing it was a .pdf on my SD making my N3 really play up & freeze every 45 seconds while using the handset & thats certainly not "user caused" as it's a file that opened & worked perfectly safely on my N1 & N2.
Anyway after hours spent identifying the problem file & removing it I could enjoy all the amazing features of this superb phone.
I highly recommend it & think the Note 2 had a cheap look compared to these.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app
misterashman said:
Yeah you're probably right but still, it would be nice for people to show the good side of the note 3 for others considering it
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm still restoring all my stuff from Titanium Backup..., looooooong wait, lots of Apps / Games
other than that, I'm very happy with this phone, very fast overall
AllGamer said:
I'm still restoring all my stuff from Titanium Backup..., looooooong wait, lots of Apps / Games
other than that, I'm very happy with this phone, very fast overall
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try using Helium instead, I've never tried Titanium Backup though
Maybe it will be faster for you in the future
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.backup&hl=en_GB
Its everything I wanted. The looks of the Note 1 and so smooth, so powerful, and a shining example of how good Android is. Phone of the year and I hope to have it for many years, like the HD2 and the Note 1 (until it got stolen last week, which was bittersweet for obvious reasons )
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
smeddy said:
Its everything I wanted. The looks of the Note 1 and so smooth, so powerful, and a shining example of how good Android is. Phone of the year and I hope to have it for many years, like the HD2 and the Note 1 (until it got stolen last week, which was bittersweet for obvious reasons )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree its more like a style progression from note 1 & I am pleased they did it. Note2 was a cool looking phone but Note 3 has Class!
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app
This is seriously the best phone I ever had. The note 1 and 2 were already good, but the note 3 excels for me.
Beautiful full hd screen, very useful extra functions for the s-pen, the ir-blaster, the 13mp cam, the stylish looks and feels (indeed a little bit more note 1 style), the speed, men what a phone! And because it's so fully featured out of the box I think I could live with NOT rooting the device to get the functionality line up with my requirements.
Hello
Has anyone defected from note 2? I am really eager to pull the trigger myself. Getting tired of flashing roms just want pure google stock experience. I am having a tough time letting go of this insane battery life tho as well as the 5.5 screen. How is the camera compared to note 2? Thanks for info!
Sent from SGH-T889v Canadian Wind Mobile
I did but I'm kinda regretting activating my nexus right away because I've lost hotspot now. The speaker Note2 seems louder than the N5. I was having second thoughts about going to a smaller screen but I find it easier to read text on N5. At first the N5 seemed small but they did a good job squeezing a 5in screen in.
I did. Only reason I did though is because my Note 2 screen has been acting up every since I had the glass replaced. I also had the spare battery cradle/charger with the note 2, so going from literally never having to charge my phone (only swap batteries every other day) is going to be pretty rough. Overall I was with you though, tired of flashing roms to get latest android. It is smaller, but definitely not terribly small like some other phones out there. Camera differences are negligible, but I only did a side by side in my room with the light on, so take that for what it's worth.
I'll probably be selling the note 2 on ebay/craigslist once I finally get it fixed. Nexus 5 seems like a solid device, already got some goodies coming for it, including a wireless charging pad.
I'm jumping ship. I'm just tired of having insane specs on a phone just to run TouchWiz. I've tried some AOSP ROMs but seems like there's always a small issue or two that keeps from being a great daily driver. I'm currently on CM 10.1 but still run into issues with GPS and camera.
I'm going to Nexus to run pure Android. I don't need s-pens and cameras watching me watching my phone. My only concern switching is related to Sprint, not N5. Sprint has an awesome visual voicemail feature which doesn't seem to be working well with Hangouts on the Note 2. I'll have to see how voicemail is handled on the N5 since Sprint is hands off.
I am jumping from the Note 2 as well. Just time for something new. I would have gone with the Note 3, but the lack of access to Sprint Spark network was a deal breaker. The size reduction will be welcome, though. Even though I like the Note 2 size well enough, it does get in the way at times.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk 4
I'm jumping ship as well. Don't get me wrong, I love my Galaxy Note 2, but as others have said, I value having the latest version of Android without the bloatware. I also find that when I'm going somewhere where I know I will be heavily surfing the net or otherwise needing a large screen, I take my Nexus 7 or Chromebook Pixel. The need for a phablet, while novel at first, has really just become cumbersome to carry around. I also rarely use the S-Pen. The AMOLED screen always annoyed me too -- way over-saturated (great blacks, though). I look forward to OIS on the N5, as a sharp picture on the Note2 is as rare as hen's teeth. The only things I will really miss are the microSD card, removable battery, and OEM flip cover (with built in back cover).
Wow i didnt expect so many replies in such short time. I agree with most of your comments. The battery might not be that big of an issue. I can buy a spare charger and keep it in my office as well as one in the car and i am covered all the way. Not having to wait for samsung to update the software will be a blessing. Besides 4.3 isnt even out and kit kat will be the last update and it might not even come around till early 2015 the way they are going. They have already decided not to port over all of the note 3 features on the 2. All these years i have been flashing and dealing with bugs and annoyances. Time to get something that works out of the box and gets timely updates.
Sent from SGH-T889v Canadian Wind Mobile
vseslija said:
Wow i didnt expect so many replies in such short time. I agree with most of your comments. The battery might not be that big of an issue. I can buy a spare charger and keep it in my office as well as one in the car and i am covered all the way. Not having to wait for samsung to update the software will be a blessing. Besides 4.3 isnt even out and kit kat will be the last update and it might not even come around till early 2015 the way they are going. They have already decided not to port over all of the note 3 features on the 2. All these years i have been flashing and dealing with bugs and annoyances. Time to get something that works out of the box and gets timely updates.
Sent from SGH-T889v Canadian Wind Mobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was debating between a note 3, g2, and the n5. and it's posts like these that make me glad I waited and am getting the n5. my only other android device is the N4, so bloatware, delayed updates, and bugs with custom roms is something that I thought about, but never put too much weight behind them until i see posts like this
I have a gnii and should get my nexus 5 tomorrow. I am hesitant to goto a smaller screen...I love the gigantic glowing blob of a phone. I have the r950 us cellular note 2...so dev. Is limited. I can wait for the plethora of roms and kernels. The s-pen is cool and all...although i havent ran a stock rom for ages. So i dont think I will miss using it to draw dicks on the snapchats all that much.
have high hopes for the nexus, enough to pay my etf and ditch the contract life. USCC sucks so much. That is another huge reason I'm counting on this new nexus.
PearcePowers said:
I'm jumping ship as well. Don't get me wrong, I love my Galaxy Note 2, but as others have said, I value having the latest version of Android without the bloatware. I also find that when I'm going somewhere where I know I will be heavily surfing the net or otherwise needing a large screen, I take my Nexus 7 or Chromebook Pixel. The need for a phablet, while novel at first, has really just become cumbersome to carry around. I also rarely use the S-Pen. The AMOLED screen always annoyed me too -- way over-saturated (great blacks, though). I look forward to OIS on the N5, as a sharp picture on the Note2 is as rare as hen's teeth. The only things I will really miss are the microSD card, removable battery, and OEM flip cover (with built in back cover).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
QFT. I really liked having a phablet when I didn't have a good small form tablet to turn to. Also, I found that actually writing/drawing on the Note 2 was difficult. I now have a Note 8, which is the perfect size for that kind of functionality. Now I can return to a smaller form factor for my phone.
I, too, will miss the HUGE, removable battery. But those are the breaks. I'm hoping that battery performance for me is at least good enough to approximate my Note 2 use. May be picking up a battery pack at some point, too.
Well, here's my thoughts. I've been with Samsung exclusively for a while now. Last non Samsung phone I had was the HTC Evo 3d. Loved that phone. I had the Galaxy s3, the note 3, the s6 edge plus, then the note 7.
First, there is no denying that the Samsung is sexier than the v20. There's really no contest there. The all glass/metal construction of the Samsungs is beautiful. When I got the recall notice for the 2nd time my initial plan was to say "never Samsung again". My coworker had a n7 too, and swapped for a S7 Edge. I held the phone and absolutely loved the look and feel of it. I regretfully decided to give Sam one more chance. I called around to every tmo in Charlotte and finally found one that had two s7e in Stock. My wife also had a n7, we pretty much always have the same flagship device.
We drove across town to get it, and the rep informed me that would have to pay 180 down for EACH new device. I protested saying there is no way in hell I'm paying as multiple tmo reps told me I could just come in and swap, but he wouldn't budge. I left furious.
After calming down I decided to call tmo and just order the two s7e. The rep told me I'd have to go the store again, ugh.... I explained the entire story to her and she took mercy on me saying she would just send the phones to me no money down and I could just return the n7s to my local store. Thank God.
Then she tells me the s7e is on backorder until Nov 28th. This wasn't acceptable. Then it hit me: the universe was pushing me towards LG. I asked if we could just pre-order two v20, and she said of course. We even get the cool headphones.
That was Monday. We received the new phones Wednesday (9 days before launch, nice touch tmo!) and immediately opened them up.
Now, I've never had an LG phone before. Maybe before smart phones, but never a smart LG. So being that I was so accustomed to Samsung I'll admit I was a little disappointed when I first held the phone. It just wasn't quite as "sexy" as the note 7 was. Not even close, really.
But, after using it for a day, I've come to a few conclusions. First, the design on the v20 is much more "industrial", and I don't mean that in a bad way. It definitely feels much sturdier than the Samsungs, and though it's a trade off on looks, it's a win on functionality.
The software, I quickly learned, is the undeniably faster than the n7. I had such a hard time admitting to myself when I had the note that a 900 dollar flagship could be laggy, but It really was. I've been using Samsung so long I apparently grew accustomed to the lag. This is NOT the case with the LG. Even with all my apps installed (and I have a lot) it's not laggy in the least bit. Again, you trade off some of the sexiness of TouchWiz, but get more functionality.
A removable battery? What a novel idea. It's been years since I've had one. This means of course that the phone isn't completely sealed, which again trades sexiness for functionality.
The only thing that really disappointed me was the lack of water resistance. That was a feature I was truly excited about on the Sam, because I love taking photos and the prospect of pulling out my cam in the pouring down rain was a cool one. So one strike there.
I thoroughly enjoyed the "always on" display of the note 7. Functionally wise, the second screen for the LG does the same, in fact more. I'm still getting used to it, but I really love being able to access things like flashlight and settings instantly. This is definitely not a gimmick to me.
The screen? Jury's out for me on that one. The note 7 was absolute dropping, but it's not like the LG is a slouch. I mean really guys, 2k on any screen this small is going to look amazing. I do miss those amoled blacks, though. I'll admit that.
What will TRULY make this phone amazing for me though is if we find out the bootloader is unlocked. I regret deeply that I haven't been able to root my last 3 phones because Samsung keeps everything knoxed up so tight. If I can root and start installing custom ROMs, I'll be like a fat little prick in a snickers factory. I'll be quite happy.
Android 7 is exactly what I expected, amazing.
I can't believe I actually considered iPhone after the n7 debacle. I read reviews from lifelong Android users that switched to iPhone and they all said after a month they were begging for their Androids back. I'm so deeply ingrained in Googles ecosystem that it wouldn't have been feasible. Not to mention my entire smart home/entertainment pretty much requires I have android.
I hope this will help someone decide.
Oh, one other thing, I LOVE that LG included a IR blaster on this phone. It's something so simple but I LOVE being able to turn my TV on and off from my phone. Well done LG!
thatisandwas said:
....sexiness of TouchWiz ....
I hope this will help someone decide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But there is something that people either dont know, or dont understand. Touchwiz interface is mainly a launcher with few other things added to the UI. (settings and camera look). But the launcher part, it can be easily fixed. Just download the TouchWiz launcher and you are good to go! you have the launcher in the play store, and it will definitely work on the LG V20
Good point! I'm more of a Nova / Google now launcher guy, depends on how I'm feeling. But an excellent tip for those on the fence!
Well here's my thoughts. I've had the phone for about 6 hours now and I haven't put it down. Its extremely light and fits in my hands perfectly. As stated above its not as sleek as the n7, but ill be throwing this in a case soon so that's not an issue for me.
Pros...its fast. Zero lag. The audio is phenomenal in my opinion. The audio volume is high too, you don't want to turn it all the way up with headphones.
I really like the dual screen. I like to have notices pop up and I like flipping between a ps.
Downside...its not a blazingly crisp screen. Its like the note 4...a step behind the note 5.
Its going to take some getting used to having all your apps on the screens instead of an app drawer. Its a pain to find apps because I don't know how to alphabetically sort them.
That's the worst I can mention
Batter life is ok so far...it is slow to charge though. I've charged it twice about 40% each.
Hoping we are bootloader unlocked. If we get that I'd give this phone 5 stars.
bjhatch said:
... Its going to take some getting used to having all your apps on the screens instead of an app drawer. Its a pain to find apps because I don't know how to alphabetically sort them....
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To activate appdrawer, read this: http://www.androidauthority.com/lg-v20-tips-and-tricks-716837/
bjhatch said:
Hoping we are bootloader unlocked. If we get that I'd give this phone 5 stars.
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And if you happen to have tmobile's variant, then congratulations, you get unlockable bootloader (already confirmed) >>> although not root yet
joseguillen1994 said:
But there is something that people either dont know, or dont understand. Touchwiz interface is mainly a launcher with few other things added to the UI. (settings and camera look). But the launcher part, it can be easily fixed. Just download the TouchWiz launcher and you are good to go! you have the launcher in the play store, and it will definitely work on the LG V20
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I hate when people say this. TouchWiz is the entire UI, apps, and framework, the launcher is just one aspect of it. Yes you can replace the launcher but that doesn't make the device not run TouchWiz.
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Nick281051 said:
I hate when people say this. TouchWiz is the entire UI, apps, and framework, the launcher is just one aspect of it. Yes you can replace the launcher but that doesn't make the device not run TouchWiz.
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Lol i never said you would get the whole TouchWiz package. I said "Only the launcher part", I know TouchWiz is more than just the launcher , settings and camera interface as i said. However, since the V20 is not a samsung , there is no way you can get the full TouchWiz package, only the launcher. And people will have to adjust to that like it or not. Its either keep the phone or go back to samsung
joseguillen1994 said:
To activate appdrawer, read this: http://www.androidauthority.com/lg-v20-tips-and-tricks-716837/
And if you happen to have tmobile's variant, then congratulations, you get unlockable bootloader (already confirmed) >>> although not root yet
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Click to collapse
Thanks for that, just figured out how to enable the app drawer...this is 100x better.
joseguillen1994 said:
Lol i never said you would get the whole TouchWiz package. I said "Only the launcher part", I know TouchWiz is more than just the launcher , settings and camera interface as i said. However, since the V20 is not a samsung , there is no way you can get the full TouchWiz package, only the launcher. And people will have to adjust to that like it or not. Its either keep the phone or go back to samsung
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Just the way you said it seemed like you were trying to say that it was just a couple of minor changes and not fundamental changes to base stock Android is all but I see what you're saying now
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Nick281051 said:
Just the way you said it seemed like you were trying to say that it was just a couple of minor changes and not fundamental changes to base stock Android is all but I see what you're saying now
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N930A using Tapatalk
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Yeah, i figure that part of the post might be misunderstood at some point along the way lol.
joseguillen1994 said:
To activate appdrawer, read this: http://www.androidauthority.com/lg-v20-tips-and-tricks-716837/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you so much for this. this is just what i needed
Exactly what I wanted to hear!
I am coming from a S7E and that phone itself is literally a bad ass electronic device.
The reason I am upgrading is....i dont know really, my addiction to smartphones? I guess it dwells down to wanting to have the latest OS update honestly. And the only two phones that are running it out the box happen to be TWO very awesome devices.
The reason why I went with the V20 over the PIXEL XL are because of availability mostly. But then I started to think, the option to remove the battery and expand storage is a plus! So I am not too concerned with my decision.
Things that I was on the fence about, Camera and screen quality. I guess I can live with having second best in both of those categories. As long as it isnt the worst then I can accept it.
Cant wait to receive this baby, I have two cases waiting already. WOOHOO!
Oh, I also tried the IPhone 7 route. I thought maybe I could finally sway away from Android since Apple has finally made a no compromise phone...wrong. The hardware is fantastic...but Apple doesnt do notifications and other small tasks as well as Android. I returned the device after 12 days of use. The Jet Black paint also scratched in that time frame. Glad I will be back on an Android.
Came from an S7E(also own a HTC 10)and man is it way faster. You mentioned the Note 7 was laggy the S7E was laggy as hell for me and I owned three different ones. Here are some quick observations.
-Battery life is great especially on Standby(thanks in part to Nougat's new doze)
-The Screen is not bad as some people say. It looks great, yes it's not Amoled but Blacks look suprisingly good.
-At night there is light bleed from the second screen that is very noticeable
-Sound is Killer on this, surpasses the HTC 10 which also has great audio
-No waterproof sucks, didn't know I would miss this
-My only quirk with the Software is the settings menu. I reccomend changing the theme to the High Contrast theme and also changing the DPI size
But ya Great Phone, haven't had a chance to test out the rear camera, but from what I can tell the front camera is only meh
Is it just me or is the fingerprint sensor on this wayyyyy better than the Note7? It seems to get my finger every single time (even when it's not on there that well). The Note7 would struggle a lot and say it didn't get it. Like others, I'm not too crazy about the placement of it but I'm sure it'll grow on me with use. Just not used to it yet. Having the option for a "knock code" while the screen is off is really nice and makes up for it. I will agree I liked the amoled screen on the Note better but it's not that big of a deal to me. I feel like I'm in the minority but I actually liked the look of the edge screen and how it made the profile of the phone smaller. Yes, the functionality of it was really gimmicky but it made it look nice. Overall I'm happy with this phone so far though.
@volfan22 @adolfo778 thanks for sharing guys! You have convinced me to at least try out the v20. Put in a pre-order today!
volfan22 said:
Is it just me or is the fingerprint sensor on this wayyyyy better than the Note7? It seems to get my finger every single time (even when it's not on there that well). The Note7 would struggle a lot and say it didn't get it. Like others, I'm not too crazy about the placement of it but I'm sure it'll grow on me with use. Just not used to it yet. Having the option for a "knock code" while the screen is off is really nice and makes up for it. I will agree I liked the amoled screen on the Note better but it's not that big of a deal to me. I feel like I'm in the minority but I actually liked the look of the edge screen and how it made the profile of the phone smaller. Yes, the functionality of it was really gimmicky but it made it look nice. Overall I'm happy with this phone so far though.
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No the fingerprint reader is as it should be on any phone. Super fast and accurate. The Note7 one was crap and an embarrassment for that phone. The Note 7 had so many little flaws that I am glad it went into flames. Seriously. The fingerprint reader on the Nexus 6P was similar to the V20 one. When I got my note 7 I was so disappointed: It was slow, inaccurate and you physically had to press the key which was just stupid.
mgymnop said:
No the fingerprint reader is as it should be on any phone. Super fast and accurate. The Note7 one was crap and an embarrassment for that phone. The Note 7 had so many little flaws that I am glad it went into flames. Seriously. The fingerprint reader on the Nexus 6P was similar to the V20 one. When I got my note 7 I was so disappointed: It was slow, inaccurate and you physically had to press the key which was just stupid.
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The Note7 was the 1st phone I've had with a fingerprint scanner and after getting this phone, it's crazy to see how different they are. You're right, the scanner on the Note blows lol.
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Seriously though. This smartphone is getting better and better for me everyday. I have 65 apps (USER APPS ) installed and many of then constantly synch, and the battery could easily last for more than 2 days if i dont use it alot . (I said easily, so it means it could be even more)
I was one of the ones that stitched to an iPhone after being an Android user since the G1. I lasted 6 months before I was back to Android. If Apple opened up the API then I could deal with it but simple tasks I took for granted on Android were hard to accomplish on iOS. That being said, I use an iPad because I think iOS has Android beat on tablets.
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