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[Q] Surface Pro?

First off let me start by saying that I just picked up the Note 10.1 and I love it. However with the Surface Pro right around the corner I am wondering if I should return my Note and wait for the Surface? I realize the the Surface will be a little more money and for the purpose of this thread I would like to leave the price out of it. I would like to focus this discussion on taking notes and comparing the two for that and that ONLY. My primary use is for taking notes by hand with the stylus. Does anyone know if the pen on the Surface Pro will be better then the Note? Is the lag any better? Any other thoughts? Will taking notes using S-Note be better then with OneNote? Again, focusing on note taking with the pen please...

The surface pro has a pen? O__O
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Yes the Surface Pro has a pen input and comes with a pen according to the specification page on Microsoft homepage. I wasn't sure so I looked it up.

what lag?

http://product.metamoji.com/en/anytime/
With this app, it should be perfect but I cannot confirm as I don't have a Windows tab or this software:

Surface pro isn't as portable as the note, it is very thick and large and will cost nearly more than twice the note, for sure windows 8 with android emulators is the best of both worlds (I have an android app emulator on my w8 laptop ) but is case of portability price and functionality I consider the note to be best for it, get surface pro as a laptop replacement not tab replacement, and personally I will go for samsungs ativ smart pro tab it is better in specs, screen and it is samsung
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hoss_n2 said:
Surface pro isn't as portable as the note, it is very thick and large and will cost nearly more than twice the note, for sure windows 8 with android emulators is the best of both worlds (I have an android app emulator on my w8 laptop ) but is case of portability price and functionality I consider the note to be best for it, get surface pro as a laptop replacement not tab replacement, and personally I will go for samsungs ativ smart pro tab it is better in specs, screen and it is samsung
Sent from my GT-N8000 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
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I agree. The touch cover keyboard is quite painful to type on, too. The type cover one is better, but adds too much bulk.
Note 10.1 is still the best.

Op perhaps you should consider a note 2 and a Surface pro? Best of both worlds.
Personally, I'm not impressed with the supposed battery life of the pro. Early suggestions give it around 4-5 hours, though early reports suggest around 2 - 3 IF you are using it for anything other then surfing. Even at 4 - 5 hours I am out. I used to love my x61 with its 5 hour battery life, now though it does my head in after using the note where I get an average 9 hours battery life.

Thanks for all the great replies and constructive ideas. That is always refreshing to see here. Someone suggested getting the note 2 phone and the surface pro. I actually already have the note 2 and its an awesome device IMO. The lag btw that I was referring to is just the delay behind faster strokes which isn't really an issue except to the anal. The size is a concern of the pro, I guess I will just have to hold it and see. I didn't know how the pen on the note works compared to the pro. Are they both using the same digitizer dpi technology? Also I have heard the full version of Onenote is pretty much the holy grail of note taking apps. Hopefully the pro comes out before my note return policy expires.
On anoter note , are there any screen protectors out there I wonder to specifically give the tablet more of a "paper" feel?
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igl007 said:
Thanks for all the great replies and constructive ideas. That is always refreshing to see here. Someone suggested getting the note 2 phone and the surface pro. I actually already have the note 2 and its an awesome device IMO. The lag btw that I was referring to is just the delay behind faster strokes which isn't really an issue except to the anal. The size is a concern of the pro, I guess I will just have to hold it and see. I didn't know how the pen on the note works compared to the pro. Are they both using the same digitizer dpi technology? Also I have heard the full version of Onenote is pretty much the holy grail of note taking apps. Hopefully the pro comes out before my note return policy expires.
On anoter note , are there any screen protectors out there I wonder to specifically give the tablet more of a "paper" feel?
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try antiglare screen protector it has rough finish like a paper
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I'm not terribly familiar with the Surface Pro, and I'm not too keen on Windows 8.
I do, however, have a Note 10.1, and a convertible tablet laptop, ca. 2008. It came with Windows Vista preinstalled, and I installed Microsoft Onenote.
I can say that, hands down, Onenote is the greatest note-taking application ever. Samsung's S-Note is a like a preschool toy compared to Onenote. I hope S-Note will be improved, but I doubt it will ever be as good as Onenote.
That said, S-Note is... satisfactory.

You are comparing a 450$ tablet with a probably 1000$ dollars PC. If you have the money(you obviously do) and don't mind the increased weight, there is no reason not to get the Surface Pro. You'll have a superior experience in every way.

If you're going get a Windows 8 Pro tablet, check out the Kupa
http://www.kupaworld.com/Products.html
http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/10/kupa-ultranote-windows-8-modular-tablet-hands-on-video/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_V_LK85LKE
Better Specs than Surface Pro

I have been running a Samsung Slate with W8 a while now.
Office 2013 with OneNote is superior to SNote and anything in the Android space at the moment.
The biggest drawback is still the power hungry Intel chipset, still even with the latest iterations.
For me for a tablet to be viable it has to have at least 6-8+ hours of battery life in normal operation (inking in OneNote, with good enough backlight on the screen). This is something Intel has not been able to deliver (if one do not con't the Atom, as that has to few horse power to run W8 in my opinion).
So I use the Note for meeting and light inking stuff, and OneNote for all the heavy inking lifting.
Just my 2 cent.

Ok, first things first. Do you want a Surface Pro or a Win8 Tablet? There will be a LOT of Win8 tablets with pens out (in fact, there are a few out now) in a variety of sizes and weights.
There are a few common things though.
ALL Pro tablets are running some kind of x86 processor (Atom, Sandy Bridge, i3, i5...) and ALL of these eat more current because they're more powerful CPUs. That means shorter battery life for the same battery size. They also tend to have higher resolution screens since the best resolution for Win8 is 1366x768, but most Android tablets are 1280x800, so it's not that big a difference and some have 1920x1080 or higher.
Unlike WinRT, you get full access to the desktop and can run all Win7 and Win8 apps.
In terms of price, it's kind of all over the place - the Asus Vivo is $500, for example. My Samsung Slate 7 is a hardware reference platform for Win8 and it's $1000-$1350 depending on the config.
http://www.tgdaily.com/mobility-features/68046-500-asus-vivotab-smart-goes-up-for-pre-order
In fact, the Asus Vivo might be a good one to consider:
http://www.asus.com/Tablet/VivoTab/ASUS_VivoTab/
So to flip the question - why a Note 10? Well, for me, it's convenience and compactness. I use the Slate 7 for heavy lifting or complex graphics where I want to use full Photoshop or Painter. But carrying the Slate around is annoying. You need to have a keyboard and a mouse for programming on it. So I have a Golla bag with all of that in it and you're never sure the battery will be charged when you need it. I tend to see the Slate as a VERY portable i5 desktop system - I tend to see the Note as an electronic notebook on steroids. The battery lasts days, I can take notes, draw, watch videos etc.. and it's very seamless. I carry the Note with me everywhere... I don't carry the Slate everywhere.
They're BOTH good, useful devices, but the use patterns are different.

TheWerewolf said:
best resolution for Win8 is 1366x768
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
VERY MUCH OUTDATED Statement
Acer W700
Kupa
Sony Vaio Duo 11
Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T
ALL 1080P
1920X1080

Now that it is out, has anyone tried the stylus? Please stick to thread topic which is comparing note taking ONLY.

Galaxy Tab 3 8 is the best feeling tablet.

Hi, just got the Tab 8 yesterday, while I was at bestbuy decideing which tablet to get, I compared all the tablets on display, and I have to say this is the best feeling tablet from all. Dont care about aluminum or some other crap. Samsung made the coating and the design beautiful. I think im becoming a samsung fanatic. Dont care about specs at this point the screen resolution its lower then Nexus 7 2013, but it is much better display with its color and brightness.
Sent from my SM-T310 using xda premium

I have and really like my Tab 3 8". I wanted something portable and easy to hold. The 7" screens were just a tad too small for my eyes. This tablet meets all my needs.
Sent from my SM-T310 using XDA Premium HD app

Why don't buy galaxy note 8, it is the same size and had an extra S-pen

I to love this tablet. It just feels right in my hands. I could have gotten the note 8 but have no use for the s pen. The resolution is lower than most tablets but it still wows me. I enjoy watching movies on it more than the full size ipad.
Just wish they would start carrying cases in stores and a root come out.

I got the 7 and I must say I like it allot. I upgraded from a kindle fire 2 just by chance when getting my new phone. I got it for 99 dollars and managed to get 2 S3's for free with a mobile hotspot for the wife.
Sent from my SM-T210 using Tapatalk 4

Lol spoke to soon just rooted my tab 3 8.0. Anyone know if there are any roms out?

Nothing yet, but I know there there a few people already working on some.........
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frostdragon779 said:
Why don't buy galaxy note 8, it is the same size and had an extra S-pen
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Almost the same. But for a person looking for a quick media player, games, and browsing, tab 3 8.0 is a good deal. Both have same screen size. Only difference is the ram, processor and the pen. Also, the tab 3 is a big slimmer.

hinds90 said:
I to love this tablet. It just feels right in my hands. I could have gotten the note 8 but have no use for the s pen. The resolution is lower than most tablets but it still wows me. I enjoy watching movies on it more than the full size ipad.
Just wish they would start carrying cases in stores and a root come out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just brought the tab 3 8.0 and purchased a carry case / bluetooth keyboard on ebay hope that helps
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium .Siyah Kernel Rules The Galaxy

My current tablet is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Plus and got the "bug" to get a bigger and/or different tablet. I wish I would have just started with the Tab 3 8.0! On Monday, I got the Nook HD+ at Walmart. Meh... I liked the bigger screen but some of the apps that I use often weren't available for it via Google Play. I returned this on Tuesday morning. Over lunch on Tuesday, I went to a different Walmart and bought the newest Nexus 7. It just didn't trip my trigger AND the setup menu seemed to be missing things that I am used to on my 7+. I returned the Nexus 7 this morning and bought the Tab 3 8.0. Love it!
Walmart has a 15 day return policy on most electronics AND their accidental damage warranties are fairly in expensive. It covers cracked screens, etc. For the Nook HD+ it was only $15 and for the other two tablets it was $28 for TWO years. That's cheaper than Square Trade and a good coupon. (I only get accidental damage warranties on electronic things that could break easily - and I've used them a few times too from Square Trade... like my netbook and two Kindles.)
Anyhow, momma's happy.

Yep, the tab 8 feels better than the note 8 in the hands, and I don't need the silly s pen.
But the tab 3 8 is slower than the note. Has anyone spent spent time with each to figure out whether the performance difference is noticible for simple tasks like web browsing and reading forums?
Most important to me is smooth scrolling and non-ridiculous page loading. The note 8 is pretty decent (other than its occasional input freezes which I understand affect both).

rumatt said:
Yep, the tab 8 feels better than the note 8 in the hands, and I don't need the silly s pen.
But the tab 3 8 is slower than the note. Has anyone spent spent time with each to figure out whether the performance difference is noticible for simple tasks like web browsing and reading forums?
Most important to me is smooth scrolling and non-ridiculous page loading. The note 8 is pretty decent (other than its occasional input freezes which I understand affect both).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi.
I was playing quite a bit with the Tab 3 0.8 in a store today, comparing it side by side with its more powerful and older ' cousin' the Note 8. I was mainly focusing on how both tablets performed when large pdf files stored on an exterior card were being loaded and manipulated with in the preinstalled pdf app.
In the process I noticed the occasional lag , sometimes rather long, on the part of the Tab when trying to auto rotate whatever pdf text was just being displayed. With an exterior card and large pdf files to load, Iunderstand, this could have been foreseen, given the less powerful processor and less RAM as compared to its 'cousin'.
What puzzled me, however, was that when I'd exit the pdf app and started playing with some other apps on the Tab 3, like the web browser, the photo app etc., I experienced the same auto rotation issues when sometimes an app would't effectively switch into the other mode at all!!
Now since I haven't noticed anyone complaining about this 'issue ' (if it is an issue) in the reviews' and comments' threads, I wonder if I happened to be playing with faulty device or my hands were to blame ? I don't really know.
Ivan

I have had the note 8, the new nexus 7, and now the tab 3 8". To tell you the truth, I can't tell any difference in speed between the 3 tablets. If I still had all 3 tablets, and put them side by side then I might could see a small difference, but nothing major. I have had my tab 3 8" for 3 days now and I haven't noticed any slowness, freeze ups, or funky touchscreen issues like on the nexus 7 (2013). The nexus 7 has an awesome screen, but I couldn't type anything without having any ghost touches, and if I would lay it on the table then it would not register my touches at all. Bottom line is, the galaxy tab 3 8" is a very nice tablet. I would definitely recommend it.
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lyall29 said:
I have had the note 8, the new nexus 7, and now the tab 3 8". To tell you the truth, I can't tell any difference in speed between the 3 tablets. If I still had all 3 tablets, and put them side by side then I might could see a small difference, but nothing major. I have had my tab 3 8" for 3 days now and I haven't noticed any slowness, freeze ups, or funky touchscreen issues like on the nexus 7 (2013). The nexus 7 has an awesome screen, but I couldn't type anything without having any ghost touches, and if I would lay it on the table then it would not register my touches at all. Bottom line is, the galaxy tab 3 8" is a very nice tablet. I would definitely recommend it.
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I spent some time playing with both the Tab 3 8 and Note 8 side by side in best buy. At first my conclusion was that they were essentially the same speed. I could barely notice much difference when doing basic stuff, even when doing it in parallel. Given that I don't use the s-pen very often, I was very tempted go for the lower priced, lighter, and narrower Tab 3 8.
I did notice that the scrolling on the Tab 3 was maybe a little less smooth than the Note, but I wasn't sure if maybe I was just imagining it.
But then I loaded a very long web page on both; the Tab 3 got bogged down and the Note didn't. I was able to scroll smoothly on the Note where the Tab 3 was choking -- jerky scrolling and image loading was taking forever. I was hoping they were essentially identical performance wise for basic stuff, but I think the Note might indeed pull far ahead during more difficult tasks.
But does this really matter? How often will I load massive web pages? I really like the feel of the Tab 3 better. I'm going to go back and try again just to confirm. If for normal tasks the Tab is basically the same, I'd rather have the narrower form factor and the $100 in my pocket.

rumatt said:
But does this really matter? How often will I load massive web pages? I really like the feel of the Tab 3 better. I'm going to go back and try again just to confirm. If for normal tasks the Tab is basically the same, I'd rather have the narrower form factor and the $100 in my pocket.
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Click to collapse
I am the guy who always has to have the newest and fastest phone and tablet out there. I know the note 8 should out perform the tab 3 8" because of the 4 core vs 2 core but I think you would be happy with the tab 3. I was worried about this tablet being slow but it turns out that there has been no noticeable lag in the 3 days that I've had it. When I was at Best Buy I played with both tablets just to make sure that I liked the tab 3, and I actually noticed more lag on the note 8. like I said before, the tab 3 8" seems to be a really nice tablet that is plenty fast. You could buy the tab 3 and try it for a few days and then take it back if you find that it lags. I think that you would be happy with this tablet.
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Thanks all for review, i tested it in first day display in Samsung store, i hardly tell speed different with Note 8..
-IMO when play some heavy game i think Note 8 will be best choice, Note 8 it has better spec. but i still love design of Tab 8 slim and beautiful.
-I'm now chose between Tab 8, Note 8 And New Nexus 7. I own Nexus 7 but it's look so buggy. <<< this very hard choice, New Nexus 7 better spec but ugly design, Note 8 good spec just little more expensive than Tab 8 but design is little buggy. Tab 8 design is best from samsung..
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A few more things I've noticed after using both side by side.
Speed: they're essentially the same until you do something where extra cores help (shocker!) The main scenario where I saw this happen was if you try to scroll or zoom while a page is still loading. The cores are busy loading stuff so the scroll / zoom is much choppier on the tab 3 8 than the note 8. But outside of that they're basically the same. My conclusion was that the tab was fine for me.
Comfort. The tab feels much smaller and is easier to hold one handed. The wide bezels on the note make it feel bulky. This prompted me to go buy the tab.
Typing. Upon opening it up and starting to use it, the first thing that stood out is that I type much worse on the tab! The wider note bezels actually put your hands in a better typing position, particularly when you're holding it vertically, which you don't do in the store.
I'm going to spend a few more days with the tab 3 and see if the typing grows on me... if not I'll be testing out whether my local office depot gives refunds for open tablets. Gulp.

I had many problems with this tab in the beginning. Slow response and typing. But now, everything is all good. Sure, I can use the speed and resolution of the nexus 7, buy that extra inch of screen and multi Window seal the deal!
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app

yatbond said:
I had many problems with this tab in the beginning. Slow response and typing. But now, everything is all good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you do that ?

Happy with mine
Pros:
Like the size
Like the Price (Compared to Note)
Like that it is "rootable"
Cons:
bloatware
No UMS (USB Mass Storage) in stock kernal
Only Dual core Exynos 4212 (compared to Notes Exynos 4421)

Do I buy this phone?

What is your opinion is it worth of price? Do I buy it or go for note 3/4?

Both are great
I have both phones and I like each phone for different reasons. I really like the sleekness and the larger screen on the Mate 7 and it works great on T Mobile. Outdoors the screen could be brighter though. For travel purposes I would probably default to the Note 4 because it has a better camera and shoots 4K video. And I really have always liked the built in pen capabilities of the Note series. I hear Huawei may be announcing the Mate 8 soon (March?) which might be worth checking out but might also lower the price on the Mate 7. For the last couple of weeks I have been using the Mate 7 exclusively and knowing what I know now I might be hard pressed to spend $700+ on the Note 4. I happened to have been in Cambodia when the Mate 7 was first released and bought it for $470 with case. I use a 128GB SD card in it with no problems. I find the speaker on the Mate 7 to be louder than the Note 4 which I really like when walking near traffic.
Bill

@bkkcnxsi Thx for replay. I heard from some people that huawei generaly have tehnical hardware problems and after few months of using visiting service is necessary. This serie of "Mate 7" does not have that problems?

93boba said:
@bkkcnxsi Thx for replay. I heard from some people that huawei generaly have tehnical hardware problems and after few months of using visiting service is necessary. This serie of "Mate 7" does not have that problems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hardware is okay, software is crap. Big screen, but less data on it than on a cheapie Nexus 5. Huawei just made all the graphics and text super huge so you have a massive phone to carry in your pocket for zero benefit. Made for 80-year-old grandmas with vision problems, I guess.

I personally like my AM7, in order of most recently owned phones, I've had: LG G3 -> Sony Xperia Z1 -> Nexus 5 -> Galaxy Note 3, so my experiences come from owning those phones.
The is the best phone I've owned in a few aspects: 1) battery life; 2) build quality; 3) ergonomics; 4) hardware.
Battery life speaks for itself, as I've consistently had 6 hours of on screen time (note: I use Xposed with Greenify, and GPS usually off and at 65-75% brightness). Simply put: it's a complete monster of a phone in terms of battery life.
The build quality is simply staggering as there aren't many Android phones out there that can compete. The quality speaks for itself, as the only phone that can compare to it is the HTC One M8.
Ergonomics - the button placement is great, especially for the size of the phone. There's a minimal amount of bezels too, which means the phone's screen real estate is huge. The LG G3's take on button placement was nearly perfect, and Huawei took advantage of this by placing the fingerprint scanner right where your index finger naturally lays.
Hardware - fingerprint scanner, octacore processor, 'nuff said.
Cons: software, software, software, camera, software.
This phone's software is cumbersome at times. It has moments of brilliance, but is overall not great. I'm currently running Nova launcher to replace the ghastly stock launcher. But certain aspects of the stock theme cannot be replaced by Xposed apps and what not. Things include: inability to remove the alarm clock from the notification bar, pull down menus, recent apps layout, etc.Hopefully, Lolipop will fix a few of these issues.
Overall, the phone is spectacular. There's always going to be something better in the market in 4-5 months, but I can see myself living with this phone for a while, but it all depends on when we get 5.0 and if at least a few of the software issues are resolved.

To be fair not a single smartphone is manufactured yet which is totally perfect. Take any phone and go to their forum and see what people are complaining.
In my opinion this is the best phone I ever saw. The most important thing for me is the battery life. It gives me easily 9 to 10 hours of screen time which is more than sufficient for me. I don't think that there is any other phone in the market giving you this much screen on time. All this time wifi is on and surfing the net plus Facebook and Facebook videos...
Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-TL10 using Tapatalk

93boba said:
What is your opinion is it worth of price? Do I buy it or go for note 3/4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends on what you looking for. If you want concern battery, screen side , two sim card . Mate 7 will be a good choice. If you concern the cpu speed , and camera ,you should note 4. I buy Mate 7 , because it have 6 mon and can support 4g in hong kong and china. Not much choice can meet my requirements , finally I choose Mate 7
Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-TL10 using XDA Free mobile app

Is there anything better than the Note Pro 12.2 (Verizon LTE)?

I am starting to fall out of love with my tablet. I bought it shortly after launch after seeing it on display while my wife was looking at an Apple tablet. The display blew me away, and the specs were awesome... two + years ago.
The problem that I'm running into, and from my research many others are too, is that there really isn't an "upgrade" to the note pro. I might be willing to go down to a 10" screen, but I like the size. The Pixel C seems like the specs aren't up to what I have now.
So I thought I'd come here and seek the advice of people using the Note Pro 12.2 - what are you considering upgrading to?

I just bought a refurbished one off eBay to replace my original one which has a cracked screen (but still working.) I kept waiting for something new to come out, but finally gave up for now. The finally straw was Samsung coming out with a 12" Windows tablet, but no Android version.

There's nothing spectacular out there on the tablet market to begin with anyways. For now I'm satisfied with my Note Pro. I'd jump on a Surface Pro 4 if handwritten note taking on it were as good as it is with LectureNotes but nothing else comes close.

Thanks, I guess I'll just have to wait and hope for the best to come out. I too was very disappointed to see the windows version come out.

BillVanDusen said:
I am starting to fall out of love with my tablet. I bought it shortly after launch after seeing it on display while my wife was looking at an Apple tablet. The display blew me away, and the specs were awesome... two + years ago.
The problem that I'm running into, and from my research many others are too, is that there really isn't an "upgrade" to the note pro. I might be willing to go down to a 10" screen, but I like the size. The Pixel C seems like the specs aren't up to what I have now.
So I thought I'd come here and seek the advice of people using the Note Pro 12.2 - what are you considering upgrading to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get MM on your devices through CM13. But if you have the Verizon variant you get at least LP 5.1.1. http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/download/56136/P905VVRUBOH1_P905VVZWBOH1_VZW/

I have read a lot about MM, and the battery saving you can get from it, also some claim spotted improvements, but I was just waiting for someone else to take the plunge on the Verizon version!
thools60 said:
You can get MM on your devices through CM13. But if you have the Verizon variant you get at least LP 5.1.1. http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/download/56136/P905VVRUBOH1_P905VVZWBOH1_VZW/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

BillVanDusen said:
I am starting to fall out of love with my tablet. I bought it shortly after launch after seeing it on display while my wife was looking at an Apple tablet. The display blew me away, and the specs were awesome... two + years ago.
The problem that I'm running into, and from my research many others are too, is that there really isn't an "upgrade" to the note pro. I might be willing to go down to a 10" screen, but I like the size. The Pixel C seems like the specs aren't up to what I have now.
So I thought I'd come here and seek the advice of people using the Note Pro 12.2 - what are you considering upgrading to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen pretty much the same myself.
The only options with roughly the same form factor with reasonably close or better specs are the ipad pro and surface pro but neither one is an android tablet.
Really the only option for a true upgrade is to drop to a 10 inch tablet.
The Pixcel C is better specs-wise by quite a large margin in the processor and graphics department and at least equal in most other areas.
The things holding me back there are Screen size (10.2 inch), Aspect ratio (4:3) and from what I've read there are a some software/driver issues (This is likely to be fixed pretty quickly by google for what its worth)
In comparison the Galaxy note has a 12.2 inch screen, a 16:10 aspect ratio and against popular opinion, I'm pretty fond of the extra features in touchwiz.
but if you can deal with the smaller screen and 4:3 aspect ratio the pixel C is really the only solid upgrade I've found.
for me I decided I'm sticking with this tablet for the foreseeable future, its great with the right peripherals and gets everything I need done and the snapdragon 800 keeps up pretty well at this point.

Not really.
I had hopes for the 18.4" Galaxy View, but that turned out to be a bigger joke than an iPad.
(No, seriously, it has a 1080p res on an 18" screen, 5700 mAh, 2GB RAM and a 1.6 GHz CPU. Useless.)
The Surface Pro 4 sounded very interesting at first, when the rumours mentioned an Nvidia GPU. Turns out is has an IntelHD, which means I can't use it properly and thus isn't worth the money. If I have to spend 2000 quid on a "laptop replacement" tablet, I bloody well want to be able to run Mass Effect 3 on it. It has all the specs to run it, except for that horrendously massive bottleneck of a GPU.
Ipad... No, just no.
Everything else either has a low resolution, too small a screen, too low RAM, too low CPU or a ****ty GPU. And no Spen. (And yes, as a designer I use that pen. A lot. Hell, you can even use it as a Wacom tablet for your PC with a simple app.)
So no, nothing worth upgrading to.

firefly6240 said:
Really the only option for a true upgrade is to drop to a 10 inch tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The other problem (other then drop in size) I had with that is almost all the tablets are dropping LTE. I really like the flexibility that LTE provides when traveling - using in a car, avoiding hotel wifi charges or slow speed, etc.

Thank you everyone for your responses. It seems that you have all confirmed my fears: that besides the Pixel, which doesn't have the s-pen, I am just going to have to live with what I have for now.

Note 20 Ultra upgrade from Note 4 Call recording needed

Hello fellow Xda members, I'm considering upgrading from my galaxy Note 4 to the Note 20 ultra. I'm resigned to losing the headphone jack and infrared sensor but what I can't live without are three features: call recording (I'm currently using ACR recorder and it's perfect for recording) Root capabilities and the fact that I can install an app (Videocallid) that personalises my contact ringtones with ANY kind of video's (music videos as ringtones are wild . Will I be able to reatin any or all of these features with the Note 20 ultra?

A year ago I was looking at the N10+ and the N20U. Got a second N10+. Samsung started going sideways with the N20U.
Unfortunately the Snapdragon's have the best hardware including heatpipes on the N10+'s. The Snapdragon's are hard or impossible to root. Optimized, stock ones run very well with 12+ hours SOT. I run stock, but still using Android 9 and 10 with no intentions of upgrading.
I can set custom ringtones. Never do call recording. The N10+ is a better balanced Note in my opinion and the zenith point of the Note series. They run like bats out of hell and are very reliable. New ones loaded with 10* can still be had. The Exynos variant is rootable.
*After Android 10 cpu cycle sucking scoped storage is fully active. 11 is so-so and 12 is a mess. I perfer Pie; 10 is slightly less app friendly and has many more Samsung system apps. Pie runs securely without issues; current load on this device is 2.5 years, last update 3 years.

Hey Blackhawk, nice to hear from you again yeah i was thinking also along those lines as i was confronting the note 10 + and the N20U, taking into consideration that the only phone that is nearly identical to the Note 4 is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro, which has inferior ram & storage and terrible sensor proximty problems. surfing on the internet I've seen two ads for a Note 10 + at 350 euros and the N20U at 430 euros. the N20Uhas 512gb of memory while the Note 10 + has 256gb. the Xiaomi costs around 280 euros brand new.

The Weeping Angel said:
Hey Blackhawk, nice to hear from you again yeah i was thinking also along those lines as i was confronting the note 10 + and the N20U, taking into consideration that the only phone that is nearly identical to the Note 4 is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro, which has inferior ram & storage and terrible sensor proximty problems. surfing on the internet I've seen two ads for a Note 10 + at 350 euros and the N20U at 430 euros. the N20Uhas 512gb of memory while the Note 10 + has 256gb. the Xiaomi costs around 280 euros brand new.
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Hey there
You're doing almost exactly what I did a year ago. It gets rather complicated. If I was doing it today I would spurn all the newer Samsung releases and go with another N975U1 No regrets as the N10+ is a joy to use . In terms of color/gamma accuracy/calibration likely exceeds all variable refresh rate displays. This is no small task if you want the best outcome. I recommend buying new if possible as you know exactly what you got, especially true with the bootloader version.
The 2nd new N10+ I bought is 256gb, the first 500gb. Both have 12gb of ram. I'm using V30 rated Sandisk Extremes in them, 500gb and 1tb respectively. They easily stream HD vids. Not a big deal when you have up to 1tb of expandable fast storage. Only the apps, download and dcim folders go on internal and the SD card serves as a data drive. I then redundantly backup the SD card. Everything I need including copies of apps to do a full reload without internet is on the SD card.
If memory serves me correctly there is a 8gb of ram N20U, avoid it. You want 12gb. A year ago there was a lot of scamming going on with the N20U be wary of this. Buy from trusted vendors only and always use a MC or Visa in case you need to do a charge back. There also a 128gb N20U variant too if I recall correctly, avoid it as it's not enough internal memory.
I would avoid the N10+ 5G variant as it's first generation and likely a power hog. I can stream and download movies fine with 4G. In fact 5G has opened up more bandwidth on the 4G band. 5G is perhaps problematic on the 20U as well. It's SOT is less than the N10+, it's cam hump sucks and the spen is on the left side. Any performance increases are offset somewhat by lower SOT, increased weight and bulk. There's a night and day performance difference with the N9 vs the N10+, the N9 is noticeably slower sometimes by seconds. The N10+ vs the S22U that difference is slight as far as opening apps and most daily usage.
Draw your own conclusions about what best will fullfill your mission. Invariably there will be surprises. I went from a S4+ running on Kitkat to the N10+, it was a steep learning curve at first. Pie is a far more capable and secure OS, however the hardware upgrade was just delicious... except for the missing 3.5mm jack. You'll wuv the new spen with bt remote shutter release capabilities. Smart capture is another spen feature I use a lot.
Pick up a pair of the Buds+ as they sound good especially using Poweramp's Eq. They've been discontinued but you may be able to find a new pair.
Use the Zizo Bolt case to protect your new Note. These are heavy phones that wuv to corner hit and face plant when dropped. My N10+'s are always cased. One reason they're still running.
Note: my N10+'s while being stock are optimized extensively. I use Package Disabler, Karma Firewall and a lot of settings changes. All Samsung's should be optimized...

The reason I started considering the N20U was that on local websites here in Italy there is a 80 euros difference between the N20U & the N10+ which i find ridiculous. I really want to keep using the Note series as I've grown attached to it, but the only phone that comes near to the Note 4 in similiarity is the Redmi Note 11 Pro minus the S-Pen, which saddens me to no end as it goes to show that Samsung really doesn't care or feel for it's own customer base.

I always pay through Paypal and they've always come through with their customer support,so no worries about that i really need the call recording app as i use it to take notes during calls. Having a video ringtone app is a bonus, nothing compares with having your favorite music video as your contacts ringtone.

The Weeping Angel said:
The reason I started considering the N20U was that on local websites here in Italy there is a 80 euros difference between the N20U & the N10+ which i find ridiculous. I really want to keep using the Note series as I've grown attached to it, but the only phone that comes near to the Note 4 in similiarity is the Redmi Note 11 Pro minus the S-Pen, which saddens me to no end as it goes to show that Samsung really doesn't care or feel for it's own customer base.
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The price difference should tell you something.
Play with both if you can. The design and balance of the N10+ is superb. The only repair I done is a replacement battery. It has over 8k hours on it, it's heavily used. I looks, feels and runs like new. Zero detectable display degradation, perfect.
You want the spen. I didn't use it for months at first, now I use it almost every day. I use screen write, smart capture and magnifier a lot. It's a swiss army knife of Android.

The Weeping Angel said:
I always pay through Paypal and they've always come through with their customer support,so no worries about that i really need the call recording app as i use it to take notes during calls. Having a video ringtone app is a bonus, nothing compares with having your favorite music video as your contacts ringtone.
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Paypal... don't fed the beast. They made the sorry mistake of becoming a political weapon.
They been quit busy in all the wrong ways. Not consumer friendly. I use to have a Paypal account... never again, but they do get a lifetime of free advertising from me. A stone cold pleasure.
MC and Visa have a good track record when it comes to handling charge backs.

blackhawk said:
The price difference should tell you something.
Play with both if you can. The design and balance of the N10+ is superb. The only repair I done is a replacement battery. It has over 8k hours on it, it's heavily used. I looks, feels and runs like new. Zero detectable display degradation, perfect.
You want the spen. I didn't use it for months at first, now I use it almost every day. I use screen write, smart capture and magnifier a lot. It's a swiss army knife of Android.
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The S-pen is something i will definitely use, which is why I'm sticking with the Note Series-for now. But i really need the call recording option; do you know Blackhawk if there is a sure fire way for both the N10+ & N20U? I've checked the guides but I don't see a clear answer. Unfortunatey there is no way for me to try out either device as both devices are not available anymore in store but i'm sure i couldn't be wrong buying either one. I've only had the chance to see the S22 Ultra and the colors are superb. I really would be disappointed if I have to end up buying the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 pro for simplicity.

The Weeping Angel said:
The S-pen is something i will definitely use, which is why I'm sticking with the Note Series-for now. But i really need the call recording option; do you know Blackhawk if there is a sure fire way for both the N10+ & N20U? I've checked the guides but I don't see a clear answer. Unfortunatey there is no way for me to try out either device as both devices are not available anymore in store but i'm sure i couldn't be wrong buying either one. I've only had the chance to see the S22 Ultra and the colors are superb. I really would be disappointed if I have to end up buying the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 pro for simplicity.
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It goes by region and Samsung's wims apparently. That's a lame deal breaker. Maybe get a cheap dedicated phone just for that.
Xiaomi is problematic in a number of ways including build quality.
Both Google Android and Samsung are circling the bowl, glad I got two N10+'s before the flush cycle started Android 13 is another wack job.

Uninstalling phone bloatware is something i really love to do; can't stand all the rubbish preinstalled on the Note 4; as a pet project one day I hope to make my own personal rom where I can truly customise the Note 4 as I please as i won't abandon the Note 4 totally. It is lagging abit now in perfomance & the memory & ram limitations are starting to impact day to day use.

blackhawk said:
It goes by region and Samsung's wims apparently. That's a lame deal breaker. Maybe get a cheap dedicated phone just for that.
Xiaomi is problematic in a number of ways including build quality.
Both Google Android and Samsung are circling the bowl, glad I got two N10+'s before the flush cycle started Android 13 is another wack job.
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Xiaomi is really a poor man's Note 4, but damn the only thing missing are samsung's vivid colors & the S-pen. Samsung really makes it hard on the consumer. eventually I find either terminal i can downgrade them to the pre-installed android version, yes? 5G isn't necessary but the majority of the used devices I'm checking out do come with that feature.

The Weeping Angel said:
Uninstalling phone bloatware is something i really love to do; can't stand all the rubbish preinstalled on the Note 4; as a pet project one day I hope to make my own personal rom where I can truly customise the Note 4 as I please as i won't abandon the Note 4 totally. It is lagging abit now in perfomance & the memory & ram limitations are starting to impact day to day use.
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There's no comparison between the N4 and the N10+. Its not just hardware. One UI is a quantum improvement over Touchwiz. Again learning curve ahead. If you go beyond Android 10 though it's going to be a true pain. Pie is still my preferred N10+ platform.
Pre Android 9 versions have glaring security holes that worming rootkits can exploit and worm their way out of the user data partition.

Thank you so much Blackhawk for your input and advice. I took the plunge & bought a Note 20 Ultra for around 605 US dollars with a year left on warranty from ebay. After scouting different websites such as Amazon & Subito.it (something like Craigslist over in the US), I couldn't find a Note 10 Plus in a similiar condition so I told myself what the heck & went with my gut. I can confirm that call recording can be activated and works by Samfw frp tool (thank you Senior Member Chosmile & System Hacks on youtube for the wonderful step by step guides ) for the European model. The battery has only been charged 259 times so I believe it will hold up for a fair bit yet. Thank you again Blackhawk for your really constructive advice and point of view