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The way I see it, the Note II is the best smartphone available still. The combination of screen size, storage options, S Pen, and most important to me... True BATTERY LIFE!
Ever since I bought my FIRST and current smartphone, the HTC Evo 3D with sprint, I have been GREATLY disappointed with my battery life, screen size, and terrible camera! You guys here made the best choice... I have never seen a phone hold a crown and reign like the Note II has.
My contract is finally up (since April of this year) and I am poised and ready to pull the trigger once again. Although it's early...
Will it be the NOTE III or The HTC One Max for you guys based on the current news? Will the HTC max even peek your interest? Or are you set in your samsung ways?
I need your help because I don't wanna be unhappy for 2 years again.
It depends if Samsung opts for LCD or AMOLED.
I completely agree with your thoughts written in the first half of your message. I have Samsung Galaxy Note 2 since December 2012 and this SUPERPHONE is absolutely amazing. It's like a small computer in your hand with amazing screen, good battery, s-pen. Did not have any problems with this smartphone during these seven month. It's still the best smartphone in the market in term of browsing the Web, working with Office, playing games, reading e-books etc. By the way, I use this additional battery dock: http://www.mobili.lt/lt/aksesuarai/samsung/811205.html which allows me to be completely free and do not be tied to a power cord during the day.
So, I strongly recommend you to choose Samsung Galaxy Note 3 instead of HTC ONE Max because the absence of a removable battery is a big minus to HTC especially if you are a 'hard core' user.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Btw note 3 will have 2 sd card slot. If htc max miraculously have a 3500mah + removable batt + spen then i might consider getting htc Lol
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
limitbreak09 said:
Btw note 3 will have 2 sd card slot. If htc max miraculously have a 3500mah + removable batt + spen then i might consider getting htc Lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We're talking about two phones that no one has real details on yet. Here's some safe assumptions about the N3:
It'll have a more powerful Octa than the SGS4 or S-800
It'll have a 1080P (most likely) AMOLED display
It'll either be the same size as the N2 with a bigger display but thinner and lighter (à la the SGS4) or the display will increase a lot as will the size of the device
It'll have all the new features of the SGS4 plus some we don't know about yet
It'll most likely have a bigger battery and get better battery life than the N2
It'll have a 13MP camera and may have OIS and optical zoom if the rumors turn out to be correct
It'll most likely continue the current Samsung design language (EG: "evolutionary")
Here's some guesses about the One Max:
It may have expandable storage; the Butterfly S finally does
It won't have a removable battery because it's against HTC's religion and hampers their design creativity
It won't have an inductive display and will use N-trig (like the XZ Ultra) which offers no pen sensitivity and prohibits things like Air View and hover
It may have some inking apps (HTC Scribe 2.0?) but they won't be as comprehensive as S Note because HTC offers very few s/w features that Samsung does even on their flagship devices (they don't even have an Awake Stay equivalent)
It should look and feel great; just like the One does
This same "vs." conversation is going on in the XZ Ultra vs. Note comparison thread. The Note's designed for consumption. Samsung's tagline for it is "Be Creative" and half of the features listed on their website talk about creation. I doubt that other devices will offer that level of creation support. But it's obvious quite a few people don't care and buy the Note for its big-ass display. For those people, devices like the OG Pro, Ultra, Max, and Mega are possible considerations. For productivity users and creators it's hard to see anything coming close to the Note-series. Lovers of giant phones, you have a lot more choices.
artorelis said:
I completely agree with your thoughts written in the first half of your message. I have Samsung Galaxy Note 2 since December 2012 and this SUPERPHONE is absolutely amazing. It's like a small computer in your hand with amazing screen, good battery, s-pen. Did not have any problems with this smartphone during these seven month. It's still the best smartphone in the market in term of browsing the Web, working with Office, playing games, reading e-books etc. By the way, I use this additional battery dock: http://www.mobili.lt/lt/aksesuarai/samsung/811205.html which allows me to be completely free and do not be tied to a power cord during the day.
So, I strongly recommend you to choose Samsung Galaxy Note 3 instead of HTC ONE Max because the absence of a removable battery is a big minus to HTC especially if you are a 'hard core' user.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
A couple questions I have regarding the note 2. Many people did a screen time test where they left their screen on "never sleep" and reported up to 10hours battery life!
Does this test include having 4g, bluetooth, and gps on? Honesty we all just want phones that do everything they SAY they can do without dying halfway through the day.
Also when the Note II originally came out on shelves what were the on contract prices for the 16/32/64gb versions. With all the apps and games not going to SD card I would love having a 32 or 64gb version to be safe. But I don't want to break the bank. Don't wanna pay more than 350.
Thanks for the help guys
Etheridge Gray said:
A couple questions I have regarding the note 2. Many people did a screen time test where they left their screen on "never sleep" and reported up to 10hours battery life! Does this test include having 4g, bluetooth, and gps on? Honesty we all just want phones that do everything they SAY they can do without dying halfway through the day.
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Click to collapse
A car rated at 25MPG on the highway can get 35MPG if it's going downhill, with a tailwind, with only the driver in it, with the tires over-inflated, and with the A/C off and windows up. Using the phone "normally" which is screen on auto-brightness and no power-saving tools active I can get 7.5 hours of screen-on time. And that's with some combination of Wi-Fi/HSPA on all the time and I have nine different syncs going constantly. I'm also a heavy BT user and haven't found that to be a big drain (EG: listening to music or making calls where the display is typically off). Based on the SGS3 vs. SGS4 I'd expect the N3 to do at least 25% better than the N2; maybe more.
Also when the Note II originally came out on shelves what were the on contract prices for the 16/32/64gb versions. With all the apps and games not going to SD card I would love having a 32 or 64gb version to be safe. But I don't want to break the bank. Don't wanna pay more than 350.
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Click to collapse
Western markets have matured and high-end smartphone sales are slowing down. I'd highly doubt that the N3 will be any more than the N2 was price-wise at launch. I don't know where you are but the U.S. contract price was $299 for the 16GB and I don't think any of the U.S. carriers offered versions with more storage. It's $199 most of the time now and can be had for $99 during timed promotions. The N2 was €640/£546 off-contract in Europe at launch. The N3 will end up with more s/w on it than the SGS4 because of S Pen. Samsung may make 32GB the starting storage size to avoid the debacle they had with the SGS4.
BarryH_GEG said:
A car rated at 25MPG on the highway can get 35MPG if it's going downhill, with a tailwind, with only the driver in it, with the tires over-inflated, and with the A/C off and windows up. Using the phone "normally" which is screen on auto-brightness and no power-saving tools active I can get 7.5 hours of screen-on time. And that's with some combination of Wi-Fi/HSPA on all the time and I have nine different syncs going constantly. I'm also a heavy BT user and haven't found that to be a big drain (EG: listening to music or making calls where the display is typically off). Based on the SGS3 vs. SGS4 I'd expect the N3 to do at least 25% better than the N2; maybe more.
Western markets have matured and high-end smartphone sales are slowing down. I'd highly doubt that the N3 will be any more than the N2 was price-wise at launch. I don't know where you are but the U.S. contract price was $299 for the 16GB and I don't think any of the U.S. carriers offered versions with more storage. It's $199 most of the time now and can be had for $99 during timed promotions. The N2 was €640/£546 off-contract in Europe at launch. The N3 will end up with more s/w on it than the SGS4 because of S Pen. Samsung may make 32GB the starting storage size to avoid the debacle they had with the SGS4.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for your honest and realistic response on the N2s battery life. 7.5 hours of SCREEN ON time is ridiculously good. Honestly I love everything about my current smartphone except for the few things I hate about it.
Battery life
Low internal storage
Terrible camera /camera flash/zoom especially in low light conditions.
I hate sprint where I live. Can't blame phone for that.
Small screen (4.3) only qHD.
I am hoping the N3 on Verizon's awesome network will fix my problems. It should be a upgrade on every front.
What are you guys thoughts on the galaxy s4s camera operating in the night? Do you think N3s camera will outshine the s4s? Camera and video recording will be HUGE for me!
Really appreciate the response guys. Now I know that it's not necessarily needed for those with N2s, but I thought I'd share this with yall.
Portable 12000 mAh battery. We all know it's not the most ground breaking news, but I would love to use this
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003ZBZ64Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1372698191&sr=8-1&pi=SL75
I'm just not seeing the sense in a comparison thread for 2 devices that don't exist yet.
Nice referral link btw.
I only one thing guys, after watching indeed criticism on s4 design, Samsung will have to do exceptional in note 3 to convince current note 2 users to upgrade. If the satisfaction level of s3 users was 7/10 then note 2 has 9/10 so its difficult to convince all 9 users to update their device. A lot of people are expecting that it will be shaped just like s4, if this is the way, it will a fail for most.
Note 3 IF it comes with SLCD or IPS. No more AMOLED for me, thank you.
I do believe that note 3 is just gonna look like the s4, but wait for S5 tho, i think thats the turning point where samsung will blow us away with a new design.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
sohebq said:
I only one thing guys, after watching indeed criticism on s4 design, Samsung will have to do exceptional in note 3 to convince current note 2 users to upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be launched in the fall, the N3 was probably about half way through development when the SGS4 was launched in the spring. It takes 6-9 months to design a mobile device, identify specs for all the components needed, source all those components, set up assembly lines, and test it all (making adjustments where necessary) to make sure you've got it right. When Samsung evolved the SGS4's design they did so intentionally; following in the footsteps of Apple who evolves their designs too. There was more commentary about "plastic again" then there was about the design itself.
A removable battery requires access to it and Samsung's method is a removable back cover. Said back cover needs to be flexible and durable. Metal and glass are obviously neither. Since they have a removable back cover they also leverage that by putting the SIM cards and expandable storage underneath it eliminating the need for slots on the side of the phone. Those slots with ejection mechanisms cost more, are points of failure, and add weight. I guess they could seal the back and provide a battery door but that would mean relocating all the SIM and SD card slot to the side of the phone. That would require valuable space along the side of the phone which Samsung uses for antennas. Moving to a sealed design with external slots while retaining a removable battery would mean all Samsung's current design methods would have to be discarded. Their subsequent replacement would be no trivial exercise.
No phone ever built has been as thin as the SGS4 with a removable battery. The OG Pro offers a removable battery; the only recently released device to do so. It's 9.4MM thick and weighs 172g. The N2 is the same thickness and 11G heavier. So whatever magic Samsung worked to get the SGS4 thinner (7.9MM), lighter, with a bigger battery, and a larger display will most likely be worked again on the N3. Which also means its design will follow in the SGS4's footsteps. So for those expecting something "revolutionary" I think you'll be disappointed. Personally, I've never been bothered by Samsung's designs or use of plastic. My devices aren't fashion accessories; I view them as tools. The removable battery and the ability to replace the back cover for $20 if I damage it are more important to me than aesthetics. The HTC One isn't selling well and for Q2 HTC will be down 21% YOY in revenue. So while it's truly a beautiful device materials and design wise there's obviously more to sales success than just a pretty face. For those that design is really important to you should probably look at the One Max and XZ Ultra.
limitbreak09 said:
I do believe that note 3 is just gonna look like the s4, but wait for S5 tho, i think thats the turning point where samsung will blow us away with a new design.
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I totally agree. And they've already made a move in that direction. Last month they acquired 50% of SGL Group which is a leader in the use of carbon fiber. I'd expect that to factor in the SGS5's design. But it's way too late to impact the N3.
The South Korean company's materials arm, Samsung Petrochemical, has established the joint venture with carbon manufacturers SGL Group and will own 50 per cent of the joint company, Samsung SGL Carbon Composite Materials. In a joint statement, the two companies said they planned to develop new electronic applications built with carbon composite materials. The deal with SGL group will give Samsung access to an exclusive long-term supply of carbon materialshttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/10141157/Carbon-fibre-phones-coming-from-Samsung.html
@barry
I agree with everything you said. Honestly I already felt this way. Who cares if it "FEELS" cheap if it performs top of the line and outperforms what FEELS durable and premium??
Furthermore, ever since I held the Galaxy SIII, I loved how light it was! It's one of the strong selling points for me. People just wanna complain because they are spoiled. Simple as that. Back to the N3..
I reallllly really really am concerned about the camera on the N3! I really want a camera that takes amazing shots in ALL environments! Especially low light to night shots with AND without flash. Camera is definitely something of paramount concern since I am a All-in-one kind of guy. And I know the N3 has the potential... But will it reach it??
I definitely have battery life concerns since we are increasing screen size and resolution, but at the same time trying to make the phone lighter and equal in size to the N2. Where will there be room for the 3500mah?? (that's the battery I'm hoping for!)
Etheridge Gray said:
[MENTION=307506]I reallllly really really am concerned about the camera on the N3! I really want a camera that takes amazing shots in ALL environments! Especially low light to night shots with AND without flash. Camera is definitely something of paramount concern since I am a All-in-one kind of guy. And I know the N3 has the potential... But will it reach it??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm looking forward to the camera and assuming it'll be the one in the SGS4. There are two sensors used in the SGS4; ExmorRS in Octa and ExmorR in S-600. The latter's an older version of Sony's sensor. My guess is that with the massive quantities of S-600 SGS4's produced (they are 2/3 of those built) they outpaced Sony's ability to supply the newer sensor so Samsung only used it in the i9500. Supply shouldn't be an issue with the N3 because it sells in lower volume than the SGS4.
The N3 should do significantly better in low light than the N2/SGS3; the SGS4 does. It won't do as well as HTC's new camera with its larger photosites. But with HTC's paltry 4MP resolution and just average daylight performance getting truly good low light performance is a trade-off. If the N3's camera has optical image stabilization and optical zoom it'll be a fantastic camera. I've seen some great shots taken with the SGS4. The best daylight shots I've seen from the One lack detail and have an "oil painting" look when viewed at full size. The One can capture shots in low light that the SGS4 can't touch but when all's said and done they aren't very good as most low light shots typically aren't because of focus issues and shutter delay caused by the lack of available lighting. So overall I think people will be happy but to those who low light performance means everything they may be disappointed and should consider the One Max which is using the same camera as the One.
This is what's capable with ExmorRS...
This is a great picture; social size.
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Here's a crop full size. 4MP doesn't give you a lot to work with when it comes to detail.
@barry
Thanks again for a very informative reply. Put my expectations into a realistic view, but it also lets me know that I shouldn't be disappointed either.
Looking back over 2 years ago when I got my android day 1 purchase.. I realize that waiting for a 2 year contract to expire makes alot of sense. If it was only a year we would not see the leap in technology like I soon will
Comparing my EVO 3D to my future Note 3..
4.3inch qHD vs. 5.7-6inch fullHD1080P
5MP Camera vs 13MP Camera
1GB internal storage vs 32GB
3G (no 4g w/sprint my area) vs. 4GLTE
1GB RAM vs. 3GB RAM
720p video vs 1080p at 30fps
Dual Core 1.2 vs up to 2.0 Quad-Core
1730mah battery vs. Maybe 3500mah
Need I mention software??
Truly an INSANE upgrade. I think everyone should wait 2 years. This way you will TRULY be IMPRESSED. No. Matter. What.
Thanks again Barry. You have really helped. I DEFINITELY think the I'll choose the N3 over the One Max. Time will tell for sure
Who knows what these 2 devices are going to be about. All I know is that the note 3 is my next phone A 1000% sure. The Note 2 was a smash hit, still is. Considering things are going to improve ( battery life, display, S pen features), IM SOLD. STFU AND TAKE MY MONEY NOW!
---------- Post added at 07:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:36 PM ----------
sohebq said:
I only one thing guys, after watching indeed criticism on s4 design, Samsung will have to do exceptional in note 3 to convince current note 2 users to upgrade. If the satisfaction level of s3 users was 7/10 then note 2 has 9/10 so its difficult to convince all 9 users to update their device. A lot of people are expecting that it will be shaped just like s4, if this is the way, it will a fail for most.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that Samsung is facing is biggest challenge yet, even bigger than the S3 to S4 upgrade because the note 2 was such a game changer, I honestly believe that it is one of those devices that are legendary ( like the S2, HD2, nexus one). When the note 2 came out, it impressed EVERYBODY ( reviewers, geeks, general consumers), turned some HTC fanboys into note 2 lovers ect... When I ordered the note 2 from the UK, I didn't expect it to have a flawless performance, didn't expect it to have amazing battery life, didn't know about multi window and all the new S pen features. Now that we know all that, how can Samsung really impress us? Its going to be tough to best the note 2 software wise I believe, especially because the note 3 will also launch with jelly bean, the note 2 had the advantage to launch with a brand new OS version at the time. In terms of specs we can expect an upgrade in pretty much every way but what new features like multi window, pop up browser is Samsung going to introduce? How well will it be implemented? Will it be flawless like the note 2 or with lots of stutter and bugs like the S4? I cant wait to find out.
barondebxl said:
I think that Samsung is facing is biggest challenge yet, even bigger than the S3 to S4 upgrade because the note 2 was such a game changer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's what people said about the Note I when it came out. It's amazing how much perception changes with time.
GSMArena - The Galaxy Note is a monster compared to regular phones - but then again, it's not exactly a phone. It's thin (9.7mm), light (you wouldn't guess it weighs 178g) and the rounded edges help ergonomics. But still, one handed use is a problem - your thumb most likely can't reach every point on the screen (certainly not comfortably) and unless you have big hands, you can't easily wrap your fingers around the Note to hold it without fear of dropping. Two-hand thumb typing is absolutely spot on, however. Pocketability is an issue too - you can certainly slip in into your pocket (the thin frame helps a lot here), but a lot of people won't find that solution acceptable. Still, most coat pockets or purses will find enough room for the Galaxy Note, which is worth having around with all that screen real-estate.
Verge - Arriving in a white, smartphone-sized box, the Galaxy Note goes to great efforts to convince you that it really is as portable as a phone. It’s not. The bezel around the display is minimal and the 9.65mm thickness is practically the same as on the latest iPhone, but there’s just no way to shrink that 5.3-inch display. Pocketing the Note is an exercise in either frustration or denial. Oh, it will fit inside your pants pocket, but try walking around with it there and you’ll see that fitting inside a space is only half the battle. You’ll need to either take to wearing blazers every time you go out or accept that you won’t be able to comfortably transport the Note somewhere around your body. Like most smartphones, the Note warms up during a long call, heating half of your face in the process, and there’s the social aspect to consider. Human society has yet to evolve to the point where it can witness a person holding up a massive slate of technology to his ear without attempting to make a bad joke about it.
Engadget - If you were holding out for a device that bridges the gap between smartphone and tablet, you'll want to take Note. It's an absolutely massive Android handset and a high-res pocketable tablet rolled into one. If you have the hands to support it, it may just be the best thing to happen to mobile devices since the capacitive touchscreen. You can take notes, doodle between (or during) meetings and make phone calls. Those calls can be placed using the built-in earpiece and mic, or via a Bluetooth headset, which we would recommend. Holding something this large up to your ear can be rather unpleasant -- and unsightly.
BarryH_GEG said:
Here's what people said about the Note I when it came out. It's amazing how much perception changes with time.
GSMArena - The Galaxy Note is a monster compared to regular phones - but then again, it's not exactly a phone. It's thin (9.7mm), light (you wouldn't guess it weighs 178g) and the rounded edges help ergonomics. But still, one handed use is a problem - your thumb most likely can't reach every point on the screen (certainly not comfortably) and unless you have big hands, you can't easily wrap your fingers around the Note to hold it without fear of dropping. Two-hand thumb typing is absolutely spot on, however. Pocketability is an issue too - you can certainly slip in into your pocket (the thin frame helps a lot here), but a lot of people won't find that solution acceptable. Still, most coat pockets or purses will find enough room for the Galaxy Note, which is worth having around with all that screen real-estate.
Verge - Arriving in a white, smartphone-sized box, the Galaxy Note goes to great efforts to convince you that it really is as portable as a phone. It’s not. The bezel around the display is minimal and the 9.65mm thickness is practically the same as on the latest iPhone, but there’s just no way to shrink that 5.3-inch display. Pocketing the Note is an exercise in either frustration or denial. Oh, it will fit inside your pants pocket, but try walking around with it there and you’ll see that fitting inside a space is only half the battle. You’ll need to either take to wearing blazers every time you go out or accept that you won’t be able to comfortably transport the Note somewhere around your body. Like most smartphones, the Note warms up during a long call, heating half of your face in the process, and there’s the social aspect to consider. Human society has yet to evolve to the point where it can witness a person holding up a massive slate of technology to his ear without attempting to make a bad joke about it.
Engadget - If you were holding out for a device that bridges the gap between smartphone and tablet, you'll want to take Note. It's an absolutely massive Android handset and a high-res pocketable tablet rolled into one. If you have the hands to support it, it may just be the best thing to happen to mobile devices since the capacitive touchscreen. You can take notes, doodle between (or during) meetings and make phone calls. Those calls can be placed using the built-in earpiece and mic, or via a Bluetooth headset, which we would recommend. Holding something this large up to your ear can be rather unpleasant -- and unsightly.
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Click to collapse
Yep. I can understand them though. I remember when one of my co worker got the evo 4g back in 2010 and I had a nexus one with its 3.7 inch display and him with a 4.3 inch display, I held it and thought that it was gigantically ridiculous. Now I look at the evo 4 g as a tiny phone and cant believe that I thought it was a big device. Its just a getting used to thing. Same thing with folks who will use the galaxy mega for a while, going back to a 5.5 inch is going to be painful.
This will probably a rant, but I don't really want it to be a rant, I like discussions better I really do. So I will talk about some of the reasons to support my claim in the title. If you feel like it please tell me how you feel about this situation.
So I've been using the Galaxy S7 Edge Exynos version since it came out, and before that the S5, and before that HTC One X. To be honest I almost went for the iPhone 6s because I was just sick and tired of all the software problems with the S5, background apps constantly draining battery and there's nothing you can do because most of the time it's Google Play Services. I was like, ok this time I'm moving over to Apple, but then the S7 came out with the curved screen and waterproofness and all that good stuff. I was seduced and got the S7 edge instead.
Today I don't regret my decision back then, I still like how the S7 matches up against the iPhone 6s. I love how it's waterproof because I like to wash it once in a while, it's a stupid reason but whatever... I love the screen and how it's impossible to see any pixels. I love the battery life (except the times when an app mysteriously drains battery in sleep). And I love the camera performance. However, with iPhone 7 coming out, the tides are turning fast.
Areas the iPhone is better than any android phone
1. The iPhone 7 is faster than any Android phone, and I don't see Android catching up. The single core performance of the A10 is just off the charts, nobody is even close to it, and nobody will be in the foreseeable future.
2. The iPhone 7 now has wide gamut display with ambient lighting awareness. While android fanboys are still obsessing with MOAR PIXELS. While I agree the iPhone COULD use more pixels, it's not a significant improvement going from 1080p to 2k. But it is a big improvement going from dumb static colors, which look harsh and terribly blue under most indoor lighting conditions, to dynamic and natural colors on the iPhone 7 and iPad Pro.
3. Android still has no high precision vibration motor like the Taptic Engine. The increase in precision delivers a qualitative change in how vibration helps UI experience. Android is still stuck with ancient rotational motors that can only give one type of long continuous vibration. I haven't tried the iPhone 7 home button. But the static trackpads on newer MacBooks are amazing, like you swear it's a perfect button with precisely the same actuation force everywhere, except they're static and you're not actually pressing anything down.
In comparison, capacitive buttons suck because they require no force to activate and it's easy to activate by accident. Hardware buttons are ok but the long button on Samsung phones can fail to activate when you press the side and not the centre.
4. Sapphire. I don't know if people forgot about it or what, the iPhone has sapphire camera cover glass ladies and gentlemen, did we just forget about that? Some Android manufacturers like Sony for some reason still think it's a good idea to use plastic. The durability of the iPhone camera hump is just much more reliable. Also the Home button is sapphire. Why is that important? Well because if you have hard dust particles on your phone, it won't immediately scratch unless force is applied, like when you press a button. This makes the buttons more vulnerable to scratches. The S7 still has plastic buttons, mine is already scratched up.
5. Actual hardware-based features, rather than software hacks. The perfect example for this is the selfie flash. While Android phones have been doing it for a long time, none has a custom display driver chip like the iPhone has. Why? Well because they can't afford it, Android phones use off-the-shelf components as much as possible to reduce cost. When a selfie flash is really needed, like with some Chinese phones, they just mount LED flashes in the front, which makes the front face of the phone ugly.
Another example of this is 3D touch. When this came out many Android fanboys were like, oh why can't you just long-press to do the same thing? Other examples include the aforementioned Taptic engine, dual tone flash, decent DAC and amp for headphone output, Multiple RGB ambient light sensors, and chip-based fingerprint encryption.
6. Honest, sincere software updates. My S7 Edge still has no palm rejection. Enough said. While the iPhone 5 can run the latest iOS 10.
7. Higher quality apps from the App Store. Tighter control over what apps are allowed and not allowed to do. Peace of mind that no app will drain your battery in the background.
8. Gaming performance. the iPhone not only has the fastest GPU, it also has Metal which is actually used by devs. While Android has Vulcan, it's pointless because nobody uses it anyway. Also most android apps are designed for mid-range android phones, which are much much slower than iPhones.
9. Design. As pretty as the S7 Edge is, it cannot match the attention to detail like the iPhone. The speaker holes aren't chamfered, the holes don't aline properly and it looks stupid. the USB port isn't centred which also looks stupid. When the best of Android can't compete with the iPhone, I think it is safe to assume no other Android flagship will come close in a long time. Also, the clock icon actually moves, so does the calendar.
10. Apple Watch. Android wear watches are just too big, they're gigantic, wtf guys? make a smaller watch! I have the Gear S2, it's great it's barely small enough, but it is also the smallest non-Apple smartwatch. Again, while the S2 looks great from a distance with the round screen and stuff, it's not water proof to 50 meters, you have the ancient and really bad classic watch band system which is impossible to install and uninstall unless you only use the band Samsung gives you. And there is no speaker, and the OS is much much much less powerful than Watch OS.
Areas where the iPhone is strong, but not necessarily the best
1. Sound quality. Yes the LG V10, V20 and a couple of Chinese phones have better sound quality than the iPhone. But most android flagships still suck in this department. Please don't say Viper, it's exactly the problem I was talk about. Software hacks will never be as effective as purposeful and quality hardware. When you have a weak ****ty amp no software will allow it to drive good headphones.
2. Screen. While we can all agree that Samsung has better screens, the same can't be said of other phones. Mostly because of ****ty calibration. Most android phones are horribly blue, with super high color temperature. Now with the iPhone 7, apple has two screen features Samsung doesn't namely wide gamut with proper color profile management, and awareness of ambient lighting condition.
3. Water proof. At this point only Samsung and Sony have the expertise to do this.
4. No headphone jack. I actually like this, even though I use a 3.5mm headphone. It's just more beautiful in design. A Chinese phone also did this a few months before to try to steal Apple's thunder so it's no longer exclusive to Apple. How do you listen to music while charging? Well there will always be some down sides to progress, the answer is simply you can't, not without a dongle of some sort. I do worry about the quality of the DAC in the adaptor they give you.
5. Battery life. the iPhone now has some of the longest battery life, other than crazy designs with like 5000mha batteries. Increasing battery size is just not the right way to increase battery life. Apple does the right thing by improving efficiency instead. Because bigger battery takes longer to charge, and using quick charge reduces battery lifespan, bigger battery also doesn't reduce power draw, which causes heating problems. Where as increased efficiency has no down sides (other than price, cost and difficulty).
6. Hardware silence switch. WTF Android manufacturers!? It's so useful! have one of these please! Why not! Because it doesn't look badass on the spec sheet?
Areas where Android is ahead
1. I am serious here, this has been a big problem for me for a long time. You can't freely arrange the icons in iOS. I get why Apple is doing this, because most people suck at arranging their home screens, most people are not good artists or designers. If you give them freedom they will just make their phone look lame and stupid. While I can agree with that decision from their perspective, I still wish I can customize my home screen.
2. No file system. So frustrating, so annoying. While I also hate how messy the android file system is, with all the apps making random folders everywhere it also bugs me as hell. Why isn't there a middle ground? Have a simple root directory with four folders that say Camera, Pictures, Music and Documents, with NO other folders? This is getting better with iCloud access and stuff so yea, it's not as bad as before.
The problem with Android at the end of the day, is there is no single device that can do enough things better than the iPhone. The iPhone is either the best or almost the best in just so many categories. You can get the V20 for best sound quality yes, you get no waterproofness, no stunning design, no best screen. You can get the Note 7, but you get bad sound quality, no new camera features, and bad software updates. You can get the Nexus 6P for good updates, but you get ****ty plastic construction (with metal shell), really bad sound quality, bad screen, and outdated camera.
Any argument someone makes to me about iPhones gets countered with one single word:
iTunes.
If Apple would give us a proper navigable file system (WTF is wrong with drag-and-drop?) and the ability to customize the homescreen beyond wallpaper and where to put icons in that boring-ass grid, I'd be more interested. Customizable interface (ie: launcher), on-screen widgets, and the ability to use storage as STORAGE, and I'd be interested.
The iPhone is fine if you're looking for a smartphone. My Androids are computers I can fit in my pocket, that can do all sorts of things an iPhone can't.
And iTunes is the worst. Just awful.
This is an Android development/discussion site, not iPhone.
Thread closed.
Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Honor 7X, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Honor 7X is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
Honor made a phone with impressive phone with great build quality at such price range without any doubt.
Hands on to Honor
Coming from Samsung galaxy S7 Edge and LG v20 ( sold all flagship phones because of family issues ) i can say i am in love with this phone. Really nice display. Crisp and sharp. Good battery life with normal usage. Overall very happy with Honor 7X
I got this mobile recently. I am in love with this mobile. Camera is great and overall smooth performance. Battery has power saving mode for running more than 30 hours, with full charge
fast and reliable for daily use
Came from a Nexus 6P of two years and I love this phone!!
Love how easy EMUI theming is and I can make it look like stock android if I want to all without rooting and without the slowness that I found substratum can cause.
Easily getting 5+ hours of SOT on a daily basis; and only time I've noticed any sort of lag is when I haven't used the phone while sleeping; it unlocks quickly via fingerprint but the first app i open takes a second longer to open then its back to it's snappy self.
Love it! Thing is a beast!
Joined the crowd today with the Mate SE, WOW! What a Great Phone!
Sure, it's not a flagship, but it feels like one! and if it does most of what you *really* need, with such a great price, It's astounding really. I've spent some time Mate SE vs MI A1. It's subjective of course, but the SE has all the US bands, bottom line, if I'm out in the boonies, I want the best odds of being able to make that call.
Have been using it for an hour and did app updates, map downloads, etc. Hasn't heated up at all, cool as could be. Very Happy with this choice!
Just got this phone cuz my Galaxy Note broke, and i needed something ASAP. Although i didn´t expect too much from a phone in this price range, I´m still bothered by the mediocre camera, and a poor display with horrible view angles. I´ll keep it for a bit, the build quality seems decent, but that´s all.
Just got it 2 weeks ago. Good bye all other budget phones. It rocks
My Galaxy S7 committed suicide about three weeks ago and still having payments on it and trying to get out of AT&T without having to get into more payments this was an AMAZING choice. does everything i need it too and some. works way better than my S7 IMO, One week of use and i love it!
I wish I had heard of this company before buying all these second hand Samung/Motorola phones through craigslist just to save money, when I can buy a comparable phone brand new for a price that is cheaper. This phone is just an improved version of the Honor 7X.
My review is based off replacing a Samsung Note 4 and my work phone is a Galaxy S7.
Battery:
The battery life is superb on this. Seeing how my Note 4 had all this bloatware and these Samsung extras out of the box. The Note 4 couldn't even last through out the day with constant usage. This phone lasts through out the day, set it down without charging it for the night and it still has power.
Battery life is about the same as the S7, though.
Design:
Doesn't feel like a cheap, cricket phone. Feels like it has some weight, some heft to it. I am also impressed by the fingerprint technology on the back of the handset. It is much better and responsive then what the Galaxy S7 has. I never had to 'retry' my fingerprint as if it didn't register it.
Communications:
Haven't noticed any difference in terms of call quality or signal. Yet, my carrier is AT&T. The only concern is that the phone doesn't support 5G Wi-Fi.
Camera.
Unless something was wrong with my Samsung Note 4, this camera is much better than the Note, but similar to what the S7 has, or maybe even less.
Display:
I can't tell if this is part of the android or part of Huawei, but there are animations in the display which are interesting. From where you can see the display brightness slider move automatically to where texts seem to 'bounce' when you scroll through them. There is little bloatware and I like the drawer design of the apps. Screen is also bigger than my Note 4.
Also some people state the charging cable is different, yet my cord that charges my samsung phones can charge this phone.
At the end of the day, this phone can do everything a $1,200 phone can do.
Just bought new one from amazon, I will give my review very soon.
I've had it since the day after Prime Day. Love it. My only complaint is some of the bloatware. I also find the organizations of Settings in EMUI somewhat annoying. (It's like 4 clicks to get to the screen where you can choose a new wifi network.) Overall, this is a great phone and an incredible value.
Phone still going strong. My only major issue is that GPS is horrible with this phone. From Waze to Google Maps, the signal isn't consistent and drops when it comes to GPS. Never experienced anything like this, and it's been like this day one.
Great cpu performance. great battery life.
Poor audio output. Volume boosting apps don't work.
Rooting was easy, reverting... still need to wade through that.
Screen replacement wasn't too difficult, cheap (and cheap quality) parts on ebay. BEWARE! The battery pack is a gel pack that's glued on to the chassis. I ripped the battery open trying to remove it and had to order a new one.
The chassis is FLIMSY. After disassembling the phone to replace the screen, I saw that 1. the back cover is a flimsy bit of plastin (plastic or tin) and 2. the main chassis itself is a weak and flimsy bit of cast pot metal. This phone will bend and break very easily, which is what I suspect caused the screen to break so easily.
Overall, great performer, the sound issue may be addressed with newer Android, the chassis is in need of serious reinforcement.
The Honor 7X was one of the best budget phones of it's time. For under $200, this phone is a really great deal.
Preface: I am posting this here because I think it will be buried otherwise, and I want it to reach as many people as possible, since personally I wish I knew all of this before buying it.
…And kind reminder: If you feel you are an HTC combatant, please click the Back button and save yourself, and probably myself, from getting aggravated.
This review was prompted because I feel like swimming in a sea of superficial “reviews” online, which are mostly advertisements rather than real reviews, and a lot of peculiarities are unearthed only after the device is used for a sufficiently lengthy period of time.
The HTC U Ultra, in my humble opinion, is a double-edged sword (one of the edges is pointed towards the owner, sadly).
The screen is spacious at 5.7” and even though the phone is very large it can be managed in one hand, if you make a concerted effort. The overall size is exacerbated by the 2nd screen on top, which is reasonably useful, i.e. not utterly pointless.
The screen is a very good IPS-variety screen, with moderate brightness (visible enough in bright daylight). Note that the Oreo update, I believe, did considerably increase the maximum brightness, which could be very useful when the need comes, but absolutely not recommended for long-term use because of the borderline insufficient battery capacity. At least, the option to blast out the brightness in a pinch is there.
Performance is overall very good to great, games play well, day-to-day internetting, newsfeeding, facebooking, vibering (or whatever messaging app floats your boat) is great, and so is the multitasking.
The sound from the bundled headphones is outstanding (in combination with the proprietary HTC USonic EQ shenanigans), provided you like deep sub-bass and high brilliance without muffling the vocals (as I do). The sound is definitely V-shaped. The downsides of the headphones are that (a) they don’t have volume buttons, which, given the size of the phone and the inherent difficulty related to getting it out of the pocket to increase or decrease the volume, is moderately frustrating, (b) they are of the USB-C variety, which means you can’t simply plug them into most other phones or HiFi devices, and means that (c) you can’t charge your phone and use the headphones simultaneously, which, however, I wouldn’t do, since I would like the battery to have as longer life as possible, given the difficulty of replacing it (1 – the phone is a glass sandwich which means I can’t just pull the battery out and slap a new one in; 2 – HTC service centers, at least where I live, are few and far between, and 3 – the availability of spare batteries and the costs related to replacing the battery leave a lot to be desired). A negative too is that there is no USB-C to mini-jack adapter in the box, which means you have to buy one, which is easier said than done - a lot of those being sold do not work with the HTC U Ultra (unless you use apps such as Sound About or tinker with the OS) and the original HTC adapter is very hard to buy anyway, most places listing it as out-of-stock. Let’s not forget that routinely plugging cables into the USB-C connector on the phone (one for charging, another for USB-C headphones) will surely shorten the already-not-that-great durability of the said USB-C connector on the phone (and again the glass sandwich which makes it hard to replace said USB-C connector comes to mind). Also, here in Bulgaria people are not buying phones every year and the probability of me being at a place where someone could lend me their USB-C charger to top up my battery midday or mid-party are close to nil, so I have to carry my USB-C cable too.
The battery is not for power users. At 3000 mAh it is not well-suited to the power requirements of that huge and very high resolution screen (2560x1440 + 160x1040, that’s a lot of pixels). Overall, I get 3.5-4.5 hours of screen-on time from a full charge over one day, with some gaming and camera use. If you don’t use the stock camera (the phone automatically maxes out the screen brightness in the stock camera app, and you cannot turn it down, very dumb idea), don’t play games, and use the phone only on WiFi and not on 3G/4G, probably 5 to maximum 6 hours of screen-on time would be possible.
The digitizer of the phone uses snap-to-grid which cannot be switched off which is in effect when the finger is moving slowly. I tried very very hard to figure out the purpose of this seemingly dumb idea, and couldn’t find any sensible reasons for it, and also could not find any other phone with that function. I wonder why... The result is that some games, which require very precise finger movement, are much harder to play on the HTC U Ultra than on any other phone I have tried (granted I have not tried any other HTC phone).
The body of the phone is pointless, a.k.a. pretty. (To me it’s not even that pretty, apart from the logo-less fully black front glass, which I adore. But I digress.) That possibly resulted in the less-than-needed battery capacity and the fact that the phone seems extremely fragile. There is no wireless charging (which I personally don’t need) as an excuse for the glass back. HTC couldn’t even manage to make the sandwich seamless, you can definitely feel ridges where the glass meets the metal, and this even makes the phone uncomfortable to hold for prolonged periods of time. The saving grace (ironic as it may be) is that the hard-plastic case provided in the box makes the phone much more comfortable to hold and much less slippery, whilst also possibly protecting the glass back from shattering when dinged. This hard-plastic case almost entirely defeats any and all prettiness goals there may have been, so why not just make it out of that material, at that increased thickness, and then you could even cram in that much-needed larger battery… Oh, right, every other maker’s phones are made of glass too; prettiness above utility (certainly not my thing).
The second screen has some useful perks, such as having a “widget” of most used contacts or most used apps (then why have a dock too, hmm…), you can pick up the phone and the second screen will activate so you can glance at the time, battery charge, etc., you can activate the flashlight or control your music app from it. Also, and something that I particularly like, incoming notifications pop up on it, which means they don’t pop up over what you are currently doing. Yay!
There are problems with the fingerprint scanner (On Nougat, at least, have not used it since the Oreo update). Sometimes it just refuses to do any scanning but still activates the screen when touched. You are then required to enter your PIN to unlock the phone and then the scanner would work again as if nothing ever happened.
The vibration motor does not vibrate, it buzzes instead. I’m not attempting a pun or a joke, it is indeed a buzz. This feels super cheap, even compared to my 5 year old LG Optimus G Pro (great haptic feedback!). I thought it was a fault of my unit initially. Then I spoke to other owners of Ultras. Thankfully, I got used to it. That does not mean I don’t dislike it anymore.
The screen is not calibrated to sRGB standard but something much wider in terms of color gamut (allegedly DCI-P3, I don’t have instruments to test, or maybe and most probably they just wanted it to be “like Samsung”…). This cannot be corrected anywhere in the OS (you can correct the white point, though, which is good). If you like eye-popping colors you’re in luck, and conversely, if you like more natural colors – you’re certainly out of luck. The reds, especially, are rather eye-watering. On the other hand, the screen has very high clarity with no appreciable over-sharpening, rather high brightness (after Oreo update), low minimum brightness thus can easily be used in pitch black environments, and very little color inversion when viewed at angles (e.g. when showing your friends your awesome photos and videos). Of course, as any IPS screen, it is the brightness which rapidly drops when the phone is tilted, but the picture does not become yellowish or purplish, or grey instead of black. Which is very good.
The sound from the rather inaptly named BoomSound speakers is anything but Boom. The Xiaomi Redmi 4X (~ EUR 100) or the Huawei P8 Lite (2015) easily trounce it in terms of sound quality (especially bass). The sound is also rather imbalanced, most of it coming from the bottom firing speaker (which is also very easy to inadvertently cover and mute whilst holding the phone horizontally). At least it is rather loud, can create a sense of spaciousness when held horizontally and overall it is not “bad” like on many other phones I’ve heard. What is not good at all, however, is that it has an undefeatable volume ramp-up curve, which means that any sound is produced with the volume being gradually increased in the beginning, omitting the initial attack. For songs, such as for example Brain Stew by Green Day, this could be rather hilarious (or to me, rather aggravating). Unsurprisingly then, there is no attack from most notification sounds. So, the good thing is the phone’s notifications could never startle you which means you won’t get a heart-attack if you forgot to reduce your notification volume. Yay… I guess…? Nah, this is just plain dumb and awful.
I wish HTC engineers knew what “centering” means. Then the capacitive buttons wouldn’t have been in the places where I least expect them to be during my day-to-day use of the phone. They are not in the middle of the chin centrally, they are not in the middle of the chin vertically, they are just simply not in the middle of anything. I thought I’d easily get used to that. I was wrong. Their sensitivity zones are also barely extending beyond their graphical symbols. Thus, I have to depress them with my entire thumbs to make sure I’ll catch them. Sneaky bastards. Even turning on the constant backlighting of the buttons does not help as much as I thought it would.
The capacitive scanner/homebutton is also a double-edged sword – easy to use when you want to, but also very easy to accidentally touch and activate when you don’t want to – especially during heated gaming this stinks a lot.
The camera may not be obliterating any DxOMarks any time soon, but to me it is really really good. For one, the wide aperture, combined with the OIS, means you get good night and indoor shots, which I sorely desire. It is fast to snap a picture, it can be activated with a double-click of the power button, it shoots great and reasonably stable 4K video, and even more stable FullHD video if you can sacrifice the clarity of 4K. Great sound recording too! (for the videos) Overall, the camera experience feels “flagship”. Also, given that the phone is with a Snapdragon 821, Google’s ported cameras work pretty well (mind you, there are bugs, sometimes the apps just close, sometimes they don’t produce the intended results, if any at all). When using Google’s ported camera apps the HDR photography results are quite phenomenal (at least to me) and even a lot better than the stock camera app (which is very good to start with) especially for high-contrast and night-time/indoor shots. Also, portraits come out pretty stunning (provided the app doesn’t crash, of course, but that’s not a fault of the phone).
A caveat is that both the front and back cameras of the phone are very prone to flares. It certainly looks like the image is being reflected by something inside (the lenses or the sensor assembly, I have no idea which exactly) and then this reflection gets picked up by the sensor. For instance, at night when shooting shops’ neon signs, I can easily see the vertically flipped ghost flares of those signs. I, personally, am not overly bothered and find those flares more interesting than troublesome, though. Some surely might not.
All in all, it is the high-quality spacious screen (side note: a 5,8” 18.5:9 screen has ~5 cm2 smaller area than a 16:9 5.7” screen, not counting the 2nd screen on the Ultra too), the awesome headphone sound, the great camera quality and experience that make this phone worth the ~ EUR 275, provided you can live with its shortcomings, which are quite a few in my view. You’d be really hard pressed (I’m pretty sure it is impossible but maybe the ZTE Axon 7 could do the trick) to find such a screen, such sound or especially such a camera on any other phone retailing for ~ EUR 300 brand new. At its original price I’d never buy it, though.
But, if you want off-the-charger longevity, a screen with realistic colors, really good speaker sound, durable body and good ergonomics, this is certainly not your phone, even at its current price.
To me it is quite the bipolar experience – sometimes it overjoys me with its sound or camera chops, sometimes it makes me want to smash it against the wall for its absurdly stupid quirks (Which I believe someone thought were “good design ideas”. No, they are not good at all.)
So it is quite the paradoxical one – it can be both extremely good value and extremely bad value, depending on what you want. Hopefully my personal observations can help you make your own well-informed choice.
Love it or hate it. I don’t see any middle ground.
Glad to see another bulgarian with htc u ultra. I thought that i am alone. Reading the title i expected another rant against htc but in fact the review is very good and completely confirms what i observed for the 5 months with this phone. I am not fan of games and the good screen, headphone sound quality and camera are very important for me so i am quite happy with this phone. I am not so heavy user so battery lasts between 1 and 3 days (usually 2) and i also have power bank with me supporting quick charge so battery life is not a problem for me. Generally i am quite happy with the phone at that price but definitely would not pay the initial price which was over 500 eur. Regarding the type c to 3.5mm adapter - i bought original one from here and it is working very good:
http://www.citytel.bg/adapter-htc-from-3-5-mm-to-usb-type-c-dc-m321
Great review, I agree with most of yours notes. I just wanted to add, IMO - currently there is no better phone for the price it goes these days.
Agree with some fancts, bottom line is at the current price, you cant get anything better.
The Speaker of this phone is pure cancer. My old Galaxy s6 and my business(forced) Iphone SE were way better. I'm not even able to hear Music while cooking etc. IT just fu*** the ears. This is without a doubt the worst phone I've ever bought. I really should have bought the honor 7x
I am a HTC Combatant and die hard, but your review is clear and very honest. Thumb Up! All the negative point you gave really need to be reviewed and improved by HTC. I'm facing the same issues. Overall I like the phone for my everyday use..
Thanks. This honest review will definitely help
FatManYelling said:
The Speaker of this phone is pure cancer. My old Galaxy s6 and my business(forced) Iphone SE were way better. I'm not even able to hear Music while cooking etc. IT just fu*** the ears. This is without a doubt the worst phone I've ever bought. I really should have bought the honor 7x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had an Honor 8 for six months. It was awful. Just didn't like it. Camera, interface, sound... The U Ultra is a far superior phone for a similar price.
You Sir should do phone reviews. very detailed, objective and honest review!
Thank you!
Hello, I own a Moto G4 Plus and I'm going to replace it very soon. Your review helped very much, as I can't decide between a HTC U Ultra and a Moto G6 Plus, as they both retail for the exact same price currently, at least here, in Romania. On one hand, the U Ultra is closer quality to a flagship, has a nice screen, good processor (maybe a bit old, I'll admit it) and a very good camera, at least when compared to competitors from the same year. On the other hand, the G6 Plus has near stock Android, treble support, a very easy to unlock bootloader, and still has a nice screen and decent camera and processor. I really cannot decide between those, as I am looking at the U Ultra's shortcomings as potential deal breakers. What would be your recommendations? Thanks!
For me its no brain picking the right phone.I would allways buy older flagship instead of similar placed midranger.
Yeah Ultra have some bad things battery is short-ish but all other things are beter.Build quality,sound on headphones is awesome,phone is fast no lags,slowdownds or anything like that.Camera is good and screen is ok for me.
But ur the one who needs to pick.
Only thing questionable now is Android Pie.
Thank you for this review. I ordered HTC U Ultra yesterday. Price was pretty cool - 200€. Can't wait to test it!
So as the title suggests, let's hear about your current daily driver, how do you like it so far? What kinds of features do you appreciate most? What do you think is missing?
Also, let's talk about your least favorite devices as an added hono bonus.
Might as well get it started, my current daily driver is an LG V30, H933 to be exact. It's a very well rounded phone, and for up to 90% of the tasks, it's managed to replace my laptop. Battery life is more than enough for me, even with brightness set on auto and screen resolution on 2880 x 1440, the cameras are real nice, and the wide angle shooter is just addictive to mess with, great stock camera app too. Audio quality is superb, I just love the HiFi quad DAC and even the speaker is well above average imho. Finally as expected from any flagship, performance is great, and while activating battery saver mode does introduce a difference, for most tasks you still don't notice much lag.
I'm gonna say I appreciate the ip68 rating and the ruggedness of the phone, it's already taken a small drop and survived no problem, but that was enough motivation for me to get a UAG plasma case. I also put a screen protector on it initially, but dust kept accumulating around the edges and eventually making its way under the protector I got fed up and removed it. As long as you have a decent case that has raised lips both the front and rear glass should be fine, but now I never keep the phone in the same pocket as coin or keys.
Also it turns out that in case you damage the glass, it's quite cheap to replace (15 dollars from what I've heard).
As for phones I never see myself using as daily drivers, the latest iPhones certainly make the list. On top of almost complete lack of customizability and control over the phone, lackluster stock camera apps for (a photographer like me at least), and ridiculous pricing, Apple's desperation to sell their phones (or rather force them down your throat) is becoming pathetic. The 8 and 8 plus are rather fragile, and the iPhone X, while admittedly better, isn't better by much, and the worst part is that if you crack the glass on any of these phones, it'll cost so much to replace if you don't have apple care, you might as well just get a new device, which, in all likelihood, is exactly what Apple wants you to do. Between that, and introducing OS updates that intentionally throttle the performance of their older phones, whatever little appeal Apple's devices had, is now imho gone.
Another phone I would avoid is the Motorola moto z2 force/play, the plastic screen not only feels cheap, but is also very prone to scratches. The moto G5s plus is a better budget device than the play of you ask me.