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Question S21+ vs Note 10+

Torn between S21+ and Note 10+. Watched Youtube videos and found nearly all the videos and the follow-up comments were one-sided: Note 10+ is better than S21+. Considering Note 10+ was 1.5 years older than S21+, it's hard to believe that note 10+ is really better than S21+. S21+ is now on sale plus the trade-in program with the T-mobile promotion. Which one is worth buying note 10+ or S21+? Thank you for the help!

You can still get a new N975U for $800 running on Q. I have two now, the other is a N975U1 running on Pie. In spite of being almost 2.5 years old my original one looks and runs like new. One battery replacement was the only repair. The display is still perfect. Current load will be 2 years old in June, still fast and stable.
SOT is 7-13%@hr, 7%@hr for Brave browser more for streaming vids.
The deal breaker against the S21+ are:
•No SD card* slot, I use a .5tb V30 Sandisk extreme soon the be upgraded to 1tb.
•The S21 and all variable rate displays have slightly poorer color rendering and numerous display issues of all sorts. The N10+ display has an excellent track record and it's gorgeous with square corners. Perfect for vids.
•The N10+ comes loaded with Q, no forced encryption and scoped storage isn't fully active, older apps run fine on it like WPS Office.
•The N10+ has a native spen for bt remote shutter release and the very useful Smart Capture tool.
•The N10+ is 7mm thick so even when well protected in a Zizo Bolt case it's not very thick and easy to hold and use.
•5G not needed as my cheap unlimited data plan is 4G. 4G uses less battery which is important to me.
•Cams are pretty damn good on the N10+, laser focus be nice but not high on the list. The better color rendering of the N19+ display outweigh the slightly better cams of newer models.
•Build quality of the N10+ is excellent, battle tested. All buttons, the spen still work like new.
Beyond all that the N10+ is a fun, snappy phone to use even after over 2 years. With 12gb of ram you just don't run out, nominal usage is 4.9-5.2gb on Pie.
The new one was $800, I didn't blink at the price as I know what I was getting. Both will likely never be upgraded to 11 or 12, security isn't an issue for Pie and up. Both can be upgraded to 12 if you wish but likely not 13.
The other phone I considered was the N20U but the 10+ won out. I'm having an excellent user experience with the beast, so I got a backup
*I use the SD card as a data drive, all critical data goes there including full backups (within the limits of a stock Android). I can do a full reload with no internet connection or PC, anywhere.
Moreover I carry my entire CD/HDCD collection in my pocket as wav files. A fast dual drive 1+tb PC in your pocket is magnificent.

Thank you Blackhawk! How is the camera on note 10+ compared with S21+? On eBay, I saw "brand new" note 10+ for less than $500.

pzz123 said:
Thank you Blackhawk! How is the camera on note 10+ compared with S21+? On eBay, I saw "brand new" note 10+ for less than $500.
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You're welcome.
Well I never shot with the S21+ so for all I know it's AF gets lock ons instantly. The 10+'s shutter release could be faster but nothing to compare to except pro cams I shoot with
Still pics, vids are good, action shots not... unless you use burst mode which is easy to do by simply holding the release.
Using the spen as a remote shutter release is great though. Below is one from 10 feet out... not even trying to make it nice.
Be very careful with vendors. Best to talk with them first on the phone. Many are misrepresenting what they are selling. The Snapdragon variant you want is the N975U, it interfaces with AT&T just by putting in the sim card. Assuming you're using AT&T; get the correct variant for your provider. Make sure it has 12gb of ram. Used ones will likely be reflashed to Android 11. You want to keep display brightness at 50% or lower; did the previous owner? AMOLED displays have a finite lifespan; the brightest stars burn out first.
Factory sealed, two day free delivery. I like this seller, not super cheap but top shelf phones, zero issues and he answers his phone. I did a lot of searching...
Personally I think the S21+ is a dog.
In my opinion the Note20U be your next best choice but I dismissed it in part because of potential reliability issues with the display, the display color rendering is less than the 10, and they are shipped with Android 11. The 5G modem will likely eat battery and it's form factor sucks. You may feel differently and as of today it is the last Note. Faster memory/cpu/spen, excellent cam (and hump) and variable refresh rate display. Be very careful if you buy one, a lot of scamming going on with this model worse than what I saw with the N10... it's bad.
Make sure it has 12gb of ram and is the unlocked factory model.
Got a headache yet?

Awesome! Thanks. I am now seriously thinking about getting a note 10+ instead of s21+. Appreciate your help!

pzz123 said:
Awesome! Thanks. I am now seriously thinking about getting a note 10+ instead of s21+. Appreciate your help!
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It's a tough call between the N10+ and N20U*. On paper the N20U seems to have the edge.
In real life though... results may vary
Note 10+ display review.
Note 20U display review.
*S21+, for me the call is an easy no go

Question The honest truth about the S22 Ultra 2 months later

Before I go into detail, I should note that the S22 Ultra is my favorite phone right now, and is probably the best you can get. I came from the Note20 Ultra, and briefly the S21 Ultra and Pixel 6 Pro. The S22 Ultra is a really great phone, but so were the S21 Ultra and Note20 Ultra. The Pixel 6 Pro is much like a beta phone with great software and features, but stability and 5G reception need improvement. Many reviewers have referred to the S22 Ultra as "safe" and "boring", and I tend to agree. It really is what the Note21 Ultra could have been. With so much focus moving to foldables and rollables, perhaps innovation is stagnant on the traditional slabs.
When compared to the Note20 Ultra, the only noticeable improvements are data speeds, battery life, screen uniformity, and low light photos. Everything else is exactly the same, even how the phone feels. It is not a revolutionary phone by any means, and really is only worth buying if you get a great deal. The only downsides are the weaker vibrate motor and added weight.
When compared to the S21 Ultra, it's pretty much the exact same phone with a different form factor and an S Pen. It has the same screen technology as the S22U, as well as 5G SA. The S21 Ultra is actually easier to hold being narrower, but the weight of the S22 Ultra is more evenly distributed. The S21 Ultra retains the strong vibrate motor from the Note20 Ultra. If you have an S21 Ultra, the upgrade to the S22 Ultra is NOT worth it unless you absolutely need an S Pen or prefer the larger screen area (19.3:9 has greater area than 20:9).
With each upgrade, there is less feel of something new and exciting. Even the software is nearly identical on all Samsung devices now. Dropping from 16 GB RAM to 12 GB was another odd choice. Maybe we've hit a plateau where there is nothing new to offer, or that hardware and software designers have gotten lazier. The best innovations on the software side seem to come from independent developers who have a passion for their phones. If you're coming from any non-Samsung, the S22 Ultra is a great choice, but from a recent Samsung flagship, you may be underwhelmed.

Am I the only one that thinks Samsungs decision to remove the camera surround bezels has made the unit look cheap? Looked more handsome with bezel like the S21U around the camera.

The S22U has better flare control (a function of the lense protector and maybe the lense) and somewhat better cams than the N10+.
The N10+'s display likely has a better color rendering index and white point though. Better efficiency because it's only 60hz. The N10+'s 12gb of ram chews the S22U up once the app load starts getting high. Even with a light load the S22U is only marginally faster.
The N10+ has up to 1tb of expandable storage that can be used as a data drive. Even though it memory is less efficient and has less battery capacity it gets 8-11 hrs SOT once optimized and uses >[email protected] with tap on AOD, internet/phone active.
Firmware, you can still buy a new N10+ running on Android 10. Android 11 is so-so and 12 is a boned mess of a fubar.
I have one N10+ running Pie, the other 10. Both will remain as such for their whole service lives because they run great and fullfill their mission.
Thus far security hasn't been an issue at all. Pie is reasonably secure as is in actual usage.
Both Android and Samsung have dropped the ball for 3 years running. Hard to believe the Beast is still a viable and desirable option after all this time but it is.
I'm not pleased with Samsung or Google Adroid's Apple crap wannabe releases at all

Limeybastard said:
Am I the only one that thinks Samsungs decision to remove the camera surround bezels has made the unit look cheap? Looked more handsome with bezel like the S21U around the camera.
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I actually think the S22 Ultra looks great. It gives cases with the precise cutouts a great look.

Excellent unbiased review of the S22U. It's a very good phone despite what a small group of Note 10 users with no first hand experience think of it.

My last phone was iPhone 11 and the previous one was a Xiaomi Mix 2s, so the S22 Ultra feels very premium and a big upgrade. I was bored with what is happening on the iOS side, so I decided to switch back to android and the S22 Ultra is a great all-in-one package, especially with the 4 years update.

I'm coming from S20+ 5G. I'm really disappointed about the battery life which it's still a shame, random overheating it's still present, unfortunately, the only improvement it's the camera department and S-Pen, otherwise, it's the same phone...

I came from an S20+ too. Only upgraded because I got a great deal. Already knew this was not going to be a huge upgrade from the S20+, but I am enjoying just as much. I have one for me and one for the wife and both have been flawless. No issues at all. Battery lasts more than long enough for our use. Hope the new software update does not mess with anything and just makes it better.

hand-filer said:
Excellent unbiased review of the S22U. It's a very good phone despite what a small group of Note 10 users with no first hand experience think of it.
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Best comment ever.. dude's like: oh well I have 2 note 10+ and even if this is a S22 Ultra forum I'm gonna brag about how great my N10+ with the Spen on the right as god intended it to be is. He does have some good comments and suggestions when he's not trying to shove his 2 note 10s in every thread of the forum.
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I'm almost 2 months with the S22 Ultra, I just changed the firmware to XAA U1 (it was TMB U) and it feels lighter and more fluid. I still haven't updated to the latest firmware (I switched last night so there was no update). Will try to get it and test it out. Coming from N20U, S21U, Iphone13ProM, I'm perfectly happy with the S22U, I have no regret (well maybe not getting the 1TB version), but I think this is an amazing device

Unfortunately in my country there are no trade-in deals, so yeah, I was forced to sell my S20+ for 350$ to purchase this S22 Ultra for 1200$

I actually made money on my deal. I purchased my S20+ when I was with Verizon on a Buy One Get One Free deal. I moved to T-Mobile and got $1000 each for the 2 S20+ phones I had in trade, so each S22 Ultra cost me $200 and I made a $1000 on the deal. Really could not pass that up even though I was happy with my S20+. Transferring the phone data went flawlessly on both phones and I have had no issues with the new phone. Better yet, the wife is happy.

Question S22 ultra of pixel 7 pro? The bug factor

I'm currently on a pixel 2 XL. It's still a good phone. The battery isn't great anymore, but it gets me through the day. I'm considering the pixel 7 pro, but one main reason I decided to wait one more year last year was because of the abysmal fingerprint scanner that was in the phone. The 7 pro has the same scanner or a very similar one.
As I scan through this pixel 7 pro forum I see reports of bad radios, bad battery life, the fingerprint scanner is slow and okay at best (I am NOT using face unlock), apps won't install properly, and maybe a couple other little things that I've forgotten.
Do I just need to get the s22 ultra? I'm not even convinced rooting is worth it anymore. I have zero time for that stuff- espclly when things go bad. There are unrooted versions of AdAway, viperforandroid, and YouTube revanced now exists. Revanced doesn't require root either.
S22s have awesome picture capabilities it seems . This is really important to me.
What's the opinion of you guys who've had both?

I never had a Pixel 6, but I can tell you I have zero issues with this fingerprint scanner. Works every time and fast. I realise it's optical as opposed to ultrasonic on the recent Samsung phones, but it's just as fast and reliable as my S21 Ultra was.
In terms of battery life and radio, again no issues with either. I only got the phone on Saturday so I've had two full days with a full charge and hit north of 6 hours SOT on both using a combination of wifi and data and using the phone for various things throughout the day. Radio signal is also fine, better than my Note 10 Plus I've just given to my son.
And all the reviews I've seen say the Pixel 7 Pro is the equal of the S22 Ultra's camera in every way bar the 30x zoom. It's better than my S21 Ultra was.
Again, I can only speak for myself so your mileage may vary.

Beefheart said:
I never had a Pixel 6, but I can tell you I have zero issues with this fingerprint scanner. Works every time and fast. I realise it's optical as opposed to ultrasonic on the recent Samsung phones, but it's just as fast and reliable as my S21 Ultra was.
In terms of battery life and radio, again no issues with either. I only got the phone on Saturday so I've had two full days with a full charge and hit north of 6 hours SOT on both using a combination of wifi and data and using the phone for various things throughout the day. Radio signal is also fine, better than my Note 10 Plus I've just given to my son.
And all the reviews I've seen say the Pixel 7 Pro is the equal of the S22 Ultra's camera in every way bar the 30x zoom. It's better than my S21 Ultra was.
Again, I can only speak for myself so your mileage may vary.
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I second this. Came from an s21 ultra and find no issues with the fingerprint even though at first I wasnt sold on it. It's very fast and reliable so far. Battery seems decent as well. Cameras are miles better than my exynos ultra and unless the s22 somehow fixed a lot of the camera issues mainly video, I find the 7 pro to be much better already.
Face unlock works very well too I find, even though you said you won't be using it. When I got the phone first I wasn't fully sold on it but I've had it a few days now and it's definitely an improvement on the s21 ultra. I've also found coverage to be very good and calls to be much clearer and I'm not a Google fan boy by any stretch. Personally I'd go with this phone over an s22.

I had a 22 ultra for a week or so before I got my 7 Pro and I like the 7P much better. The size and curve of the screen were too much for me on the 22. Battery wise I am getting about the same. I prefer the lack of bloat and photo processing on the Pixel. With the 50x zoom added to the 7P I don't miss the 100x zoom on the Samsung. As for problems you listed above I had the app install one but that was from transferring my data between the phones at setup. I tried a clean install and everything has been running smooth since then.

Thanks for the replies guys. They're great. Can any of you speak to the screen's brightness? I'm outside a lot, and the pixel 2xl's dim screen has been a pain in the butt from day one. The Samsungs are always brighter. I was reading that the p7 pro can put out something like 1500 nits, and this is about the same as a s22 ultra. The difference is that when the p7 pro outputs this brightness the battery gets DESTROYED whereas the s22 can output that brightness much more efficiently. I think xda even actually wrote an article about this. Can anyone personally speak to this?

Already commented on my experience in high brightness outside in the thread dedicated to that particular issue.
In short I found no evidence of the battery drain claimed, losing around 1% every 3-4 minutes on maximum brightness set by the ambient sensor when outdoors. In my experience this is about expected.

i am still on the fence and i have a s21 ultra exynos version . which is still doing good for me

I used the S22 Ultra for about 4 months. It was good, but there were some things I just did not like (battery life was terrible, for example). I now have the P7Pro and so far so good, although I've only had it for less than 24h

pro4ever said:
i am still on the fence and i have a s21 ultra exynos version . which is still doing good for me
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I upgraded from an s21 and im happy so far. Obviously it's different for everyone but there's enough good things about the P7P to justify the switch for me. Plus the s21 still holds good value so factor the sale of that into the purchase price..

I forget the nuance between carrier unlocked and unlockable bootloader. If I get an "unlocked" phone from best buy will I be able to root it? I'm considering going to get one for my wife. I will not root hers, but id like to know in case I get one and decide to root.

Schroeder09 said:
I forget the nuance between carrier unlocked and unlockable bootloader. If I get an "unlocked" phone from best buy will I be able to root it? I'm considering going to get one for my wife. I will not root hers, but id like to know in case I get one and decide to root.
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Yes. A unlocked device is fully sim free as they used to be called. They can be used on any network and the bootloader unlocked with no issues and rooted. This is the device I have.

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

Question I plan to buy a galaxy s22 ultra, advice before buying please

Hi everyone, please I plan to buy a galaxy s22 ultra, but most videos or youtubers talk about heating or overheating, advice before buying, exynos or snapdragon or which version, thank you in advance

I don't have any issues with overheating, never have.
Just look for your best deal between Samsung or your carrier with trade-ins.

ryant35 said:
I don't have any issues with overheating, never have.
Just look for your best deal between Samsung or your carrier with trade-ins.
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thank you, look at the comments please

First week with this phone.
I don't have any kind of overheating.
On the other hand, battery is sort of dissapointing, it lasts the same as my older phones (mi 10, mi 9, honor 8, nexus 5). Around 6 hours of SOT give or take. And the charging is slower than mi 10/9.

Sticky92 said:
First week with this phone.
I don't have any kind of overheating.
On the other hand, battery is sort of dissapointing, it lasts the same as my older phones (mi 10, mi 9, honor 8, nexus 5). Around 6 hours of SOT give or take. And the charging is slower than mi 10/9.
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Does that mean other than that everything is fine? I hesitate between honor magic4 pro and realme gt 2 pro because I like samsung but I don't really know

whait for s23 ultra with sd 8 gen 2

Wait for the S23u with 8gen2, the 8gen1 and exy2200 are both inefficient.

I've got around 7 of these phones and out of them 3 had severe lag.
128gb seems to be the worst, higher memory seem to perform better.
Unless you are getting a bargain I'd wait for s23 ultra

samlis said:
Hi everyone, please I plan to buy a galaxy s22 ultra, but most videos or youtubers talk about heating or overheating, advice before buying, exynos or snapdragon or which version, thank you in advance
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Why? S23 is around the corner. From the leaks it will be much better in power efficiency, specially if you are in EU and stuck with the Exynos chip which i think sucks. I read Snapdragon takes better images and is more efficient (even if i read they get overheated also)....but much of that is fixed in the S23 that uses a updated gen2 chip.
S22U is a great phone but i'm dissapointed with battery and image quality still.
Compared to my iPhone images are a hit and miss. Sometimes they are awesome but sometimes they are grainy or colors are off or just blurry.
And as said battery drain is pretty bad. Like overnight dropping 7-8% compared to 2-3% on iphone.
Same when i use it, i can literally see the battery go down...

1. Notification bar is looking like it is a theme made 10 years ago.
2. Lagging and stutters is very possible, depends on unit to unit.
3. Phone does overheat if you planning to use an app that is a heavy resources consuption or badly optimized.
4. Samsung's devices are overfilled with bloat-ware.
5. Battery efficiency is pretty bad.
6. A lot of S22U were sent back for a replacement due to multiple hardware issues, for example mine is restarting by it self when a phone call starts (not every time) but at least few times a month.
7. Edges are not usefull at all but rather annoying.
8. Stylus has terrible grip, very uncountable to hold.
9. Speaker is terrible too, if you planning to listen to a music at full volume, stop.
10. It has very annoying notifications that are not important at all and unable to deactivate, for example (Messenger is using your mobile data).
11. Fingerprint scanner is ok but could be better, sometimes I have to touch it 3 - 5 times to get it registered (depends on angle).
I've been struggling with stutters, lags as well as audio stutters for several months until a big update came up. Scrolling through UI was extremly jerky.
Personally I would never buy a samsung's device ever again but that is just me and I understand other may be completely satisfied.
For older devices Samsung is releasing updates that are slowing the devices down so people have to buy newer products regularly. For me this is just unacceptable. This is a verified info that you can search for too.

c0n73mn said:
1. Notification bar is looking like it is a theme made 10 years ago.
2. Lagging and stutters is very possible, depends on unit to unit.
3. Phone does overheat if you planning to use an app that is a heavy resources consuption or badly optimized.
4. Samsung's devices are overfilled with bloat-ware.
5. Battery efficiency is pretty bad.
6. A lot of S22U were sent back for a replacement due to multiple hardware issues, for example mine is restarting by it self when a phone call starts (not every time) but at least few times a month.
7. Edges are not usefull at all but rather annoying.
8. Stylus has terrible grip, very uncountable to hold.
9. Speaker is terrible too, if you planning to listen to a music at full volume, stop.
10. It has very annoying notifications that are not important at all and unable to deactivate, for example (Messenger is using your mobile data).
11. Fingerprint scanner is ok but could be better, sometimes I have to touch it 3 - 5 times to get it registered (depends on angle).
I've been struggling with stutters, lags as well as audio stutters for several months until a big update came up. Scrolling through UI was extremly jerky.
Personally I would never buy a samsung's device ever again but that is just me and I understand other may be completely satisfied.
For older devices Samsung is releasing updates that are slowing the devices down so people have to buy newer products regularly. For me this is just unacceptable. This is a verified info that you can search for too.
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Click to collapse
I think it's an SOC issue on the s22u both the 8gen1 and Exy2200 are fabbed by Samsung foundries and are poor(Samsung foundries 4nm node was awful with low yields). The zfold4 with TSMC 8+Gen1 is one of the smoothest and fastest phones I've used recently, even much better than the Pixel. I don't think the issue is OneUI. I expect the S23u with the TSMC 8gen2 will be blazing fast and buttery smooth.

Might not be relevant to you, but I by now *regrett* buying the Samsung S22 Ultra.
The reason being that (depending on where you buy your phone) the firmware for your region will disable a lot of features. E.g. for me it is impossible to somehow activate the eSIM support.
And I really tried all the tweaks that are out there.
But you only notice these things after you've purchased the phone, because nothing about this is written in the manuals.
So my advice: Stay away from Samung phones.

Honestly, the s22 Ultra was a trash offering, regardless of the chipset, of course Exynos is worse. I'm trading it in for the s23 Ultra (I'm stuck with Samsung due to the purchase of a Samsung watch) and hopefully it won't be disappointing this time around. But to what I said earlier do be careful of what wearables you buy and from what brand, Samsung has great wearables, but half the features and functions usually get limited to their phones/devices. Unfortunately I didn't realise this when I bought my Galaxy Watch 4, and so now I'm stuck for at least a few years till I swap out the wearable and then the phone brand itself, probably back to Xiaomi.

I have the S22 Ultra snapdragon, great phone but some minor annoyances
. Battery it's not poor but could be better for 5000mah
. Speakers could be a bit louder
. And camera is rubbish at capturing moving subjects it always comes out blurry

I am in the same bought boat as you and bit the bullet and bought the s22 ultra 256GB. It's been 3 days since I bought it and honestly I am really satisfied. I had the z fold4 before but I found it impractical, the s22 ultra has almost the same level of performance with no noticeable downgrade. I have the snapdragon variant and it does not overheat. Battery life is OK, but it's too early to judge as it is still learning my usage patterns.
Overall I recommend buying the s22 ultra even though s23 ultra is right around the corner. Yes, it will have an effecient CPU, but I do not expect much from a single generation leap. A real upgrade would be s24 ultra as it is expected that the entire design will change

Don't plan on upgrading my S22U to the S23U. However if I were in the market for a new phone I'd wait another month and get the S23U. No brainer IMHO.

i agree with most of the reviews here. this device does not worth it.
can't believe it's actually rated as a Ultra/premium device

For all of you counting the S23U to be the perfect phone...did they not told us that the S22U was the best of the best?
Like the SD8Gen2 will solve all your problems...
I have both the S21U and S22U with the Exynos chip and both are running fine, no overheating, no lags or stutters.
From what I have read so far is that Android 13 with One UI 5.0 has improved a lot on both the S21 and S22. I had no complaints on Android 12 and have no complaints on the latest software.
Battery life...I can't complain but then I don't have any of the social media apps on my phone which seems to be using a lot of battery.
We have little to no bloatware on the EU versions and even then this is a one time solution, delete the bloatware.
At the end of the day its ONLY a phone. There are far more important things in life than this.

cfds said:
For all of you counting the S23U to be the perfect phone...did they not told us that the S22U was the best of the best?
Like the SD8Gen2 will solve all your problems...
I have both the S21U and S22U with the Exynos chip and both are running fine, no overheating, no lags or stutters.
From what I have read so far is that Android 13 with One UI 5.0 has improved a lot on both the S21 and S22. I had no complaints on Android 12 and have no complaints on the latest software.
Battery life...I can't complain but then I don't have any of the social media apps on my phone which seems to be using a lot of battery.
We have little to no bloatware on the EU versions and even then this is a one time solution, delete the bloatware.
At the end of the day its ONLY a phone. There are far more important things in life than this.
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Click to collapse
Yes, year to year I read about unveiled best and a lot of better from year old flagship.
And after few months opinion/ reviews about disadvantages and even features which previous model had better. For example low durability frame S22 series, worse speaker quality compare to S20 series.

cfds said:
For all of you counting the S23U to be the perfect phone...did they not told us that the S22U was the best of the best?
Like the SD8Gen2 will solve all your problems...
I have both the S21U and S22U with the Exynos chip and both are running fine, no overheating, no lags or stutters.
From what I have read so far is that Android 13 with One UI 5.0 has improved a lot on both the S21 and S22. I had no complaints on Android 12 and have no complaints on the latest software.
Battery life...I can't complain but then I don't have any of the social media apps on my phone which seems to be using a lot of battery.
We have little to no bloatware on the EU versions and even then this is a one time solution, delete the bloatware.
At the end of the day its ONLY a phone. There are far more important things in life than this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually yeah, it will solve a lot, the performance will actually be worth the price tag itself, which as a heavy user I actually do need, it'll solve a lot of battery drain thanks to not being an absolute power munching ****show chipset like the current exynos, oh and I'll actually be able to get decent and stable fps with graphics maxed without the phone turning into an oven. Now lets not forget other things like photography and other stuff like that s22 ultra was a flop either way, but exynos took the cherry on the top.