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S8 or the S8+

I am coming from the Galaxy S7 Edge, and was convinced I would get the Galaxy S8. I really like the S7E, but occasionally found it just a tad too big in the pocket depending on what pants I wore. Then I walked into Best Buy and saw both phones side by side. After playing around with both for 15 minutes, I have to say I am leaning towards the S8+ now. The S8 just looks too small, while the S8+ seems to be a close match to the S7E. It's almost the same width, but about a quarter inch taller. I'm also thinking the S8+ is going to have a small advantage over the S8 when it comes to battery life. My one hesitation is how tall the S8+ is. By the time I put a case on the S8+, is it going to be too big to pocket?
Anyways, I'm just curious what size you guys/gals are going to get. Please post your response in the poll.
Thanks!

ttown said:
I am coming from the Galaxy S7 Edge, and was convinced I would get the Galaxy S8. I really like the S7E, but occasionally found it just a tad too big in the pocket depending on what pants I wore. Then I walked into Best Buy and saw both phones side by side. After playing around with both for 15 minutes, I have to say I am leaning towards the S8+ now. The S8 just looks too small, while the S8+ seems to be a close match to the S7E. It's almost the same width, but about a quarter inch taller. I'm also thinking the S8+ is going to have a small advantage over the S8 when it comes to battery life. My one hesitation is how tall the S8+ is. By the time I put a case on the S8+, is it going to be too big to pocket?
Anyways, I'm just curious what size you guys/gals are going to get. Please post your response in the poll.
Thanks!
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I felt the same way when I walked into a T-Mobile store, I wanted the S8 regular at first, but after seeing them side by side, the regular was just too small. The Plus looked fine to me, maybe because I'm so used to carrying a bigger phone around. Coming from the V20, even with a case on the S8+, I think the size will be comparable.

I've ordered the S8 but am now having the same dilemma. Would the S8+ be too big? I like phones that aren't phablet territory and can be used one handed. The narrower width helps on the S8/+ I suppose.
Is there anywhere in the UK we can actually see the devices?
Second consideration is paying another £90 for an already expensive phone which will only see a 0.5inch difference in screen size and all else staying the same.
I don't even know what a 'normal' price for a flaghship is these days (last I paid was about £360 for the Axon 7 and even looking at a comparison with the S8 it's hard to see £320 of difference in the S8)

I'm a shorter person, smaller hands. The 8+, while nice, was just too big. My wife has the iPhone 6plus and its too big. The 8 should be just right.

ttown said:
I am coming from the Galaxy S7 Edge, and was convinced I would get the Galaxy S8. I really like the S7E, but occasionally found it just a tad too big in the pocket depending on what pants I wore. Then I walked into Best Buy and saw both phones side by side. After playing around with both for 15 minutes, I have to say I am leaning towards the S8+ now. The S8 just looks too small, while the S8+ seems to be a close match to the S7E. It's almost the same width, but about a quarter inch taller. I'm also thinking the S8+ is going to have a small advantage over the S8 when it comes to battery life. My one hesitation is how tall the S8+ is. By the time I put a case on the S8+, is it going to be too big to pocket?
Anyways, I'm just curious what size you guys/gals are going to get. Please post your response in the poll.
Thanks!
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Click to collapse
I already pre-ordered the S8, which already took me an hour of playing with the phones to end up with that decision. However, I've gone back there a few times since (enough so that the guy working in the Samsung Experience area recognizes me, lawl), and I'm still debating between the two.
I'm getting the S8 no matter what, however... it's the size that driving me up the wall. The more I compare the two, the more I'm leaning towards the S8+, as the S8 is starting to seem small to me (and this is coming from someone with small hands, lawl), but I don't wanna willynilly switch my pre-order like crazy, as I don't wanna be known as that girl who keeps on changing her mind on the phone. XD Even if they're nice to my face, as that's part of the job, I know they're totally judging, haha.
I still have time to sleep on it and it's not like money's an issue with the plans. I wouldn't be paying much more. If Best Buy didn't have their pre-order deal, I would totally get the regular one because I'm not paying $100 more for the larger phone. With the deal, the S8+ is the same price as the regular S8 at full price and only $50 more than the S8 is. Totally muddles everything, haha.
Reactiv said:
I've ordered the S8 but am now having the same dilemma. Would the S8+ be too big? I like phones that aren't phablet territory and can be used one handed. The narrower width helps on the S8/+ I suppose.
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Ditto on this dilemma. I keep going to Best Buy to compare the two and I'm starting to lean towards the S8+. But, I wanna be 100% sure that I wanna switch my pre-order before doing it. I'm coming from the S6, so the S8+ is similar width, but taller. I'm also scared that adding a case will make it too big. Would be soo much easier to decide if they had cases there, but those aren't there yet.

FluxionFluff said:
I already pre-ordered the S8, which already took me an hour of playing with the phones to end up with that decision. However, I've gone back there a few times since (enough so that the guy working in the Samsung Experience area recognizes me, lawl), and I'm still debating between the two.
I'm getting the S8 no matter what, however... it's the size that driving me up the wall. The more I compare the two, the more I'm leaning towards the S8+, as the S8 is starting to seem small to me (and this is coming from someone with small hands, lawl), but I don't wanna willynilly switch my pre-order like crazy, as I don't wanna be known as that girl who keeps on changing her mind on the phone. XD Even if they're nice to my face, as that's part of the job, I know they're totally judging, haha.
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Glad to see I'm not the only crazy one here. I went to Best Buy today to see the phones, but didn't preorder yet. Thinking about going back tomorrow.

ttown said:
Glad to see I'm not the only crazy one here. I went to Best Buy today to see the phones, but didn't preorder yet. Thinking about going back tomorrow.
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I swear I'm usually not THIS indecisive about a phone, haha! XD The hardest thing is USUALLY the color, because up until now, that was the case, but even then, it didn't take an hour to figure that out. Think why I ended up picking the S8 originally to pre-order was because it's similar in size to my S6, but taller and skinnier.
Even then, the S8+ wasn't completely overwhelming for me, but thought the same concern that I think of now, will it be too tall/thick once I add a case to it? I don't plan on adding something like an Otterbox to it, but something like my Spigen Galaxy S6 Case Slim Armor. If they had cases already, this would help sooo much, but nope.

Went to Best Buy today... and I have decided on the s8+. The big screen is overwhelming but it will take little getting used to. I think the deciding factor was the bigger battery.

fcb1 said:
Went to Best Buy today... and I have decided on the s8+. The big screen is overwhelming but it will take little getting used to. I think the deciding factor was the bigger battery.
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Oh yeah, so just as an update, I ended up cancelling my S8 pre-order and changed it to the S8+. The more I compared the two, the more I felt that the regular one was a bit small. I've never had a phone as large as this, so this... will be a VERY interesting experience. But, compared to other large phones on the market, this one doesn't feel unwieldy.

FluxionFluff said:
Oh yeah, so just as an update, I ended up cancelling my S8 pre-order and changed it to the S8+. The more I compared the two, the more I felt that the regular one was a bit small. I've never had a phone as large as this, so this... will be a VERY interesting experience. But, compared to other large phones on the market, this one doesn't feel unwieldy.
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I actually meant the big screen isn't overwhelming lol. I think you made the right choice.

fcb1 said:
I actually meant the big screen isn't overwhelming lol. I think you made the right choice.
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Haha, yeah, was wondering what you meant by it being overwhelming. Yeah, I think so too. I still have some concerns with cases, but, regardless, I'm VERY excited for launch day!!!

I went with the S8 as I've had larger phablet phones like the xperia z ultra (one of biggest phones of them all) to the nexus 6 and overall i just prefer phones within 5 to 6 inch range that i can preferably use mostly 1 handed.

S8! For me ist the + to big![emoji16]
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I nearly got the S8+, since it's only a tad big taller than my 3T! But thinking logically, I probably have difficulties reaching the top of the phone... The size isn't the problem, its' reaching the screen etc.
But yeah I have ordered it from Argos, Buy it now pay 12 month later

MrPhilo said:
I nearly got the S8+, since it's only a tad big taller than my 3T! But thinking logically, I probably have difficulties reaching the top of the phone... The size isn't the problem, its' reaching the screen etc.
But yeah I have ordered it from Argos, Buy it now pay 12 month later
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Same here..i ve made 3 trips to best after i ordered the S8 but each time i am trying to convince myself to cancel and order the S8+, i just couldnt.
I couldnt havent pull the notification bar down with one hand..and that fingerprint scanner? Forget about reaching it.
So yea sticking with the S8

A lot of launchers have swipe down gestures to pull down the notification bar, but i'm still sticking with the s8.

Coming from an unwieldy Nexus 6P, I decided to go for the S8 and sacrifice some battery life for one-handed usability.

I have an S8+ on pre-order. There is no way of holding the device until release date in the UK, all stores have a device locked to their stand only. I am thinking it will be okay, I use my phone so much for Sat-nav and when I am at work I don't use my phone that much. I really wanted to go to a much larger screen, it definitely will be coming from an S6 Edge with that being a 5.2 inch screen or whatever. I do worry a little about the fingerprint reader, battery life, and size of the screen. There is 1 handed mode though for a reason to get best of both worlds.

I've gone for the S8 plus. I found the S8 to be a nice size but still fumbled a bit when typing. The plus was that much better size for me. I could also reach the whole thing one handed both front and back.
Running
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Preordered the S8+ but after going into the galaxy store in NYC and playing with the phones realized what a lot of other people have said - its just a tad too big. Also, on that bigger phone, the 'infinity' display just seems less impressive. The wow factor is definitely bigger on the smaller unit (if that makes any sense). So I had ATT switch my preorder (without losing my place in line).

Who's Getting a Galaxy S10E, S10, S10+ ???

I personally am, only because I'm on T-Mobile JOD to then be able to "Jump" to the Note 10 in August. The S-Pen is very nice, but I can do w/o it for 6 months. I know not everyone has that option depending on the carrier. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts.

Nope, I love my SPen too much, will wait for N10, also, not convinced about the bezelless screen.
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calming said:
I personally am, only because I'm on T-Mobile JOD to then be able to "Jump" to the Note 10 in August. The S-Pen is very nice, but I can do w/o it for 6 months. I know not everyone has that option depending on the carrier. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts.
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That camera cut out looks irritating, nah wait for the NOTE X 10 or whatever it will be called! i don’t think i can get on with a display that has a camera cut out in display! Stupid idea..

N1NJATH3ORY said:
That camera cut out looks irritating, nah wait for the NOTE X 10 or whatever it will be called! i don’t think i can get on with a display that has a camera cut out in display! Stupid idea..
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How do we know that they won't do the same for the next Note? That whole Camera in the S-Pen thing I keep seeing seems iffy.

calming said:
How do we know that they won't do the same for the next Note? That whole Camera in the S-Pen thing I keep seeing seems iffy.
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The Samsung Galaxy Note Smartphone's fall under the Business/Creativity category, it would be dumb to have a cut out in the display as that kills the S-Pen.. Well that’s how I’m looking at it!

I won't. I like my note a lot. But I may get it for the wife as she is currently on the S9. Not sure what model she will want.
Something about the note 9 feels premium to me vs the S models. I've had all previous S models and you just can't compare the feel of the note with the S models imho.

I got the E 8/256 model. Traded in my 3 XL for it. I never cared for the 3 XL anyways. I think it cost me $250.

No since the Note 9 is my first Note i do not see my self going back to the Galaxy S line.

I am perfectly happy with my Note 8 N950N. I probably won't upgrade to a new model until my device starts to fail.

calming said:
How do we know that they won't do the same for the next Note? That whole Camera in the S-Pen thing I keep seeing seems iffy.
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After watching a few videos of the Samsung Galaxy S10+! Man that camera cut does not look intrusive at all! It’s so subtle i think Samsung has pulled it off! And the OLED screen looks Amazing!

N1NJATH3ORY said:
After watching a few videos of the Samsung Galaxy S10+! Man that camera cut does not look intrusive at all! It’s so subtle i think Samsung has pulled it off! And the OLED screen looks Amazing!
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Personally I think the holepunch on the display is not the best idea for a all display all the time immersive experience. I think that Samsung should have continued to use the old design with thin bezels. As that looks much better than having a hole in my display. But who knows maybe when I go to see the promotional event of the SGS10 series, I will change my mind. Afterall I didn't like the idea of not having physical buttons on my devices. Then I got the Note 8 and I have took to it like a fish in water...

I can't jusifty the added cost from my Note 9. First time in a while I'm not in a rush to upgrade.

iceepyon said:
Personally I think the holepunch on the display is not the best idea for a all display all the time immersive experience. I think that Samsung should have continued to use the old design with thin bezels. As that looks much better than having a hole in my display. But who knows maybe when I go to see the promotional event of the SGS10 series, I will change my mind. Afterall I didn't like the idea of not having physical buttons on my devices. Then I got the Note 8 and I have took to it like a fish in water...
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Yep i kind of agree with you untill seeing the S10+ in flesh cant really say! You seen the new Sony Xperia a1 4K OLED 21.9 ? it looks mental no hole punch i'm really tempted taking the Sony route! But Samsung are awesome as well owning so many samsung gear it kind of hard to let go!

Devhux said:
I can't jusifty the added cost from my Note 9. First time in a while I'm not in a rush to upgrade.
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To be honest any who has either a Note 9, one of the SGS9 or even a Note 8 or one of the SGS8 series devices. There really is no point in upgrading to the SGS10 series. Sure there is a bump up in the specs and you get a newer display. But at the end of the day if your current device is still working perfectly fine, what is the point. Save you cash until your device becomes obsolete then upgrade to the latest model.

iceepyon said:
Personally I think the holepunch on the display is not the best idea for a all display all the time immersive experience. I think that Samsung should have continued to use the old design with thin bezels. As that looks much better than having a hole in my display. But who knows maybe when I go to see the promotional event of the SGS10 series, I will change my mind. Afterall I didn't like the idea of not having physical buttons on my devices. Then I got the Note 8 and I have took to it like a fish in water...
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Duplicate!

is note10 on display in the US yet?

For example, carriers, best buy etc

Too early. However, it might be at certain Samsung stores.

Best Buy in Philly.
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I saw one at the Samsung store yesterday and best buy will have them tomorrow and that's here in Canada where we always get everything last so you US guys should be GTG.

It was at the Microsoft Store in Colorado. It looked stunning. Now I'm really excited. Display seemed WAY better than my note 9 and very zippy as well. A worthwhile upgrade imo.

Samsung store here in Garden City, NY which is on Long Island had all variants on display. Including the 5g version. I pre-ordered the Note 10 to replace my S10. I liked the form factor of the smaller one despite it not being equal to the plus version. Plus ring able to get $600 on the trade in made it a no brained to upgrade.

Best Buy in Atlanta has them.

Best buy in Virginia had them last Fri when I pre-ordered
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T-Mo has them in stores. They were on display at my location yesterday.

Sam's Club had both the Note 10 and the 10+ on display today. Actual working devices, not dummy phones

Bestbuy had them here last week, working devices.
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My local best buy doesn't have em on display yet. I did get my spigen case though, so at least I know how it'll feel in-hand.

Best Buy in Bridgewater NJ has fully working display units.

Here is the one in the Microsoft Store. They have a whole table of them in all the colors! Happy I got the regular sized one in black.

butchieboy said:
Bestbuy had them here last week, working devices.
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You getting one butchie?

Good Lord that Aura Glow is cool, but is gonna blind the crap out of anyone you are trying to take a picture of. "Here son, look at the camera." "I can't Dad, the reflection off that mirror you are holding is blinding." It actually kinda bothered my eyes in the lights of Best Buy even, but my eyes are a bit sensitive like that. Lol.

force70 said:
You getting one butchie?
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Sigh......
Yes
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I played with Note 10 and a bit with 10+ in Best Buy(in WA). I pre-ordered the Note 10 and it sits nicely in the hand, very thin and seemed light. Screen is good, bright and vivid, performance is good too, felt smooth. The demo unit had a lot of shortcuts, widgets on different screens and it was running the demo firmware. What is interesting that the model # was something like: SM-N970XU. I don't know if this is an unlocked model or Samsung put some of carrier's phones on display, but I didn't see any carrier logo while booting the phone.

drmacrofish said:
Good Lord that Aura Glow is cool, but is gonna blind the crap out of anyone you are trying to take a picture of. "Here son, look at the camera." "I can't Dad, the reflection off that mirror you are holding is blinding." It actually kinda bothered my eyes in the lights of Best Buy even, but my eyes are a bit sensitive like that. Lol.
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I thought I was alone with the same experience @ Aura Glow.

Virgo_Guy said:
I thought I was alone with the same experience @ Aura Glow.
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Not at all...it's like chrome on steroids!

Should I buy one now

Hi All,
I was wondering what you guys think of the phone now 8 months down the line. I am getting this at a good price around £650 for a good condition used phone on ebay. I was wondering if you guys think most of its problems have been fixed by now.
Just to give you a background, I currently have a note 9 and frankly I am very happy with this phone but it is old now and I am itching to upgrade to something newer, primarily for the cameras and 120hz refresh rate. I did buy the S21 ultra on pre-order but was really disappointed with the camera performance as I found the images my exynos variant produced to be very soft and noisy and not as sharp/clear as my note 9 and overall the phone felt like a big compromise (no s-pen, no sd card, no headphone jack) after paying £1300, so I sent it back. The camera and screen are the primary reasons for me to upgrade and I expect at least decent battery life (maybe 6-7 hours SOT with youtube abd browsing). I do use the S-Pen every now and then and think it would be a good to have. I know the note 20 ultra doesnt support WQHD+ and 120hz at the same time but at the price im getting it at i think this is a compromise i am willing to make since i mostly use my phone at FHD+ anyway and I can barely tell the difference.
I know there was talk about the exynos variant being bad when compared to the SD 865+ version but frankly I am not a gamer and dont need my phone to be ultra powerful. But what i would like to know from you guys is whether the software updates over the past 8 months have fixed most of the issues with battery life and camera performance. Those of you coming from the s10 range or the note 10+ / Note 9 etc. How would you say the camera is on the Note 20 U? Do you guys think its a good buy now? Or should I just give it a miss and hang on to the note 9 till they stop the security patches? Any advise is appreciated.

I have a mate who upgraded from the Note 9 to the Note 20 Ultra. He was VERY impressed with the differences...
He has the Exynos variant but when there is no other phones to compare but what you already have he's happy...
It all comes down to you, go to a store, play with a demo version and make up your mind.

I've upgraded from S10e Exynos with 4,5 screen on time maximum and terrible idle battery drain to Note 20 Ultra Snapdragon. First week was thinking to give it back because it was too big for me and those rounded edges always made me typos. Then I've get used to it, set the keyboard paddings from edges and finally bought nice case (I never used any cases before) and now I'm totally happy with it. I as far as I've read it's almost impossible to get 7-8 screen on time on Exynos variant. I got around 7 on my Snapdragon version but never tested it with gaming so I can not tell yet how good the battery is. I can tell that Qualcomm modem is much better in sense of keeping good connection and speed and very good keeping battery in idle state. Considering the camera - it's much better that in my old S10e ofcourse but I don't use it often so can't say I care about it much. What I love about my new Note 20 ultra Snapdragon is I've rooted it to tweak some small things here and there and now totally feel it's mine. I've rooted my past phones around 5 years ago last time.
Not sure if anything I said will help you but if you have any questions I would be glad to answer.

Thanks guys really useful. As mentioned I don't really need a new phone as my current phone does pretty much what I need it to. But I am itching to upgrade and I don't want to end up being stuck with something that I feel is not as good as my current phone. I currently average 4-5 hours screen on time on my 2 year old note 9 which I think is good for an old phone so hoping to get more. The S21U was good battery wise I got 7 hours SOT with 10% remaining. But the cameras were a let down for the price. I might just wait a couple of months and pick one used if they fix the camera with software updates as the price difference doesn't seem that much like a barely used S21U is going for around 850 on ebay so might be worth the extra 200 vs the note 20 ultra. Especially because I heard a lot of bad things about the n20u battery in particular.

Hi, @eldrid
I upgraded (downgraded considering the cost/storage, lol) from the Note9 (512GB) to the Note20 Ultra (128GB) with Android 11/One UI 3.1.
Have you considered replacing the battery in your Note9? Maybe have the battery replaced and purchase the N20U?
I don't use the camera much, but hopefully one of the forum members will give you some feedback on the N9 vs N20U cameras.
I can hear the Note20 Ultra camera *rattle* but I think this is normal??
If you purchase the N20, you may not want to update the phone to Android 11 (scoped storage, bugs galore, etc...).
I enjoy using the N9 more than the N20U because of the OS and the apps function without issue.
I detest Android 11, ahem, and think it contributes to my attitude of the N20U. N9 is the Beast!

I haven't had note 9 earlier but for me the note 20 ultra is perfect.
We get 1080p with 120hz (sure only 1080p but battery friendly and do you even notice higher res on regular basis?)
Sdcard slot, perfect for pictures, movies, big files and so on, also very easy to swap. (cloud exist but what about vacation or if u got limited data)
Very good cameras, still one of the best out there.
Very good performance with snapdragon 865+, even the exynos one is good. Recent updates have made it better than release version.
S-pen in a slot, no ugly weird case and all functions works perfectly.
The design is also very modern and future proof, I mean the front is almost all display.
People even speculate that this could be the last note ever, so if I were u, I would really consider note 20u if u liked your note 9 and want something better.

I've had my Note 20 Ultra Exynos version since launch, and it's a lot better now than it was when it first came out in both battery life & performance, I also don't game on phone's so it's been more than fine for me.
The camera has also been on point for me as well I've not been disappointed with any pictures or videos I've taken with it.
For 650 quid i think it's well worth it for what you get.

Thanks a ton guys for the honest advice. I finally picked an almost new one for £650 on ebay. They offer a 30 day return so fingers crossed i hope it works out. I won't be selling my note 9 just yet so I will have some time to compare side by side and see what it's like. I am sure it's an upgrade in many regards. But the three key things for me are 1)screen and I'm sure that's great I don't use wqhd and will be perfectly happy with the adaptive 1080 120hz. 2)The cameras... This is one area I am not sure how it will be... This is a very subjective area but I like my images to be sharp and I noticed on the S21U the images were soft and fuzzy not crisp like on the note 9. And 3) is battery life... I still get around 5 hours from the note 9 which is great so I hope to get at least that much. Will keep you guys posted on how it goes over the next few days. I feel like @650 there won't be much to complain about. I was really upset with the s21 ultra as I had paid full price for it and it (£1300) and it felt like a downgrade. Seems like the more modern Samsung phones while powerful are compromising on the basics and are not what they used to be 2 years ago.

Finally got the note20u and frankly I am quite happy with it. I am getting pretty good SOT and plus i used Bluetooth headphones for at least an hour. Considering that I think the battery life is good. Also the camera software seems to be ironed out and the image sharpness is much better than the current image quality on the S21U 1st pic is from note 20u and 2nd from s21u. Overall I think it was a good buy. I would never recommend anyone buying a Samsung phone at launch as the software is very unpolished and you pay a huge amount for an unfinished product. Comparing the experience i have with this nearly new note 20u for 650 is great compared to the ****ty experience the s21u offers for £1200 plus no sd card support or charger in the box. Very good value overall at £650

I upgraded from my still pristine Note 9 and found it a very worthy successor. From the enhanced Dex and S-pen features to the improved cameras, the Note 20 Ultra has provided me with a great user experience. Given Samsung's quest for becoming more -like and shedding features left and right, the Note 20 Ultra is the closest to what the Note line once was: the no holds barred, everything but the kitchen sink, no compromises, Note. I don't know if there is a Note 21 Ultra in the works and if there is it will probably include less features than the Note 20 Ultra offers.

Medevac1 said:
I upgraded from my still pristine Note 9 and found it a very worthy successor. From the enhanced Dex and S-pen features to the improved cameras, the Note 20 Ultra has provided me with a great user experience. Given Samsung's quest for becoming more -like and shedding features left and right, the Note 20 Ultra is the closest to what the Note line once was: the no holds barred, everything but the kitchen sink, no compromises, Note. I don't know if there is a Note 21 Ultra in the works and if there is it will probably include less features than the Note 20 Ultra offers.
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Absolutely agree. Probably why i was finding it hard to part with my note 9 as well. What a great 0 compromise device. I really hate how Samsung were originally the anti apple and a premium alternative for those that didn't want to chain themselves to apple. But now they're becoming more like apple taking away our choice.
Rumours are that there will be a watered down fan edition only this year and that the s-pen toting phone is going to be the fold from now on. If its true its a poor farewell to the note. I say they should bring back the headphone jack, sd card and pack the box with goodies. Make the whole experience of buying a premium flagship feel premium again.

eldrid said:
Absolutely agree. Probably why i was finding it hard to part with my note 9 as well. What a great 0 compromise device. I really hate how Samsung were originally the anti apple and a premium alternative for those that didn't want to chain themselves to apple. But now they're becoming more like apple taking away our choice.
Rumours are that there will be a watered down fan edition only this year and that the s-pen toting phone is going to be the fold from now on. If its true its a poor farewell to the note. I say they should bring back the headphone jack, sd card and pack the box with goodies. Make the whole experience of buying a premium flagship premium again.
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The 10+ was the last Note before Q. After Q things started going south and 11 is even worse.
Between Android and Samsung's "improvements" it's been a dismal year.
Everything's coming up psuedo Apples... and I mean that in the most derogatory way.
As for the Fold series it has been a self made disaster for Samsung. Overpriced and unreliable.
Samsung, you do know the definition of insanity don't you? Apparently not.

Late to the party here but I'm happy with my N20 Ultra 5G Snapdragon soc I imported from Hong Kong.
I wouldn't of been keen to buy a used phone from ebay due to the amount that get imei locked a few weeks / months after receiving it.

BandOfBrothers1 said:
I wouldn't of been keen to buy a used phone from ebay due to the amount that get imei locked a few weeks / months after receiving it.
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How can you avoid that from happening 100%?
Is it that common?

blackhawk said:
How can you avoid that from happening 100%?
Is it that common?
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It's something I've come across way too often throughout the years on forums.
A person sells a phone on ebay and then fraudulently claims it lost or stolen.
Auction Sites need to tighten up and introduce even more protection for the buyer as well as the seller.

BandOfBrothers1 said:
It's something I've come across way too often throughout the years on forums.
A person sells a phone on ebay and then fraudulently claims it lost or stolen.
Auction Sites need to tighten up and introduce even more protection for the buyer as well as the seller.
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Doing that in the USA be incurring multiple federal felonies.

BandOfBrothers1 said:
Late to the party here but I'm happy with my N20 Ultra 5G Snapdragon soc I imported from Hong Kong.
I wouldn't of been keen to buy a used phone from ebay due to the amount that get imei locked a few weeks / months after receiving it.
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Damn didn't know that happens. I got mine from a business seller with 100% ratings so looks like hes been at it for a while with no issues. He claims the phones are customer returns from the official Samsung store and would barely have any usage if at all. And everything looked the part it seemed brand spanking new, scratchless and even no signs wear or dust in the usb c port. Also he had a whole batch of 7-8 to sell so everything sounded legit. Let's hope everything works out well.
On a separate note. I thought id use the phone without a screen protector for a few days while the tempered glass one I ordered arrives and so removed the factory one. After a day or so i have already noticed a couple of micro scratches on the screen visible at certain angles. This is with careful use at home. I feel like this whole gorilla glass thing is just market hype.

blackhawk said:
Doing that in the USA be incurring multiple federal felonies.
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I wouldn't worry about it too much. The only reason someone would do that is to be malicious and most people are not. I doubt the seller has a personal vendetta against you. He got his money and will move on.
I have had the N20U since release and have no issues and at this point is a good as it gets functionally.

Question If you're dumping the Ultra what's replacing it?

Curious which device users are going to run to. If you're happy with the S22 Ultra's performance you're fortunate since there's not much out there that's comparable. With that being shared it's apparent a number of users are moving on. Besides the iPhone which smartphone compares most favorably to the S22 Ultra? I'm inquiring since I've skipped the S22 and will be looking to replace my S21 Ultra soon.

varcor said:
Curious which device users are going to run to. If you're happy with the S22 Ultra's performance you're fortunate since there's not much out there that's comparable. With that being shared it's apparent a number of users are moving on. Besides the iPhone which smartphone compares most favorably to the S22 Ultra? I'm inquiring since I've skipped the S22 and will be looking to replace my S21 Ultra soon.
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And why exactly would you replace a perfectly fine working S21 Ultra? Just for the sake of having a new phone? I love my S22 Ultra because it's Snap Dragon and no Issues other than video recording jerkiness but fixed that by turning off image stabilization. I haven't even got that 1.5 gig April Update yet. But if I did have a problem and was looking for another phone I would be trying to find an S21 Ultra.

Only the iPhone 13 pro max is comparable in the high spec big storage category.
And I'm not going down that iOS rabbit hole ever again.

Paul_Deemer said:
And why exactly would you replace a perfectly fine working S21 Ultra? Just for the sake of having a new phone? I love my S22 Ultra because it's Snap Dragon and no Issues other than video recording jerkiness but fixed that by turning off image stabilization. I haven't even got that 1.5 gig April Update yet. But if I did have a problem and was looking for another phone I would be trying to find an S21 Ultra.
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The S21 Ultra is a good device, better than the S22 Ultra IMHO but to answer your question I typically upgrade every year. I also use an S10+ and when I switch back to the S21 Ultra it feels so bulky and heavy, ready for a change. As far as the 1.5 Gb update goes, I might pass on it. A number of users with the S22 and the S21 have experienced new issues after updating. I'm on Android 11 OneUI 3.1 and it works perfect, won't risk having the device corrupted by Android 12.

hand-filer said:
Only the iPhone 13 pro max is comparable in the high spec big storage category.
And I'm not going down that iOS rabbit hole ever again.
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I do that most years for a bit. Get tempted by marketing promises, get excited when I manage to order the model and color i want, then get disappointed when I use it to find it's basically EXACTLY the same experience as the model I used 5 years ago, and go back to android... so I can complain about the battery life!

varcor said:
Curious which device users are going to run to. If you're happy with the S22 Ultra's performance you're fortunate since there's not much out there that's comparable. With that being shared it's apparent a number of users are moving on. Besides the iPhone which smartphone compares most favorably to the S22 Ultra? I'm inquiring since I've skipped the S22 and will be looking to replace my S21 Ultra soon.
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I´m was waiting for xiaomi 12ultra mix5, but they take long to comme, maybi not now....

Keeping my Zfold3. It has issues like poor battery life and I have doubts about the durability of the inner display but there's nothing really else on the market I like at the moment and it's performance is way ahead of the s22u Exynos. May wait for the Zf4.

varcor said:
Curious which device users are going to run to. If you're happy with the S22 Ultra's performance you're fortunate since there's not much out there that's comparable. With that being shared it's apparent a number of users are moving on. Besides the iPhone which smartphone compares most favorably to the S22 Ultra? I'm inquiring since I've skipped the S22 and will be looking to replace my S21 Ultra soon.
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i think that Oppo Find X5 Pro is a very intriguing device

iPhone 14 Pro Max. Apple I loathe to admit has been on a tear lately hardware wise improving its flagship and with the upcoming 14 Pro Max finally getting rid of that hideous notch and possibly a slightly bigger battery it'll be hard to beat. The days have gone when android manufacturers used to be hardware kings and now have seceded everything to Apple while trying to be Apple ironically.

dj24 said:
iPhone 14 Pro Max. Apple I loathe to admit has been on a tear lately hardware wise improving its flagship and with the upcoming 14 Pro Max finally getting rid of that hideous notch and possibly a slightly bigger battery it'll be hard to beat. The days have gone when android manufacturers used to be hardware kings and now have seceded everything to Apple while trying to be Apple ironically.
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I just wish they would update the software experience, especially the home screen which feels straight out of 2008.

ekerbuddyeker said:
I just wish they would update the software experience, especially the home screen which feels straight out of 2008.
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I was in an Apple store last weekend (one of my kids wanted to check it out), and so I played with an iPhone 13 pro max. Not gonna lie, I didn't hate it. It now has sort of an app drawer if you swipe to the left a couple pages. I didn't try to move the apps that were on the home screens, but I *think* you can just use that. The left from home screen is not bad, has weather, news, stuff like that. However, the settings screens are pretty much still the same as they were when I had the 3Gs though (seriously...). Also, barely any widgets, and almost zero customization. I won't buy one, probably ever, but it's come a long way since I last had one. Not quite as boring.
If Android and their phones could just figure out how to be super responsive like iPhones, I would like them sooo much better. Battery life too. Apple is killing it with those two things.

For now I'm still unsure wether I'll keep my S22 Ultra with all the problems the phone's got. It got better with updates, so I'll decide in a few updates if I keep it or not, to see if all the problems are fixed or not.
I kept my iPhone 12 Pro Max just in case, so I would go back to it.
For me the choice is simple: Note experience or iPhone experience, but I do prefer the Note experience thanks to the S Pen.

I think users can relate to the review of the S22 Ultra by arsTechnica. It gets to the meat of issues with the device which most reviewers gloss over. The reviewer makes an honest assessment of Samsung's approach to it's skin and software, a no holds look at the problems a number of users are currently experiencing.
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varcor said:
Curious which device users are going to run to. If you're happy with the S22 Ultra's performance you're fortunate since there's not much out there that's comparable. With that being shared it's apparent a number of users are moving on. Besides the iPhone which smartphone compares most favorably to the S22 Ultra? I'm inquiring since I've skipped the S22 and will be looking to replace my S21 Ultra soon.
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Click to collapse
I went back to my Fold 3 after returning my 22 ultra still have an s21 ultra and Note 20 ultra as well but hard to stay away from the fold lol

varcor said:
I think users can relate to the review of the S22 Ultra by arsTechnica. It gets to the meat of issues with the device which most reviewers gloss over. The reviewer makes an honest assessment of Samsung's approach to it's skin and software, a no holds look at the problems a number of users are currently experiencing.
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Interesting review but it is hard to take it seriously when they say the Pixel 6 pro is the better phone, it just isn’t.

arsenal74 said:
Interesting review but it is hard to take it seriously when they say the Pixel 6 pro is the better phone, it just isn’t.
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6 Pro felt like a prototype device.

ekerbuddyeker said:
6 Pro felt like a prototype device.
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Agree. I had it for 3 months before I sold it and wasn't impressed at all.

ekerbuddyeker said:
6 Pro felt like a prototype device.
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Indeed. For a phone that Google made to try to jump into the mainstream flagship market, they sure screwed this one up. The fpr on the one I had never worked worth a sh$t. That plus constant network dropouts made that phone an epic fail IMO. I traded it for the ultra as soon as it was announced. I think using a two year old modem, as well as a garbage fpr was a total cheap out move. Also, did I mention the phone is ugly as hell?

I am not changing mine since Ive had 0 issues with it and April's update improved battery quite a bit. However the only phone I would consider replacing it with would be the Oppo X5 Pro.

iOS is out of the question because I can't tolerate iOS. The other Chinese phones are out as they have minimal presence in Canada. Google is a no go because as mentioned it's more of an experimental device at this point.
Thankfully my S22U has been working flawlessly. If this were not the case I guess I'd dig my faithful old LG G7 out of the drawer and use it until something better came along.