Having read all the arguments about Exynos vs Snapdragon I'm now thoroughly confused.
It also seems the U and O Snapdragon variants only cover some of the bands used by my telco (Three in the UK).
So, I can return this unopened box if there is a SD variant that works in the UK properly, or, if it's all a load of nonsense, I can open it and begin my Note 20 journey.
What do we say XDA?
Honestly I've seen the videos and I've seen the comparisons and it comes down to if you really want to go with the agreement that SD is better or take the semi Fair fair trade offs...
Dual sim and esim are not available on the US versions without tweaking the device.
Base storage is 256 vs the 128 we get.
However I noticed some of the exynos versions don't have all the 5g bands
---------- Post added at 12:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:53 AM ----------
Keep in mind this is just my opinion. DEX and a few other options worked just fine with my note 10 that I had and it was exynos.
GDHAMTON7 said:
Honestly I've seen the videos and I've seen the comparisons and it comes down to if you really want to go with the agreement that SD is better or take the semi Fair fair trade offs...
Dual sim and esim are not available on the US versions without tweaking the device.
Base storage is 256 vs the 128 we get.
However I noticed some of the exynos versions don't have all the 5g bands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I've no need for dual sim or esim. Just looking at performance if it will work on Three in the UK. And realistically what difference would it make to me? Any at all I'd wonder.
joebongo said:
Thanks, I've no need for dual sim or esim. Just looking at performance if it will work on Three in the UK. And realistically what difference would it make to me? Any at all I'd wonder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dual SIM is awesome for travel - personally, I don't want to go back to single SIM.
From what I've seen of the comparisons between the Exynos and Snapdragon, the real world differences are not that great (with the possible exception of battery life). There is even some suggestion that Exynos can handle 5G in both SIM slots whereas Snapdragon might not - but this is still an outstanding question in my mind at least.
That said, I elected to get the Hong Kong SM-N9860 (Snapdragon), as 5G isn't as important to me as performance, battery life, and dual-SIM capability. Plus, HK has Samsung Pay, so that works on the phone as well - if your phone is from a country that doesn't have Samsung Pay, it won't work.
Hope this helps.
Use it as a paperweight or to prop up your computer screen. That way the battery life will be better.
Your imei numbers are visible mate!!!!
Sent from my SM-N986B using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 01:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:39 PM ----------
It must be daul sim as I can see 2 imei numbers..
Sent from my SM-N986B using Tapatalk
Battery life is terrible and it keeps dropping calls. I've had my one since release but have phoned for a collection and refund today. I've tried everything but it never gets 5 hours SOT. It's OK in standby but as soon as you start using it the battery percentage drops instantly. Signal is also poor on Vodafone UK but no problem with my other handsets.
Well so far not much love at all for the Exynos. I thought I'd have enough "yeah it's fine, crack on" type replies.
I'm surprised really, my guess would have been that it was basically ok!
I'm going to leave the box unopened and see what people say over the rest of the day and tomorrow!
I have the SD dual sim n9860.
Even the snapdragon has unsatisfactory battery life, IMHO.
I don't think Samsung test their devices for long enough before release.
This should have had the 7000 mah battery they are now starting to use, even if the device got thinker and heavier.
ekerbuddyeker said:
I have the SD dual sim n9860.
Even the snapdragon has unsatisfactory battery life, IMHO.
I don't think Samsung test their devices for long enough before release.
This should have had the 7000 mah battery they are now starting to use, even if the device got thinker and heavier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I have seen online, part of the issue is the requirement for a separate modem from the SoC, as Snapdragon is pushing (or being pushed to offer) a 5G solution that isn't quite ready for prime time. Adds a lot of cost too, mostly for the benefit of marketing.
I have the 986b it's fast
Sent from my SM-N986B using Tapatalk
Well so far I'm on the verge of returning the phone. I can't find a single post on the internet saying yes it's ok compared to SD, mainly for heat, battery and apparently camera differences, noticeable with low light shots.
I don't think I've ever had a phone unopened on my desk this long ever!
Seen some comparison YouTube videos and tbh there isn't that much difference 5 or 6% on some tests and even the exynos came out better on one bench mark can't remember witch now but to the average user won't be noticeable battery life slightly better but again minimal I watched a run down vs sd and exynos exynos died and sd had 7% left so not much better anyway people moaning about battery its different for everyone depends on user and what doing and how set up I get quiet good battery with few tweekts hear and there and its simple just plug in to charger for 30 min and hay presto loads of battery plus we get 256GB and akg headphones so not all bad I've decided to keep mine now and its early days things will improve with updates as well was going to get galaxy z flip 5G but 3300mah and mediocre camera and hefty monthly cost £88 will stick with note 20 ultra its a beast and that bronze is ? i got a good deal out of voda 48GB data with entertainment no upfront £58 month should of been £78 and £49 upfront for just 24GB thats what it is now, but I was on a double data promo when I exchanged handset so she left me on the previous plan with 48GB Bonus [emoji106]
Sent from my SM-N986B using Tapatalk
The performance is OK, no issues there. It's just the battery life that is horrendous. Having gone back to the Note 8 over the past couple of days it's actually better, but only has a 3300 battery. Something definitely not right with this phone. Could just be a bad battery but I can't be arsed going through an exchange and setting up all over again for the same thing to happen.
DoobyDroid said:
Seen some comparison YouTube videos and tbh there isn't that much difference 5 or 6% on some tests and even the exynos came out better on one bench mark can't remember witch now but to the average user won't be noticeable battery life slightly better but again minimal I watched a run down vs sd and exynos exynos died and sd had 7% left so not much better anyway people moaning about battery its different for everyone depends on user and what doing and how set up I get quiet good battery with few tweekts hear and there and its simple just plug in to charger for 30 min and hay presto loads of battery plus we get 256GB and akg headphones so not all bad I've decided to keep mine now and its early days things will improve with updates as well was going to get galaxy z flip 5G but 3300mah and mediocre camera and hefty monthly cost £88 will stick with note 20 ultra its a beast and that bronze is ? i got a good deal out of voda 48GB data with entertainment no upfront £58 month should of been £78 and £49 upfront for just 24GB thats what it is now, but I was on a double data promo when I exchanged handset so she left me on the previous plan with 48GB Bonus [emoji106]
Sent from my SM-N986B using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you might be referring to this comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHxRH8aYnUU
And I agree, it would appear that the differences aren't as great IRL as the benchmarks might suggest - I went for the HK SM-N9650 anyway, as it would seem to have the best of both worlds - Snapdragon (although jury appears to be still out on usability of 5G) dual-SIM, and 256GB storage.
---------- Post added at 03:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:41 PM ----------
kradcliffe said:
The performance is OK, no issues there. It's just the battery life that is horrendous. Having gone back to the Note 8 over the past couple of days it's actually better, but only has a 3300 battery. Something definitely not right with this phone. Could just be a bad battery but I can't be arsed going through an exchange and setting up all over again for the same thing to happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you using 5G? I have also read that the separate modem will drain more battery as well as opposed to an integrated SOC solution: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/201...65-is-a-step-backwards-for-smartphone-design/
jtOttawa said:
Are you using 5G? I have also read that the separate modem will drain more battery as well as opposed to an integrated SOC solution: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/201...65-is-a-step-backwards-for-smartphone-design/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, switched 5g off as we don't have it here, but no difference to battery life with it on or off.
kradcliffe said:
No, switched 5g off as we don't have it here, but no difference to battery life with it on or off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what the article suggests as well, I believe - that there will be additional battery drain due to the separate modem regardless.
kradcliffe said:
The performance is OK, no issues there. It's just the battery life that is horrendous. Having gone back to the Note 8 over the past couple of days it's actually better, but only has a 3300 battery. Something definitely not right with this phone. Could just be a bad battery but I can't be arsed going through an exchange and setting up all over again for the same thing to happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How horrendous is horrendous? Am on a SD Note 10 plus here, a US version I think which some days of moderate use can get quite low, others I can go to bed with 40pc plus left.
kradcliffe said:
The performance is OK, no issues there. It's just the battery life that is horrendous. Having gone back to the Note 8 over the past couple of days it's actually better, but only has a 3300 battery. Something definitely not right with this phone. Could just be a bad battery but I can't be arsed going through an exchange and setting up all over again for the same thing to happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well considering the s20 ultra had a 5000mah you would of thought the note 20 ultra would be getting into the 5500+ at least tbh , i had the s20 ultra as well and not alot in it still had to charge around T time for 20 mins just to last the evening on both devices and I've found that on most of the flagships with 90/120hz and WQHD its just a battery hog feature pretty much goes for S20+ S20 ultra Oneplus 8 & 8 pro , oppo find x2 pro all phones I've had and returned all the same need charge at some point to last the day the only phones I've experienced with decent battery is unfortunately Huawei p30 pro and p40 pro now they have excellent optimization and ram management got to give Huawei that one just a shame with all the ban crap no GMS or I would of hands down kept the p40 pro for sure excellent phone
Sent from my SM-N986B using Tapatalk
Horrendous is just over 4 hours SOT. Boot up at 7am and empty by 4pm. Loses 10 percent battery in 40 minutes.
Related
This review has been up for a day and the author wisely disabled the comments for fear of an onslaught. His flame suit must have been at the cleaners...he has no concept that the V series is for power users and the G series is for casual iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S users.
Antonio Villas-Boas
http://www.businessinsider.com/lg-v...standard-for-premium-smartphones-these-days-4
porscheoscar said:
This review has been up for a day and the author wisely disabled the comments for fear of an onslaught. His flame suit must have been at the cleaners...he has no concept that the V series is for power users and the G series is for casual iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S users.
Antonio Villas-Boas
http://www.businessinsider.com/lg-v...standard-for-premium-smartphones-these-days-4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One of the worst I seen I bet he barely tried to understand the device ,espeacially the camera.
Robert235 said:
One of the worst I seen I bet he barely tried to understand the device ,espeacially the camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That dude is an idiot. Especially with his legacy comments. He should have just stuck to his crappy sucky iPhone and been happy to be an iSheep
Sent from my wickedly kewl LG V20 using my fingers. Duh!!!
pretty funny haha.. after the Note 7 everyone was wishing these phones had removeable batteries.. not to mention batteries can die..
also, the S5 had a removeable battery and water resistance and micro sd card lol so it pretty much nullifies all of his idiot comments
i think the design is great and feels great as well as with rear fingerprint i have my screen unlocked before phones even outta my pocket lol
I like removable battery because if the battery malfunction I can replace it. Where as the battery in a sealed unit like my HTC M7 one phone my battery pack swelled and I had a useless phone. Because no way I could replace the battery. So I would gladly give up waterproofing for this option to extend a phones life and useability.
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
That piece most certainly looks like the guy was given the phone for 2-5 minutes and then told to fill column inches.
IF water proofing is this guys main concern with a phone he's got issues lol.
If LG came out with root or a program to remove unwanted software the phone would be perfect.
Sent from my LG-LS997 using XDA-Developers mobile app
I read that article yesterday also and really wanted to comment. I don't think all these reviewers realize not everyone is within arms reach of an electrical outlet 24-7. When I'm not working I'm on the lake or in the woods. I have yet to come across a charging station and usually my phone is working overtime through GPS tracking and trying to keep even the slightest cell signal. Ive went through 2 batteries in the woods before with the note 4.
Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk
porscheoscar said:
This review has been up for a day and the author wisely disabled the comments for fear of an onslaught. His flame suit must have been at the cleaners...he has no concept that the V series is for power users and the G series is for casual iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S users.
Antonio Villas-Boas
http://www.businessinsider.com/lg-v...standard-for-premium-smartphones-these-days-4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use a S7 Edge, I am certainly no casual user mate the very reason I went with it instead of a V20 is that the V20 has power user phone traits but not the battery for them.
Galaxy S7 Edge Exynos +128GB MicroSD
POLO_i780 said:
I use a S7 Edge, I am certainly no casual user mate the very reason I went with it instead of a V20 is that the V20 has power user phone traits but not the battery for them.
Galaxy S7 Edge Exynos +128GB MicroSD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't consider the S7 Edge and Note 7 to be a casual user phone. That being said I would rather have the ability to cycle various batteries, than use the same battery every day. These batteries are very inexpensive technologies now, and their capacities are bigger than ever. It seems there is no logical reason to limit the user to one battery given how thin LG have managed to produce a removable battery phone now. Well water resistance would be one reason but there are cases for that. Myself, when biking I use a sandwich sized zip lock bag.
Works great I keep my ability to swap batteries.
The reviewer is an idiot though, I hate these "reviewer's" who are not prepared to give another device a chance, to them every phone must be like an iPhone or Galaxy, and when that does happen they cry about copying.
He is complaining about what makes the phone unique, lol.
Galaxy S7 Edge Exynos +128GB MicroSD
POLO_i780 said:
I use a S7 Edge, I am certainly no casual user mate the very reason I went with it instead of a V20 is that the V20 has power user phone traits but not the battery for them.
Galaxy S7 Edge Exynos +128GB MicroSD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i can go 15+ hours with 6+ hours of SOT with the v20.. ive also owned an s7e, s7, and note 7 as well as the moto z force droid and verizon pixel.. all rooted except the v20 and moto z force droid and pixel and can say that even without root this v20 is well up there with battery comparison.. itd be even better if i had root, maybe 8+ hours SOT...
if you are actually using your phone with the screen on for more than 6-8 hours each day then the battery is sufficient
proof:
elliwigy said:
i can go 15+ hours with 6+ hours of SOT with the v20.. ive also owned an s7e, s7, and note 7 as well as the moto z force droid and verizon pixel.. all rooted except the v20 and moto z force droid and pixel and can say that even without root this v20 is well up there with battery comparison.. itd be even better if i had root, maybe 8+ hours SOT...
if you are actually using your phone with the screen on for more than 6-8 hours each day then the battery is sufficient
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am getting +8hours SOT with my S7E as I am typing this
No root.
Galaxy S7 Edge Exynos +128GB MicroSD
POLO_i780 said:
I am getting +8hours SOT with my S7E as I am typing this
No root.
?
?
Galaxy S7 Edge Exynos +128GB MicroSD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol not saying its impossible.. actually saying the v20 can have just as good battery life.. keep in mind i watch a lot of videos and gaming on my device among other normal tasks, always installing new apps and trying things out with lwp, 3d/360 wallpapers etc.
i typically have 10+ apps running at any given time either downloading stuff or just not closing stuff out.. im sure i could squeeze 8+ hours sot if i wanted lol
This is why I have one of these if I am not near a plug. I can charge my phone most likely 6 times off it. Came in handy at Disney 2 weeks ago. Kept a s7 edge and 2 s7 active phones charged all day and the rest of the night till we left at 1 am charged for us
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
elliwigy said:
lol not saying its impossible.. actually saying the v20 can have just as good battery life.. keep in mind i watch a lot of videos and gaming on my device among other normal tasks, always installing new apps and trying things out with lwp, 3d/360 wallpapers etc.
i typically have 10+ apps running at any given time either downloading stuff or just not closing stuff out.. im sure i could squeeze 8+ hours sot if i wanted lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats the thing, I am not squeezing it out with the S7E, this is only its 4th discharge since getting it on Tuesday, its comfortably going past 8hours with a lot of Social Media (Instagram, FB and Twitter usage), a bit of YouTube, playing music via BT in the car, Whatsapp and 3 email accs. (1 work, 2 personal).
I am a bit of a stickler when it comes to Battery Life, so I wanted the best I could get. The V20 is a beast, no denying it, the review this guy did actually did not it any justice, and whoever said it sounds like he had the phone for a few minutes is right, he did not even cover battery usage, or give a more thorough idea of what the phone is like to live with day to day.
Galaxy S7 Edge Exynos +128GB MicroSD
---------- Post added at 10:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:50 PM ----------
Dark Jedi said:
This is why I have one of these if I am not near a plug. I can charge my phone most likely 6 times off it. Came in handy at Disney 2 weeks ago. Kept a s7 edge and 2 s7 active phones charged all day and the rest of the night till we left at 1 am charged for us
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Love it, we are real Power Users in here
I have this for when I REALLY have to top up, it supports Fast Charge 1.0
Galaxy S7 Edge Exynos +128GB MicroSD
POLO_i780 said:
Thats the thing, I am not squeezing it out with the S7E, this is only its 4th discharge since getting it on Tuesday, its comfortably going past 8hours with a lot of Social Media (Instagram, FB and Twitter usage), a bit of YouTube, playing music via BT in the car, Whatsapp and 3 email accs. (1 work, 2 personal).
I am a bit of a stickler when it comes to Battery Life, so I wanted the best I could get. The V20 is a beast, no denying it, the review this guy did actually did not it any justice, and whoever said it sounds like he had the phone for a few minutes is right, he did not even cover battery usage, or give a more thorough idea of what the phone is like to live with day to day.
Galaxy S7 Edge Exynos +128GB MicroSD
---------- Post added at 10:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:50 PM ----------
Love it, we are real Power Users in here
I have this for when I REALLY have to top up, it supports Fast Charge 1.0
?
?
Galaxy S7 Edge Exynos +128GB MicroSD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol i understand.. was just trying to point out im doing the complete opposite in trying to use batterty as much as i can to see what i can get out of it being a power user so 6hours while trying to drain it is great
Mines 3.0 quick charge. Think everyone should have 1 power bank as I can use this for power outages and so on. I don't think if I didn't get one for Disney I might never would of got one. Sure mine is 3 usb charge ports and the biggest one they make I believe but had 3 phones to charge lol.
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
Hey all,
I wanted to make a quick rundown of my review of the s9 so far. I have the sm-g965u on T-mobile, I moved from a TMo Galaxy s5 that was rooted with a 7800mah battery. At it's peak i'd get about 3-4 days with moderate use but with 1 gig of ram moving to the s9 is a huge improvement. The speed of this phone is unbelievable. It's incredibly snappy.
My biggest issue is the battery life at this point, my battery info shows at 3500 mah but I can barely finish a day with light use with full battery. I never had this idle drain with my s5. It's 10:28am here and after 46 minutes of screen time, 23 minutes of waze i'm down to 86%!
I'm hoping once root and roms start getting pushed out for the U variant things start improving or Samsung fixes some stuff.
I am also coming from S5 and used it with the battery that came with it, 2800mAh I guess, charge it twice a day at least to keep it running, I have heard the same about S9+, the battery can only keep a day running. Samsung will definitely fix these issues in an update. Not sure when that will happen though.
Btw does the size bother you? S9+ is taller than S5, not sure if it will easily fit in front pockets of pants easily.
Good luck waiting for that custom rom...Because even on the GS8+ after a year there are no custom roms for the U model. For exynos, development could be amazing because of project treble.
Basically, don't get your hopes up. If you have an issue with battery (which to be fair you probably will), try and disable some of those apps with package disabler pro, install greenify and hope for the best.
ila420 said:
I am also coming from S5 and used it with the battery that came with it, 2800mAh I guess, charge it twice a day at least to keep it running, I have heard the same about S9+, the battery can only keep a day running. Samsung will definitely fix these issues in an update. Not sure when that will happen though.
Btw does the size bother you? S9+ is taller than S5, not sure if it will easily fit in front pockets of pants easily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah, The size does great! I put mine in my back pocket, will have a zero lemon on the way here soon. I put other things in my front pockets... It's either in my pocket or on my desk with my Gear s3 taking over.
domineus said:
Good luck waiting for that custom rom...Because even on the GS8+ after a year there are no custom roms for the U model. For exynos, development could be amazing because of project treble.
Basically, don't get your hopes up. If you have an issue with battery (which to be fair you probably will), try and disable some of those apps with package disabler pro, install greenify and hope for the best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was actually really curious about that thank you for that, I'm guessing i'll find myself moving over to the OP 6 when it comes out and just selling this one.
So you've moved to a phone with a SOC that's probably 3 times as fast, has 6 times the RAM, a much bigger and brighter screen, and a battery less than half the size, and you're surprised it doesn't last nearly as long on a charge?
meyerweb said:
So you've moved to a phone with a SOC that's probably 3 times as fast, has 6 times the RAM, a much bigger and brighter screen, and a battery less than half the size, and you're surprised it doesn't last nearly as long on a charge?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a pretty big thought process I was going to go with, but since I haven't picked up the S9+ will just say "sorryboutyou".
I have an S5 laying around here and had a Note 3 and 4 with extended batteries. I never saw 3-4 days EVER.
Treo 600 representing! That 650 upgrade was the bees knees though. Got that advanced coupon at the conference in Dallas and by the time they showed up from that "deal" I already had been using my Sprint one for weeks.
What on earth is going in here ? Lol ????????
I used S5 for 3 yars. Battery life is same as S9+ but S9+ is much, much faster and better at all.
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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.
just a general poll to see how many of you are happy with your s22 ultra ?
You can add snapdragon/exynos... i think more people are happy with the snapdragon... sadly
Goku1992 said:
You can add snapdragon/exynos... i think more people are happy with the snapdragon... sadly
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Click to collapse
yeah i cant now, but thats a good point
what's not to like.
i have snapdragon. advertised at 45w charging, but that max it' charging is at 31w.
that's why 45w charging is only a few minutes faster than 25w cus it only charging at 31w
but it' still better than a phone advertised as 25w charging.
SD, voted yes but battery could be better, though I don't have an awful battery life my S20 Ultra did perform much better battery wise, camera is slightly better than s20 Ultra for sure, performance is great as expected from this phone.
SD here and very happy
Will be interested how this vote goes. I too am very happy with mine and so is my wife. In all the posts about being unhappy many are saying 30% of people are unhappy or have major issues. Really think that is a number pulled out of their ass. I do not think there are a lot of posts from individuals that are happy, they just read what is posted. So, the bad posts are skewed in numbers. Let's see how this goes.
yeah i myself am very happy, i have the 85% limit set on my battery, and do a lot of heavy usage and im very happy with mine, mine is exynos 512/12. im using httrack, and google and dropbox autosync pretty much 24 hours a day in the background while also video editing and i dont notice any lag at all
SD and a like from me (love is a strong word) only negative for me is the sharp corners and wider body compared to S21U though somehow S22U feels lighter maybe better weight distribution. Speed, fluidity and battery are great for me.
There have been many more exynon users that have been unhappy with performance, but a lot have 128 models. Also, since the latest firmware update, many of those are now happy with the performance. Just goes to show you.
gav83collins said:
just a general poll to see how many of you are happy with your s22 ultra ?
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Click to collapse
no. think it is one of the worst devices Samsung has put out. terribly slow. bugs, bugs, bugs. overheating like crazy.
for , me, a waste of money. upgrade s21 ultra via samsung direct only thing i am fairly happy about is that I only lost $225 bux for the purchase.
this one has really changed my mind all together on samsung upgrades.
Just the box alone it arrived in screamed 'crap,' on hand.
just my opinion here
I really like mine.
dalepl said:
There have been many more exynon users that have been unhappy with performance, but a lot have 128 models. Also, since the latest firmware update, many of those are now happy with the performance. Just goes to show you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the 256 version and I'm unhappy, especially with the battery life.
The lag was somehow solved after the latest April update, but the battery life is still awful...
so the consensus is, by, yes or no votes, that more than two thirds of people are happy with thier s22 ultra
I'm really liking my Galaxy S22 Ultra so far (coming from an iPhone 13 Pro). The only thing that bothers me is the mediocre battery life.
I have done everything to debloat and clean the device via ADB and I'm also using the Galaxy max Hz app to limit the screen refresh rate to 10Hz in certain situations.
Limiting background usage helps as well and I have turned off things like automatic synchronization in Gmail and other apps.
Now, the device consumes way less battery power when being used/ in standby and I am satisfied with the results.
gav83collins said:
so the consensus is, by, yes or no votes, that more than two thirds of people are happy with thier s22 ultra
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, but only those with Snap, those with **** Exynos are not happy.
robi101012981 said:
yes, but only those with Snap, those with **** Exynos are not happy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im on exynos and ive not had a problem with mine
gav83collins said:
so the consensus is, by, yes or no votes, that more than two thirds of people are happy with thier s22 ultra
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point, it appears by the yes/no votes that 80%+ are happy with their S22 ultra. Not a huge sample size, however, I think for the most part that people perusing this forum are looking to fix/improve their S22u in some manner. Therefore, I think the real number of people happy is in the 90%+ range.
i also think a factor to consider is that computing power increases faster than battery technology and people are wanting better processors but also complaining when the battery used to power it isnt sufficient and samsung are having to battle battery power verses computing power , i remember back in the early days of android when devices limited camera and processing power to increase battery life, setting camera to like 90% and the cpu governor was ondemand/interactive, its gonna be better once we have some custom kernels and cpu/gpu overiding, i myself am willing to sacrifice battery life for computing power, i mean we all have power banks nowadays anyway
If this were a forum for a true Note phone, the percentages would be different. My vote was No, my previous device (Note 10+) was better.
As the title says, I think i'll be passing on the P7 and awaiting either the P7a (unlikely) or the P8.
The Pixel 5 just has everything I want in a "phone".
It's still fast enough that I don't get annoyed using it.
Read finger print.
Android 13 is running smoothly.
Battery life is probably better than on the P7, but no idea, but I'm still getting wonderful SOT.
Rear not made of glass.
Last phone of an era.
Completely agree! I jumped ship to Pixel 5 after a decade of exclusively buying Samsung Galaxy series. Perfect size and has more than enough power for my needs. If only they released another phone of the same size. If only.
Bought a Pixel 7 last week... currently thinking about returning it and keep my P5...
I'm in the market for a Pixel 5. For all the reasons @andybones outlined, plus as a backup. I got the 7 and like it more than 6. But now there's something new and ugly to be paranoid about with stories about shattering camera glass. Taking into account lame fingerprint readers, new Pixels seem to have lowest glass bidder written all over them.
I found a used "mint" condition P5 on Swappa.
I'll post about it once it arrives. "
andybones said:
I'll post about it once it arrives.
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I'll do the same when mine gets here. I'm looking at Swappa and ebay reburbished.
I've had a Pixel 5 for a couple days now. First thing I noticed is that SIM unlock happens instantly where as 6 and 7 have to think about it for a few seconds. Same with wi-fi and cell connections. It may not be significant but 5's radio is definitely snappier on start up and no waiting for status bar icons. I'm sure a new Tensor has a more complex job than an older Snapdragon, but simpler is what I'm going for.
The phone shipped with Android 12, I flashed 13, now I'm thinking about taking it all the way back to 11. Any caveats I need to know about that?
manjaroid said:
I've had a Pixel 5 for a couple days now. First thing I noticed is that SIM unlock happens instantly where as 6 and 7 have to think about it for a few seconds. Same with wi-fi and cell connections. It may not be significant but 5's radio is definitely snappier on start up and no waiting for status bar icons. I'm sure a new Tensor has a more complex job than an older Snapdragon, but simpler is what I'm going for.
The phone shipped with Android 12, I flashed 13, now I'm thinking about taking it all the way back to 11. Any caveats I need to know about that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice review.
I've been using mine also for a few days.
It's great. Perfect condition.
Only thing is battery capacity I'm not sure where it's at. On my old 5 it was at like 90% and i was getting easily 8-10 hour SOT.
Im on my 3rd charge and I got about 6 hour SOT and accurately said 73% battery health. But I'm praying it just needs time but we'll see. This charge is doing a little better. I was used to getting an hour /10% battery..
But for $198 perfect condition P5 I'm quite happy. It should easily last me until the P8. Which I'm hoping will have a smaller close to P5 size.
I used the P7 in store for first time and yes it is awesome. But I would of bought new and it would be about $540. So I think I made a god choice. I'm also hoping google does good trade in deals again next year.. though I really do need a backup device.
Ohh man I rode A11 until A13 came out. Completely skipped A12. I used crDrood A11 ROM, and it was very stable.
I don't think I could go back though.
Besr of luck!
andybones said:
...I'm quite happy. It should easily last me until the P8. Which I'm hoping will have a smaller close to P5 size.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read that Pixel 8 will be small. It would be nice if it also trended away from a glass back, but that's probably wishful thinking.
I don't have a clear picture of my P5's battery health either. So far it seems good enough, definitely not bad. I did a second charge today. Mine is in really nice shape too, so hopefully this means the battery had an easy life before I got it.
Good luck with yours too!
andybones said:
As the title says, I think i'll be passing on the P7 and awaiting either the P7a (unlikely) or the P8.
The Pixel 5 just has everything I want in a "phone".
It's still fast enough that I don't get annoyed using it.
Read finger print.
Android 13 is running smoothly.
Battery life is probably better than on the P7, but no idea, but I'm still getting wonderful SOT.
Rear not made of glass.
Last phone of an era.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm totally with you on this. I was pondering whether to buy a P7 or not for absolutely ages, but gave in and bought a unopened sealed one for £400, played with it for about 3 hours in my house and could not work out what all the hype is about with the P7, I noticed very little difference between it and my P5, possibly the camera, but the camera on my P5 is perfect for what I use it for. And I totally love the physical size of my P5. I did like the phone to phone transfer using the cables, it transferred absolutely everything, including all my short cuts to various websites, Forums etc. They have not yet mastered keeping the same ringtones etc, but I was still impressed. Anyway, cut a long story short, I have now got the P7 out of my head, sold it for exactly what I paid for it and I am keeping my bullet proof 100% reliable P5 until possibly the P7a or P8, depending on size of phone, but if Google don't do a phone at 6.1" or less, I'll possibly have to switch over to Samsung.
I just ordered up a Pixel 7, free upgrade and my Pixel 5 is showing it's age. I'm not the easiest on my stuff and working on a diamond drill doesn't help my cause at all
P5 is the last good phone ever made.
If I were you, I'd get another one while you can still find it, in case you break it, loose it etc.
All the new phones are huge now, Pixel 5 is the smallest.
And cases are made of fragile glass on almost all phones now, on Pixel is aluminium and you can still wireless charge because of the hole in the middle!
And fingerprint sensor is actually usable on P5 because it's where it should be, not on the side/buttons, under the screen and other awkward places like on most phones.
And you get quite a lot of RAM that should make the phone last years.
Only down-side on P5 for me is the big screen resolution. I find anything above 720p a waste of battery life, because there is no visual difference for the eyes. But battery life is not that bad, if you only use it casually you can get 2-3 days of battery life
Just wondering, has anyone noticed issues with Android 13 compared to Android 11, on P5?
Usually I avoid updates like plague, I disable them completely and keep apps until they don't run anymore and force me to update them. What is annoying on P5 is that every few days it shows up a popup prompting me to update Android and it's only a matter of time until I click OK by mistake
@andybones, no reason to upgrade if you like the hardware/firmware you got and its fulfilling its mission. Constant firmware upgrades/updates aren't needed for Android 9 or higher in my opinion. Replace batteries as needed... easy living.
blackhawk said:
@andybones, no reason to upgrade if you like the hardware/firmware you got and its fulfilling its mission. Constant firmware upgrades/updates aren't needed for Android 9 or higher in my opinion. Replace batteries as needed... easy living.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About battery replacement...
My previous phone was OnePlus 7 Pro, and OnePlus could replace battery under the warranty and free od charge during two year warranty for the device. I don't know how it is now after merge with Oppo.
How about Google? Battery replacement is done under the warranty just like it was with OnePlus or Google will charge some money? If so, do you know how much?
Ćwirek said:
About battery replacement...
My previous phone was OnePlus 7 Pro, and OnePlus could replace battery under the warranty and free od charge during two year warranty for the device. I don't know how it is now after merge with Oppo.
How about Google? Battery replacement is done under the warranty just like it was with OnePlus or Google will charge some money? If so, do you know how much?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, but probably not that bad. I run Samsung N10+'s and I doubt it's worse than them. Watch a tear down vid. I've gotten one of these done for $50, next one I'll probably do myself.
Regardless replace the battery when it drops to 80% of its original capacity. Just routine maintenance, no big fuss.
well I have a P7 on the way,
Cracked my P5 screen,
I'll probably take the $50 or so from Google and get the P7a once out and trade p7 or p7a in fir p8..
I'm still using my Pixel 2XL, thought about upgrading many times but the phone just keeps working.
Yesterday I saw ebay deal for Pixel 5 128GB for $110 and have ordered it, should be a decent ugrade I think, at least I'll try newest Android.
I'm completely with you guys. I love and live my P5. The P6 of my mom feels so bulky in comparison, more like a brick. I also don't get why there is no political or scientific pressure/argument for lighter phones <150 g instead of 200+ g. It has to be more healthy for our wrists.
In addition I had some experience with battery capacity and aging of it.
If you have root access or able to use some terminal executions (e.g. adb), you can read out your remaining full charge capacity of your Pixel.
These number will give you a scope of what's going on, but will not be accurate.
For my case, I use root to limit max charging state (at 75 %) and shut of below 20 %. Also I can limit the charging current by software. In all day usage I stay between 60 and 50 %, as I have a wireless charger on every desk at work and home.
So long story short. I was getting my battery replaced by Google in a case of warranty (I was getting a entirely new unit as replacement because I shuttered my camera glass/lense.
The bms of the battery counts charging cycles and remaining full charge capacity (see file /sys/class/power_supply/battery/uevent).
All I can say is that this number of remaining capacity (health state) is quite manipulative. Brand new capacity was 4100 mAh with 3 cycles. Now I have 3500 mAh after 218 cycles in 11 month's. If I would charge my P5 now several times to 100 % SOC and drain it to zero, the bms would learn and this count of 3531 mAh would climb again to much more then that.
For long term reasons I will not do several 100-0-100 SOC cycles for you. You all can imagine that it will hurt the lithium cells more than it will help to know the exact figure.
All in all I can ask a friend with a P5 which readouts he will get, he doesn't use this battery charging restrictions.
Btw, if your remaining capacity will drop below 80 % in warranty time, Google will replace your battery for free. Otherwise you can't initiate a changing of battery by yourself at Google, not even for some fees.
But if you really concerned, there are original batteries to order here in Germany, disassembly process is not that hard to do.
In my opinion don't take too much concerns about your battery. A friend of me has a OnePlus 6 since Release (close to 5 years ago) and charges every night to 100 % with a old Sony 7,5 W charger. He is on its original equipped battery and still has enough SOT for 1 day usage and criticises it's battery life some time ago. But as we know, there is no alternative to older, smaller smartphones without glass backside as our P5 oder OP6.
Attachment:
Full charge capacity / charging cycles / date of read
4228 1 14.05.2022
4186 2
4180 2
4178 4
4136 7
4110 10
4115 19 12.06.2022
4035 26 23.06.2022
4039 31 30.06.2022
3981 47 22.07.2022
4006 51 28.07.2022
3531 218 31.03.2023
3623 225 08.04.2023
P.S. I'm still on A11 for design reasons, I don't like the bubble UI of A12+. Where is my usable workspace left? Notifications area and app drawer specially and where would my WiFi on/off toggle switch gone? What was wrong with this dedicated button to get rid of it in A12?
Edit: like I said, I did a single 100%-0%-100% cycle and the bms recognised this in better trained capacity. It jumped from 3531 to 3623 mAh (compare with table above).
So don't take this numbers too serious, as it it the same battery lithium cell and the numbers are all over the place.
Friends i heard pixel 5 has heating issues, how is it on newer versions of android and can we balance it with custom roms. I like compact phones and can't really find one these days in decent budget. I am planning to buy a P5 hoping custom rom support would last for few more years but little concerned about heating. Is it natural for P5 to heat or can we lower it with better roms?, ur response would help. Thanks dears.
raj.ify said:
Friends i heard pixel 5 has heating issues, how is it on newer versions of android and can we balance it with custom roms. I like compact phones and can't really find one these days in decent budget. I am planning to buy a P5 hoping custom rom support would last for few more years but little concerned about heating. Is it natural for P5 to heat or can we lower it with better roms?, ur response would help. Thanks dears.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have this phone for over year now mostly running on custom ROMs (currently CrDroid v7.25, Android 11). A lot of games, YouTube, a ton of phone calls etc. and I haven't notice any issues with heating. Of course, phone is warmer during heavier games or something, as it should be, but nothing extreme.