Database Info

No mention of fingerprint sensor?

Some leakers claimed that the Note 20 line would use the Qualcomm 3D Sonic Max fingerprint sensor. Considering how awful the previous fingerprint technology was in S10, Note 10 and S20 lines, I expected Samsung to tout the new and improved tech in Note 20 presentation, yet there was not a single word said about it. Nor can I find any mention of it anywhere yet. This gives me a feeling that they are using the same crappy sensor they've used for the past 2 years. If that's the case, I will not be buying the Note 20, for there is absolutely nothing that frustrates me more about my current S10+ than the fingerprint scanner that only works half the time, only on the 2nd or 3rd try or sometimes refuses to work all together.
Anyone has any knowledge of what's happening on that front?

Samsung's Note 20 ultra webpage just states that the fingerprint reader is ultrasonic. Doesn't mention who manufactured it.

Just watched one of the first hands-on reviews and apparently the 3D Sonic Max fingeeprint sensor that Qualcomm showed off last December did NOT make it into the Note line. I am beyond disappointed, because I feel that the retarded fingerprint scanner Samsung has been using for the past couple of years is the weakest and the most frustrating "feature" of their premium phones. That and the lack of rumored LTPS display along with the 25W "fast" charging are enough for me to skip the Note 20 Ultra, just like it was enough for me to send back the S20+ after a couple of days.
What a letdown! My S10+ is 18 months old at this point and I was so excited reading all the leaks, expecting Note 20 Ultra to fix the biggest painpoints. It did not. I can't justify its price tag, even with a $550 trade-in credit I can get.
I guess I can hang out yet another 6 months, waiting for the S21/S30 or maybe look to a different manufacturer. I feel that over the past couple of years Samsung has been concentrating on all the wrong things and skyrocketing prices are not supported by the level of innovation (or lack thereof).

Guessing new version might be in S21

Do you have a link to the review? thx
odesskiy said:
Just watched one of the first hands-on reviews and apparently the 3D Sonic Max fingeeprint sensor that Qualcomm showed off last December did NOT make it into the Note line. I am beyond disappointed, because I feel that the retarded fingerprint scanner Samsung has been using for the past couple of years is the weakest and the most frustrating "feature" of their premium phones. That and the lack of rumored LTPS display along with the 25W "fast" charging are enough for me to skip the Note 20 Ultra, just like it was enough for me to send back the S20+ after a couple of days.
What a letdown! My S10+ is 18 months old at this point and I was so excited reading all the leaks, expecting Note 20 Ultra to fix the biggest painpoints. It did not. I can't justify its price tag, even with a $550 trade-in credit I can get.
I guess I can hang out yet another 6 months, waiting for the S21/S30 or maybe look to a different manufacturer. I feel that over the past couple of years Samsung has been concentrating on all the wrong things and skyrocketing prices are not supported by the level of innovation (or lack thereof).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

equake said:
Do you have a link to the review? thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might be this @2:15
https://youtu.be/_zsVSBPPC_c
Edit: found the correct review

I just watched a review video by Lisa Gade from MobileTech Reviews https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkMtRzlR-so
She has always complained about how poor the fingerprint scanner was on previous Notes and S-Series devices, but she said the one on the Note 20 Ultra is much improved and had no issues with it. So hopefully we might have a better experience.
.

AFAIK same as note10/s20 1st gen qualcomm ultrasonic sensor.

Two reviews have said it's a lot better than the S20 Ultra. I hope they're right!

This is funny to me because I've had zero problems with the sensor on the galaxy tab s6.

I have zero problems on my Note 10+ since they updated it. Before that, it was crap. I barely have to touch it now.

pauper66 said:
I have zero problems on my Note 10+ since they updated it. Before that, it was crap. I barely have to touch it now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
once i removed the factory screen protector my
note 10 plus worked way better.
with it on Id say it worked 70% of the time the first time, which is much better than my S10 plus was.

I've never had any issues with the FPS on the S10+ (US) but that maybe luck. The S20+ that I've used also had no issues but seems to be faster.

Ultra fps is much better compare to my note 10 plus.

Question S21+ vs Note 10+

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

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

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

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

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

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

Question Samsung's Galaxy S22 Series Is a Low-Signal Beast

Samsung's Galaxy S22 Series Is a Low-Signal Beast
If you frequently have trouble staying connected to your carrier's network, the Samsung Galaxy S22 series might be the solution. In testing, Samsung's Galaxy S22+ and S22 Ultra phones significantly outperformed their predecessors (as well Google's latest Pixel phones) in low-signal situations.

Ohhh nice. I like this. A lot of my cell usage is in poor service environments.

you should add that it is about the Snapdragon version for a specific chip that is integrated by Qualcomm; Samsung had probably other priorities for Exynos

ionutdicu said:
you should add that it is about the Snapdragon version for a specific chip that is integrated by Qualcomm; Samsung had probably other priorities for Exynos
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hope we get atleast a bit better battery life... cause the cpu seems worse

Actually just got mine delivered today (exynos cause I'm in Italy) and I am having issues with mobile data, i had to connect to wifi 3-4 times today because it doesn't work on mobile data

Masterkill88 said:
Actually just got mine delivered today (exynos cause I'm in Italy) and I am having issues with mobile data, i had to connect to wifi 3-4 times today because it doesn't work on mobile data
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the software is beta like...cause the phone will release in 10 days and many reviewers have stutter bugs and something like that. Do you have a pocture of yout phone? Which colour?

It's the phantom black version, 12/256 exynos version (I'm in Italy).
I was thinking the same thing, I also have this glitch where the screen turns off when you're browsing the apps (just like you would double tap on the home screen to lock the phone) and the other screen glitch with the purple pixelated stripe popping up when touching the fingerprint scanner, I think I fixed that one by using a normal photo as the lock screen wallpaper instead of the animated wallpaper though

Masterkill88 said:
It's the phantom black version, 12/256 exynos version (I'm in Italy).
I was thinking the same thing, I also have this glitch where the screen turns off when you're browsing the apps (just like you would double tap on the home screen to lock the phone) and the other screen glitch with the purple pixelated stripe popping up when touching the fingerprint scanner, I think I fixed that one by using a normal photo as the lock screen wallpaper instead of the animated wallpaper though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats strange mate...hope Samsung grt this fixed on release also some new gpu drivers...the soc esprcially the gpu is bad now...

Considering how some of these posts are from people with less than 10 posts, I wouldn't take them too seriously. As we all know, trolls love to bash on Samsung.

eaoosa said:
Considering how some of these posts are from people with less than 10 posts, I wouldn't take them too seriously. As we all know, trolls love to bash on Samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes trolls are always bad but ive seen videos on youtubr that proves zhat the phone is a bit laggy...also speedtest whre s21 ultra is a good time faster...

Goku1992 said:
Yes trolls are always bad but ive seen videos on youtubr that proves zhat the phone is a bit laggy...also speedtest whre s21 ultra is a good time faster...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll reserve my judgement until it gets here around the 25th. Besides, these are brand spanking new phones so will definitely need a bunch of tweaks and updates.

I've only watched a few Youtube reviews but maybe it's the ones I watch. They all loved the phone.

Corwinder said:
I've only watched a few Youtube reviews but maybe it's the ones I watch. They all loved the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes its a beautiful phone aside for the stutter... also most of them had snapdragon which seems to run better since now

Goku1992 said:
Yes trolls are always bad but ive seen videos on youtubr that proves zhat the phone is a bit laggy...also speedtest whre s21 ultra is a good time faster...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can vouch for this as I have seen similar reports and tests on the Exynos version being slow and battery life less than the s21U. So this isn't Trolls we're dealing with it's actually happening. So don't dismiss people so easily just because they are new and only have a few posts.

The article didn't mention the smaller s22 explicitly. Hopefully it has the same connection qualities.

Notice that they're referring to the US Snapdragon model, which uses an all new X65 modem. It's unclear how the Exynos model performs. If the Exynos modem is anything like the modem in the Pixel 6 Pro, reception might just be good instead of great.

Guyinlaca said:
Notice that they're referring to the US Snapdragon model, which uses an all new X65 modem. It's unclear how the Exynos model performs. If the Exynos modem is anything like the modem in the Pixel 6 Pro, reception might just be good instead of great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hope this isnt the case...my oneplus 7t pro had better reception than my s21 ultra and hoped with the s22u this will change :/

Early opinion of the Exynos S22 Ultra is that mobile data throughput is not significantly different to Exynos S21 series and Pixel 6 Pro modem. It may be slightly more balanced in low signal areas though - one bar performance is a bit more 'consistent'.
A new modem was my main reason for upgrading. I'll testing performance against a S10+ tomorrow, which will be interesting. The S10+ outperforms the Exynos S21 Ultra with 4G, consistently.

So I've got a Snapdragon S22U/512GB, and it def seems like the phone performs better in low service environments vs my old Note 10+ 5G

So easy to lie online

Question S22 ultra of pixel 7 pro? The bug factor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Note 20 Ultra upgrade from Note 4 Call recording needed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

blackhawk said:
The price difference should tell you something.
Play with both if you can. The design and balance of the N10+ is superb. The only repair I done is a replacement battery. It has over 8k hours on it, it's heavily used. I looks, feels and runs like new. Zero detectable display degradation, perfect.
You want the spen. I didn't use it for months at first, now I use it almost every day. I use screen write, smart capture and magnifier a lot. It's a swiss army knife of Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

The S-pen is something i will definitely use, which is why I'm sticking with the Note Series-for now. But i really need the call recording option; do you know Blackhawk if there is a sure fire way for both the N10+ & N20U? I've checked the guides but I don't see a clear answer. Unfortunatey there is no way for me to try out either device as both devices are not available anymore in store but i'm sure i couldn't be wrong buying either one. I've only had the chance to see the S22 Ultra and the colors are superb. I really would be disappointed if I have to end up buying the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 pro for simplicity.

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

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

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

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

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