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Hi everyone
Is the S7 [exynos] worth buying now? I can get it for around ₹22k(330$), brand new with warranty. Or should I go for newer ones like oneplus 5T [~500$]. I'm not planning to root it & use stock rom. Hardware seems good, my other considerations being battery life, software & camera. Any suggestions are welcome..
I have just bought mine, cause now the price is good. I bought a golden S7 and I´m very happy. It´s worth buying. My previous phone was a 2y old S6. These phones rock! 4gb Ram, this back camera, ip68, this processor... u can´t go wrong!
I just got my S7 from Bestbuy At&t for $12.66/mo. love it. Good battery life, great screen, wireless charge. Not easy finding a good screen protector though.
If you plan on staying on stock, then you should focus on both device's specs:
https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=7821&idPhone2=8912
As you can see both devices, even if they are one year apart(launching date wise) they are almost similar.
In this case, I think you are better off going for the S7. I'll always go for a Samsung first.
fast96 said:
I just got my S7 from Bestbuy At&t for $12.66/mo. love it. Good battery life, great screen, wireless charge. Not easy finding a good screen protector though.
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Try Skinomi protectors, I've used them in various phone and they really good.
I purchased it on 7th Feb 2018
I just bought mine yesterday from Flipkart!
got it for Rs 23,000.
The only good options were (according to price range of Rs. 25,000)
Moto x4 , Honor 8 pro, Moto z1, Galaxy s7
I choose this because of
1. Super Amoled 2k display
2. Camera (having dual pixel technology)
3. Guaranteed update to oreo by April 2018
As you know It has all the ingredients of a everyday smartphone, i.e 4GB ram , top of line processing power, 32gb storage, Hybrid sim slot.
For me the screen and camera are the main reasons
I have installed google camera app v4 and it has significant improvement over the photos clicked.
Hope this helps
Super_Commando said:
Hi everyone
Is the S7 [exynos] worth buying now? I can get it for around ₹22k(330$), brand new with warranty. Or should I go for newer ones like oneplus 5T [~500$]. I'm not planning to root it & use stock rom. Hardware seems good, my other considerations being battery life, software & camera. Any suggestions are welcome..
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Definitely no. This device is now 2 years old. Just wait a few months, there would be tons of better devices in this price range.
ZeroCGTI said:
Definitely no. This device is now 2 years old. Just wait a few months, there would be tons of better devices in this price range.
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There's always going to be a better phone coming out in a "few months" and you'll end up waiting forever. I initially thought about waiting as well, but I ran out of patience and got mine at a great price. And I have no issues whatsoever. Innovation on mobile has plateaued so there's no point waiting. My only complaint is that we might not get Android P or even 8.1.
ZeroCGTI said:
Definitely no. This device is now 2 years old. Just wait a few months, there would be tons of better devices in this price range.
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Any suggestions for upcoming better devices..
Sent from my Moto MAXX using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Still the only phone out there that's "small" and has wireless charging, ip68, enough ram, large battery, microsd, amoled, and no curved edge. Not a single other phone! if mine broke I would have to buy another S7
buy it after s9 is announced this month end, should see another price drop on the s7.
Is it worth buying is not the question; the question is more WHERE is it worth buying. As a US S7 (Snapdragon) owner with an MVNO, the answer is equivocal for two reasons:
1. An Exnyos-based S7 has no warranty support in the US; technically, it's a "gray market" phone (only Snapdragon-based S7s are permissible (per Samsung USA). If you want US warranty support, stick with Snapdragon-based S7 series. While you lose out on the wider support of the AOSP and TWRP features with a Snapdragon-based S7, S7+, or S7edge, you are not dead in the water - there ARE fusion firmwares available (stang5litre running an MM fusion firmwarew, and Project L - a Nougat-based fusion firmware). I am running L myself, and it's not any harder to install than an AOSP ROM is on phones that permit them (I came from AOSP on the Galaxy Nexus - which is now my alternate). I'm with Tracfone, the largest MVNO in the US, and can choose between Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile under normal circumstances (I went with T-Mobile, because my IMEI is blacklisted on VZW due to the phone's previous owner)
2. Naturally, outside of the US, your situation is different - which I get. However, all the S7 models will get Oreo; the weird part is that it was announced for older model phones (S6 series) first - which has resulted in much scratchage of heads and chins. The issue therefore is patience (ours).
i would wait till the s9 comes so that the s8 gets cheaper... i like the s8 more due to the battery having more output after a year. on the s7 you will get like 70% battery after a year use and with the s8 you will get around 95%
i bought it as it was the cheapest phone for max price of 300 USD.The Honor 8 was on the fritz plus its getting oreo.Could not beat that price
I purchased a s7 from flipkart yesterday, i paid 23k for it n i am very happy with it, i preferred s7 over moto x4, z2play and iphone se because of these reasons:
1) S7 is a flagship product from 2016, and its worth buying a flagship product over some mid range phone, it gives u a premium feeling.
2) S7 has THE best smartphone screen, its 2k and an insane 577ppi, which is in fact more than that of iphone x,note 8 and s8
3)Out of the box, it has android 6.0 but its upgradable to 7 and 8 as well, but we have to wait till April.
4)This Phone rocks a 4gb ram, it has a sd card slot, ip68 water resistance,12 mp camera and even ois,octa core cpu, fast charge,otg,heart rate sensor and so on
In short we can never call s7 an obsolete device, it meets all the standards of 2018 mobiles and in most cases it surpasses them, it still gives a tough challenge to todays flagships like iphone x, note 8, s8, nokia 8, one plus 5t and so on. So if ur budget howers around 20-23k i would highly recommend buying this beast, u will never regret ur purchase
Absolutely it is worth buying. I have a s8 (exynos) with a s7 (exynos) as a backup. If the s8 didn't exist or I didn't want to spend s8 money on a phone, the only phones on the market in Feb 2018 I would consider would be the S7 and XZ1 Compact. The S7 has the highest DPI screen on the market (STILL) and the smallest body (excluding the XZ1 Compact) with a high end processor. It has a high screen/body ratio for a 16:9 phone, made better by hardware buttons. It has strong development support for custom roms including the ability to run both S8 and N8 roms. It has a camera only slightly worse than the S8.
Go for the S7. You will not regret it. I have been the owener of one S7 for almost one year, and I dont regret it. This phone is the best in his price range.
The S7 is better than any budget/mid phone of 2017-2018 and even some current flagships,it's the best phone i've ever had, got mine on late september 2017, fast, amazing screen, great camera,4gb of RAM,ip68,sd card slot and so on. This phone is a beast, one small detail is that battery life could have been a "little bit better" but no big deal it gets me trought the day with 50% left sometimes more, for me the S7 is still worth in 2018 and even 2019, it's one of the best devices ever made if you ask me, reminds me of the days i had the LG G2 it was my favourite device, now it's the S7 i just love it.
Having owned most of the Samsung S-line phones since day one (missing only S6 and S8) many would probably call me a fanboy. And since you asked this in the S7 section, odds are that most of the other replies are from fans as well.
I really like the S7. Yes, battery life could have been better but that's almost the only beef I have with it. However, for a new buyer, particularly one interested in camera performance and unwilling to install custom roms, I'd give this warning:
The S7 is nearing the end of its support cycle. We will get android 8 and maybe 8.1 if we're lucky, but after that odds are we'll not get any android updates and I have my doubts as to how long Samsung will keep supplying security updates (maybe 2 more years, but could be less). I know many people do not consider this particularly important, but anybody should ask themselves, how much sensitive information they have stored on or have access to through their phones. As soon as those updates stop, you quickly become easy prey for an attack. Despite the awesome hardware of the phone, I would consider buying something else, even at a premium, to avoid this risk.
---------- Post added at 04:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:26 PM ----------
Having owned most of the Samsung S-line phones since day one (missing only S6 and S8) many would probably call me a fanboy. And since you asked this in the S7 section, odds are that most of the other replies are from fans as well.
I really like the S7. Yes, battery life could have been better but that's almost the only beef I have with it. However, for a new buyer, particularly one interested in camera performance and unwilling to install custom roms, I'd give this warning:
The S7 is nearing the end of its support cycle. We will get android 8 and maybe 8.1 if we're lucky, but after that odds are we'll not get any android updates and I have my doubts as to how long Samsung will keep supplying security updates (maybe 2 more years, but could be less). I know many people do not consider this particularly important, but anybody should ask themselves, how much sensitive information they have stored on or have access to through their phones. As soon as those updates stop, you quickly become easy prey for an attack. Despite the awesome hardware of the phone, I would consider buying something else, even at a premium, to avoid this risk.
Best phone in cheap price range. I think phones perfect. It's as good/better than the iPhone 7. Basically a small/one hand use phone and quite powerful.
....go and get the Note 20 Ultra now? Should I wait for the next Note? The Huawei Mate 20 X isn't cutting it. I have never had a straight out of the factory stock phone. I always had either a rooted or jaibroken phone.
Get it
Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk
If your current phone is going to last another year I would wait at least for a good deal.
I have a 10+ and though I'm eyeballing the 20U, Google and Samsung haven't given me enough incentive to upgrade.
I'm running Pie and Q isn't an upgrade with its scope storage crap.
5 G still isn't fully implemented.
Both models lack the latest bluetooth chipsets and codecs.
In fact the bt audio on the 20U is the same as the 10+.
Sammy dropped the ball twice on it's most expensive flagship phones ever.
So... will Android 12 and 13 be better or has Android gone MS insane too?
Maybe with the next generation of Sammy's they will be more motivated and less fractured with their offerings.
As for me the 20U has many improvements over the 10+ including faster RAM but there been a fair number complaints with the display.
The 10+ is a very capable phone and still fast by any standard plus I like Pie much more than Q.
Very little bang for the buck for me to upgrade to the 20U.
For you it be great fun but you may miss out on a future model that you'd like more.
Tough call, but waiting costs nothing if you current phone isn't costing you profitability and is reliable.
shoeprano27 said:
....go and get the Note 20 Ultra now? Should I wait for the next Note? The Huawei Mate 20 X isn't cutting it. I have never had a straight out of the factory stock phone. I always had either a rooted or jaibroken phone.
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Mate 20X was such a great phone for its time, one of the best and its still a pretty great phone. The Note 2o Ultra has been the only phone that has helped me forget my love for the 20X...you wont be disappointed unless you really loved the flat display of the 20X but I do think the 20 Ultra is now the sexiest phone on the market. I am eyeing the Fold 2 though.
My philosophy is if one always waited for what's new out around the corner one wouldn't end up getting anything at all !
Enjoy the journey.
Wait until next year. Or better still the following.
I currently have an S9+, and aside from the battery dying much quicker than it used to, it still runs fine. I was looking at trading in for the S21+ since T-Mobile has a decent offer, but I'm having trouble deciding if it's worth it. The specs don't look to be that huge of a leap above what I have now, slightly faster processor and slightly more memory, and the screen resolution is actually a downgrade. Plus, no SD card.
The Ultra looks like it would be, but I don't want to spend quite that much. I'm not seeing enough to convince me on the 21+ Am I missing something or is it really not worth upgrading?
BradHP said:
I currently have an S9+, and aside from the battery dying much quicker than it used to, it still runs fine. I was looking at trading in for the S21+ since T-Mobile has a decent offer, but I'm having trouble deciding if it's worth it. The specs don't look to be that huge of a leap above what I have now, slightly faster processor and slightly more memory, and the screen resolution is actually a downgrade. Plus, no SD card.
The Ultra looks like it would be, but I don't want to spend quite that much. I'm not seeing enough to convince me on the 21+ Am I missing something or is it really not worth upgrading?
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Jump on the hype train my dude ! Look at funny camera holes, not good 4 trypophobia lul
Spoiler: Me ranting about the design
No seriously, I think the upgrade is more on the look and feel side than anything else, and my personal tastes don't really hate the new design but don't love it either. It's like they tried to be revolutionary, then someone on twitter told them the first design was offensive to the [insert random common point, physical trait, interests and tastes] group of people, so they sanatized it so everyone would not feel it's awful. Well it worked, I don't think it awful but damn that's booooooorrriiiiiiiiiinnng.
in short I think you're fine with what you have, and i may even say try to look elsewhere a little, you might find your true love (in phone of course) in another brand
Have a nice day.
Raiz said:
Jump on the hype train my dude ! Look at funny camera holes, not good 4 trypophobia lul
Spoiler: Me ranting about the design
No seriously, I think the upgrade is more on the look and feel side than anything else, and my personal tastes don't really hate the new design but don't love it either. It's like they tried to be revolutionary, then someone on twitter told them the first design was offensive to the [insert random common point, physical trait, interests and tastes] group of people, so they sanatized it so everyone would not feel it's awful. Well it worked, I don't think it awful but damn that's booooooorrriiiiiiiiiinnng.
in short I think you're fine with what you have, and i may even say try to look elsewhere a little, you might find your true love (in phone of course) in another brand
Have a nice day.
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Thanks, I'm already leaning towards not getting the S21. I don't understand how it's barely an upgrade (and in some ways a downgrade) from the phone I've had for 3 years. Looking into the OnePlus 8T right now.
BradHP said:
Thanks, I'm already leaning towards not getting the S21. I don't understand how it's barely an upgrade (and in some ways a downgrade) from the phone I've had for 3 years. Looking into the OnePlus 8T right now.
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I have a OP8. OnePlus is. A good brand, but if you prefer smaller phones (which I doubt since you had samsung phones lol), check Google Pixels
Yeah, I like the biggest screen I can afford. Watch a lot of Netflix/Prime/Youtube on the go. I already went ahead and ordered that OnePlus 8T after reading more reviews and the forums here. Can't beat the price of free when I trade in the S9.
I decided to upgrade from my Note 9 to the 21+. Why? Because I felt like it and got a great deal from AT&T on my trade in. My Note was running fine, but it is getting a little long in the tooth since It's been 2+ years.
I chose the Plus because I wanted the bigger screen and bigger battery. The glass vs plastic wasn't an issue for me, I'd have been fine with either. I also didn't want to spend the $$$ for the Ultra since I'm not a big photo person, just a casual photographer for personal purposes. The plus was just in that nice sweet spot for me, and I knew this would be the last flagship that I'd get the big $800 credit from AT&T for a trade-in, so I figured I might as well take advantage while I could.
How much the battery on your S9+ last?
With the S21+ you will have twice the battery time. The 1080+ screen actually increases battery time by about 20-30% over the unncecessarily high (IMO) QHD+ resolution
And apart from battery is far better in processor power of course, and an upgrade in genearl in many ways... On screen fingerprint reader, much faster one, far better cameras, better audio, and so on
Definitely worth it. My last phone is exynos s9+ and definitely s21+ (exynos) double performance and double the battery life
I came from a VZW Pixel 3aXl....to a Unlocked phone... seems like an upgrade to me, plus I got 200 bucks tradein
BradHP said:
I currently have an S9+, and aside from the battery dying much quicker than it used to, it still runs fine. I was looking at trading in for the S21+ since T-Mobile has a decent offer, but I'm having trouble deciding if it's worth it. The specs don't look to be that huge of a leap above what I have now, slightly faster processor and slightly more memory, and the screen resolution is actually a downgrade. Plus, no SD card.
The Ultra looks like it would be, but I don't want to spend quite that much. I'm not seeing enough to convince me on the 21+ Am I missing something or is it really not worth upgrading?
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The s21 Plus looks great but honestly I went from Samsung to Sony to Huawei to Xiaomi and I find Xiaomi to be the best, decent custom ROM support and good hardware, a lot cheaper than Samsung devices too. Maybe take a look at the Mi 10 Ultra? Not sure about where you are from though, afaik you have to import them into the UK. If you don't mind flashing a new ROM to your phone and tinkering around with it, I'd go for a Xiaomi. Big fan of Sony's though, the hardware is awesome and they're pretty much bloat free out of the box
I moved from S10+ to S21+ and I'm happy with the change because S21's screen is flat, the battery life improved, the camera improved a lot, the fingerprint scanner is way much better than s10+, I like the screen to be setup to 96Khz for example, still it has the crappy amoled with terrible PWM like most of the phones... If you have the S9+ that has much worse battery than s10+, the s21+ could be a good choice in all senses.
Take in consideration that Android 11 is still not very good in general and we need to wait 6 month till we will see an improvement.
I never been interested in the ultra because its curved screen, is not practical.
Like everyone else whether a device is an "upgrade" comes down to preferences, useful features which make a difference. Price is a consideration but not an issue if the device stacks up. Trade-in promotional pricing doesn't motivate me for a number of reasons. First off, I don't want to deal with carrier bloatware. Secondly, I don't care to enter into a muli-year commitment with any Service Provider. Lastly, all US Galaxy variants are bootloader locked.
My daily driver is an SM-G9750, S10 Plus, Hong Kong variant. I would enjoy Snapdragon's latest SoC found on the S21 but that's not saying the S10 Plus is slow, it's not. A larger battery is also appealing but I'm pretty sure I'll still need to charge the battery once a day. The cameras on the S21 Plus are the same as the S20 Plus and the only difference from the S10 Plus is a bit larger appiture. 5G is in it's infancy but at this time many of the useful iOT it will enable aren't yet available. Additionally, many 5G users state it's not much faster if any, than a good 4G pipe but at this time for device manufacturers and service providers 5G is a goldmine, the greatest marketing scheme since light beer. Based on my preferences these are issues I have with the S21 Plus.
1) No MicroSD. Sorry but I have zero faith in Cloud Storage, not only for data security but privacy as well. Samsung has also reduced internal storage capacity. 256 GB isn't enough, I have to close double that amount on my MicroSD already and adding more every week. It also saves time when you need to transfer data to a new device.
2) Camera Housing. The S21 camera module is an improvement over the S20 which is awful. It blends into the frame a bit better but it still doesn't lay flat and will snag coming in and out of pant pockets. It also degrades the device's symmetry. Samsung has like many of their competitors have gone overboard with multiple lenses. I'm certain if you had a photo from an S10 and another from an S21 side by side, you wouldn't be able to tell which device created the snaps. That's the trend in mobile phones but if you want really great photos, use a camera not your phone.
3) 3.5mm Jack. Wired audio is the gold standard, Bluetooth doesn't compare and who wants the hassle with charging buds? Yes, I can buy new earphones with a USB connector if I don't want to use a dongle but then I can't charge my device while listening to audio files, which I do often. Plus I really like my earphones, they sound great!
3) Flat Display. I like the look of Immersive Displays. I do a lot of gaming and watch a ton of movies or videos. A curved display doesn't bother me at all.
4) Size. The s21 Plus and Ultra aren't pocket phones. They're huge, closing in on tablet size, just too big! I prefer a device I can easily slip in and out of my front pocket. If I went with an S21 it would fit well but sacrifice a number of features.
5) Screen Resolution. Not sure in most instances if I could tell the difference between 1080 X 2400 and 1440 X 3040 Pixels but why downgrade on an "upgrade"?
6) No Earphones or Charger. Not my biggest issues but then again isn't the S21 Plus supposed to be an "upgrade" over my current device?
samsung offered me a crazy good deal. traded in my note 20 which sucked anyway. gave me a huge trade in credit. only 199 which they jacked to 260 something with bogus shipping fee and tax. free galaxy buds plus. 200 dollar credit towards accessories. it was a crazy good pre order deal. its always the cheapskates who ask questions like this. of course your old phone battery is ****. thats gonna happen. is it worth it? if the phone has better features [except for losing MST] and costs next to nothing in trade hell yes it is. samsung gives me great offers and has since 2 years ago when I traded my S8+ in for an S10+.
I just bought it and upgraded from S8+
Apart from battery I can barely see any notable improvement so I imagine that from the S9 the improvement is even smaller.
I thought my phone was dead so I bought a new one. I then starting playing with the OS and "Odin"ed the **** out of it and now I have 2 almost identical phones.
Still worth for me as my old S8+ is not working properly with the camera and GPS but if the hardware would have been ok, I probably wouldn't have upgraded.
For me: Worth it 100x over. My previous phone was an lg g7 thinq.
That thing took a beating and was quite the loyal device.
However, it was my carrier that ultimately decided I jump ship and upgrade. After their recent merger, I began to roam in my upstairs office. Started to miss calls and texts. Bad bad bad.
So, as I said I jumped ship; to a carrier affiliated with my internet provider *cough*.
I looked over their offerings, and the S21+ jumped out as being the "best bang for the buck".
Never had a Samsung device before, but so far I'm loving it! My wife got one too, and she feels the same.
Got the 256GB variant, and that gave me some relief, as the lg was starting to act funky as I had to move a lot of apps to an sd card so I wouldn't run out of space.
Again, for me, totally worth it. Feels like I went from a buick to a lamborghini!
Am I late to jump on the bandwagon? Anyway, I just received mine a week ago and here are my thoughts why this should be worth or doesn't worth to be upgrade.
I came from Huawei P20 Pro. IMHO if you're holding last year models such as P40 Pro or Galaxy S20, you shouldn't upgrade to this one unless you're offered with a crazy trade-in deal.
So, if your phone is older than last year models? Like S9, S10, Huawei P20 Pro, or iPhoneX etc, the specs worth an upgrade, but the price is still arguable. You shouldn't get this one on MSRP. Only do it if there is some sweet deals. For example, in Brazil, they added a SF charger for free. That's the least deal you should go for. For me, in SG, I've received Galaxy Buds Pro and a Samsung 10k mAh Wireless Charging Power Bank, and a Samsung Clear Case. That deal is a can't miss one.
Storage-wise, on my previous P20 Pro, which is 128 gb, it barely hit to 80 gb after 2 years of photos and video recording. Have a few gb of songs downloaded but nothing else. I didn't install big-ass games. So, for this one, 256 Gb should last long enough for me. In case if the storage run out, I'll simply backup the large files to my PC and carry on. No big issue on the storage.
No audio jack is a bummer. My P20 Pro also doesn't come with a round hole, but at least, they throw a cheap USB to 3.5mm adapter in the box. Samsung even doesn't bother with it. So unless if you get a pair of Buds Pro like me, you should get some Bluetooth headphones, or if you still prefer your wire earphones, get those kind of adapters that you can plug-in your charger and 3.5mm audio jack at the same time.
For display, I didn't buy any of the previous Galaxy phones because of that waterfall edge display. Didn't fancy a curve edge especially because it's very hard to get a good screen protector. This flat screen is perfect for me. The issue comes where I have to decide between FHD 120Hz and UHD 60Hz display. I used to use UHD display on my LG V20, and if someone said the pixels are not noticeable, I'd surely give him a pair of glasses. They're very noticeable, but 120Hz wins over the 60Hz, so, I have to pick-up the FHD again.
For an Asian, I got a pretty big hands, so size of this phone is not a problem, especially it is even slimmer than some other smaller screen phones. But when your screen is 6.7" and FHD, the pixel density goes below 400 dpi (398 dpi to be exact). If you've got an OCD for this, get an S21, because it has got higher dpi than the S21 Plus.
To wrap things up, the deciding factor for me to choose this phone over other contenders such as OnePlus 8T, Mi 11 etc are as follows.
- Not Chinese Brand (currently, we're boycotting as much Chinese brands as possible)
- Excellent camera setup. (Easy win over OP 8T)
- larger battery
- sweet deals (to receive $300 worth of freebies for a $1000 phone is undeniable).
Hi All,
I was wondering what you guys think of the phone now 8 months down the line. I am getting this at a good price around £650 for a good condition used phone on ebay. I was wondering if you guys think most of its problems have been fixed by now.
Just to give you a background, I currently have a note 9 and frankly I am very happy with this phone but it is old now and I am itching to upgrade to something newer, primarily for the cameras and 120hz refresh rate. I did buy the S21 ultra on pre-order but was really disappointed with the camera performance as I found the images my exynos variant produced to be very soft and noisy and not as sharp/clear as my note 9 and overall the phone felt like a big compromise (no s-pen, no sd card, no headphone jack) after paying £1300, so I sent it back. The camera and screen are the primary reasons for me to upgrade and I expect at least decent battery life (maybe 6-7 hours SOT with youtube abd browsing). I do use the S-Pen every now and then and think it would be a good to have. I know the note 20 ultra doesnt support WQHD+ and 120hz at the same time but at the price im getting it at i think this is a compromise i am willing to make since i mostly use my phone at FHD+ anyway and I can barely tell the difference.
I know there was talk about the exynos variant being bad when compared to the SD 865+ version but frankly I am not a gamer and dont need my phone to be ultra powerful. But what i would like to know from you guys is whether the software updates over the past 8 months have fixed most of the issues with battery life and camera performance. Those of you coming from the s10 range or the note 10+ / Note 9 etc. How would you say the camera is on the Note 20 U? Do you guys think its a good buy now? Or should I just give it a miss and hang on to the note 9 till they stop the security patches? Any advise is appreciated.
I have a mate who upgraded from the Note 9 to the Note 20 Ultra. He was VERY impressed with the differences...
He has the Exynos variant but when there is no other phones to compare but what you already have he's happy...
It all comes down to you, go to a store, play with a demo version and make up your mind.
I've upgraded from S10e Exynos with 4,5 screen on time maximum and terrible idle battery drain to Note 20 Ultra Snapdragon. First week was thinking to give it back because it was too big for me and those rounded edges always made me typos. Then I've get used to it, set the keyboard paddings from edges and finally bought nice case (I never used any cases before) and now I'm totally happy with it. I as far as I've read it's almost impossible to get 7-8 screen on time on Exynos variant. I got around 7 on my Snapdragon version but never tested it with gaming so I can not tell yet how good the battery is. I can tell that Qualcomm modem is much better in sense of keeping good connection and speed and very good keeping battery in idle state. Considering the camera - it's much better that in my old S10e ofcourse but I don't use it often so can't say I care about it much. What I love about my new Note 20 ultra Snapdragon is I've rooted it to tweak some small things here and there and now totally feel it's mine. I've rooted my past phones around 5 years ago last time.
Not sure if anything I said will help you but if you have any questions I would be glad to answer.
Thanks guys really useful. As mentioned I don't really need a new phone as my current phone does pretty much what I need it to. But I am itching to upgrade and I don't want to end up being stuck with something that I feel is not as good as my current phone. I currently average 4-5 hours screen on time on my 2 year old note 9 which I think is good for an old phone so hoping to get more. The S21U was good battery wise I got 7 hours SOT with 10% remaining. But the cameras were a let down for the price. I might just wait a couple of months and pick one used if they fix the camera with software updates as the price difference doesn't seem that much like a barely used S21U is going for around 850 on ebay so might be worth the extra 200 vs the note 20 ultra. Especially because I heard a lot of bad things about the n20u battery in particular.
Hi, @eldrid
I upgraded (downgraded considering the cost/storage, lol) from the Note9 (512GB) to the Note20 Ultra (128GB) with Android 11/One UI 3.1.
Have you considered replacing the battery in your Note9? Maybe have the battery replaced and purchase the N20U?
I don't use the camera much, but hopefully one of the forum members will give you some feedback on the N9 vs N20U cameras.
I can hear the Note20 Ultra camera *rattle* but I think this is normal??
If you purchase the N20, you may not want to update the phone to Android 11 (scoped storage, bugs galore, etc...).
I enjoy using the N9 more than the N20U because of the OS and the apps function without issue.
I detest Android 11, ahem, and think it contributes to my attitude of the N20U. N9 is the Beast!
I haven't had note 9 earlier but for me the note 20 ultra is perfect.
We get 1080p with 120hz (sure only 1080p but battery friendly and do you even notice higher res on regular basis?)
Sdcard slot, perfect for pictures, movies, big files and so on, also very easy to swap. (cloud exist but what about vacation or if u got limited data)
Very good cameras, still one of the best out there.
Very good performance with snapdragon 865+, even the exynos one is good. Recent updates have made it better than release version.
S-pen in a slot, no ugly weird case and all functions works perfectly.
The design is also very modern and future proof, I mean the front is almost all display.
People even speculate that this could be the last note ever, so if I were u, I would really consider note 20u if u liked your note 9 and want something better.
I've had my Note 20 Ultra Exynos version since launch, and it's a lot better now than it was when it first came out in both battery life & performance, I also don't game on phone's so it's been more than fine for me.
The camera has also been on point for me as well I've not been disappointed with any pictures or videos I've taken with it.
For 650 quid i think it's well worth it for what you get.
Thanks a ton guys for the honest advice. I finally picked an almost new one for £650 on ebay. They offer a 30 day return so fingers crossed i hope it works out. I won't be selling my note 9 just yet so I will have some time to compare side by side and see what it's like. I am sure it's an upgrade in many regards. But the three key things for me are 1)screen and I'm sure that's great I don't use wqhd and will be perfectly happy with the adaptive 1080 120hz. 2)The cameras... This is one area I am not sure how it will be... This is a very subjective area but I like my images to be sharp and I noticed on the S21U the images were soft and fuzzy not crisp like on the note 9. And 3) is battery life... I still get around 5 hours from the note 9 which is great so I hope to get at least that much. Will keep you guys posted on how it goes over the next few days. I feel like @650 there won't be much to complain about. I was really upset with the s21 ultra as I had paid full price for it and it (£1300) and it felt like a downgrade. Seems like the more modern Samsung phones while powerful are compromising on the basics and are not what they used to be 2 years ago.
Finally got the note20u and frankly I am quite happy with it. I am getting pretty good SOT and plus i used Bluetooth headphones for at least an hour. Considering that I think the battery life is good. Also the camera software seems to be ironed out and the image sharpness is much better than the current image quality on the S21U 1st pic is from note 20u and 2nd from s21u. Overall I think it was a good buy. I would never recommend anyone buying a Samsung phone at launch as the software is very unpolished and you pay a huge amount for an unfinished product. Comparing the experience i have with this nearly new note 20u for 650 is great compared to the ****ty experience the s21u offers for £1200 plus no sd card support or charger in the box. Very good value overall at £650
I upgraded from my still pristine Note 9 and found it a very worthy successor. From the enhanced Dex and S-pen features to the improved cameras, the Note 20 Ultra has provided me with a great user experience. Given Samsung's quest for becoming more -like and shedding features left and right, the Note 20 Ultra is the closest to what the Note line once was: the no holds barred, everything but the kitchen sink, no compromises, Note. I don't know if there is a Note 21 Ultra in the works and if there is it will probably include less features than the Note 20 Ultra offers.
Medevac1 said:
I upgraded from my still pristine Note 9 and found it a very worthy successor. From the enhanced Dex and S-pen features to the improved cameras, the Note 20 Ultra has provided me with a great user experience. Given Samsung's quest for becoming more -like and shedding features left and right, the Note 20 Ultra is the closest to what the Note line once was: the no holds barred, everything but the kitchen sink, no compromises, Note. I don't know if there is a Note 21 Ultra in the works and if there is it will probably include less features than the Note 20 Ultra offers.
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Absolutely agree. Probably why i was finding it hard to part with my note 9 as well. What a great 0 compromise device. I really hate how Samsung were originally the anti apple and a premium alternative for those that didn't want to chain themselves to apple. But now they're becoming more like apple taking away our choice.
Rumours are that there will be a watered down fan edition only this year and that the s-pen toting phone is going to be the fold from now on. If its true its a poor farewell to the note. I say they should bring back the headphone jack, sd card and pack the box with goodies. Make the whole experience of buying a premium flagship feel premium again.
eldrid said:
Absolutely agree. Probably why i was finding it hard to part with my note 9 as well. What a great 0 compromise device. I really hate how Samsung were originally the anti apple and a premium alternative for those that didn't want to chain themselves to apple. But now they're becoming more like apple taking away our choice.
Rumours are that there will be a watered down fan edition only this year and that the s-pen toting phone is going to be the fold from now on. If its true its a poor farewell to the note. I say they should bring back the headphone jack, sd card and pack the box with goodies. Make the whole experience of buying a premium flagship premium again.
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The 10+ was the last Note before Q. After Q things started going south and 11 is even worse.
Between Android and Samsung's "improvements" it's been a dismal year.
Everything's coming up psuedo Apples... and I mean that in the most derogatory way.
As for the Fold series it has been a self made disaster for Samsung. Overpriced and unreliable.
Samsung, you do know the definition of insanity don't you? Apparently not.
Late to the party here but I'm happy with my N20 Ultra 5G Snapdragon soc I imported from Hong Kong.
I wouldn't of been keen to buy a used phone from ebay due to the amount that get imei locked a few weeks / months after receiving it.
BandOfBrothers1 said:
I wouldn't of been keen to buy a used phone from ebay due to the amount that get imei locked a few weeks / months after receiving it.
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How can you avoid that from happening 100%?
Is it that common?
blackhawk said:
How can you avoid that from happening 100%?
Is it that common?
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It's something I've come across way too often throughout the years on forums.
A person sells a phone on ebay and then fraudulently claims it lost or stolen.
Auction Sites need to tighten up and introduce even more protection for the buyer as well as the seller.
BandOfBrothers1 said:
It's something I've come across way too often throughout the years on forums.
A person sells a phone on ebay and then fraudulently claims it lost or stolen.
Auction Sites need to tighten up and introduce even more protection for the buyer as well as the seller.
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Doing that in the USA be incurring multiple federal felonies.
BandOfBrothers1 said:
Late to the party here but I'm happy with my N20 Ultra 5G Snapdragon soc I imported from Hong Kong.
I wouldn't of been keen to buy a used phone from ebay due to the amount that get imei locked a few weeks / months after receiving it.
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Damn didn't know that happens. I got mine from a business seller with 100% ratings so looks like hes been at it for a while with no issues. He claims the phones are customer returns from the official Samsung store and would barely have any usage if at all. And everything looked the part it seemed brand spanking new, scratchless and even no signs wear or dust in the usb c port. Also he had a whole batch of 7-8 to sell so everything sounded legit. Let's hope everything works out well.
On a separate note. I thought id use the phone without a screen protector for a few days while the tempered glass one I ordered arrives and so removed the factory one. After a day or so i have already noticed a couple of micro scratches on the screen visible at certain angles. This is with careful use at home. I feel like this whole gorilla glass thing is just market hype.
blackhawk said:
Doing that in the USA be incurring multiple federal felonies.
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I wouldn't worry about it too much. The only reason someone would do that is to be malicious and most people are not. I doubt the seller has a personal vendetta against you. He got his money and will move on.
I have had the N20U since release and have no issues and at this point is a good as it gets functionally.
Curious which device users are going to run to. If you're happy with the S22 Ultra's performance you're fortunate since there's not much out there that's comparable. With that being shared it's apparent a number of users are moving on. Besides the iPhone which smartphone compares most favorably to the S22 Ultra? I'm inquiring since I've skipped the S22 and will be looking to replace my S21 Ultra soon.
varcor said:
Curious which device users are going to run to. If you're happy with the S22 Ultra's performance you're fortunate since there's not much out there that's comparable. With that being shared it's apparent a number of users are moving on. Besides the iPhone which smartphone compares most favorably to the S22 Ultra? I'm inquiring since I've skipped the S22 and will be looking to replace my S21 Ultra soon.
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And why exactly would you replace a perfectly fine working S21 Ultra? Just for the sake of having a new phone? I love my S22 Ultra because it's Snap Dragon and no Issues other than video recording jerkiness but fixed that by turning off image stabilization. I haven't even got that 1.5 gig April Update yet. But if I did have a problem and was looking for another phone I would be trying to find an S21 Ultra.
Only the iPhone 13 pro max is comparable in the high spec big storage category.
And I'm not going down that iOS rabbit hole ever again.
Paul_Deemer said:
And why exactly would you replace a perfectly fine working S21 Ultra? Just for the sake of having a new phone? I love my S22 Ultra because it's Snap Dragon and no Issues other than video recording jerkiness but fixed that by turning off image stabilization. I haven't even got that 1.5 gig April Update yet. But if I did have a problem and was looking for another phone I would be trying to find an S21 Ultra.
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The S21 Ultra is a good device, better than the S22 Ultra IMHO but to answer your question I typically upgrade every year. I also use an S10+ and when I switch back to the S21 Ultra it feels so bulky and heavy, ready for a change. As far as the 1.5 Gb update goes, I might pass on it. A number of users with the S22 and the S21 have experienced new issues after updating. I'm on Android 11 OneUI 3.1 and it works perfect, won't risk having the device corrupted by Android 12.
hand-filer said:
Only the iPhone 13 pro max is comparable in the high spec big storage category.
And I'm not going down that iOS rabbit hole ever again.
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I do that most years for a bit. Get tempted by marketing promises, get excited when I manage to order the model and color i want, then get disappointed when I use it to find it's basically EXACTLY the same experience as the model I used 5 years ago, and go back to android... so I can complain about the battery life!
varcor said:
Curious which device users are going to run to. If you're happy with the S22 Ultra's performance you're fortunate since there's not much out there that's comparable. With that being shared it's apparent a number of users are moving on. Besides the iPhone which smartphone compares most favorably to the S22 Ultra? I'm inquiring since I've skipped the S22 and will be looking to replace my S21 Ultra soon.
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I´m was waiting for xiaomi 12ultra mix5, but they take long to comme, maybi not now....
Keeping my Zfold3. It has issues like poor battery life and I have doubts about the durability of the inner display but there's nothing really else on the market I like at the moment and it's performance is way ahead of the s22u Exynos. May wait for the Zf4.
varcor said:
Curious which device users are going to run to. If you're happy with the S22 Ultra's performance you're fortunate since there's not much out there that's comparable. With that being shared it's apparent a number of users are moving on. Besides the iPhone which smartphone compares most favorably to the S22 Ultra? I'm inquiring since I've skipped the S22 and will be looking to replace my S21 Ultra soon.
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i think that Oppo Find X5 Pro is a very intriguing device
iPhone 14 Pro Max. Apple I loathe to admit has been on a tear lately hardware wise improving its flagship and with the upcoming 14 Pro Max finally getting rid of that hideous notch and possibly a slightly bigger battery it'll be hard to beat. The days have gone when android manufacturers used to be hardware kings and now have seceded everything to Apple while trying to be Apple ironically.
dj24 said:
iPhone 14 Pro Max. Apple I loathe to admit has been on a tear lately hardware wise improving its flagship and with the upcoming 14 Pro Max finally getting rid of that hideous notch and possibly a slightly bigger battery it'll be hard to beat. The days have gone when android manufacturers used to be hardware kings and now have seceded everything to Apple while trying to be Apple ironically.
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I just wish they would update the software experience, especially the home screen which feels straight out of 2008.
ekerbuddyeker said:
I just wish they would update the software experience, especially the home screen which feels straight out of 2008.
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I was in an Apple store last weekend (one of my kids wanted to check it out), and so I played with an iPhone 13 pro max. Not gonna lie, I didn't hate it. It now has sort of an app drawer if you swipe to the left a couple pages. I didn't try to move the apps that were on the home screens, but I *think* you can just use that. The left from home screen is not bad, has weather, news, stuff like that. However, the settings screens are pretty much still the same as they were when I had the 3Gs though (seriously...). Also, barely any widgets, and almost zero customization. I won't buy one, probably ever, but it's come a long way since I last had one. Not quite as boring.
If Android and their phones could just figure out how to be super responsive like iPhones, I would like them sooo much better. Battery life too. Apple is killing it with those two things.
For now I'm still unsure wether I'll keep my S22 Ultra with all the problems the phone's got. It got better with updates, so I'll decide in a few updates if I keep it or not, to see if all the problems are fixed or not.
I kept my iPhone 12 Pro Max just in case, so I would go back to it.
For me the choice is simple: Note experience or iPhone experience, but I do prefer the Note experience thanks to the S Pen.
I think users can relate to the review of the S22 Ultra by arsTechnica. It gets to the meat of issues with the device which most reviewers gloss over. The reviewer makes an honest assessment of Samsung's approach to it's skin and software, a no holds look at the problems a number of users are currently experiencing.
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varcor said:
Curious which device users are going to run to. If you're happy with the S22 Ultra's performance you're fortunate since there's not much out there that's comparable. With that being shared it's apparent a number of users are moving on. Besides the iPhone which smartphone compares most favorably to the S22 Ultra? I'm inquiring since I've skipped the S22 and will be looking to replace my S21 Ultra soon.
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I went back to my Fold 3 after returning my 22 ultra still have an s21 ultra and Note 20 ultra as well but hard to stay away from the fold lol
varcor said:
I think users can relate to the review of the S22 Ultra by arsTechnica. It gets to the meat of issues with the device which most reviewers gloss over. The reviewer makes an honest assessment of Samsung's approach to it's skin and software, a no holds look at the problems a number of users are currently experiencing.
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Interesting review but it is hard to take it seriously when they say the Pixel 6 pro is the better phone, it just isn’t.
arsenal74 said:
Interesting review but it is hard to take it seriously when they say the Pixel 6 pro is the better phone, it just isn’t.
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6 Pro felt like a prototype device.
ekerbuddyeker said:
6 Pro felt like a prototype device.
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Agree. I had it for 3 months before I sold it and wasn't impressed at all.
ekerbuddyeker said:
6 Pro felt like a prototype device.
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Indeed. For a phone that Google made to try to jump into the mainstream flagship market, they sure screwed this one up. The fpr on the one I had never worked worth a sh$t. That plus constant network dropouts made that phone an epic fail IMO. I traded it for the ultra as soon as it was announced. I think using a two year old modem, as well as a garbage fpr was a total cheap out move. Also, did I mention the phone is ugly as hell?
I am not changing mine since Ive had 0 issues with it and April's update improved battery quite a bit. However the only phone I would consider replacing it with would be the Oppo X5 Pro.
iOS is out of the question because I can't tolerate iOS. The other Chinese phones are out as they have minimal presence in Canada. Google is a no go because as mentioned it's more of an experimental device at this point.
Thankfully my S22U has been working flawlessly. If this were not the case I guess I'd dig my faithful old LG G7 out of the drawer and use it until something better came along.