Switched from iPhone 4 to a white note, been using an iphone since 2007, thats 5 years in a row!! after one hour with the note i have no regrets!
who else switched?
the only thing i miss is one app, scramble with friends
I play Words with Friends on Android with people on iPhones.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk
Apple makes great MBPs and wireless routers. That's about it. The iphone was good in 2007.
I can't think of a single reason to own one now instead of any Android
remyxd said:
Switched from iPhone 4 to a white note, been using an iphone since 2007, thats 5 years in a row!! after one hour with the note i have no regrets!
who else switched?
the only thing i miss is one app, scramble with friends
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Scramble with friends will make its way to Android eventually. Probably soon.
I switched from 3gs . . . lol.
I actually just popped on the forums to comment on the fact that I am, for one, IMPRESSED by the battery. For how huge this phone is and everything. . . it's utterly amazing. I've been on red for the better part of an hour. Just paid two Kaiser bills (they take seemingly forever to pay) over the phone with speaker phone on and the screen on the whole time. Barely dropped a couple of percent.
I don't have an allegiance to either system but I am torn atm
I really like the idea of the Note:
- GIGANTIC screen
- replaceable 2500 mAh battery
- g-maps navigation
- power control widget
The only problem?
I can't really find anything wrong with my iPhone 4S either...
- Great battery life on the 4S
- I don't mind a 3.5' screen (hell I've even used a 2.7' HP Veer before and have been ok) but I wouldn't mind a 5.3' screen either
- Great camera on both
- Great screen quality on both (love both AMOLED and IPS)
- Both sides have all the core applications I need
- Garmin GPS app gives turn by turn directions
- Siri and Google dictation services are basically a wash
- I don't feel "locked down" by Apples system like most here do. I figure out how to conform either system (iOS or Android) to fits my needs
Decisions decisions...
Just switched from an iPhone 4 to a white Galaxy Note with a blue flip cover. I love it so far. I've rooted it, removed all the AT&T/Samsung Bloatware, Installed Go Launcher and have a bunch of emulators. I regret nothing!
I just switched to the note from an Iphone3gs today. So far the experience has been amazing, wish I switched over earlier!
Another iPhone 3GS convert here... just picked up my carbon Note tonight, and I think I'm in love.
I've been running CM7 on my Nook Color for the last year, so I've had plenty of time to test out the Android ecosystem. Needless to say, I'm ecstatic to finally be 100% free from the confines of iOS, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what we can do with the Note.
/w00t and stuff
Switched from iphone 4 myself, got the white note yesterday. Its a handful lol, been doing a lot of research on this site since I am a noob.
I'm a big apple and linux user, and my previous phone was an iPhone 3GS. I'm really enjoying the Note so far, and android in a nice new experience for me. I think my favorite thing is how if you feel that something isn't working the way you think it should, there's an app for that.
A lot of the things I've been doing so far have been toward making it do things that the iPhone got right that you never really had to think about, but now that that's all sorted everything is brilliant.
Excelsior!
I've been on an iPhone since the original...this phone was the first one different enough and against everything that apple believes that i know i won't be disappointed when the iPhone 5 comes out....I love it!
Welcome to all of you. You shall not be disappointed with Android. Once some custom ROMs start coming out, our phone will be a beast for a long time...not that it isn't already. Glad you all finally came over from the dark side! Haha.
Switched from a 4s to the Note yesterday. I'm pretty sure it has already ruined me for smaller screen phones. I turned my iPhone on today connected to wifi to play Scramble and it already felt like the smallest phone in the world. My Note is running great and I don't see me going back.
Picked up the Note today at Best Buy at full retail. I currently have the iPhone 4S 64 and here are my thoughts.
The Note is huge but I knew that and it doesn't bother me to much because it fits nicely in my pocket. I have none of the lag issues with the UI some state. The OLED screen is very nice. Blacks are black colors are punchy. The reddish/pinks can be a bit blown out as with any OLED screen I have seen. I can't even tell its a pentile display due to the hi res. The phone is a bit slippery so I will need a case to help with that but then the phone will be even bigger . As with all Androids I have tested, battery charging is slow as hell. Im guessing about 3 hours for a full charge on the Note vs. 1 on the iPhone. I love how I can wake up in the morning forgetting to charge my Iphone. I realize its at 20 percent and by the time I am out of the shower and ready to go its at 60%. The Note took 45 mins to go from 35 to 50% roughly. Also due to the size I can easily do everything with my 4S in one hand. I can with the Note but its a bit awkward and I am afraid I might drop it. I have decent size hands and can grip a basketball in one hand.
With that said, the Note is my favorite Android on the market. If you are an Android fan and don't mind the size then give it a try. I always go back to iOS. Right now since I am swapping my iPhone sim back and 4th all I get is HSPA+4G and not LTE 4G (San Francisco). Supposedly I will need to call ATT to change to an LTE plan but then I am not sure if it will work properly in the 4S. I would not mind keeping both and just switching based on my needs/mood but many of my friends use iMessage so that makes it a bit challenging.
Switched from an iPhone 4. I have no regrets and will never go back!
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note.
richard371 said:
As with all Androids I have tested, battery charging is slow as hell. Im guessing about 3 hours for a full charge on the Note vs. 1 on the iPhone. I love how I can wake up in the morning forgetting to charge my Iphone. I realize its at 20 percent and by the time I am out of the shower and ready to go its at 60%. The Note took 45 mins to go from 35 to 50% roughly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A couple thoughts,
A. This is an apples and oranges comparison because the battery in the Note has a significantly greater capacity, it will obviously take longer to charge.
B. I came to the Note from the Infuse which also had long recharge times because Samsung's charging scripts are conservative. There are ROMs like ZEUS that incorporate different charging scripts and will fully charge that phone in an hour and a half or so.
C. Once a CWM recovery is out for this phone, development will pick up and different governors will come into play which, when incorporated with an ext4 file system, will make the phone faster and less of a battery hog.
Give it time, you will fing your iphone becoming less and less used until you wonder why you haven't sold it. At least that's what happened to me.
--Mike
Sent from one of many Samsung devices.
MobileData said:
Give it time, you will find your iphone becoming less and less used until you wonder why you haven't sold it. At least that's what happened to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use my iPhone more and more as time goes on (and this is coming from someone who is getting the Note soon). My smartphone, doesn't matter iOS or Android, gets tweaked until it takes care of every single electronic need of mine.
I switched from the iPhone 3GS and love most things about the Note so far, especially the size and flexibility. However, I don't like the voicemail function. I much prefer the simplicity of the iphone visual voicemail that is just there and you tap to listen, rather than having to call a phone number to access and then hit a variety of number to retrieve, save, or delete. Maybe there's a visual voicemail app out there??
ap3604 said:
I don't have an allegiance to either system but I am torn atm
I really like the idea of the Note:
- GIGANTIC screen
- replaceable 2500 mAh battery
- g-maps navigation
- power control widget
The only problem?
I can't really find anything wrong with my iPhone 4S either...
- Great battery life on the 4S
- I don't mind a 3.5' screen (hell I've even used a 2.7' HP Veer before and have been ok) but I wouldn't mind a 5.3' screen either
- Great camera on both
- Great screen quality on both (love both AMOLED and IPS)
- Both sides have all the core applications I need
- Garmin GPS app gives turn by turn directions
- Siri and Google dictation services are basically a wash
- I don't feel "locked down" by Apples system like most here do. I figure out how to conform either system (iOS or Android) to fits my needs
Decisions decisions...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since you are equally happy with both os offering, then might i suggest you look at it from a different angle. What hdtv would you buy? A 32 inch HDTV (iphone) or 55 inch HDTV (note)?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717
Related
Ive had the Motorola razr for a couple of days and after frequenting these forums I wanted to sort of write a review, from my perspective.
I was split between the resound and razr, it was the rezounds glitchy feel, htc sense and tiny battery and odd exterior that pushed me to get the razr. I got it at best buy, this way I had a month to swap it for the nexus as soon as it was released.
When I layed eyes on its packaging I was floored. I know it sounds kinda dumb. But damn it, the packaging was sweet! Nice low profile, menacing flat black, it was gorgeaous. I was immediately disappointed that it lacked an hdmi cable and earphones. Seriously, it was 300 $. My atrix came with a bloody hdmi cable atleast.
First time I held it I couldn’t believe how light n slim it was. Although shes packing Kevlar and a gorilla glass display, its so thin it makes u feel as if she were fragile. Not a bad thing, I enjoy slim. The side port can be a beyatch to manipulate, getting my 4g sim in there was a hassle. But thats because I bite my nails, if u don’t share this bad habit u wont have a problem at all. As soon as I fired her up the first time I wanted to shut it down immediately just so I can see the boot animation again! Very very cool. I was also glad to see that it doesn’t use motorolas blur services. And although it isn’t vanilla android, I feel motorolas touches were very welcomed. People here have complained about the camera, and yes it isn’t as great as my nokia n8. But its way better then my nexus s. I discovered, the secret to taking a great shot on this phone, is patience. Phone takes longer then it should to focus. Video recording at 720p is outstanding. 1080p is fine, but it has an odd stutter. It just doesn’t feel as fluid as 720p. many have complained about the pentile screen. And before booting the phone I expected an atrix/bionic like experience. Lemme tell u something. I have perfect vision and I am but a youngin. I don’t see jagged edges, artifacts during scrolling or the pin dots unless the phone is 3 inches from my face!!!!! The screen is beautiful, it over saturates the right colors and provides deep blacks. But it’s not as good as sammys super amoled plus. Either way its an outstanding screen. Motorola added a few things into this rom that I love. The ability to resize a widget. Smart actions. And the way qhd was used to fit more of an email on screen, makes zooming in and out of web pages ALMOST a thing of the past too. I have had zero ghasty reboots, she is very stable. The screen is very responsive, as good as it gets really. Battery life on 3g is super, but on 4g its not so hot. Luckily I can go from 50% battery to about 90% with just an hours charge. Im glad the volume buttons and power button are on the same side. I can imagine how it would suck for leftys though.
Calls were crystal clear, typical Motorola. My bathroom is a dead zone. Sprint tmo att Verizon whatever. U go in there u will lose service. The second I walk in my bathroom I was surprised to see that I was still on 4g. I speedtested and pulled in 3mp DL. Impressive considering my bathroom is a bermuda triangle. Texts come in quick and go out as fast too. So does mms. Indoors I fluctuate between 16mb and 20mb DL. Outside im killing at a steady 22mb. I have yet to drop a 4g signal. My friend with a droid charge cant say the same.
I hate the stock pic gallery and music app. I use quickpic and the google music app. Sounds through my cheapo skull candys (the one that costs more then 15 less then 20$) sound great. I do wish we had more equalizer control, but no biggie.
In conclusion, this phones got me spoiled. I really do like it. I hate the fact that I almost didn’t buy it cuz of people on this forum that over exaggerated the pentile screen. Im glad the rezound sucked hard enough to convince me to get the razr. And to tell u the truth, I doubt I will swap it for the nexus. I like it that much.
If ur on the fence feel free to ask a question on the thread, hijacking is welcomed.
Happy thanksgiving all!
Just remember:
Much more people will come on here to ***** and nitpick over something than the ones who are satisfied. The screen is just fine, some people just have way too much time on their hands.
sheek360 said:
I was immediately disappointed that it lacked an hdmi cable and earphones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What? really? This sucks, I am in Canada and we do have an HDMI Cable and earphones with it... Maybe you should double-check if it is included or not, was maybe a mistake somehow.. Especially since here, with a 3-year contract, we get it @ 149$... Besides very nice review, I think like you, she is such a hot girl haha
robstunner said:
Just remember:
Much more people will come on here to ***** and nitpick over something than the ones who are satisfied. The screen is just fine, some people just have way too much time on their hands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should add that those people who're lurkin in our forums and moaning about the razr, doesn't even own the phone.
Nice review btw.
Thanks for the review Sheek. I just switched from t-mobile to verizon, taking advantage of the 1 cent RAZR deal on amazon as well as the "double data" packages on Verizon. You just made me even more excited to receive my new phone!
brianbrain said:
Thanks for the review Sheek. I just switched from t-mobile to verizon, taking advantage of the 1 cent RAZR deal on amazon as well as the "double data" packages on Verizon. You just made me even more excited to receive my new phone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was too impatient for the one cent sale. I promise u, ur gonna fall in love!
Btw I called big v. No HDMI cable or earphones for Americans.
Dang this sucks for you guys
dgiaffe said:
Dang this sucks for you guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah..we seem to be getting the short end of the stick these days..thankfully I already have a mini-hdmi cable from my G2X days and some JLab earbuds I doubt I'd replace anyway...still annoying though - earbuds and a cable can't cost more than $10 - that and it's on a device that Verizon is selling for $799 off contract..sheesh.
Don't forget that us poor British get no hdmi and no 16GB microsd!
But we do get some crap looking headphones for our £450
I rate it quite highly a well. I have used many of the motorola phones
Sent from my XT910 using XDA App
brianbrain said:
Thanks for the review Sheek. I just switched from t-mobile to verizon, taking advantage of the 1 cent RAZR deal on amazon as well as the "double data" packages on Verizon. You just made me even more excited to receive my new phone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is exactly what I did...from TMO to Verizon with the penny deal. My Razr is on the UPS truck for delivery tonight. So anxiously waiting....
Yes IMO Pentile is extremely overblown, on the RAZR anyway.
Over saturated colors are overblown. Seeing the 2 screen technologies side by side, I might actually prefer Amoled now, and I used to love LCD's last year.
All the screens have pros n cons. Anyone who complains about the RAZR screen and claim the screen on whatever phone they or want have is perfect or better...is biased. It may be better to them, but its not better overall. None are.
The perfect screen has yet to be invented.
What type of earphones you guys get in UK or Europe? Here in Asia we got the Rokr brand. No hdmi and sdcard though
Great real world review! I've been reading reviews like a mad man but since you said you have had an N8 and an Atrix...and as I'm currently using an Atrix now and had an N8 before that it only seems logical you would be best the best person to ask a few few questions lol. You touched on my main concerns a little but I'm still hesitant for two reasons. 1.Build quality and 2.Battery life. The N8 to atrix jump left me loathing plastic phones and wishing someone out there was smart enough to shoehorn android onto an N8! My bigger concern is battery. 1930 mah + CM7 + faux's enhanced stock kernel = 30 plus hours of light to moderate use. Now I'm not expecting that but comparatively...What can I expect with say 200 or so texts sent and received, a few 5-10 minute calls, about an hour and a half of music and 15-20 minutes web browsing? I will be using the phone on AT&T so no LTE for me. As long as I can go AT LEAST 12 hours with that kind of usage on a stock rom Expansys has my $624.99. I'm not sure but I believe the unlocked model ships with an unlocked bootloader (correct me if I'm wrong) so it's only a matter of time before the roms start pouring down from the devs and this phone gets even better. Thanks again for posting your review. Any and all feedback is appreciated.
filthyfnj24 said:
Great real world review! I've been reading reviews like a mad man but since you said you have had an N8 and an Atrix...and as I'm currently using an Atrix now and had an N8 before that it only seems logical you would be best the best person to ask a few few questions lol. You touched on my main concerns a little but I'm still hesitant for two reasons. 1.Build quality and 2.Battery life. The N8 to atrix jump left me loathing plastic phones and wishing someone out there was smart enough to shoehorn android onto an N8! My bigger concern is battery. 1930 mah + CM7 + faux's enhanced stock kernel = 30 plus hours of light to moderate use. Now I'm not expecting that but comparatively...What can I expect with say 200 or so texts sent and received, a few 5-10 minute calls, about an hour and a half of music and 15-20 minutes web browsing? I will be using the phone on AT&T so no LTE for me. As long as I can go AT LEAST 12 hours with that kind of usage on a stock rom Expansys has my $624.99. I'm not sure but I believe the unlocked model ships with an unlocked bootloader (correct me if I'm wrong) so it's only a matter of time before the roms start pouring down from the devs and this phone gets even better. Thanks again for posting your review. Any and all feedback is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery should give you nice results, especially if you set up "Smart Actions." I usually turn off mobile data (3G/4G) when I'm not using it, because you can still send/receive texts, as well as calls. This makes your battery last a lot longer, so just put a widget somewhere so it's an easy toggle. It's almost a 1,800mAH battery, which is way better than what you'd get on a Rezound (1,600mAH). Build quality is great, so don't be fooled by it's thin profile and think it's a cheap phone. They also sealed the battery for a reason... there are a lot of people complaining about this, but they sealed it to protect against water splashes, as well as the internals. Overall it's a great phone, just sucks that when I received mine it didn't come with the micro SIM card, so now I need to go back to Verizon.
filthyfnj24 said:
Great real world review! I've been reading reviews like a mad man but since you said you have had an N8 and an Atrix...and as I'm currently using an Atrix now and had an N8 before that it only seems logical you would be best the best person to ask a few few questions lol. You touched on my main concerns a little but I'm still hesitant for two reasons. 1.Build quality and 2.Battery life. The N8 to atrix jump left me loathing plastic phones and wishing someone out there was smart enough to shoehorn android onto an N8! My bigger concern is battery. 1930 mah + CM7 + faux's enhanced stock kernel = 30 plus hours of light to moderate use. Now I'm not expecting that but comparatively...What can I expect with say 200 or so texts sent and received, a few 5-10 minute calls, about an hour and a half of music and 15-20 minutes web browsing? I will be using the phone on AT&T so no LTE for me. As long as I can go AT LEAST 12 hours with that kind of usage on a stock rom Expansys has my $624.99. I'm not sure but I believe the unlocked model ships with an unlocked bootloader (correct me if I'm wrong) so it's only a matter of time before the roms start pouring down from the devs and this phone gets even better. Thanks again for posting your review. Any and all feedback is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't worry about the build quality. Although its a bit on the light side she feels premium as hell and well balanced.
If the GSM version is identical to the let version I can imagine that your battery life will be better then mine. Hspa battery life is typically better then lte battery life.
how's the battery life? considering is a non-removable battery
jl1030 said:
how's the battery life? considering is a non-removable battery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If 4g is disabled its outstanding! When on wifi I set my smart action to disable 3g n 4g it yields great results. Sadly, 4g will run this bad boy down.
sheek360 said:
Ive had the Motorola razr for a couple of days and after frequenting these forums I wanted to sort of write a review, from my perspective.
I was split between the resound and razr, it was the rezounds glitchy feel, htc sense and tiny battery and odd exterior that pushed me to get the razr. I got it at best buy, this way I had a month to swap it for the nexus as soon as it was released.
When I layed eyes on its packaging I was floored. I know it sounds kinda dumb. But damn it, the packaging was sweet! Nice low profile, menacing flat black, it was gorgeaous. I was immediately disappointed that it lacked an hdmi cable and earphones. Seriously, it was 300 $. My atrix came with a bloody hdmi cable atleast.
First time I held it I couldn’t believe how light n slim it was. Although shes packing Kevlar and a gorilla glass display, its so thin it makes u feel as if she were fragile. Not a bad thing, I enjoy slim. The side port can be a beyatch to manipulate, getting my 4g sim in there was a hassle. But thats because I bite my nails, if u don’t share this bad habit u wont have a problem at all. As soon as I fired her up the first time I wanted to shut it down immediately just so I can see the boot animation again! Very very cool. I was also glad to see that it doesn’t use motorolas blur services. And although it isn’t vanilla android, I feel motorolas touches were very welcomed. People here have complained about the camera, and yes it isn’t as great as my nokia n8. But its way better then my nexus s. I discovered, the secret to taking a great shot on this phone, is patience. Phone takes longer then it should to focus. Video recording at 720p is outstanding. 1080p is fine, but it has an odd stutter. It just doesn’t feel as fluid as 720p. many have complained about the pentile screen. And before booting the phone I expected an atrix/bionic like experience. Lemme tell u something. I have perfect vision and I am but a youngin. I don’t see jagged edges, artifacts during scrolling or the pin dots unless the phone is 3 inches from my face!!!!! The screen is beautiful, it over saturates the right colors and provides deep blacks. But it’s not as good as sammys super amoled plus. Either way its an outstanding screen. Motorola added a few things into this rom that I love. The ability to resize a widget. Smart actions. And the way qhd was used to fit more of an email on screen, makes zooming in and out of web pages ALMOST a thing of the past too. I have had zero ghasty reboots, she is very stable. The screen is very responsive, as good as it gets really. Battery life on 3g is super, but on 4g its not so hot. Luckily I can go from 50% battery to about 90% with just an hours charge. Im glad the volume buttons and power button are on the same side. I can imagine how it would suck for leftys though.
Calls were crystal clear, typical Motorola. My bathroom is a dead zone. Sprint tmo att Verizon whatever. U go in there u will lose service. The second I walk in my bathroom I was surprised to see that I was still on 4g. I speedtested and pulled in 3mp DL. Impressive considering my bathroom is a bermuda triangle. Texts come in quick and go out as fast too. So does mms. Indoors I fluctuate between 16mb and 20mb DL. Outside im killing at a steady 22mb. I have yet to drop a 4g signal. My friend with a droid charge cant say the same.
I hate the stock pic gallery and music app. I use quickpic and the google music app. Sounds through my cheapo skull candys (the one that costs more then 15 less then 20$) sound great. I do wish we had more equalizer control, but no biggie.
In conclusion, this phones got me spoiled. I really do like it. I hate the fact that I almost didn’t buy it cuz of people on this forum that over exaggerated the pentile screen. Im glad the rezound sucked hard enough to convince me to get the razr. And to tell u the truth, I doubt I will swap it for the nexus. I like it that much.
If ur on the fence feel free to ask a question on the thread, hijacking is welcomed.
Happy thanksgiving all!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great job, I am a very happy Thunderbolt owner, S-Off, rooted and running a custom rom of course. Your break down was very good but you left out the most complained about thing on the forums, battery time. I am seriously thinking about picking up this phone but the locked down battery is my only concern. How has it been throughout the day? I am not very happy with the new Nexus hardware, no sd card and coming with only 16 mb of interior memory just isn't going to cut it for me. I think the new Razr with ICS on it would be one hell of a phone.
Thanks,
Go Patriots.
vinnyjr said:
Great job, I am a very happy Thunderbolt owner, S-Off, rooted and running a custom rom of course. Your break down was very good but you left out the most complained about thing on the forums, battery time. I am seriously thinking about picking up this phone but the locked down battery is my only concern. How has it been throughout the day? I am not very happy with the new Nexus hardware, no sd card and coming with only 16 mb of interior memory just isn't going to cut it for me. I think the new Razr with ICS on it would be one hell of a phone.
Thanks,
Go Patriots.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I consider myself a very heavy user. My day consists of 20 - 30 minutes wasted on calls. Maybe 15 minutes worth of xxx browsing (lol). Refreshing Google reader every 3 hours and reading my feeds like a fiend. I fb n tweet like crazy. I video chat about 5 minutes a day too. I send maybe 10 mms n a trillion texts. I also IM too much. And I occasionally take the opportunity to Google something.
Oh I have a smurf ville and angry birds obsession.
My wifi is on at all times. But my 4g is off. I remove the phone from the charger at 6am. By lunch I'm already sitting on 80%. My battery hits about 30% or 40% by 8pm.
Because of the screen the battery dips quickly. I refuse to set brightness to 0% dammit!
When I leave the house I turn off wifi n turn on 4g. The phone sips battery very lightly no matter if your on wifi on 4g, it idles very generously.
But once u stomp on it, u can burn 10% battery on 4g in a matter of 30 - 45 minutes.
PS I YouTube a lot too. Maybe 20 minutes a day.
I know I'm posting this in the AT&T Note forums, so the responses might be a bit biased, but here goes anyways. I was very interested in the Note from the first time I heard about it. Today I finally got around to going to an AT&T store and comparing a few phones. I was very impressed by the Note's screen, but I found it to be just slightly too big. It almost seemed like it would be perfect if it were 5.0 inches, not 5.3. Anyways, I was also very impressed by two other phones: the LG Nitro HD and the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket. I've compiled a list of pros, cons, and prices, focusing directly on comparisons between the three phones. Pros are "+" and cons are "-".
Samsung Galaxy Note ($299)
+ Dat screen! Beautiful large Super Amoled display
+ Great battery life
+ Good development support
- Slightly awkward to type with
- Pen not as accurate as I hoped (perhaps problem with it being a worn out display unit)
- Phone was just too big for my hands.
Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket ($199)
+ Much nicer screen than expected, I was worried the low resolution would be a negative but it was hard to tell to my naked eye
+ Great development support
- Slightly too small
- HD Version coming soon
LG Nitro HD ($99)
+ Very nice sharp, colorful 720P IPS screen
+ $200 cheaper than the Galaxy Note
- Slightly too small
- Poor battery life
- Poor development
I dismissed the HTC One XL because it lacked a removable battery and SD card slot, but I might reconsider it because it seems like it would fit the screen size I'm looking for. I've just been waiting for so long before I was eligible for an upgrade, and the waiting is getting annoying. Is the Samsung Galaxy Note worth the extra cost and getting over the awkwardness? I was convinced I would fall in love with it when I finally got to use it, but that wasn't really the case, so I'm a bit hesitant. Let me know what you think.
Put it this way I paid 650 full price, so I'd say yes lol. Deff worth the extra "upgrade" price compared to those others you listed.
I had the skyrocket, it was a great device, but still prefer the galaxy note. So yes its worth the extra money. The battery life is longer, the screen is just goregous, you can definately notice the difference in screen quality from the 2 especially after using the skyrocket for a few months. My s-pen is accurate as long as i dont have it leaned too far sideways. also got use to the screen size in a day or 2, i can actually 1 hand text with ics keyboard
Wait for the HTC one x if you can. Sounds like that screen size will fit you perfect
I got the note and I m waiting got the one x
Personally, price for me wasn't even a thought. Not that I'm rolling in money... actually the note broke the bank for me. But this is something I use all day every single day. With something like that I don't consider price. It's more a matter of which phone you will enjoy the most and which will be most useful to you.
I am torn as well. I owned the skyrocker prior...the nitro is on sale for 49.99 and you can get the skyrocket refurbs for that price.. .hell the vivid refurb is a penny.
I have a ton of obligations i could put the money towards if I take the note back
I really like it but is it worth it....decissions decissions
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA App
100 bucks extra over the lifetime of the phone comes to $4.16 a month. But for me, it was worth 100 just to play with it in the last month. Love this phone!
jpeg42 said:
100 bucks extra over the lifetime of the phone comes to $4.16 a month. But for me, it was worth 100 just to play with it in the last month. Love this phone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought I was slow to upgrade. Don't remember the last phone I kept active for two years. Lol.
Disclaimer: This is not advice. It is just something that fell from between my ears.
Thats the other thing i keep telling myself....i have more upgrades coming up lol
biglittlegato said:
I thought I was slow to upgrade. Don't remember the last phone I kept active for two years. Lol.
Disclaimer: This is not advice. It is just something that fell from between my ears.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA App
One word yes!
Sent from the TermiNOTEr! ;-)
Similar to what JPEG is alluding to, the answer to "Is $100 worth it?" is heavily dependent on how you evaluate the situation. I use my phone so frequently and for so many things that $100 is well worth the increased productivity and avoided frustration. Those other phones may be cheaper up front but the cost of the frustration and decreased satisfaction from a cheaper phone every time you use it for the next two years is far larger than the $100 you pay. This is a top shelf phone with a top shelf price.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Is the Samsung Galaxy Note worth the extra price?
Absolutely to me
Is it worth it.....Hell yeah..... Besides all the great functions other memebers have listed, the ease of quickly pulling up the S note app has gotten me 2 really sexy ladies numbers....LOL.... I love this phone
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA Premium App
I got the phone for $150, but I think it'd definitely be worth full price as well. The screen is amazing and you adjust to the large size in just a few days.
tdude51 said:
Samsung Galaxy Note ($299)
+ Dat screen! Beautiful large Super Amoled display
+ Great battery life
+ Good development support
- Slightly awkward to type with
- Pen not as accurate as I hoped (perhaps problem with it being a worn out display unit)
- Phone was just too big for my hands.
Is the Samsung Galaxy Note worth the extra cost and getting over the awkwardness? I was convinced I would fall in love with it when I finally got to use it, but that wasn't really the case, so I'm a bit hesitant. Let me know what you think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't work for AT&T - and your money is your money so I can't tell you how to spend it. But I can address your cons from my perspective.
I agree that it seems slightly awkward to type with... or it did. I tried a bunch of keyboards and settled on Smart Keyboard Pro. I'm now just as fast on the Note as I was in the iPhone 4S. Spend a little time and you'll find the right fit for you and the screen (which may not be the same keyboard you used to use).
Pen accuracy - it'll improve as you adjust to the device. My first couple days with the phone I thought the pen was a gimmick. Now I've come to find it's a great tool and I take a ton of notes with it.
In the store the phone felt stupid big to me. And like you I felt it was just too big for my hand size. Reality is (and many here will tell you) - you adjust to the size and it takes on an almost normal feel. I think your hands are accustomed to the size of your current phone and so anything larger feels, well larger and out of place. Sure no matter what (unless you have Shaq hands) the far side of the screen is going to take an adjustment to reach, but the act of holding and interacting with the device will normalize in a short period of time. For me it was about a week and it stopped feeling awkward. Now after about 2 and half other phones just feel (and look) foolishly tiny.
The short period of time (even if it was an hour or two) in the store with the phone is (for me) - not enough to really get used to the Note or determine how you're going to feel about it. Its a fabulous device that's worth getting to know. Take the 30 days and if you don't like it pay the restocking fee. But I know for me - there's very little chance mine's going back to AT&T to get put back on the shelf.
Now, for one other recommendation: If you get the white - get a case or order the black back from Samsung fulfillment. The white back is slick as snot. I put the black one on and the grip is excellent.
netsyd said:
I don't work for AT&T - and your money is your money so I can't tell you how to spend it. But I can address your cons from my perspective.
I agree that it seems slightly awkward to type with... or it did. I tried a bunch of keyboards and settled on Smart Keyboard Pro. I'm now just as fast on the Note as I was in the iPhone 4S. Spend a little time and you'll find the right fit for you and the screen (which may not be the same keyboard you used to use).
Pen accuracy - it'll improve as you adjust to the device. My first couple days with the phone I thought the pen was a gimmick. Now I've come to find it's a great tool and I take a ton of notes with it.
In the store the phone felt stupid big to me. And like you I felt it was just too big for my hand size. Reality is (and many here will tell you) - you adjust to the size and it takes on an almost normal feel. I think your hands are accustomed to the size of your current phone and so anything larger feels, well larger and out of place. Sure no matter what (unless you have Shaq hands) the far side of the screen is going to take an adjustment to reach, but the act of holding and interacting with the device will normalize in a short period of time. For me it was about a week and it stopped feeling awkward. Now after about 2 and half other phones just feel (and look) foolishly tiny.
The short period of time (even if it was an hour or two) in the store with the phone is (for me) - not enough to really get used to the Note or determine how you're going to feel about it. Its a fabulous device that's worth getting to know. Take the 30 days and if you don't like it pay the restocking fee. But I know for me - there's very little chance mine's going back to AT&T to get put back on the shelf.
Now, for one other recommendation: If you get the white - get a case or order the black back from Samsung fulfillment. The white back is slick as snot. I put the black one on and the grip is excellent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your advice! I'm glad to know that it just takes a little bit of getting used to. I'm very excited about this device, I was just surprised once I finally got my hands on it. I don't really have much to lose with the 30 day return window so I think I'm going to go for it. The development seems to be getting better every day, and I love tweaking my devices and getting the most out of them. I also am in big need of a new device for watching movies, listening to music and playing games (mostly on emulators). I think I will really enjoy doing that with the Note.
I was struggling with the same problem as the OP, just wasn't sure which to go with. I ended up deciding, mostly because I'm signing a 3 year contract, that I would go with the device with the best hardware, being the Note. I was worried about the size possibly making it awkward, but what I've found after owning it for just about a month now is that It's actually perfect.. My hands aren't small, but they're not huge either, and I can use it one handed for 90% of what I use it for, but I love tilting it on it's side and typing with two hands. I owned an HTC Touch Diamond prior to this, it has a stylus as well, and I found I'd always use the stylus for some of the smaller icons, well on the Note I hardly ever have to use the Stylus, just use it for editing photos really. The stylus is hardly noticable, if you use it great, if not then hey it's just an extra.
I think you'll get used to the size very quickly, and once you do, you'll have a super hard time going back to any other phone. I still have my Diamond Touch, use it as an alarm clock hah, and I get SO frustrated trying to manage it's tiny screen, and I remember when I first got it thinking it was perfectly sized haha... Oh how times change.
Imo phones like the Note are the future. I have a samsung laptop as well, 17" beast that I carry around a lot, and they make an awesome pair. It's kind of funny too, as they're both Samsung units, the stock back piece for the Note matches the edges of my laptop. Very esthetic combo. (RF711 laptop if anyone cares. )
( Also I type roughly 100wpm on a regular keyboard, so texting on phones has always been super tedious for me. When I tilt the Note on it's side and use the larger keyboard I can type faster then I ever have on a phone before. It's actually amazing I love it hah. )
I think the note has ruined me!!!! I've been using it for 7 days short of a month now and I have to say I loooooove it!!
I was skeptical of leaving IOS for android. I've played with android b4 setting up my GF's rooted nook color as a tablet
and its really buggy at times, I kept thinking to myself hmmm if the phones are this buggy then I'm gunna hate it!!!
But I took the plunge and haven't looked back since its very smooth and very few bugs. the size was giant to me
at first, but It has really become normal to me now. I pick up my old 3gs and I'm feel like its a tiny little toy!!!! LOL
So I say yes it is worth the price!!! I'm a photographer and I love showing off my photos on this phone!!!
I dont have a note so I cant speak on that front, but I can tell you the LG Nitro is what I would NOT go with. Played around on it a handful of times and every time it was slow and somewhat unresponsive.
If HTC one x is going to be unavailable for your network then go for Note. I moved 4s to nexus galaxy to Note and must say would not swap this device for any othrr device. Of course when One X is available that's a different story.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
Here is my LONG and slightly biased review of the 3 top devices right now.
I had a DNA, Nexus 4, and Note 2 all at the same time and here is a summary of my thoughts on how they compare.
The DNA and Note 2 were my personal phones, the Nexus 4 belonged to my company and was purchased for a tear down analysis. I got to use it for about a week.
I have been following the HTC J Butterfly ever since it was announced in Japan. Although I was 100 percent satisfied with my Note 2, I was quite intrigued with the phone's full 1080 progressive display. So many pixels crammed in 5" of screen real estate must be amazing I figured. I wanted to see if this phone would give me second thoughts and sway me away from my beloved Note 2.
Screen:
1. DNA
2. Note 2
3. Nexus 4
The crown jewel of the HTC DNA is the display, while quite amazing in person, it reminds me a lot of the iPhone 5's Retina display, just bigger. I know the DNA has a much higher ppi density, but in reality you really can't tell the difference once the resolution gets so high in a 4-5" screen. Only situation where I could clearly distinguish the difference was in text, and when zoomed all the way out and the texts are all microscopic but still legible if you put a magnifying glass to it.
The novelty of the 1080P screen wears out QUICK. I showed a few of my co-workers and friends/families and they couldn't really see what the big fuss was all about. They say their iPhone 4S/5 ect. looks the same. Oh well, I should have brought with me a magnifying glass to brag about the difference I suppose. Once the novelty wears off, the beautiful screen becomes more of a curse. A LOT of games/apps don't work right with the 1080p display. I know developers will eventually update their apps, maybe, to support the 1080p resolution but in the meantime it's a waiting game. I hate waiting...and it seems like I'm missing out on a lot of good games and apps while other phones get to enjoy it RIGHT NOW.
Next, The high ppi count combined with HTC sense lags this phone. You can tell it taxes the GPU/CPU pushing all those pixels. If you claim your DNA doesn't lag, then you either don't know what lag is, or never experienced a phone that is lag-free. The iPhone 5 is lag free, the Nexus 4 and Note 2 are "almost" lag free but those two still offer much smoother UI performance as a whole than the DNA.
The Nexus 4 screen is "nice" but it's nothing to write home about, nor is it super uber amazing like some Nexus fans might lead you to believe. The viewing angles and resolution are above average but the color is quite disappointing. Everything looks washed out and drab on the screen next to the DNA and Note 2, no real pop or anything to make it stand out. It reminds me a lot of the display on my LG G2X, just higher resolution.
Note 2's screen, don't be fooled by the "only" 267ppi count. This screen is by far one of the best displays I've seen on a smartphone, and I've had pretty much most all high end smartphones due to the line of work I do and frankly, my addiction. The lame background that Samsung loads on this phone default from the factory does not do the phone justice. I can see how a person would think the screen isn't anything special when they first turn it on. Com'on Samsung, load a high resolution default background to show off that beautiful screen, not some low resolution, plain blue background with a feather in the back.
This display is not like the other Samsung AMOLEDs of the past like the Note 1, Galaxy S, Nexus, Galaxy S3. Those are all Pentile matrix. Those are not comparable to the Note 2's screen.
The Note 2 is an RGB matrix OLED HD NON-PENTILE display, the highest resolution one that Samsung has ever put on a phone. And it's a spectacular display, which blows the other Samsung SuperAMOLED's out of the water. Everything looks sharper on a non-pentile display. Don't be fooled by the ppi count on AMOLED's when comparing pentile to non-pentile, the S3 might have a higher ppi density but the Note 2 offers a superior viewing experience. Text, images, ect. all look much more clear, sharper and cleaner on the Note 2.
It doesn't quite match the DNA's overall brightness and resolution but it's a solid, high resolution beautiful screen. Better than the Nexus 4's screen by far.
Camera:
Camera quality wise I would rank them as follows.
1. Note 2
2. DNA
3. Nexus 4
The Note 2 takes the best pictures in all light conditions, the DNA takes good pictures in good lighting but they produce a LOT of noise and it gets worse as the lighting drops. Noise is very apparent when you blow the picture up to 100 percent crop. The Nexus 4 is last place, I could not take a decent picture with that thing especially low light. The Note 2 takes really high quality pictures without a lot of noise, I am very impressed with it.
Build:
Build quality and feel.
1. Nexus 4
2. DNA
3. Note 2
I got to hand it to LG and Google on the Nexus 4, this thing feels like a million bucks in your hand. Glass front and back, rubber surround between. It just feels very premium. Like German Engineered. =) It just feels really good in your hand. Just don't drop it.
The DNA feels... Japanese. Very well built, gives the impression that it should last for a long time and fare well in drop survival . Doesn't quite match the Nexus for that extra premium feel. Very ergonomic to hold, I think it was my favorite thing about the DNA. It felt really nicely balanced in your hand for it's size.
Sadly the Note 2 feels like a GM product. Plastic, plastic, plastic. Even the simulated metal surround is just painted plastic. Upside is it's relatively light for it's size but don't expect it to have a premium feel to it, it's not bad, it's actually very solid but just not premium feeling like the other two. Feels better in the hand than the Note 1, which was kinda ridiculous and shaped more like a tablet. The Note 2 feels like a phone, just a large one. Not the most comfortable phone to hold for a long time one handed but definitely not that bad.
Software.
1. Note 2
2. Nexus 4
3. DNA
The Note 2 is on a whole different planet when it comes to functionality and software. I know many people scoff at Touchwiz and Sense, or any UI overlay that messes with the pure Android experience. I too was one of those people. My mind was blown when it came to the Note 2. It's been a month since I had my international Note 2, and about a week with my T-Mobile Note 2. I am still finding out new incredible things the software and S-Pen can do on this phone. Touchwiz is truly great on this phone, also it is butter smooth in operation. I can't believe I'm saying this but Touchwiz on the Note 2 makes pure Android 4.2 on the Nexus 4 seem rather lame and boring. It seems like Samsung really took their time, did their homework to really optimize the operation of their UI on this phone. Rooting and Installing custom roms is as easy as they get on the Note 2. Flash 1 simple file, and bam you got a custom recovery. Root and install custom roms and kernels till your hearts desire!
HTC Sense, now this is one beautiful looking UI. Unfortunately DNA is loaded to the gills with bloatware, OMG I've never seen so much bloat on a phone. You can tell the UI really taxes the phone's CPU and GPU. The performance definitely do not match the benchmarks. Don't get me started on unlocking the bootloader on this thing, have you guys seen the instructions? Seems more complicated than brain surgery with the risk of bricking your phone the whole process.
What can I say about the Nexus 4? It has pure 4.2 Android and is very smooth. On par with the Note 2. Pure Android feels sorta naked, with not much stuff to discover. It's plain jane, what pisses me off is Google decided to take out the AOSP browser and made Chrome the default browser. No flash support and performance isn't that great. I'm surprised that Chrome is actually pretty decently smooth on the Nexus 4 but still not as good as the stock AOSP browser. I did not like the on screen buttons which took a lot of screen real estate away.
I always found the S-Pen on the original Note kinda gimmicky, not so much on the Note 2. It is incredibly useful on the Note 2 and I find myself using it ALL THE TIME and I'm not a pen/tablet kinda guy. It's literally 10 times more accurate and functional on the Note 2 loaded with all kinds of great features. Air view is one of them and awesome!
Battery life:
1. Note 2
2. DNA
3. Nexus 4
Okay this is no contest. I am a HEAVY user with a lot of screen on time, I hardly charge my phones. The Note 2 gets me through the day with Heavy Usage, 10+ hours and I still have 25 percent reserve. Same type of usage, the Nexus 4 is dead in 3 1/2 hours flat The DNA is slightly better but still dead in about 4-5 hours of the same type of usage. With light to moderate use, the Note 2 got me through a weekend of camping with no charger in sight, that's with browsing the web, checking email, doing some work related stuff, streaming a few Youtube videos for my daughters. I would never attempt that with any other phone. Impossible with the Nexus or DNA. The Note 2's battery life is simply unbelievable. What's even better than the Note 2's amazing battery life? The ability to carry MORE if needed, since it's removable! The Nexus 4 battery blows! I'm at 60 percent just browsing the web on that thing for 45 minutes, hopefully with the next few updates Google will find a way to make the battery last longer.
Storage:
1. Note 2
2. DNA/Nexus 4
Again, No contest.
I had a 64GB Sandisk from my GS3, popped it into my Note 2 and now I have 80GB of combined storage. It's perfect for putting in literally my whole movie collection and mp3 songs on the go. My daughters could browse through the movie collection and find the ones they want to watch anywhere to keep them quiet, no need to plan ahead and only put in only 1 or 2 choices due to storage limitations. I could carry along more SD cards as I wish, basically limitless storage capacity is priceless to have.
After having owned and used all 3, I returned the DNA pronto.
There is absolutely no device that has satisfied me in all areas like the Note 2, it's basically the Swiss army knife of phones. It's a no contest comparing the DNA or Nexus 4 to the Note 2. They don't stand a chance. This is the ONE and ONLY device that has ever stopped my urge and yearning to try something different because I know there is no other phone out there that can measure up to it. Literally and figuratively.
I wouldn't put the fragile Nexus 4 at the top of build quality when the glass cracks easily. There's even been reports that temperature change (it being warn in your hand and then sat on a counter top) cracks it. Plastic is better build quality because it's built to last.
Thanks.. Well written comparison between the three phones and i think it's fair for the most part.
Highly biased towards the note 2 but that's your opinion
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda premium
Unless the DNA overheats or I use chrome, I don't see low framerate. I got it to overheat and used chrome at the same time today.
Wasn't pretty.
I wish people would stop calling low framerate lag. Lag is not even a relevant term.
LOL This sounded like a "Gather around kids, let me tell you about these phones, I had all 3!" "ooohhhhhhh aaaahhhhh"
Seriously though I have to agree with the OP on Touchwiz. I have a Note 10.1 tablet and I had a Galaxy SIII. I traded my S III to my sister for her upgrade so I could get the Note 2 on Verizon when it came out. Got tired of waiting and got the DNA. The DNA is a great phone, don't get me wrong, but after playing around with the S III and the Note 10.1 I found Sense to be just . . . boring. The whole 1080p thing really gets boring quick and I was just left with a skin that doesn't do all that much.
Today a friend was showing me that she bought the S III I recommended her to buy and I was showing her all these little things I liked and I kept having to say "no, my new one doesn't do that... but look at the screen!".
I carry 2 phones with me at all times. My Serious "work" phone (Verizon) because I need a phone that will work wherever I travel and my "Just for fun" phone (T-Mobile prepaid).
There is a lot I do like about the DNA, call quality is great, display really is amazing, I love the looks of it and it just feels reliable. So I made the decision that I'm going to keep the DNA on Verizon and instead I'm going to replace my Galaxy Nexus on T-Mobile with the Note 2. I think it makes sense, Verizon is my Reliable line and I think the DNA will be the most reliable PHONE, T-Mobile is my for fun line so I think the Note 2 will be the most fun phablet for it.
That's a whole bunch of hardware to carry around lol.
It really is an addiction LOL, I carry a manbag (IT'S NOT A PURSE!) with my Galaxy Note 10.1 and my Nexus 7 and my Bluetooth keyboard and a bunch of cables and a portable hard drive and chargers and then I carry my 2 phones around and I don't do **** with any of it. It's always a "Just in case" thing. It's that Ti and Ne kicking in.
People always slagged off Touchwiz but I tried Android on a phone in store in 2010 and I hated it, I then decided to go for the iPhone 4. When it came to the GS2 launching I had gotten so fed up of how restrictive IOS is that I sold my iPhone 4 and got the GS2 last year. It was so much better than the Android I used before and I messed around with lots of roms after people saying how stock is much better and I hated it, stock just lacked so many features that TouchWiz had. I also thought the apps Samsung had on the phone all just worked, where the stock apps felt rather dated. Then using the Note 2 in store I just the added functionality of the pen, especially being able to quickly write numbers down while on the phone without having to go through menus. PiP and the multiple windows open is just something I so badly want now and I loved how Samsung have improved TouchWiz so much since the GS2.
I would buy the Note 2 if the specs were more impressive, however the Mali 400 is a real let down, it struggled a bit on the GS2 and it would be even worse on the Note 2.
Though I've tried The Nexus 4 at work as my mate has one and I still think stock Android is **** compared to Touchwiz.
I truly appreciate this, thank you very much! I agree with everything you said as well (as far as the DNA and N2 go, I haven't used the N4). You've made the decision to return the DNA in for the Note 2 that much easier!
DNA has no screen stuttering when navigating the launcher or any of the apps... there will be some moments when its loaded up with apps that ive been using where it might have a very slight stutter but it usually corrects itself ... I personally love sense compared to anything else... the rest of my family all got GS III's and i hate touchwiz so much... the entire UI stutters from opening apps navigating screens and settings.. haven't played with a note II yet so i cant really go into detail with that...
Don't know what your whole family did to their S3's but I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in saying the S3 is quite smooth. Of course its not nexus 4 quick though
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
I had the note2 on T-Mobile for two weeks and now the DNA for one week. They are both great phones! Personally I don't care for sense or touchwiz, but then again that's why we are all here....you can get your android os anyway you like. I settled on the DNA because, I have always used HTC, even pre android, and think that they have the finest build quality in the android world. Also the note2 felt just slightly to big.
I think it really comes down to those little personal preferences when dealing with these power house phones! You won't be sorry with any of these.
I really wanted to like the S3, but nothing about it was 'woah' for me. It didn't look that good, and I didn't mind waiting to see what else was around the corner. So I got the DNA, and I'm blown away. I really don't care about comparing Touchwiz vs. Sense vs. Pure Android, because regardless of what skin I have, I'm going to either find an AOSP ROM or I'll be uninstalling all the bloat ware and using a different launcher.
The S3 is a good phone, and I would recommend it, but I love my DNA a lot more. The screen isn't a novelty for me really, its just beautiful and not Pentile.
The note2, I feel like that's not considered on the same category. I've never gotten to play with one, but if we are looking at $200 on contract, DNA is the way to go and not go to up for the Note2.
Pretty insightful, especially since I'm deciding between the DNA and Note 2. I haven't tested either phone in the store yet, but I plan on doing that soon. Swaying to the DNA because of the awesome design (IMHO) and the screen. Note 2 is looking good because of the removable battery and expandable storage. 6+GB of music will fill the DNA FAST since I can't really use cloud storage (NYC subway has no service). I have only 2 problems with the Note 2 from all the videos I've seen: 1. That sore thumb of a logo on the home button 2. Doesn't seem like the S-Pen works with AOSP roms like CM/AOKP/PA, based on what I've seen with the Note. Sort of a problem since I'm sure the S-Pen is a considerable amount of the final cost of the phone.
How clear would you say the screen on the Note 2 is? I've really only experienced the screen on my GNexus and a few of the first Galaxy S phones. I actually love my Nexus's screen, but at 5.5", I can't think of it being as nice.
Talked to a friend of mine who has tested both. He feels the Note 2 is no faster than the DNA even at lower resolution.
.torrented said:
DNA has no screen stuttering when navigating the launcher or any of the apps... there will be some moments when its loaded up with apps that ive been using where it might have a very slight stutter but it usually corrects itself ... I personally love sense compared to anything else... the rest of my family all got GS III's and i hate touchwiz so much... the entire UI stutters from opening apps navigating screens and settings.. haven't played with a note II yet so i cant really go into detail with that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree here 100% I hated...HATED! Sense on my thunderbolt but this is a whole new sense.. I'd almost venture to say I prefer this newest sense to stock android... Just my input on that
This is very good thread, not biased at all to be honest. I was in love with the DNA display for the first few days, and guess what it wore off, lol. Now I can't tell a difference between 1080p and 720p lol. I now tell people hey you won't be able to tell after 2 days, lol.
I am about to go tomorrow to check out the note 2 and see if the narrow design fits my hands. I might switch it out but I am not going in with the mindset to pick one up, I however will be ready to exchange it if I am impressed. I am really tired of sense I like other launchers and for some reason they don't seem to run as fast on the 1080p screen.
Sense is so unproductive it looks nice but seriously why the hell do I have to go in to settings to change a wallpaper, the long press on home screen just lets you add widgets, so stupid. HTC seems to have made it worse.
I love the DNA but if I am as impressed by the note 2 I might exchange it out tomorrow.
---------- Post added at 06:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:05 AM ----------
adrynalyne said:
Talked to a friend of mine who has tested both. He feels the Note 2 is no faster than the DNA even at lower resolution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trust me unless your friend was a robot he wouldn't know. They are both fast phones, if someone says they can see the difference when they use it, they are most likely lying, lol.
I could be wrong but regarding battery category,
Is your Notes 2 using TMobile's network ? since Verizon's Note 2 is only available tomorrow, I guess the Notes 2 you own is GSM version.
Verizon's DNA is running on LTE.
So I would give it some kudos for running on LTE doing the heavy usage you had for 4-5 hours with 2020 mAH battery, (note 2 has a 1.5 bigger battery inside.)
Thanks for the review - and thanks for trying out phones that you know you are going to return. Helps everyone out when our carrier has to handle RMAs for people that want to try phones just to review them.
*sighs*
-D
I need more excuses to get this phone.. I mainly want it because of the screen size, the S-Pen also looks like (although sort of gimmicky) and the processor/RAM combo.
What do you use the phone most for? What are you most impressed/disappointed with?
Thanks!
So I would stop carrying (and losing) small rite in the rain notebooks around.
I had the DNA. Great phone in its own right. Went to the AT&T store to play with the Note 2 before it came out on Verizon. The only advantage the DNA had was the 1080p screen and it wasn't even that noticeable.. you would really have to try hard to notice the difference.
The larger screen, larger battery, and the better accessory/dev support made it almost a no-brainier to switch. I don't have a large music collection or listen to it much but I know the SD card was a just plus for this phone too vs the DNA.
The S-pen is cool I guess but it really is kind of a gimmick in my mind. Its fun to doodle on sometimes though.
Haloman800 said:
I need more excuses to get this phone.. I mainly want it because of the screen size, the S-Pen also looks like (although sort of gimmicky) and the processor/RAM combo.
What do you use the phone most for? What are you most impressed/disappointed with?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The s pen, to me, is not a gimmick. I use it for taking notes at work, games, and many other things. The screen and size as you mentioned are good but the antenna is was better than the s3. This phone is screaming fast. The battery is amazing.
I am most impressed with the factions of the s pen. I never thought I would use it as much as I do.
I'm seriously not dissapointed about anything with this phone.
Sent from my SCH-I605
I bought it for the screen size, battery, and spen...best smart phone ever hands down....GN2>GS3>DNA
droidstyle said:
I bought it for the screen size, battery, and spen...best smart phone ever hands down....GN2>GS3>DNA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sums it up. Battery was a huge factor for me. I wanted something that would last me through an entire busy day, without having to have a backup battery. The screen is awesome, and the s-pen is finding more and more use everyday.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda premium
Mostly the screen size, but if it had a bad battery or processor I would have gone with the DNA.
I will be getting this phone because it has a purpose. I'm not just getting a great phone, I'm getting a phone that I can draw with. I'm getting a phone I can multitask with. I'm getting a phone I can be productive with.
This is why I prefer the Note 2 over the DNA. The DNA looks sleeker and performs a little better, plus the size is more suited to me. But there's just something... lacking about it. It doesn't have a purpose. It's really a phone designed to be a phone (albeit a good one). Samsung had something more in mind with the Note 2. It's packed with features which, overall, aim towards making you more efficient at getting things done on the go. The DNA is not like that. It was inspired by Ferraris, says HTC, and that's basically what it is. It's a Ferrari, where the Note 2 is more like a pickup. The DNA looks good and performs well, where the Note 2 is just about getting stuff done.
I don't know about you guys, but I like getting stuff done. Note 2, I choose you!
If you call the note 2 a pickup then its a pickup and the motor as a couple of turbos and a shot of nitrous.
I wanted my S3, just more so, and this is it I also noticed once I had a larger phone I was using it more as my de facto tablet when it wasn't handy to have my ipad around. Also, I loved using Android more and more but no android tablet was nearly as good as the phones. Add in an actual digitizer and things really took off.
When the phone was announced I didn't think I'd bother, I thought the screen would be worse and the locked bootloader sucked. The 2nd part is true, but everything else is better than I imagined.
The s-pen is much more than a gimmick. I love it! The "air view" feature is really mouse hover-over functionality.
You can access drop-down menus on websites, get info on all kinds of things You hover the cursor over, not just within Samsung apps but I even just noticed it works in Titanium Backup.
I setup remote desktop to control my PC from anywhere and the s-pen is perfect for this, feels just like using the mouse in the way it behaves and the button works to right-click!
Your Samsung account also gives you Allshare Play which will stream music and video from your computer at home without lag (tried using RDP for this but very laggy)
..and after setting up and messing with all that stuff for hours today and also using multi-view to simultaneously watch YouTube and browse XDA, still 49% battery left!
This thing is a beast. I'm coming from a HTC Thunderbolt though so that may explain my enthusiasm
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app
I got it for the "my phone is bigger and can beat up your phone" status. haha
Just got the phone today, all I can say is Wow. It's pretty much just a bigger, better version of every other Android phone I've ever owned. it only froze up twice (my fault both times) and everything is just amazing, the screen, the battery (I was coming from a Razr MAXX so this was a concern), I can even see the potential for the S-Pen. This phone is a beast, I have absolutely no compaints.
I had always liked the Note original because of the size. In addition, I can't seem to own a phone for more than a year. I was fast approaching that. But the fact there was multiview, the S-pen, screen size, and processing power trumped my Galaxy Nexus.
nosit1 said:
I had always liked the Note original because of the size. In addition, I can't seem to own a phone for more than a year. I was fast approaching that. But the fact there was multiview, the S-pen, screen size, and processing power trumped my Galaxy Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. I am a vzw user and droooled over the note. So when I heard this was coming out, I was interested but not sold. I was however sold when I saw how powerful this thing was, and how it is very close to the s3. However, because I do like a new phone every so often, to appease the wife (and because I have to pay retail due to my grandfathered unlimited data plan) I need an AT LEAST 1 year phone, 1.5-2 would be splended. I love bigger screens, dont mind the weight, since my phone is usually docked, and I dont talk for hours on end. The pen, Im not sold on because its real sensitive and seems like a burden but may use it more often if I can get it resolved.
Now hopefully we can unlock the bootloader, and I am yet again, gambling with the fact that I hope updates and custom roms will keep this thing afloat for a while, I know the hardware will keep up.
#1 reason: Battery size. (Life)
#2 reason: The main raw stats; quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM.
I was basically sick of my iPhone and it's little screen and locked OS. I will say it was reliable but too vanilla. I chose the Note 2 because it was faster, bigger screen, expandable memory and customizable. I've had I for about 2 weeks now and though it was a bit of culture shock for the first few days I can tell ya t is an outstanding device...stock. I 've been lurking in the dev forums watching the progress of the root for my VZW n2. Probably gonna root this thing and get even more satisfaction out it.
When I first laid my eyes on the original Note I knew I wanted this style of phone. I was was a big stylus user back in the windows mobile days and the idea of having a precision pointing device was a dream come true within Android. And the people that tell you otherwise are the same folks that prefer a game pad over a mouse and keyboard in a first person shooter; the s-pen is more accurate than my fat fingers. Combine that with the huge beautiful display, speed and Samsung's software enhancements over stock Android it's a winner.
My next option would have been the DNA but that device is just a phone. I want more than a phone with a pretty face.
I was satified with my GS3 until i walked into a Verizon store this week & saw the Note 2 & GS3 sitting side by side & i was like !! Long story short the GS3 is going back this week & the Note 2 is on the way. Plus the battery life is way better on the Note 2.
I haven't decided to buy just yet. I'm waiting to see what happens with the bootloader, and what effect porting cyanogenmod to this device will have on the SPen.
I've been using my Droid X for almost 2 and a half years, and I'm ready to upgrade. Reasons are the specs, the screen size, and the stylus.
I'm not sure I understand all of the comments from people who say the stylus is a gimmick; that's like saying a Wacom tablet is a gimmick. Some of the features that Samsung has built into the device that use the stylus might be gimmicky, but the stylus itself is quite useful for those of us who want a precision pointing device for drawing, note taking, etc.
I decided to go with the Alpha (Exynos) rather than the Nexus 6 for two reasons. First, having had a Note 2 and then a few phones later an LG3, I am tired of having a big phone, especially since I use a tablet to browse on the train. Second, I have always been jealous of the iPhone crowd having such nice looking phones.
The Alpha is the nicest Android phone to hold that I have ever had, and I have owned a few....
The pictures don't do it credit. The screen is simply beautiful. The metal feels fantastic. The whole feel is, to use a cliché, premium.
On the first day, I did a lot of remote desktop access and playing on the internet. It got very hot. Much hotter than the LG G3. Battery didn't last the day. What was worrying was that I if I used it for a short while, it got very hot very quickly.
On my second day, I turned battery saving on but only to limit the CPU (ie I left screen normal and location on). Totally different phone. Doesn't get hot at all and battery life much better ( I didn't have enough screen time to say I tested it properly - 83% from 9am to 9pm with minimal use).
Slowing the CPU made no difference to the ui. No lag and apps work fine.
As far as Touchwiz is concerned, it is OK. I have owned most of the Nexus phones and flashed many Cyanogen Roms and if I had a choice I would have preferred a GPE phone. However, once you get past the OCD about stopping all the Samsung bloatware draining the phone, you realize the ui is fine and you concentrate on the apps rather than the launcher. I switched off all the Samsung bells and whistles too....and there are a few!
I am waiting for the wireless charging back cover to arrive. Once I have that, I might disable the battery saving and see how it goes but on the other hand, I might just leave it on. I don't play games on my phone so I don't need a Ferrari engine to surf the internet or read my emails. And the heat it generated before can't be good for the phone or the battery.
All in all, very happy with the phone. I get a kick out of just holding it and looking at that screen... Sad! As a guy who changes phones every 3 to 4 months, I can give this phone a huge compliment: this is the first phone I really don't want to replace since my HTC HD2.
Update: After having used the phone for a few days, I am happy to report that the battery life is more than adequate. Starting at 7am, using 4G mobile hotspot for an hour, checking and responding to emails and making about three to four calls, I still have around 60 to 70% battery by 9pm.
I have the same situation and i pick alpha over any flagship fone for same reason Iike yours. Now Im waiting for spare batteries to be available in amazon or e abay, so I just swap the batteries if I run out... Instant 100% charge
you just say whats in my heart , i got many phones and they were awesome last one was the beast LG G3 and i was hating samsung phone due to many apps that included with UI touchwize but then when i saw galaxy alpha everything changed in my mind and i bring one as to be my long last phone to use each day , really smooth device even using battery saving mode and fits great in hand , you will love it more each day you will use it
I'm loving the look and feel of this phone I'll probably keep this one for awhile. I was upgrading from the nexus devices every year but the nexus 6 was a bit too big for me and I prefer the form factor of 4.7 inch phones.
It sems that we cant open ART in Developer option on Alpha,only Note 4 have this possability for now
And how is Your experience with galaxy Alfa and how it compare to Galaxy S5?
I just got an AT&T Alpha for $352.65 from eBay, which is supposed to be new but I think the seller lied (the home button has quite a number of scratches) but no big deal. I have to say I love this phone the most out of all the phones I've ever owned (iPhone 3G, 3GS, 5S, HTC EVO 4G, EVO 3D, S3, Note 2, Note 3, Note 4, Moto X). It's because of the look and build - very handsome and attractive, the size - I think it hits the perfect sweet spot of size for me, removable battery, and reasonably fast performance. I can now stop wanting to change my phone for a long while. Samsung should have continued with the Alpha and keep improving on it.
My first impressions :
1. Excellent design and feel
2. Powerful with 0 lag!!!
3. Very good screen ( super amoled in HD resolution is great for 4.7 inches )
4.Very good camera
5.Very good deep sleep of the battery
It's the first time i can't find something negative to tell about a smartphone. :good: Keep in mind that i don't play heavy games or surf the web a lot, so the small capacity of the battery is something that will not affect my opinion about Alpha.
Great work Samsung I was a hater all these years. Now i love you
Wow, sounds like a few of us are the same, I had the LG G3 but sold it. Probably the worst phone I've ever used, laggy, bad battery life and terrible camera. Planning on ordering an Alpha in the next few days, $300 brand new isn't bad. Can't wait!
Edit: its $260 new on eBay!
YOu know what I like about the ALpha is it square design, the ohter Galaxy devices are more rounded off and I think looks more childish instead this Samsung device looks more professional for my taste also it lays better in the hands wish it was a little bit smaller in the wide and it would have been perfect but then again I got woman hands ... I'm really happy with this phone except the finger scan kinda sucks, bcz it works half ass ...
But I'm on a big dillema now I received an email they gonna fix my Sony Z3 compact when I put in water but the sleeves werent closed off enough ... Anyway I don't know wich device I will keep now, I loved my Xperia bcz it fitted me better to the hand except it's little thicker and it's kinda plastic also the sound sucks ... Now the alpha dropped with 100 euros I can't ask as much as I wanted anymore don't know how much the Xperia dropped mean while ... I'm leaning more towards the Xperia bcz it's more compact to my woman hands But I love the design of the ALpha Really difficult choices to make also the price of selling the device will come in mind with this ...