I've had the Note 3 for some time now and even though I love this thing I felt the need to go back to something smaller. I've had a Galaxy S3 and a Nexus 4 in the past and just felt the urge to try the alpha. Should be getting it later this afternoon.
I came from an S5. This thing just feels so much better in your hand than 5"+ devices.
How are you able to deal without having no SD slot? my Note 3 has a 128gig mini sd card so going from that to only 32 gigs is a bit of a bummer but I'm hoping I can overlook that.
It doesn't bother me that much tbh. I've had an 32gb LG G2 and a 32gb HTC one before and I never came close to running out of space. I usually keep around 5gb of music on my device and back up my photos to dropbox. The S5 was only 16gb though so I bought an expensive 64gb card for it which is now sitting in my desk drawer!
Came from a Nexus 5. Love the reduction in size.
I don't get the concern about only 32GB really, or not having a micro-SD slot... It supports OTG so I just use my Meenova OTG Micro-SD reader and blam! Instant and removable storage. Job done
I currently own a LG G2 32gb, and cannot wait to buy an Alpha after my vacation! :fingers-crossed:
It seems like a nice device, but I'm wondering how does it really with the S5 and N4. Is it a tweener phone with good specs and storage or is it a stretch to be high end?
Came from G2, before him I had Z2.Two weeks with Z2 and Im sure for me - over 5 inch NEVER Again. Alpha is so so comfortable and very very beutiful ...and luxury.
Sorry for my English!
Using OG pro and planning to get this baby soon.. just waiting for those spare batteries (ZL) to pop up in amazon..
Hello everyone, my first post here in xda. I'm not new to forums or Android or anything -- just haven't joined xda yet. But I've used it for years as a resource.
At any rate, I thought I'd join in the Alpha discussion, since I got one a couple of weeks ago. And indeed, I came from a bigger phone -- the original Samsung Galaxy Note. I was a late adopter to it -- the Note 2 was already one sale, but I preferred its wider-screen aspect ratio, so I got it before they stopped selling it.
I may be a bit older than the average xda member -- part of the reason why I didn't need such a big screen anymore is because "I retired." While working, yes, I spent every lunch hour in my cube browsing the web on the Note, but now that I'm retired, I'm just not doing that anymore. I've gone through far more tablets than phones -- I currently have the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 LTE. And if I really want a bigger screen, well, I just grab a tablet.
So, when my two-year period was up (I've been with AT&T forever), I felt it was time to take a load out of my pocket, and I was just thrilled to see the Alpha announced just a week or so before my period was up. I wanted a smaller phone, but wasn't seeing anything that I liked much -- until the Alpha was announced.
So far, I'm very happy with the Alpha -- I definitely appreciate the smaller and lighter device in my pocket. And as for the lack of a MicroSD card slot, well, I've got 128-gig cards in both of the tablets -- those are my "massive multimedia devices," whereas the phone is really just, well, "a phone," and something to read e-mail messages on and do a very light bit of web browsing when needed. I had a 32-gig card in my old Note, and I only had about 10 gigs of it filled -- that helped me make the decision that I could live with "only" 32 gigs.
I decided to give myself a 5GB limit on "multimedia files," and I've been able to live with that nicely. I just want a few music files for "demo" purposes -- like connecting to speakers I might want to buy in stores, or to play for friends and family on occasion. I don't need my whole library. The same goes for video files -- I loaded up a few, which will be enough. And I've got a good selection of my pictures loaded up, so I can show those to folks. But, again, I'm well below 5GB, and that's absolutely "enough." And that should leave plenty of room for apps and such, so I have no worries at all about having enough memory for what I want to carry on the phone.
In the end, the Alpha fits my needs just about perfectly -- far better than any other phone available at this time. I'm happy with the little bugger.
thoots
imi coming from the nexus 5, glad to be going back to a smaller phone.
For me it seems very small as I am using my daughter's to get a feel for it.
alpha is a small phone. Smaller then the nexus 4 which has the same screen size but felt alot better in my hands.
Before the Alpha I had the OnePlus One. Even with my big hands the One was too big. I tried the Nexus 5 but at the end the Alpha was the best compromise. For me 4.7" screen is the best size.
i come from the HTC m8 ... so I'm a little bit spoiled concerning "perfect ui experience", lagless workflow, recharging every 1-2 days...
at least the interface feels lagless, but the battery is a mess and the ui is cluttered. still trying to get along. BUT now i can use the phone with one hand (which simply wasnt possible with the m8).
the feel of the m8 was better then the alpha but its way lighter which makes it easier to hold for a long time (f.e.: reading in bed).
overall really nice phone with problems where u can only shake your head and ask yourself why a company with so much experience would for example add a battery that lasts exactly 8 hours (while the m8 with the same usage would last at least 24 hours).
pmcee said:
i come from the HTC m8 ... so I'm a little bit spoiled concerning "perfect ui experience", lagless workflow, recharging every 1-2 days...
at least the interface feels lagless, but the battery is a mess and the ui is cluttered. still trying to get along. BUT now i can use the phone with one hand (which simply wasnt possible with the m8).
the feel of the m8 was better then the alpha but its way lighter which makes it easier to hold for a long time (f.e.: reading in bed).
overall really nice phone with problems where u can only shake your head and ask yourself why a company with so much experience would for example add a battery that lasts exactly 8 hours (while the m8 with the same usage would last at least 24 hours).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Thankfully there appears to be a bigger capacity battery kit coming out soon.
I never really had a problem with Touchwiz when I had a Note 3, but with the Alpha I am getting quite a bit of choppiness and can only contribute it to the extra bloat on this phone (along with AT&T's).
My most recent Android phone was the OnePlus One, and as great as that phone was, I couldn't get over the large size.
The Alpha will be my favorite phone as soon as the battery kit is released and someone finds a way to unlock the boot loader on the AT&T version of the Alpha.
u coming from note3 and choppiness on Alpha ?
may be , u are using S801 version of alpha or something wrong with ur phone .
I will soon buy Alpha , but I have used my friend's Alpha Exynos 5430 version , he is coming from Note3 too and I think his alpha Exynos is Faster and smoother than note3 and even S5 also .
If I get an Alpha it will by necessity be the 801 because
as far as I know, the only way to get LTE here, and will
need the Canada Bell unlocked version for Metro/TMo
Bands.
The UI is kind of a maze with the short time,I played with Alpha , without rooting, can most of that be straightened out ? Lol.
What do you guys think the SOT will be with the Samsung 2500 mah battery on the Qualcomm 801 ¿
came from note 3 with lot of features but i rarely use those...so alpha is perfect for me
Related
Thinking about dumping Verizon due to their amazingly crappy selection of phones. It also doesn't help that their network in the Seattle area is frequently the 1G network (works great elsewhere when I travel). Primarily I need a phone that has a minimum 48gb space (with SD card) and a large screen. Just wondering the satisfaction with this phone. Currently I'm using a Dinc 1 but it's getting old and the screen is nowhere near the size of the Note.
My gf has a dinc 1, there is no comparison between it and the note. Completely different league of device.
i had a captivate before the note, and even comparing that to the dinc, the dinc comes up short, but now that i have and am used to the note, they both feel like toys in my hand. Just Tiny.
If you want that much space, and a big screen, the note is the biggest screen around. I am really happy with it.
i have been super happy with the note. i would certainly buy it again. i dont regret picking it up on launch day at all.
+1 to studacris as well. everything else seems to tiny. i gave my son my skyrocket and even that 4.5 inch screen seems small. i couldnt not imagine those that have the 3.5 inch screen...cough cough damn fruits.
lol
great phone though
Yes. Screen size has become a much more meaningful spec to me these days. Hopefully they will have a new version (same screen size) out by the time I'm ready for an upgrade. Given Samsung's track record for new phones this seems highly likely. It will be hard to go to a smaller screen, no matter how many megapixels and cores they throw in these phones. When I had the Skyrocket I continued to stay abreast on the latest phones and was also thinking of buying the Nook Tab. Now that I have the GNote I'm not concerened anymore about the upcoming latest and greatest phone/tab. I'm about as satisfied as one can be.
10 char answer - YES!
Yes I would buy the note again without a doubt.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
Definitely would buy again. I am ruined from all other phones, they are just too small now.
The Note is a great phone. I carry my skyrocket while at work. I'm a crane operator so the Note is not practical for that environment and I mostly use my phone for music while working. After work its all Note, especially when I'm out running errands and handling business. I can make notes, schedule appts, make grocery list, create and track agendas etc, much easier and quicker with the Note than I can with my other phones. Reading an ebook in the bed is great on the Note. Also the S-Pen is very nice (Mr. Jobs clearly was wrong), can have a little lag, but I'm sure that will be ironed out in the future.
No question I would buy the Note again.
Awesome phone (one of if not THE best there is today) and I love the feature set as well as capabilities, but the longer I own it, I've got to admit, the more cumbersome it becomes.
I really do like the phone a lot, but I find that I do so in spite of its size. Sure, I love the screen size for the sake of what it "shows you", but form-factor wise from an overall hardware perspective, it's just proving over time to be too big IMHO, and I'm an avg sized guy w/avg to slightly larger-than-avg sized hands.
In short, I don't plan on selling it anytime soon (I'm under contract until Sept 2013, and I'm not a phone jockey who buys and sells these things on eBay like packs of tube socks), but I can't say with any amount of honesty that I'd buy a phone that even approaches this size again.
I'm sure someone's gonna flame me for this response, but I am hoping that the point of this thread is honest disclosure and not just for back-slapping among Note-owners.
-Ryan
YES!
Big time happy with the Note... came from an Infuse 4G and Blackberry Torch before that. No looking back!
No other phone currently on the market appeals to me. I would therefore happily buy the note again.
I would buy it again! Most definitely. The Note is coming to Sprint when they release their LTE. Not sure when or if Verizon is going to release it. The htc one x looks nice BUT I will definitely wait for a NOTE 2. I wont go back to a smaller screen.
-Once you go NOTE, you'd say 4 inches a Joke
I had the iPhone 4 before and the only thing I miss is the Retina Display,other than that, the Galaxy Note is the best phone I've ever had.
I would definitely buy it again.
ryandelman said:
Awesome phone (one of if not THE best there is today) and I love the feature set as well as capabilities, but the longer I own it, I've got to admit, the more cumbersome it becomes.
I really do like the phone a lot, but I find that I do so in spite of its size. Sure, I love the screen size for the sake of what it "shows you", but form-factor wise from an overall hardware perspective, it's just proving over time to be too big IMHO, and I'm an avg sized guy w/avg to slightly larger-than-avg sized hands.
In short, I don't plan on selling it anytime soon (I'm under contract until Sept 2013, and I'm not a phone jockey who buys and sells these things on eBay like packs of tube socks), but I can't say with any amount of honesty that I'd buy a phone that even approaches this size again.
I'm sure someone's gonna flame me for this response, but I am hoping that the point of this thread is honest disclosure and not just for back-slapping among Note-owners.
-Ryan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sound like a good honest opinion to me. I personally went for the note for the screen size as the number one factor. I'll probably stick with it until the note 2 comes out, but if I were like you and wanted something smaller I'd probably be looking closely at the sgs3 or asus padfone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium
SG3 around the corner
The Note is a great phone the screen size is great for web browesing and watching hd videos (minus the Black crush/Clipping issues that hopefully will be fixed with ICS) But with the SG3 coming out next month with a 4.65 super amoled+ display with true RBG tiles 300+ ppi, quad core exynos LTE chip inside, ICS onboard at launch (still none of these specs are official just expected).If I were off contract I would have a hard time deciding get the Note or wait for the SG3 or wait longer til Nov for the Note2 with better specs than the SG3. It all depends on what you want out of it and if you want to wait. Personally I like to get a new phone at launch keep it for 20 or more months til the next launch of great phone so I guess I'll be waiting for the Note 3!
The negatives to know about...
The Note does not yet have NFC (Near Field Communication) but there is a custom software fix to enable it (requires root and CWM to install).
The screen also has 2 issues, what some have called black crush, and another completely separate issue called banding. The banding was my issue (I havent noticed any of the "black crush' issues people have been mentioning). I found a setting under the display options to disable saving screen power and it took a day or two and the banding began to disappear (it wasnt an immediate fix).
The last thing about the display is that it is a pentile display. Colours arent 100% accurate so if you are super sensitive to this, you'll notice. The display is a high contrast and slightly over saturated with colour as well so expect this.
The phone does not have the same high quality sound processor that the Captivate had. In fact, its quite lousy. I mean, it works but the experience will be very similar to a built in sound chip on a motherboard rather than having a dedicated sound card.
The phone also does not have a quadcore processor because ATTs LTE does not yet work with quadcores (dont ask me why).
Some have argued that the video chip on the Note is not as fast as Qualcomms.
The last over all issue is the size. Its huge. Its massive. It took nearly a week for me to get used to the size. The biggest problem with the size is that it will occasionally require two hands to reach certain screen locations. You should be aware of this if you occasionally need to do something with your phone and need one free hand (driving for example).
Touchwiz sucks.
On the dev side, things are moving rather slowly compared to other phones, primarily because we still dont have any source code yet (based on my understanding anyway). Once source code is floating around, most of the software issues will be resolved (like Touchwiz).
Now, it may seem like I just trashed the phone. Honestly, I believe in knowing all the negatives up front. Personally, I like my Note. Every phone has its own problems, not one of them is perfect.
Most of the display issues (which are the bulk of the problems) I personally am ok with but Im not super picky in this regard. The sound chip does bother me, Im more of a sound person as I am a musician. The phone having a dual core is fine considering I rarely utilize half of this phones processing power. NFC doesnt bother me because I simply dont have a use case for it.
Would I get a different phone? Probably not.
But if you are considering a different phone specifically due to size, take a look at the Galaxy S2 (the sky rocket on ATT but every carrier has their own branded version). The Galaxy S2 doesnt have most of the screen issues the Note has and is more manageable to people with smaller hands while still being a fantastically great phone (I have two Galaxy S2's).
I dont believe in looking to the future unless you are looking at most a month in the future. If you do, you'll never buy a new piece of hardware as there is always something better around the corner.
I believe the Galaxy S2 or the Note are both future proof thru the next 2 years. While there are better phones coming, these phones are getting to the point that 99% of users will never achieve more than 80% of these newer phones full potential. Processing power is more than enough for anything coming in the next couple of years. Hell, other than the screen size, my Samsung Captivate is more than capable of doing everything out right now and my Captivate is two years old.
For the time being, I would repurchase the Note. Even with ICS still being refined for the time being, it's the most 'future-proof' phone for the time being. It should have this status for at least the next year span (or at least for 6 months).
Considering that I went from the Streak to this, the next 'successor phone' has to be a phablet again....be it Samsung or whichever vendor steps up their game.
Like right now, the One X looks ok...but honestly looks like a GS2 replica basically. (I personally haven't tried it yet...but that's just from skimming online articles about it).
Buy it. You will not be disappointed.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717
Yep without a doubt. Came from an iPhone4. Using one of those now the screen is tiny and it feels like a toy.
I have purchased the Note three times. My girlfriend has one, and I just went back to the Note after trying iPhone for two weeks.
Great phone with ICS installed.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
I am still within the window of returning my G Note (which i love except for a few things) and possibly getting a SGS3.
I really like the GNote and the massive screen, the extra real state is really nice! I am on AT&T and really like the idea of the HSPA network backup to the not yet present LTE here in South Florida. I am getting avg between 4-6 mbps DL.
NOTE (AT&T):
Likes:
* HSPA Network on AT&T
* Screen Size
* S-Pen (I actually use the thing)
Dislikes:
* LAG!!! It's minimized using TW, but any other launcher seems to slow it down. Over all it sometimes does not feel as responsive as expected from the specs.
* No OC on ICS (might be wrong here)
* Potential for less Dev support once SGS3 comes out.
SGS3 (VZW):
Likes:
* Camera...I have toddler at home and a quick camera would be great (this is my biggest factor for considering this phone)
* Power...this things seems like a beast!!!
* form factor
* ICS, although I am not as concerned about software bcs it's a matter of porting by one these great devs in XDA.
Dislike:
* Smaller Screen
* Slow 3G speeds when not on LTE area about 50% of time!
Any thoughts that might help me rationalize this decision is greatly appreciate it!
Thank you!
Crey23 said:
Dislikes:
* LAG!!! It's minimized using TW, but any other launcher seems to slow it down. Over all it sometimes does not feel as responsive as expected from the specs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is lag only in the launchers? If so, try Launcher Pro. No perceptible lag for me.
Good luck figuring this out, it's a tight race between these 2 devices.
davaj said:
Is lag only in the launchers? If so, try Launcher Pro. No perceptible lag for me.
Good luck figuring this out, it's a tight race between these 2 devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's not limited to Launchers, but they do affect normal navigation. I had ran GO, ADW EX, and Holo....and Holo being the "fastest". I just installed Go Ex and it's really fast. I think it more to do with one the widgets that I was running.
But lag can be seen while unlocking, but I hear that the SGS3 is the same...something to do with deep sleep that Samsung uses. It can also be seen while playing some games like Angry Birds. It ran kind of choppy on my old htc Vision(G2) Oc'd @ 1.2 Ghz, but the Note sometimes shows that choppiness too.
One thing that also concerns me is that the RAM is ually running at 65%-75% capacity anyone else?
I can't decide either. My problem is that I have would have to return my note before ever seeing the gs3. I sold my international note for the one x and didn't like that phone so I would probably regret trading for the gs3 as well. Once you get used to the screen on the note its hard to downgrade. Believe me when I say that the note's screen looks way better than the one x, even the guy at Walmart's at&t store agreed with me. Hopefully when we get a kernel source it will speed up our notes, although my note isn't that bad now.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
First and foremost determine what you need in a phone, do you need the Horsepower of a quad core? Most apps aren't designed to work with the quad cores and I would believe that the support of them in ICS is kind of like windows, yes they will use them, but will it use them effectively? Do you want the screen or the camera more? I know for my needs I prefer the screen and the camera is plenty quick enough for what I do, but I don't have kids. As for lag, if it's really that bad, I'd exchange it for another. I only saw lag on my phone after I had launched 20 or 25 apps, running tons of widgets and hadn't shut my phone down in 3 weeks.
So in the end, the trade off is what will you utilize more and what would be best for you. I for one wouldn't trade my note for anything, but again I came from a streak and make full use of my very large screen and not the camera so much. Not to mention, you could wait to get the S3, get it, and in a year they'll probably release a phone that has 3.2GHz quad cores with brand new LTE system that's 10x faster than what we have now.
Technology has always grown faster than we can keep up with, the real question is, how long will you wait to get the latest and greatest? That's the reason why I haven't upgraded my home PC. There's always a new CPU coming out with a new form factor, or the next best graphics card is going to be released in a month or two. My current logic with it now is, hey it works, it works well, I'll keep it until it doesn't suit my needs anymore.
Just my thoughts on it.
Apex launcher is the best launcher for the note no lag on my end. I couldn't see myself going to a smaller screen. My hands fit the phone perfect.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
I will share my views with my days with the ATT Note. If you are running stock ROM..it was a HORRIBLE experience. I had my Captivate at the time and it was super smooth compared to the ATT Note stock.
If you are cool changing ROMS, which I think you are since you are here, I would expect it to be a lot better.
As for the dev on the ATT one dying after the GS3 comes out...well , unless you are buying an international GS3, I wont expect the dev for it to be that huge either compared to the international version but this is just a guess.
davaj said:
If so, try Launcher Pro. No perceptible lag for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this.
lyall29 said:
I can't decide either. My problem is that I have would have to return my note before ever seeing the gs3....
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly my concern.....Yes it might be all that, as the hox was when it came out, but after I played with it for a bit I was not convinced and actually opted for the GNote instead despite the additional $70 that it cost me.
I guess I like to be a s bleeding edge as possible, being that at the speed of industry... in two years, by the time my contract is over, there will be 6.8Ghz eight core, 0.5 TB solid state drive phones with 21MP cameras that wipe my butt too.... But reality is that it might be overkill.
The other thing that attracts me to the SGS# is that finally an Android phone will have as many accessories as an iPhone given the number of pre-sales, and the fact that it will be the flag-ship device for the 5 major carriers in the US/Canada. I am tired of walking into a best buy and see 90 different cases for the iPhone and, if I'm lucky, finding the $hitty Speck case for my Note lol.
Lastly, my other concer is that in order to get the SGS3 I would have to go from AT&T to VZW, and I am not convinced at all of going from lightning fast VZW LTE to crawling speed 3g EV-DO signal. It is reliable in the area, but LTE does not reach 50% of my territory.
I guess I'm going to keep the GNote, root it and wait for a kernel to break 2.0 Ghz blazing fast phone. I have read a few reviews that measure web processing throughput and the Note beats the SGS3 in the benchmark. Also some of the ROMs available have been tweaked to improve DL perfromance quite drastically.
The camera is pretty snappy too....It seems to take long, but when the picture is revealed it look amazing!
Alrighty, a couple of things to keep in mind.
1. While most apps arent designed to utilize quad cores, this isnt likely to stay that way for long. Since quadcores are fairly new and Android app developers can actually update their apps without some sort of approval process, expect support to happen fairly quickly.
2. The SG3 has a stylus too.
3. ICS will be available for the Note probably in the next month or so. The latest rumour is July 13th. It was delayed 2 weeks because Samsung was fixing a kernel bug that caused the international Note to hard brick when flashing ICS roms.
4. The stock apps are interchangeable. The apps on the Note are available for the SG3 and the SG3 apps are available to put on the Note (this will become easier once ICS is official on the Note).
5. While yes, the Note is bigger, it isnt by much.
Now that Ive addressed those points, I want to talk about ram usage and lag.
The very first thing I am going to recommend is a simple factory reset. Strange as it may be, my Note had nothing but problems first day I had it. I should interject here, my Note was brand new, NOT a refurb. I had only installed a few of my own apps (Audible, BeyondPod, Go Launcher, Beautiful Widgets, and Widget Locker) and had NOT (and still havent in fact) rooted it. I also updated as many of the stock apps manually from the market as I could find since I noticed the stock apps were not linked to the market. And apps began force closing left and right, battery was dead within 6 hours of just streaming audio over bluetooth (hardly any screen time), poor performance, etc. Before I returned it, I did a factory reset and it has been running great since (on probably month 3 now of having it, I bought it very shortly after it came out in the states).
Strangely enough, my brothers Samsung GNexus had poor network performance out of the box, we did a factory reset WHILE driving home with his brand new phone (we drove 2.5 hours to pick up his phone so we had the time) and since then, it has been working fine since.
Ram usage is normal for it to be in the 75% range. Android works a bit differently than Windows and their is no negative to high ram usage TO A POINT. Ram usage exceeding at or exceeding 90% however would be troubling and actually cause poor, laggy performance but under 90% is fine. I dont want to go into the details here but a quick Google search, difference between windows and linux ram usage, might be beneficial.
Finally, my raw opinion, the SG3 is the better phone. The screen is better (albeit smaller), slightly faster, etc. Software differences are a moot point since all of that will be changed in a month when ICS is official for the Note and you can just install software from the phone you DONT have on the phone you DO have. Source code has been released for the Note and the SG3 so we may actually begin seeing some decent rom development begin to happen here in the coming weeks for both phones. What I would say is this, if you want a better quality screen and a slightly faster phone spec wise, go with the SG3. If you want the bigger screen, stick with the Note. Personally, I prefer the screen size and since I spent money on an extended battery for the Note (the Mugen 5400 mah), I wont be switching phones any time soon.
I guess the only thing that bugs me with the at&t note is opening apps. When I had the international note it was twice as fast at opening apps and the international gs2 was even faster. The app I use the most is cash flow for my check register. It takes almost 5 seconds to open with the at&t note and like 1.5 seconds with the gs2. I know I'm being picky but I like things to be fast. The HTC one x to me, was even slower than my gs2. Maybe because of the sense UI, but that's what scares me about the gs3 seeing how it has the same processor as the one x. Maybe I need to be content with what I have and quit wanting all the latest and greatest. After all this worrying I'll probably still get the gs3.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
littlewierdo said:
Alrighty, a couple of things to keep in mind.
1. While most apps arent designed to utilize quad cores, this isnt likely to stay that way for long. Since quadcores are fairly new and Android app developers can actually update their apps without some sort of approval process, expect support to happen fairly quickly.
2. The SG3 has a stylus too.
3. ICS will be available for the Note probably in the next month or so. The latest rumour is July 13th. It was delayed 2 weeks because Samsung was fixing a kernel bug that caused the international Note to hard brick when flashing ICS roms.
4. The stock apps are interchangeable. The apps on the Note are available for the SG3 and the SG3 apps are available to put on the Note (this will become easier once ICS is official on the Note).
5. While yes, the Note is bigger, it isnt by much.
Now that Ive addressed those points, I want to talk about ram usage and lag.
The very first thing I am going to recommend is a simple factory reset. Strange as it may be, my Note had nothing but problems first day I had it. I should interject here, my Note was brand new, NOT a refurb. I had only installed a few of my own apps (Audible, BeyondPod, Go Launcher, Beautiful Widgets, and Widget Locker) and had NOT (and still havent in fact) rooted it. I also updated as many of the stock apps manually from the market as I could find since I noticed the stock apps were not linked to the market. And apps began force closing left and right, battery was dead within 6 hours of just streaming audio over bluetooth (hardly any screen time), poor performance, etc. Before I returned it, I did a factory reset and it has been running great since (on probably month 3 now of having it, I bought it very shortly after it came out in the states).
Strangely enough, my brothers Samsung GNexus had poor network performance out of the box, we did a factory reset WHILE driving home with his brand new phone (we drove 2.5 hours to pick up his phone so we had the time) and since then, it has been working fine since.
Ram usage is normal for it to be in the 75% range. Android works a bit differently than Windows and their is no negative to high ram usage TO A POINT. Ram usage exceeding at or exceeding 90% however would be troubling and actually cause poor, laggy performance but under 90% is fine. I dont want to go into the details here but a quick Google search, difference between windows and linux ram usage, might be beneficial.
Finally, my raw opinion, the SG3 is the better phone. The screen is better (albeit smaller), slightly faster, etc. Software differences are a moot point since all of that will be changed in a month when ICS is official for the Note and you can just install software from the phone you DONT have on the phone you DO have. Source code has been released for the Note and the SG3 so we may actually begin seeing some decent rom development begin to happen here in the coming weeks for both phones. What I would say is this, if you want a better quality screen and a slightly faster phone spec wise, go with the SG3. If you want the bigger screen, stick with the Note. Personally, I prefer the screen size and since I spent money on an extended battery for the Note (the Mugen 5400 mah), I wont be switching phones any time soon.
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Click to collapse
Littleweirdo ...thanks for the explanation and opinion. I share much of what you are saying regarding the SGS3, and I think dollar for dollar the SGS3 is far more powerful than the Note. I looked at our bill, and with the new plans that VZW is pushing out on June 28th, we would actually save about $32 a month from our phone bill (which allone is an enticing reason to change). My concern is the LTE to 3G connectivity of the VZW network...not sure if that is a strong enough argument not to change to VZW. Something can be said about the quality of the VZW network that does, in a way, outweigh sheer DL speeds.
lyall29 said:
I guess the only thing that bugs me with the at&t note is opening apps. When I had the international note it was twice as fast at opening apps and the international gs2 was even faster. The app I use the most is cash flow for my check register. It takes almost 5 seconds to open with the at&t note and like 1.5 seconds with the gs2. I know I'm being picky but I like things to be fast. The HTC one x to me, was even slower than my gs2. Maybe because of the sense UI, but that's what scares me about the gs3 seeing how it has the same processor as the one x. Maybe I need to be content with what I have and quit wanting all the latest and greatest. After all this worrying I'll probably still get the gs3.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
My concern with dropping my Note for the SGS3 sight-unseen is that the SGS3 will not meet my expectations based on the hype.
This is the most annoying cellular phone decision (purchase) I have ever done!! LOL!
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions &
Read the Forum Rules Ref Posting
Thanks ✟
Moving to Q&A
lufc said:
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions &
Read the Forum Rules Ref Posting
Thanks ✟
Moving to Q&A
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Click to collapse
Thanks lufc, hadn't realized that I wasn't in Q&A. :
Well I bit the bullet..... I switched to VZW. Specs wise the sgs3 seems to be superior, but push come to shove, a $35 a month savings with unlimited voice and text and 4gb gigs once the new pricing plans kick in at the end of the month.
I will miss the huge screen and te s- pen. And I might regret it, but I had to do it from a logical perspective.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Crey23 said:
Littleweirdo ...thanks for the explanation and opinion. I share much of what you are saying regarding the SGS3, and I think dollar for dollar the SGS3 is far more powerful than the Note. I looked at our bill, and with the new plans that VZW is pushing out on June 28th, we would actually save about $32 a month from our phone bill (which allone is an enticing reason to change). My concern is the LTE to 3G connectivity of the VZW network...not sure if that is a strong enough argument not to change to VZW. Something can be said about the quality of the VZW network that does, in a way, outweigh sheer DL speeds.
My concern with dropping my Note for the SGS3 sight-unseen is that the SGS3 will not meet my expectations based on the hype.
This is the most annoying cellular phone decision (purchase) I have ever done!! LOL!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, Im not a fanboy by any stretch of the imagination. BUT, Samsung hasnt created a crappy phone since prior to the Galaxy S line of phones - I cant speak to anything prior to that because I never owned a Samsung phone prior to the Captivate. They have proven that they are ready to play with the big boys, they are even taking on a certain fruit company in court.
Why WOULDNT the Galaxy S3 not live up to all the hype? All the tech enthusiasts love it, ask anyone who has it outside of the US, they all love it as well. I think its a fantastic device and other than a smaller screen, its an upgrade from the Note in EVERY aspect, including a much higher quality screen.
If I wasnt invested in the Note already (ie a contract & a $100 extended battery), Id be looking very seriously at the S3 because the Note is older tech. Honestly, Id be laughing at the Note's screen size (I did originally before I decided to just see if I could live with it) because hell, its big.
If Im GOING to buy a phone, Im going to get the latest tech because I know that living with a phone for two years is going to be painful during the last 6 months of the contract.
Although I dont see myself wanting to upgrade my phone after two years due to the limited things I actually USE my phone for (podcasts, audiobooks from Audible, driving directions and checking for app updates for the 15 or so apps I have installed), my Note is plenty adequate. Hell, I would still be using the Captivate if it hadnt died on me. It did everything the Note does for me (that I use it for that is) and it even had a MUCH better sound processor (the Note's sound processing is TERRIBLE).
I'm still curious why people talk about the sgs3 like it's a pentium 4 to the notes pentium 2. The us note is a 1.5ghz dual core, the us sgs3 is a 1.5ghz dual core. The sgs3 has more ram, which means very little when appropriate customizations can create a silky smooth experience on either device. And to top it all off, with the right optimizations in the rom and kernel, a 1ghz tegra 2 is just as smooth as these 1.5 ghz chips. My atrix was buttery smooth on cm9, my note is buttery smooth on cm9, and I'm sure the sgs3 will be buttery smooth on cm9. In my opinion, it comes down to aesthetics and screen, because everything else is a variable if you plan to flash.
SGH-i717 mesosphere
littlewierdo said:
Ok, Im not a fanboy by any stretch of the imagination. BUT, Samsung hasnt created a crappy phone since prior to the Galaxy S line of phones - I cant speak to anything prior to that because I never owned a Samsung phone prior to the Captivate. They have proven that they are ready to play with the big boys, they are even taking on a certain fruit company in court.
Why WOULDNT the Galaxy S3 not live up to all the hype? All the tech enthusiasts love it, ask anyone who has it outside of the US, they all love it as well. I think its a fantastic device and other than a smaller screen, its an upgrade from the Note in EVERY aspect, including a much higher quality screen.
If I wasnt invested in the Note already (ie a contract & a $100 extended battery), Id be looking very seriously at the S3 because the Note is older tech. Honestly, Id be laughing at the Note's screen size (I did originally before I decided to just see if I could live with it) because hell, its big.
If Im GOING to buy a phone, Im going to get the latest tech because I know that living with a phone for two years is going to be painful during the last 6 months of the contract.
Although I dont see myself wanting to upgrade my phone after two years due to the limited things I actually USE my phone for (podcasts, audiobooks from Audible, driving directions and checking for app updates for the 15 or so apps I have installed), my Note is plenty adequate. Hell, I would still be using the Captivate if it hadnt died on me. It did everything the Note does for me (that I use it for that is) and it even had a MUCH better sound processor (the Note's sound processing is TERRIBLE).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I hear ya.....I have seen multiple videos on the the SGS3 and it seems like an incredibly fluid device. I have to say the screen real state i will miss, but since I am returning my Note today, and will get the SGS3 in early July I am back on an Blackberry Pearl 8130...the screen size is about 1/4 of the Note's....maybe less LOL. So I think by the time i get the G3 it will seem like a huge screen!
I will miss the S-Pen....I did use it quite a bit. I stopped taking my notebook to meetings bcs all I needed was my note.
pyro254750 said:
I'm still curious why people talk about the sgs3 like it's a pentium 4 to the notes pentium 2. The us note is a 1.5ghz dual core, the us sgs3 is a 1.5ghz dual core. The sgs3 has more ram, which means very little when appropriate customizations can create a silky smooth experience on either device. And to top it all off, with the right optimizations in the rom and kernel, a 1ghz tegra 2 is just as smooth as these 1.5 ghz chips. My atrix was buttery smooth on cm9, my note is buttery smooth on cm9, and I'm sure the sgs3 will be buttery smooth on cm9. In my opinion, it comes down to aesthetics and screen, because everything else is a variable if you plan to flash.
SGH-i717 mesosphere
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right in the sence that many phones just need to be optimized in order to get them smooth. I did that with my htc Vision/G2 once I rooted, swaped kernels, flashed a "few" ROM's including ICS and had it OC'd to nearly 2x it's rated processor speed. BUT, and you know a but was coming....
There is something to be said of the posibilities of a device being launched nearly simultaneously on all 5 major carriers in the US...no other device has ever done that (at least under the same name, and never in so close proximity of one from the other).
The other thing impressive about the G3 is the hardware, it's got 2GB of ram, and incredible camera, a very good processor (though not the latest), and note like beautiful screen. For me the camera alone draws my attention, and the fact that the spec are as close to bleeding edge as we can get in a production device, makes me pretty happy to know that I can pull of 2 years of no upgrades.
In fact, when I purchased the htc G2 on T-Mobile nearly 2 yrs ago, it was the only phone on 4G network, and it was the best phone out there for a while, and I found no reason to envy any other devices. I switched from it bcs I got tired of the poor data strength of T-mobile in my area, and the fact that sitting at my office, getting signal was a hit/miss situation, but the device itself it's still kicking....it's my toddler's mini tablet at the moment.
littlewierdo said:
my raw opinion, the SG3 is the better phone.
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Click to collapse
Amazes me that people make statements like this without ever seeing, touching, or using a phone..
wase4711 said:
Amazes me that people make statements like this without ever seeing, touching, or using a phone..
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Click to collapse
Ive seen it first hand (the international version). The screen is probably the biggest thing about the SG3, its a better quality screen than the Note.
Samsung has NAILED every phone. Would people be buying it otherwise? Look at the world wide sales, look at the tech reviews, there is hardly anything negative to say about it.
In fact, the only negative is that it doesnt have the latest processor, big whoop in my opinion. Oh, and maybe touchwiz, but touchwiz is decent now, nothing like the pile of poo it was on the Captivate.
Please use this thread to discuss devices other than and any comparisons with other devices on or about the Note III in this thread and any other off-topic issues that are not needing a new thread.
Post with respect, this is a helpful community, hope we all learn from this stuff in here.
I would like to see peoples opinion's on the note 3 compared to the LG G2. I am on the fence on the two. Im coming from the S3 so the note will be quite large. Being on Verizon we dont have the Nexus 5 option so it seems it is up to these two devices. My main hesitation on the Note is how locked down it is. We might not get customs roms on it at all. The LG G2 has Loki so we are good to go on that one. Both of the build qualities are lacking so thats a wash.
Joey, have you ever been in a... in a comaprison?
sorry title made me think of Airplane movie :fingers-crossed:
fletch33 said:
Joey, have you ever been in a... in a comaprison?
sorry title made me think of Airplane movie :fingers-crossed:
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Click to collapse
LOL, THAT was one funny movie......
I'm on the fence about mine. I got in on the Verizon unlimited data glitch and have a Note 3 coming.
I have a Note 2 and if not for the glitch wouldn't have considered upgrading. The Note 3 just didn't excite me enough to spend the money. I HATE pentile matrix screens and I felt like the move to 5.7" wasn't enough. I want something in the 5.9" to 6.1" range.
With California taxes I'm in for about $385, and I figure I could sell the Note III for $700ish. Then in a couple months I could sell my Note II for around $300 and have a nice little fund for a new device. What I really want is the HTC One Max, but who knows if Verizon will ever get it?
I don't know what to do.
---------- Post added at 04:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:09 PM ----------
eddie33081 said:
I would like to see peoples opinion's on the note 3 compared to the LG G2. I am on the fence on the two. Im coming from the S3 so the note will be quite large. Being on Verizon we dont have the Nexus 5 option so it seems it is up to these two devices. My main hesitation on the Note is how locked down it is. We might not get customs roms on it at all. The LG G2 has Loki so we are good to go on that one. Both of the build qualities are lacking so thats a wash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The G2 is a really nice device. I hate the buttons on the back, but everything else about the physical form factor is great.
The screen is really nice, it's fast, excellent camera and battery life. I hate LG's skin, but with Nova you can cover up a lot, and now that it's Loki'd I figure it's only a matter of time before AOSP roms are available.
SeanPlunk said:
I'm on the fence about mine. I got in on the Verizon unlimited data glitch and have a Note 3 coming.
I have a Note 2 and if not for the glitch wouldn't have considered upgrading. The Note 3 just didn't excite me enough to spend the money. I HATE pentile matrix screens and I felt like the move to 5.7" wasn't enough. I want something in the 5.9" to 6.1" range.
With California taxes I'm in for about $385, and I figure I could sell the Note III for $700ish. Then in a couple months I could sell my Note II for around $300 and have a nice little fund for a new device. What I really want is the HTC One Max, but who knows if Verizon will ever get it?
I don't know what to do.
---------- Post added at 04:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:09 PM ----------
The G2 is a really nice device. I hate the buttons on the back, but everything else about the physical form factor is great.
The screen is really nice, it's fast, excellent camera and battery life. I hate LG's skin, but with Nova you can cover up a lot, and now that it's Loki'd I figure it's only a matter of time before AOSP roms are available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the LG spectrum and it's a great phone except for cheap sensors. Before I ever buy lg again I will install android sensors or sensor box on the store demo first. Cheap sensors have a lower range and/or operate erratically. I.e. Magnetic sensor: og Droid 0-2000, gs3 0-20000 and LG Spectrum 0-200!
What's it mean? Compass apps not reliable or accurate, Google sky map to jittery to use, auto brightness works poorly, when on call screen takes longer to turn on for the keypad, etc. At first I thought I had a lemon but LG insisted it was the applications.
Sent from LG Spectrum using XDA app
contract up !!!! What to buy next?
My contract will be up soon. I am looking to replace Verizon samsung Galaxy Nexus which I loved. I was looking at the Note 3. I like the big screen.
I have a rooted phone and want to root this new phone. The main reason I root is for the hotspot feature. Anyone have any suggestions on what phone I should look at. I am using MIUI Android Rom right now. I would be open to even staying with original OS if it had everything I wanted.
Would also like a phone with a longer lasting battery.
Has the Note 2 had any problems I should be aware of?
Any help is appreciated.
I have time so I am willing to wait if there is a good recommendation. I also don't want a bigger screen. The note 3 size seems to be perfect.
susieq29 said:
My contract will be up soon. I am looking to replace Verizon samsung Galaxy Nexus which I loved. I was looking at the Note 3. I like the big screen.
I have a rooted phone and want to root this new phone. The main reason I root is for the hotspot feature. Anyone have any suggestions on what phone I should look at. I am using MIUI Android Rom right now. I would be open to even staying with original OS if it had everything I wanted.
Would also like a phone with a longer lasting battery.
Has the Note 2 had any problems I should be aware of?
Any help is appreciated.
I have time so I am willing to wait if there is a good recommendation. I also don't want a bigger screen. The note 3 size seems to be perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Note 2, frankly... is incredible. I've had the verizon note 2 for a year now and i'm dying for the note 3. my note 2 is practically my best friend at this point. I know i sound like such a fanboy but i literally just smile when my friends complain about their phones, mine never has any of their stupid issues.
SeanPlunk said:
I HATE pentile matrix screens and I felt like the move to 5.7" wasn't enough..
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Click to collapse
I challenge you to take 2 1080p screens smaller than 6" and, without prior knowledge, tell anyone which is pentile and which is any other matrix with your naked eye.
susieq29 said:
Has the Note 2 had any problems I should be aware of?
Any help is appreciated.
I have time so I am willing to wait if there is a good recommendation. I also don't want a bigger screen. The note 3 size seems to be perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had the Note2 for about six months... it is easily the best phone I've ever owned. Seriously, it absolutely blows the doors off the Galaxy Nexus, in performance, build quality, screen quality, battery, phone call quality... I wouldn't have upgraded to the Note3 if it wasn't for the Verizon glitch. ...that and my wife wanting my Note2!
Dan76 said:
I've had the Note2 for about six months... it is easily the best phone I've ever owned. Seriously, it absolutely blows the doors off the Galaxy Nexus, in performance, build quality, screen quality, battery, phone call quality... I wouldn't have upgraded to the Note3 if it wasn't for the Verizon glitch. ...that and my wife wanting my Note2!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree 100 %.
The Note 2 is BY FAR the best phone I've ever owned and I have basically owned every high end phone ever made.
The N2 is the first phone I have ever owned that I was 100% totally satisfied with and haven't been impatiently waiting for the next phone to come out for an upgrade.
I will still probably buy the Note 3 at some point (I have a line I can use for an upgrade and keep my unlimited data), although I will wait and make sure it is at least rootable first as I just know I would never be totally happy with a 100% stock phone.
I'm intrigued by the HTC One Max. I don't use the s-pen or multi-window much and I do use the external speaker daily. I'm hoping for more information about the Max this week. Also, my eyes aren't what they used to be so the large screen may work. Then again the Note 3 is calling to me since I have loved my Note 2 since it's release.....we'll see
Oh_wow said:
I'm intrigued by the HTC One Max. I don't use the s-pen or multi-window much and I do use the external speaker daily. I'm hoping for more information about the Max this week. Also, my eyes aren't what they used to be so the large screen may work. Then again the Note 3 is calling to me since I have loved my Note 2 since it's release.....we'll see
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/07/verizon-htc-one-mac-fingerprint-scanner-removable-back/
Looks like an AWESOME phone to me, but I use the s-pen quite a bit.
This obviously is a question I can only answer myself but wanted some input from some people that have bathed themselves in note 3 info... lol and some likely coming from an s3.... I'm not eligible for a new phone until march 2014... however I'm sure I could call and call and eventually get an upgrade to edge anyway (done this before... it works.. just keep calling) edge obviously a bit of a rip off.. but i could kill a few other accounts i don't really use often to make up for the cost.... and obviously if i wanted to flip a phone i could do so in 12 months or so..... with that being said..
I do love the size.. and the bigger screen is preferable to me when it comes to videos.. and other things. The speed is obviously sweet and so is the size... however..
I use my phone to play general games.. not a huge gaming on phone person.. (less you could get league of legends on there lol)... i use my phone as a basic camera..... as well to surf the web... 75% of the time i have access to a desktop in which time i could use my phone as well... i do enjoy surfing whatever sitting on the couch obviously..... I'm really on the fence... I always get super hyped over a new phone (got s3 right away and it took several calls to Verizon to get it done) in which yes, its a nice phone with nice camera options... with that being said.. its still a phone... using it to call people is its basic purpose... i've started to utilize google calandar more and more as i have a disability that the meds hinders my short term memory..so that would be one nice thing.. the s pen is sweet.. looks so awesome.. but i don't see me using it much except to jot down phone numbers or addresses on the fly (which wouldn't be often.. i'm not a people person type of guy and my job doesn't require any use of cellphones) So i'm thinking a faster processor.. better camera..the faster processor and screen size would be the main reasons..... but do i really want to go for it? do i really want to get it now and go on the verizon edge program? I just feel like I may be jumping in and after a month regretting my decision... anyone coming from an S3 have an early opinion? ( i also am in an area where voice calling isn't that great... and i would hope it would be better with the s3 (its better on my wifes older galaxy nexus)... that would be something i suppose i would have to find out after the fact.. and use the 30day policy... to go or not to go..... been thinking about it A LOT for the past week.
Be careful... if you're on Sprint or Vzw, it's only a 14 day policy
loopers said:
This obviously is a question I can only answer myself but wanted some input from some people that have bathed themselves in note 3 info... lol and some likely coming from an s3.... I'm not eligible for a new phone until march 2014... however I'm sure I could call and call and eventually get an upgrade to edge anyway (done this before... it works.. just keep calling) edge obviously a bit of a rip off.. but i could kill a few other accounts i don't really use often to make up for the cost.... and obviously if i wanted to flip a phone i could do so in 12 months or so..... with that being said..
I do love the size.. and the bigger screen is preferable to me when it comes to videos.. and other things. The speed is obviously sweet and so is the size... however..
I use my phone to play general games.. not a huge gaming on phone person.. (less you could get league of legends on there lol)... i use my phone as a basic camera..... as well to surf the web... 75% of the time i have access to a desktop in which time i could use my phone as well... i do enjoy surfing whatever sitting on the couch obviously..... I'm really on the fence... I always get super hyped over a new phone (got s3 right away and it took several calls to Verizon to get it done) in which yes, its a nice phone with nice camera options... with that being said.. its still a phone... using it to call people is its basic purpose... i've started to utilize google calandar more and more as i have a disability that the meds hinders my short term memory..so that would be one nice thing.. the s pen is sweet.. looks so awesome.. but i don't see me using it much except to jot down phone numbers or addresses on the fly (which wouldn't be often.. i'm not a people person type of guy and my job doesn't require any use of cellphones) So i'm thinking a faster processor.. better camera..the faster processor and screen size would be the main reasons..... but do i really want to go for it? do i really want to get it now and go on the verizon edge program? I just feel like I may be jumping in and after a month regretting my decision... anyone coming from an S3 have an early opinion? ( i also am in an area where voice calling isn't that great... and i would hope it would be better with the s3 (its better on my wifes older galaxy nexus)... that would be something i suppose i would have to find out after the fact.. and use the 30day policy... to go or not to go..... been thinking about it A LOT for the past week.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whether or not you consider Edge to be a rip off, I prefer it to dropping $300 on the phone, plus paying my ETF for my old line. That is a total of roughly $310 +$50 for last bill + $300 + taxes for Note 3 = $660 on the lean side. With Edge I spent $102 with Priority Overnight shipping, screen protectors, first month of Edge, and taxes. Now when I sell my HTC One, I sell for around $400 after shipping and paypal fees, that leaves me with just enough to justify upgrading to Note 3. Now in 12 months, I will have paid $300 or so, and I can upgrade to the next Note 4 by then. I find this better.
Okay now on to your question: S3 is a good phone, but no Quad Core Processor, 2GB RAM is okay low compared to Note 3, but 1080p screen is a nice addition, makes watching 1080p movies so much better (based on my experience with 1080p on HTC One). No more scaling, or downsizing. Honestly if you can get the Note 3 at $299 or Edge it then do it. I recommend it.
N3 > LG2 because it has a micro sd slot and no annoying fixed nav bar taking up display space. What is the point of the bigger display if you end up having about the same space as a 5" display (if no nav bar)?
S3 and N3 seem IMO two different devices. I have medium hands and find the phablets too big for one hand operation and awkward (too big) to carry in a belt case compared to my S4. That said, if I did not have several tablets, I would choose the N3 as a true all-in-one device.
this. the htc one max has my attention but the biggest question is when will it come to verizon? remember the htc one? and if htc one max has removable sdcard i may have to buy it and have my note 3 and then decide which i like better. i love sense when it comes to htc phones but cant stand nonremovable battery and expandable storage so we will see. and i really like having an s pen if i dont use a whole lot when you need it, it comes in very handy but if the ppi is much higher and screen is better on one max i will be sure of that so it will be an interesting few weeks
oneandroidnut said:
this. the htc one max has my attention but the biggest question is when will it come to verizon? remember the htc one? and if htc one max has removable sdcard i may have to buy it and have my note 3 and then decide which i like better. i love sense when it comes to htc phones but cant stand nonremovable battery and expandable storage so we will see. and i really like having an s pen if i dont use a whole lot when you need it, it comes in very handy but if the ppi is much higher and screen is better on one max i will be sure of that so it will be an interesting few weeks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 on this. Your signature shows that you have used several HTC devices. What's you overall opinion of them? thanx
oneandroidnut said:
this. the htc one max has my attention but the biggest question is when will it come to verizon? remember the htc one? and if htc one max has removable sdcard i may have to buy it and have my note 3 and then decide which i like better. i love sense when it comes to htc phones but cant stand nonremovable battery and expandable storage so we will see. and i really like having an s pen if i dont use a whole lot when you need it, it comes in very handy but if the ppi is much higher and screen is better on one max i will be sure of that so it will be an interesting few weeks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything I've read/seen shows a removable battery and 16-64GB on-board storage + Micro SD slot. Add this to the front speakers, S-Off having been developed for the VZ One variant, and the only shortcoming is the S-pen features that you won't get vs the N3. I've asked around recently to find out if any of that gets ported to ROMs, so if that's not available I think I finally know what I'm going to buy. I need a new phone immediately if not sooner, but just want to feel like I'm getting my money's worth.
I've read and read, and looking for feedback from users who may be familiar with both platforms-the Samsung Alpha and the IPhone (5s or 6), hopefully that's not too taboo around here. I've always found XDA to be very helpful and objective, more so than random blog type reporting sites.
A little backstory: I've had a couple of bad phone purchases. Most of the problems are with the HTC models. I had a One X+, and that model wasn't supported for long due to it's mid-model upgrade chipset. it was powerful, but was often very very hot, so much so that plugged in and using navigator it would shut down. Not plugged in it would kill battery very quickly. The One came out short time later and HTC announced One X+ would not longer be updated. I hate the trend for bigger and bigger phones, I really like to use with one hand. I invested in HTC One Mini, thinking it was very similar to full size (M7) model, especially from initial (seemingly biased) reviews now. Initially it seemed fine, but after installing a few apps it's very slow and jerky most of the time. Especially long lag between apps, attributed mostly to it's small RAM size of 1gig. It's a nicely made phone for the most part tho. It took weeks to realize this, and after a factory reset it improved but shortly got worse again.
Most of my friends have either the SGS5, or the majority use Iphones (5s or 6). These have become my options as well, except that SGS5 and iP6 are larger than I'd like.
Enter the SG Alpha. My concern is long term support for this phone, and smooth operation without killing the battery or jerky throttled down operation. Would you say this phone works smoothly, and if you can compare to IOS phones? I really don't want to buy a Iphone, but most everyone tells me they just work and I'm tired of fighting, hacking and modifying Android (which hopefully doesn't sit too poorly in this forum ) I also like Widgets, and IOS does not have those.
Thanks!
aldridgec said:
I've read and read, and looking for feedback from users who may be familiar with both platforms-the Samsung Alpha and the IPhone (5s or 6), hopefully that's not too taboo around here. I've always found XDA to be very helpful and objective, more so than random blog type reporting sites.
A little backstory: I've had a couple of bad phone purchases. Most of the problems are with the HTC models. I had a One X+, and that model wasn't supported for long due to it's mid-model upgrade chipset. it was powerful, but was often very very hot, so much so that plugged in and using navigator it would shut down. Not plugged in it would kill battery very quickly. The One came out short time later and HTC announced One X+ would not longer be updated. I hate the trend for bigger and bigger phones, I really like to use with one hand. I invested in HTC One Mini, thinking it was very similar to full size (M7) model, especially from initial (seemingly biased) reviews now. Initially it seemed fine, but after installing a few apps it's very slow and jerky most of the time. Especially long lag between apps, attributed mostly to it's small RAM size of 1gig. It's a nicely made phone for the most part tho. It took weeks to realize this, and after a factory reset it improved but shortly got worse again.
Most of my friends have either the SGS5, or the majority use Iphones (5s or 6). These have become my options as well, except that SGS5 and iP6 are larger than I'd like.
Enter the SG Alpha. My concern is long term support for this phone, and smooth operation without killing the battery or jerky throttled down operation. Would you say this phone works smoothly, and if you can compare to IOS phones? I really don't want to buy a Iphone, but most everyone tells me they just work and I'm tired of fighting, hacking and modifying Android (which hopefully doesn't sit too poorly in this forum ) I also like Widgets, and IOS does not have those.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alpha is best compact phone ,
Exynos 5430 is very fast and never lagged .
Phone is very fluid with Stock rom , and overall Best phone .
Camera is very superb overall , but average on low light . Video recording quality is mind blowing and Beyond imagination .
i was confused between Alpha and ip5s , but i choose Alpha ,
Main reason was Alpha has 32 gb . While 5s priced nearly same but only 16 gb .
and 32 gb was out of my budget .
if u have unlimited budget than u can go for iphone 6 64 gb too.
If not than go for Alpha
aldridgec said:
I've read and read, and looking for feedback from users who may be familiar with both platforms-the Samsung Alpha and the IPhone (5s or 6), hopefully that's not too taboo around here. I've always found XDA to be very helpful and objective, more so than random blog type reporting sites.
A little backstory: I've had a couple of bad phone purchases. Most of the problems are with the HTC models. I had a One X+, and that model wasn't supported for long due to it's mid-model upgrade chipset. it was powerful, but was often very very hot, so much so that plugged in and using navigator it would shut down. Not plugged in it would kill battery very quickly. The One came out short time later and HTC announced One X+ would not longer be updated. I hate the trend for bigger and bigger phones, I really like to use with one hand. I invested in HTC One Mini, thinking it was very similar to full size (M7) model, especially from initial (seemingly biased) reviews now. Initially it seemed fine, but after installing a few apps it's very slow and jerky most of the time. Especially long lag between apps, attributed mostly to it's small RAM size of 1gig. It's a nicely made phone for the most part tho. It took weeks to realize this, and after a factory reset it improved but shortly got worse again.
Most of my friends have either the SGS5, or the majority use Iphones (5s or 6). These have become my options as well, except that SGS5 and iP6 are larger than I'd like.
Enter the SG Alpha. My concern is long term support for this phone, and smooth operation without killing the battery or jerky throttled down operation. Would you say this phone works smoothly, and if you can compare to IOS phones? I really don't want to buy a Iphone, but most everyone tells me they just work and I'm tired of fighting, hacking and modifying Android (which hopefully doesn't sit too poorly in this forum ) I also like Widgets, and IOS does not have those.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With this phone you cant go wrong on performance, i have it for a month now and i am amased how smooth and fast it works. Tried most of the functions that it offers and they work pretty fine, also like you, for me this size is the last acceptable one and it lays comfortably on the hand. Now i havent used an iphone, neither i will, but i can say for sure that it feels better than any apple products around i have had in my hands to test. Battery is good even for the 1860 maph that it has i can take out a day and a half or maybe two with 4 hours SOT, plus it is removable and its expected a new more powerfull one from Samsung. As for the android since you already have used a phone with it i really wouldnt go much deeper into it. So finally my opinion is that you should defenetly choose the alpha.
Sent from my SM-G850F using xda app-developers app
tileeq said:
With this phone you cant go wrong on performance, i have it for a month now and i am amased how smooth and fast it works. Tried most of the functions that it offers and they work pretty fine, also like you, for me this size is the last acceptable one and it lays comfortably on the hand. Now i havent used an iphone, neither i will, but i can say for sure that it feels better than any apple products around i have had in my hands to test. Battery is good even for the 1860 maph that it has i can take out a day and a half or maybe two with 4 hours SOT, plus it is removable and its expected a new more powerfull one from Samsung. As for the android since you already have used a phone with it i really wouldnt go much deeper into it. So finally my opinion is that you should defenetly choose the alpha.
Sent from my SM-G850F using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
I got my Nexus 9 32gb lte a few months ago from a local retailer (JBHIFI) and there has been a few issues that have since popped up and i'm looking for advice on what i should do. I should start out by saying that it was a floor model with literally nothing else besides the tablet. No charger, no box, no Htc manuals or warranty cards (i know what they look like thanks to my Htc one x and Htc one M9) but at half the retail price i thought it was a good deal. The screen looked good with very little backlight bleeding ( only at the top and bottom and you can't really tell if you're not looking for it) and the housing looked to be in good shape as well but after a few months the issues started to pop up. The first issue i noticed was the tablet gets pretty hot to the point where i can't touch it, I'm not sure if it's a nougat issue but i doubt it, it's specifically hot around the top half and there's a crunching sound when i press down around the top 1/4 of the tablet which leads me to believe the copper shield is having issues. Second issue is the battery life has also taken a pretty big hit, i used to be able to get 6+ hours sot (managed 7 hours once) and now I'm barely able to get 4 hours sot with it frequently only getting about 3 1/2 hours sot before i have to charge it. Third issue is the air bubbles in the corners of the screen. I've got 3 separate bubbles along the top of my nexus 9, one in the top left and one in the top right corner and a small strip very close to the right corner air bubble. I know i have consumer laws on my side in case JBHIFI decide to do nothing to help me and i could force the issue if i wanted to. I'd like to get it fixed but these issues are making me look at other options like a new tablet (not much to choose from though). Any advice would be a great help.
Cheers Mrbtree98
My advice (having one of the finicky ones for nearly 2 years) is to return it. I don't think mine has any actual hardware issues but requires frequent wipes (at least every 8-12 weeks) to avoid lag, freezes, and reboots. The back of the tab-near camera-does get hot especially when using Chrome but the bubble issue would concern me.
Tapatalk on Nexus 9
ritchea said:
My advice (having one of the finicky ones for nearly 2 years) is to return it. I don't think mine has any actual hardware issues but requires frequent wipes (at least every 8-12 weeks) to avoid lag, freezes, and reboots. The back of the tab-near camera-does get hot especially when using Chrome but the bubble issue would concern me.
Tapatalk on Nexus 9
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Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply. I went back to the store, spoke with the manager and they'll be taking it back with a full refund in the new year because of a massive hardware fault in his opinion. He asked if I could come back after the Christmas/Boxing Day madness which is fine with me. Thank you again for making up my mind on this.
I wish I could help with a suggestion for another tablet. The reason I still have mine is because I've found nothing better. I actually love the form factor, and when it's working well, the display is remarkable.
Tapatalk on Nexus 9
ritchea said:
I wish I could help with a suggestion for another tablet. The reason I still have mine is because I've found nothing better. I actually love the form factor, and when it's working well, the display is remarkable.
Tapatalk on Nexus 9
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Click to collapse
I loved my Nexus 9 when i got it but these issues have put a serious dampener on my love with the nexus line, Especially when I'm coming from the Nexus 7 2012 and the 2013 (2012 died from either a mobo failure or a nand failure but the thing served me and later my dad well. The 2013 was easily my best tablet experience to date and still is). Like you said the screen is amazing (minus the bubble issue) and i love the form factor, it's just a shame that google went with the "lets price everything higher" approach which screwed over Aussies with $1000+ Pixels. (128gb Pixel XL comes in at almost $1500) I'll be keeping an eye out on CES and MWC to see what comes out on the tablet scene but i'm hoping for a Galaxy Tab S3 to get announced or for Lenovo to come out with something amazing as they're really the only players in the Australian market outside of windows 2 in 1's from Asus, Hp, etc, Ipads and the Surface lineup.
ritchea said:
I wish I could help with a suggestion for another tablet. The reason I still have mine is because I've found nothing better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Likewise, (and I think most people who use the N9 share this opinion)
When it works, its great. Sadly.....it doesn't always work great, biggest reason for this is that its a 64-bit android with only 2 gigs of memory. thus, your memory is 90% of the time near full capacity.
(Which is why I find my OnePlus 3 for instance with its 6gb of memory a godsend. It might be overkill but atleast I never ever have issues apps force closing etc due to no more memory available)
mrbtree98 said:
I loved my Nexus 9 when i got it but these issues have put a serious dampener on my love with the nexus line, Especially when I'm coming from the Nexus 7 2012 and the 2013 (2012 died from either a mobo failure or a nand failure but the thing served me and later my dad well. The 2013 was easily my best tablet experience to date and still is). Like you said the screen is amazing (minus the bubble issue) and i love the form factor, it's just a shame that google went with the "lets price everything higher" approach which screwed over Aussies with $1000+ Pixels. (128gb Pixel XL comes in at almost $1500) I'll be keeping an eye out on CES and MWC to see what comes out on the tablet scene but i'm hoping for a Galaxy Tab S3 to get announced or for Lenovo to come out with something amazing as they're really the only players in the Australian market outside of windows 2 in 1's from Asus, Hp, etc, Ipads and the Surface lineup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My first nexus was the Nexus 5, after which I bought the N9. The N5 was a remarkable phone....the N9 also managed to kill my love for the nexus line.
Pixel kosts around € 950,- for the 32gb version and around € 1175,- for the 128gb version in Europa). Which translates to around 1000~ 1250 dollars. Still not as bad as 1500 dollars but I will never ever in my life lay down that much money for just a phone.
Now, as far as recommended tablets go. I cannot recommend Samsung (We have a Tab Pro here aswell), simple verdict on that. Its slow, sluggish, comes with far too many un-installable system junk apps and Samsung can F*** right off with their locked bootloaders, anti-flash policies, KNOX and instant-warranty void if attempt to flash remotely anything.
If I were to count I'd say our Samsung Tab came with atleast 3~4 news apps which it will try to shove down your throat. (As they are baked into the default launcher so you can't even remove or disable them)
Maybe Sony/Lenovo comes out with a good tablet. The only other good aspect about N9 is that it features only Google default apps and very little to no bloat. So its rather clean.
Never thought I'd say this but, If you really need a good tablet. Personally, I'd recommend just getting an iPad instead (Coming from someone who uses 100% Android at all times)
GiantAxe said:
Likewise, (and I think most people who use the N9 share this opinion)
When it works, its great. Sadly.....it doesn't always work great, biggest reason for this is that its a 64-bit android with only 2 gigs of memory. thus, your memory is 90% of the time near full capacity.
(Which is why I find my OnePlus 3 for instance with its 6gb of memory a godsend. It might be overkill but atleast I never ever have issues apps force closing etc due to no more memory available)
My first nexus was the Nexus 5, after which I bought the N9. The N5 was a remarkable phone....the N9 also managed to kill my love for the nexus line.
Pixel kosts around € 950,- for the 32gb version and around € 1175,- for the 128gb version in Europa). Which translates to around 1000~ 1250 dollars. Still not as bad as 1500 dollars but I will never ever in my life lay down that much money for just a phone.
Now, as far as recommended tablets go. I cannot recommend Samsung (We have a Tab Pro here aswell), simple verdict on that. Its slow, sluggish, comes with far too many un-installable system junk apps and Samsung can F*** right off with their locked bootloaders, anti-flash policies, KNOX and instant-warranty void if attempt to flash remotely anything.
If I were to count I'd say our Samsung Tab came with atleast 3~4 news apps which it will try to shove down your throat. (As they are baked into the default launcher so you can't even remove or disable them)
Maybe Sony/Lenovo comes out with a good tablet. The only other good aspect about N9 is that it features only Google default apps and very little to no bloat. So its rather clean.
Never thought I'd say this but, If you really need a good tablet. Personally, I'd recommend just getting an iPad instead (Coming from someone who uses 100% Android at all times)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only reason i'm looking at a Galaxy Tab right now is because my mum and step dad came to visit and they both have a galaxy s7 edge and the thing bloody flies so i'm hoping that carries over to a future Tab S3 release if it ever comes out but you're right about the bloatware damn things came packed full of crap I wouldn't use but I think Samsung have actually bothered to optimize their skin more than in the past (before they upgraded, they had a galaxy S3 3g 1gig ram version and a og note and those things were turds) but i'll wait and see what happens as i'm not rooting or running custom roms anymore except on my old htc one x. (i'm alpha testing cm13 on it and it's going ok but damn are there issues we need to iron out). I don't think Sony is going to be doing another tablet even thought the z3 compact and the z4 were really good tablets from user and reviewer reports just from the amount of time between releases. It's been well over 18 months since the z4 tablet came out so i'm thinking they've pulled out of the tablet arena because of how poorly their mobile division is doing at the moment. I'm wary on lenovo because my dad had a bad experience with one of their recent 8" yoga tabs. Thing would constantly freeze, lockup then dad would have to reboot it manually so not the best experience there from a hardware point but the software is pretty bare bones and stock like but with lenovo icons, you get the standard google suite of apps and some lenovo additions, some are good and some are horrible (why they changed the look of multitasking and put in their own gallary i don't know but they ruined the look of the os and did not follow material design at all) but they're a more budget option so you get what you pay for. Asus is out as they don't sell their zenpad line here in Australia but i wouldn't have gone there anyways as their update support is absolutely woeful and i think their bloatware situation is worse the Samsung considering they let anyone buy there way in to get their apps installed. I would have looked at a pixel c but it's out of stock at google and some eBay sellers are asking $1000+ so that's out. I'm not in a hurry to get a new tablet thanks to my dad giving me the nexus 7 2013 i gave him back so I've got something to use in the meantime until something comes out at CES or MWC.
GiantAxe said:
Likewise, (and I think most people who use the N9 share this opinion)
When it works, its great. Sadly.....it doesn't always work great, biggest reason for this is that its a 64-bit android with only 2 gigs of memory. thus, your memory is 90% of the time near full capacity.
totally agree
My first nexus was the Nexus 5, after which I bought the N9. The N5 was a remarkable phone....the N9 also managed to kill my love for the nexus line.
I've owned Galaxy Nexus, N4, N5, both N7's. So, the N9 killed any trust for HTC, not Nexus. I got my older son 6P as his N4 was ageing out. Great phone! Too big for my hands, though. As my N5 was slowing down, I bought a 5X (after replacing DH's i4S with one and discovered I liked it). My first android was a pandigital novel which still works. I then got a 10.1" Toshiba Thrive.
Never thought I'd say this but, If you really need a good tablet. Personally, I'd recommend just getting an iPad instead (Coming from someone who uses 100% Android at all times)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I even tried that as we had two in the family. I replaced older son's ipad 2 with Samsung Tab pro 12.2-both sons got one as they have 1000's of digital comics, and that tab was the best for that. Even after jailbreaking the iPad, it was far too restrictive for me. Loved the display on the iPad. I'm just really picky [emoji20]
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Well i took it back and the manager give me a full refund so that's the end of the nexus 9 experiment. Now to play the waiting game to see if any new tablets come out that are interesting.
Good luck.
Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk