Overall love - Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ Real Life Review

Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

So perhaps this review might be slightly contradictory to my other thread (Samsung Giving up or....). Only way to find out is to dive right in......
So I'm not here to praise or affiliate myself with a particular brand, what I mean is that some very much love Samsung and don't like any criticism, or others may disagree and that's fine (my words are just from my perspective). Everyone has there own likes, things they find useful, basically we are all different and that is just fine. Opinions from others that may follow are to be respected as we all won't share the same experience or views.
The Galaxy Note 10 got released in two variants oh wait no make that three, and yes I think this is a good idea (although price points i am not agreeable on).
However as the title suggests this little review is based on the model I have SM-N976b that's the Exynos 9825 5G variant.
Display: What we have is a 6.8" Dynamic Amoled Display and there is very little disputing it's best in class. From the vibrant colours to the deep blacks it really is a stunning screen. The punch-hole is symmetrical and really doesn't get in the way or my enjoyment (however some might not like, and find it distracting). I tend to appreciate larger displays (having recently purchased the Mate 20 X 5G 7.2") I was particularly pleased that Samsung decided to make the Display larger on the + variant. With it being a note , that is aimed at productivity and media 6.8" was/is a delight for me personally.
Performance: The performance of the 9825 is marginal if anything above the 9820 (used on the S10, S10+). However I get tired of the complaints, yes perhaps the 855 is marginally better in certain areas, it's not a huge gulf between the two that is going to dramatically affect the user experience. I have found it to be very fast and fluid and hasn't hindered my experience. Basically it performs as a flagship processor should. Very little complaints from me.
Functionality: We have the good old S-Pen and without a doubt it's still industry leading (Perhaps because not many oem's have decided to compete) however as a productivity tool it's fantastic (wether you use it not). I am not sold on the Harry potter waving the pen around, it's just a feature that I think Samsung could have left out & focused that time and resources in another area. However I get that they wanted to add something else to the pen, but I don't think many will be using it.
You have here with the Note 10+ a device that offers up great features as in improving DeX to be used as a virtual environment on a laptop (Some may benefit from this) link to Windows to provide that ecosystem and connection with your PC/Laptop. We also have Gamelink (Conning Soon) along with all the other things like app edge, dual window. So it really does offer up that fantastic functionality.
Battery: Well I have the Mate 20 X and with the 7.2" Display (all be it 1080p) it without a doubt lasts longer than the Note 10+, wouldn't say by a huge margin, I usually and can easily get 7hrs on the note, but with the X it can be 8+, but EMUI is more restrictive in app management. I think the Note could be better optimised and I'm sure with updates it will.
Camera: The cameras on the Note all be it just little improvements over the S-Line, they perform well in most areas, fall short in others. Yes you can say the P30 Pro or pixel are better, some areas yes they most certainly are, but even they fall short in let's say the video department, so as a balanced camera then yeah it's great and that is what I look for, if you want the best if everything Also buy the P30 Pro & Pixel and carry around 3 devices
Design: I think this is where Samsung spent a chunk of time, with the Display & rearrangement, all be it most certainly Q's from Huawei but that's not a negative thing and I absolutely love what Samsung have done here. It's a stunning device.
My Honest opinion: I was complaining slightly that Samsung perhaps could of should of done more and I still stand with that in certain areas. These are in the camera software, perhaps that 90hz (yes I don't think this was possible, due to the S-Pen), but would have been a nice option, but when you look at it, its an iterative improvement, but the areas of focus have been done well, and here we have a stunning productivity device that will make many users happy, but leave some disappointed as expectation, left us without some of the little things we are seeing from others not here on the note.
After using it now for 5 days I fully appreciate a nice and solid device that covers most areas well, but like any device falls short in others. I'm very happy with my purchase and I hope you all are to
Please feel free to add to this, or add in constructive criticism, it's all appreciated, just be respectful, and don't disregard others opinions (unless they are just rediculous).

Duncan1982 said:
So perhaps this review might be slightly contradictory to my other thread (Samsung Giving up or....). Only way to find out is to dive right in......
So I'm not here to praise or affiliate myself with a particular brand, what I mean is that some very much love Samsung and don't like any criticism, or others may disagree and that's fine (my words are just from my perspective). Everyone has there own likes, things they find useful, basically we are all different and that is just fine. Opinions from others that may follow are to be respected as we all won't share the same experience or views.
The Galaxy Note 10 got released in two variants oh wait no make that three, and yes I think this is a good idea (although price points i am not agreeable on).
However as the title suggests this little review is based on the model I have SM-N976b that's the Exynos 9825 5G variant.
Display: What we have is a 6.8" Dynamic Amoled Display and there is very little disputing it's best in class. From the vibrant colours to the deep blacks it really is a stunning screen. The punch-hole is symmetrical and really doesn't get in the way or my enjoyment (however some might not like, and find it distracting). I tend to appreciate larger displays (having recently purchased the Mate 20 X 5G 7.2") I was particularly pleased that Samsung decided to make the Display larger on the + variant. With it being a note , that is aimed at productivity and media 6.8" was/is a delight for me personally.
Performance: The performance of the 9825 is marginal if anything above the 9820 (used on the S10, S10+). However I get tired of the complaints, yes perhaps the 855 is marginally better in certain areas, it's not a huge gulf between the two that is going to dramatically affect the user experience. I have found it to be very fast and fluid and hasn't hindered my experience. Basically it performs as a flagship processor should. Very little complaints from me.
Functionality: We have the good old S-Pen and without a doubt it's still industry leading (Perhaps because not many oem's have decided to compete) however as a productivity tool it's fantastic (wether you use it not). I am not sold on the Harry potter waving the pen around, it's just a feature that I think Samsung could have left out & focused that time and resources in another area. However I get that they wanted to add something else to the pen, but I don't think many will be using it.
You have here with the Note 10+ a device that offers up great features as in improving DeX to be used as a virtual environment on a laptop (Some may benefit from this) link to Windows to provide that ecosystem and connection with your PC/Laptop. We also have Gamelink (Conning Soon) along with all the other things like app edge, dual window. So it really does offer up that fantastic functionality.
Battery: Well I have the Mate 20 X and with the 7.2" Display (all be it 1080p) it without a doubt lasts longer than the Note 10+, wouldn't say by a huge margin, I usually and can easily get 7hrs on the note, but with the X it can be 8+, but EMUI is more restrictive in app management. I think the Note could be better optimised and I'm sure with updates it will.
Camera: The cameras on the Note all be it just little improvements over the S-Line, they perform well in most areas, fall short in others. Yes you can say the P30 Pro or pixel are better, some areas yes they most certainly are, but even they fall short in let's say the video department, so as a balanced camera then yeah it's great and that is what I look for, if you want the best if everything Also buy the P30 Pro & Pixel and carry around 3 devices
Design: I think this is where Samsung spent a chunk of time, with the Display & rearrangement, all be it most certainly Q's from Huawei but that's not a negative thing and I absolutely love what Samsung have done here. It's a stunning device.
My Honest opinion: I was complaining slightly that Samsung perhaps could of should of done more and I still stand with that in certain areas. These are in the camera software, perhaps that 90hz (yes I don't think this was possible, due to the S-Pen), but would have been a nice option, but when you look at it, its an iterative improvement, but the areas of focus have been done well, and here we have a stunning productivity device that will make many users happy, but leave some disappointed as expectation, left us without some of the little things we are seeing from others not here on the note.
After using it now for 5 days I fully appreciate a nice and solid device that covers most areas well, but like any device falls short in others. I'm very happy with my purchase and I hope you all are to
Please feel free to add to this, or add in constructive criticism, it's all appreciated, just be respectful, and don't disregard others opinions (unless they are just rediculous).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not too much to add here.
Really great package!

Terrible speakers
Worst cellular connection to date
Bloatware
tethering feature is broken/lags

Pretty much fantastic in every aspect, minus four:
- terrible battery life (the worst I've ever had to my opinion, compared to Mate 9, Note 4 and Xperia Z1...)
- no high refresh rate display (and still annoying OLED motion blur)
- slow/unsecure unlocking (UDFS/front camera)
- Samsung's "OneUI" software is good overall, but has still strong geographic differences (in term of app availability, see goodlock software for exemple), and doesn't allow you to tweak your terminal to the extent to it should be possible (Galaxy Theme store (yerk!) should basically be Substratum (lite) + Synergy))

darkphoenix2012 said:
Terrible speakers
Worst cellular connection to date
Bloatware
tethering feature is broken/lags
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Click to collapse
It is really amusing to see how some complain about mainly, battery, speakers, camera and signal, to the grade of "terrible", "worst" etc, I have no complain at all, I come from a note 8, which indeed was an excellent device, and this note10+ is way better, in all aaspects, I did not have the 9, but I have heard always that it was just a little increment over the 8, any way, I am really, really pleased with my note10+, the best device I have had

winol said:
It is really amusing to see how some complain about mainly, battery, speakers, camera and signal, to the grade of "terrible", "worst" etc, I have no complain at all, I come from a note 8, which indeed was an excellent device, and this note10+ is way better, in all aaspects, I did not have the 9, but I have heard always that it was just a little increment over the 8, any way, I am really, really pleased with my note10+, the best device I have had
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Ditto x10!
Sent from my Note 10+ using Tapatalk

And would you guys say note 10+ over note 10?

tileeq said:
And would you guys say note 10+ over note 10?
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Click to collapse
As far as i'm concerned yes...
- battery life
- microSD
- TOF, even though still beta-like software for 3D scan, but works very well for blurring background photos (you can see it when comparing front cam and rear cam)
- larger screen, cause i love this (better for watching videos or multitasking)
I would always feel like i have a sub phone if i went note10 route but that's juste me
Downside is the weight of note10+, i find it kinda heavy in the hand.

Yeah, I absolutely love my note10+

I absolutely love my Note 10+. I wish I had pre-ordered, but I wasn't ready for an upgrade from my Note 8 yet.
I got the Aurora Glow (Snapdragon, Verizon US), mainly because it was the one that was readily available and I wouldn't have to wait. I thought I'd just slap a case on it and never have to look at it, but it turns out I love that crazy rainbow bastard and got a nice clear case. I'm averaging 7hrs of SOT (at highest resolution, no power savings, wifi/data, etc), I haven't had to "top up" during the day once since I got it. Sleep drain is almost non-existent...maybe 4-5% overnight (6-7hrs) with WiFi and bluetooth on. I do a lot of artwork on the fly, and this is even more of a workhorse than my Note 8 was. I do multi-layered (usually 12-20 layers) drawings in Medibang Paint at at least 600dpi and this glorious phone doesn't even stutter. AND (and I know a lot of you don't like it) I was psyched to see a screen protector pre-installed. I know it's a crappy one, but it was great to have while waiting for my "real" one to show up. Really small, but well-appreciated, inclusion. I don't even mind the loss of a headphone jack as much as I thought I would. My portable battery has the wireless charging built in (not that I've needed to use it yet), and I think the sound in the USB C headphones included is better than the ones I got with my Note 8.
My ONLY complaint is the camera. Photos look overly soft, and faces seem flattened out. My Note 8 took much better photos out of the box. At least, in my case, it definitely seems to be a software issue...because using GCam improves the photos dramatically. And it seems that Sammy has already released an update to address photo quality...I just have to wait for Verizon to push out the damn thing. I don't take pro photos or anything, 90% of my picture taking is my kids...but my Note 8 gave me much clearer photos of them running around than I've gotten from my 10+. That being said, I know there's a fix on the way so I'm not going to piss and moan too much about it. I look forward to really using the hell out of the camera once it's updated, especially night mode...I didn't have that on my Note 8.
All in all, nothing but love for this phone.

I perceive the photos to be better than those of my note8, yesterday an update mainly for the fingerprint and camera, became available for my note10+, I am yet to see what improvements it may yield

I was looking at a new Chinese flagship (Realme X2 Pro) but then got to play with Dex on a 10 - bought the Note 10+ dualSIM right there, coming from an S8+. Dex is just fantastic, on my Windows or Mac computers, with an additional 95W wall charger and a 100w USB C hub. Now the phone is fully integrated in my desktop workflow and part of the hub with other devices I own, and I love the ability to cut&paste from/to the phone from my main Windows machine. All other elements one comes to expect from a Samsung flagship are there of course, and video quality is excellent. Writing with the S-Pen on the Nebo App is enough for note taking - I can leave the iPad Pro at home for meetings. And Amazon Germany gave a unexpected $120 rebate, plus tax return from Amazon upon leaving the EU, got a great deal altogether. My S8+ lasted three years and thanks to this community is updated well, will now go to my wife.

3 Stars. The magic is lost. Nothing is special about the series anymore.
Call me jaded as someone who's owned every iteration since the Note 2, but this is not the best from the best that previous Note series enjoyed. Same cameras from S10. Would have liked a better tech that includes a seamless uninterruption of the screen. I can do without a social media whore cam or have a motorized selfie cam for those selfie whores. Also, could have used a speedier screen refresh rate found on the the cheaper One+. Otherwise, speed, battery life, features, all the best android has to offer. Nothing earth shattering and futuristic like the first time we saw the Note Edge or Note 5 or BT pen from note 9. Still has a hole in the screen. Still has a "just a refreshed design until next iteration" look. Screen size increased by a hair. Even diluted the brand by making a smaller Note. I usually go for the best but since I had the blue Note 9, I wanted something different and the Aura Blue is gorgeous but disappointed it only comes in 256gb, another ding against Samsung. Overall, 3 stars because the Note series is known for cutting edge and when you have a camera stolen from an older phone and when you decide to toss in a gimmicky AR camera that everyone used for the first minute and forget about but failed to work on the thing that everyone uses 90% of the time, the screen, like incorporate a 120 refresh rate or do away with the hole or notch, then you aren't living to the high standard that the Note series are known for and that its fanbase expects. You used to be able to say, look what my phone has that you don't. Reverse charging? woopty do. My S10 had that before you. 3 cameras? "Stereo" speakers? Well, my phone has a built in BT stylus. So, my cheaper Note 10 does too! *facepalm* We no longer have something special. Used to be we had it first and then it trickled to other devices. Now, it's the other way around.

The one and only phone, not a tablet, that has this unique feature, the spen, there is the "magic"

winol said:
The one and only phone, not a tablet, that has this unique feature, the spen, there is the "magic"
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Pay attention. You're wrong. We're reviewing the Note 10+. So this isn't the only phone with the s pen. If you pay attention, the diluted note 10 also has one as well as the upcoming note 10 lite. So it still stands, the magic is lost.

As this thread is about the 10+, I am referring to the note10+, so, you pay attention

winol said:
The one and only phone, not a tablet, that has this unique feature, the spen, there is the "magic"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
winol said:
As this thread is about the 10+, I am referring to the note10+, so, you pay attention
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Click to collapse
mod edit: removed unnecessarily rude comment

skoobz said:
mod edit: removed unnecessarily rude comment
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Please check your private messages. Remeber folks this is a fun hobby for us all. There's never a need to get fired up and taking jabs and low blows. If you're starting to get heated just log off and go do something else or keep scrolling.

Let me preface this by saying I am picky about my phones and this is one of the worst I have seen in years! If you have an old phone I can understand some of the upgrade but here are my thoughts coming well staying with a Note 10+. Never bought and returned a phone this quick. Returning before it is even released on Friday!!
Let's start with the good, well somewhat......
Screen: Once again Samsung delivers a world class screen. Best in brightness, color accuracy, etc etc everything like normal that they always produce in their flagships. Now for the downsize, the infamous 120hz screen refresh rate. Not worth it here. Smoother scrolling, sure but barely. I honestly don't even mind the 1080p and 120 hz just the need for the 120hz on a phone is overkill. Was gaming smoother sure, do I game much on my phone, no not really. The 240 touch response I can tell more of a difference and a worthy difference then the 120 hz refresh
Processing power: Phone is fast, minus animations. Photo processing, night mode shots are a big difference. Much faster in that aspect. Wish we saw little more ram and more storage though at this price
Battery: 5000 mah in this device makes it a little thicker but in my short one day of use it stood up pretty well to transferring apps and everything over and hard use for a few hours last night. Couldn't kill it
and now the bad
Camera: throw all the numbers at it and it will be great.... well not so fast. Main shooter in 12 or 108 mp mode cannot focus on anything. Piece of paper on desk in front of you, good luck. Zoom a few feet away from you, also good luck. 5x/10x/30x zoom is better then Note 10+ of course but how often are you going to use this? Everyday? Once a week? Once a month? Still not great quality (usable) at 10x or 30x really so no point in my book. 5x is crisp but falls off too much after that for me to use. Wide angle is same as note so no real improvement here. Camera also seems to make everything more saturated then I like as well almost to the point of unrealistic. The one and only thing the iPhone can do well and the note seems to be closer to that realistic representation then the Ultra.
Design: not that the design is bad but feels a tad on the chunkier side. Rounder edges do help but does not feel as sleek as nice to hold as note or even s10. Thicker as well to house that battery and camera module. Also worried about how scratched the module bump will become after months of abuse.
UI: Let me first say I hate Android 10/Samsung UI 2.0, I am still using 9 and the Ultra reminded me why. App animations are slow (yes can fix in dev options but still), quick replying to text or message in status bar is not instant like prior android generations. Don't know if this is an android 10 or Samsung UI 2.0 problem but seems like it should be an upgrade not a downgrade
Price: $1400 is a lot even for 2020. That is also only for 128 gb and 12 gb ram model. So no upgrade to ram compared to Note and a loss of half the storage compared to entry level note. Plan was to trade in note 10+ and pay $800 and it isn't worth that tp be honest. Not even close. Only foreseeable upgrades are little brighter screen and zoom lens. The rest is a downgrade to me or the same.
I will continue to use note 10+ until Note 20 maybe? Needs to have something better for the money it is going to cost though

Related

Artist Upgrading iPad1 - Nexus 10 or iPad4?

Ok I tried to cram the relevent information into the title, so people with the right advice might be able to help me out!
I am curently on an original iPad, that i have had for a couple years now. Now that xmas is coming up, I have been considering finally getting an upgrade, as this seems an oppurtune time!!
I mainly use my ipad for two things, reading on the kindle app, and drawing picture using a vector graphics program called iDraw (though I also have used sketchbook pro and artrage, etc, but lately vector graphics have been better for me).
I rarely (if ever) play games on the tablet (I have a wide array of consoles for gaming), and I watch movies on my laptop most of the time, although being able to output hi-def movies onto the big-screen tv would be handy on occasion.
I have looked into an android app called "infinite design" which seems to be exactly what I would need as far as drawing goes, so that fills the "artistry" niche for the time being. And it seems I can ignore the kindle apps (which I know both tablets have access to).
So I am stuck deciding between these two rather nice tablets. My personal pro's and con's being:
-iPad build quality and reliablity has already been proven, the nexus ... I've heard some faults like light leakage, which would be an absolute deal breaker considering what I use it for. Are the nexus faults an exception more than the rule?
-Android has much more interesting things to play with. I especially liked the idea of the "floating" apps, like LilypadHD and the app that allows a video to run in the foreground while you are using the webbrowser or similar ("Stick it!"? i think it was called). However, can the nexus 10 run these floating apps alongside other programs without causing lag issues and crashing?
-which reminds me that I also heard of some software crashes/freezes/reboots on nexus10s, although I have had a few of those on the iPad as well so this isnt a dealbreaker, as long as it gets fixed with firmware...
So yeh, any help or advice would be good guys just to let you know, I jailbroke the iPad as soon as I bought it before, and will likely jailbreak the new one if I get it, so this could be taken into consideration. Although if necessary I could also root the nexus, if there is an advantage to it. I have a galaxy s2 phone, but I never saw the need to root it (i did jailbreak my old iphone though).
ps. another thought, any advantage to having both an android phone and tablet? eg. connectivity etc? just occured to me it might help swing the decision, who knows!
Thanks anyway, to anyone who actually read all this
In regards to the art usage: the iPad 4's screen has better color reproduction (95% sRGB color gamut and 65% Adobe RGB gamut according to Anandtech).
Also as far as I know the Note 10.1's digitiser supports pressure sensitivity, which might be a bonus for you, so that might be worthy of consideration as well. However there is a stylus for the iPad which 'enables' pressure sensitivity by sending pressure data to specially optimised apps (Sketchbook included) through bluetooth, though I'm not sure how accurate that is.
Edit: The stylus is the Jot Touch.
okay like already mentioned:
i think the best for you would be the note 10.1, it has exactly the things which you need it to do. The stylus is perfect for artists as the feeling is almost like a real pen/brush etc.. btw it has wacom technology included (with the stylus) if u know what that is, then u know how superior that is to stylis mimicing pens on the ipad and other devices.
Yeh, I considered the note. Problem was, it didn't really wow me. Ignoring the whole touchwiz and other Samsung bloat ware id have to remove somehow, it's the same price as a nexus 10 but with less power and a worse screen.
The only advantage is the pressure sensitivity, but as I mostly work using vectors I don't really need this. I currently use a box wave stylus on my iPad, and will use similar in future I'm sure.
It seems the note will become obsolete quicker than the nexus, if only because I expect the nexus will continue getting support for longer. I might be wrong. Is a note 10.1-2 coming out?
I wasn't aware the ipad4 screen gave the best colour accuracy, that's pretty important to know thanks. Lots to think about
nirurin said:
Ok I tried to cram the relevent information into the title, so people with the right advice might be able to help me out!
I am curently on an original iPad, that i have had for a couple years now. Now that xmas is coming up, I have been considering finally getting an upgrade, as this seems an oppurtune time!!
I mainly use my ipad for two things, reading on the kindle app, and drawing picture using a vector graphics program called iDraw (though I also have used sketchbook pro and artrage, etc, but lately vector graphics have been better for me).
I rarely (if ever) play games on the tablet (I have a wide array of consoles for gaming), and I watch movies on my laptop most of the time, although being able to output hi-def movies onto the big-screen tv would be handy on occasion.
I have looked into an android app called "infinite design" which seems to be exactly what I would need as far as drawing goes, so that fills the "artistry" niche for the time being. And it seems I can ignore the kindle apps (which I know both tablets have access to).
So I am stuck deciding between these two rather nice tablets. My personal pro's and con's being:
-iPad build quality and reliablity has already been proven, the nexus ... I've heard some faults like light leakage, which would be an absolute deal breaker considering what I use it for. Are the nexus faults an exception more than the rule?
-Android has much more interesting things to play with. I especially liked the idea of the "floating" apps, like LilypadHD and the app that allows a video to run in the foreground while you are using the webbrowser or similar ("Stick it!"? i think it was called). However, can the nexus 10 run these floating apps alongside other programs without causing lag issues and crashing?
-which reminds me that I also heard of some software crashes/freezes/reboots on nexus10s, although I have had a few of those on the iPad as well so this isnt a dealbreaker, as long as it gets fixed with firmware...
So yeh, any help or advice would be good guys just to let you know, I jailbroke the iPad as soon as I bought it before, and will likely jailbreak the new one if I get it, so this could be taken into consideration. Although if necessary I could also root the nexus, if there is an advantage to it. I have a galaxy s2 phone, but I never saw the need to root it (i did jailbreak my old iphone though).
ps. another thought, any advantage to having both an android phone and tablet? eg. connectivity etc? just occured to me it might help swing the decision, who knows!
Thanks anyway, to anyone who actually read all this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
simple and straight forward advise, NOTE 10.1! dont even think of getting iPad 4 or Nexus 10! because NO, NO tablet on the Market can compete Note 10.1 in terms of sensitivity of S Pen!
(and btw, i own note 10.1 and Nexus 10)
bee55 said:
In regards to the art usage: the iPad 4's screen has better color reproduction (95% sRGB color gamut and 65% Adobe RGB gamut according to Anandtech).
Also as far as I know the Note 10.1's digitiser supports pressure sensitivity, which might be a bonus for you, so that might be worthy of consideration as well. However there is a stylus for the iPad which 'enables' pressure sensitivity by sending pressure data to specially optimised apps (Sketchbook included) through bluetooth, though I'm not sure how accurate that is.
Edit: The stylus is the Jot Touch.
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Click to collapse
iPad3 and 4 use a Samsung display so no need to hype it. The Samsung Nexus 10 display is the same quality or better and higher resolution.
---------- Post added at 09:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:24 AM ----------
nirurin said:
Yeh, I considered the note. Problem was, it didn't really wow me. Ignoring the whole touchwiz and other Samsung bloat ware id have to remove somehow, it's the same price as a nexus 10 but with less power and a worse screen.
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Click to collapse
Don't underestimate the Note 10.1. It's powerful and while the screen is lower resolution I prefer the colors, black level, white, uniformity, etc. over the Nexus 10. I own both.
Of the the three you mentioned, it's no contest.
#1 Galaxy Note 10.1
#2 Nexus 10
They have 2GB DRAM to run more capable paint programs such as TVPaint. Check out the full beta demo.
iPad4 is not even a consideration with only 1GB where you're limited to toyish Paper like apps and no proper Wacom digitizer pen.
nirurin said:
Yeh, I considered the note. Problem was, it didn't really wow me. Ignoring the whole touchwiz and other Samsung bloat ware id have to remove somehow, it's the same price as a nexus 10 but with less power and a worse screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Note 10.1 on stock JB is plenty fast. It's the only tablet on the market with an inductive (vs. capacitive) display which is crucial to drawing. It's got a Wacom digitizer with 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity and palm rejection. It also has an optional drawing pen with an eraser built in to it. The display on the Note is quite good in terms of brightness, contrast and color reproduction. The only thing lacking is PPI. Two advantages of the lower-res display are app compatibility (do you know the drawing programs you want to use even work on the N10?) and far better battery life. And some of that "bloatware" is quite useful like multiview, S-Note, AllShare Play and Cast, and Color Picker which lets you pick a pen color from a photo and Pen Chooser which lets you toggle between different pens you've set without opening settings each time. You're the first person I've seen who needs a pen to dis the Note. For someone who could care less about the pen and the Note's additional features the N10 is a better value.
There are tons of artists using the Note. Here's a thread you might find interesting.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1861201
BarryH_GEG said:
The Note 10.1 on stock JB is plenty fast. It's the only tablet on the market with an inductive (vs. capacitive) display which is crucial to drawing. It's got a Wacom digitizer with 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity and palm rejection. It also has an optional drawing pen with an eraser built in to it. The display on the Note is quite good in terms of brightness, contrast and color reproduction. The only thing lacking is PPI. Two advantages of the lower-res display are app compatibility (do you know the drawing programs you want to use even work on the N10?) and far better battery life. And some of that "bloatware" is quite useful like multiview, S-Note, AllShare Play and Cast, and Color Picker which lets you pick a pen color from a photo and Pen Chooser which lets you toggle between different pens you've set without opening settings each time. You're the first person I've seen who needs a pen to dis the Note. For someone who could care less about the pen and the Note's additional features the N10 is a better value.
There are tons of artists using the Note. Here's a thread you might find interesting.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1861201
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Click to collapse
Ok in hindsight, I may have been quick to write-off the note10, at the time of posting I was on a break at work and rather tired haha. One of the reasons I was thinking of avoiding the note was its age... I thought it had been released long enough ago that it would be soon due an update. However, I just checked... and it only came out mid-august... so I think I must have been thinking of the note phones.
Even though I currently do not use pressure sensitivity at all... this doesn't mean it wouldnt be a good idea for me to start incorporating it, I dont want to get stuck in my ways or anything!!
In which case, does the note10 have the power and ability to multi-task floating apps (chat and/or videos) while running drawing programs? If so... I may have to look into places that are doing deals on the note. As of my last look, it was selling for the same price as the nexus10, which is why I thought the nexus was the better "bang for the buck"...
The reason I'm looking at new powerful devices is because I want this to be future-proofed against anything I might need it for for the next couple of years (the same amount of time my trusty ipad1 lasted me). I figured I was safe with the nexus, because of the custom ROMS that would be made for it, with it being the main tablet release of the season.
edit: turns out that, while both the basic Note and the basic Nexus are retailing at £319, I am possibly able to get the note for £279... which means a decent case and any cable accessories are essentially "free"... Which is a big plus.
I need to find some information on the quality of the screen, as it is relatively very low resolution compared to the competition.. barely more than my original iPad1 in fact?
edit 2: unfortunatly, I can only get it in white for that price lol. Shame.
edit 3: hmm... Seems I can also get a white note 10.1 for £253, as long as I also buy a case with it (which I always intended to anyway)... so this seems a bargain as long as they sell a decent case... the white ones must look horrible though, if its the only ones anyone is selling off cheap!!
If you can wait a good half year I'm sure a 2560*1600 Note will come out, hopefully around 12", which would be the perfect buy, but personally I just can't wait to get my hands on the Nexus 10. If drawing is important, go for the Note, there's no real alternative.
BoneXDA said:
If you can wait a good half year I'm sure a 2560*1600 Note will come out, hopefully around 12", which would be the perfect buy, but personally I just can't wait to get my hands on the Nexus 10. If drawing is important, go for the Note, there's no real alternative.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is true, though money is also a factor, and I have now found a "grey" (least its not bright white, though I may have to check it out in store sometime) note 10.1 for £268. Which isn't bad.
Its just whether I would rather spend £50 more, and get nexus. A screen thats got twice the resolution, and a significantly faster processor, would mean being safely future proofed. I'll have to decide just how much the pressure-sensitivity is worth to me..
As someone else mentioning in above, if drawing with pen is important factor for you, I believe neither Nexus 10 or iPad 4 may be the best answer. I am not familiar with drawing but Vector drawing may not require high accuracy/pen-paper feeling, if so I believe Nexus 10 or iPad 4 be great as they have phenomenal screen resolution to display your art.
Otherwise, two options:
1. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
It has inductive pen technology i.e. you can get the feeling of pen and paper. Downside is screen resolution. Though coming from original iPad, you will unlikely to notice the screen resolution difference. So it may be ok. Otherwise, very stable and speedy device.
2. Samsung Ativ Smart PC
This is Windows 8 Atom processor based tablet. It comes with Wacom stylus, runs real windows 8 i.e. you should be able to run most of windows native software, and if you like you can buy optional keyboard to make it to like real laptop. The downside with this is price - expensive even considering 64GB internal storage. Windows 8 is great for legacy program, but tablet wise still lacking application. Screen resolution is essentially same as Galaxy Note 10.1 i.e. not the level of Nexus 10 or iPad 4.
HoushaSen said:
As someone else mentioning in above, if drawing with pen is important factor for you, I believe neither Nexus 10 or iPad 4 may be the best answer. I am not familiar with drawing but Vector drawing may not require high accuracy/pen-paper feeling, if so I believe Nexus 10 or iPad 4 be great as they have phenomenal screen resolution to display your art.
Otherwise, two options:
1. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
It has inductive pen technology i.e. you can get the feeling of pen and paper. Downside is screen resolution. Though coming from original iPad, you will unlikely to notice the screen resolution difference. So it may be ok. Otherwise, very stable and speedy device.
2. Samsung Ativ Smart PC
This is Windows 8 Atom processor based tablet. It comes with Wacom stylus, runs real windows 8 i.e. you should be able to run most of windows native software, and if you like you can buy optional keyboard to make it to like real laptop. The downside with this is price - expensive even considering 64GB internal storage. Windows 8 is great for legacy program, but tablet wise still lacking application. Screen resolution is essentially same as Galaxy Note 10.1 i.e. not the level of Nexus 10 or iPad 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the idea, but the Ativ is way too expensive, pretty much 3x the cost of the Note. I am but a poor boy, from a poor family... (insert head banging music here)...
I use vectors because it makes it easier to resize and edit work afterwords (compared to bitmap images). The reason the pen doesnt matter for the iPad, is because you can use a "Pen" tool, essentially dragging and dropping and editing lines, without directly drawing them. This is accurate, though a little time consuming, though because of the constant zooming in-and-out that you need to do for fine detail work it works out for the best.
Having the S-Pen is not a selling point to me exactly... but if it works well, and I learn to use it, it can only improve my overall work... and that would make it worth the money in itself.
One issue with capacitive screens was the accuracy, as even stylus' need to be around fingertip-size in order to register. If the S-Pen is much more "pointy" (i will need to investigate this) then it would immediately be helpful... much less zooming in and out to get accurate lines...
nirurin said:
Thanks for the idea, but the Ativ is way too expensive, pretty much 3x the cost of the Note. I am but a poor boy, from a poor family... (insert head banging music here)...
I use vectors because it makes it easier to resize and edit work afterwords (compared to bitmap images). The reason the pen doesnt matter for the iPad, is because you can use a "Pen" tool, essentially dragging and dropping and editing lines, without directly drawing them. This is accurate, though a little time consuming, though because of the constant zooming in-and-out that you need to do for fine detail work it works out for the best.
Having the S-Pen is not a selling point to me exactly... but if it works well, and I learn to use it, it can only improve my overall work... and that would make it worth the money in itself.
One issue with capacitive screens was the accuracy, as even stylus' need to be around fingertip-size in order to register. If the S-Pen is much more "pointy" (i will need to investigate this) then it would immediately be helpful... much less zooming in and out to get accurate lines...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3x price is Ativ Smart Pro. I am talking about Ativ PC, which is Atom processor not i5. It is 649 without keyboard dock. Cons against Pro is inferior CPU/GPU, no Full HD screen, 2GB memory instead of 4GB. However, it has its benefit which are long battery life, relatively light weight.
But if you don't need Spen/Wacom, I think you can't go wrong with either Nexus 10 or iPad 4. It's really depends on what ecosystem you like. If you really have very specific task/goal you like to achieve, and it already works well on iOS platform, I say stick with it as it saves you money if you already own apps for it.
Personally, I needed more flexibility than iOS so went to Android. Now I saw even more flexibility option available i.e. real windows, so I jumped on it.
HoushaSen said:
3x price is Ativ Smart Pro. I am talking about Ativ PC, which is Atom processor not i5. It is 649 without keyboard dock. Cons against Pro is inferior CPU/GPU, no Full HD screen, 2GB memory instead of 4GB. However, it has its benefit which are long battery life, relatively light weight.
But if you don't need Spen/Wacom, I think you can't go wrong with either Nexus 10 or iPad 4. It's really depends on what ecosystem you like. If you really have very specific task/goal you like to achieve, and it already works well on iOS platform, I say stick with it as it saves you money if you already own apps for it.
Personally, I needed more flexibility than iOS so went to Android. Now I saw even more flexibility option available i.e. real windows, so I jumped on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well £649 is still more than double the Note10.1 price (I can get it for £268 at the moment), and I already have a very nice laptop for the high-end stuff
I bought the iPAd back when I had an iphone3GS. Now though, I have a GalaxyS2... so it almost seems fitting to try out an android tablet. And the multi-windows support and dual-view on the Note looks much more interesting than the same-old iOS stuff that I'm already used to. Even jailbroken, theres only so much you can do with an iPad (I should know, ive done it already!)
As long as the android tablets arent inherantly broken in some way (I keep hearing about issues with light leakages and stuff on the nexus, but might just be from a bad batch), I am more tempted by the android side of things. There might be less apps at the moment, but it will catch up soon enough, and the ability to play around with widgets etc makes it seem more interesting as a day-to-day tool.
True, I will be losing out on... maybe £20-£30 of apps from the apple store. But some of those were bought months ago, and in the scheme of things its not much of a big deal. If I ever go back to an iPad 5 or 6 in the future, they will still be there for me (I assume).
edit: didnt finish my point. If the androids are both well built ect, it seems I will go for one of them. And because of the price, the multi-view, and the potential benefit of the SPen, the Note is currently edging ahead slightly.
nirurin said:
Well £649 is still more than double the Note10.1 price (I can get it for £268 at the moment), and I already have a very nice laptop for the high-end stuff
I bought the iPAd back when I had an iphone3GS. Now though, I have a GalaxyS2... so it almost seems fitting to try out an android tablet. And the multi-windows support and dual-view on the Note looks much more interesting than the same-old iOS stuff that I'm already used to. Even jailbroken, theres only so much you can do with an iPad (I should know, ive done it already!)
As long as the android tablets arent inherantly broken in some way (I keep hearing about issues with light leakages and stuff on the nexus, but might just be from a bad batch), I am more tempted by the android side of things. There might be less apps at the moment, but it will catch up soon enough, and the ability to play around with widgets etc makes it seem more interesting as a day-to-day tool.
True, I will be losing out on... maybe £20-£30 of apps from the apple store. But some of those were bought months ago, and in the scheme of things its not much of a big deal. If I ever go back to an iPad 5 or 6 in the future, they will still be there for me (I assume).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well sounds like your mind is set to Android ecosystem, which is great. I personally love it. Multiwindow support of Galaxy Note 10.1 is great concept but just to warn you. It is not true multitasking i.e. if you think about doing your Vector thing, or even play game and browse, that won't work. Simply because Multitasking on Note 10.1 is limited to selected applications which are browser, S-note, Video, email etc. But not every apps. But considering hardware limitation and 10.1 inch screen, I think it's reasonable to have selected app to be supported. Personally, the biggest sales point of Note 10.1 was its stability, speed, and S-pen.
If you need true multitasking, you need Windows Tablet, but if you are from iPad I am certain it is not your top priority. By the way, I don't know Euro. But Ativ Smart PC 64GB sells $649 here in US and Galaxy Note 10.1 32GB sells for $499 thus total price difference is US$150. Again whether the cost difference is worth or not depends on your use.
mi7chy said:
iPad3 and 4 use a Samsung display so no need to hype it. The Samsung Nexus 10 display is the same quality or better and higher resolution.
---------- Post added at 09:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:24 AM ----------
Don't underestimate the Note 10.1. It's powerful and while the screen is lower resolution I prefer the colors, black level, white, uniformity, etc. over the Nexus 10. I own both.
Of the the three you mentioned, it's no contest.
#1 Galaxy Note 10.1
#2 Nexus 10
They have 2GB DRAM to run more capable paint programs such as TVPaint. Check out the full beta demo.
iPad4 is not even a consideration with only 1GB where you're limited to toyish Paper like apps and no proper Wacom digitizer pen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I'm sure you are aware, we weren't talking about who manufactured the displays, but rather about their quality. If you take your time to watch or read any review which compares the iPad 4's display to the N10's one, you will see that the iPad's color reproduction is visibly better. Now also while RAM might matter in the comparison of Android devices, the iPad runs a quite different OS and I'm pretty sure the 'only' 1GB RAM wouldn't be a bottleneck for these apps; it would probably be memory bandwidth and CPU power.
This said I have just placed my order on a Nexus 10 and I strongly prefer Android to iOS, yet I have to admit that the iPad has it's strengths as well (I've actually been considering getting an iPad 4 instead of the N10 because of the superior app selection, but as I love my SGS3 and Android itself I've decided to get the N10 and just hope that more tablet apps will start to appear for Android).
HoushaSen said:
Well sounds like your mind is set to Android ecosystem, which is great. I personally love it. Multiwindow support of Galaxy Note 10.1 is great concept but just to warn you. It is not true multitasking i.e. if you think about doing your Vector thing, or even play game and browse, that won't work. Simply because Multitasking on Note 10.1 is limited to selected applications which are browser, S-note, Video, email etc. But not every apps. But considering hardware limitation and 10.1 inch screen, I think it's reasonable to have selected app to be supported. Personally, the biggest sales point of Note 10.1 was its stability, speed, and S-pen.
If you need true multitasking, you need Windows Tablet, but if you are from iPad I am certain it is not your top priority. By the way, I don't know Euro. But Ativ Smart PC 64GB sells $649 here in US and Galaxy Note 10.1 32GB sells for $499 thus total price difference is US$150. Again whether the cost difference is worth or not depends on your use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The cheapest I can find in the UK (on google anyway), ignoring eBay, is over £600. Not sure why this would be.
There is a thread on the Note forum where someone has made it possible to add the multi-window support to a lot of other apps by altering their .apk, in a fairly easy process. Probably wont work with every app, but still. Anyway, while I'm drawing the most I would want is a chat app running, and I believe LilypadHD does that as a floating app anyway? (though this works on the Nexus as well, no need for a Note for it.)
I dont plan to be playing games much anyway, if at all.
It seems the note has a fair few nice apps that samsung has put on it, and the pen itself of course. The only reason im still umming and ahhing is the Nexus; sexy high def screen and powerhouse of a processor.
Although if I'm not going to use it to its potential (eg gaming, i guess) then maybe its a waste.
nirurin said:
The cheapest I can find in the UK (on google anyway), ignoring eBay, is over £600. Not sure why this would be.
There is a thread on the Note forum where someone has made it possible to add the multi-window support to a lot of other apps by altering their .apk, in a fairly easy process. Probably wont work with every app, but still. Anyway, while I'm drawing the most I would want is a chat app running, and I believe LilypadHD does that as a floating app anyway? (though this works on the Nexus as well, no need for a Note for it.)
I dont plan to be playing games much anyway, if at all.
It seems the note has a fair few nice apps that samsung has put on it, and the pen itself of course. The only reason im still umming and ahhing is the Nexus; sexy high def screen and powerhouse of a processor.
Although if I'm not going to use it to its potential (eg gaming, i guess) then maybe its a waste.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow $600 for Ativ Smart PC is definitely a lot... Wonder if the price is raised from retail due to short supply. In any event, Note 10.1 is phenomenal device. Nexus 10 is great device as well and I seriously put a thought onto it before. It is great but at the same time unfortunate that in this era of tablet, there are so many options yet no system is perfect/completely superior to others. Nexus 10 IS unfortunately not my choice (note it is present tense as may change in the future) because of lack of microSD, keyboard dock, and Wacom digitizer. I had to return Note 10.1 only because of lack of screen resolution, which I did not notice if I went straight from iPad 2 to Note 10.1. But I had Infinity in between so Full HD resolution was just too hard to give it up.
If you don't play game, the time you will notice the difference in resolution is reading text e.g. kindle, browser etc. The text is just so much more crisp. You just really need to list the features that you want, and the purpose of the tablet you are using for. Because you will unavoidably have to make a comprise to one or two features. In my case with Ativ Smart PC, I am compromising screen resolution, and some tablet optimized application availability. I'm looking forward to Surface Pro, but even with it I am compromising battery life, and weight.... Good luck on your search.
Note 10.1 please don't east your time with the others they don't have a digitizer surface for wacom pressure sensative pens.
And the Res does not matter because you will zoom in and out. I own a wacom tablet and it nothing like my nexus 10 for sketching.
The only pen option you have for I pad and nexus is the go smart stylus has a spring ed tip
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
mi7chy said:
Of the the three you mentioned, it's no contest.
#1 Galaxy Note 10.1
#2 Nexus 10
They have 2GB DRAM to run more capable paint programs such as TVPaint. Check out the full beta demo.
iPad4 is not even a consideration with only 1GB where you're limited to toyish Paper like apps and no proper Wacom digitizer pen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello guys,
I have a nexus 10 and like it, but for painting/drawing, imo it is crap compared to an ipad.
Try signing your name as quickly as you normally would. You will hardly be able to recognise your handwriting. The nexus 10 samples the stylus position way too infrequently, and the "tweening" that takes place, drastically smooths out the direction of your stylus strokes.
Ive tried Sketchpad, Infinite Paint, Gnotes, other painting tools, and they all suffer the same problem.
My SGS3 is a LOT better as is my wife's i****e 4s.
David Hockey created huge wall murals for his amazing exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art this year. They were done on an ipad... so at the moment, I would say iPad is superior for painting. Nexus 10 is crap and I have no experience of the tweening problem on the Note 10.1.
Mark.

Galaxy A3 2017 experience after 2 days

Hi Everyone,
I thought I'd share some thoughts on this device after having purchased it yesterday afternoon.
I bought this phone because I felt it was the first device that gave me what I had been craving for a long time - an Android version of the iPhone 6s. I like the size, build and feel of the iPhone 6s/7, but not the software or the price.
I think I am in the minority of people who prefer a smaller handset, and even though Android devices tend to fit a lot more screen real estate into smaller bodies, I still feel that the 4.7in screen size is ideal for me.
The only phones that run Android of that size have been the Xperia compact line, and the Galaxy Alpha/A3 2016 models. There have been others, but only these have come close. Unfortunately, they have suffered compromised designs and specs that have left me wanting (I have owned them all, and this is my opinion which others are free to disagree with).
This new handset, however, has me ticking a lot of boxes.
- Size is fantastic. Just a little smaller than the iPhone 6s, and feels great in the hand. Premium materials, solid build quality, great ergonomics, clicky buttons, no camera hump.
- The display is good, not awesome, but vibrant and colourful without being too over the top. Can be tweaked to each user's preference, and gets both very bright and very dim.
- fingerprint scanner is fast and accurate.
- Camera is good, not amazing. An iPhone definitely trounces this setup, but I paid £280 sim free and my usage is not too demanding so it's absolutely fine for me. Daytime shots are actually very pleasant and I think here it punches above its weight; low light is where it struggles, but I feel that most shots at night are not too important for me so it's a compromise I'll happily make.
- Call quality is very good and it holds onto signal well in my area.
- Sound quality out of the side mounted speaker is actually surprisingly good, at least as good as an iPhone 6s. Headphone performance is also excellent .
- Performance has been nothing short of excellent. I feel we have reached a point where there are not that many tasks that we do that actually need a Snapdragon 821 to run smoothly - granted, some 3d games need serious power on tap to run at their highest settings on a quad HD screen, but with a 720p screen, the A3 2017 runs pretty much anything at best quality without delay or hiccup. And everyday operation is smooth as butter without any lag or slowdowns. Granted, this is very early days, but I am hopeful this will continue.
- Battery life is astounding. I charged it on Saturday night and hit 100% at 10.20pm. I took it off charger and only put it back on at 2% while writing this review and I had nearly 9 hrs and 30mins of screen on time over 1 day and 3 hours. That includes 64 mins of voice calls. Please note that I was home all day on Wifi, but still, I have never seen times like that, not least from a 2300 odd mah battery. Awesome. It also charges pretty fast.
- Other stuff - water proofing is great, finally have USB-C, charges really quickly with the included adaptive charging brick, finally has a blue light filter.
And now for the balance of the review:
- Slippery despite its size, so a case or a skin is advisable.
- 16gb of internal memory nearly broke the deal for me, but a 64gb card and some transferring of apps has left me with 3.8gb left to play with internally. Definitely not ideal and a very cheap move from Samsung, but I'm also hoping Nougat brings adoptable storage soon which will eliminate this as an issue (here's hoping!).
- No notification light is something I have to adjust to, but the always on display does help *somewhat* ( I prefer the light as it's something that alerts me from afar, whereas the display is on regardless of whether you have a notification or not).
- Camera as described above has some shortcomings.
- Usual Samsung software compromised with bloatware - lots of useless stuff on here that eats into that 16gb that I cannot delete (Microsoft suite, Samsung junk, usual duplicate apps that we all use the Google version of). I'll keep trying the usual routes to rid the phone of this but I may have to wait a while.
Other than these points, I am really pleased. It feels nice to have paid relatively little for a device that feels so premium. I know there are other phones at relatively low prices that kill this on specs (OP3, Axon 7, Honor 8, etc) but they are generally much bigger handsets, so for anyone looking at something smaller, this is a great buy.
TL;DR, it's great, buy one if you like small phones ?
I always wanted a phone with an small amoled screen and water proofing so i jumped ship from the huge mate 8 to witch i am comparing. I agree with your pros but i found: 1-the camera is average and lacking OIS (need very stable hands), 2- cannot use sd card as default storage (very handy on mate 8), 3- phone very slippery, 4- Design and Screen of a3 2016 seemed better (personal opinion), 5- no stutter but little slow (comparing to mate 8). Only lacks IR blaster to check all boxes but we can't have everything.
Great feedback, thanks guys.
You mentioned not display is good but not awesome, could you elaborate? Is issue clarity or something else? Thanks.
Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk
mario24601 said:
Great feedback, thanks guys.
You mentioned not display is good but not awesome, could you elaborate? Is issue clarity or something else? Thanks.
Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from a larger phone with a quad HD screen, it's never going to look as dazzlingly sharp, but on a 4.7 inch screen 720p still looks great and it is perfectly sharp and clear - if you've ever seen an iPhone screen, this feels much the same. Colours can be adjusted to your preference - I prefer accurate rather than punchy, but you can set it to either or somewhere in between.
I've had everything from a galaxy s6 which has crazy high pixel density to a Moto x, and personally I prefer the 720p smaller screen because it's far more efficient and I don't notice the pixel density difference after an hour or two.
Hope this helps.
Sunil_Kaura said:
Coming from a larger phone with a quad HD screen, it's never going to look as dazzlingly sharp, but on a 4.7 inch screen 720p still looks great and it is perfectly sharp and clear - if you've ever seen an iPhone screen, this feels much the same. Colours can be adjusted to your preference - I prefer accurate rather than punchy, but you can set it to either or somewhere in between.
I've had everything from a galaxy s6 which has crazy high pixel density to a Moto x, and personally I prefer the 720p smaller screen because it's far more efficient and I don't notice the pixel density difference after an hour or two.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk
Thanks for sharing this. I am also very happy with this phone so far. It's my second day with it, the battery is at 39% with 4h45 sot and 1d3h total since unplugged. In a night of 9 hours, the phone just lost 3%.
I have noticed though that wifi is constantly detected as running by betterbatterysats, even if it's turned off. Any idea how to fix this?
patci32 said:
I have noticed though that wifi is constantly detected as running by betterbatterysats, even if it's turned off. Any idea how to fix this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you checked in Settings -> Connections -> Location?
There are some wifi settings behind it (in location method and improve accuracy) you can deactivate.
F157 said:
Have you checked in Settings -> Connections -> Location?
There are some wifi settings behind it (in location method and improve accuracy) you can deactivate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, I didn't know. Thanks, I hope this works.
---------- Post added at 01:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:33 PM ----------
F157 said:
Have you checked in Settings -> Connections -> Location?
There are some wifi settings behind it (in location method and improve accuracy) you can deactivate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, could you please tell me if you use other settings to improve your battery life?
patci32 said:
Indeed, I didn't know. Thanks, I hope this works.
---------- Post added at 01:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:33 PM ----------
Also, could you please tell me if you use other settings to improve your battery life?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mm, nothing special yet, as I'm really happy with battery life so far.
What I did in the past with other devices is for example use the app greenify (needs root) to hibernate apps you don't want to run in the background.
Also, something that really helped me with my old s4 mini was to set mobile network to 2g, and only switch to lte once required.
And as always, use wifi instead of mobile network as often as possible, disable Bluetooth if not needed, etc.
£280?!?! That's highway robbery for a device with 720p, small battery and everything in budget-range. You get this, all the bells and whistles for £150 with a well known Chinese brand. Now I know why I'd never ever get a Slamsug.
iMaterial said:
£280?!?! That's highway robbery for a device with 720p, small battery and everything in budget-range. You get this, all the bells and whistles for £150 with a well known Chinese brand. Now I know why I'd never ever get a Slamsug.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please could you elaborate on one of these phones that you can get for £150? I'm pretty clued up but if I've missed something I'd be keen for you to share what you've found for myself and the community - my mother needs a new phone so if you've seen something better than the A3 for less I'd love to buy it
Sunil_Kaura said:
Please could you elaborate on one of these phones that you can get for £150? I'm pretty clued up but if I've missed something I'd be keen for you to share what you've found for myself and the community - my mother needs a new phone so if you've seen something better than the A3 for less I'd love to buy it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which stats are you looking for? Battery? Screen res? SoC power?
Compare, with €150 phones, battery, res, SoC, well anything really part from 10 mm in size.
iMaterial said:
Which stats are you looking for? Battery? Screen res? SoC power?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I'm referring to your comment that you could get a better phone for £150, so I guess I'm wondering what phone you are saying is better for that price...
The battery life of the A3 is epic, the PPI is still perfectly decent (720p on 4.7 inches is still perfectly usable and arguably 1080p is unnecessary) and the SoC is both fat and frugal.
So really I'm wondering whether you can get something the same or better for less money
I'd be happy with an alternative with same form factor. Any recommendations? The A3 still not available in US.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
mario24601 said:
I'd be happy with an alternative with same form factor. Any recommendations? The A3 still not available in US.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
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4.5 to 4.7" screen, 720p res. 2015 - today, only 4-5 options comes up.
http://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2015&nHeightMax=135&nDisplayResMin=921600&fDisplayInchesMin=4.5&fDisplayInchesMax=4.7
Only A3, Sony X and Z5 compact, Xiaomi Redmi 2 Pro has enough RAM, battery and goodies. LG Spirit and Alcatel Idol 3 only has 1 GB and 1.5 GB RAM, not really a viable option.
Sunil_Kaura said:
Well I'm referring to your comment that you could get a better phone for £150, so I guess I'm wondering what phone you are saying is better for that price...
The battery life of the A3 is epic, the PPI is still perfectly decent (720p on 4.7 inches is still perfectly usable and arguably 1080p is unnecessary) and the SoC is both fat and frugal.
So really I'm wondering whether you can get something the same or better for less money
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The Redmi 4 Pro can be had for €150 and its battery life is Epic also, the Redmi 3 Pro is way better than A3 and Redmi 4 Pro, with 720p but alas 5". Redmi note 3 is also really good, for even less than €150. Samsung is priced at least £100 than it should, but the same can be said about Sony and Apple also.
iMaterial said:
4.5 to 4.7" screen, 720p res. 2015 - today, only 4-5 options comes up.
http://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2015&nHeightMax=135&nDisplayResMin=921600&fDisplayInchesMin=4.5&fDisplayInchesMax=4.7
Only A3, Sony X and Z5 compact, Xiaomi Redmi 2 Pro has enough RAM, battery and goodies. LG Spirit and Alcatel Idol 3 only has 1 GB and 1.5 GB RAM, not really a viable option.
The Redmi 4 Pro can be had for €150 and its battery life is Epic also, the Redmi 3 Pro is way better than A3 and Redmi 4 Pro, with 720p but alas 5". Redmi note 3 is also really good, for even less than €150. Samsung is priced at least £100 than it should, but the same can be said about Sony and Apple also.
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I agree the Xiaomi phones are compelling - my main issue is the fact that they are all grey imports - many purchasers have reported that they do not get any warranty support whatsoever, they generally require a more experienced android user to side load the Google play store, and they have sketchy android skins which have also been reported to spy on their users.
Don't get me wrong, Touchwiz (or Grace UI as it's now known) is not exactly great, but I'd rather know I can walk into a Samsung store and get a problem fixed than rely on a Hong Kong based website for support.
I think it's only fair to compare this phone to what can be had in Europe, and in that regard, it blows the Sony X Compact, Alcatel and others out of the water.
And given its build quality and design, it's good value compared to phones that retail for double this cost.
Also, most Xiaomi phones don't come with NFC (no android pay), some don't have scratch resistant glass, no quick charging, etc
The A3 also uses a processor built on the 14nm process which is up to date technology, whereas the Xiaomi phones at that price point use outdated processors like the 650 and 616.
The 14nm process is what gives the A3 it's great battery life without needing a 4000mAh battery and heavier construction.
A final point - check out the videos of the Redmi note 3 bend test - not encouraging! (I will add the Redmi 3 pro did significantly better though which is good progress).
Sunil_Kaura said:
I agree the Xiaomi phones are compelling - my main issue is the fact that they are all grey imports - many purchasers have reported that they do not get any warranty support whatsoever, they generally require a more experienced android user to side load the Google play store, and they have sketchy android skins which have also been reported to spy on their users.
Don't get me wrong, Touchwiz (or Grace UI as it's now known) is not exactly great, but I'd rather know I can walk into a Samsung store and get a problem fixed than rely on a Hong Kong based website for support.
I think it's only fair to compare this phone to what can be had in Europe, and in that regard, it blows the Sony X Compact, Alcatel and others out of the water.
And given its build quality and design, it's good value compared to phones that retail for double this cost.
Also, most Xiaomi phones don't come with NFC (no android pay), some don't have scratch resistant glass, no quick charging, etc
The A3 also uses a processor built on the 14nm process which is up to date technology, whereas the Xiaomi phones at that price point use outdated processors like the 650 and 616.
The 14nm process is what gives the A3 it's great battery life without needing a 4000mAh battery and heavier construction.
A final point - check out the videos of the Redmi note 3 bend test - not encouraging! (I will add the Redmi 3 pro did significantly better though which is good progress).
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Click to collapse
The Redmi 4 Pro that I bought for a friend in Jan has the 14 nm Snapdragon 625. I can agree that it might lack a few finishing touches, but I could buy it for €150 inc shipping from aliexpress and get it in 7-9 days. But it's half the price, and I know the Adreno is a better GPU than the Mali.
Both on the Xiaomi and the Slamsug, first thing I would do it TWRP and LAOS ROM, they can keep their crap TW and MIUI, can't stand it.
Never the less, it shouldn't be 2x the price for something that is almost inferior in some points and better on others. Esp not in 2017, maybe some years ago, but every day there are better and better phones for under €200, like the Moto G5 and such, only problem is they are so damn big, and big phones are 99/100 new that are coming out, these days, sadly.
iMaterial said:
The Redmi 4 Pro that I bought for a friend in Jan has the 14 nm Snapdragon 625. I can agree that it might lack a few finishing touches, but I could buy it for €150 inc shipping from aliexpress and get it in 7-9 days. But it's half the price, and I know the Adreno is a better GPU than the Mali.
Both on the Xiaomi and the Slamsug, first thing I would do it TWRP and LAOS ROM, they can keep their crap TW and MIUI, can't stand it.
Never the less, it shouldn't be 2x the price for something that is almost inferior in some points and better on others. Esp not in 2017, maybe some years ago, but every day there are better and better phones for under €200, like the Moto G5 and such, only problem is they are so damn big, and big phones are 99/100 new that are coming out, these days, sadly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't disagree there - it's frustrating how few phones there are under 5 inches available.
I will say though that besides the Xiaomi phones which look to have a nice build, the Moto G4 is very cheap feeling, as are most of the other phones available here in that price bracket, so I would happily pay a little more for a nice looking and premium feeling device.
If the Samsung we're £220 I think it'd sell by the bucket load as £20-40 above phones like the G4 would likely tempt many up, but at £280 I agree that it's a harder sell for the lay person.
I'm looking at from the other side - it's a mild compromise from an S7 or a iPhone 6s/7 , but it's half the price, rather than double that of a cheaper device.
And it absolutely looks and feels as good as a £5-600 phone.
Sunil_Kaura said:
Can't disagree there - it's frustrating how few phones there are under 5 inches available.
I will say though that besides the Xiaomi phones which look to have a nice build, the Moto G4 is very cheap feeling, as are most of the other phones available here in that price bracket, so I would happily pay a little more for a nice looking and premium feeling device.
If the Samsung we're £220 I think it'd sell by the bucket load as £20-40 above phones like the G4 would likely tempt many up, but at £280 I agree that it's a harder sell for the lay person.
I'm looking at from the other side - it's a mild compromise from an S7 or a iPhone 6s/7 , but it's half the price, rather than double that of a cheaper device.
And it absolutely looks and feels as good as a £5-600 phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are so many on this forum and in other places that airs the same frustration, so few options for a mobile ca 130mm lenght and 4.5 - 4.7" screen (720p at least), that I'm starting to wonder if we should do something about it, maybe talk to so manufacturer to make at least 1-2 phones under 5"
The Redmi 4 Pro I used for a few weeks felt no worse in build than the Iphone 6 or 6S I have tried a few times, both in metal around 140 - 145mm size. But for €310 I can get a Xiaomi Mi 5 with 820 and have €100 in change over. I have never held a Moto G, last Motorola I have tried was the 4.3" Razr Maxx and it felt solid as a rock.
The J5 goes for around €180-190 here and I see no reason why this smaller, entry level A3 shouldn't be priced in a similar fashion. These days due to deaths in the family and such I'm so poor that €100 is more than I can spare and my Android mobile that I have now is from 2012 or so, single core with 512 MB RAM and I hate every minute when I'm using it. I'm lucky to have been given a 2009 Sony Ericsson C901 as my main caller.
Just my 1¢ (It used to be 2¢, but due to the recession I've had to make cutbacks)
---------- Post added at 07:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:16 PM ----------
What annoys me a lot is also that this A3 is bigger than the A3 (2016) and the battery is only 50 mAh bigger. They could easily have put a 2500 - 2800 mAh battery in this one, just like the Sony Z3, Z5 or X compact, which is 5 mm smaller.
My last perfect phone was the original moto x. I still use it. I am not a power user but the X just needs lil more power but on cm13 it's not bad.
I don't even mind going with old phone as long as has some custom roms to improve performance.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are very nice but...

... the price! Those phones can't possibly be twice as good as the Axon 7 to justify such a price. I for one can't wait to see what the Axon 8 will look like. My wish list:
A screen a little bit bigger.
(Having used a 6.4" Z Ultra for a long time, I find the AX7's display rather limiting. And the trend is towards bigger displays anyway, as the S8 and S8+ demonstrate.)
Illuminated hardware keys.
(For ****'s sake how hard can that be?)
A camera a little bit better.
(A flash on the front camera and a dedicated camera button - like on Sony's phones - would not be bad ideas either).
Keep the speakers and sound quality!
(Absolutely don't mess with that, ZTE, it's absolutely perfect as is.)
Waterproof.
(I know speakers are hard to waterproof but the rest of the phone shouldn't die if it gets dropped in water.)
A bigger battery!!
(The battery is never big enough.)
That's about it! The rest of the AX7 is pretty close to perfection.
The only thing I agree with is the camera although the one in the Axon 7 is okay.
Illuminated buttons I don't like. I always kept them disabled on the Note 4.
What I'd improve is the vibration motor, which sucks and makes the phone feel cheap every single time I type a letter... It's too strong and makes an annoying audible sound.
Way overpriced.
How is this related to forum?
ГАСООП said:
How is this related to forum?
Click to expand...
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It's not, but also not forbidden.
Should be moved to general I think.
On topic now:
Seems like the actual improvements in the smartphone industry have decreased over the years, and so, most companies do whatever they brainstormed at the labs, and call it revolutionary and try to reinvent the wheel, year after year.
I don't like the S8, I personally think it's pointless.
Not to mention the fact that it's overpriced as hell.
Negligible differences over the S7.
Nothing major going for it really.
aLexzkter said:
Illuminated buttons I don't like. I always kept them disabled on the Note 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To each their own. If the illumination can be turned on and off, then everybody's happy.
I probably wouldn't consider touching the new Samsung devices with a ten foot pole.
As for the Axon 8, I agree with you about needing illuminated hardware keys, a (much) better set of cameras with their own dedicated flashes, the same or better audio quality, and waterproofing (because why not). I would also like an updated SOC, a screen with better viewing angles, and less proprietary crap going on. It kills me that this phone is handicapped on custom ROMs because ZTE wanted to use their own stuff rather than going with standard APIs (e.g. camera software).
Oh, don't get me wrong, the S8 looks like a nice (and gorgeous) device. Samsung always seems to do hardware right. Bixby might be good, but I generally assume most people I'll replace it with Google's offerings.
For $750? Fat chance. No way is a phone worth that. Hell, a person could spend just a bit more than the price on the Plus' tag to get any number of great computer components, the greatest laptop of the year, or something else actually worth close to one grand. I don't understand how these expensive phones continue to sell.
I also couldn't willingly choose a phone without official support for an unlocked bootloader.
Here's to hoping the next best thing comes along and actually fulfills the requirements of that title.
aLexzkter said:
The only thing I agree with is the camera although the one in the Axon 7 is okay.
Illuminated buttons I don't like. I always kept them disabled on the Note 4.
What I'd improve is the vibration motor, which sucks and makes the phone feel cheap every single time I type a letter... It's too strong and makes an annoying audible sound.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can turn down the vibrate in Gboard settings it doesn't suck it's too powerful
gtshiftin6 said:
You can turn down the vibrate in Gboard settings it doesn't suck it's too powerful
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I turned it all the way down and it's still way too powerful. And it makes a high-pitched sound like the phone is not well constructed.
PiArc said:
I would also like an updated SOC, a screen with better viewing angles, and less proprietary crap going on. It kills me that this phone is handicapped on custom ROMs because ZTE wanted to use their own stuff rather than going with standard APIs (e.g. camera software).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't know what you're talking about. The camera software can be used on LineageOS, first phone I have that can do that (LG G2 and Galaxy Note 4 couldn't)
Better viewing angles? It has the same display as the Galaxy S7, an amazing AMOLED screen, which have the best viewing angles possible. And this is not even a TV anyway so it's not a crucial thing.
I've never felt like the viewing angle needs improvement. But a few times while using the phone outside in broad sunshine I found myself wishing for more brightness.
aLexzkter said:
You don't know what you're talking about. The camera software can be used on LineageOS, first phone I have that can do that (LG G2 and Galaxy Note 4 couldn't)
Better viewing angles? It has the same display as the Galaxy S7, an amazing AMOLED screen, which have the best viewing angles possible. And this is not even a TV anyway so it's not a crucial thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By no means am I saying the device is a bad phone or anything. In fact, this honestly is probably my favorite device ever.
Still, I would greatly appreciate DNG support, which the device would have if ZTE had used Google's camera API 2. Unfortunately --as far as I know-- raw photos are only supported through the ZTE's own camera in manual mode. That bugs me. I don't like being forced to use things I wouldn't otherwise in order to get the experience I want.
If you use Lineage you know the camera is not the sole or even the most apparent place in which ZTE's awkward implementation of software and drivers has caused trouble for development. I only chose it as my example because it affects me the most, but issues such as the one any non-stock based ROM has with audio distortion are only present because ZTE either didn't stick to standards or chose to complicate their drivers and stuff.
Customizability is Android's core selling point for me, so being unable to use whatever I want exactly as I want it detracts from a device's appeal. I should be able to use whichever camera app I want with DNG support. I should be able to listen to good quality music in a non-stock ROM. ZTE made it harder for developers to give users those options than they should have.
As for the SOC and the screen, I'm just adding stuff to a wish list for an updated phone. Again, by no means are either the screen or the chip poor. Quite the contrary, they were perfect last year. However, there's no point in the 8 having anything other than the best of this year's silicon if it is to be marketed as another flagship killer. There are people who would choose not to buy the phone just because the number 835 looks greater than 820. The Axon 8 deserves just as much consideration as every phone that comes out, and not choosing to upgrade the SOC would unfortunately place it at a disadvantage (despite the fact that the 820 is a magnificent beast in it's own right).
The viewing angle thing is literally the world's slightest grievance. I spend a lot of time reading on my phone because I haven't got a dedicated e-reader anymore. If I'm lying on my stomach with the display pointed a bit away from my face there is a very slight blue tinge. It is extremely minor and no worse than what I've seen on any phone (much better than many). Just, moving forward I'd rather see the screen further refined rather than changed to something bigger or with a higher resolution or something else unnecessarily showy just for the hell of it (as will likely have to be the case for marketing purposes).
Sure a phone isn't a TV, but they're being used increasingly for media consumption and the like (hence the push for fancier aspect ratios and all that this year). There's no reason to leave a display that will be used for media consumption with an inaccuracy due to narrow viewing angles that will widen a bit by simply using a more recently manufactured screen.
On another note, I wish the 2.5D glass were just flattened so that tempered glass screen protectors could be properly compatible. I tried to get my nephew to upgrade to an Axon 7 rather than an iPhone and the only thing that kept him back was his bad luck breaking devices and the tendency to slap on a tempered glass protector that emerged from the same. That basically completes the list of what would make this phone perfect for me, if not necessarily for other people.
None of that is to say the device is bad. With some very slight refinement, the Axon 8 should once again be a serious contender for the best phone of the year.

What's next?

Hello,
I've had every pixel since launch and, whilst the phones have been underwhelming, I absolutely love the point and shoot camera quality so can forgive the sub par hardware features. I hold a good camera above other things like screen res, waterproof, size, etc etc.
The pixel 4 is the first time I've seen a Pixel and thought meh. Yes the camera(s) are upgrade this time, but not quite enough. I would still take a Pixel4 but the reduction is battery is seriously bugging me, as my 3 is a bit limp in the battery department. But most of all I can't stomach the Google Photo back up offer no longer running. This was a prime selling point, as I'm sure any with kids knows, you take a lot of snaps! Having free orignal quality backups was really nice.
All this is leading me to jump ship and not get a Pixel 4. But what is there? Huawei have seriously good cameras, I had P20 pro for 2 weeks, but their UI is more than terrible and booloader unlock + ROM support is next to non existent. Samsung insist on the crappy SoC compared to the Snapdragon offering, plus their cameras are good but a step back compared to pixels. Oneplus make everything is awesome phones, but are alway below average in their cameras.
Just not sure really, may stick with the P3 and see what happens in the next 2 years
EggZenBeanz said:
Hello,
I've had every pixel since launch and, whilst the phones have been underwhelming, I absolutely love the point and shoot camera quality so can forgive the sub par hardware features. I hold a good camera above other things like screen res, waterproof, size, etc etc.
The pixel 4 is the first time I've seen a Pixel and thought meh. Yes the camera(s) are upgrade this time, but not quite enough. I would still take a Pixel4 but the reduction is battery is seriously bugging me, as my 3 is a bit limp in the battery department. But most of all I can't stomach the Google Photo back up offer no longer running. This was a prime selling point, as I'm sure any with kids knows, you take a lot of snaps! Having free orignal quality backups was really nice.
All this is leading me to jump ship and not get a Pixel 4. But what is there? Huawei have seriously good cameras, I had P20 pro for 2 weeks, but their UI is more than terrible and booloader unlock + ROM support is next to non existent. Samsung insist on the crappy SoC compared to the Snapdragon offering, plus their cameras are good but a step back compared to pixels. Oneplus make everything is awesome phones, but are alway below average in their cameras.
Just not sure really, may stick with the P3 and see what happens in the next 2 years
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same, I won't get p4, I love compact phones (so 4xl is not an option) and battery life in small p4 is going to be ridicolous lol. I love my p3, just wish it had more battery life, that was the only downside and they didn't correct it in p4, actually I think they made it worse :crying: why the **** aren't they making the phone 1-2mm thicker but with bigger batteries? really can't understand, I think everyone would prefer a little thicker phone but with better battery life...
also not having original backup is incredible, have a kid here too and need best quality for my millions pictures lol.
really can't get what they are doing... other thing I don't like is the fingerprint gone...
my top priorities for a phone are compact size, great cam quality and battery life.. so considering the alternatives around I think i'll stick with the p3 for some long time lol... also considering I hate as well notches, punch holes and similar and huawei and samsung's horrible UI
Oh my lord I didn't even think about Fingerprint scanner. Just reading a review about it, no scanner and face unlock that is a bit wonky. I'm definitely out then.
Seeing I went from a Nexus 6 to the Pixel 3, I think there is a Pixel 7 in my future. They should have messed up then fixed things a couple of times by then.

General New Google pixel 6 owner first time short review

Hey folks,
I have decided to try out pixel phones for the first time, even since nexus one I always wanted a Google phone especially with Nexus or pixel 5 those were right up my alley, but I never got in to it untill now. I keep on reading how good the camera is, how amazing everything is so I decided to give it a go. A little background, I love switching phones constantly, I have been using all sorts of phones, from LG, htc, iphone, a lot of samsungs, OnePlus, Huawei etc. My last phone was a Samsung note 20 ultra and I loved it, but that exynos battery and that curved screen just ... Awful. Anyhow ... I got a pixel 6 (not the pro, because I had enough of curved screens, horrible idea, and I am fed up with it) and so far so good. Here are my thoughts:
The good:
The camera looks baller, I am still experimenting with it, but so far so good I am impressed. I don't really do a lot of videos, so my main focus is the main camera and since I only care about ultra wide that too, I don't really care about telephoto.
build quality is good
the sound is good
the display is great(having in mind I am coming off a note 20 ultra, that is saying a lot)
the software is AMAZING Soo smooth it's great(although I do not use most of the things like assistant etc I love the whole package).
The bad or "meh":
the camera again ... I was comparing it with my note 20 ultra, and so far a years old phone that was not really in the competition was making on par photos if not better in some cases(I have to do more personal research here), and I compared it to a Huawei p40 pro with my friend ... (Again more than a year old phone) and I am astonished that that phone did some photos better and some were on par. We were comparing the main sensor only in normal light and at night. So this is some food for thoughts. -The build quality is good but this is the slipiest phone I have ever had in my life. And I am coming off of a note 20 ultra!!! This phone can't even stand on your lap without slipping away or in your pocket in the car. You MUST buy a skin or a case. This is a major no no for me as when I buy a phone for this kind of money I expect to be able to look at it and feel it, and not feel the case.
the software is amazing but very VERY restrictive and lacking in terms of raw baked in features compared to any other major brand. For example, you can't really customize your screen ... You have two big elements (search and at a glance) that can't be removed so they are taking 1/4 of your screen for no reason, this reminds me of Bixby on Samsung ...), Second Samsung phones have much much more information under battery info, for some reason here you have less... And similar stuff. -the battery (this might get better with time ... But I ain't holding my breath as underneath this chip there is Samsung) ... Right now I have 3.7h SOT with most of the time on 100% brightness last 20% I put adaptive with 60 Hz and my phone is on 18% now. 5his is my book is not good... Samsung exynos NOT GOOD.
Overall ... I love the phone so far, and I will be giving it much more needed time and see if I can change any of the bad like battery and camera in time be it if it adapts and if software updates change things. But whoever is looking at this phone and is on the fences bottom line is this is a good phone, and it's worth it in my book

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