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Nexus 4 signal degradation when holding device

Has anyone else noticed [significant] signal degradation when holding their device?
I saw a brief mention of this over on nexus4 sub-reddit where several people confirmed that they were also experiencing this problem, but can't find anything about it on the forums... Long story short, I've found that while the device is resting on my desk (or for later tests - on my bed) I typically have 2-3 bars of HSPA signal. As soon as I pick up the phone I drop to zero bars. Occasionally I'll even drop down into Edge coverage.
So once I noticed this problem I decided to run a series of tests. All tests were performed following a fresh restart of the device and speedtest was the only app I was running. The tests were performed with the device on my bed so that the phone would be 10+ feet away from any other electronic devices. The phone is in an I-Blaison gel case, but I ran speedtest earlier in the night with and without the case and it didn't seem to change the results.
Before/between each test I would let the device sit stationary for approximate 10 seconds to let the signal 'stabilize' and then I'd hit "begin test". Tests were all run off the same server. I ran 3 tests with the phone on the bed, and 3 tests with it in my hand.
Tests # 1, 2, and 3: With the phone flat on the bed I averaged 6.02Mbps down and 1.43Mbps up.
I then 'picked up' the device - I physically kept the phone in the exact same location, but just put it in my right hand with my fingers ever so slightly wrapped around the device. Note - One source I've read stated the problem was worse when the phone was in the user's left hand... but I'll retest some other time if necessary.
Tests # 4, 5, and 6: With the phone in my hand, I averaged 4.86Mbps down with only 0.15Mbps up. Note - The download speed during this test was actually very surprising. Not 5 minutes earlier I had been averaging download speeds in the 0.5-1.5Mbps range while holding the phone in the same physical location... I may have had a better "grip" on the phone during earlier tests (or something like that) so maybe that's why it was slower.
Screenshot of tests 1-6 results here
Test #7 - I also decided to show what would happen if I were to pick up the device in the middle of the upload test. Result screenshot here. You can see that as soon as I picked up the phone the upload rate plummeted (I guess you will have to take my word that I picked up the phone right before the speed plummeted, but that's what happened).
Regarding the 1000ms pings... not sure if that's indicative of anything. My APN settings match the ones that I've seen recommended for android devices on Tmobile. I've heard that some people have said that the high ping may be due to device hardware coming out of 'low power mode' when the test starts... but I'm not sure one way or the other. Regardless, the ping stayed fairly consistent through all tests so it may be a moot point.
Background info - I have Tmobile Prepaid and, according to their site, I'm located in a "good" coverage area where I should expect coverage "outdoors and in some buildings".

I have noticed the exact same issue. At my desk, if the phone lays flat on the desk I have 2 bars of hspa - picking it up drops to zero or edge.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Laying on school desk - 2-3 bars. When i pick it up, 0-1.
>_>

ALL phones do this when you hold them its not a flaw its not a bug.
The iphone 4 design meant you were bridging the external antenna changing its tuning causing dropped cell reception that was abnormal because of design this is an isolated case.
when you touch any phone your causing more attenuation if you grip it tightly your making it even worse cause your blocking the signal; we see these threads every-time a new phone comes out time to stop and learn physics.
ITT people who don't know that objects block / diminish radio waves
/thread should be closed :\

noobdeagle said:
ALL phones do this when you hold them its not a flaw its not a bug.
The iphone 4 design meant you were bridging the external antenna changing its tuning causing dropped cell reception that was abnormal because of design this is an isolated case.
when you touch any phone your causing more attenuation if you grip it tightly your making it even worse cause your blocking the signal; we see these threads every-time a new phone comes out time to stop and learn physics.
ITT people who don't know that objects block / diminish radio waves
/thread should be closed :\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No issues here. T-Mobile coverage is spotty enough at my house but I have never seen my signal fluctuate after picking it up. I only see noticeable changes in signal when I move around
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

I noticed it too, just had for two days so far but seems to lower bars when I shift holding it but so far hasn't been too bad.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Currently using it in my hand with full bars hspda ... And always runs like that here. No signal issues that I have seen.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Full bars on desk and full bars in hand BUT double the down speed on speedtest when It's not being handled. Upload speed is the same regardless.

No issues like that with this phone. All phones reduce reception slightly when you pick them up but there's no super problem like the iPhone 4 here. You'd think apple would find other ways to damage the rep of new phones than paying people to come on forums and make stuff up lol

I was experimenting with this too. I have noticed that when I grip the lower half of the phone I get a 2 bar decrease. Contrary when I grip the top half of the phone I do not see this decrease.
This theory works in reverse for WiFi. Grip the top and it decreases WiFi, bottom it does not change.
Test it and see if anyone else cans replicate.
sent from my perfect 32GB Nexus 7

Same with any modern phone.
Cell antennas are at the bottom, as far away from your brain as possible.
WiFi/BT/GPS antennas are at the top. Which is why the above poster notes a drop in signal strength when holding the bottom, and a drop in WiFi strength when holding the top.
Where I work, the mobile signal is so borderline I have to hold any phone near the top to remain in signal, I am well used to this, hah! To type usually means holding the top of the phone with one hand and typing with the other. Normal behaviour when ones signal strength is -115dBm while holding the top!

Antennaegate!!! Nexus style.

I've had this problem with every thin phone since the nexus one. If you're in a really strong area it won't drop any bars. If just an on area it will drop. In my case at home I drop from 3 bars hspa top 0 to 1 when holding it at the bottom. In an area of really strong service I maintain full strength. Sad but true. I force ny phone to edge when at home or work which gives much better reception to help alleviate this.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

noobdeagle said:
ALL phones do this when you hold them its not a flaw its not a bug.
The iphone 4 design meant you were bridging the external antenna changing its tuning causing dropped cell reception that was abnormal because of design this is an isolated case.
when you touch any phone your causing more attenuation if you grip it tightly your making it even worse cause your blocking the signal; we see these threads every-time a new phone comes out time to stop and learn physics.
ITT people who don't know that objects block / diminish radio waves
/thread should be closed :\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simply not true. Go try a galaxy s3. MUCH harder to lower its signal by gripping it than it is for the N4. In fact I can't even make mine lower at all regardless of how I hold it. Some phones are simply worse in this respect than others and the N4 seems to be pretty bad. My N4 supposedly shipped and should arrive next week, so I'll compare in person.
-Sent from my GS3 running CM10.-

Tried to cover the device with both my hands as much as possible, no degradation of signal, LTE or HSPA+ edit: Mind you, the LTE signal remained at 2 bars like it normally does. HSPA+ was Full bars

This is generally true for companies using the 1900mhz (T-Mobile/Sprint) and is true for all phones. 1900mhz doesn't penetrate objects so well which is why people say once they go inside stores in the mall the signal is gone when on those carriers. ON Verizon, being a 850mhz one, this doesn't happen as much because of the wave length of the frequency, which is why AT&T was also so aggressive about switching 3G to 850mhz. The 700mhz LTE thing being even lower should be better as well so that's why people were buying those up in the FCC auction.

noobdeagle said:
ALL phones do this when you hold them its not a flaw its not a bug.
The iphone 4 design meant you were bridging the external antenna changing its tuning causing dropped cell reception that was abnormal because of design this is an isolated case.
when you touch any phone your causing more attenuation if you grip it tightly your making it even worse cause your blocking the signal; we see these threads every-time a new phone comes out time to stop and learn physics.
ITT people who don't know that objects block / diminish radio waves
/thread should be closed :\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that all phones will do this to an extent. I also understand that because Tmobile uses a higher frequency signal, they won't be able to offer the building penetration that other carriers can offer with lower frequency signals... but I've just never experienced signal degradation anywhere near this bad, particularly from simply picking up the phone and more or less just resting it on my hand.
Going from a completely usable 6M down and 1.5M up to a fairly useless 0.15M up? That's quite a decrease in performance.
I mean, I also have Sprint and Verizon devices. Verizon is a work phone (blackberry) so I can't test much with that... but sprint only drops maybe one bar while holding the phone with the worst death group I could come up with (completely cupping the phone with both hands, only the screen was uncovered).
I ran this same test with Sprint on my Nexus S. Overall sprint was much slower than Tmobile but it was definitely a bit more resilient against performance degradation after simply picking the phone up... and I have terrible sprint coverage in my area.

phositadc said:
Simply not true. Go try a galaxy s3. MUCH harder to lower its signal by gripping it than it is for the N4. In fact I can't even make mine lower at all regardless of how I hold it. Some phones are simply worse in this respect than others and the N4 seems to be pretty bad. My N4 supposedly shipped and should arrive next week, so I'll compare in person.
-Sent from my GS3 running CM10.-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then you should be concerned with how much amplification is going on in the antenna and how close it is to your brain.
Lol.

Look at the diagram below, this is what was given to the FCC by LG. If you don't want to attenuate your cellular signal, keep your hand away from the blue part, which is the bottom of the phone. If you want to avoid throttling your wifi throughput, keep your greasy fingers away from the red part, which is next to the camera flash and power button. This isn't antennagate 2.0. There is nothing on the outside of this phone that will short the antenna, because it's all plastic and glass. Neither of those materials are electrically conductive.
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shotta35 said:
This is generally true for companies using the 1900mhz (T-Mobile/Sprint) and is true for all phones. 1900mhz doesn't penetrate objects so well which is why people say once they go inside stores in the mall the signal is gone when on those carriers. ON Verizon, being a 850mhz one, this doesn't happen as much because of the wave length of the frequency, which is why AT&T was also so aggressive about switching 3G to 850mhz. The 700mhz LTE thing being even lower should be better as well so that's why people were buying those up in the FCC auction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All else being equal, that's true, but in practice, AT&T/Verizon put up half as many towers in the sub-GHz range as they do in the AWS/PCS range to take advantage of the fact that sub-GHz signals travel roughly twice as far. Half as many towers is half as much money that needs to be spent on rent, maintenance, utilities, and laying cable. They build the towers are twice as far apart, and therefore penetrate buildings equally poorly in most areas. The sub-GHz will actually be worse because you can't fit as much data into a 850MHz signal as you can with something running at 1700MHz.
phositadc said:
Simply not true. Go try a galaxy s3. MUCH harder to lower its signal by gripping it than it is for the N4. In fact I can't even make mine lower at all regardless of how I hold it. Some phones are simply worse in this respect than others and the N4 seems to be pretty bad. My N4 supposedly shipped and should arrive next week, so I'll compare in person.
-Sent from my GS3 running CM10.-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which Galaxy S3? An LTE model? All commercially-sold LTE phones all have multiple receiving antennas, so when you attenuate one, the other is usually clear to receive without interference. You'll still suffer performance penalties, especially in high interference, low signal areas, but in most cases you probably won't notice it.
As you see from my diagram above, there is only one receiving antenna in the Nexus 4, which makes it easier to attenuate. It is, however, possible that there is another receiver, as there are some questions surrounding what LTE capabilities the N4 has and whether or not it's really designed to have LTE enabled OTA when T-Mobile launches it's Band 4 LTE Advanced network next year. However you can still have LTE even if it just has one transceiver, it's just that no one has sold a 1x1 device, and it won't work as well as the 2x2 devices on the market (download speeds will be capped not much higher than what DC-HSPA can manage on 1x1).

Steve Jobs
The fanbois will be all over this if it "gets out"

T-Mobile Flex vs VZW Note2.. Its what I'm coming from

Despite the fact I'm posting from my note2, I do own the Flex. I've had it for less than 24 hours, and I have my first impressions.
On my first charge, I experienced sub-par battery life compared to my Note2 on Verizon running Beans22 which is underclocked in both CPU and GPU.
I have switched from Verizon to T-Mobile and I get very similar reception on both phones (LTE) at home, and HSPA+/3g at work. Must be same cell tower for both carriers. I live and work in Ashburn VA, and I'm positive of the towers location.
I use my phone a lot for gaming, particularly Heroes of Order and Chaos. I don't think the Flex can handle that game as well as Note2 in regard to battery life. Performance is about the same...
Network lag on Tmo is worse than VZW, but the bandwidth on TMO is nucking futs. 30mbps TMO vs 12mbps VZW. I don't know what's up with the lag.
Screens. I have to give it to the Note2 for quality, but I love the size of the Flex's screen. I like the curved appearance. That's unique and worth the trade off in quality.
Quality is weird here. Resolution is the same, it its the grainyness I'm not liking, and it noticeable in solid textures such as the drop down menu. Brightness.. I haven't tested outdoor yet. That's a true test for me, but I will have to get to it later.
I love what LG has done with the interface. Its like having a custom ROM without the problems associated with a custom ROM. Add root, new battery icon, and remove ads, and I'm set. I have yet to do these just yet, but I will, and functionality will be that of my rooted Note2. Won't have the ability to under and over clock as I do with my Note's unlocked bootloader, but oh well.
Camera. Note2 all the way. There are tons more features, and low light quality on the Note blows away the Flex. I'm not happy with the Flex's camera actually, and it may be a determining factor in returning this device and getting the Note3. I haven't tried video as I don't shot much video in real life.
Button placement. Man that's just something you have to adapt to I suppose. I'm still fumbling around with the power button so I understand up using the knock function a lot, but sometimes it just doesn't work. That's kind of annoying. Sometimes I have to knock several times to get it to work. sometimes it works the first time, and when it does there is a lag.
Note2 has capacitive back and menu buttons along with a physical power button. I really love that because at all times you maximize your screen real estate because its not being consumed by the on screen buttons. If you subtract the on screen menu button real estate from the Flex and compare that screen size with the Note2, they are about the same in size, the Flex being a bit wider.
Note3 for me maybe?
Any questions, let me know I will be happy to answer them.
Cheers!
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

I'm also coming from the note 2 but I disagree with the battery life statement. I'm getting like 10 hours screen time with this when I would only get like 4 or 5 from the note. This phone is a beast.
Otherwise everything else I agree with. Display, picture, sound, etc were all better on the note, albeit by not a whole lot.
Overall I'm satisfied with the phone. The aesthetics are nice, screen size is exactly what I wanted, battery life is phenomenal and it's super fast.
Sent from my LG-D959 using xda app-developers app

You can hide the buttons on your lg flex without root. Battery life is worlds better on the flex even better than the note 3. Besides display i seen nothing on Samsung that's better imo. I did like my note 3 for pics but haven't really checked the flex yet. I really like my flex better than the note 3 or 2. Out would've been far superior if the flex would've had the 1080p display. Can't wait till second generation of the flex.
Funny thing is i liked my note 2 Better than i do my note 3. But at the same time i like the flex better than both. Glad to have had all three. There are all great devices,
Sent from my LG-D959 using Tapatalk

Yea, they are all great, and great for different reasons.
Maybe my first charge was not true to what consecutive charges will be. I'm on my second charge, and it seems okay. Nothing I'd write home about.
Sent from my LG-D959 using Tapatalk

is it true that when you crank the brightness up over 50, any "graininess" on the screen is pretty much gone?
surprised to hear the camera isnt up to par with the note 2..
thanks

Yes, its true, the brighter you set the display, the less you see the grain. Also being in a bright environment helps too such as outdoors or in a well lit room.
Sent from my LG-D959 using Tapatalk

wase4711 said:
is it true that when you crank the brightness up over 50, any "graininess" on the screen is pretty much gone?
surprised to hear the camera isnt up to par with the note 2..
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea its true and i dont know if its just me getting use to it or that the phone has broken in but screen is looking better than initially. I remeber there was some device that the screen need to get some use so they can get broken in or something like that.
Sent from my LG-D959 using xda app-developers app

Dude, I'm totally thinking the same thing. Its not that I don't notice it, I simply can't find the grainyness even if I look for it. I'm mean its there... But not like I remember it
Sent from my LG-D959 using Tapatalk

sometimes, when a thought is planted in your mind, you go out of your way to look for things..
after a day or 2, when you just chilllax and use it as normal, you dont see what you were obsessed with b4
or, its actually possible after a few days, the display "Breaks in" somewhat..sort of like not calibrating a TV until you have at least 100 hours or more on it...

Tornlogic said:
Despite the fact I'm posting from my note2, I do own the Flex. I've had it for less than 24 hours, and I have my first impressions.
On my first charge, I experienced sub-par battery life compared to my Note2 on Verizon running Beans22 which is underclocked in both CPU and GPU.
I have switched from Verizon to T-Mobile and I get very similar reception on both phones (LTE) at home, and HSPA+/3g at work. Must be same cell tower for both carriers. I live and work in Ashburn VA, and I'm positive of the towers location.
I use my phone a lot for gaming, particularly Heroes of Order and Chaos. I don't think the Flex can handle that game as well as Note2 in regard to battery life. Performance is about the same...
Network lag on Tmo is worse than VZW, but the bandwidth on TMO is nucking futs. 30mbps TMO vs 12mbps VZW. I don't know what's up with the lag.
Screens. I have to give it to the Note2 for quality, but I love the size of the Flex's screen. I like the curved appearance. That's unique and worth the trade off in quality.
Quality is weird here. Resolution is the same, it its the grainyness I'm not liking, and it noticeable in solid textures such as the drop down menu. Brightness.. I haven't tested outdoor yet. That's a true test for me, but I will have to get to it later.
I love what LG has done with the interface. Its like having a custom ROM without the problems associated with a custom ROM. Add root, new battery icon, and remove ads, and I'm set. I have yet to do these just yet, but I will, and functionality will be that of my rooted Note2. Won't have the ability to under and over clock as I do with my Note's unlocked bootloader, but oh well.
Camera. Note2 all the way. There are tons more features, and low light quality on the Note blows away the Flex. I'm not happy with the Flex's camera actually, and it may be a determining factor in returning this device and getting the Note3. I haven't tried video as I don't shot much video in real life.
Button placement. Man that's just something you have to adapt to I suppose. I'm still fumbling around with the power button so I understand up using the knock function a lot, but sometimes it just doesn't work. That's kind of annoying. Sometimes I have to knock several times to get it to work. sometimes it works the first time, and when it does there is a lag.
Note2 has capacitive back and menu buttons along with a physical power button. I really love that because at all times you maximize your screen real estate because its not being consumed by the on screen buttons. If you subtract the on screen menu button real estate from the Flex and compare that screen size with the Note2, they are about the same in size, the Flex being a bit wider.
Note3 for me maybe?
Any questions, let me know I will be happy to answer them.
Cheers!
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You talked about possibly going to the Note 3, which I have. What would be the major difference that works sway you to the Note 3. I enjoy it and like having the SD card functionality because all my music is on there and I also use it to take notes a basketball coach.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app

Also coming from a Note 2. Unless they are side by side i feel the G Flex is smaller, i think its because the curve and small bessel. So if this was a flat 6 inch it would probably look and feel bigger. I forget its in my front picked. Lol. Enjoying it.

Thanks for the thread guys. I've got a note 2, but getting bored (it's been a year in one phone which is very new to me). Don't really want a note 3 because it's basically a slightly bigger version of what I have. I'm really thinking about the flex. Glad to see some reviews of actual owners who have had both.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk

alhadee12 said:
You talked about possibly going to the Note 3, which I have. What would be the major difference that works sway you to the Note 3. I enjoy it and like having the SD card functionality because all my music is on there and I also use it to take notes a basketball coach.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mainly the on screen buttons annoy me. Sometimes when I'm typing , instead of hitting the space bar I end up hitting the home button.
The screen quality
Sd card
Stylus
Minusus:
I hate touch wiz. It doesn't bother me on my note 2 because it's rommed.
Don't like Sammy radios
Cost more
Not curved. I love the Flex for that
Sent from my LG-D959 using Tapatalk

Tornlogic said:
Mainly the on screen buttons annoy me. Sometimes when I'm typing , instead of hitting the space bar I end up hitting the home button.
The screen quality
Sd card
Stylus
Minusus:
I hate touch wiz. It doesn't bother me on my note 2 because it's rommed.
Don't like Sammy radios
Cost more
Not curved. I love the Flex for that
Sent from my LG-D959 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In not a big Touchwiz fan either. It just provides me the opportunity to do different things with the stylus and multitasking. I do think the curve firm factor could be useful.
Sent from my XT1058 using xda app-developers app

I find the multitasking on the lg UI more intuitive than Touch Wiz. I did use my stylus on my note2 only for taking notes, but the Flex had a wonderful note app that I like more, and I use my fingernail, and the screen has no issue detecting my fingernail
Sent from my LG-D959 using Tapatalk

I'll likely stop into a store to take a longer look at it. Take the opportunity to go through the phone some and see what it really has to offer.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

M8 vs S5: For those on the fence, why I chose the S5 after a week with both devices.

I bought the Samsung GS5 and HTC One M8. I purchased both phones to use simultaneously for at least a week.
Camera image quality on good shots: GS5.
Outside M8:
Outside GS5:
Auto settings. I upscaled the M8 image to 16MP. I think IMGUR might automatically downscale. My overall impression is that the M8 takes in too much light. It’s difficult to avoid, even when playing with exposure settings. Once you zoom, the GS5 16MP really comes into play. You can be the judge on which images are better, and by how much.
Camera consistency: M8. 50% my shots with the S5 end up a bit blurry. 75% of my M8 shots are in focus. That’s with still imagery.
Which is more important? Overall quality on excellent shots, or consistency?
The camera software on the M8 is better. There's an option to go 100% manual mode that lets you adjust color, exposure, ISO, shutter, and focus on the FLY. There's nothing like that on the S5, here's a pic:
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Handfeel:
The S5 is easier to hold, especially when laying down in bed. The S5 is lighter and weighted in a way that feels like my hand is simply connected to the device. It doesn’t put strain on my wrist or make me feel concerned about dropping it at all. My confidence level holding the device without a case is extremely high. On the other hand, the S5 has a filmy/slimy feeling that makes it feel dirty. It always feels like the back of the S5 was rubbed on a slice of pizza. I feel confident holding it, but I don’t enjoy it. It’s very uninspiring.
The M8 feels amazing in the hand. I consistently want to pick it up for no other reason than to hold it. It has a nice cool temperature that is very welcoming. I don’t think the M8 is more slippery than the S5. I think it’s how the device is weighted. It’s harder to hold because it feels screen side heavy. When I’m holding it in bed, I always feel like the device is going to slip out of my hand and fall on my face. Not because the case is more slippery, but because of the weight. I am constantly reinforcing my grip on the phone out of fear of dropping it. It’s a strange mix of wanting to pick it up, and being afraid to pick it up.
I did use a GS4 and a Galaxy Nexus prior to these devices. I wonder how much of this is because I simply feel comfortable with a Samsung device? From a practical standpoint I feel the S5 is the better phone here. From an emotional standpoint I like how the HTC makes me feel.
Display:
I compared the displays VERY closely. The S5 wins on ALL fronts except one: Autobrightness. I had them side by side, the S5 shows much truer whites than the M8. The M8 at max brightness looks almost yellow. The S5 looks pure white. The screen is BIGGER on the S5 and isn't crowded with software buttons. I am simply not a fan of software buttons. I like tactile feel. The screen on the S5 can get VERY VERY dark, the M8 can't. The S5 AB is wonky, always a bit too dark. The M8 is always just a few steps brighter. This is always a plus except for at night.
Touchwiz vs Sense: No preference.
How long will I keep the device:
I feel that the M8 will be gone in a year, because the M9 will have a better camera that make it a worthwhile upgrade. I can see myself holding onto the S5 for two years, it really is maxed out with specs and just works. On the other hand, the uninspiring nature of the S5 will probably make me want to ditch it in 2015.
Basic inputs:
It actually takes longer to use the M8 for basic inputs, turning the device on, and turning it off. The Samsung turns on a bit faster with just pushing the home button. Fingerprint scanner unlocks more quickly. Side power button is far superior.
Double tap on the M8 is NOT perfect. Neither is holding the device in landscape and hitting the volume key to activate the camera (doesn't work on the first try about 30%). Double tap takes you to the first lock screen. Then you have to slide the icon of what you want to use and input your pin. This can be mitigated by utilizing swipes instead of double tap. It's still not faster.
Buttons:
I often found myself constantly hunting for the onscreen buttons on the M8. The empty HTC bezel throws you off. It's very hard to have muscle memory when you have a big empty row where you think the buttons are. It also takes a moment for the buttons to simply appear. S5 doesn't have this issue due to the hardware home button.
Am I the only one that thinks it makes sense to have the back button on the right side like Samsung does it? I use the back button with my thumb 95% more than the current apps button. I don’t enjoy reaching across the screen on the M8.
Screen Off:
However often we turn the screen on, a lot of us are also turning it off. It takes longer to turn the screen off on the M8 than it does the S5. Every time I turned the M8 off with one hand it required maneuvering the device in a way that made me fear dropping it because the power button is on top and the device is long. I generally used my other hand to hit the power button just for that reason. That's not necessary on the S5.
Screen on with Music:
I LOVE the M8 speakers. I love playing music on this device around the house, while I'm in the shower, etc. If I am playing music on the M8 and have the device on the counter, and I want to change a song, it's not designed to register a doubletap when laying flat. With the S5, I hit the home button and it brings the screen up. It takes significantly longer to either find a way to hit the top power button or repeatedly tap the screen until it registers on the M8.
Speed and Lag:
In day to day use, after disabling bloat on the S5, the devices are equally as snappy. In fact, the S5 is more accessible for the reasons mentioned above. That's all that matters, because all of us here are capable of tinkering and optimizing.
Disable S-Voice, My Magazine, transitions, and go into developer mode and reduce animations to .5x, and trash/disable all the bloat in apps. The S5 has no lag at all once you do that. I know it's a PITA, and you shouldn't have to do that from factory, but just do it. You're on XDA, it's easy for you.
Everyone wants to talk about microseconds worth of lag, what about basic functions, like turning the screen off. The S5 is faster from a basic INPUT perspective. I think that matters a lot. It's little things like that, things I do often, which should be taken into consideration when you talk about how long you have to wait for things between devices. If we are going to argue about tenths of a second, these things matter.
Development:
Compare the # of posts in the M8 forum vs. S5 forum. Twice as many here. There will be more development and a bigger community on this device. I personally don't care about this at all.
Features:
With the S5, I won't ever use the fitness stuff on the device. I won't ever buy a gear fit watch (that's technically a feature). The main feature is the fingerprint scanner. Train it with one hand and your thumb to the side. Do three prints of just your thumb. It's then easy to unlock with one hand 90% of the time on the first swipe. It's very fast.
The M8 has much, much better speakers. If you use your device as a music player on a desk, around the house, in the bathroom, this matters. You can also activate the camera by tilting the device and hitting the volume button, this is a nice feature on the M8.
S5 water resistance is nice to me because I have a daughter, I live in Oregon (it rains), and I use my device in the bathroom (I know, gross).
Ergonomics:
I'm going to differentiate this from "AESTHETICS" for my opinion here. The S5 is easier to hold and issue inputs into for almost all purposes. It's lighter and requires far less movement with your hand. It has a "thumb mode" available through software which can shrink the screen size down.
The M8 is too long and doesn't have a power button available to easily press. It's much easier to keep a firm grip on the S5 than the M8. I was constantly in fear of dropping the M8.
From an aesthetics perspective, the M8 wins. It looks much, much nicer and just screams to be held. From a practical perspective, the S5 has better ergonomics.
My Recommendation:
If you care about features and functionality and ergonomics, take the S5. If you care about how a phone looks and makes you feel when holding it and having a mini-boombox, take the M8. If the camera is your only consideration, take the S5.

Thanks for the detailed comparison between the two!
A couple things I have seen mentioned regarding the S5 are horrible speaker loudness and quality as well as crap cell reception.
Can you comment on the above issues?
Also how was battery life between the two devices?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

msavic6 said:
Thanks for the detailed comparison between the two!
A couple things I have seen mentioned regarding the S5 are horrible speaker loudness and quality as well as crap cell reception.
Can you comment on the above issues?
Also how was battery life between the two devices?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Speaker: The S5 has a horrible speaker. It's true. I hate listening to it. It actually makes me NOT want to watch videos on it without headphones.
Cell Reception: I haven't tested call quality, I've heard it's worse on the S5 and tend to believe that based on my GS4. I'm on a T-Mobile $30/mo plan with 100min of talk time. That tells you how often I use a cellphone for talking.
Battery: About the same. Both keep the same charge overnight. I'd tend to be up about 10% with the S5 vs. M8 at the end of the day. I would not base a purchase decision on this factor. If you need a removable battery you've already ruled the M8 out.

In the development section you didn't mention much. Of course there's tumbleweeds in the S5 section and a lot in the M8 section. I can say that after converting from Sense to Google Play that its not only faster on my M8, but battery life is better. Not to mention 0 bloat. S5 is a great phone for people who are OK with stock. I chose the M8 for flexibility and being able to do with it as I choose. Great review though.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using xda app-developers app

lordpelvis said:
In the development section you didn't mention much. Of course there's tumbleweeds in the S5 section and a lot in the M8 section. I can say that after converting from Sense to Google Play that its not only faster on my M8, but battery life is better. Not to mention 0 bloat. S5 is a great phone for people who are OK with stock. I chose the M8 for flexibility and being able to do with it as I choose. Great review though.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer stock so I can keep the best camera software. That applies to both devices.
I suspect development will be equally strong on both.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

You lost me reading when you said the S5 has less lag and better input than the M8 once you did all those things. M8 is smooth with doing no tweaks and the input is way better than the S5 's touch screen.
Been tempted to switch to the S5 for water proofing and battery door access but I'm finding it hard to part with my M8, its pretty much the perfect smartphone if you can see past the back camera. Its not a rubbish camera by any means but they can do better.

A more comprehensive comparison from GSM Arena - http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s5_vs_htc_one_m8-review-1067.php

recklesslife85 said:
You lost me reading when you said the S5 has less lag and better input than the M8 once you did all those things. M8 is smooth with doing no tweaks and the input is way better than the S5 's touch screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as input is concerned, I'm really talking about the overall speed and ease of doing two things: Turning the device on and off and accessing basic navigation buttons. Lag is mitigated on the S5 when you disable animations and bloat (I acknowledge you should not have to do this, and I chastise Samsung for it).
There are essentially three ways to turn the M8 on:
1) Double tap if you are holding the phone;
2) Swipe the screen if you are holding the phone;
3) Power button at the top.
#1 drives you to a widget lockscreen. You choose the widget you want and then have to input your pin, unless it's the camera.
#2 will generally drive you to the pin screen, depending on which way you swipe. I used this the most often.
#3 was ergonomically very difficult to access due to both the location of the button at the top of the device and the amount it's recessed. I avoided at all costs to prevent dropping the device.
There are two ways to turn the S5 on:
1) Power button at your thumb (if right handed);
2) Home button at your thumb (if right or left handed).
Either option is extremely efficient because both buttons are located in the perfect position. I personally use #2 because I can immediately swipe with my thumb on the fingerprint scanner at the same time. After spending a week with each phone, unlocking the S5 is consistently faster than unlocking the M8. I only have to access ONE lockscreen on the S5. Everyone likes to talk about how "fast" the M8 is compared to the S5. I think you are going to notice speed on basic entry into the device far more than you notice how many nanoseconds more quickly you load Angry Birds.
There are two ways to turn both the M8 and S5 off:
1) Hit the power button;
2) Wait for the screen to turn off.
This is very important to me, because I turn my screen off EVERY SINGLE TIME I use my device. It has become a major annoyance having to use two hands to turn the device off, because I'm paranoid about dropping it when trying to one-hand push the power button.
It is VERY difficult to press the power button on the M8 with one hand. Waiting for the screen to turn off is not an acceptable option. It is very EASY to turn the screen off on the S5 with my thumb. I don't need to move the device at all.
HTC needs to implement some additional method for turning the device off. Really, just moving the power button would fix this.
Navigation buttons:
The S5 has a built in home button that is always there. There are two capacitive buttons that are always there. This has the advantage of allowing both tactile feedback and muscle memory to prevail. I don't have to look at the device to know where the buttons are.
First, the M8 has a empty row with a logo. I don't care about how this makes the device look, I do care about how it affects my ability to issue inputs into the device. I was consistently pushing on that bezel and not the screen. Second, a number of programs I use HIDE the primary buttons. You have to tap the screen in a specific way to make those buttons re-appear. There's lag time between making the buttons appear and being able to push one. The S5 does not suffer from either one of these issues, and these both affect overall performance and speed just as much as perceived "lag" from Touchwiz.
Finally, my last gripe on inputs is the location of the back button. Samsung has it right. Making me reach across the screen to hit the back button, when I use it 95% more than the recent apps button, is not acceptable.

The first two ways you list to turn on the M8 will seriously drain your battery as it means the touch screen is always on.

carbonize said:
The first two ways you list to turn on the M8 will seriously drain your battery as it means the touch screen is always on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To the M8's credit, HTC gets around this by only activating that option when you are holding the device. This is why double tap doesn't work when the device is playing music and laying flat on the desk. I did not notice significant battery drain compared to the S5 with these features enabled.

S5 had it's own battery drains such as smart stay. Then you get the stupid "ok Google" command which the phones are always listening for.

crazeco said:
Speaker: The S5 has a horrible speaker. It's true. I hate listening to it. It actually makes me NOT want to watch videos on it without headphones.
Cell Reception: I haven't tested call quality, I've heard it's worse on the S5 and tend to believe that based on my GS4. I'm on a T-Mobile $30/mo plan with 100min of talk time. That tells you how often I use a cellphone for talking.
Battery: About the same. Both keep the same charge overnight. I'd tend to be up about 10% with the S5 vs. M8 at the end of the day. I would not base a purchase decision on this factor. If you need a removable battery you've already ruled the M8 out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn that sucks, have you owned the S4, is the S5's speaker worse than that on the S4? This is a big concern for me as I need to be able to hear my phone ring during the day but I also like to listen to music with the phone speaker itself. Although I value a good camera more than the speaker, both are still quite important to me.
Regarding cell reception, did you notice the phone losing LTE where other phones were able to maintain LTE signal, this seems to be a common complaint from people. I don't talk too much on the phone but I use data quite a bit.
Thanks!
Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

msavic6 said:
Damn that sucks, have you owned the S4, is the S5's speaker worse than that on the S4? This is a big concern for me as I need to be able to hear my phone ring during the day but I also like to listen to music with the phone speaker itself. Although I value a good camera more than the speaker, both are still quite important to me.
Regarding cell reception, did you notice the phone losing LTE where other phones were able to maintain LTE signal, this seems to be a common complaint from people. I don't talk too much on the phone but I use data quite a bit.
Thanks!
Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My s5 holds lte and signal in general better than my nexus 5 and my iphone 5s.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

crazeco said:
Speaker: The S5 has a horrible speaker. It's true. I hate listening to it. It actually makes me NOT want to watch videos on it without headphones.
Cell Reception: I haven't tested call quality, I've heard it's worse on the S5 and tend to believe that based on my GS4. I'm on a T-Mobile $30/mo plan with 100min of talk time. That tells you how often I use a cellphone for talking.
Battery: About the same. Both keep the same charge overnight. I'd tend to be up about 10% with the S5 vs. M8 at the end of the day. I would not base a purchase decision on this factor. If you need a removable battery you've already ruled the M8 out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The s5 speaker clearly is not as god as m8, but not that bad, for watching youtube, netflix i find it loud and clear.. Yea not the Best but better than my note 3, lg g2 or my friends s4..
Call quality on s5 is clearly better than both m8 units i had.. Loud and clear, no creakling Sounds or hissing linke the m8..
Signal strengt I find pretty good on s5 i actually have lte and 3G signal where my girlfriends iphone 5 and friends Sony z1 signal are wors often only on edge. normally in my house we have poor 3G signal.. S5 is pretty good...
Wifi signal strengt is also better than previous Samsung models i've ovned..
I returned my frist m8 because of screen problems.. And sold the second m8 Unit a week after because it was unpleasent to hold in my hand.. And the display just seems Way to yellow toned even checked other units..
So wierd enough the model In the start hated the most is the one I stuck with and preffered over the m8 today
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

carbonize said:
S5 had it's own battery drains such as smart stay. Then you get the stupid "ok Google" command which the phones are always listening for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes! How to disable this?:crying: Thanks.

msavic6 said:
Damn that sucks, have you owned the S4, is the S5's speaker worse than that on the S4? This is a big concern for me as I need to be able to hear my phone ring during the day but I also like to listen to music with the phone speaker itself. Although I value a good camera more than the speaker, both are still quite important to me.
Regarding cell reception, did you notice the phone losing LTE where other phones were able to maintain LTE signal, this seems to be a common complaint from people. I don't talk too much on the phone but I use data quite a bit.
Thanks!
Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's equivalent to the S4. It's usable, without question, but it's not a pleasant experience. I still use it when I take a shower, I still use it when I give my child a bath, etc. You'll hear it, it just doesn't have great fidelity compared to the M8.
The camera on the S5 is to the camera on the M8 like the speakers on the M8 are to the speaker on the S5.
I have no issues with cell/LTE reception.

Thank you for the comparison/review of the phones - I really appreciate it!
I am right now on an older version of the iPhone and due for an upgrade and have long been thinking of the S5 but I wonder if you can comment on the sound quality and volume through the headphone jack?
I have used a galaxy Note phone before (2 months) and besides being too big for me I found both the in call volume as well as music volume via headphones to be too low compared to the iPhone. Do you have the same experience?

GSeeker said:
yes! How to disable this?:crying: Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How to disable which one? Smart stay can be disabled from the notification area but there are other motions you may want to switch off. As to the OK Google you will find it under the voice search section of the input and voice menu.

This is my first Lte phone and I get I get a 4g signal indoors so am impressed with signal strength on this handset.
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

How's the signal strengh compared to the M8? Its really good on my M8 and generally does better than my 5S.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[Q] Pre-ordered Note 4 and already having 2nd thoughts?

So I pre-ordered my Note 4 through T-Mobile and a leak has come out about the Nexus 6.
Why am I having second thoughts to cancel the Note 4 and wait to see what Nexus could bring.
http://www.androidheadlines.com/2014/09/nexus-6-confirmed-5-9-inch-qhd-resolution-display-coming-motorola.html
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"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
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Maybe this will help? No spen, SD card, removable battery, multi window, mouse actions, etc. The note series is really the best big phone out there. Not because of hardware, but Samsung software really takes advantage of it. Stock android just doesn't.
But...it is impressive that moto fit a 5.9" screen in a small body about the size if the note 4.

Then do it. All talk.

Best thing about having Jump 1 is being able to jump whenever I feel like!!! If I dont like the Note 4, I'll just Jump to the Nexus 6.

Brandon_schulze said:
Best thing about having Jump 1 is being able to jump whenever I feel like!!! If I dont like the Note 4, I'll just Jump to the Nexus 6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If T-Mobile carries it. Which they won't if it doesn't have WiFi calling

aooga said:
Maybe this will help? No spen, SD card, removable battery, multi window, mouse actions, etc.
But...it is impressive that moto fit a 5.9" screen in a small body about the size if the note 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right it is the best big phone out there, I played with it at Best Buy.
*The S-pen I really liked it, almost like writing on paper.
*SD Card - I don't mind losing it. I'm actually waiting for my 2nd 64Gb microsd replacement from sandisk, somehow they always go to a locked state. (I have 3 more sitting at home since I lost the receipts SanDisk won't replace them)
*Removable battery - I've never swapped for a bigger battery on my GS3 or my GS4. Thought the power saving feature will come handy in some occasions.
* Multi-Window - always had it rarely ever used it. I'm sure it's better on the Note 4 because of the bigger screen.
*Mouse action w\ S-pen - Now that will be useful for me.
*samsungalaxypromotions.com - I don't think NEXUS would give me $200 for my old GS3.
*Speaker - Really loud on the Note 4, kinda gets distorted at max level.
I've never had a nexus before, just a little jealous they get OS updates quickly lol.

hatchback said:
You are
I've never had a nexus before, just a little jealous they get OS updates quickly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup this is the best nexus feature. But most Samsung devices get pretty good development support. So even if T-Mobile doesn't release it quickly, you'll at least get it a few months quicker when the international version gets it.
But you really don't use multi window? That's one of the beet features on android IMO.
As for the SD card, I bought a Samsung one a whole ago and haven't had any issues with it.

aooga said:
If T-Mobile carries it. Which they won't if it doesn't have WiFi calling
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point, I did turned off wifi calling for about 3 weeks just a couple days ago and fortunately coverage is good in my area.
Questions for Note 3 users: If you install the Google launcher do you lose some of the S-Pen features?

hatchback said:
Good point, I did turned off wifi calling for about 3 weeks just a couple days ago and fortunately coverage is good in my area.
Questions for Note 3 users: If you install the Google launcher do you lose some of the S-Pen features?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. It's a touchwiz thing. You can use any launcher. You really don't lose anything by switching to a different launcher. (I had a note 3 before my S5).

aooga said:
Nope. It's a touchwiz thing. You can use any launcher. You really don't lose anything by switching to a different launcher. (I had a note 3 before my S5).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for clearing that up.

hatchback said:
*SD Card - I don't mind losing it. I'm actually waiting for my 2nd 64Gb microsd replacement from sandisk, somehow they always go to a locked state. (I have 3 more sitting at home since I lost the receipts SanDisk won't replace them)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i RMAed a 64gb microSD with sandisk earlier this year, and they didn't ask for a receipt. they asked me to take 2 pictures of the card (front and back intact), 2nd set of pics was the card destroyed in 2 pieces (front and back as well), and my replacement card was on its way the next 2 days. i believe that sd card has a 10yr warranty, and i RMA it 1yr later after purchase, so it makes sense that a receipt is not required for a product that has only been out for 1yr only, or maybe i just got lucky with a nice rep.

I will try giving another call.

aooga said:
Maybe this will help? No spen, SD card, removable battery, multi window, mouse actions, etc. The note series is really the best big phone out there. Not because of hardware, but Samsung software really takes advantage of it. Stock android just doesn't.
But...it is impressive that moto fit a 5.9" screen in a small body about the size if the note 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep! Nothing else on the market even comes close, but that's IF you need all those functions. I do, so the Note is the only choice. The Spen and oneNote are things I can't live without. Otherwise if you don't need that, then yeah go for the N6 save some money and don't deal with Samsung anymore.

If the nexus6 had 128gb onboard, I would have gone for that. 16 and 32gb phones are just too small.
The only trepidation I have about the note4 is how long it going to takes before Samsung releases androidL on the device. They always take forever. The note3 is still in 4.4.2, when all the Motorola phones and most HTC phones have all been upgraded.

hatchback said:
You are right it is the best big phone out there, I played with it at Best Buy.
*The S-pen I really liked it, almost like writing on paper.
*SD Card - I don't mind losing it. I'm actually waiting for my 2nd 64Gb microsd replacement from sandisk, somehow they always go to a locked state. (I have 3 more sitting at home since I lost the receipts SanDisk won't replace them)
*Removable battery - I've never swapped for a bigger battery on my GS3 or my GS4. Thought the power saving feature will come handy in some occasions.
* Multi-Window - always had it rarely ever used it. I'm sure it's better on the Note 4 because of the bigger screen.
*Mouse action w\ S-pen - Now that will be useful for me.
*samsungalaxypromotions.com - I don't think NEXUS would give me $200 for my old GS3.
*Speaker - Really loud on the Note 4, kinda gets distorted at max level.
I've never had a nexus before, just a little jealous they get OS updates quickly lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i actually noticed that too. i had to lower it at best buy. Im hoping its a demo software bug that can be fixed. On the other hand, my level on headphones with my note 3.... i sometimes wish i could crank up the volume louder so maybe the note 4 will make a difference it volume levels.

If anythign, get the Note 4 and later on just flash a AOSP L rom on it...
You will loose samsung features but then again you can also flash back to a Samsung Rom...
Best of both worlds...

Any owners of Note 4 upgraded to N7?

What are your thoughts? I like to have irda and mhl and I use it quite often.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA-Developers mobile app

Love the phone.
Check my sign for phones. But best phone ive gotten.

Note 4 to Note 7
I have only had mine since late last evening but not being as technically advanced as some and certainly not a power user, mine is being returned to today. My Note 4 hums along just fine and for the price, in my opinion there is not that much difference.

I am coming from note 4 anx will pick up my note 7 today
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Having had to 4 for almost 2 years, the 7 in my opinion is magnitudes better. Speed. Screen. Features. No comparison.

dkb218 said:
Having had to 4 for almost 2 years, the 7 in my opinion is magnitudes better. Speed. Screen. Features. No comparison.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with everything here....I feel the same way.... Had my n4 for 2 years as well and this N7 is really nice to use...Lots of cool stuff to mess with.

Yup. Me. Had my Note 4 for about 2 years. I will miss it. Gave it to my hubby to use. He had an LG Stylo. It was still in great condition. I just wanted to upgrade to this phone. The only thing I don't like about this phone is the battery being internal. I hope I can keep it for 2 years.
Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

Two year Note 4 user here too. Love this phone and I'm glad I took the plunge! The camera is amazing! One thing I notice is that it seems slower going through my app drawer, is there a setting I'm missing? My 4 was almost too fast.
Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

Count my wife and I in! However I'm keeping my Note 4 as a backup, just-in-case.

I had a note 4 and just got n7. Simply amazing. Feels so much lighter n smaller but a thing of beauty. Far superior i feel.
Sent from my SM-N930T using XDA-Developers mobile app

Note 4 to Note 7 user here too!
Loving the Note 7 so much right now, almost everything are huge improvements, though... there are some things that does bother me, but not enough to matter.
Pros:
1. The fingerprint scanner! Finally, there's no more swiping on that home button and its much more accurate. Damn, it was actually quite embarrassing to constantly swipe over that fingerprint scanner on the Note 4 and have it miss when friends are just tapping their's to unlock.
2. Camera! Although I'll miss the higher resolution photos (since I like to zoom in closely on some photos), the quality of the photos is amazing! Especially the improvements over on the front camera end. The introduction of the front camera flash is extremely helpful too, since I'm often taking selfies with friends late at night.
That new camera interface too... I can't even find a word to express it. Simply, the best.
For Selfies, there's not just skin tones anymore and there's even sliders for a Skinnier Face!
3. Always On Display and Pinning Notes! Simply a gorgeous feature that I knew will be constantly used. Love how double tapping notifications on the Always On Display can bring you straight to the app.
Pinning notes is unbelievably useful too especially when I'm leaving the house for an errand or when I want to mark down something I want to do early in the morning. (Don't forget to update the Always On Display so notes will appear under the clock and date)
4. Iris Scanner! Strangely, I'm unlocking through Iris Scanner more than fingerprint which might be because I'm too used to pressing Home to turn on screen then swiping down to unlock (bad habit from Note 4).
What this does on this phone (since I have fingerprint and Iris set up) is that because I'm swiping down a large enough distance... it switches to Iris Scanner and unlocks before my finger even swipes down to Fingerprint Scanner.
Truthfully, I have to fix this bad habit, but I still have to say its fun to play with the Iris Scanner.
5. Beautiful Design Changes. Although Note 4 wasn't bad, I'm seriously loving all the UI changes that Samsung has made over these two years.
6. SPen! Seriously loving the new SPen! That superfine tip! I'm a heavy SPen user back in my Note4 days, but this new SPen is somehow making me use it even more than before.
I'm not much of a GIF maker so I haven't tried that yet, but I really love the new Glance feature. Extremely helpful for multi-tasking which is what I do most on the phone.
Translate isn't as helpful since it only translates one word at a time and the language I need to translate most isn't on the Origin List.
Magnify is nice, but not as necessary.
7. Battery Improvements! From Day 1, it already feels like the battery lasts longer than the Note 4 at day 1, even after all I've done to it.
I'm not sure about others, but after a while my Note 4 had this serious bug where it'll automatically turn off at around 40-60% and mark itself as 0%.
Strangely enough, a battery replacement wasn't enough to fix this. This bug pretty much made using the Note 4 for more than 2 hours off the charger impossible. Thus, I'm happy with the battery life of the Note7 even after all the services I have turned on for it.
Actually having Wireless Charging without buying a separate item to install in is great
8. Secure Folder is simply the best feature, outside of the SPen, on this phone.
9. Water Resistant! Who could ever hate this feature?
Cons:
1. Speaker... Honestly, the sound appears to be lower than the Note 4, but I'm not sure if its because the microphone is pointed downwards.
2. Edge... Truthfully, whoever said they rather get the S7 Edge over the Note7 because they see the SPen, Iris Scanner, and etc as gimmicks are simply crazy. Nothing screams more of gimmicks than the Edge Screen features.
This isn't that the feature isn't nice though... I could see why its useful. However, there's just not enough Edge Panels available that makes it useful to use. For my personal use, I only have the App Panel, Widget Panel, Contacts Panel, and Widgets Panel set up... yet I have yet to actually use any of them.
3. Screen Protectors... I used to use only tempered glass screen protectors on my Note4, but that's pretty much impossible on the Note7. Using a film screen protector right now, but even these peel a bit over the edge.
4. Samsung Notes... Although its nice to see that they're making one app to consolidate all SPen uses, I can't help but not like the new app.
There's a few features that is missing from S-Note that I really like and this just doesn't cut it for me.
Honestly, S-Note felt like a great writing tool for me, whereas Samsung Notes feels like its just a collection of notes instead.
Looking to move to either Evernote or OneNote as a writing alternative now.
I'm also looking for an alternative drawing app since Samsung Notes doesn't feel like a great place to draw anymore either.
That's pretty much my personal review of the pro and con changes I have from switching to the Note 7 from the Note 4.

Zolares said:
4. Samsung Notes... Although its nice to see that they're making one app to consolidate all SPen uses, I can't help but not like the new app.
There's a few features that is missing from S-Note that I really like and this just doesn't cut it for me.
Honestly, S-Note felt like a great writing tool for me, whereas Samsung Notes feels like its just a collection of notes instead.
Looking to move to either Evernote or OneNote as a writing alternative now.
I'm also looking for an alternative drawing app since Samsung Notes doesn't feel like a great place to draw anymore either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S-Note is still available in the Galaxy Apps app.
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"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
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"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
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GhostZini said:
I had a note 4 and just got n7. Simply amazing. Feels so much lighter n smaller but a thing of beauty. Far superior i feel.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree. Just love the new sPen. =)
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You can't compare it to a Note 4. Not even on the same planet.
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I have paid my deposit. My biggest concern is the battery is for you think if you use it the same way as before you will get at least 20 percent more screen on time. Thanks
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Overall good, few minor and one major problem
I had the Note 4 from T-mobile since release. Loved it (wife has it now). Been running the Note7 since mid-day Thursday 8/18.
Major drawback is the battery: I lose 6-7% per hour with it untouched flat on a desk. Doze does not seem to ever kick in.
Minor annoyances: The new notes app is not as good as the old one. It's missing backgrounds and magnified writing.
Good stuff: The screen, bright and gloriously sharp. The increased sensitivity of the stylus is noticeable when handwriting, i can write in readable cursive. Wireless charging (because you're going to need it!) The secure folder to keep my work stuff separate. The "real" fingerprint scanner performs much better. And finally, it is noticeably faster and more responsive than the Note4.

Two year Note 4 user here. First phone I've ever kept for 2 years. And that was difficult because it was the AT&T version with no root.
I loved the Note 4 edge as a separate screen. It really increases productivity. This Note 7 edge seems more gimmicky, more of a novelty than an advantage. I loved text and calls notifications being presented on the edge so as not to interrupt what I'm doing when they arrive. It's a little thing bit it rocked in my opinion.
That said. The Note 7 is a huge leap forward and one I'm glad I've made.
--Mike
Sent from my SM-T810 using XDA-Developers mobile app
---------- Post added at 10:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:58 AM ----------
Zolares said:
Note 4 to Note 7 user here too!
Loving the Note 7 so much right now, almost everything are huge improvements, though... there are some things that does bother me, but not enough to matter.
Pros:
1. The fingerprint scanner! Finally, there's no more swiping on that home button and its much more accurate. Damn, it was actually quite embarrassing to constantly swipe over that fingerprint scanner on the Note 4 and have it miss when friends are just tapping their's to unlock.
2. Camera! Although I'll miss the higher resolution photos (since I like to zoom in closely on some photos), the quality of the photos is amazing! Especially the improvements over on the front camera end. The introduction of the front camera flash is extremely helpful too, since I'm often taking selfies with friends late at night.
That new camera interface too... I can't even find a word to express it. Simply, the best.
For Selfies, there's not just skin tones anymore and there's even sliders for a Skinnier Face!
3. Always On Display and Pinning Notes! Simply a gorgeous feature that I knew will be constantly used. Love how double tapping notifications on the Always On Display can bring you straight to the app.
Pinning notes is unbelievably useful too especially when I'm leaving the house for an errand or when I want to mark down something I want to do early in the morning. (Don't forget to update the Always On Display so notes will appear under the clock and date)
4. Iris Scanner! Strangely, I'm unlocking through Iris Scanner more than fingerprint which might be because I'm too used to pressing Home to turn on screen then swiping down to unlock (bad habit from Note 4).
What this does on this phone (since I have fingerprint and Iris set up) is that because I'm swiping down a large enough distance... it switches to Iris Scanner and unlocks before my finger even swipes down to Fingerprint Scanner.
Truthfully, I have to fix this bad habit, but I still have to say its fun to play with the Iris Scanner.
5. Beautiful Design Changes. Although Note 4 wasn't bad, I'm seriously loving all the UI changes that Samsung has made over these two years.
6. SPen! Seriously loving the new SPen! That superfine tip! I'm a heavy SPen user back in my Note4 days, but this new SPen is somehow making me use it even more than before.
I'm not much of a GIF maker so I haven't tried that yet, but I really love the new Glance feature. Extremely helpful for multi-tasking which is what I do most on the phone.
Translate isn't as helpful since it only translates one word at a time and the language I need to translate most isn't on the Origin List.
Magnify is nice, but not as necessary.
7. Battery Improvements! From Day 1, it already feels like the battery lasts longer than the Note 4 at day 1, even after all I've done to it.
I'm not sure about others, but after a while my Note 4 had this serious bug where it'll automatically turn off at around 40-60% and mark itself as 0%.
Strangely enough, a battery replacement wasn't enough to fix this. This bug pretty much made using the Note 4 for more than 2 hours off the charger impossible. Thus, I'm happy with the battery life of the Note7 even after all the services I have turned on for it.
Actually having Wireless Charging without buying a separate item to install in is great
8. Secure Folder is simply the best feature, outside of the SPen, on this phone.
9. Water Resistant! Who could ever hate this feature?
Cons:
1. Speaker... Honestly, the sound appears to be lower than the Note 4, but I'm not sure if its because the microphone is pointed downwards.
2. Edge... Truthfully, whoever said they rather get the S7 Edge over the Note7 because they see the SPen, Iris Scanner, and etc as gimmicks are simply crazy. Nothing screams more of gimmicks than the Edge Screen features.
This isn't that the feature isn't nice though... I could see why its useful. However, there's just not enough Edge Panels available that makes it useful to use. For my personal use, I only have the App Panel, Widget Panel, Contacts Panel, and Widgets Panel set up... yet I have yet to actually use any of them.
3. Screen Protectors... I used to use only tempered glass screen protectors on my Note4, but that's pretty much impossible on the Note7. Using a film screen protector right now, but even these peel a bit over the edge.
4. Samsung Notes... Although its nice to see that they're making one app to consolidate all SPen uses, I can't help but not like the new app.
There's a few features that is missing from S-Note that I really like and this just doesn't cut it for me.
Honestly, S-Note felt like a great writing tool for me, whereas Samsung Notes feels like its just a collection of notes instead.
Looking to move to either Evernote or OneNote as a writing alternative now.
I'm also looking for an alternative drawing app since Samsung Notes doesn't feel like a great place to draw anymore either.
That's pretty much my personal review of the pro and con changes I have from switching to the Note 7 from the Note 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great reply. Well thought out and presented. Thanks.
--Mike
Sent from my SM-T810 using XDA-Developers mobile app

I am coming from note 4 after 2 years, and I have the note 7 for couple days and I am loving how the phone feels in your hand and how light it is. day and night difference between two. it is a major upgrade for sure. on the other hand, finding out couple missing futures on note 7 from note 4, like action memo! it is a huge miss!!
Also, I noticed that Samsung keyboard does no longer supports the emoji prediction!! which I was using like crazy. Anyone know how to get the emoji prediction back without installing a new app like google keyboard or swiftkey? Also, any ideas on getting back the action memo? I did installed S note and S note side loads but nothing there.
and the speaker is very tinny compared to note 4 which is no good. but nothing major.

I'm at a family members home, that is in a week T-Mobile area. On my Note 4 I had Band 12 LTE, indoors a week Band 12 LTE. In some places i was switching over to Hspa, or edge. Now on the Note 7 I'm getting lte throughout the house, 109db or lower. Did a sweetest on both the Note got 3mb, while the Note 7 got 13mb down.
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rdobbert said:
I lose 6-7% per hour with it untouched flat on a desk.
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Click to collapse
That does not sound right. You should really do some digging to see what is causing your battery drain. I took mine off the charger at 100% a little over 2 hours ago and have been playing with it quite heavily trying to get it set up, and have only lost about 7%. That's 3.5% per hour while using it almost non-stop.