Database Develop

'iPhone 4' - What do you lot think?

So far, not a 100% fail like the last one imo
Some good features. But Im still pissed at the way Jobs is making out like he invented it all. E.g. 720P video...

Boring... its the same thing. They need one with a bigger screen.

courtlandre said:
Boring... its the same thing. They need one with a bigger screen.
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+1.
all phones seem small compared to my HD2

erm.. hardware is good
finally they have added multi-tasking phew
but i hate the interface because if you have loads of apps you have to scroll through loads of pages just to get to an app they haven't done anything about that.
but over all a better iphone to the last
still could be improved alot!

New screen is nice, but its not AMOLED and the resolution is rather pointless when its still a puny 3.5 inches, i call fail on that. The resolution is a way to get around a scaling problem, not a 'feature' in itself. 720P is also nice, but hardly unique, 5MP cam is adequate. OS 4 is meh and has been since it was announced, so im not tempted away, its still a restricted, limited platform controlled by prudish control freaks. The hardware just doesnt creak quite so much (for the time being). A few months later we will see 720P screens and dual core CPUs on devices that cost less all with a better, more open OS.

rovex said:
New screen is nice, but its not AMOLED and the resolution is rather pointless when its still a puny 3.5 inches, i call fail on that. The resolution is a way to get around a scaling problem, not a 'feature' in itself. 720P is also nice, but hardly unique, 5MP cam is adequate. OS 4 is meh and has been since it was announced, so im not tempted away, its still a restricted, limited platform controlled by prudish control freaks. The hardware just doesnt creak quite so much (for the time being). A few months later we will see 720P screens and dual core CPUs on devices that cost less all with a better, more open OS.
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Agreed.
Its going to take allot to tempt me away from my HD2 (allot more from apple ) I'd think about the EVO 4g if it was in the UK.
But apple has never done it for me...
Overall better job though

Another useless i...e thread
courtlandre said:
Boring... its the same thing. They need one with a bigger screen.
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Click to collapse
lonelykatana said:
+1.
all phones seem small compared to my HD2
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Click to collapse
Here we go again
Agree with all above comments and forthcoming on same line

Deleted...picture won't show up

Above all its just not good enough, it wont be a hardware leader for very long. Yes its faster than any current HTC and the screen is higher res, but 3.5 inches is not good enough its that simple. Id take 800x480 at 4.3 (or 5) over 960x640 at 3.5 inches ANY day. You have to get pretty close to see the pixels on any current WVGA screen, even the 5 inch Dell Streak.

iphone 4...
yawn...
wake me up when it innovates...

who effing cares....
EVO Ftw!!!!!!!!!!

rovex said:
Above all its just not good enough, it wont be a hardware leader for very long. Yes its faster than any current HTC and the screen is higher res, but 3.5 inches is not good enough its that simple. Id take 800x480 at 4.3 (or 5) over 960x640 at 3.5 inches ANY day. You have to get pretty close to see the pixels on any current WVGA screen, even the 5 inch Dell Streak.
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A 5" screen does not a cell phone make, you might as well just call it a tablet pc with phone capabilities. If it can't fit in my pocket then it is useless to me, external cell phone holders are for narcissistic douchbags.

the screen res is one of its high points along with front facing camera but fails with teh small screen and the wifi only videochat.

Nanan00 said:
A 5" screen does not a cell phone make, you might as well just call it a tablet pc with phone capabilities. If it can't fit in my pocket then it is useless to me, external cell phone holders are for narcissistic douchbags.
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The Dell streak does fit in a pocket. I have no problems with it at all. Its just like a thinner HD2 really.

domineus said:
iphone 4...
yawn...
wake me up when it innovates...
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Click to collapse
I agree completely. It's like, it's not anything special at all anymore, now that I know Jobs is a complete tool and lies to the public ("I don't like Flash because it's not open, but here, check out HTML5 in my closed browser").
Same size and weight basically. They say it's thinner, but why are people clamming for thinner phones? That's going to crack!!!!!
720p video? I doubt the quality of this stands up to true 720p video and I dare someone to prove me wrong. I have 720p video on my Olympus EPL1 and I'm sure it blows that mini camera's quality out of the water.
Front-facing camera? Not only do none of the current US networks support this, but do you really think this will take off? Yeah webcams sure did and are everywhere now. As it is now, people using cell phones in my general vicinity are already complete tools, now video calling near me will make them into 150% douchebags.
YAWN is right

My idea of a perfect phone would be the iPhone 4's hardware with Android as software... Don't hate me for saying this, but Apple products truly look high-end.

androidlicious said:
My idea of a perfect phone would be the iPhone 4's hardware with Android as software... Don't hate me for saying this, but Apple products truly look high-end.
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I dont hate you for it, i just think you are completely wrong. I hate Apple 'Style'. For me the HD2 is still the best looking device on the market. Its just wonderful to look at, on or off.

256mb of RAM on board a 1Ghz processor? That's like having a Ferrari with a pinto suspension...lol. That and the small screen; Psuedo Hi-Def on a tiny, non-AMOLED screen? I'm just not feeling Apple, never have, and it would take some real innovation to convert me (i.e. never).
Just my 2 cents...
~Jasecloud4

Ive had a phone with >300DPI before, the Nokia N90. It was really nice and looked odd because of the super pixels density, but ultimately a 2.1 inch screen only goes so far. Its the same here. 3.5 is just too small to make the resolution worth it.

jasecloud4 said:
256mb of ram on board a 1ghz processor? That's like having a ferrari with a pinto suspension...lol
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haha awesome!

Running n6 at 1080p?

I absolutely hate the new qhd screens. I think its a waste of resources, battery and processing power. Im not too familiar with amoled screens. Im wondering if they look good at resolutions other than native, such as how a crt monitor is, and not like a lcd which looks horrible at anything other than its native res.
If this was true we could just run the phone at 1080p res and save a ton of resources instead of pushing all those pixles that we dont need.

All modern displays need to be run at a native resolution to make it look good. Old CRTs could change the pixels they were projecting onto the screen which allowed it to do true resolution shifts. With modern displays those pixels aren't projected onto glass. They are hard set. Consequently, you can't do it with LCD, AMOLED, LED, or Plasma. 1080p ain't happening.
However, we theoretically could push it to 720p since that is one quarter of it's native resolution. That would just mean that four pixels would be grouped together as one. I expect it won't take long for mods to make their way out for that and it could have a significant impact on battery life. Hopefully it won't screw anything up. I've heard that 720p mods on the LG G3 have screwed with some of the stock LG apps.

Poke_N_PDA said:
All modern displays need to be run at a native resolution to make it look good. Old CRTs could change the pixels they were projecting onto the screen which allowed it to do true resolution shifts. With modern displays those pixels aren't projected onto glass. They are hard set. Consequently, you can't do it with LCD, AMOLED, LED, or Plasma. 1080p ain't happening.
However, we theoretically could push it to 720p since that is one quarter of it's native resolution. That would just mean that four pixels would be grouped together as one. I expect it won't take long for mods to make their way out for that and it could have a significant impact on battery life. Hopefully it won't screw anything up. I've heard that 720p mods on the LG G3 have screwed with some of the stock LG apps.
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Damn. Im not sure that the 720p would be enough for me. Just had a g flex and its 6 inch at 720 and didnt look the greatest. I hope next year they realize that qhd is totally unnecessary and go back to 1080 panels.

seh6183 said:
Damn. Im not sure that the 720p would be enough for me. Just had a g flex and its 6 inch at 720 and didnt look the greatest. I hope next year they realize that qhd is totally unnecessary and go back to 1080 panels.
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Why not just buy a 1080p phone then? The Huawai Ascend Mate 7 might be kind of what you're looking for.
It's got a 6" 1080p screen, metal construction, a huge (4100mah) battery, finger print scanner, etc. It's also roughly the same physical size or a little smaller than the N6 and similar in price I believe.
Overall the reviews have been fairly strong too. It might be worth a look.

SeanPlunk said:
Why not just buy a 1080p phone then? The Huawai Ascend Mate 7 might be kind of what you're looking for.
It's got a 6" 1080p screen, metal construction, a huge (4100mah) battery, finger print scanner, etc. It's also roughly the same physical size or a little smaller than the N6 and similar in price I believe.
Overall the reviews have been fairly strong too. It might be worth a look.
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Need a nexus device. Im tired of being held hostage with updates by the manufactuers for updates. They either wont fix something dumb that a dev can fix in 2 seconds, or they completely abandon the device after a year and you will never see the next version of android. I need to keep a phone that has massive dev support.

Plus that phone specifically doesn't suit me. No front facing stereo speakers, no amoled, no wireless charging, no stock android, and some weird processor that I don't trust lol

Does it actually make a difference to change the resolution? You still have to light up ALL the pixels.

bigf00t said:
Does it actually make a difference to change the resolution? You still have to light up ALL the pixels.
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Not on an AMOLED display. Backlighting is done on a per-pixel basis. That's why blacks are so dark, because the pixels aren't even on.

seh6183 said:
I absolutely hate the new qhd screens. I think its a waste of resources, battery and processing power. Im not too familiar with amoled screens. Im wondering if they look good at resolutions other than native, such as how a crt monitor is, and not like a lcd which looks horrible at anything other than its native res.
If this was true we could just run the phone at 1080p res and save a ton of resources instead of pushing all those pixles that we dont need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Solution:
Do not buy a QHD phone.

Is it possible to swap the display?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Cheater912 said:
Is it possible to swap the display?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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HA. You are funny.
Oh wait, you are serious?

GrayBoltWolf said:
HA. You are funny.
Oh wait, you are serious?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Surely it's possible with enough work.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

GrayBoltWolf said:
HA. You are funny.
Oh wait, you are serious?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheater912 said:
Surely it's possible with enough work.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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Like this:
http://highlowtech.org/?p=2182

Change the display ... really? come on, if you don't want QHD then just don't buy the phone.

Have you tried buying the nexus 5…? ?

Coming from someone with a g3, there are plenty of things you can do to make the phone snappy without having to gimp the resolution. The phone can handle it, just buy a portable battery if you are really worried.

Skripka said:
Solution:
Do not buy a QHD phone.
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Click to collapse
OMG! I cant believe my tiny little brain didnt think of such a magical solution. Ill just pop out to the local best buy and grab a phone with the specs im looking for:
5.5 inch plus screen
Amoled
Unlockable bootloader
Front facing speakers
Wireless charging
Oh wait. That doesnt exist outside of the nexus 6................. Hey but thanks for the really helpful and well thought out post.

bigf00t said:
Does it actually make a difference to change the resolution? You still have to light up ALL the pixels.
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Click to collapse
Absolutely it will. QHD isn't just about what the screen putting it out. It's the processor calculating what goes on that display. You are right that the power the screen consumes doesn't change. However, the processor now only has to calculate 1/4th of the graphics it used to. When you consider how much power is needed for graphics calculations on the processor, that is a MAJOR savings and can really add up over time.

Major? Like he said you still have to fire up all the pixels. It has always been my understanding that pushing the sheer number of pixels is what eats battery. I agree that it's overkill for such a small screen but regardless it's here, you can either but it or not.

on my g3, outside of playing games, reducing the resolution did not increase my performance or battery life.

stuttering due to qhd screen?

I saw a report of someone in one of these threads that reported like a stuttering in videos that he believed was related to the qhd screen. Has anyone else noticed this? I'm curious if the guy was hallucinating, or maybe had a faulty unit. I'm on the fence between this and the moto x. I like the aesthetics and lack of hardware buttons on the x, but the specs are a hard thing to look over.....

I haven't noticed anything.
I have both the 2014 X and a Turbo. If you're one of those people who obsess over battery life and are afraid to plug in during the day, the X will make you miserable. It's not terrible battery life for me, but it can't make it through the entire day without a boost charge. The Turbo can easily make it through the day.
For aesthetics and comfort in the hand, you can't beat the X.
Both are great phones, but they're meant did different types of users.
Sent from my XT1095

Nope no stutter at all. This baby is buttery smooth. Also the display is quad HD, or wqhd meaning wide quad high definition. qHD stands for Quarter High Definition and is a display resolution of 960x540. WQHD is equivalent to 2,560x1,440. Just so ya know.

browe3 said:
Nope no stutter at all. This baby is buttery smooth. Also the display is quad HD, or wqhd meaning wide quad high definition. qHD stands for Quarter High Definition and is a display resolution of 960x540. WQHD is equivalent to 2,560x1,440. Just so ya know.
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Click to collapse
QHD is 2560x1440 right? Not just WQHD, and qhd is quarter. Guessing he ment Q not q.

Thanks guys! Yeah I meant quad HD. I have a g2 right now abd the digitizer is going out on it. I had the nexus before this so I haven't had hard buttons since the thunderbolt! I really like the aesthetics of the X but I don't know if I can pick aaesthetics over specs....

No stuttering on video playback for me. Sometimes it hiccups going through menus, I noticed this after having it for like a week or so. It's not bad though and pretty rare.

Haven't seen any stuttering on my unit, it's been a very pleasant media consumption device so far. I've probably streamed over 10 hours of video through Twitch, Youtube, and websites since getting it.

I watch about 2 seasons worth a day on Netflix, YouTube all the time. No stuttering whatsoever. Not even a small pause or lag. My turbo is liquid smooth and solid, and so should yours bottom line.
Sent from my XT1254

Samsung is working on the second generation of the Tab S

It took longer than I thought it would considering its Samsung but I read an article announcing their working on a second generation of the tab s. There wasn't much info nor were there any specs so I didn't post the link. Hopefully this one will fix all the minor issues. Considering what the original was this new one should be the top dog for awhile. Has anyone heard any other info?
Moto X 2014

Yes. Article in Android Authority. 9.x" and 8.0" Tab S2

They're gonna be 4:3 ratio which sucks for media.

Sigh, please be a rumor with this 4:3 crap! What are we reverting to a simpler time?
Grrrrrrrr!

4:3 is very good for everything else besides watching movies, but I guess if you use your tablet for watching movies mostly then yeah it's going to suck.
What I want is better speakers (probably not gonna happen) and I want less air gap between the glass and screen to make the screen look even better.

Better speakers would definitely be nice but I'm not sure how good they'd be in a slim casing. New tab will most likely get the toned down tw. I couldn't wait to root and get rid of tw, its the #1 that keeps me away from Samsung phones. I love the note 4...
Moto X 2014

Im pretty sure its going to have the new exynos chip. Like the ones made in korea that had a tad newer chip then the ones we have now. And probably a fix on the overheating issue.

DUHAsianSKILLZ said:
Im pretty sure its going to have the new exynos chip. Like the ones made in korea that had a tad newer chip then the ones we have now. And probably a fix on the overheating issue.
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+1 on the over heat issues, been having it all day(playing hearthstone)

I'm very happy with my 10.5 and looking forward to 5.0.1. It helped reduce lag on my note 4 considerably - its virtually non existent now, and the battery life is better so I can't wait to receive it on my current tab s - hoping it will kill the lag. I don't think I'll upgrade this time round to be honest. It all works well (side sync and throw to my samsung UHD TV works a treat).

Ok, perhaps it would be a change of pace having a smaller screen but.... I really hope they offer this tablet in 32 or 64gb (128, yeah right) this time and kill 16gb once and for all.
No tablet should have 16gb in 2015. I paid extra to buy the 32gb 10.5S just on principle.
Here are some leaked specs....rumored.
http://www.sammobile.com/2015/02/19...y-tab-s-2-8-inch-and-9-7-inch-specifications/

I think 4:3 would be an improvement. As some others have said, 16:10 is good for movies. For everything else 4:3 is better.

I think I'd actually prefer 3:2, but either that or 4:3 would make me upgrade from my Tab Pro 10.1. I can't really get used to 16:10, it only feels right when watching movies.

I felt the same way. I would absolutely positively never use a device with 4:3 aspect ratio.
Then I got a nexus 9. Figured I would hate it. But I found that movies were actually fine on it. It is more a psychological thing about unused screen space I think, because I found it no more distracting than 2.35:1 aspect ratio on 16:9.
But what made me really love it was having books, magazines, textbooks and comic books fill the screen completely. Very comfortable if one does a lot of reading.
And the strangest thing: I found myself surfing the web in portrait! Caught myself one day... though...whoa...when did I start doing that? Didn't even think about it. Its strange but 4:3 makes a web page feel like you are reading a book.
As a disclaimer, before someone gets on my case for daring to mention the nexus 9 on a Tab S forum: I own a Tab S 8.4 and a Tab S 10.5 so I do have a basis for comparison.
And for what its worth, I still watch most movies on the Tab S because the Amoled screen is unparalleled for movie watching.
A new 4:3 Tab S with Amoled I think I would be a remarkably versatile tablet and in retrospect I think I would be fine with the idea.

I disagree. Tablets are more for media consumption than anything else and 16:9 is the standard so anything closer to that would be better for me. I owned ipads and would upgrade every year up until the ipad air with I owned for a week and returned it. The black bars watching movies made the 9.7" screen feel a little bigger than my note 3! Switched to a note 10.1 2014 and it was so much more immersive because the video occupied more of the screen. On flights all the ipad people I sit beside usually ask about my tablet and the fact that the video looks so much bigger on my device than theirs, so I'm hoping the new device will be 16:10 and include an SPen, as it is so much more useful on a tablet than on a note device.

Digital Man said:
But what made me really love it was having books, magazines, textbooks and comic books fill the screen completely. Very comfortable if one does a lot of reading.
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Regarding comics, the resolution used by Comixology digital comics is 1988 x 3056 which is quite a bit closer to 16:10 than 4:3.

The thing with movies is depends on the software you can just zoom in and fill up the screen. Sure you are not getting the whole movie frame and not seeing the movie as the director intended, but nobody intended you to watch their movies on a little phone or tablet either [emoji20]
on the other hand, with non movies stuff things feel more proportional on a 4:3 screen. If you're browsing the web, in landscape you have wide space horizontally that may be unused and at the same time you see less of a page vertically and have to scroll down more to read. In portrait it's too narrow and text maybe too small.
With apps like Gmail or tapatalk where you have a split pane in landscape mode, again it is too wide horizontally so the space is a bit wasted but too short vertically so you see fewer messages. In portrait mode, split pane is just too narrow and awkward so they end up using a pull out drawer design instead. Thus you have basically turned your tablet into a giant phone. Take the on screen keyboard. On the 4:3 screen, it has roughly square keys like a real keyboard, as opposed to rectangular keys like the infamous chiclet keyboard on the IBM junior. (In dating myself lol)
When I moved from iPad to android tablet first thing I noticed was most apps are just phone apps on a big screen and not really taking advantage of a large screen. I think 16:10 has something to do with it. If you look at lollipop, Google didn't even bother to do anything different on tablet. The settings app for example doesn't even fill up the screen.
Of course a great deal depends on your use mix, but I think some people just reflexively hate 4:3 because Apple uses it and they haven't had much experience with it.

I'm going yikes at the choice of the 5433. My feeling was always that we got shortchanged in getting a 5420 after SGS5 released with a newer version. I can see myself passing to wait for a Snapdragon 810/Exynos 7420 processor so that my tablet is not outclassed by my phone.
As to the 4:3 vs 16:9, I'll try anything once. Sadly, post Nexus 9, I can see a world where 16:9 tablets cease to exist (apple has a majority of the tablet market in the 4:3 factor so other than Google's insistance, as a competitor, that's the way the world will work.
I got a Dell Venue 7840 (because I will try anything once). I can feel the speed bump. It doesn't impress me otherwise relative to the Tab S (screen is same to slightly worse, dimensions are within 10% on thickness and 2% of length/width and it weighs more. Post having that and playing at the store with a Nexus 9, I feel like samsung could take the tab s, do nothing but replace the processor and have a 2015 flagship.

My concern is that the rumor mill says the battery will be only 3800mah. My T705 has 4600. Battery efficiencies are always improving, so Samsung should be striving for as big a battery as possible, not just rely on newer chips and a lower resolution screen to save power. Better, bigger batteries are super important for all mobile devices. Just getting by is a mistake. Do you get that Samsung?

Itchiee said:
Here are some leaked specs....rumored.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sure am hoping the Tab S 2 leaked specs are indeed just made up for clickbait! The screen - the one outstanding feature of the original Tab S and the main reason people (inc. me) bought it - sounds like it will be far worse. It will be shrunk, have a worse resolution and a 100% media-hostile 4:3 aspect ratio.
Having used my Tab S (with CyanogenMod of course) for a while now, I'm convinced that the quality of the screen is the most important aspect of a tablet (far more so than CPU/GPU/RAM specs) and if Samsung make the screen worse like the leaks claim, then they're not onto a winner in my books.

rklrkl said:
I sure am hoping the Tab S 2 leaked specs are indeed just made up for clickbait! The screen - the one outstanding feature of the original Tab S and the main reason people (inc. me) bought it - sounds like it will be far worse. It will be shrunk, have a worse resolution and a 100% media-hostile 4:3 aspect ratio.
Having used my Tab S (with CyanogenMod of course) for a while now, I'm convinced that the quality of the screen is the most important aspect of a tablet (far more so than CPU/GPU/RAM specs) and if Samsung make the screen worse like the leaks claim, then they're not onto a winner in my books.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've learned not to pay leaks any mind especially when it comes to samsung. They've hurt a lot of feelings over the years with expectations. They know they hit a hr with the tab s display it would be a shame and a death sentence to lose a products main feature.
Moto X 2014

S2 experience for watching videos and movies?

Hi,
I'm considering buying a tablet for media consumption (reading, browsing, emails, videos and movies) at home mostly but also for occasional travel.
I have ruled out the S3 as it's too expensive, too heavy, I don't need stylus support, and I really don't like glossy or glass finishes. I love the soft touch plastic finish of the S2 and it's incredible low weight especially the 8.0" version. The AMOLED display is stunning as well. I'm also considering the Huawei MediaPad M3, some Asus models, and maybe the iPad Mini 4 (but I have never used iOS before). I'm struggling to decide on two things:
1. 4:3 or 16:10 display?
2. 8" or larger?
Although 4:3 is great for reading it's worse for videos, and I watch a lot of video. I used to own the Galaxy Tab 7.7 (16:10) and I loved it. Great battery, lovely display and a nice size. Would watching standard widescreen (16:9) on the S2 8.0" give me at least the same video size as watching on the 7.7" (assuming no cropping and native aspect ratio)? Are there any links on the internet that show it with video playing? I have read a lot of reviews but none seem to show it playing movie clips. I just want gauge how large the letterboxing will be.
The second point is probably related too the first. I would go larger if I choose a 4:3 tablet.
Are there any tablets with 3:2 display or similar? I only know of the MS Surface tablets and the Pixel C.
Thanks

szqnl said:
Hi,
I'm considering buying a tablet for media consumption (reading, browsing, emails, videos and movies) at home mostly but also for occasional travel.
I have ruled out the S3 as it's too expensive, too heavy, I don't need stylus support, and I really don't like glossy or glass finishes. I love the soft touch plastic finish of the S2 and it's incredible low weight especially the 8.0" version. The AMOLED display is stunning as well. I'm also considering the Huawei MediaPad M3, some Asus models, and maybe the iPad Mini 4 (but I have never used iOS before). I'm struggling to decide on two things:
1. 4:3 or 16:10 display?
2. 8" or larger?
Although 4:3 is great for reading it's worse for videos, and I watch a lot of video. I used to own the Galaxy Tab 7.7 (16:10) and I loved it. Great battery, lovely display and a nice size. Would watching standard widescreen (16:9) on the S2 8.0" give me at least the same video size as watching on the 7.7" (assuming no cropping and native aspect ratio)? Are there any links on the internet that show it with video playing? I have read a lot of reviews but none seem to show it playing movie clips. I just want gauge how large the letterboxing will be.
The second point is probably related too the first. I would go larger if I choose a 4:3 tablet.
Are there any tablets with 3:2 display or similar? I only know of the MS Surface tablets and the Pixel C.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, my experience is that watching videos without headphones is dreadful due to the dire sound quality of the device. Hope this helps!

StrangerWeather said:
Hi, my experience is that watching videos without headphones is dreadful due to the dire sound quality of the device. Hope this helps!
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Click to collapse
Yeah, I got that impression from all the reviews that I have read. They really didn't even try with the speakers. What's the audio quality like with headphones? I'm worried that there maybe a difference between the Exynos and Snapdragon versions. There seem to be a lot of different models around.

I found a really good comparison between the Tab S 8.4 and Tab S2 8.0 on YouTube. The letterboxing isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I think I can live with that. Trying to find a good deal on the S2 8.0 Wifi version now. Seems as though only the LTE version is available in Asia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-ZaifGOV2U

szqnl said:
I found a really good comparison between the Tab S 8.4 and Tab S2 8.0 on YouTube. The letterboxing isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I think I can live with that. Trying to find a good deal on the S2 8.0 Wifi version now. Seems as though only the LTE version is available in Asia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-ZaifGOV2U
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not consider the Tab S? Still has the best display for video.
I wouldn't be looking at the 8.4 for media consumption the larger screen of the 10.5 makes all the difference.

ashyx said:
Why not consider the Tab S? Still has the best display for video.
I wouldn't be looking at the 8.4 for media consumption the larger screen of the 10.5 makes all the difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was an option but it's quite old now and not for sale anywhere where I live. I don't like to buy second hand electronics, at least not without testing it first in person. As for size, I'm not sure yet. I have a 5.1" smartphone and 12" laptop so anything between 8-10" should fit nicely. I need to spend more time playing around with display units.

szqnl said:
Th As for size, I'm not sure yet. I have a 5.1" smartphone and 12" laptop so anything between 8-10" should fit nicely. I)
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Click to collapse
why you need something in between?

My Tab S2 does a fine job with video, and it really doesn't look bad at all when it letterboxes (which is practically all video these days). I will concur that external speakers or headphones are practically required, though. The built-in speaker is good for little more than notifications and background music.

claudioita said:
why you need something in between?
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Don't need, just want
I like to use a "smaller" smartphone in my daily life but it's not great for watching movies or extended browsing/reading. The odd YouTube clip is fine. The Windows laptop I use for work, both at home and when travelling. It's non-touchscreen. I love it and I currently use it for watching movies and browsing/reading at home, but it's not that convenient for media consumption on a casual basis.
A lightweight portable tablet (10" or less) for use around the home and on long trips would be nice. It's definitely not essential which is why I'm looking for a cheapish tablet but I don't mind spending a little more for a quality display. That's why I'm looking for a discounted S2.

Samsung S2 will make a charm
szqnl said:
Don't need, just want
I like to use a "smaller" smartphone in my daily life but it's not great for watching movies or extended browsing/reading. The odd YouTube clip is fine. The Windows laptop I use for work, both at home and when travelling. It's non-touchscreen. I love it and I currently use it for watching movies and browsing/reading at home, but it's not that convenient for media consumption on a casual basis.
A lightweight portable tablet (10" or less) for use around the home and on long trips would be nice. It's definitely not essential which is why I'm looking for a cheapish tablet but I don't mind spending a little more for a quality display. That's why I'm looking for a discounted S2.
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Click to collapse
I would go with Samsung S2. Works well for me. Plus, if you want to hook up a hard drive or speakers to your tablet, you can use accessory called SimulCharge USB (aka TL-002). It provides a simultaneous access to USB devices and charging for the tablet and peripherals in the same time. Now, you can watch all night movies

szqnl said:
Don't need, just want
I like to use a "smaller" smartphone in my daily life but it's not great for watching movies or extended browsing/reading. The odd YouTube clip is fine. The Windows laptop I use for work, both at home and when travelling. It's non-touchscreen. I love it and I currently use it for watching movies and browsing/reading at home, but it's not that convenient for media consumption on a casual basis.
A lightweight portable tablet (10" or less) for use around the home and on long trips would be nice. It's definitely not essential which is why I'm looking for a cheapish tablet but I don't mind spending a little more for a quality display. That's why I'm looking for a discounted S2.
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Click to collapse
I see.
I am in a (little) better position.
I have a 5,7 inch smartphone and a Surface Pro 3, 12 inch. The last is good for watching movies, although not optimal as laptop (but ok).
I was wondering if going a different route:
- (keep) the 5,7 inch snartphone
- (buy) a tablet in the 10 inch range
- (buy) a laptop in the 13-14 inch range.
Or just stay as I am ...

claudioita said:
I see.
I am in a (little) better position.
I have a 5,7 inch smartphone and a Surface Pro 3, 12 inch. The last is good for watching movies, although not optimal as laptop (but ok).
I was wondering if going a different route:
- (keep) the 5,7 inch snartphone
- (buy) a tablet in the 10 inch range
- (buy) a laptop in the 13-14 inch range.
Or just stay as I am ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I understand. I thought about getting an SP4 before I bought my laptop. Would have negated the desire for a separate tablet. But in the end I decided to get a traditional laptop for usability as I would be using it the most and I found 2-in-1s to be a little awkward to use as a laptop and too heavy for extended tablet usage.
Maybe wait until the SP5 or updated Huawai Matebook are announced to see what they offer. Also, if you are ok with Android and Samsung, wait for the Note 8 that will likely feature a 6.4"+ display.
No perfect solution, there's always going to be a compromise. I drive myself insane sometimes trying to think about what combination of devices would be best for me and end up buying nothing. :silly: In the end I decided based on convenience and usability of the most important aspects, working and connectivity.
Really want a tablet now though

AMOLED vs IPS.. very simple answer: get the s2 Tab!
It's cheap and the display is stunning. Audio is grand with headphones.

Niii4 said:
AMOLED vs IPS.. very simple answer: get the s2 Tab!
It's cheap and the display is stunning. Audio is grand with headphones.
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That's good to know, thanks. Don't really care about the speakers but the audio quality via the headphones needs to be high.

Once you go OLED screen for videos you never go back.
IPS backlight glow is a bad joke.

StrangerWeather said:
Hi, my experience is that watching videos without headphones is dreadful due to the dire sound quality of the device. Hope this helps!
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The ostracised frustrating thing for me is that the device has stereo speakers, but there are pointing in the same direction, a really terrible waste.

DShot92 said:
the device has stereo speakers, but there are pointing in the same direction, a really terrible waste.
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The speakers are chiefly for the LTE version of the s2 Tab. Namely phonecalls.
Seriously, who watches videos/movies on speaker while en route?

It's just wonderful in every sense. I take it with me in my back pack everywhere and I truly love it. I have a wonderful galaxy s5 too which is also great but when I have time to read and surf the web I take the tab and it's so great and light and fast that I doubt there's anything better in the market. I am writing this from the park in the grass. I use the 8" for the lightweight and comfort of holding it with one hand. I also have a very light 1kg laptop that I only use when I need to type long stuff. For bed and street always the tab s2.

pxp3 said:
...I use the 8" for the lightweight and comfort of holding it with one hand...
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That's exactly why I'm inclined towards getting the 8" version of the S2. It's incredibly light at 265g. You can literally hold it for extended periods with the fingertips of your thumb and index finger alone. The soft touch plastic back is a refreshing change to metal and/or glass. Much easier to hold and looks better in my opinion.
It's also a really comfortable size. I was a little worried about videos being too small due to the display ratio and subsequent letterboxing but it's actually ok. The AMOLED display is gorgeous as well.
An S-Pen would make this perfect! Not important for me though.
I have pretty much decided to get this now. Just waiting a while because I sense a price drop coming when the S3 becomes available here. Although I get the impression Samsung may keep the Tab S2 series going at the same price due to the S3 not really being a direct replacement.
Thank you to everyone for your comments and input

I was a little worried about videos being too small due to the display ratio..
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It is definitely a sub 8" experience with movies that have only x800 something vertical pixel (e.g. 1920x816) so I prefer x1080 videos. But still, the display is the very best on the market; for its price.
I would not wait for a price drop.. it may very likely rise or worse be sold out soon, once people recognize its value.