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Well, THAT happened 10 hours ago........
The launch for the S5 came and my enjoyment faded pretty quickly. You can see from my track record in my signature that I've been a pretty loyal customer of Samsung for quite some time now, and this may be the first Galaxy launch that I won't have a pre-order in the system. Other than stepping away from the Galaxy line to pick up the Atrix 4G, the first mass produced phone with a fingerprint scanner, coincidentally, I've enjoyed only Samsung phones for the last 4 years. The "premium version" of the S5 was supposed to be 5th in line, what with the 20MP camera, metal body, G-Note 3 battery size, 5.25" screen - you've seen it all and read it all, it didn't show up today. Now unless Samsung is about to pull the biggest stunt they've ever pulled, the Unpacked5 event is in the books and we're not getting anything more than what we got today.
Is there any positive that came out of this event? Sure! USB 3.0 is a big thing for me as I have lots of 3.0 gear and want that from my next phone, it's dust and water resistant, cool fingerprint scanner providing it works flawlessly unlike the one on the iThing, updated TouchWiz which (try not to judge) I actually like a little bit, the wearables, the bigger focus on health, better processor, camera, and connectivity, but then comes the let downs, especially for S4 owners. Same 1080p screen at almost the same size, same 2GB of memory, almost the exact same front camera, soon to be the same OS (again, I like TW so I'm sticking it out on 4.3 until the TW 4.4.2 comes out), same plastic body that I don't necessarily mind, but would have appreciated a little change other than just putting dimples in the back cover, and probably worst of all to me, they're offering it in a 16GB format again after what they just did to us who pre-ordered and / or early adopted the S4, sticking us with next to nothing for internal space because they believe everyone has kids and needs to have likely a ton of space dedicated to a kid mode with pre-installed games and crap. I'm single and not looking for that anytime soon!!! It's like they claimed to listen to their customers but only those who are married, have children, want a "modern glam look," whatever the hell that means, and work out enough to bring their phone with them while exercising!
Damn that's a lot of negatives so far. So what can Samsung do between now and launch to earn my money short of releasing their ultra premium version that was supposed to exist but doesn't, and calling this one the S5 Neo? Let's take a look, and please, feel free to help me add to this list!
Ship the phone with an unlocked bootloader - I know, fat chance, right? But if you don't want people complaining about lack of storage, let us kill it off as we see fit! I also know it isn't up to Samsung on this, the carriers are the ones being douchebags about it, but Samsung put their foot down with them previously by stopping them from dictating all the individual revisions when they launched the SIII, making them all the same shape and size, so why can't they force their hand on this in the sake of making even the smallest group of their customers happy - those that truly use the phone for what it was meant for!
Negate the 16GB version - this is obvious, why the hell is this even a thing anymore with Samsung.... just get rid of it if you're not going to slim down this ridiculously large ROM of yours! Ship with the 32GB at minimum and announce the 64GB as well. iThings do this as a standard now, and while iSheep love to keep their music on their device and we have this little thing called external storage and another little thing called Google Music, we don't have to, but seriously, cut the crap and ditch the 16GB model!
Allow us to remove certain features we just aren't going to use, EVER - as I stated already, I don't have kids and don't need a Kids Mode. If you aren't going to let us root the thing AND aren't going to launch it with more than 16GB, let me get rid of the damn Kids Mode. Or the health features. Or anything else I decide useless or unnecessary. When looking at pics of the camera settings on the S5, I'm able to download more features as I see fit - why not make some of this crap downloadable and not don't ship it with the device? Why not make an Aroma-like installer when you first boot it and say "hey, would you like all of this crap or just some of it?" like any PC software does when it installs something - Typical or Custom installation. Sounds like I'm asking for a lot here, but really, I'm asking to not be forced a lot that I really won't use. And before you comment that if I don't need it, don't buy it in the first place, there are so many things I love about my S4 and TouchWiz that I'm not planning to part with in order to have "a phone," my N7 has a purpose and it isn't so I can keep the screen on when I need it just by looking at it. It does great for playing movies on a trip but not for letting me change the channel of my big TV when I want to watch a blockbuster movie....
Ship with at least the S805 processor for crying out loud - if you're not going to blow us away with something new and powerful, at least ship it with the very latest processor this time from Qualcomm. The 800 has been out for months, the 801 is obviously an incremental update over the 800, and the 805 isn't that much better, but at least give us the goods instead of just going along with the same processor found in the N5 and G-Note 3. I don't think we've heard which one for sure will be included, but from what I've read, so far they say it's the 800 or the 801. EDIT - it's the 801, confirmed by Qualcomm....
Include wireless charging in the box - I shouldn't have to say this, wireless charging is now old technology, the SIII had the capability but not the attention or love needed for Samsung to just release the official cover, the S4 cover took 3 months to post online for sale, and with all the competition shipping their phones with it included, why aren't we able to get it without paying $50+ for it? I used a 50% off coupon to get it for $25, but that's $25 more than I should have spent after being let down on a promise that the SIII was supposed to be able to do it on a phone with nearly useless internal storage....
Sell us some legit accessories this time, namely a car dock - I'm always impressed when people recognize me from my review on the only working car dock for the S4 since Samsung decided to screw around with the whole thing and make my Infuse dock useless. It worked on the Skyrocket and SIII, and would have fit the S4 except it wasn't possible to get the thing working properly by charging and outputting dock audio on it, so it's collecting dust in a box right now. Sure, I get it, you want to sell me something new instead of letting me use the same one for my last phone, and that's different than what you are doing (or didn't do?) with the wireless charging cover, but in this situation, you're not even selling me one! The S4 sold tens of millions of devices, did you stop and think that maybe ONE of them would be going in a car and being used for playing music or navigating that owner safely from one place to another?
?
?
?
That's all I got for now, I'm sure we can come up with more and while I highly doubt Samsung is listening to people like me, one of their 200M customers (I'd like to think I counted 4 times for buying 4 iterations of the Galaxy line), there's always a chance someone is listening. I bet they'll listen when they're trying to figure out why the sales figures are going to be monumentally lower this go-round, that's for sure!!!
A note to fanboys of all kinds, Samsung, HTC, Nokia, iThing, etc - let's keep it clean here, please. You haven't heard me bash anyone else here, even Samsung really, so please don't get this thread locked on me. I'm sure you have witty comments like Nokia and HTC have today, with their "Samesung," "Buyers Remose," and even the most original ones like telling me that you're disappointed or this phone is ugly.... As if we haven't seen those comments before. Be original if Samsung isn't, post something relevant to the discussion if you're going to post at all! I don't waste my time on writing this stuff to insult others, so don't do it to insult me. If you were never considering buying it, you don't have any reason to comment on here because nothing you're going to say will come across as helpful to myself or others. If you were considering buying it or even, dare I say switching from another brand, or actually will be buying this phone - let's discuss intelligently your reasons why!
:good:
FM radio..
In Slovenia in past month we have major electric blackdown becouse of mother nature - no internet no nothing.. but FM radio did work.. on my S2 I could still listen what is happening, but on newer device.. bljah.. must have tool which cost them 1 euro cent per device..
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
I agree with all you say. Particularly about wireless charging, and accessories which get launched with fanfare and then never see the light of day. The other thing they could do is to put one of the new gear items in the box too. That would be a good sweetener. Lol.
Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk
NO KNOX!!! Or forget about Custom ROMs and warranty.
redzion said:
FM radio..
In Slovenia in past month we have major electric blackdown becouse of mother nature - no internet no nothing.. but FM radio did work.. on my S2 I could still listen what is happening, but on newer device.. bljah.. must have tool which cost them 1 euro cent per device..
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
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How do you know it doesn't ?
Two points here:
1. I see you are American, and that in the US the carriers **** in their customers' heads when it comes to freedom. The international S4 has an unlocked bootloader, it has been like that since the original S.
2. The Snapdragon 805 isn't available yet, sadly.
And why isn't 2GB of RAM enough? I have 300+ apps here, 9 accounts syncing and available RAM never goes below 700MB.
I'm going to point something out to everyone here that wants Samsung to get rid of security features such as locked bootloaders or Knox.
We are the minority. Do you Expect Samsung to tailor to us and risk the average consumer's information and safety so people can run an AOSP build or a custom kernel?
Ship the phone with an unlocked bootloader - I know, fat chance, right? But if you don't want people complaining about lack of storage, let us kill it off as we see fit! I also know it isn't up to Samsung on this, the carriers are the ones being douchebags about it, but Samsung put their foot down with them previously by stopping them from dictating all the individual revisions when they launched the SIII, making them all the same shape and size, so why can't they force their hand on this in the sake of making even the smallest group of their customers happy - those that truly use the phone for what it was meant for!
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Click to collapse
While I'm not excusing the US carriers for doing this, but why do you think they try to steer people away from rooting and unlocking the bootloader? People mess up, brick their phone, and then try to do a warranty claim on them. They're protecting their profits, and as a business you cannot blame them for that. Anyone else here would do the same thing to retain profits. And what do you mean "use the phone for what it was meant for?" The phone is meant to be a mobile multimedia cellular device, which in fact still does on the software it ships with no problem.
Negate the 16GB version - this is obvious, why the hell is this even a thing anymore with Samsung.... just get rid of it if you're not going to slim down this ridiculously large ROM of yours! Ship with the 32GB at minimum and announce the 64GB as well. iThings do this as a standard now, and while iSheep love to keep their music on their device and we have this little thing called external storage and another little thing called Google Music, we don't have to, but seriously, cut the crap and ditch the 16GB model!
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Click to collapse
I do agree with this, I don't see too much point of the 16gb version. Still at least gives you a start of 10gb of storage at least.
Allow us to remove certain features we just aren't going to use, EVER - as I stated already, I don't have kids and don't need a Kids Mode. If you aren't going to let us root the thing AND aren't going to launch it with more than 16GB, let me get rid of the damn Kids Mode. Or the health features. Or anything else I decide useless or unnecessary. When looking at pics of the camera settings on the S5, I'm able to download more features as I see fit - why not make some of this crap downloadable and not don't ship it with the device? Why not make an Aroma-like installer when you first boot it and say "hey, would you like all of this crap or just some of it?" like any PC software does when it installs something - Typical or Custom installation. Sounds like I'm asking for a lot here, but really, I'm asking to not be forced a lot that I really won't use. And before you comment that if I don't need it, don't buy it in the first place, there are so many things I love about my S4 and TouchWiz that I'm not planning to part with in order to have "a phone," my N7 has a purpose and it isn't so I can keep the screen on when I need it just by looking at it. It does great for playing movies on a trip but not for letting me change the channel of my big TV when I want to watch a blockbuster movie....
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Click to collapse
You can disable features you don't need. But just because you decide a feature you think is useless or unnecessary, does not translate to everyone else will think this too. I like the kids mode feature, I've got kids and nephews that get my phone somehow all the time.(Anyone with kids can attest to that too! ) I'm sure people will love this feature.
Ship with at least the S805 processor for crying out loud - if you're not going to blow us away with something new and powerful, at least ship it with the very latest processor this time from Qualcomm. The 800 has been out for months, the 801 is obviously an incremental update over the 800, and the 805 isn't that much better, but at least give us the goods instead of just going along with the same processor found in the N5 and G-Note 3. I don't think we've heard which one for sure will be included, but from what I've read, so far they say it's the 800 or the 801.
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Click to collapse
This is Qualcomm's area right here, ARM cpus are following the development of x86 cpus. Meaning it's reached a point now where development for ARM cores is slowing down, tremendously. We probably won't see any groundbreaking ARM cpu's come out for maybe at least a year or so now, took x86 cpus years to show good and cost effective performance gains.
Include wireless charging in the box - I shouldn't have to say this, wireless charging is now old technology, the SIII had the capability but not the attention or love needed for Samsung to just release the official cover, the S4 cover took 3 months to post online for sale, and with all the competition shipping their phones with it included, why aren't we able to get it without paying $50+ for it? I used a 50% off coupon to get it for $25, but that's $25 more than I should have spent after being let down on a promise that the SIII was supposed to be able to do it on a phone with nearly useless internal storage....
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Click to collapse
Now you're just being greedy.
Sell us some legit accessories this time, namely a car dock - I'm always impressed when people recognize me from my review on the only working car dock for the S4 since Samsung decided to screw around with the whole thing and make my Infuse dock useless. It worked on the Skyrocket and SIII, and would have fit the S4 except it wasn't possible to get the thing working properly by charging and outputting dock audio on it, so it's collecting dust in a box right now. Sure, I get it, you want to sell me something new instead of letting me use the same one for my last phone, and that's different than what you are doing (or didn't do?) with the wireless charging cover, but in this situation, you're not even selling me one! The S4 sold tens of millions of devices, did you stop and think that maybe ONE of them would be going in a car and being used for playing music or navigating that owner safely from one place to another?
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I do agree with this, but also at the same time there are 100s of other companies making accessories that Samsung does not make.
Samsung is not going to tailor the phone just for one person or a small group, they're doing it for what they believe are the best choices for their devices. Looking at their track record of the Galaxy line up, I'd say they've got it down pretty good.
Why do u need a 2k screen on a 5" device? It eats battery life, it bogs down cpu and gpu performance for something that your eyes can't notice. I cant even see a pixel on my s4.
Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk
My wishlist for S5 -Premium
1. 5.2" inches screen in body-size of S4. It's not too hard if they look at LG G2.
2. Radio FM, and playable via loudspeaker.
3. Good camera in low light condition.
4. Smaller bezel, by aluminum.
5. QHD display.
6. Better performed in drop-test, maybe
7. Keep removable battery + external SDcard.
8. Snapdragon 805 or Exynos 64bit octa-cores.
9. Only 1 "main" international version, both have LTE-A, 4K video rec etc...
10. Wireless charging included.
11. Ram 3G
12. At least 32 GB internal memory, like Note 3.
13. Fingerprint inside screen.
14. Max brightness at 600nit, like Note3.
15. Flash Xenon for camera and flash led for Camcorder.
16. 120 fps video recording at 1080p
17. Not too heavy. <150g.
18. Clearer audio recording, noise reduction.
19. Stereo sound on louder speaker like HTC One.
20. A better earphone with improved DAC
21. Sapphire glass for screen and camera lens.
22. Dust and water resistant is good, but I hope it will not affect the bezels.
23. Remove Samsung logo in the front and rear. Just Galaxy.
24. Note 3 fake leather still better than this S5C, or aluminum body.
25. Working, interchangeable for S-pen or any stylus pen, docking, etc
26. Front camera 5MP, rear 18MP
27. Hot plugged battery, SIM and microSD card without restart phone.
28. Include an projector like Galaxy Beam
29. USB 3.1
30. Removable and downloadable all bloatware, Knox, gesture...
31. 3000 mAh battery
32. New flat Touchwiz, it's still ugly.
33. Touchwiz fully runnable in ART and compatible with any pixel density.
34. Free lags, especially open the contacts/dialer must be faster.
35. Dual boot Android & WP, maybe triple with Ubuntu or GPE rom.
36. Update firmware at least 24 months, not like i9300.
37. Not too many versions in worldwide.
38. For some sharing features like Galaxy Beam, Samsung should share this app to works on other Android devices, (now we only have Android Beam).
The same for SS smart watch, smartTV....
39. Still support Adobe flash (it's not SS or GG obligation, but I hope it).
40. Improved airview and air gestures in smarter way than before (Example: hover finger on the links help user preview link, not zooming like now). Open the API for all the sensors function and support the developers to create much good app based on them.
dandroid13 said:
Two points here:
1. I see you are American, and that in the US the carriers **** in their customers' heads when it comes to freedom. The international S4 has an unlocked bootloader, it has been like that since the original S.
2. The Snapdragon 805 isn't available yet, sadly.
And why isn't 2GB of RAM enough? I have 300+ apps here, 9 accounts syncing and available RAM never goes below 700MB.
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Click to collapse
When kitkat was being written all the engineers had to use a smart phone with only 512 mb of RAM.
This will be moot tho with TouchWiz which is the most bloated god awful software on Android. 2gb IS enough yet the s4 still suffered from lag.
With the newer processors not being available yet Samsung should have focused on design. They put zero effort into that. This will be their first flop in the galaxy line. And by flop I mean by their standards. It will still sell millions.
Sent from my VS980 4G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
fernando sor said:
When kitkat was being written all the engineers had to use a smart phone with only 512 mb of RAM.
This will be moot tho with TouchWiz which is the most bloated god awful software on Android. 2gb IS enough yet the s4 still suffered from lag.
With the newer processors not being available yet Samsung should have focused on design. They put zero effort into that. This will be their first flop in the galaxy line. And by flop I mean by their standards. It will still sell millions.
Sent from my VS980 4G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Click to collapse
I have minimal lag here, but even Nexus can lag, it's not just TW or Sense.
adichandra said:
Why do u need a 2k screen on a 5" device? It eats battery life, it bogs down cpu and gpu performance for something that your eyes can't notice. I cant even see a pixel on my s4.
Sent from my GT-I9505G using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
this is so true. people just want a better spec sheet not realizing going above 1080p will actually lower benchmarks particularly with the s800 and 801 being the only SoC available now. To get something you probably wont even notice you will be sacrificing just about everything else performance wise.
---------- Post added at 01:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:40 PM ----------
dandroid13 said:
I have minimal lag here, but even Nexus can lag, it's not just TW or Sense.
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Click to collapse
Come on It was a pretty common bug on the s4. I have a Samsung tab note 10.1 and it lags considerably.
I've had numerous HTC phones over the years and sense has been toned down quite a bit. sense 3.0 was a system draining nightmare.
I really don't think you can compare a straight android ROM to A samsung rom and say with a straight face this makes no difference on performance or lag.
Just compare the size of a nexus 7 rom to any s4 rom.
fernando sor said:
Come on It was a pretty common bug on the s4. I have a Samsung tab note 10.1 and it lags considerably.
I've had numerous HTC phones over the years and sense has been toned down quite a bit. sense 3.0 was a system draining nightmare.
I really don't think you can compare a straight android ROM to A samsung rom and say with a straight face this makes no difference on performance or lag.
Just compare the size of a nexus 7 rom to any s4 rom.
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Click to collapse
Sure, the Note 10.1 is slow, but the problem isn't how light or heavy the ROM is, the lag happens because the Java-based Android Runtime isn't a optimized as iOS, for example.
dandroid13 said:
Sure, the Note 10.1 is slow, but the problem isn't how light or heavy the ROM is, the lag happens because the Java-based Android Runtime isn't a optimized as iOS, for example.
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Click to collapse
It's actually dalvik at runtime. Dalvik virtual machine and kitkat is optimized quite well.
When you add a huge amount of code on top of that of course it will change the performance.
Sent from my VS980 4G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
fernando sor said:
It's actually dalvik at runtime. Dalvik virtual machine and kitkat is optimized quite well.
When you add a huge amount of code on top of that of course it will change the performance.
Sent from my VS980 4G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Click to collapse
Sure, but it'll never be as good as iOS or WP, sadly.
Anyway, here's a closer look at the new TW, and, you guys can kill me, but I really like it. http://www.phonearena.com/news/New-...z-what-changed-with-Samsungs-software_id53163
dandroid13 said:
Sure, but it'll never be as good as iOS or WP, sadly.
Anyway, here's a closer look at the new TW, and, you guys can kill me, but I really like it. http://www.phonearena.com/news/New-...z-what-changed-with-Samsungs-software_id53163
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Click to collapse
Actually that's a matter of opinion. My nexus 7 2013 and HTC one run as well as any iOS device I've played with. And they're of course other factors such iOS locked down system, boring home screen, no widgets, tiny screen etc.
Sent from my VS980 4G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Saw today a tweet from O2. 661 Euro. That is a lot of money. Think I have to pass.
anubius said:
Saw today a tweet from O2. 661 Euro. That is a lot of money. Think I have to pass.
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Damn.
Just got my not note yesterday. I've been playing and setting it all up today. All the scare tactics of people re: lagging, gaggape etc seem to have 0 merit.
It was fairly simple to transfer data from iTunes (not everything transferred smoothly but I didn't lose any photos etc). Amazingly easy to set up email etc.
I realised all this talk about Note Vs iPhone is BS. The Note is so much better than my iPhone 5 or my wife's 5S. It's incredible how good the screen and camera are. I tweaked it a little after watching some videos so its running even quicker than it was and I was very happy to begin with. There's 0 gap (Samsung must have fixed that issue it looks like they've filled the space with resin possibly? There's 0 lag.
I can't get my one-handed mode to work but everything else is running fine. Even the fingerprint scanner is working perfectly.
I haven't even begun to explore the business possibilities as a Jeweller the Spen is going to be very very handy during design consultations as I can use my note rather than my tablet now (as it's big enough).
Just thought I'd leave my thoughts.
Well surely it is better than last gen iPhones but calling it the best is kinda an overkill. I'm a hardcore samsung fan myself and I love my device but there are things to improve on hopefully Note 5.
Its the best for now even next year the note 4 will still hold its own right up till the n5
quadlt said:
Well surely it is better than last gen iPhones but calling it the best is kinda an overkill. I'm a hardcore samsung fan myself and I love my device but there are things to improve on hopefully Note 5.
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Click to collapse
The iPhone 6's are just bigger, faster versions of the 5. I've tried them. They don't have a stylus or a 2k screen or 16mp camera.
Sure, there's phones that have individual better features than the Note (ie the Sony Z3 Camera) but overall I think it's the best phone out right now. There's no phones out right now with better screens or more powerful processors.
The best way to get the most out of your Note is learning how to use its features in your day to day.
Samsung has a nice 'key feature' app you can get on galaxy app store.
Anyways the phone's only going to get better with the release of lollipop.
ciscostud said:
The best way to get the most out of your Note is learning how to use its features in your day to day.
Samsung has a nice 'key feature' app you can get on galaxy app store.
Anyways the phone's only going to get better with the release of lollipop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you recommend any in particular?
Do we have to redownload apps after the Lollipop update (sorry newbie question)?
No you don't have to redownload
I'm digging it. I traded in twice to get to where I am now, and went through customer service hell the last time I went into the Sprint store. So basically I paid $70 extra in restock fees to get this phone, but it's worth it. My LG G3 was suffering mild problems that I didn't want to deal with considering how much I spent on a brand new phone, and I didn't want to be locked into something I'm not perfectly satisfied with. The only thing I wish is that my phone is was black instead of white. They were out of black models, and said they didn't know when they were getting more in stock. Figured I'd suck it up and take it. I put the black flip case over it - it almost looks like an ice cream sandwich. I'm sure once I root it, I'll be in love with it. Still, I'm not sure how necessary it is for me to root it. I can remove or turn off almost all the bloat without rooting it, and there's really nothing much I feel like I'm missing out on.
The only thing is I'm not sure if I could ever actually use the S-Pen in real world situations to benefit me. I'd like to be able to take notes with it in school, but I'm just not sure how feasible it would be - and is it worth wasting the battery life instead of just using the good ol pen n paper? I tried playing some drawing multiplayer games, but they all seem desolate and empty as it takes forever to find any opponents who are actually trying to play the game. I'm not much of an artist, and I were, I'm not sure how often I'd find it practical to use the S-Pen instead of something else. I just installed the Lollipop keyboard - maybe if I try the new gesture typing with it, I'll dig typing with the pen.
Also, the screen is amazing. The difference between the G3 and Note 4 is night and day. It's great to see a 1440P phone screen not plagued by oversharpening. Games look amazing. The blacks are inky in their darkness. Screen goes 5x brighter than I'd ever need it to. The only thing I have to complain about is no cool 1440P videos preinstalled
ciscostud said:
The best way to get the most out of your Note is learning how to use its features in your day to day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have any real world examples of what you mean by this?
I got my Note 4 yesterday so here are a couple things i disagree with, 1- you dont have to buy the fast charging adapter in came with it. 2-using the s pen to write is faster that using the keyboard especially if you have fat fingers like me.
Glad you said this as I have a G3 I'm looking to upgrade to a note 4.
I'll be sure to copy the LG pre installed videos. Those look amazing on the G3. Can't imagine how they'll look on the note 4 ?
t1337dude said:
I'm digging it. I traded in twice to get to where I am now, and went through customer service hell the last time I went into the Sprint store. So basically I paid $70 extra in restock fees to get this phone, but it's worth it. My LG G3 was suffering mild problems that I didn't want to deal with considering how much I spent on a brand new phone, and I didn't want to be locked into something I'm not perfectly satisfied with. The only thing I wish is that my phone is was black instead of white. They were out of black models, and said they didn't know when they were getting more in stock. Figured I'd suck it up and take it. I put the black flip case over it - it almost looks like an ice cream sandwich. I'm sure once I root it, I'll be in love with it. Still, I'm not sure how necessary it is for me to root it. I can remove or turn off almost all the bloat without rooting it, and there's really nothing much I feel like I'm missing out on.
The only thing is I'm not sure if I could ever actually use the S-Pen in real world situations to benefit me. I'd like to be able to take notes with it in school, but I'm just not sure how feasible it would be - and is it worth wasting the battery life instead of just using the good ol pen n paper? I tried playing some drawing multiplayer games, but they all seem desolate and empty as it takes forever to find any opponents who are actually trying to play the game. I'm not much of an artist, and I were, I'm not sure how often I'd find it practical to use the S-Pen instead of something else. I just installed the Lollipop keyboard - maybe if I try the new gesture typing with it, I'll dig typing with the pen.
Also, the screen is amazing. The difference between the G3 and Note 4 is night and day. It's great to see a 1440P phone screen not plagued by oversharpening. Games look amazing. The blacks are inky in their darkness. Screen goes 5x brighter than I'd ever need it to. The only thing I have to complain about is no cool 1440P videos preinstalled
Have any real world examples of what you mean by this?
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Click to collapse
The S6 is a fast and fluid phone by all means and doesn't lag often -but it does. And until Samsung (under AT&T's crippled control) comes forward with some firmware updates we can expect less than optimal software. These steps seemed to help keep performance smooth and lower the frequency of any stuttering for the time being.
Step 1
Disable Bloat
AT&T Bloat - AT&T FamilyMap, AT&T Hot Spots, AT&T Live, AT&T Locker, AT&T Locker, AT&T Mail, AT&T Mobile Locate, AT&T Mobile Transfer. AT&T Navigator, Caller Name ID, Device Help, DriveMode, Milk, Milk Video , Smart Limits (Why is there so much!?!)
Samsung Bloat - S Voice, Keeper, Lookout, Hancom Office 2014,
Other Bloat - OneNote, Skype, Uber, YP, Hangouts, Instagram, Facebook, Amazon
You can disable more or disable less, but honestly the bulk of the bloat comes from AT&T.
Once you disable everything restart your phone. It is important to make sure all of the applications are not loaded in the RAM, and a reboot should guarantee this. Of course, if you root you can delete the applications instead of disabling them - it's your call.
Step 2
Disable Sensors You're not Using
NFC
Motion and Gestures - Direct call, Smart alert, Mute, Palm Swipe to capture
Bluetooth
Themes (These may not actually affect performance, only time will tell)
Account Sync
GPS
Wifi - Network notification, Always allow scanning
News Briefing
Step 3
Stay up to date
System updates
Google Play App updates
Galaxy App updates - new users may not know to check this application for system updates
That about does it for now. Time to wait for both ROMs (if the bootloader is ever unlocked) and firmware updates.
Hippoman13 said:
The S6 is a fast and fluid phone by all means and doesn't lag often -but it does. And until Samsung (under AT&T's crippled control) comes forward with some firmware updates we can expect less than optimal software. These steps seemed to help keep performance smooth and lower the frequency of any stuttering for the time being.
Step 1
Disable Bloat
AT&T Bloat - AT&T FamilyMap, AT&T Hot Spots, AT&T Live, AT&T Locker, AT&T Locker, AT&T Mail, AT&T Mobile Locate, AT&T Mobile Transfer. AT&T Navigator, Caller Name ID, Device Help, DriveMode, Milk, Milk Video , Smart Limits (Why is there so much!?!)
Samsung Bloat - S Voice, Keeper, Lookout, Hancom Office 2014,
Other Bloat - OneNote, Skype, Uber, YP, Hangouts, Instagram, Facebook, Amazon
You can disable more or disable less, but honestly the bulk of the bloat comes from AT&T.
Once you disable everything restart your phone. It is important to make sure all of the applications are not loaded in the RAM, and a reboot should guarantee this. Of course, if you root you can delete the applications instead of disabling them - it's your call.
Step 2
Disable Unnecessary Sensors
NFC
Motion and Gestures - Direct call, Smart alert, Mute, Palm Swipe to capture
Bluetooth
Themes (These may not actually affect performance, only time will tell)
Account Sync
GPS
Wifi - Network notification, Always allow scanning
News Briefing
Step 3
Stay up to date
System updates
Google Play App updates
Galaxy App updates
That about does it for now. Time to wait for both ROMs (if the bootloader is ever unlocked) and firmware updates. Samsung is known for laggy launch software and that is what we're dealing with, folks.
I would appreciate feedback and input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, this is almost laughable. You literally have everything on the device disabled? Turn off WiFi Bluetooth GPS??? Why don't you just run your phone in airplane mode since you're only one step away from it....
Even more laughable that you think its "laggy" and not the fastest phone on the market.....
Even MORE laughable that you're actually waiting for the bootloader to get unlocked.... check with the S5 people who bought their phones a year ago and see how that's going for them...
You should just delete Steps 2 and 3 from your list since step 2 is just rediculous, and step 3 is just common sense.
TechSavvy2 said:
Lol, this is almost laughable. You literally have everything on the device disabled? Turn off WiFi Bluetooth GPS??? Why don't you just run your phone in airplane mode since you're only one step away from it....
Even more laughable that you think its "laggy" and not the fastest phone on the market.....
Even MORE laughable that you're actually waiting for the bootloader to get unlocked.... check with the S5 people who bought their phones a year ago and see how that's going for them...
You should just delete Steps 2 and 3 from your list since step 2 is just rediculous, and step 3 is just common sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming to terms with lag is hard. Especially after you spend your hard earned money on a new Samsung® Phone. EVEN more so for someone who cries under a guide made for inexperienced users. You sound like you know what you're talking about - why are you here?
I don't have everything disabled. I said Disable Unnecessary Sensors(I changed it for you). If any of them are necessary to you, leave them on. Are you still confused?
The phone IS laggy. Every Android phone is to different degrees and your new, shiny Galaxy S6 is no different. ESPECIALLY the AT&T variant. I said the bulk of the bloat comes from AT&T, so other versions of the S6 are probably faster and what you read about. Not this one.
The bootloader might be unlocked, or maybe not. Assuming it definitely won't be is laughable.
There's no need to freak out on a guide for inexperienced users. A TON of people bought the S6 and don't know how it works. You certainly do, so don't waste your time.
This is a good guide and starting point, thank you for taking the time to post it here. As always, other users should take all guides as such; a starting point to customize "your" rig for what "you" use. Take what you like and leave the rest aside. :good:
S6 making more problems than S5
My S5 Goes better then the s6 Egde
I opted to get the iPhone 6+ a chance,,and I don't regret it. with the 8.3 update is just buttery smooth, I was going to get the S6, but will all that bloat and no root in the near future the decision was easy. Now just wait for the LG G4 to come out and see what it brings....
The M9 is just out of the equation since I really hated that bezel when I had the M8
eortizr said:
I opted to get the iPhone 6+ a chance,,and I don't regret it. with the 8.3 update is just buttery smooth, I was going to get the S6, but will all that bloat and no root in the near future the decision was easy. Now just wait for the LG G4 to come out and see what it brings....
The M9 is just out of the equation since I really hated that bezel when I had the M8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yay for you. Who cares?
Sent from my SM-P900 using Xparent Red Tapatalk 2
Well the M9 display and camera are quite poor compared to the S6 and iPhone. It's really unfortunate.
The new iPhone is only 5 months away, so enjoy your phone while it's relevant. I've played around with iOS 8.3 and it really is killer, I just don't like iPhones lol.
Hippoman13 said:
Coming to terms with lag is hard. Especially after you spend your hard earned money on a new Samsung® Phone. EVEN more so for someone who cries under a guide made for inexperienced users. You sound like you know what you're talking about - why are you here?
I don't have everything disabled. I said Disable Unnecessary Sensors(I changed it for you). If any of them are necessary to you, leave them on. Are you still confused?
The phone IS laggy. Every Android phone is to different degrees and your new, shiny Galaxy S6 is no different. ESPECIALLY the AT&T variant. I said the bulk of the bloat comes from AT&T, so other versions of the S6 are probably faster and what you read about. Not this one.
The bootloader might be unlocked, or maybe not. Assuming it definitely won't be is laughable.
There's no need to freak out on a guide for inexperienced users. A TON of people bought the S6 and don't know how it works. You certainly do, so don't waste your time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do people always relate bloat to lag? Do you realize in reality it has almost nothing to do with lag, if at all?
It's like saying "my computer is slower because 70% of my hard drive is full instead of 50%" . It's pure rubbish and simply not true.
So please, I understand you are trying to help but please don't steer people in the wrong direction.
It's just a common XDA myth that everyone jumped on without doing their own research.
WizeGuyDezignz said:
Why do people always relate bloat to lag? Do you realize in reality it has almost nothing to do with lag, if at all?
It's like saying "my computer is slower because 70% of my hard drive is full instead of 50%" . It's pure rubbish and simply not true.
So please, I understand you are trying to help but please don't steer people in the wrong direction.
It's just a common XDA myth that everyone jumped on without doing their own research.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're joking, right?
Many bloat apps run in the background and consume CPU and RAM. They don't just sit there dormant in the storage.
WizeGuyDezignz said:
Why do people always relate bloat to lag? Do you realize in reality it has almost nothing to do with lag, if at all?
It's like saying "my computer is slower because 70% of my hard drive is full instead of 50%" . It's pure rubbish and simply not true.
So please, I understand you are trying to help but please don't steer people in the wrong direction.
It's just a common XDA myth that everyone jumped on without doing their own research.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are an idiot.... Because on physical disk drives (HDD's not SSD's) being fuller does mean slower. That is that the drive will take longer to seek data as the way that the disk writes/reads data it would have to move the heads back an forth much further/more often. as I drive gets fuller it also fragments data more often. his is why a SSD is superior at seek times as it does not have to seek data on a physical level, especially as they get closer to full utilization of capacity.
Beyond that, a HDD writes from outside edge of the disk inward. This is because at the same rpm, each revolution that the disk makes it is able to pull more data on the outside of the disk than the inside. Density of data is uniform so it simply passes more data. Think of a car that has a tiny (diameter) tire vs a large one (same car). At the same rpms in a given gear, the large diameter tire will be moving faster. Why? The outside edge has a higher velocity than the inside of the tire as it spins. The further a spinning object reaches from center, the faster it will be spinning at an outside edge vs inner.
I agree this guide is bs...Just as your understanding of computer storage architecture is.
There really isn't much lag. That may be b/c I disabled everything first thing after unboxing, but I disabled b/c I dont want all those apps downloading updates. Not b/c I noticed any lag. Touchwiz is definitely snappier than the GS5.
I'm running my HTC M8 GPE (just wiped it clean). The M8 is a tad bit quicker/responsive, but the S6 is very, very close. M8 GPE is still an awesome phone
The camera and added software features like multi-window, quick camera access, etc. make the S6 slightly better in my opinion (for me at least).
My main concern with the S6, and why I'm considering returning it and waiting for the Note, is the battery life. So far it just hasn't been good. Probably 3.5hrs of screen time. And I can't replace the battery, so after a year the battery life is going to be bad. It does charge fast, but I don't want to have to worry about that.
brushrop03 said:
There really isn't much lag. That may be b/c I disabled everything first thing after unboxing, but I disabled b/c I dont want all those apps downloading updates. Not b/c I noticed any lag. Touchwiz is definitely snappier than the GS5.
I'm running my HTC M8 GPE (just wiped it clean). The M8 is a tad bit quicker/responsive, but the S6 is very, very close. M8 GPE is still an awesome phone
The camera and added software features like multi-window, quick camera access, etc. make the S6 slightly better in my opinion (for me at least).
My main concern with the S6, and why I'm considering returning it and waiting for the Note, is the battery life. So far it just hasn't been good. Probably 3.5hrs of screen time. And I can't replace the battery, so after a year the battery life is going to be bad. It does charge fast, but I don't want to have to worry about that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the battery has been a disappointment so far coming from the g3... but I only had the g3 for a month and had a nexus 5 for a year before that so I'm kinda used to it. Still a buzzkill tho
I feel like each and everyone of you shouldn't be surprised by any of this. It happened on S3, S4, S5 and the note devices why would the S6 be any different. Until we start putting our foot down(never going to happen) as consumers it's safe to assume that the S7 won't be any different.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using XDA Free mobile app
LeKtRiCzzz said:
I feel like each and everyone of you shouldn't be surprised by any of this. It happened on S3, S4, S5 and the note devices why would the S6 be any different. Until we start putting our foot down(never going to happen) as consumers it's safe to assume that the S7 won't be any different.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was by no means surprised. I saw the size of the battery before I bought it. I know it's a quality screen that will also impact it. I'm surprised it gets the same kind of battery life as the nexus 5 tbh
This is honestly so dumb. There is no lag...
DigitalUnderground said:
I was by no means surprised. I saw the size of the battery before I bought it. I know it's a quality screen that will also impact it. I'm surprised it gets the same kind of battery life as the nexus 5 tbh
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm only disappointed in the fact that we finally get a Samsung battery efficient processor, but then they make the battery smaller than the S5 and seal it. I could see myself keeping this phone for 2 years, but I would need to replace the battery at some point.
brushrop03 said:
I'm only disappointed in the fact that we finally get a Samsung battery efficient processor, but then they make the battery smaller than the S5 and seal it. I could see myself keeping this phone for 2 years, but I would need to replace the battery at some point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can understand that... but remember the device's footprint is smaller and more compact than the s5. There's only so much room. Once you've owned a nexus 5, u learn to keep a charger at the office in case of emergency and a car charger in the center console outlet.
DigitalUnderground said:
I can understand that... but remember the device's footprint is smaller and more compact than the s5. There's only so much room. Once you've owned a nexus 5, u learn to keep a charger at the office in case of emergency and a car charger in the center console outlet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I have a 2A charger at work and in my car. So i'm usually not far away from a charger. But the more you charge, the faster you wear the battery life. If I could replace the battery, not a big problem. But they sealed it!!! arghh!! wth Samsung?!
brushrop03 said:
Yeah I have a 2A charger at work and in my car. So i'm usually not far away from a charger. But the more you charge, the faster you wear the battery life. If I could replace the battery, not a big problem. But they sealed it!!! arghh!! wth Samsung?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never replaced a battery in any phone I've had and I don't use microsd so I actually like the device being sealed. It adds to the build quality and the sturdiness. You couldn't have the glass back if it was removable
There seems to be plenty of people moaning about what they don't like, there is a Note 4 Let Down Thread, so I wanna read some positive comments about what we DO like about the Note 4 in General, it doesn't matter which model you got, but if you feel happy about it please share your positive thoughts.
-Personally I Like the style of the phone.
-I also like the fact that its made from metal (well most of it) except the battery door which comes always in handy and its another pro about this phone, the access to the battery and micro sd card.
-Of course it runs on Android which I love.
-I like the screen which is amazing
-I like the camera, both, the front camera and rear camera.
-I like the S-pen and yes I use it everyday when I go to the gym, I keep track of my workouts, weights, reps, all in one place, I have a phone, a music player, a great camera shooter, and a notebook, and we all must thank Samsung for this, if not go back and read about what people though about the first Note device.
-I like the fact we still have the LED for notifications, which a lot of manufactures still forgetting about it.
-I like the battery life, yes I know, I have read about all the complains, but its not in my case, yes I have 90% of Samsung bloatware turned off, I just use what I like and what I need.
- I like how easily I can access a hard drive or any external storage via OTG.
-I like the IR Blaster, which not a lot of devices have it, and they should.
-I like the S Health app, and yes, i use the heart rate monitor, im into fitness, and yes this app help me track all my workouts, ive even improve in my diets.
Of course there are plenty of stuff I just forgot right now, but I hope you guys help me to remember them by commenting your positive thoughts and everything you like and what makes you feel good and special about the Note 4,
IF YOU WANT TO COMMENT COMPLAINS AND NEGATIVE COMMENTS PLEASE SEARCH AROUND THERE ARE PLENTY OF THREADS, NOT HERE, THANKS
I love my note 4. I like it's size, the display is beautiful, the battery life is far better than my note 2. It has more space. I like the way it feels in my hand. I paid cash for it so I don't owe tmobile a dime lol...
Overall I love my note 4 and I'm extremely happy with my purchase. I don't have any complaints and I haven't at all since I've had it
It's a hulk, which for my Neanderthal-esque hands helps out a ton.
The screen is gorgeous
The camera is top notch and helps me, who happens to be one of the worst picture takers of all time, take good pics.
I use S-Note in my meetings every day.
Build wise it feels great in the hand without a case.
Eventually I can pick up an additional battery pack.
One day it will get an update that stops the ferocious lag lollipop has at times.
Dat screen doe.
Overall, 9/10
It's better than my previous iPhone 6
ixon2001 said:
It's better than my previous iPhone 6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Comment your reasons...cheers:fingers-crossed:
I've only had my Note 4 since 4/30 but I've yet to find anything that I don't like.. Running stock 5.0.1 using the TouchWiz launcher, and only have the Google apps that don't have a Samsung equivalent enabled! Love this thing!!
mistah_mumford said:
I've only had my Note 4 since 4/30 but I've yet to find anything that I don't like.. Running stock 5.0.1 using the TouchWiz launcher, and only have the Google apps that don't have a Samsung equivalent enabled! Love this thing!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please post everything you like specifically, everything you use, thanks, cheers:fingers-crossed:
I like the battery, the screen size and that is Amoled, Touchwiz features, and that it fits ok in my hand because it's thin. Also I like Samsung is okish with software updates compared to other manufacturers.
Everything the OP said, plus now that we're on Lollipop I can use my MicroSD card properly again with Solid Explorer and other properly updated apps (without rooting). Also like the battery life, regularly 20-30% left at the end of the day with normal usage. Finally, I'm on the N910C with the Wolfson DAC which is giving great sound paired with my Sennheisers - so much so that I just sold my trusty old Sony Walkman on eBay! The sound with PowerAmp, to my ears, was as good if not better. Best smartphone I've owned to date by a long shot. Oh... and the IR, getting that set up now
Forgot that it's also my remote control for every room I visit. I watch whatever I want at the bar now
Best phone ever, I like every single thing about it! It's such a powerful, flexible, customisable phone that can do it all, looks and feels great and I never have to worry about the battery before the end of the day!
Like the metal, is gorgeous to hold. Love that battery and Sim are accessible - wish for nicer back cover though, or at least a larger selection.
Multitasking is fabulous, very effective.
Excellent screen!
Stylus.
Sent from my SM-N910H using XDA Premium HD app
best phone ever
It's the best phone I've ever had hands down, I like the way it feels in the hand, I use a case during the day, but I can't wait to get home to take the case off. That shiny metal rim is the best.
I use public transportation to get to work, and I have caught people reading the news with me.....That screen is just awesome. I have even downloaded 4k videos just for show.
And dont get me started on the stylus.... How did I ever get by without it?! I use it at work to jot down orders, phone numbers, reminders...
The camera experience has probably impressed me the most: from the responsiveness of the camera app to the quality of the photos and videos and finally viewing them on that gorgeous 5.7 inch screen.
Overall since I prefer the 5.7 screen size and like the S-pen features I think the Note 4 is still the best smartphone and will remain so till the Note 5.
Note 4 has been the best phone I've owned bar none.
I just wished there was a way to get updates and not rely on the carrier.
I have an att phone. The only way I can get updates is to borrow an att chip and then I can update my rom.
Totally sucks since I'm on another carrier.
Anyways, enjoying the note 4 experience thus far.
Camera the best.
Lollipop over all is a great experience on the note 4
before i was going to buy a new mobbile i was looking for good looking phone, excellent outdoor brightness, great camera ... developers support good audio ..... big screen..... so i got xperia z3 with big screen compromise but it was way better looking and water and dust proof and front firing speakers and very slim ..... after buying i regretted because there was abbsolutely no developers support..... almost negligible ...so then i got note 4 ....i like it alot ... becauser .. back cover is removable ...... amoled screen ..... super bright ..... developers support is good.... but touchwiz is bad and on aosp roms brightness is very low....
z3 over note 4- had better sound of speakers, better looking, battery life way better , very thin
note 4 over z3- has better brightness , better developer support, back cover removable...i put a leather one on the back ... battery removable, camera is better, screen is bigger. its an amoled which i love because of deep blacks and saturated colors. i love popping colors , the best thing is fast charging.
Hmmm, where do I start?
-That screen is unbelievably good. Bright, vibrant, and there's no way you'd notice the subpixels without a VR headset. Makes me wish we had AMOLED PC monitors on the market already.
-None of that screen space is wasted with onscreen buttons, either! As much as people complain about the physical Home button and all, I actually prefer it and wish the other two buttons were physical like the S Active/Sport line.
-Wacom digitizer support in OneNote and Clover Paint is excellent. The Note 4 even boasts tilt sensitivity!
-I wasn't expecting Gear VR to be immersive due to the obvious performance limitations the Note 4 has compared to a gaming PC, but it's actually astounding how it keeps up with my head movements. Cardboard apps aren't even close, they're a blurred mess by comparison.
-I shouldn't have to bring up microSD card slots of all things as a selling point against the competition, but that's what it's come down to after the S6. They're great for mass media storage and Nandroid backups, since you don't want those backups taking your internal storage space! Too much risk of getting wiped if you're a flashaholic.
-Batteries that can be removed without a heat gun also shouldn't have to be a selling point, but are now. The battery life's plenty for my purposes, but if that's not enough, I can just pop in a second battery or install an extended battery! Phone freezes up or gets wet? Pop that battery! Cells degrade to the point of uselessness after a few years (and they will)? Swap 'em out for some newly-manufactured ones instead of paying some service center to get the dead weight outta your phone!
-Adaptive Fast Charge/Quick Charge 2.0 has spoiled me rotten now. Dead battery to a usable charge in just 30 minutes, near-full charge in an hour? I don't even have to leave the Note 4 on the charger overnight now!
-Sprint doesn't lock the bootloader, so rooting's easy if you don't mind a tripped Knox bit. I don't.
-The camera's good enough, as long as I never have to zoom in.
Thus far, there isn't any other phone on the market I'd rather own, and I'll be more than happy to keep the Note 4 for another two years! All I hope for is that the next two Note generations don't throw out microSD slots and removable batteries like the S6 did, otherwise I might be using that Note 4 longer than anticipated.
I have two things that really make a difference for me and those are the great battery life and finally being able to work from my phone. I get sent contacts and I can edit and sign them on n the phone. There is no need to involve my laptop anymore. This makes commutes by train really productive.
Note 4 on KK is fantastic. Very fast, lots of storage, excellent screen, fabulous battery, glorious smooth glass, the hard metal body feels great, one handed use (just) and it's magnificent S-Pen.
There is just nothing like this phone. I wish Samsung didn't make is users feel second best. I've been messing around with the S6s.... After a while I came running, RUNNING back to my Note 4.
I'm so sorry baby. I'll never let you go again.
*smooch*
Sent from my SM-N910H using XDA Premium HD app
1 - Display
2 - Performance
3 - Sound through earphones
4 - Camera
5 - Build quality
6 - Support (from people here)
7 - Storage
8 - Physical buttons (hate onscreen waste of space)
9 - Removable battery
10 - Its beauty
I hate the s7. Slow and laggy. Not to mention locked boorloadet. S8 any better?
I made the jump and this device is unbelievably better. Smoothest sndroid phone I've owned since the HTC One X, which was my favorite android phone of all time. After one week of pretty heavy use, no lag. Hate to say it like this but the UI is as smooth as iPhone, minimal if ever stutters. I recommend making the jump. Also the display is as incredible as all the reviews say
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
F9zSlavik said:
I hate the s7. Slow and laggy. Not to mention locked boorloadet. S8 any better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had S7, S7e, HTC 10, and iPhone 7Plus in last year. Jumped to the S8 (standard, not plus). Absolutely happy with my decision. Easily the best phone I've had. UI smooth as butter with no lags, Camera is fast enough that I sometimes take 2-3 pictures before I actually realize the first press of shutter actually took one (quality top notch as well), Screen is gorgeous, storage is abundant, battery life is good (avg 4hr screen time and 28hr per charge for me), iris scanner works through sunglasses and is great extra security.
Only weird thing is fingerprint location...works best of you're holding phone left handed. I just use the iris scanner anyway. My only concern is protecting the beautiful screen...nearly no truly protective or fully effective tempered glass protectors, but I'll take my chances.
I don't think you'll regret it one bit if you go with it.
If you have the money to blow sure, performance wise you are not going to notice anything. The camera is basically the same, front I believe is 8 instead of 5 mp. It is a larger screen, but the aspect ratio is a little weird. But with larger screen at Max resolution your battery is going to die a lot faster. I think you would be better off waiting till the note 8. If I could go back I would have stuck with my S7 edge and waited for the note 8. Still a great phone, but nothing ground breaking.
F9zSlavik said:
I hate the s7. Slow and laggy. Not to mention locked boorloader. S8 any better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the note 3 then note 5 and now the S8. I can say the only reason that i would have stayed on my prior phone is because root. There is no root method on here yet and you should stay with S7 until we have root and ROMs to choose from. Here's something that may make your phone snappier:
1. Go to settings
2. Click on Developer tab
3. Scroll to Windows animation scale change it to 0.5
4. Go to transition animation scale change it to 0.5
5. Go to Animator duration scale change it to 0.5
Good luck!
F9zSlavik said:
I hate the s7. Slow and laggy. Not to mention locked boorloadet. S8 any better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not own an S7, however I will say the S8 is an amazing device. It's fast as can be, and very smooth. No lag. I put a black Spigen thin fit case on it.
It's everything it's cracked up to be. I'm delighted about how great this device is. The only issue I had was deciding to get the S8 or plus, and I'm very happy I got the regular SO because I didn't realize how much bigger the screen actually is on the regular one. It takes a little while to get used to but the screen is really big.
The S8 is a monster jump, not an incremental one. Every device, except possibly the S7 edge (due to the screen shape) was an incremental change. Small improvements that were debateable in terms of being worth spending your hard earned money. This device is absolutely worth the jump, and I'm totally satisfied spending my money on this. Honestly I have no idea what they can improve, and what could make me buy another phone. This device has it all. Even the battery life is great.
The only "complaints" people have are annoyances. Yeah, the fingerprint scanner is annoying but you get used to it. Yeah the clock on the always on display is weird and annoying. Bixby is kind of useless. But those are, at best, annoyances. The phone itself is just incredible. For 800 dollars, it better be. It truly is worth the money and it puts a smile on my face every time i pick it up.
Buy one.
wil318466 said:
The only "complaints" people have are annoyances. Yeah, the fingerprint scanner is annoying but you get used to it. Yeah the clock on the always on display is weird and annoying. Bixby is kind of useless. But those are, at best, annoyances. The phone itself is just incredible. For 800 dollars, it better be. It truly is worth the money and it puts a smile on my face every time i pick it up.
Buy one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to find something to complain about with a phone of this magnitude, and of course people will always latch onto them. I have no doubt that within a few months these will fade away in light of the greater changes on the phone. I'm upgrading from an S4, so it's a monumental change for me... and even with Bixby, there is no way I'm not going to be shell-shocked and impressed.
If you're switching from an S4 the change would be jaw dropping.
This phone (S8) is the best upgrade I've ever had in any single electronics device that wasnt revolutionary, like the PC or first iPhone.
Everything is better, and I'm not just saying that. Opening web pages is faster, switching apps is instant, opening navigation is instant, watching a YouTube video, switching to mail, reading that email, switching back to YouTube is just astonishing how quickly it all happens. Just opening this website and typing on the keyboard is flawless and enjoyable, my old phone was laggy and a pain to do a long response on a message board. Not anymore.
It really is amazing how awesome this phone is. Every single experience when it comes to the phone itself is improved. Again, i don't see how they can make this device better unless new technology is needed (such as Bluetooth 15.0). Could it possibly have better speakers? Of course. But I'm worried about things like speed, response, performance and the screen. I just can't see how they can make a phone faster, or the screen bigger. It's almost edge to edge top to bottom and the only way to get a bigger screen is to get a bigger phone, and I don't want that. It fits perfectly in my hand and I have the font tiny and I can read everything clearly. This phone delivers on everything and I just couldn't be happier (the screen is really something to behold, you'll see). It even looks good in the sunlight and it's pretty much water proof! (I wouldn't swim with it but I wouldn't be worried at all to take a picture while it's raining).
They'd have to invent a phone that does my dishes for me to want to upgrade again, that's how good this thing is. It does everything and it does everything well. I give it a 10/10 because I won't hold something like the fingerprint scanner against them, i consider that personal preference.
Don't believe anyone who says this thing isn't incredible. Walk into a store and check out the display model for yourself. It's well worth the money.
I think the question from the OP is *IF* the jump to the S8 from the S7/S7E is worth it. No one is debating if the S8/S8+ is a terrific device, I think we can all agree that it is. (even though I personally do not own one). I have used the S8+ at length, and yes I think its amazing... however, that being said - I choose NOT to upgrade from my S7E at this time. I think I will hold off until the Note 8 and decide then. I think that might help answer the original posters question without offending anyone who does have the S8/S8+
Since owning the s4 i jumped ship to nexus phones. Because touchwiz lag as hell. I sold the nexus 6p and tried s7 edge. And touchwiz lag still there on the s7 edge. Sold the s7 edge and got the regular s8 and i can tell s8 is smooth like nexus phones. And im glad i tried the s8 again. Hhappy camper here
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wil318466 said:
If you're switching from an S4 the change would be jaw dropping.
This phone (S8) is the best upgrade I've ever had in any single electronics device that wasnt revolutionary, like the PC or first iPhone.
Everything is better, and I'm not just saying that. Opening web pages is faster, switching apps is instant, opening navigation is instant, watching a YouTube video, switching to mail, reading that email, switching back to YouTube is just astonishing how quickly it all happens. Just opening this website and typing on the keyboard is flawless and enjoyable, my old phone was laggy and a pain to do a long response on a message board. Not anymore.
It really is amazing how awesome this phone is. Every single experience when it comes to the phone itself is improved. Again, i don't see how they can make this device better unless new technology is needed (such as Bluetooth 15.0). Could it possibly have better speakers? Of course. But I'm worried about things like speed, response, performance and the screen. I just can't see how they can make a phone faster, or the screen bigger. It's almost edge to edge top to bottom and the only way to get a bigger screen is to get a bigger phone, and I don't want that. It fits perfectly in my hand and I have the font tiny and I can read everything clearly. This phone delivers on everything and I just couldn't be happier (the screen is really something to behold, you'll see). It even looks good in the sunlight and it's pretty much water proof! (I wouldn't swim with it but I wouldn't be worried at all to take a picture while it's raining).
They'd have to invent a phone that does my dishes for me to want to upgrade again, that's how good this thing is. It does everything and it does everything well. I give it a 10/10 because I won't hold something like the fingerprint scanner against them, i consider that personal preference.
Don't believe anyone who says this thing isn't incredible. Walk into a store and check out the display model for yourself. It's well worth the money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh hell yes, I've already jumped ship with the S8. Unfortunately I am studying abroad and won't be able to get back home for a few more weeks -- then I can finally meet my new S8. And yes, coming from an S4 (which poorly survived an ocean drop), I'm practically salivating at the prospect. The camera could have better, sure. They didn't need to include the atrocious Bixby, definitely. But it's such a great prospect upgrading after 4 years... and I'm hoping that it will be good for me for another 4 years at least, if not more. Meanwhile, my friend with a Nexus 6P is already itching to upgrade to a OP5 when it comes out... heh.
Short answer - Yes
Long answer - Jumped from S7 Edge to S8. Have to say this is the best phone I have ever had. I was a huge fan of the physical home button but I rarely miss it at all. The only problem is me hitting the snooze in the morning on my alarm not as easily as with a button. Fingerprint scanner in the back is super quick and not bad at all. That's how I naturally hold my phone for the most part anyways and I have big hands so there is no real struggle. I've always been wanting to play emulated games on my phone and this thing can handle Gamecube games for Dog's sake! I have a Madcatz controller that is great for gaming with phones and makes the torture that is the MBTA go by like nothing. My brother got one shortly after I got mine and he also says it's the best phone he's ever had. He came from a dying S5 Edge I think. We also got both our phones for $0 down and just restarted payments on a new device. Battery life is way better than S7 at this point and I'm about 40% when I leave work usually. As opposed to S7 where I would have to re-charge at about 3pm if I didn't want it to die on the way home. But as with all Androids the early battery life is way better in the beginning as opposed to 6 months to a year later. Time will tell though.
Edit - Forgot to mention the display. I wasn't a display snob by any means but this phone has now made me one. Incredible, especially when gaming. Completely immersive with the minimal bezels and edge to edge display. It's like a floating screen that encompasses your entire field of vision. Twilight Princess, Smash Bros, and FF7 never looked so good.
Yes, noticeable improvement in performance. That weird S7E lag thing is gone and battery is noticeably better. I think back to the first few months with my S7E, it might have been closer but after a year, the degregation in battery life makes the new s8 seem significantly better. That alone is worth it to me.