Related
After reading the Endgadget review, I'm kinda considering getting one, mostly for how easy-to-use the UI is, and the nice sleek physical design of it. I currently have a HTC G2, and I'd either be upgrading to the new Nexus on T-Mobile (or if it doesn't have the proper bands, the GSII on T-Mobile) otherwise. Getting an iPhone (for the UI and sleek design) is out of the question since I can't get it on T-Mobile, and don't want to pay for AT&T or whoever when I can pay $40 and get all that I want.
I know, Meego is dead and there aren't many apps for it, it isn't that powerful, there's a WP7 version coming out, etc. - but I want a phone that's good at the basics (phone calls, texts, emails, and web browsing) with a nice screen/size, battery life, and camera, and the N9 seems to do all of that just fine.
I don't care for games or other such apps, and a lot of the "nice" features on these new phones (like huge screens, NFC, etc.) don't appeal that much to me (I'd be getting the Nexus or whatever more for dev support and screen quality than anything else).
I mean, I have CM7 on my G2 and I even OC'd it, but there isn't much on it that I can't live without by getting rid of Android (and I'd probably get a Honeycomb tablet to supplement the N9, if anything).
Anyway...anybody here use or own one that can comment on how it performs and feels and whatnot?
Also, any idea how the N8 with the Anna update fares now? I'm looking at it based mostly on the amazing camera/flash.
.
Thread moved to off topic.
I just got the N9 about a week ago. The os is so smooth and so easy to use. The design is great as well. Pictures and video does not do justice you really have to see it in person. I had Android and IOS and for me Meego is a way better OS, only problem is the apps store. But like you I can live without all those apps, Nokia already have intergraded apps and the import ones I use are in the App store.
fixedtrd said:
I just got the N9 about a week ago. The os is so smooth and so easy to use. The design is great as well. Pictures and video does not do justice you really have to see it in person. I had Android and IOS and for me Meego is a way better OS, only problem is the apps store. But like you I can live without all those apps, Nokia already have intergraded apps and the import ones I use are in the App store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I can definitely live without the apps, but looking into it, Skype video calls don't seem to work on Meego or Symbian Anna, so I think any Nokia device is out for me...I'm currently looking at the iPhone 4S instead, with a prepaid carrier.
deadlocked007 said:
It's does have nfc so much for not having features xD nobody beats Nokia
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read into it a lot, and it's not full NFC - it's missing some security-related stuff which won't ever allow it to have virtual wallets like Google Wallet.
Hi all,
I don't know if this thread is still alive, but I figured that maybe there are still people out there wondering whether to get the N9.
I've got mine sitting on my desk right now, and wow! it's such a beautiful piece of hard- and software! I've tried them all, iOS, Android, WP, webOS - and Meego on the N9 just beats them all in terms of pleasure in usage. The screen where you get time, weather, missed notifications and facebook/twitter/RSS feeds has just about all the info you need in one neat place. It makes even the WP UI look fragmented. So this is a gorgeous device...
IF...
... if you can live with restricted options as far as apps and expandability go. If you're okay with the N9 as it is, you'll love it. It does calls, email, SMS/MMS, Calendar, on- and offline navigation (Nokia Drive!), RSS feeds etc beautifully. (although I found that even my old Windows Mobile 6.1 devices offered deeper support for Outlook integration). The browser is very minimalistic. There are a few preinstalled additional apps that I don't use, and there's a bit more in the Store. That's about it.
Like I said - for sheer joy of use (the live standby screen with time and notifications alone is a beauty) this is the best device I've used so far. For the expensive device that the N9 still is, even on eBay, there are far more powerful alternatives out there.
The thing is: I LIKE IT, and don't see myself giving it away. For the money I've spent (I have the 64 GB version) I could get a SGSII or similar, but if you've used the N9 you'll find any Android or iOS user interface offensive. Not to mention the hardware: Size is just perfectly right, and you'll be hard pressed to find a device with similar elegance out there. The HTC One X has taken design clues from the N9 (like the curved glass), but it doesn't match the comfortable fit in your palm.
Give me a shout if there's anything particular you want to know.
N.
They are beautiful, if the lumia 800 had all the same hardware, it'd be the best phone ever. Right now, the Nokia n9 may reign supreme. It multitasks better than the one x
Nightcookie said:
Hi all,
I don't know if this thread is still alive, but I figured that maybe there are still people out there wondering whether to get the N9.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, interestingly enough I was just thinking about the N9 again the other day. Thanks for the detailed post, I'm definitely interested in it again. I've realized that in day-to-day use, I'm perfectly fine with the functions/features you mentioned - if anything, I'd prefer something that minimalistic so it doesn't get too cluttered. I'd still want to keep an Android device for certain apps (like Square), of course.
Anyway, I guess I have three kinda important questions:
-Can the N9 sync Google contacts, calendar, and mail?
-The N9 can do wireless hotspost, correct? And how does it affect battery life?
-How's the virtual keyboard? Coming from a G2, I want to make sure I don't end up regretting the switch.
magus57 said:
Yeah, interestingly enough I was just thinking about the N9 again the other day. Thanks for the detailed post, I'm definitely interested in it again. I've realized that in day-to-day use, I'm perfectly fine with the functions/features you mentioned - if anything, I'd prefer something that minimalistic so it doesn't get too cluttered. I'd still want to keep an Android device for certain apps (like Square), of course.
Anyway, I guess I have three kinda important questions:
-Can the N9 sync Google contacts, calendar, and mail?
-The N9 can do wireless hotspost, correct? And how does it affect battery life?
-How's the virtual keyboard? Coming from a G2, I want to make sure I don't end up regretting the switch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes it syncs google contacts, the wireless hotspot offers a bit more battery drain, but barely noticable, your options are swype, which I took, or the stock keyboard which is the only one I've seen rival WP7 in terms of responsiveness. Its a great experience.
z33dev33l said:
yes it syncs google contacts, the wireless hotspot offers a bit more battery drain, but barely noticable, your options are swype, which I took, or the stock keyboard which is the only one I've seen rival WP7 in terms of responsiveness. Its a great experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I'm sold on it, especially for the pentaband 3G (meaning I can switch carriers easily if I want to). Now I'm wondering what Android device I'd want to supplement it. I'm thinking either a Xperia Play with a bad ESN (since they go as cheap as $100 and would be great for portable gaming) or some 7" tablet (probably the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, although that wouldn't be as portable as the Play...).
You could also just dual-boot android on it... It does emulation up to the playstation better than ANY android phone.
Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express
z33dev33l said:
You could also just dual-boot android on it... It does emulation up to the playstation better than ANY android phone.
Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait, really? I remember hearing something about an Android port, but it was really buggy/unfinished - how is it now? Do you have a link to it maybe?
In any case, I'd still probably prefer the Xperia Play if only for the hardware controls (not a big fan of touchscreen controls, especially when something like a PS1 game would take up like half the screen in buttons) - and at $100 for a dedicated gaming device, I can't say it'd break the bank.
http://forum.nitdroid.com/index.php?topic=94.0
It's pretty complete, I only had one issue overall in that I couldn't turn when driving on NFS, aside from that I didn't notice any issues. I'll still speak on the behalf of emumaster though, it's outstanding. I bought an xperia play for the same reason, because with all my Lumia love, I can't emulate a PS1 on it and why buy a new psvita when you can just buy a play?
z33dev33l said:
http://forum.nitdroid.com/index.php?topic=94.0
It's pretty complete, I only had one issue overall in that I couldn't turn when driving on NFS, aside from that I didn't notice any issues. I'll still speak on the behalf of emumaster though, it's outstanding. I bought an xperia play for the same reason, because with all my Lumia love, I can't emulate a PS1 on it and why buy a new psvita when you can just buy a play?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh wow, didn't think it'd be that nice. Any idea if it's still being worked on? Only ask since it's been a little over a month since the last update.
Also, can you still get official updates for Meego with that, or would an update screw everything up, or what? In any case, with it being able to dual-boot, it's nice to know I wouldn't have to worry about forgetting my Android device in case I need to take a Square transaction or something. And I'd definitely get the 64GB version in that case.
EDIT: Just saw the Alpha #3 on that same site, nice.
Spoke with the developer last Thursday and he said he expected to keep working on it after finals, he's had a hectic schedule. There have been no official updates since nitdroids release but they are speculating that it will block nitdroid when the next pr goes public.
Crap...I just won ~$50 of accessories toward a T-Mobile phone of my choice, and now I don't know whether I should still get the N9 and forfeit the accessories, or get a One S (which would be about the same price as the 16GB N9) with said accessories. I do really prefer the design/style of the N9, but the One S certainly does have its advantages (faster data, much better specs, and full Android primarily)...
Edit: sorry my phone went crazy and quoted the post
the n9 sounds really great. unique UI that makes the phone easy to use. lets ignore the fact that this phone is getting less and less support and has a poor app selection
why pick the n9 over the galaxy nexus? they are about the same price and as unique as the n9 is, isn't the UI of ICS just as usable? i wish the n9 was 50-100 bucks cheaper!
Almost 3 years being with Google - Coming from a Nokia -
Only if the LG Phone Nexus 5 was builtt as good or better than ****, but it was so flimsy, in spite of being well taken care of all the components kept breaking -
And then there is the android system, I like Android (Oh and thanks god for Cataclysm ROM it made the nexus experience even better) , I like the new Android M too, but inconsistency, bugs that got in the way of your productive such as the memory leak in the android kitkat, and then the wifi drain in Android M. But I did not actually experience the Android M Wifi battery drain (I don't think I did); but I still experienced WiFi using a lot of battery, maybe another bug maybe not.
But the main reason I leave google's nexus line (the only line I would consider for staying with google): Cheaply built phones, that don't last, that have all kinds of hardware problem. Whether its Huwaie, or LG (disgusting). I remember my nexus 5 started to have problems 5 days before the warranty expired, I was busy and called immediately the day after it expired but neither google or lg were willing to help. And then after replacing part after part on my nexus 5, other hardware problems just eventually gave in - a phone barely lasted 2.5 years, without me applying thermal paste and replacing other components.
Now I am with iPhone and I have to say - well built, clean software, not as customizable YES, but, it does not get in the way of my productivity, specially with hardware problems. It's time for Android fans to start criticizing google, and it's cheap phones, I want Google to be able to compete with Apple, but at this moment, Apple is superior to google, seriously.
> phone barely lasted 2.5 years
Apple isn't going to be any different unfortunately. Good news is that their eco-system is well constructed and the scenarios that they do support, work very well.
Best of luck. I just came to Nexus 5 after leaving Windows Phone, where I couldn't stand the "coming soon". Honestly the fact that the Nexus 5 is still running strong was the primary motivation for me to move.
PFFF I have both F***& Apple biggest POS I have ever used
It's your choice!
I'l see u back on this forum after a couple of years when google gets his stuff together!
What parts did you have to constantly replace?
"so flimsy, in spite of being well taken care of"
Really? Seriously? Did you leave it in a drawer? Things just don't break.
It's always sad to see someone go over to the technologically-illiterate side. Apple's hardware & software may be well-made and well-integrated, but you never actually own your iDevice - you just rent it. If you jailbreak it they feel entitled to brick it, I've heard. Naturally I haven't got concrete evidence with my own eyes, because their ethos is so utterly repellent to me that I could never give them a cent.
"neither google or lg were willing to help". Really? When my own N5's radio stopped working after 18 months after the battery ran down to zero (which I appreciate sort of conflicts with my first statement, but bear with me), supposedly outside warranty, Google replaced it without a murmur. I got a "refurbished" phone which was to my eyes absolutely new, and which is still working perfectly with Marshmallow 6.0.1.
I know full well that this is a pointless and stupid argument. You like Apple or you don't. I don't. Marmite/Vegemite. But to proclaim in an Android forum that your Android experience isn't as good as your new Apple experience (after how much time, I wonder...?) is a particularly pointless waste of time.
So I'll stop wasting mine now.
Was it necessary to let us know that you switched to a different phone?
Good for you.
Beat it.
What's the point?
This was kind of "If you need me I'll be jogging for the next hour", "but I didn't ask" "Well, just in case you wanted to know, I'm running" "Um... I didn't want to know"
I like my iPhone fine, but I wouldn't stick my neck out in an Android forum to point that out unless I was spoiling for a trolling.
Sent from my LG-D852 using XDA Forums
I prefer android myself and have found the build quality on the nexus 5 not very good, but you get what you pay for i guess.
I dont like the apple OS but they make great hardware for sure, their stuff just shouts quality , however im sure you could find similar quality in some android phones too, htc etc
Well, my experience with Apple wasn't good... Bought all the models until 5c (couldn't afford 5) and have to tell that Apple throws a way their models leaving the behind with a ios that does not work properly (last ios for each model)... And as well lot of hardware problems still have some where a 4s and a 5c somewhere at home... Good luck and save a lot to buy their "New product"
I agree about one thing pretty much all Android phones have had so-so build quality over the years. Now that has changed as more and more start to build in metal. Now this does not account for actual better quality but the perception of quality is much greater. I know I will never buy a plastic phone again they just feel cheep no matter whay. Only Nokia has basically been able to make plastic feel good in the past with the Lumia line.
At the moment I have a Huawei Mate S, iPhone 6S Plus and a Nokia Lumia 1520. Out of these three, I hold the Mate S as the superior build. It just feels best in the hand. As big screen as the iPhone but a lot smaller in the hand and it looks even better. An impressive piece of engineering indeed.
However this leads me to your trouble. (somethat) Only the Huawei has it's small issues from time to time with wakelocks. This has almost been the case for me with most Androids I've had over the years (and I've had a lot). Android has had these kind of battery draining bugs for so long it's sickening. Something I never experience on either Windows Mobile/Phone nor iOS. Specially iOS feels more polished than anything else on the market, albeit limited in comparison.
That being said, I use my Mate S as a daily driver now, which has the "mobile radio active" bug that's in Lollipop but for me it thankfully does not seem to affect battery life when it happens (daily), it's just a statistical error. Knowing it's there the system feels inferior in use. I have to worry about my usage at times when I'm not on WIFI. With my other phones I feel more at ease.
Each system has their strenghts and weaknesses. I'm no fanboy in either way and having three mobile OS's to chose from at any given day feels great. Something more people should adapt. Stop defending one system so much just because you own it at the moment. Just enjoy what is out there! But do not necessarily speak open about it like this because not many will care. Nature of people is that they get offended and enter defensive mode.
OP, congratulations on your new phone and hope it is everything you are looking for.
Now before this turns into an Apple vs Android thread (which we have had many over the years) going to close this.
Thanks
FNM
Hi guys,
Happy New Year to all! Seems like my first resolution for 2017 will be to get a new phone as my LG G3 decided to die a few days after Christmas while on vacation... lovely, as it was to be my only way of taking pictures! Anyway, I'm looking for a cost-effective replacement phone (I'm in Australia for reference). My preference would have been a Pixel phone, but they retail north of 1000 AUD for the entry-level 32GB non-XL Pixel here, which is just too expensive for my liking. Alternatively I would have considered the S7/S7 Edge, but just a few months before release of the S8 I'm not willing to pay full price for it.
This brings me to the P9, which is currently on sale here bringing its price to roughly half of the Pixel/S7 Edge (600 AUD), and given a major point for me is camera/picture quality, it is a serious contender. My main concern however is the rather heavy-handed EMUI skin. Are there any P9 users around here who generally prefer stock-ish Android and who have switched to the P9? What's your feeling around EMUI? As long-term users, did you get accustomed to it? Things like the notifications shade and the recent apps are making me cringe a little, partly because they seem much less practical than the default implementation in Android, and partly because.... they look like an iPhone
Are there any apps available to make EMUI look more like stock? I'd unlock the bootloader and root this thing if I buy it, so I'm thinking things like xposed modules? I'd also be fine flashing a stock-based custom ROM, but would rather avoid stock-based/CM/Lineage ROM as I'd like to keep full camera functionality.
Also - unrelated question, but are people generally happy with battery life on the P9? I'm a light/medium user and the 2 hours of screen on time I'd routinely get on the G3 would be okay most days, but obviously short for days of heavy use. I seem to be reading that 4-4.5 hours of SOT is standard, is that what people experience?
My fallback plan would be to get a ZUK Z2 to tide me over until this year's phones.
Thanks for reading!
I got a zuk z2 pro after initially moving from Windows Lumia 950. The hardware for price was awesome but the software on it was a nightmare so I sold it and switched to P9.
First I used Nova launcher which was great as Emui didn't have an app draw.
Now I am beta testing Nougat Emui 5 which is a lot better and closer to stock although still stuck with the Icons.
Currently Nova crashes with my widgets so until that is fixed I am keeping with standard launcher, actually now I am used to it I may just stay using it.
Sent from my Hauwai P9 EVA-L09 using Tapatalk
I used a Nexus 5 for 2 years , S6 for 1 year and now I have a P9 (HTC 10 for some weeks,other phones only a few days).
Emui is something new . For me,it feels like a new, fresh experience.
I'm done with stock android. If I buy a flagship device,i want some features . The phone is fast (feels faster than HTC 10,S6,etc) .
For me ,it's better than stock android. S6 had the features,but it was laggy (s7 is the same). P9 has the features but it's also fast.
For me it's BAD, but not the EMUI by itself. It's bad because it's poorly made. No double tap to wake up the screen, no wave to wake up but there are ton of other useless motion controls.. Even Knuckle gestures that pretty sure no one is using (or 5 people at most)... Notes app doesn't sync with Gmail. No Reminders app. Don't like the colors, even in the Nougat update. Black with dark blue is so ugly (to me) that if I knew this would be enough to skip this phone. One of my biggest problems - can't turn off the haptic feedback, everytime I am using google search the phone vibrates and drives me crazy, and of course is draining battery. The worst part of the Phone is the updates, mine is still with 1 September security patch, it's January now... Flagship not getting monthly security patches in 2016-2017 is a joke, especially with the raising virus attacks. Took them too long to update to Nougat - another flaw. Everything else - Screen, build quality, camera is pretty damn good. Battery is pretty good to 5 hours without any problem and on Nougat most people get 6 and more hours.. Software is the biggest flaw.
Yes you can make it more Stock like - take a look at the themes here that some good people are making. No need of another Launcher. They are great and make the phone at least look better. And they will be released for EMUI 5 too. I won't suggest installing launchers, at least I had really bad experience, my phone started lagging so much I had to factory reset it. And I asked many people, they had the same problem after installing another launcher. This is my opinion and my experience. To be honest, if I knew how I will feel with this phone, I was going to get me S7. My advice is just wait for S8... Or LG G5 right now is on great price in most countries, great phone, would take it everyday instead of Huawei... It's your money and your decision after all.
Thanks guys for all the valuable feedback. I gave it a good thinking and eventually went to buy the P9 last weekend. I'll be writing up some more thorough thoughts about it when I get a chance, but so far I'm quite satisfied. It's very fluid overall, and I have 61% battery left as I write this with 1.5 hours of screen on time - at this stage my G3, also with a 3000mah battery, would be close to throwing in the towel already!
Two noticeable drawbacks, the lack of OIS for a phone supposedly focused on photography is annoying, and the 3D performance is definitely very middling. I did know this going in though so it certainly is no big surprise.
Hi
Battery life on the P9 is way better than the G3 (I had one that sadly died as well). P9 is also much smoother and doesn't heat as much as the G3 did.
EMUI is OK. Takes a bit more time the first day to set things up, because some things are buried a bit deeper in the settings. If you're worried about the look... There's a good theming community with some really good "stock android" themes available. Pair that with something like Nova launcher and you won't even notice it's there.
The camera is indeed excellent.
I also came from the G3 to this phone. I am loving it. I was ready to unlock/root/custom after reading all the professional reviews slamming EMUI. It took a bit of getting used to, but 7 months later this remains the first Android phone I have not rooted. I haven't even given it a factory rest to combat slow-down, and battery life remains excellent.
There is a customer skin in this: (https://forum.xda-developers.com/p9/themes/theme-material-vui-t3429075) thread which provides a nice stock look to icons and notification bar. I missed the app drawer for about 2 days then just got a folder page set up and organised. On balance it doesn't take me any longer to get to where I want to go.
About my only complaint is that even with my White-list protecting certain apps from being killed, they still do not seem to perform as they did on the G3. These are automation apps like IFTTT which I used to auto arm/disarm my home security when I arrive leave.
cooldoud said:
Hi guys,
Happy New Year to all! Seems like my first resolution for 2017 will be to get a new phone as my LG G3 decided to die a few days after Christmas while on vacation... lovely, as it was to be my only way of taking pictures! Anyway, I'm looking for a cost-effective replacement phone (I'm in Australia for reference). My preference would have been a Pixel phone, but they retail north of 1000 AUD for the entry-level 32GB non-XL Pixel here, which is just too expensive for my liking. Alternatively I would have considered the S7/S7 Edge, but just a few months before release of the S8 I'm not willing to pay full price for it.
This brings me to the P9, which is currently on sale here bringing its price to roughly half of the Pixel/S7 Edge (600 AUD), and given a major point for me is camera/picture quality, it is a serious contender. My main concern however is the rather heavy-handed EMUI skin. Are there any P9 users around here who generally prefer stock-ish Android and who have switched to the P9? What's your feeling around EMUI? As long-term users, did you get accustomed to it? Things like the notifications shade and the recent apps are making me cringe a little, partly because they seem much less practical than the default implementation in Android, and partly because.... they look like an iPhone
Are there any apps available to make EMUI look more like stock? I'd unlock the bootloader and root this thing if I buy it, so I'm thinking things like xposed modules? I'd also be fine flashing a stock-based custom ROM, but would rather avoid stock-based/CM/Lineage ROM as I'd like to keep full camera functionality.
Also - unrelated question, but are people generally happy with battery life on the P9? I'm a light/medium user and the 2 hours of screen on time I'd routinely get on the G3 would be okay most days, but obviously short for days of heavy use. I seem to be reading that 4-4.5 hours of SOT is standard, is that what people experience?
My fallback plan would be to get a ZUK Z2 to tide me over until this year's phones.
Thanks for reading!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using Nougat Beta I find EMUI 5.0 to be much more tolerable, as it is much closer to stock than 4.x, but also resembles iOS more than before which isn't great.
My biggest annoyance is its cloning of MiUI which, while understandable for a Chinese brand, is impractical. MiUI wastes very large amounts of screen space due to its obsessive "Top half=graphic, bottom half=details" design. Lots of screens have trivial graphics that have only a small amount of useful information, yet they're expanded to take the whole top half of the screen.
My only real annoyance is the stock features it replaces with versions that have fewer features. Case in point, the data usage monitor. Instead of taking the stock version and improving it, it seems Huawei built it from scratch because it can't do several things the stock version can do. Its interface in 4.x is ugly, in my opinion (also very MiUI), but even in 5.0 where it resembles stock, it isn't stock. You can't, for instance, check data usage for the previous month. You also cannot change the day of the month on which the monthly counter resets.
Considering it has the ability to cut off after you surpass a limit, it's clearly still designed with managing bills in mind, like its stock counterpart, yet they assume everyone's billing period resets on the 1st of the month.
It seems pretty obvious to me that many of the gushing reviews and hard sell on the net is from people who have received a free phone from Huawei, and don't want to jeopardise that position for future releases. I paid for mine, so I can provide an honest overview. I'm reasonably familiar with Huawei stuff, having used a P20 Pro since release.
Hardware:
Simply stunning. Little more to say. I agree with everyone who says that it's beautifully designed and clearly innovative in places. Downside to this is that it feels incredibly fragile. I'm pretty confident in predicting that it will not survive a drop onto any hard surface of more than a few centimetres without cracking or chipping. This is nothing that couldn't be said of pretty much any other manufacturer, though.
Comfort is subjective. I found the rounded edges unpleasantly sharp, but if you invest in a case that'll solve the problem. You will, however, be taking a big phone and making it bigger.
The fingerprint scanner is a neat idea, but stopped recognising my fingers within 12 hours of purchase. The face scanner worked as described, and I didn't have any issues with high contrast environments.
Speakers tinny as expected.
Fast charging very cool, definitely as fast as described. In face, the whole phone is lightning fast in most places.
Software:
"Unfinished" is perhaps the kindest way to describe it. "A bit ****", "lazy", "derivative", are other words, and "what the hell were you thinking" is a phrase you might find yourself applying. Dialog boxes where someone has forgotten to add padding around buttons, strange font size choices, notifications that run off the side of the screen etc etc.
It's as if it's been designed by someone with absolutely no sense of aesthetics, which is even stranger when you consider the simply sterling job that Huawei did on the hardware. It's very similar to iOS of a few years ago, which to be fair you might expect when you buy it. What's unforgivable though is that these lazy design choices conflict with Google's own standards, and it leaves a very conflicted operating system on the phone.
Backing up? Should I use Google or Huawei Cloud? I would use HC, but it experiences exactly the same problem that it does on the EMUI 9 beta on my P20 Pro, where it massively over-calculates the size of the photo gallery and just tries to sell you an upgrade. This is a £1000 phone. It deserves more than 2GB of cloud storage, Huawei. Huawei Calendar will conflict with Google Calendar. OK Google doesn't work. The whole EMUI launcher starts lagging after an hour or two of phone uptime, with elements "popping in" and frame rate drops when returning from an app.
Oh, and the gesture navigation. Jesus. Don't even go there. If you can get it to work, it'll just make you increasingly angry as your palm accidentally sends "back" commands, and the next moment inhibits the one you wanted to do.
Huawei still beholden to the operators with updates. Interestingly it downloaded a small network operator update when I got it, but it never installed, just hanging at 100%. Remember, this is supposed to be a premium device.
Camera:
I've seen a lot of criticism of the camera UI, and I don't really understand why. It works for me, and the Master AI thing was very good at picking out the correct scene. It's suffering from the lack of a monochrome sensor in the dark though, as my P20 Pro is consistently beating it in night shots. All phones should have a wide angle lens, and this is the bit I'll miss most.
Conclusion:
I'm returning mine to EE, and will be getting a Pixel 3 instead. The hardware will feel like a year back in time, but I just want the phone to work and not be beholden to Huawei to apathetically fix bugs. I feel quite sad about this, as it actually feels like huge potential squandered by extremely poor decision making. Had this hardware been fastened to a vanilla Android OS like the Pixel, they wouldn't be able to make enough to keep up with demand.
Hope this helps. It's a really shame and I'm a bit sad to be sending it back, but the software drawbacks outweigh the hardware advances.
David Horn said:
It seems pretty obvious to me that many of the gushing reviews and hard sell on the net is from people who have received a free phone from Huawei, and don't want to jeopardise that position for future releases. I paid for mine, so I can provide an honest overview. I'm reasonably familiar with Huawei stuff, having used a P20 Pro since release.
Hardware:
Simply stunning. Little more to say. I agree with everyone who says that it's beautifully designed and clearly innovative in places. Downside to this is that it feels incredibly fragile. I'm pretty confident in predicting that it will not survive a drop onto any hard surface of more than a few centimetres without cracking or chipping. This is nothing that couldn't be said of pretty much any other manufacturer, though.
Comfort is subjective. I found the rounded edges unpleasantly sharp, but if you invest in a case that'll solve the problem. You will, however, be taking a big phone and making it bigger.
The fingerprint scanner is a neat idea, but stopped recognising my fingers within 12 hours of purchase. The face scanner worked as described, and I didn't have any issues with high contrast environments.
Speakers tinny as expected.
Fast charging very cool, definitely as fast as described. In face, the whole phone is lightning fast in most places.
Software:
"Unfinished" is perhaps the kindest way to describe it. "A bit ****", "lazy", "derivative", are other words, and "what the hell were you thinking" is a phrase you might find yourself applying. Dialog boxes where someone has forgotten to add padding around buttons, strange font size choices, notifications that run off the side of the screen etc etc.
It's as if it's been designed by someone with absolutely no sense of aesthetics, which is even stranger when you consider the simply sterling job that Huawei did on the hardware. It's very similar to iOS of a few years ago, which to be fair you might expect when you buy it. What's unforgivable though is that these lazy design choices conflict with Google's own standards, and it leaves a very conflicted operating system on the phone.
Backing up? Should I use Google or Huawei Cloud? I would use HC, but it experiences exactly the same problem that it does on the EMUI 9 beta on my P20 Pro, where it massively over-calculates the size of the photo gallery and just tries to sell you an upgrade. This is a £1000 phone. It deserves more than 2GB of cloud storage, Huawei. Huawei Calendar will conflict with Google Calendar. OK Google doesn't work. The whole EMUI launcher starts lagging after an hour or two of phone uptime, with elements "popping in" and frame rate drops when returning from an app.
Oh, and the gesture navigation. Jesus. Don't even go there. If you can get it to work, it'll just make you increasingly angry as your palm accidentally sends "back" commands, and the next moment inhibits the one you wanted to do.
Huawei still beholden to the operators with updates. Interestingly it downloaded a small network operator update when I got it, but it never installed, just hanging at 100%. Remember, this is supposed to be a premium device.
Camera:
I've seen a lot of criticism of the camera UI, and I don't really understand why. It works for me, and the Master AI thing was very good at picking out the correct scene. It's suffering from the lack of a monochrome sensor in the dark though, as my P20 Pro is consistently beating it in night shots. All phones should have a wide angle lens, and this is the bit I'll miss most.
Conclusion:
I'm returning mine to EE, and will be getting a Pixel 3 instead. The hardware will feel like a year back in time, but I just want the phone to work and not be beholden to Huawei to apathetically fix bugs. I feel quite sad about this, as it actually feels like huge potential squandered by extremely poor decision making. Had this hardware been fastened to a vanilla Android OS like the Pixel, they wouldn't be able to make enough to keep up with demand.
Hope this helps. It's a really shame and I'm a bit sad to be sending it back, but the software drawbacks outweigh the hardware advances.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the Mate 20 Pro annoys you in this way, the Pixel 3 will destroy you; It charges slow, has slow wireless charging, the camera crashes and lags the phone, it doesn't save a photo if you switch to another app after taking the photo, it closes apps playing in the background such as spotify/deezer when you want to use the camera, generally has awful memory management, it has very bad battery life, the hardware design is not worth the price, finally, navigating the Pixel 3 via the new gestures is the most infuriating thing about it.
David Horn said:
It seems pretty obvious to me that many of the gushing reviews and hard sell on the net is from people who have received a free phone from Huawei, and don't want to jeopardise that position for future releases. I paid for mine, so I can provide an honest overview. I'm reasonably familiar with Huawei stuff, having used a P20 Pro since release.
Hardware:
Simply stunning. Little more to say. I agree with everyone who says that it's beautifully designed and clearly innovative in places. Downside to this is that it feels incredibly fragile. I'm pretty confident in predicting that it will not survive a drop onto any hard surface of more than a few centimetres without cracking or chipping. This is nothing that couldn't be said of pretty much any other manufacturer, though.
Comfort is subjective. I found the rounded edges unpleasantly sharp, but if you invest in a case that'll solve the problem. You will, however, be taking a big phone and making it bigger.
The fingerprint scanner is a neat idea, but stopped recognising my fingers within 12 hours of purchase. The face scanner worked as described, and I didn't have any issues with high contrast environments.
Speakers tinny as expected.
Fast charging very cool, definitely as fast as described. In face, the whole phone is lightning fast in most places.
Software:
"Unfinished" is perhaps the kindest way to describe it. "A bit ****", "lazy", "derivative", are other words, and "what the hell were you thinking" is a phrase you might find yourself applying. Dialog boxes where someone has forgotten to add padding around buttons, strange font size choices, notifications that run off the side of the screen etc etc.
It's as if it's been designed by someone with absolutely no sense of aesthetics, which is even stranger when you consider the simply sterling job that Huawei did on the hardware. It's very similar to iOS of a few years ago, which to be fair you might expect when you buy it. What's unforgivable though is that these lazy design choices conflict with Google's own standards, and it leaves a very conflicted operating system on the phone.
Backing up? Should I use Google or Huawei Cloud? I would use HC, but it experiences exactly the same problem that it does on the EMUI 9 beta on my P20 Pro, where it massively over-calculates the size of the photo gallery and just tries to sell you an upgrade. This is a £1000 phone. It deserves more than 2GB of cloud storage, Huawei. Huawei Calendar will conflict with Google Calendar. OK Google doesn't work. The whole EMUI launcher starts lagging after an hour or two of phone uptime, with elements "popping in" and frame rate drops when returning from an app.
Oh, and the gesture navigation. Jesus. Don't even go there. If you can get it to work, it'll just make you increasingly angry as your palm accidentally sends "back" commands, and the next moment inhibits the one you wanted to do.
Huawei still beholden to the operators with updates. Interestingly it downloaded a small network operator update when I got it, but it never installed, just hanging at 100%. Remember, this is supposed to be a premium device.
Camera:
I've seen a lot of criticism of the camera UI, and I don't really understand why. It works for me, and the Master AI thing was very good at picking out the correct scene. It's suffering from the lack of a monochrome sensor in the dark though, as my P20 Pro is consistently beating it in night shots. All phones should have a wide angle lens, and this is the bit I'll miss most.
Conclusion:
I'm returning mine to EE, and will be getting a Pixel 3 instead. The hardware will feel like a year back in time, but I just want the phone to work and not be beholden to Huawei to apathetically fix bugs. I feel quite sad about this, as it actually feels like huge potential squandered by extremely poor decision making. Had this hardware been fastened to a vanilla Android OS like the Pixel, they wouldn't be able to make enough to keep up with demand.
Hope this helps. It's a really shame and I'm a bit sad to be sending it back, but the software drawbacks outweigh the hardware advances.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Finally a brave review , totally agree in every point... Had it for a week and i also dont get how reviewers givin it 10 of 10 Spot on mate
David Horn said:
Hope this helps. It's a really shame and I'm a bit sad to be sending it back, but the software drawbacks outweigh the hardware advances.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your feedback. I'm personally expecting bull**** software, it is EMUI after all. Not the unfinished part though.if I do end up returning mine , for the reasons you mentioned, I'll probably get the OnePlus 6t though. I have to give Theis years Pixel a hard pass. I'd even consider the LG V40 before the Pixel 3 xl.
Ok so I had been humming along fine with my Note 8 for 2 years but recently I started playing pubg heavily and it would only last 3hrs at most I called bestbuy and they said they did not replace batteries in Samsung devices even though it stated they did on there site. Anywho I seen the sell on Amazon for 799 for the note10+ with galaxy buds so I bit! Got it home set it up beautiful phone aura glow very nice to look at BUT it would not pick up 1 bar sitting the same spot my note 8 sat which always had 2 bars of 4g+ . So I returned it and decided to just keep my note 8 and find a way to get a battery, but then about a week ago I was browsing ebay and Amazon everywhere looking at NOTE 9 Amazon was 900 for the 9 and 799 for the 10 but went on Ebay and found Microsoft on ebay had brand new unlocked note 9 on clearance with 1 year warranty for 449, so I bought it and wow the Note 9 had same signal as the 8 but better battery 4000mah and no hole in screen and led light and headphone jack! She only came in one color for the sale which is blue. I'm usually a black kind of person but for 450 I like it just the same I was going to leave it on oreo but my 8 had the pie and I was already accustomed to it so I updated it and pie has the better of battery life. I just scored the best deal ever seen for a never opened or turned on phone. Which is what I wanted btw there were hundreds of open box rehash junk but I wanted a warranty and a trustworthy seller. Microsoft ftw!!!
Newcomer to Samsung after being through Pixels, NExus, Nokia, Oneplus and just could not find something to fit.
Was offered a Note 9 (copper) second hand but in superb condition for £350 and thought what the hell as was looking at the S10 or Note 10.
Wow, blown away by the phone. Especially now have change the CSC to UK. So much smoother than my Pixel 3XL and with a bit more character to it. Screen scrolling is smooth and battery much better.
Am with you about the lack of pinhole or bezel.
Damn thing just works so may just stick with this and see what Note11 (or whatever they call it) comes about.
divvykev said:
Newcomer to Samsung after being through Pixels, NExus, Nokia, Oneplus and just could not find something to fit.
Was offered a Note 9 (copper) second hand but in superb condition for £350 and thought what the hell as was looking at the S10 or Note 10.
Wow, blown away by the phone. Especially now have change the CSC to UK. So much smoother than my Pixel 3XL and with a bit more character to it. Screen scrolling is smooth and battery much better.
Am with you about the lack of pinhole or bezel.
Damn thing just works so may just stick with this and see what Note11 (or whatever they call it) comes about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I have tried Google phone before and the radio in it is not nearly strong as the samsung. I used to be a Motorola guy but not since the note 8 I've stuck with Samsung ever since.
I experienced weaker cellular signal with both an S10e and an S9 than the better signal reception of my Note 9. I love this phone!
I had what I thought was the phone I really wanted, before this Note 9, in the Pixel 2 XL. What a disappointment. I just didn't like it. So much that I didn't even get around to rooting, before selling it.
I only miss a couple minor things, without root with the Note 9. This is the first unrootable phone I've had since 2012.
I got the 8/512 version, in hopes of keeping it for 4 years or more. I kept it on Oreo, because I did not want the new "features" of pie.
I'll let my S9 go to Android 10 / One UI version 2 and if all is well, may let the Note 9 update to that.
I've always felt that a phone runs best on its original Android version.
I am usually the same but I like the pie dark mode and aod touch to see. But oreo is a good os. I started to just stay with it but I'm looking forward to 10
pizza_pablo said:
I experienced weaker cellular signal with both an S10e and an S9 than the better signal reception of my Note 9. I love this phone!
I had what I thought was the phone I really wanted, before this Note 9, in the Pixel 2 XL. What a disappointment. I just didn't like it. So much that I didn't even get around to rooting, before selling it.
I only miss a couple minor things, without root with the Note 9. This is the first unrootable phone I've had since 2012.
I got the 8/512 version, in hopes of keeping it for 4 years or more. I kept it on Oreo, because I did not want the new "features" of pie.
I'll let my S9 go to Android 10 / One UI version 2 and if all is well, may let the Note 9 update to that.
I've always felt that a phone runs best on its original Android version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nothing is better than a phone running on its original Android version but... lets hope Android 10 change this... I have been on Oreo still and once Android 10 is stable enough.. I will jump to it!
Da-BOSS said:
nothing is better than a phone running on its original Android version but... lets hope Android 10 change this... I have been on Oreo still and once Android 10 is stable enough.. I will jump to it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's nice to see someone agree with me, for a change!
Most are adamantly in favor of taking updates. I believe security updates are almost placebo, covering old threats, but I'm no software engineer.
My and the wife's Note 9s are on Oreo, with the December 1, 2018 security patch, experiencing no I'll affects. Are we just lucky?
---------- Post added at 05:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:06 PM ----------
sethsmaxx said:
I am usually the same but I like the pie dark mode and aod touch to see. But oreo is a good os. I started to just stay with it but I'm looking forward to 10
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pie's "dark mode" is so incomplete, it makes me wonder how "complete" the One UI 2.0 dark mode will actually be and the fact that it cannot be combined with a theme is utter stupidity.
I don't know this "aod touch to see". I'll have to go for up my S9 on Pie and compare the difference with the AOD on my Oreo Note 9.
pizza_pablo said:
It's nice to see someone agree with me, for a change!
Most are adamantly in favor of taking updates. I believe security updates are almost placebo, covering old threats, but I'm no software engineer.
My and the wife's Note 9s are on Oreo, with the December 1, 2018 security patch, experiencing no I'll affects. Are we just lucky?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you use mobile banking and financial apps on your mobile device, then I would highly recommend that you install the latest OS updates onto your device. As those patch the unknown security flaws in your device's OS. Without them you risk loosing your financial data to hackers.
iceepyon said:
If you use mobile banking and financial apps on your mobile device, then I would highly recommend that you install the latest OS updates onto your device. As those patch the unknown security flaws in your device's OS. Without them you risk loosing your financial data to hackers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any data to backup such a claim?
What about phones that are old enough to no longer receive any update. Should they be thrown out?
Serious questions.
Hello
Comparing a One + 7Pro with a Galaxy Note 10+ does not seem very wise to me. By cons with the One + 7T Pro yes.
The One + 7T Pro HD1913 released with Android 10 under Oxygen OS 10.0.5 HD01BA is really remarkable, no bug unlike the 7 Pro.
For network sensitivity and 4G + speed, the Note 10+ is lagging behind, I made the comparison directly with my operator and I therefore bought the One + 7T Pro.
It's been 10 years since I was a samsung pro, in the style of pierced screens while I never take a selfie, I much prefer the popup camera.
On the positive side too, there is no slew of totally useless applications like Samsung's.
I just replaced the original SMS / MMS application with "TEXTRA" and installed "BlueMail" to manage my email accounts.
I also have a Galaxy Note 9, certainly the stylus is practical but not essential.
The Note 10+ is a very good cell phone, but my first purchase criteria is above all network quality.
This is only my personal opinion.
pizza_pablo said:
Is there any data to backup such a claim?
What about phones that are old enough to no longer receive any update. Should they be thrown out?
Serious questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seeing as those security patches are design to patch up security exploit holes in the OS. I would believe that installing them would be make your device more secure. Of course you are free to not install them. That choice is entirely up to you. I am just throwing in my 2 cents
iceepyon said:
Seeing as those security patches are design to patch up security exploit holes in the OS. I would believe that installing them would be make your device more secure. Of course you are free to not install them. That choice is entirely up to you. I am just throwing in my 2 cents
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One would think these to be true. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but you made a bold claim about security patches protecting banking apps.
I just asked if there is any data to back that up.
It's not like this would be the first time we were lied to or claims were exaggerated about security.
pizza_pablo said:
One would think these to be true. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but you made a bold claim about security patches protecting banking apps.
I just asked if there is any data to back that up.
It's not like this would be the first time we were lied to or claims were exaggerated about security.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not a bold claim--it's a sensible and widely held belief, so of course 'one would think these to be true', no evidence forthcoming!
If any given security update blocks hackers from exploiting some method to get sensitive data, we are not likely to find data that some actual hackers were blocked. This is a good example of a negative that cannot be proven, and absence of evidence is not evidence of absence! In security, there are no absolutes; you take your chances. It's a well known generality that an updated system is more secure that one that is not updated.
If your banking data is on your phone, and you go read about all the latest holes, in smartphones, that can be exploited to steal your data and log into your bank, you could then go on a wild goosechase trying to determine what holes are on your phone and what patches apply and in what software versions, which is not easy! At that point it becomes apparent that it's more sensible to apply the latest updates (that's what most people do). On the other hand, if you don't look into it, you could just pretend that your phone is better than most phones and there are no security holes that need to be fixed. In that case, ignorance is bliss, right?
I have halted all my updates since summer of 2019, because I don't want to roll forward my bootloader version, for the rare chance that there might one day be a method to root the Qualcomm variant, only on an early bootloader. Although that is looking grim, and I really should keep my phone updated. The point is, I don't trust that updates are only for my benefit, since it's clear that 'security' updates from Samsung are sometimes more about keeping me from being able to own my phone than protecting my data. I am not in any denial of either.
Also, to OP, ya, this Note 9 is 'better' than the Note 10. I bought mine brand new last spring for about $600 before the Note 10 was released, and I bought it knowing that the Note 10 would be worse, which is why I did not wait for the Note 10 release. What seems interesting is the Note 10 is so not loved that the Note 9 actually went back up in price after the release of the Note 10! Way to go, Samsung!! Curved screen, non-replaceable battery, camera holes/notches, removing headphone jack, bendable screens, and just generally trying so hard to be 'cool' like Apple, is what has turned me off of their products and Samsung as a company. It's like they used to target a market of more sensible lovers of tech, but now they have changed their target market to go after all the Apple fanboys, who fall for gimmickry rather than appreciate really sensible and cutting-edge design, leaving their old market behind. I am not a big fan anymore, and I'll likely look for another brand when I am ready to upgrade.
gruuvin said:
It's not a bold claim--it's a sensible and widely held belief, so of course 'one would think these to be true', no evidence forthcoming!
If any given security update blocks hackers from exploiting some method to get sensitive data, we are not likely to find data that some actual hackers were blocked. This is a good example of a negative that cannot be proven, and absence of evidence is not evidence of absence! In security, there are no absolutes; you take your chances. It's a well known generality that an updated system is more secure that one that is not updated.
If your banking data is on your phone, and you go read about all the latest holes, in smartphones, that can be exploited to steal your data and log into your bank, you could then go on a wild goosechase trying to determine what holes are on your phone and what patches apply and in what software versions, which is not easy! At that point it becomes apparent that it's more sensible to apply the latest updates (that's what most people do). On the other hand, if you don't look into it, you could just pretend that your phone is better than most phones and there are no security holes that need to be fixed. In that case, ignorance is bliss, right?
I have halted all my updates since summer of 2019, because I don't want to roll forward my bootloader version, for the rare chance that there might one day be a method to root the Qualcomm variant, only on an early bootloader. Although that is looking grim, and I really should keep my phone updated. The point is, I don't trust that updates are only for my benefit, since it's clear that 'security' updates from Samsung are sometimes more about keeping me from being able to own my phone than protecting my data. I am not in any denial of either.
Also, to OP, ya, this Note 9 is 'better' than the Note 10. I bought mine brand new last spring for about $600 before the Note 10 was released, and I bought it knowing that the Note 10 would be worse, which is why I did not wait for the Note 10 release. What seems interesting is the Note 10 is so not loved that the Note 9 actually went back up in price after the release of the Note 10! Way to go, Samsung!! Curved screen, non-replaceable battery, camera holes/notches, removing headphone jack, bendable screens, and just generally trying so hard to be 'cool' like Apple, is what has turned me off of their products and Samsung as a company. It's like they used to target a market of more sensible lovers of tech, but now they have changed their target market to go after all the Apple fanboys, who fall for gimmickry rather than appreciate really sensible and cutting-edge design, leaving their old market behind. I am not a big fan anymore, and I'll likely look for another brand when I am ready to upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pizza_pablo said:
One would think these to be true. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but you made a bold claim about security patches protecting banking apps.
I just asked if there is any data to back that up.
It's not like this would be the first time we were lied to or claims were exaggerated about security.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not directed to you two specifically or anything...
Those security holes are definitely legit, but the breaking in and utilization of said holes aren't being reported on for very specific reasons. Especially when it comes to major multi-billion dollar companies that manufacture smartphones. You wouldn't want to buy a smartphone from a company that has had hacks occur on a regular basis. Not to mention if that did get out, the amount of crumbling some of these companies would face.
In my field of work, we report vulnerabilities we find to companies who's products we are using. Nothing ever gets out to say that a vulnerability was found. At least not that we have seen. I know a lot of folks have distrust of companies and why they update software but one simply needs to think like a business or the creator of something that's largely used by a lot of people, to understand why security updates are important. We all definitely have our reasons for not updating, but to not update and think everything will be fine is a bad idea. It's all fun and games or conspiracy until somebody gets hacked.
If you aren't going to update your phone PLEASE be careful what you do with your phone and especially what sites you visit.:good:
Ok update! The blue note 9 that I got on discount from Microsoft for 449 had to be sent back, the battery was acting funny and discharging very quickly after all updates. So I returned it. Now get this the very day I send it back Samsungs own outlet on ebay had the black note 9 wesley snipes edition 128gb for 349.99 brand new unlocked with 1 year warranty they had 5 left, I got the notification from ebay as I had been watching this item for some time at 549.99 but I guess they were trying to clear inventory dropped it 200 dollars so I bought 2 of them and about an hour or so later it went back to 549.99! Ooooohhhhh I just got them today 4% on both batteries I charged one up to 50 and keeping it stored and the other I'm using as my daily driver. I am on the original oreo factory firmware and going to stay there awhile which version of oreo are you oreo guys at? I'm sticking with oreo because it has 83 apps when its optimizing apps after updates and pie has 380 apps :0.