Develop Bugs

Anyone go from Galaxy Nexus to Note II ?

Would like opinions, on anyone here that went from the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, to the Note II ? I am looking to switch soon, maybe the Nexus 4, or try something fresh like the Note II.
How was adjusting to the larger size of the Note II, over the Nexus ? Screen technology noticeably better, or just slightly ? Battery life, I assume is better on the Note II vs Nexus ?
Are you overall happy with the Note II, or want a Nexus phone again instead ?

I went from Gnex to Note 2. Because i sold Gnex for Nexus 4 and then i got irritated because i couldn't buy Nexus 4 because of stupid google, and then i went for note2...
I am amazed... Bit irritated by TW (i have it for 6 hours only) but i dont want to flash custom rom and loose s pen

Moved from Gnex to Note 2 last week.
Biggest issue for me has been getting used to the changed position of menu and back buttons... Plus I miss being able to add a screen off button but that's now solved with an app.
Haven't played around so much with the S pen but the little bits I have are promising.
The larger screen is what made me change and I do not regret it at all. Battery life is way better which is a real bonus. Easily getting two days with pretty heavy usage (you know how it is with a new bit of tech).
Rooted the Note today so can finally begin getting back to my rom flashing addiction
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

Steelyglint said:
begin getting back to my rom flashing addiction
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then you wont get much use of spen

Laynee1 said:
Then you wont get much use of spen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still handy for cleaning my ears
I'll have to live with limited spen use... Getting severe withdrawals from my flashing addiction!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

I'll hopefully be getting my Note tonight. I am currently using a stock Galaxy Nexus, the first Android I've never felt the need to tamper with, highly ironic as its also the best device for flashing ROMs onto!

switched from gnex to note2 a week ago, it was a painless move for me, as the Note2 is doing what I was missing in the gnex. However I feel the camera and especially usage of the camera is far better and smoother than on the Note2. If you don't need a pen and you like to snap away with you phone, then i would stay with the gnex. Overall am a very happy camper with the Note2.

WTF? The camera on the Note is WORSE than the GNex?! I bloody hope not as thats one of the reasons I'm upgrading. All of the reviews say its a pretty good camera, so I'm a bit puzzled by that as the GNex camera is dire.

boogs68 said:
switched from gnex to note2 a week ago, it was a painless move for me, as the Note2 is doing what I was missing in the gnex. However I feel the camera and especially usage of the camera is far better and smoother than on the Note2. If you don't need a pen and you like to snap away with you phone, then i would stay with the gnex. Overall am a very happy camper with the Note2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im sorry but... Camera is far better on NOte 2 than on Gnex.. Hdr... Smart Face capture... Burst shots.. Better video recording...

Laynee1 said:
Im sorry but... Camera is far better on NOte 2 than on Gnex.. Hdr... Smart Face capture... Burst shots.. Better video recording...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I think I need to put something in the right light here. The pictures on the N2 are definitely better, no contest. I was more referring to the feel and ease of operation. Burst mode is fine, but it still is unmatched how fast the gnex is ready for a shot and how fast it responds. My point is that the gnex is better for the instnataneous snapper. No quality reference to be made here.

Instantaneous Snapper is Ok on Note 2 too... It's not likeI'm defending Note 2,I'm just saying things from my experience with both phones
Handwritten from my Note 2

I have found the camera on the Note to be way better quality than the Gnex and starts up as quickly if not quicker.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

I went from a Gnex to a Gnote2.
Great upgrade. Here are the upsides:
Way better battery life.
Way nicer screen.
Gorilla glass (tougher).
FM radio function.
SPen and all associated functions are useful for me. YMMV.
Noticeably faster.
Louder ringer and a vibrate function I actually feel.
Here are some downsides.
Menu has changed. Takes some getting used to the new back button location.
The keyboard portion is a step down. I'm not sure what it is, but I seem to make more mistakes and the note is slower to correct them.
Bigger and heavier (obviously).
For me, it was totally worth the upgrade. Hope this helps.
-PW

Laynee1 said:
Then you wont get much use of spen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Laynee1 said:
i dont want to flash custom rom and loose s pen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Says who?!
I am using custom roms and have spen fully working.
If you go AOSP Roms (Liquidsmooth, etc...) you will loose Spen but not in its entirety, if you stick with samsung base roms (Wanamlite, etc...) Spen fully works.
Laynee1, Perhaps you should get your facts straight before misguiding others.
On the same note, I switched from the Gnex and I have been very happy. I have been using it for approximately one month and only recently have I switched to a custom rom . Better battery life, better camera, really snappy and best of all its gorgeous 5.5" display

Switched from a Gnex to a Note 2 a week ago. The Note 2 is a sick device. I love it and the switch was absolutely worth it.
Zorachus said:
Would like opinions, on anyone here that went from the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, to the Note II ? I am looking to switch soon, maybe the Nexus 4, or try something fresh like the Note II.
How was adjusting to the larger size of the Note II, over the Nexus ? Screen technology noticeably better, or just slightly ? Battery life, I assume is better on the Note II vs Nexus ?
Are you overall happy with the Note II, or want a Nexus phone again instead ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Got mine last night, stupendous device. Here are my impressions thus far (copied and pasted from elsewhere):-
I got mine last night, and think it's a fantastic device.
I have a few more tests to run, but I think this could be the best device I've ever owned by quite a distance. I was going to go for the N4, but glad I didn't.
+ Spectacular screen - many I've shown do believe its too big for a phone, but can't help be impressed anyway. This device has replaced phone and tablet.
+ Battery life - too early to comment, but it seems to last 2 - 3X as long as my old GNex, and even performs at least on par with the Nexus 7 (a full size tablet) if not even better than that!
+ Signal strength - I can actually get a signal, just, at my Jarrow office, which most phones fail miserably to get any. I get a full 3G signal at the front of the building (again my GNex failed to get any here!)
+ S-Pen - A gimmick for some, probably, but I like it, the handwriting function is brilliant.
+ Camera - Excellent for a phone, on par with a Galaxy S3 and only a smidge behind an iPhone 5.
+ DAC - Reported by many reviews to be excellent, and will have Voodoo support from Supercurio @ XDA developers shortly to make it even better. As close as it gets to an Audiophile device in a phone.
+ Speed - 2Gb of RAM and a 1.6 Ghz Exynos Quad Core CPU. More powerful than my PC! Blazingly fast, leaves a SGS3 in the weeds.
+ Expandable storage - A small point maybe, but many phones are turning their backs on this now. I've just ordered a Class 10 64 Gb memory card for £40, giving my device a theoretical 78 Gb storage.
+ Call quality - often overlooked, but I'm hearing unprecedented levels of clarity here.
I'm yet to thoroughly test the Audio quality (with Sennheiser IE6 headphones) and the GPS capabilities, but I'm not worried.
Only downside is TouchWiz is, in parts, still aesthetically challenged, but thats easily sorted with some themes from XDA developers and a new Home screen launcher and icons.
This device is a tech addicts dream TBH.

I also came from a nexus...
The battery is way better
Screen is better
But development has just started
Anyway change to note 2
My2cents
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

I just got mines yesterday, coming from mygnex.. Only downfalls is getting used to Touchwiz, the bloat (not as much as i thought) ,the no on screen home button (i missed that). Other than that..everything is fantastic !

BiGMERF said:
I just got mines yesterday, coming from mygnex.. Only downfalls is getting used to Touchwiz, the bloat (not as much as i thought) ,the no on screen home button (i missed that). Other than that..everything is fantastic !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you touch and hold the little dots it will turn into a slider and screen numbers are then shown.

srikat said:
If you touch and hold the little dots it will turn into a slider and screen numbers are then shown.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not see the black dots you speak of.. Help? lol

Note 2 vs nexus 4

So guys I'm in a dilemma here I have both phones right now sealed in the box I don't know which one to keep and which one to sell. I'm in Canada so lte works on the nexus 4. What do you guys suggest ? Thanks

One for work one for play ;p
sent from outside ur window

twanskys204 said:
One for work one for play ;p
sent from outside ur window
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was in the same dilemma as well. If you don't mind the size, the Note 2 is the better choice. The Nexus 4 may get the faster updates but we're on xda anyway so pretty much any phone with a good community will get updates.

Personally, if I had a choice between those 2 phones, I would prefer the Note 2. I'm a bit biased because I've been with Samsung for so long and I don't trust any other brand other than them. LOL. But from an unbiased point, the Nexus 4 provides faster updates (as mentioned), the Krait processor, and it's Google. Note 2 has a bunch of useful features and now we have some very reputable and brilliant developers in our community which will jump start our development. There's even an Android 4.2 (WIP) coming for us!

offwiththeface said:
So guys I'm in a dilemma here I have both phones right now sealed in the box I don't know which one to keep and which one to sell. I'm in Canada so lte works on the nexus 4. What do you guys suggest ? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note 2 hands down...more features and great dev support.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2

I've used both and ended up sticking with the note 2 there's nothing out there right now that can compare to its specs not even goggles own baby
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium

Did you ask this same question in the Nexus 4 section? lol...It's gonna be hard to get an unbiased opinion when you ask a question like that in a section specifically for one of the phones
Having said that, I had the LG Optimus G, and aside from the LG skin (which wasn't TOO horrible) it was a good phone, but I still promptly exchanged it for a Note 2 and don't regret it one bit. I have never had good experiences with LG phones. The display was beautiful though.

I have a note 2 and my buddy has a nexus 4. I thought the nexus 4 screen looks way better then note 2 screen hands down in my opinion. The build quality and feel of nexus 4 is also much better. However no removable battery no lte, and no sd card support are major deal breakers. 16gb is just not enough with games and apps installed. At least if they made a 32gb version.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium

The nexus 4 has some attractive points. LTE maybe less of an issue if you in Canada. The screen is nice and it's a fast performer.
But for me the lack of MicroSD and non-removable is a no go for me. Not only is battery life on the Note 2 awesome, but I have a spare battery i can use if every needed. I also really like having the s pen and the 5.5" screen i greatly enjoy. The size of the note is not for everyone, I'm OK with it.
You have to decide how important each of these factors are to you. Once you do that I'm sure you'll be happy with your choice.

If note 2 was made by LG and nexus 4 by Samsung, I'd say go for nexus 4...
Personally I'm staying away from anything LG, I had enough gray hair with LG Nitro HD, thank you very much.

[email protected] said:
If note 2 was made by LG and nexus 4 by Samsung, I'd say go for nexus 4...
Personally I'm staying away from anything LG, I had enough gray hair with LG Nitro HD, thank you very much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're lucky you never tried the Thrill then...
I need more time before trying LG again. The guy at the AT&T store tried to get me to buy the Optimus G when the Note was not in stock yet. The nexus might be okay if LG isn't responsible for the software.
Sent from my Note ][

When you ask such question in Note 2 forum, my feeling is that you are going to get some bias answer.
I have both phones, and I think both phone are top notch in their own way. Here's what I think:
Nexus 4
- Very solid build, the construction is as solid as iPhone. Feels great in hand.
- The display does produce some relatively accurate colour compare to my IPS displays. I do a lot of photo editing/viewing. On the other hand, the sAMOLED does throw the colour off a bit by over saturated (nature of AMOLED), with the "natural" profile on Note2, it does become closer to real colour. Pixel density on the N4 is also better, but it's not critical as the Note 2 display is pretty sharp with the sAMOLED HD.
- AOSP, AOSP, AOSP! If you aren't a fan of Touchwiz, this is what you should keep. Not just the updates, as they don't come everyday. It's the user experience. Samsung does add a lot of neat feature that many can't live without, but in my honest opinion, AOSP does provide a nice layout and great feature out the box. I am also not a huge fan of Samsung's oversized UI, either.
- Believe it or not, the on screen button is a very important "feature" of N4 - You now have a place to put your thumb when you hold the phone, especially when passing the phone to people to show them stuff...without accidentally touching any of the buttons. However, also because of the on screen button, you do lose some screen estate.
- Buttery smooth, yes, smoother than the "more powerful" Note 2
- The price - You are indeed getting a lot of phone for the price that you are paying.
- Battery is medicore, partially due to bugs of 4.2 I believe. Dead locks are draining the battery.
- Lack of SD card might be a deal breaker for you. It isn't for me.
- Camera sucks.
Note 2
- Huge display, this is probably the max that you can carry with the borderline portability. The display is beneficial for reading stuff, browsing, sharing contents with friends
- The battery is ridiculous. The size, with the power management of the software makes it unreal. I get average 2 hours of light/moderate usage per 10%, on LTE.
- Touchwiz - To use the full features of the Note2, you probably don't want AOSP. The S-Pen works well with touchwiz, and I find touchwiz works well with large displays due to the oversized UI elements
- Size - It's pocketable, but it's not extremely comfortable. Taking in and out, using it in public, talking on it looks very awkward. No matter how big your hands are, how big of a person you are, this IS larger than your average phone by a lot
- One hand usability - Samsung does have some one hand accessibility but in general, reaching for places around the screen is a struggle with one hand
- Great sound - Speaker, and headphone jack.
- Strong vibrator
- S Pen - Unless you have a use for it, it's a gimmick. It's fun to fool around with it, but the hype tends to die off quickly
- FAST charging. Nexus 4 is fast, but Note 2 is even faster consider it's massive battery. This is a very important feature to me.
- Impressive camera, but not that it's any/much better than that of SGS3
- Oh, if you don't have a 7" tablet yet, this should fill that gap a bit.
As it stands, Note 2 has some very attractive points to me, such as the large display for reading and the insane battery life that makes me not to worry about being close to a charger. However, I don't feel comfortable using it on a daily basis due to the size. WIth that said, I am using a Note 2 now as I gave my Nexus 4 (8GB) to my other half. I have a 16GB coming in a month, and I will re-evaluate it again by then.
These two phones are pretty much Android in it's best form in today's market, and they are not substitutable for each other due to the different nature of them. The phone war has evolved to beyond to the specs-war just like computing world. The "better specs" of Note 2 doesn't necessary determine whether the phone is better or not, and with that said, Nexus 4 specs is pretty impressive too. You need to pick your own base on your need
Hope it helps a bit with your decision! Any more specific questions you have that can help with your decision, just ask. It's a tough one to make.

Awesome thanks for the input its a huge decision I think of will end up keeping the note
Sent from my SGH-T879 using xda app-developers app

The Nexus 4 ultimately had too many drawbacks for me to consider it. The thermal throttling issues with the S4Pro processor, the non-swapable battery with less than stellar battery life, the limited storage without microSD expansion, the glass back prone to cracking, and no LTE. And now we find out that the Nexus 4 cannot support USB-OTG, so all those who bought one thinking they could move files over to an external drive are SOL. No USB keyboards/mice/Dualshock etc. Not a big deal if you have bluetooth peripherals, but I want to have as many options as possible. The Note II is a superhero in that regard...

I have the Note 2 and personally love it, but if you don't need the size, then nexus 4 is a much better option. I love the vanilla 4.2 JB and the screen is much crispier, any build quality is top notch [I have both phones]
If note 2 had a 1080 display then, I would so Note 2 hands down.

Get a quality BT headphone and you won't have to worry about how you look to other people...personally I really could give a rats behind how others think...but hey that's just me...
Nexus vs Note II...to me it all comes down to do you want the biggest best phone or a smaller phone that doesn't offer as much.
S-pen is there if you need it...and it's always better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
ASOP...http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2046616..it has a few minor glitches...but if this is your thing...then enjoy it.
Smoothness...drop this one in...http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2028661 add Nova launcher and tweak it...and your golden...
Memory card...your going to want one...just to fill up with all of the videos you'll be watching and music you'll be rocking to...
My advice...prop them both up side by side and watch any video on it...browse the internet..then ask yourself...which offers you what you want/need to enjoy it with
Mac

Mac11700 said:
Get a quality BT headphone and you won't have to worry about how you look to other people...personally I really could give a rats behind how others think...but hey that's just me...
Nexus vs Note II...to me it all comes down to do you want the biggest best phone or a smaller phone that doesn't offer as much.
S-pen is there if you need it...and it's always better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
ASOP...http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2046616..it has a few minor glitches...but if this is your thing...then enjoy it.
Smoothness...drop this one in...http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2028661 add Nova launcher and tweak it...and your golden...
Memory card...your going to want one...just to fill up with all of the videos you'll be watching and music you'll be rocking to...
My advice...prop them both up side by side and watch any video on it...browse the internet..then ask yourself...which offers you what you want/need to enjoy it with
Mac
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mac,
No offense but I think your post is pretty bias.
- Yes, you can always bring a BT headset, but shouldn't you be able to hold a phone comfortably on your face instead of having to depend on a BT headset in order to not look silly? Also, how about the people that don't like bluetooth headset in general?
- S-Pen, yes, it's better to have but at what cost? Size of the phone?
- Touchwiz isn't without it's own glitches, whether AOSP or not is a pure preferences whether it has bugs or not. I actually find touchwiz works well with GN2, AOSP won't.
- Smoothness, sorry, Note 2 just isn't as smooth as a N4 no matter what launcher you put in. It could be due to settings, but out the box even with Nova, it's not there.
- Memory Card - why must he get one?
I do agree with Note 2 having better specs, but the cost is the size. If you can live with the size and Touchwiz, there isn't a reason not to get Note2....but only if you can live with the size.
Cheers.

cy88 said:
shouldn't you be able to hold a phone comfortably on your face instead of having to depend on a BT headset in order to not look silly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Caring about what other people think of you holding a phone to your face reeks of insecurity to me. "Looking Silly" is the last thing that would sway me from buying an excellent device.
Remember how small phones used to be ten years ago? It wasn't that long ago when people also thought 3.5" smartphones were huge.

cy88 said:
Mac,
No offense but I think your post is pretty bias.
- Yes, you can always bring a BT headset, but shouldn't you be able to hold a phone comfortably on your face instead of having to depend on a BT headset in order to not look silly? Also, how about the people that don't like bluetooth headset in general?
- S-Pen, yes, it's better to have but at what cost? Size of the phone?
- Touchwiz isn't without it's own glitches, whether AOSP or not is a pure preferences whether it has bugs or not. I actually find touchwiz works well with GN2, AOSP won't.
- Smoothness, sorry, Note 2 just isn't as smooth as a N4 no matter what launcher you put in. It could be due to settings, but out the box even with Nova, it's not there.
- Memory Card - why must he get one?
I do agree with Note 2 having better specs, but the cost is the size. If you can live with the size and Touchwiz, there isn't a reason not to get Note2....but only if you can live with the size.
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cy8888, that's funny you said Mac's post was biased because that's exactly what I thought when I read your long post above.
Remember, the OP asked what people thought and the reply's have been, for the most part, just that. Almost every statement you made in your lengthy post was "your opinion", certainly not facts. For example, I use the S-Pen daily and love it's added benefit and it, in my opinion, is not a gimmick as you stated.
So, no need to call out another forum members post when he is doing the same as you...giving his opinion as requested by the OP.:angel:

andrawer said:
Cy8888, that's funny you said Mac's post was biased because that's exactly what I thought when I read your long post above.
Remember, the OP asked what people thought and the reply's have been, for the most part, just that. Almost every statement you made in your lengthy post was "your opinion", certainly not facts. For example, I use the S-Pen daily and love it's added benefit and it, in my opinion, is not a gimmick as you stated.
So, no need to call out another forum members post when he is doing the same as you...giving his opinion as requested by the OP.:angel:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was bias because I love/have the Note 2 so much but the size, right?
What I said: "S Pen -Unless you have a use for it, it's a gimmick." - You do, so it's not a gimmick for you for sure. I know a few people that do have a use for it and I am impressed with how they make use of it for work purposes.
Which other point of my post is pure bias? I simply listed out the things I from with using both devices, I never said one is better for another for everyone. However Mac did say that "you are GOING to want one", "BUGS with 4.2", etc etc to just praise the Note 2. OP is trying to make a decision, and words like that aren't going to make his choice easier is it?
UCLAKoolman said:
Caring about what other people think of you holding a phone to your face reeks of insecurity to me. "Looking Silly" is the last thing that would sway me from buying an excellent device.
Remember how small phones used to be ten years ago? It wasn't that long ago when people also thought 3.5" smartphones were huge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I might have worded it wrong, but the fact that it's bigger than normal does draw attention. Yes, you can choose not to care about anyone thinks at all, but there are some actually "dont" want to draw that type of attention with a device. It is a fact that Note 2 is humongous, and that's ALSO it's selling point. Unless you have a need and can live with the size, otherwise you might want to look at other alternatives like SGS3 (which i have one sitting here also if you want comparison) that offers something in the middle.
I apologize if I've rubbed anyone the wrong way, wasn't the intention.
Cheers!

Looking for your opinion from original Note users...

I currently have the original Note running CM10. My phone is a work phone and I have the luxury of getting early upgrades from AT&T. They have offered me the phone at $199.00 if it want. You folks have been using your phones for a bit now, any original Note converts think it wasn't worth it and in hindsight don't see that much of an improvement?

Birdsfan said:
I currently have the original Note running CM10. My phone is a work phone and I have the luxury of getting early upgrades from AT&T. They have offered me the phone at $199.00 if it want. You folks have been using your phones for a bit now, any original Note converts think it wasn't worth it and in hindsight don't see that much of an improvement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely worth it, especially for the increase in battery life.

sold my note1 havent looked back (i was running cm10)
oh and i sold it for $350.
the GN2 is so smooth...:highfive:

kirkla79 said:
Definitely worth it, especially for the increase in battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for battery. last through the day note like the Note 1. smoother and better wise

I got lucky with a craiglist deal and got it earlier than I expected. I was going to wait for a coupke months. The biggest upgrade to me is the 2gb of ram.
If can wait for a better deal I would wait. Personally my excitement level wasnt as high as the original note. But all in all this is the best device on the market.
I owned a dna droid for about 2 weeks foe testing and htc in my opinion is still playing catchup and next to the note 2 its looks washed out specially if your a fan of amoled display.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium

Sold my note1 for a nexus in july then sold my nexus for this. Best phone ever used.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda premium

By far the best phone ever made in my opinion. The note 1 doesn't even compare to this thing it really is far better in every way
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app

I still have my original note (being used by my brother) and weve done some side by side tests the note 1 just doesn't compare to the note 2 not even in the same league

I had the note 1,and I'd have to say the note 2 was worth the upgrade.The note 2 just so much faster and more options than my note 1 by far.I would say get the note 2 definitely,or if you can wait there is talk of the note 3 coming maybe in jan,feb,with a bigger 6.3 screen.I'm kind of disappointment, if I new the note 3 was going to come so soon,I would of waited.

I sold my original note for 360. I got the note 2 for 199. So basically a free upgrade. No regrets at all and battery life is 3 times better than og note.
Sent from the TermiNOTEr 2!

Funny, saw a thread in the i-717 general discussion board the other day, and it was like a thread for people trying to convince themselves they weren't upset they couldn't upgrade to the Note II. Don't get me wrong, my original Note I was an amazing phone, but the Note II is definitely in another league as difficult as that seems. It's more portable, Jelly Bean/Project Butter/Nature UI makes a world of difference, better hardware internals, significantly better speakerphone, an actual multi-color LED notification light, better call quality, and a battery that is so vastly better there's no real metric to compare it to. Not to mention the better camera and list of extended photo-taking features the original Note doesn't have. And if you're someone who actually likes the S Pen, there's no comparison between the capabilities and build of the new S Pen, over the crappy one on the OG Note. All of this, and there's still a bucket of other enhanced features I've left out. I have no regrets making the upgrade, especially since it virtually cost me nothing.

The Note 2 is a huge upgrade. Battery life alone is the selling point. If you can get a deal GET IT!

I had my doubts upgrading from note but trust me. .. it feels like night and day and I had my note highly overclocked.
Do yourself a favor and waste no more time thinking about it and make the jump :thumbup:
Sent from the Mighty Note 2!

No regrets here...JB + quad-core + 2GB ram makes the device so smooth. Also no issues with blobs and such!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app

The Note II is an entirely different league. The new S Pen itself is much easier to hold compared to the one included with the original Note, the battery lasts quite a bit longer, and the software actually takes full advantage of the S Pen instead of feeling like it's bolted on -- for example, features such as Quick Command, Air View, the new S Note app that replaced S Memo, etc.
Don't get me wrong, the original GALAXY Note was a great device, but at times it left things to be desired. With the Note II, the whole experience just feels better and more intuitive. It's definitely worthwhile upgrading in my opinion.

The other posters have said pretty much everything. I'm also a Note 1 to Note 2 convert. The Note 2 is a tremendous improvement over the original.
Prior to switching I wasn't keen on the form factor of the Note 2 (GSIII shape and home button vs the North American Note 1 w/o home button). What really attracted me to the Note 2 was what I had seen/heard/read of the speed, smoothness and battery life. All were true. What surprised me was how much better the Note 2 was in all of the above areas. What surprised me even more than that was how much I actually like the form factor, home button and all.
With my Note 1 I had two main complaints: speed/lag and battery life. I purchased a slightly higher capacity battery to address the first issue, but was waiting on the JellyBean update to see if that would improve the speed and smoothness (hopes weren't high on that one). I knew that the problem was with the number of things that I was running, but to me that was the point of having a 'superphone.' Battery life and speed were fine when the phone was used lightly, but if screen brightness was turned up, multiple pages full of widgets were set up, various Samsung enhancements were running, and LTE, WiFi and Bluetooth were on then performance was lackluster and the unit ate up the battery like there was no tomorrow.
I can use the Note 2 as advertised, without having to worry about turning off/disabling features in order to save the battery or eliminate lag. This phone spends its days with motion enhancements, Bluetooth, LTE, WiFi and sync (email, etc) on all the time and still gets me easily through the day. It's astonishing. It shouldn't be astonishing, but modern phones have us trained to think that it's not reasonable to expect a full day of 'full' use.
Long story short, the Note 2 is definitely worth the upgrade.

drop the $ and come on in...the water is fine! You'll never regret it!

zc1 said:
Prior to switching I wasn't keen on the form factor of the Note 2 (GSIII shape and home button vs the North American Note 1 w/o home button).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's funny that you mention that, because coming from both the GALAXY S II Skyrocket & the original GALAXY Note I thought the same thing about that "stupid little home button" (as I referred to it at the time). But after actually using the S III and the Note II, it's actually nice to have a physical button that you can press to return to the launcher, or even just turn the screen on really quick to glance at a notification (since capacitive buttons can act wonky sometimes.)

Note 2 no doubt. Most powerful phone out on the market with outstanding battery life. Feels great in hand, yet perfect aspect ratio. 64gb external storage. Quad core....
Holding off on the deal is just a loss of value on the 1. If you love the original, the only thing you will regret is that you didn't get the note 2 sooner.
Start tha new year off right.
I dont always talk online, but when I do I prefer xda premium.

Thank you all very much for taking the time to respond to my question. My XDA brothers have spoken and I read you loud and clear! I will be starting off the new year with a Note 2.

[Q] s4 or note II?

what's your opinion?

No one can answer that for you. They serve different purposes. It's not about which one had the larger battery or which one has faster processor. If you talk on your phone a lot I suggest getting the s4. If you really like using a tablet like device but also use the phone occasionally, get the note. I'm not gonna do a specs by specs or features by features comparison. It's simple. The note series is the most advanced phones out there. It has everything the Galaxy S phones will have and does everything bigger and better. Is that what you want?

thx, i guess i got the point now

I must say, ive loved the Galaxy note series and the note 2 was the best phone I've had. However, as much as I've loved the spen, the size really did become bothersome to carry around everywhere. That's why I'm moving to the smaller s4. If you are a professional then the note 2 is still probably a good option for you with its true multitasking capabilities.

Personally I liked the Note 2 and would've gotten one over the S4 if they kept teasing it. I kinda want a note 2, but I like my S4 (with the exception of no console controllers over bluetooth of course, for now).

I went from a Note 2 to the S4 and I must say for me it was worth it (S4) unless you really utilize the s pen, which I didn't. The N2 was getting a little big I must admit and I was missing the phone size phone if you know what I mean.
There are many things I like about the S4 over the N2. Screen touch response for sure has improved to a whole another level. The screen, although there is nothing to complain about the N2, is noticeably a huge bump. The cpu seems a bit snappier; I prefer the exynos anyday... Camera and features on the S4 rule. Best of all, better reception! I have 2 more bars than before at my office. Over all build quality is to my taste too.
If can... Go S4
Sent from my S4

I have both and use Google voice so I can use both as needed. I too was getting a little tired of the big phone all the time. I loved it for business trips because of battery life and the tablet like features to browse the web with a large screen.
The fist thing about the S4 that is significantly better is the screen quality. I also like the feel of the S4 in my hand. What I don't like is some of the software differences. I liked the buddy screen on then Note 2 so I can select certain apps to use with head phones or to launch when I put the phone in the cradles The s4 has a better email client but doesn't have text flow in the browser which really stinks.
Again there is no perfect phone. I would like the best software features of the Note 2 and the new features of the S4 in one phone.

I will be completely honest I always get the latest and best phone thats out and I kept looking at youtube videos trying to decide should I get either of these phones. Being the htc one or s4. I wasnt blown away by either phone and I was really suprise and I can honestly say that the note 2 is still the best out and im not saying that just to say it. The one r s4 isnt worth a 2year commitment. The one is better built the s4 feels very cheap the note 2 feels better constructed.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda premium

For me GS4 doesn't feel cheaper than Note2, it feels lighter that is a huuge plus. Lighter not means cheaper, for me.
Also came to GS4 after Note2. GS4 I can say for me the same Note2 but in comfortable size. Feels awesome in hand. Pefrect display size, small margins.
Never used S Pen of Note2.

AT&T note 4 coming from note 3 not worth it?

Honestly not sure if anyone else feels this way so I'm curious what the rest of the At&t Note 4 community has to say...specifically on this...I mean two very important sensors got replaced for a fingerprint sensor and a heartbeat monitor that when you have a case on both are hard to use like it becomes pointless...which I think they are both too early in development to actually lose a humidity and temp sensor which alot of apps like to grab ahold of and becomes kind of important...the restriction is killer almost like I don't want it anymore honestly no root locked bootloader...can't do that for as long as I have been let alone alot longer...the camera has alot of gimmicks in it but does have a little better camera itself just think the software is horrible...I will say the pixel difference is there though and the screen is wonderful...it does have the lastest snapdragon which i like its the only reason why I still wanna hold it honestly...the battery is like a huge noticeable difference it decays alot faster then the three did and the phone does warm up alot more I think it has alot to do with the snapdragon the screen and the software layout like there is a lot of white when there doesn't need to be and the teal menu &!*# kills me I can't stand it there are alot of s5 layouts and even apps on here that they tried to hide but don't even work almost like they ported the s5 to the note 4 with minor changes it sucks ...but is that worth it over the note 3 I replaced it with I don't think it is....it think maybe a tmobile version of this phone would be worth replacing my at&t note 3 maybe thats a maybe its like they just through something together and sent it out because apple has a new i phone they need to compete with but it needs work i think it got put out to early...but this is definitely not worth it...just my opinion I'm curious what others feel...if it was a loss or a gain...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app

I am coming from the Note 3 and I am loving the 4. The screen is amazing, I find battery life even better that the 3. Definitely more responsive with the 805 Snapdragon. I have the Ringke Slim case which allows me to still use the heart monitor with no issues. I find the fingerprint sensor to be a nice option. I personally don't mind the teal settings menu since I just don't interact that much with the menu. I also really liked the Note 3

I always believed that somebody who own a Galaxy Note should wait at least two year period for upgraded.
Hardware jump is not as impressive as the Note 3 and quite frankly, Samsung is really becoming insistent that the better value of the device is it ecosystem and built-in app.
So any one who are still owning a Note 3, don't feel the rush to upgrading, you are fin at least until Note 5 has something better to offer.

2.5D glass makes the device a dream to use when swiping from the edges of the display.I went from the note 2 to the M7 to the Note 3 to the M8 to the Note 4 and I think it's worth it but I'm a early adopter/ enthusiast type of guy

Both phones are great and indeed very similar, but the Note 4 just kills it on camera which blows it out of the park.
Battery life for me has been better with Note 4 ever since I killed the bloatware (compared to N3).
Seriously though, the camera... It's not even about pixel count at all, it's the optical image stabilization and wider field of view... Incredibly more capable as a walk-around point 'n shoot. The glass seems to capture a sharper and wider image. This has nothing to do with pixel count. Numbers only tell you so much... Image quality tells you everything

IMO, it depends. My Note 3 running DynamicKat was pretty much just as fast as the Note 4, plus I had all the other benefits of being rooted. Honestly, I've been using the Note 4 since it came out but I find a reason I missed my Note 3 everyday......
EXCEPT! IMO, the "Quick Charge" is the biggest reason to get the Note 4. I'm no longer caring about my battery life. Seriously, I LOVE that feature.

I came from the note 3, and love the note 4. I will, however, return this one, and buy the t-mobile one. That way I can root.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app

AcquiredIntellect said:
Two very important sensors got replaced for a fingerprint sensor and a heartbeat monitor
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's the Note 3 sensors...
Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, gesture, temperature, humidity
And the Note 4's...
Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, gesture, UV, heart rate, SpO2 (blood oxygen)
So UV, heart rate, and blood oxygen replaced temperature and humidity. I'd guess how "very important" the swap is depends on individual use cases. Out of curiosity, how did the loss of temperature and humidity sensors impact what you do with your phone?
No root locked bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's the new "normal." Look what Google themselves is doing with 5.0. Two years ago I'd say about 75% of my circle of friends and associates rooted their phones. Today it's about 25%. Anyone connecting to a company network can't use a "tampered" phone. And it's not a physical restriction, it's the security document you sign that says using a tampered device to connect to the company network is an instant terminable offense. So T-Mobile doesn't lock their bootloaders (they don't do a lot of national account business either) but that's going to become the exception not the rule. I haven't been able to use a rooted device in over a year based on the networks I need to connect to.
The camera has alot of gimmicks in it but does have a little better camera itself just think the software is horrible...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're pretty much alone in your opinion. You give up nothing from the Note 3 and gain a lot. And that's according to people on the forum and reviewers.
The battery is like a huge noticeable difference it decays alot faster then the three did
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Set up exactly like my Note 3, I'm getting 25-35% better battery life on my Note 4. So are a lot of other people here.
The phone does warm up alot more I think it has alot to do with the snapdragon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When doing what? I haven't noticed any difference in heat output; at least the way I use my phone.
The screen and the software layout like there is a lot of white when there doesn't need to be and the teal menu &!*# kills me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't stand it there are alot of s5 layouts and even apps on here that they tried to hide but don't even work almost like they ported the s5 to the note 4 with minor changes it sucks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Note 3's over a year old and so is its interface. The SGS5 is six months old and was Samsung's first effort to streamline and flatten TW and move to a more contemporary UX design and colors. The Note 4's s/w looks far more modern and has much better stock app integration than the Note 3's. I think you'll find it hard to find people that want to go back to a UX design that was already dated when the N3 launched. UI and UX design is also subjective.

Battery is better than GN3. It has to be some bloat were, if you have a poor battery life, an Index Service bug, for example. GN4 is substantially faster not only based on the CPU speed, but also on a faster memory controller. Definitely better and faster camera, brighter screen for outdoor use.

I got the Note 4, for me the upgrade was worth it including the other sensors. I would defiantly upgrade if you have the option through the Next program, if you're going to have to pay retail, not worth it.

I was rooted on my Note 3, but I have disabled all AT&T apps and have the exact same setup with Nova Prime on my Note 4. Hands down, this is a better device in terms of screen, camera, and for me most importantly BATTERY LIFE! My Note 3 was running stock rom with root because I have AT&T versions. The biggest eater of my battery life was Android Wear with my Moto 360. It literally sucked the life out of my Note 3 where it would only last barely a day - it was pretty bad. Also, I've owned every Note since the first one came out. I had a black Note 1 and people were shocked by how big it was when it first came out. I then got a white Note 2 (I truly loved this phone - it was rooted with the best rom = CLEANROM). The white Note 3 that replaced it was decent. Now, I'm back to all black with a Ringke Slim Black Soft Feel case. The battery life just doesn't seem to want to drop at all, lol. Even the stock pull down doesn't bother me as others have said. I still have it pretty customized using light manager and Textra, etc. I used Helium to restore all my app data perfectly. I highly recommend the Note 4. However, like others have noted, it's probably best to get the Tmobile version if you have the money and root it and use it on AT&T. The only reason I stuck with AT&T is because my friend has a hook up (I got my phone really early) and the amount just factors into my bill through the Next program so it's cheaper overall.

I was heading towards the Nexus 6 but with the debacle today I think I will go for the note 4. Your comments were very helpful.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Free mobile app

2.5D glass?
BrianBaker said:
2.5D glass makes the device a dream to use when swiping from the edges of the display.I went from the note 2 to the M7 to the Note 3 to the M8 to the Note 4 and I think it's worth it but I'm a early adopter/ enthusiast type of guy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its the edge your talking about right? or something like the 3D glass you out on?

I went from the Note 2 to the Note 4, and honestly, I would still call this an incremental upgrade. That's not a knock on the phone, merely an observation on the state of the technology in this category.
The screen is much better, but the speed increases are negligible, the software is not significantly improved, the stylus actually feels cheaper and a step back though I have not used it enough to make a call on functionality. I did not spend any time with the Note 3, but this is actually (IMO) less comfortable to hold vs the Note 2 due to the "squared" design.
I was skeptical of upgrading, but I had numerous hardware issues after two years with the Note 2 that really forced my hand into upgrading now. If you're OK with your Note 2 or 3, then pocket the cash or donate a portion to me and wait for the next big thing. Wow. That was not intentional.

I was thinking about passing note 4 cuz I had a Note 3 (rooted) . The screen is amazing and my battery is absurdly insane awesome on the note 4 . I'm a moderate user to heavy use and haven't got battery below 75 % . I'm impressed !
Sent from My Galaxy Note 4

I came from my wonderful rooted Note 3 running urdroid rom to this amazing specimen of a phone.
snappiness
camera quality
screen quality
s-health coolness
Sheer power to carve up commands effortlessly
battery life
quick charge
These are all things that I consider more than just marginal improvements over my Note 3. I honestly never thought I would be using touchwiz. I'm the guy that automatically goes and installs nova prime without batting an eye. I'm going two week strong on touchwiz and loving it. The spen integration is improved. I like the new wrinkles around being able to manipulate windows and apps in bubbles and such. I pledged for root because the one thing that I don't like on stock is the fact that I have no real control over how cluttered my notification area gets up top. Give me root with wanam exposed and I am one happy camper.
It may be gimmicky bit I like being able to gauge my stress level. I measured my stress level and my wife's at the same time one evening. We had both just gotten home from work. She was clearly stressed while I had what I thought was a low stress day. The measurement was on point. This phone is making me utilize s-health more than ever before and I like that. I run a lot and count calories so it comes in handy.
All things considered, rooted or not, this is one helluva piece of technology.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app

Colin.kyC said:
its the edge your talking about right? or something like the 3D glass you out on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's the rounded edges of the glass,yes

It is probably worth the upgrade but not until Note 4 has root. I couldn't give up my custom roms
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

Also coming from the Note 3... And I'm still on it.
Note 4 is in its box until the wifi issue is fixed. Any B, G, N network speed is horrible. AC Seems fine though but I travel a lot and AC is new and expensive, no where is going to have it so its unacceptable for me.
Its really not an upgrade, its like getting an iPhone 4 S from a 4 or a 5 S from a 5. Yeah the cameras are a bit better, but that's about it in all honesty. Hating Kit Kat.

Jennygirl said:
Both phones are great and indeed very similar, but the Note 4 just kills it on camera which blows it out of the park.
Battery life for me has been better with Note 4 ever since I killed the bloatware (compared to N3).
Seriously though, the camera... It's not even about pixel count at all, it's the optical image stabilization and wider field of view... Incredibly more capable as a walk-around point 'n shoot. The glass seems to capture a sharper and wider image. This has nothing to do with pixel count. Numbers only tell you so much... Image quality tells you everything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you kill the bloatware if not Rooted?