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[Q] Note 2 - Comfortable Reading?

I am planning to buy Note 2 in close future, and i wanted то ask Note 2 users, that read books on it.
Is it comfortable?
Is the Amoled screen is better or worse for reading than ips?
What is the overall feeling of Note 2 as reader?
I want to use Note 2 heavily for reading, that why i need that info.
Thank you.

I do a lot of reading on my Note II. Not so much books but news! The display dpi lends itself well to reading as does the smart stay feature. I have my screen of set to 15 seconds yet have never had the screen switch off whilst viewing. It was a feature I first thought was a gimmick but it really is very very good. The only problem is if you read at night with no ambient lighting. Then it cannot see that you are reading and may turn off.
-Go to bed with a good book. Or someone that's read one

Dmwitz said:
I do a lot of reading on my Note II. Not so much books but news! The display dpi lends itself well to reading as does the smart stay feature. I have my screen of set to 15 seconds yet have never had the screen switch off whilst viewing. It was a feature I first thought was a gimmick but it really is very very good. The only problem is if you read at night with no ambient lighting. Then it cannot see that you are reading and may turn off.
-Go to bed with a good book. Or someone that's read one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Comfortable reading оf news and books is essential for me! And can’t wait, to try the smart stay myself. Thank you for quick responce.
About bed - sure will do that .

George939393 said:
I am planning to buy Note 2 in close future, and i wanted то ask Note 2 users, that read books on it.
Is it comfortable?
Is the Amoled screen is better or worse for reading than ips?
What is the overall feeling of Note 2 as reader?
I want to use Note 2 heavily for reading, that why i need that info.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
normally i'd say an LCD display is better for book reading.
when an amoled screen is forced to display white, it consumes more than twice the amount of power compared to an LCD screen rendering white, simply due to the way amoled works. so amoled will drain the battery faster if youre reading black text on white backgrounds.
but if you invert it to white text on black backgrounds, you'll get much better battery life.

Souai said:
normally i'd say an LCD display is better for book reading.
when an amoled screen is forced to display white, it consumes more than twice the amount of power compared to an LCD screen rendering white, simply due to the way amoled works. so amoled will drain the battery faster if youre reading black text on white backgrounds.
but if you invert it to white text on black backgrounds, you'll get much better battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that Amoled consumes more power on white, but Note 2 has a monster battery - so that isn’t a problem. I am taking about reading quality in 4 variants:
Reading news in browser,
Reading books in daylight -black on white,
Reading books at night - green on black,
Reading pdf and djvu books with lot of diagrams and pictures.
(I know that for pdf tablet is better, but i want something compact.)

George939393 said:
I know that Amoled consumes more power on white, but Note 2 has a monster battery - so that isn’t a problem. I am taking about reading quality in 4 variants:
Reading news in browser,
Reading books in daylight -black on white,
Reading books at night - green on white,
Reading pdf and djvu books with lot of diagrams and pictures.
(I know that for pdf tablet is better, but i want something compact.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought note ii for the same reasons and I am not regretting.

I read news/forums a lot on GN2 and it's been fine, no eye strain even with black text on white background. I do recommend Screen Filter app and set auto brightness with auto tone turned on. You can even turn on negative screen colour rendering in accessibility options.
The screen size of this phone is a big plus for reading, however I do make the text larger than the default for easier viewing at distance. Remember don't read too close to the screen...
Sent from my GT-N7105T

I use my note2 daily for reading daily. I switched from the fairly large screen s3 but its a huge difference. s3 was fine for occasional reading but note 2 can totally replace an eBook reader or tablet.
I would say that the Note2 is He best phone for reading simply due to its sheer size. Its only slight smaller than a standard book, so you can display text at standard book font size (publishers tend to use very similar sizes across the board) but not have to keep scrolling excessively like on smaller phones.
Using a reader which properly renders white text on TrueBlack (like Pocket), lets you use a lower the brightness than you normally would, due to the high contrast. I find this greatly reduces eyestrain compared to an lcd.
Black text on white background is pretty good as well, in part due to a setting called Auto Adjust Screen Tone (AAST) . This saves power by reducing the tones of brighter colours and has the side effect of reducing eye strain.
Also don't want to under estimate the battery life.
On a full charge, I get about 7 hours of screen time for purely reading Black text on white back. However white text on black lasts a whopping 13 hours. Video playback is usually between 7-9 hours.
Sent from my GT-N7100

Thank you all for your reply. Finally bought the Note 2. For now, I am very pleased by the screen quality. Overall impression is just incredible. There are so many things in that device! I am feeling "little" overwhelmed by that pho... tab... phab.... thing. About reading - feeling very good after 30 minutes reading. No comparison with my LG P500 LCD screen. Screen is not as bright as LCD, but with much better readability. Feeling it little like e-ink display... Will see how it will feel after more reading.

My brother just upgraded from an iPhone 4 to a note 2 purely for reading. He was always saying the iPhone is fine for ebooks but once he used the note he could never go back haha.
Tl;Dr note 2 is great for reading
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

I was reading fine even on my Zoolander phone called Vibrant, this phone is much easier on the eyes. You'll love it.

You can use an app called screen filter to bring down the brightness even more to make it more comfortable especially in a dark room
scribbled from my note 2 (N7100)

George939393 said:
I am planning to buy Note 2 in close future, and i wanted то ask Note 2 users, that read books on it.
Is it comfortable?
Is the Amoled screen is better or worse for reading than ips?
What is the overall feeling of Note 2 as reader?
I want to use Note 2 heavily for reading, that why i need that info.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought Samsung Galaxy Note 2 just a few weeks ago, and because I'm an avid reader I'm immediately downloaded from Google Play store all major readers in the market such as Kindle, Kobo, Aldiko Premium, and UB Reader. I was reading e-books when I have Nokia E71 with just 2.4 inch screen! And by the way, I do not remember when was the last time I read a printed version of book. It's the past. So, you can imagine what the reading is when you have Note 2 with 5.5 inch screen. It's just an awesome experience. However, I went to Settings + Display +Screen mode + and chose 'Natural' instead of 'Standart' and I'm thinking about switching to Sepia in my reader instead of those white-black or vice versa. It looks like it is easier for your eyes but I'm not sure about that. Maybe others will tell me if reading on Sepia is healthier for your eyes than on sheer white?

Use night mode. ..white words on black background. ..is less Stressful and also saves battery on amoled screens
scribbled from my note 2 (N7100)

artorelis said:
I bought Samsung Galaxy Note 2 just a few weeks ago, and because I'm an avid reader I'm immediately downloaded from Google Play store all major readers in the market such as Kindle, Kobo, Aldiko Premium, and UB Reader. I was reading e-books when I have Nokia E71 with just 2.4 inch screen! And by the way, I do not remember when was the last time I read a printed version of book. It's the past. So, you can imagine what the reading is when you have Note 2 with 5.5 inch screen. It's just an awesome experience. However, I went to Settings + Display +Screen mode + and chose 'Natural' instead of 'Standart' and I'm thinking about switching to Sepia in my reader instead of those white-black or vice versa. It looks like it is easier for your eyes but I'm not sure about that. Maybe others will tell me if reading on Sepia is healthier for your eyes than on sheer white?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which of those readers do you recommend?
Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2

Reading on tablet

How is reading books on this device? Would you rather have a larger screen to read books with or is 7 inches fine? Just want to know before I pull the trigger and buy one.

Nothing beats a good book in the hand,
but i read all the time on my N7, and dont find any problems at all.
little bit of getting used to is all.

I'd pick a large screen only if it weight the same or less. The 7" screen is perfectly fine for displaying ebooks in my opinion, it is roughly the same screen estate as most of my books. Ereaders also have good resizing options these days. And the ability to easily carry the 7" around everywhere and hold it in one hand is just much more important to me than the larger real estate of bigger tablets.
If I were to read a lot of magazines or comic books though, a bigger tablet might be worth it.

I think it's a pretty good device. Especially if you reed PDFs and heavy texts, with colors and so on. But nothing can beat an e-ink display, in my opinion, when we talk about "simple" books
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Are u kidding me.?
This n7 is excellent for reading.
It s the best.... No pixel. Clear,net,...

Ok thanks guys! I need it for e-textbooks and I will probably be picking one up here soon because I'm sick of my ipad.

I agree the n7 is perfect for reading. I read a lot and for the past two years I had a full size iPad and I'm very happy going to this n7, the iPad is too big imo to hold and carry around easily. This n7 is a lot nicer
Good, then we shall fight in the shade!

Question is: what are you reading (magazine, eBook, PDF, etc) and what do use to read.
I use Zinio for magazine reading and even at landscape mode, there's a lot of zooming in and out.
Reading eBook, like Kindle and Play book, no problem.
PDF, ditto like Zinio.

I use 'Document Viewer', the best one I could find that wraps PDF files correctly. Freedom respecting software, too (FOSS).
https://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdid=org.sufficientlysecure.viewer

Reading is good on Nexus 7. The display is sharp (323 PPI), get some books and choose between tons of reading apps from play store.
tip: if you are reading in dark increase brightness or you will wake up blind next day..

Reading comics is prefect on this device
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

nexusguy7 said:
Reading is good on Nexus 7. The display is sharp (323 PPI), get some books and choose between tons of reading apps from play store.
tip: if you are reading in dark increase brightness or you will wake up blind next day..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Increase?!
.

I decrease to minimum at night.
Save lot of battery too.

Which is best for your eyes at night. Reading with the lowest brightness ? Or what? trying to reduce eye strain/stress while I'm young.
Especially with your phone.

ram130 said:
Which is best for your eyes at night. Reading with the lowest brightness ? Or what? trying to reduce eye strain/stress while I'm young.
Especially with your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ALWAYS read with the LOWEST brightness when reading at night. Not only the screen is very bright (true for any iOS or Android phones I have) in a dark room and hurt my eyes, I found that I don't fall asleep as fast. There was an article somewhere on the net that said the brightness of the screen kinda tricked your mind that it is still "daylight".
On my Galaxy S4 Active, even the lowest brightness is still too bright and I use an app called "Screen Filter" - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.labs.quantative.screenfilter&hl=en
---------- Post added at 01:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:47 PM ----------
Peteret said:
I use 'Document Viewer', the best one I could find that wraps PDF files correctly. Freedom respecting software, too (FOSS).
https://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdid=org.sufficientlysecure.viewer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Adobe's official Acrobat Reader because I can annotate the PDF (highlight, drawing, etc.) and it shows up when I open the PDF file on my Mac / PC.

lanwarrior said:
I ALWAYS read with the LOWEST brightness when reading at night. Not only the screen is very bright (true for any iOS or Android phones I have) in a dark room and hurt my eyes, I found that I don't fall asleep as fast. There was an article somewhere on the net that said the brightness of the screen kinda tricked your mind that it is still "daylight".
On my Galaxy S4 Active, even the lowest brightness is still too bright and I use an app called "Screen Filter" - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.labs.quantative.screenfilter&hl=en
---------- Post added at 01:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:47 PM ----------
I use Adobe's official Acrobat Reader because I can annotate the PDF (highlight, drawing, etc.) and it shows up when I open the PDF file on my Mac / PC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you man. I appreciate it. I use app called lux to manage my brightness. But lately its been tweaking out. Randomly the screen would get bright.
Anyway I always try to read with low brightness. I've seen some people do so with a low to moderately bright screen and it gets me on why.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

ram130 said:
Thank you man. I appreciate it. I use app called lux to manage my brightness. But lately its been tweaking out. Randomly the screen would get bright.
Anyway I always try to read with low brightness. I've seen some people do so with a low to moderately bright screen and it gets me on why.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suggest you SCREEN FILTER. It's great. It applies a dark layer to your screen
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

kench33 said:
Ok thanks guys! I need it for e-textbooks and I will probably be picking one up here soon because I'm sick of my ipad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you ever get the tablet for your e-textbooks? i'll be starting a program that uses e-textbooks exclusively so I'd appreciate your input if you have any. I dont really care necessarily for this specific tab, just either a 10 or 7-8 inch tablet.

meng833 said:
did you ever get the tablet for your e-textbooks? i'll be starting a program that uses e-textbooks exclusively so I'd appreciate your input if you have any. I dont really care necessarily for this specific tab, just either a 10 or 7-8 inch tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry haven't been on xda in awhile. I have an app called bookshelf that recently got updated and that's where my e-textbooks are from. Works perfect on my nexus 10 that I just got, and when I tried my s4 it worked so I'd assume it works on most other Android phones. Not sure if you'll be using that app foot books though. Hopefully that helped.
Sent from my Galaxy S4

Lance76 said:
Nothing beats a good book in the hand,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This nexus 7 beats a book in the hand by ten miles. My favorite reader is Moonreader. It's got all sorts of lovely options including screen dimming and 3d page turning animations.

[Q] 8.4 or 10.1 for a reader ?

One of the big areas of usage for me for the tab s is going to be reading pdfs and epubs. Also magazines. Can users suggest which will be better for this ? 8.4 or 10.1

ashishvirmani said:
One of the big areas of usage for me for the tab s is going to be reading pdfs and epubs. Also magazines. Can users suggest which will be better for this ? 8.4 or 10.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant 10.5

ashishvirmani said:
One of the big areas of usage for me for the tab s is going to be reading pdfs and epubs. Also magazines. Can users suggest which will be better for this ? 8.4 or 10.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tradeoffs. If you plan to read in portrait the 10.5 is clear winner as text is large enough and you can see the entire page at once. If lightness is the most important thing then the 8.4 but you will find yourself often reading in landscape because of text size. Typing in landscape will be easier on the 10.5 because the keyboard is larger. Typing in portrait on the 8.4 will be easier unless you have larger hands.
As pure eye candy reading magazines and such the 10.5 wins simply because you get more real estate.

I do a lot of reading on my Tab S 8.4, with the Kindle app, PDF's, and websites (both browser based and saved to Pocket). I really like the 8.4, feels like holding a superlight book without the hassle of turning pages. My previous tablets are both editions of the Nexus 7, so the 8.4 still seems really spacious to me, in addition to being lighter and easier to handle. I've always preferred reading in portrait mode, and that works best on a smaller tablet I can one-hand.

8.4 for reading imo. Much more convenient, compact and lighter to hold. Reading in portrait is a great experience. Text size can be adjusted to suit needs.
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

garyhoggatt said:
I do a lot of reading on my Tab S 8.4, with the Kindle app, PDF's, and websites (both browser based and saved to Pocket). I really like the 8.4, feels like holding a superlight book without the hassle of turning pages. My previous tablets are both editions of the Nexus 7, so the 8.4 still seems really spacious to me, in addition to being lighter and easier to handle. I've always preferred reading in portrait mode, and that works best on a smaller tablet I can one-hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
simacca said:
8.4 for reading imo. Much more convenient, compact and lighter to hold. Reading in portrait is a great experience. Text size can be adjusted to suit needs.
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is the truth :good:

Went to the stores to check for myself as well... 8.4 is definitely the form factor to go with.. Light and could see entire page in portrait mode of a pdf.. Will be going for that :thumbup:
Sent from my GT-N7100 using XDA Free mobile app

upgrade to 12.2?

I take a lot of handwritten notes/ and diagram drawings for class. While I'm not entirely convinced I can ditch the paper and pen I'm hopeful.
I have a few gripes:
1. PDF annotations leave much to be desired. I haven't found the right app and does not have trouble rendering large pdf files.
2. Searching for key words take minutes to find or often freezes up my tablet. I've used Adobe reader, Snote, ezpdf and am going to try kindle, since I've heard it's very smooth. Has anyone figured out a app that can handle pdf really well? With fast features like search, annotation, palm rejection etc?
3. The price difference wouldn't be that big of a jump. It'd roughly cost me another $150. I plan on keeping this tablet for a least 2 years.
4. I'm playing around with the idea of selling my tricked out MacBook Air 13" in favor of a 27" iMac for home use and carry around the 12.2 for my mobile use.
5. More internal space would be welcome.
Again my main uses would be taking handwritten notes and some typing in class and reading/annotating text books.
Do you think the note series especially the 12.2 can handle my needs? I think the added space would a a welcome, since I find myself constantly pinching to zoom and resizing texts and apps.
Thoughts?
Thanks!

12.2 has the same hardware as the note, so there won't be a change in pdf rendering speed. But android L is supposed to improve pdf performance! At least that's what I read.

clouds5 said:
12.2 has the same hardware as the note, so there won't be a change in pdf rendering speed. But android L is supposed to improve pdf performance! At least that's what I read.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes though it could be some time before either the 12.2 or 10.1 2014 get the L update.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

I haven't found a single perfect PDF app. The best renderers (RepliGo, the various book reader apps) either stink at annotations or don't even support them, and the best annotation apps (LectureNotes, Papyrus, etc.) don't handle PDFs natively but require import.
ezPDF *does* everything, but it's slow as hell.

I own both tablets. I use the 12.2 mostly for writing and the 10.1 for reading books etc. I have found that the 12.2 is a lot nicer for writing and a few minor issues have been fixed. Like the bubbles under the screen, the charger is on the side so it can be used while standing upright. For me its an all round upgrade. I first thought 2 inches wont make a difference, but the diffrence in size is definetely there. For me though rooting the 12.2 is a must, you have to adjust the dpi. If you dont adjust the dpi the 12.2 is just an upscaled 10.1. The same amount of content fits on the screen. Only when you adjust the dpi to match the 10.1 you will get the benefit of the larger screen. Also the dev forum on the 12.2 is empty, you wont get any custom roms any time soon.

Hmmm,
Surface Pro 3?
I like my 10.1, and would not trade up to a larger tablet, but that is just me. I tried out a surface 3 the day they came out, and my primary reaction was big and heavy, but they have some extra capabilities.

What you miss in galaxy note 10.1 2014?

Hi, owners of galaxy note 10.1 2014, as a user of device I would like to know from you people what you miss in our beloved and hated device. I bought this device in hope to get a partial substitute for my school notebook, but I realize that paper for me is much better to study and here some problems that I found.
Lack of apps that combine good performace, good looking, usuability, simplicity and compability to pdf editing. I never found an app that is better than good notes from ios.
The distortion in border that I got with stylus that annoying
Difficult to find a good screen protector that works perfect with stylus (without grasp)
Very slow battery charge and performace (exynos version)
Screen quality, I can say exactaly but the screen reproduction is not the best for taking notes even with reading mode etc...
Screen size is not the best for reading
Slow multi-task window
Sorry, my english writing is not the best.
And leave your opinions :highfive:

Hi,
The only thing that I really don't like is the fake stitching and the 'green blue white black' status bar and settings colour scheme.
I managed to love all the other aspects of this device through persistent modding and tweaking of the device. It took me a while but I can now safely say that I'm in love with this device.
If you want I can walk you through the steps I took (and rom/apps I use) in order to achieve a more desirable experience.
The pentile screen tech is not a downer for me, and I can't complain about it as I'm coming from the original note 10.1
Performance is more then ideal for me(dunno about games) and the battery does charge slow. But taking into account that all tablet batteries charge slow (atleast 1,5 years ago) this isn't much of a big deal.
P.s Try Incredible, they're the devs of notes plus on ios. Best writing xp I've had thus far, but it's still lacking in the utility department.

Erai Dev. said:
Lack of apps that combine good performace, good looking, usuability, simplicity and compability to pdf editing. I never found an app that is better than good notes from ios.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you that there are no perfect apps out there for pdf annotation. But I have been finding more and more that Adobe Reader is not too bad, at least for what I do. When I read or edit papers on pdfs, there are four annotation functions that I need:
- highlighting
- underlining
- adding text boxes
- adding sticky notes
Adobe Reader is capable of doing all of the above, with options of choosing color and font size. Most importantly, the file format remains unchanged as pdf after the annotations. This means I can see (and further edit) all the annotations on a Mac and PC.
So far, I have been quite happy using this for marking up manuscripts, although I am not sure if it could handle a much larger (longer) document such as a thesis with hi-res figures.

New tricks from note 4 , like apps minimize from corner and music and browser pop when ya click link or file that will not take full screen to play it for ya
I like my tablet and its one of the best i've ever seen , so bad samsung dont make new update for it and cares for making new devices only

Have you tried Lecture Notes?
Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

Do we realy need screen protectors anymore? been using my note 10.1 2012 edition daily since it came out and i still havent seen a scratch. get a descent case/skin and you should be set. unless yhou throw it around on the ground

I have an exynos version. It's pretty much 1/4 of the speed it needs to be, takes longer to charge than it has SOT.

Take this present from me and try xodo docs . It is the best pdf editing app on play store
Sent from my SM-N910C using XDA Free mobile app

Erai Dev. said:
Hi, owners of galaxy note 10.1 2014, as a user of device I would like to know from you people what you miss in our beloved and hated device. I bought this device in hope to get a partial substitute for my school notebook, but I realize that paper for me is much better to study and here some problems that I found.
Lack of apps that combine good performace, good looking, usuability, simplicity and compability to pdf editing. I never found an app that is better than good notes from ios.
The distortion in border that I got with stylus that annoying
Difficult to find a good screen protector that works perfect with stylus (without grasp)
Very slow battery charge and performace (exynos version)
Screen quality, I can say exactaly but the screen reproduction is not the best for taking notes even with reading mode etc...
Screen size is not the best for reading
Slow multi-task window
Sorry, my english writing is not the best.
And leave your opinions :highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am running the tab s rom on my note so its pretty fast and smooth. What I miss most on my note is the positioning of the micro usb port. I always wanted it to be on the right hand side rather than the bottom position. Other than that, well our device lacks heavily in the accessory delartment. So I can say a good keyboard.

Support from Samsung
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk