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I have an S2, and considering moving to the Note 2 for the larger screen, quad-core, accepots 64gb SD, & other features etc. ... anybody have a reason why the note 2 would be an unwise move? I haven't checked what kind of custom ROMs are available for the Note 2 yet, but I've been a flash-a-holic on the S2 (now running "The Sith 2" ROM). The only downside I would imagine others saying, is that the larger screen is more of a pocket-full, maybe more clunky to use as phone, but that's not an issue for me.
ALSO, TMO only carries the 16gb version of the Note 2, but there are other models available, but i don't know if their interfaces with the tmo network will work as well as a tmo version.
I'd say it depends on how bad you want it. If you just want it to upgrade, I'd hold out. I went through the same dilemma and decided I'd wait. Mainly because of the strides kernel/ROM development have taken with our phone. Also, the GS4 is supposed to be released in March, which is rumored to have a 5" display.
Obviously the hardware speaks for itself, but from what I understand, especially with the TMO version, the software is clunky and just crappy I'm general on the note. No one seems to want to come out and say it, but the S-pen is a gimmick. Plain and simple. Obviously that can be changed with different ROMs and etc, but I'm curious how much dev attention the note is going to get. Especially with the nexus right around the corner, and as I said, the GS4 only 4-5 months away.
Our phone happens to support 64gb sd cards. I guess the major difference here would be if you want a phone or a phablet. I'm sure each are great/bad in their own ways, I guess you'll just have to read up on a few reviews
I want one, just too damn big for my pockets. Not to mention the sgs2 is way too big already for strapping on your arm and going for a jog. I can't imagine the note 2 on my arm.
Unless you are in a rush I would wait just because of the amount of rumored new phones that are coming out. Although if you are just looking for screen size I don't think any of the rumored phones will be as big as the Note II. One of the reasons I didn't like the Note II at least spec wise was because with a screen that big I would want it to be 1080p. Just my thoughts!
Thank you everybody for your replies. About two weeks ago I pulled the trigger on the TMO Note II and very happy with it.
I'm running this rom, the dev, ptmr3, has given great support and quick personal responses. I use the multi Window way more than I imagined. I'm a writer & the S-pen, gimmick or not, has been very handy at 3am when I need to jot a note in the dark.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1987634
sirdowski said:
I'd say it depends on how bad you want it. If you just want it to upgrade, I'd hold out. I went through the same dilemma and decided I'd wait. Mainly because of the strides kernel/ROM development have taken with our phone. Also, the GS4 is supposed to be released in March, which is rumored to have a 5" display.
Obviously the hardware speaks for itself, but from what I understand, especially with the TMO version, the software is clunky and just crappy I'm general on the note. No one seems to want to come out and say it, but the S-pen is a gimmick. Plain and simple. Obviously that can be changed with different ROMs and etc, but I'm curious how much dev attention the note is going to get. Especially with the nexus right around the corner, and as I said, the GS4 only 4-5 months away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the gs4 has a 5inch display, I will not buy it.
The size of the gs2 is perfect. I can deal with the size of the gs3. Any bigger and I wont buy it. Phones are getting 2 big right now.
Well if they removed the T-mobile and Samsung branding they could probably fit a 5 inch screen within the the SGS2 form factor. Be more of an edge to edge display. Personally I like the look and feel of the S2 and Note vs the "natural" look the S3 and Note 2 are going for.
I would wait like others have stated. Just use your S2 until it disintegrates and see what the next round of devices is about and how the well developers are supporting it. The S2 specs will do you well for awhile unless your a serious mobile gamer. Then if the next round of devices aren't anything to write home about you can go and pick up yourself a Note 2 for a whole lot cheaper this spring/summer than it is now
Ok - time for my every 20 month question....
It's time for my upgrade.
I'm looking at 3 different devices, and I'd love the considered opinion of the XDA community.
Please try to avoid blatant phanboi posts... LOL
1 - galaxy Note II
2 - Galaxy S III
3 - Optimus G
Yes, I know I'm posting in the LG forum. I have a lot of experience with the galaxy S (EPIC 4g) and love it... but i'm interested in knowing what your thoughts are out there...
Thanks for playing...
John
I switch to the LG after using the Epic 4G Touch for a year. I love samsung phones, but I chose not to get the Note 2 for its size. There was just no way it was going to ever fit in my pockets. The S3 was a bit out of the question for me, because I was not pleased with the specs for the US version. From the S2 to an S3, it just didn't feel like an upgrade. Yes, its a gorgeous phone and it is noticeably faster than the S2 but it just wasn't enough for me to get it. I was a bit skeptical with picking up an LG device because of their previous track record, but the announcement of the Nexus 4 kind of settled that doubt for me. I decided to give it a try, 14-days is enough for me to figure out if I want to keep it or not. So here I am with this solidly built LG phone with the size/specs that I wanted and is rooted with an unlocked bootloader. Yeah, I think I made the right choice.
Are you a part of SWAC or SERO?
SWAC customers, unfortunately, cannot get this phone yet and there's no ETA at all. I've been looking because that is the only thing holding me back from getting it
It's definitely the best choice though.
I also debated between these phones. First knocked off the Galaxy Note because even with its beastly spec and support, I just couldn't deal with how big the screen was, if the screen was just smaller, that probably would have been my phone now.
Then it was between the Galaxy S3 and Optimus G. I came from the OG Epic 4G and either of these phones would have been a huge upgrade for me but I wanted the bleeding edge hardware and spec wise, the Optimus G was better in every way. The only thing that worried me about the Optimus G was the developer support. Since I knew the Nexus 4 was based off the the Optimus G, I figured that AOSP would be easy to get. So i jumped the gun hoping the bootloader will get unlock and it paid off.
I recommend the Optimus G but take it with a grain of salt because I may be bias. It's up to you to decide what you want. I went for the Optimus G for the hardware, you may not care about that as much however and decide the bigger community and developer support is more important.
I am in the same boat as you OP, trying to decide between these 3 phones. Here's my pro/con list so far. FYI I am on SERO-P so I have to upgrade through Sprint.
GS3
pro:
-cheap ($50 on black friday)
-established active community here at XDA
-micro SD slot
con:
-spec is no longer flag ship worthy
Note 2
pro:
-JB
-multi tasking
-active community
-micro SD slot
-it's huge! Screen is nice
con:
-$100 more than other flag ship phones
-s-pen (I personally have no use for it, and when I tested it at a sprint store it wasn't very responsive)
-it's huge! Barely useable with only 1 hand
Optimus G
pro:
-best spec
-best looking (IMO, don't like the pebble look of Samsung)
con:
-it's LG (horrible support)
-no micro SD slot
-dunno how active the community will be for this phone yet
ryocho said:
I am in the same boat as you OP, trying to decide between these 3 phones. Here's my pro/con list so far. FYI I am on SERO-P so I have to upgrade through Sprint.
GS3
pro:
-cheap ($50 on black friday)
-established active community here at XDA
-micro SD slot
con:
-spec is no longer flag ship worthy
Note 2
pro:
-JB
-multi tasking
-active community
-micro SD slot
-it's huge! Screen is nice
con:
-$100 more than other flag ship phones
-s-pen (I personally have no use for it, and when I tested it at a sprint store it wasn't very responsive)
-it's huge! Barely useable with only 1 hand
Optimus G
pro:
-best spec
-best looking (IMO, don't like the pebble look of Samsung)
con:
-it's LG (horrible support)
-no micro SD slot
-dunno how active the community will be for this phone yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Say WHAT?? NO micro SD? ****, that settles it for me... I got a 32gb SD card full of music and stuff...and I mean FULL!
Bigjohn_S said:
Say WHAT?? NO micro SD? ****, that settles it for me... I got a 32gb SD card full of music and stuff...and I mean FULL!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T version has a microSD slot for up to 64GB.
Sprint doesn't.
The Note 2 is awesome if you're a 6-foot-8 NFL linebacker.
SG3 has a darker screen that I don't like, plus amoled displays have potential screen burn-in problems. My wife was gonna get that one but the Sprint store display had horrible burn-in. Big box in the middle and the status bar. It's apparently not a widespread problem but the risk of that and the relative darkness to begin with was enough to turn that one down.
Both of us went for the OG, absolutely love it so far.
I went with the Optimus g. If you go with the galaxy you would already be dealing with last generation cpu which I think for a guy who uses his phone for 20 months is not good. My wife has the note 2 and it's a good phone but a little too big for my suit pants. She carries it in her purse so she doesn't care. One thing I noticed is that this phone is super fast and that's even without jelly bean. This one is the one to choose as of now.
Sent from my LG-E970 using xda app-developers app
I'm struggling with this decision too. I actually am still running a Touch Pro 2 on SERO, but I've decided its time to move on. I went to the Sprint Store, looking at the GS3, Optimus G, Photon Q, and Note 2. I had initially thought the keyboard on the Photon Q would be very valuable, but after playing with the other phones I decided the on-screen keyboards were adequate to justify not getting stuck with the otherwise ancient Photon Q. The Note 2 was simply too large. After seeing it, I think the ideal size is probably around 5".
So that brings us to GS3 vs Optimus G. The Optimus is hands down better. The screen is better. The processor is better. The graphics are better. The case is better. It's just plain better. But... it's still running Ice Cream Sandwich, it has no microSD, and it has no removable battery. The lack of MicroSD is a minor annoyance -- at this point in time I don't see why you'd ever need more than 32GB of FLASH, especially since you have the 50GB of DropBox. The lack of a removable battery is bordering on inexcusable. Removable battery means A) if the battery fails you can replace it without replacing the phone, B) if you keep a spare battery around you can extend the life of the phone without recharging, C) the GS3 has extended life/oversized batteries readily available on the aftermarket which are probably twice as large as stock.
I spoke to a sales guy there who had an Optimus G and previously had the EVO 4G LTE and was thrilled with the Optimus -- however he also said numerous "power users" had come in with S3s, and they had all been very happy with them. He said one problem he had encountered with the Optimus because of the quad-core was that you could run a ton of apps in the background and not notice they were all still running and hence drain the battery very quickly.
But the other problem is that the Galaxy S3 has sold over 30M units and is probably still outselling the Optimus G. He said he doubted they'd sell more than 1M Optimus G's, and quite frankly by early 2013 there will be better phones out, including the Galaxy S4 -- which will effectively kill off the Optimus G. The lack of a user base puts support (including future software updates) in doubt in my mind, especially since LG does not have a good reputation to begin with (the sales guy said he was at the release event and said LG did everything they could to assure everyone that they understood this was their first high end phone and that they needed to provide superior support along with it, something they had not previously done).
The $50 "BF" deal also tends to push me to GS3, especially if there is no discount on the Optimus G. OTOH, the Optimus G is a sweet phone, and GS3 is a few months old at this point.
hpmaxim said:
I'm struggling with this decision too. I actually am still running a Touch Pro 2 on SERO, but I've decided its time to move on. I went to the Sprint Store, looking at the GS3, Optimus G, Photon Q, and Note 2. I had initially thought the keyboard on the Photon Q would be very valuable, but after playing with the other phones I decided the on-screen keyboards were adequate to justify not getting stuck with the otherwise ancient Photon Q. The Note 2 was simply too large. After seeing it, I think the ideal size is probably around 5".
So that brings us to GS3 vs Optimus G. The Optimus is hands down better. The screen is better. The processor is better. The graphics are better. The case is better. It's just plain better. But... it's still running Ice Cream Sandwich, it has no microSD, and it has no removable battery. The lack of MicroSD is a minor annoyance -- at this point in time I don't see why you'd ever need more than 32GB of FLASH, especially since you have the 50GB of DropBox. The lack of a removable battery is bordering on inexcusable. Removable battery means A) if the battery fails you can replace it without replacing the phone, B) if you keep a spare battery around you can extend the life of the phone without recharging, C) the GS3 has extended life/oversized batteries readily available on the aftermarket which are probably twice as large as stock.
I spoke to a sales guy there who had an Optimus G and previously had the EVO 4G LTE and was thrilled with the Optimus -- however he also said numerous "power users" had come in with S3s, and they had all been very happy with them. He said one problem he had encountered with the Optimus because of the quad-core was that you could run a ton of apps in the background and not notice they were all still running and hence drain the battery very quickly.
But the other problem is that the Galaxy S3 has sold over 30M units and is probably still outselling the Optimus G. He said he doubted they'd sell more than 1M Optimus G's, and quite frankly by early 2013 there will be better phones out, including the Galaxy S4 -- which will effectively kill off the Optimus G. The lack of a user base puts support (including future software updates) in doubt in my mind, especially since LG does not have a good reputation to begin with (the sales guy said he was at the release event and said LG did everything they could to assure everyone that they understood this was their first high end phone and that they needed to provide superior support along with it, something they had not previously done).
The $50 "BF" deal also tends to push me to GS3, especially if there is no discount on the Optimus G. OTOH, the Optimus G is a sweet phone, and GS3 is a few months old at this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, HTC TP2? I too have a SERO plan, but its totally worth it to fork over the extra dough ($20 extra/month) for ANY android phone. Even the Kyocera Echo. Still the best possible unlimited plan out there (sans any kind of family plan with 58 phones on the plan).
In any case - yes, its the same old question of locked vs. unlocked bootloaders and whether or not devs will jump on board...but I will say - As is, ICS absolutely FLIES on this device. I'm perfectly happy with the stock feel until the devs (surely fewer than Samsung/HTC atm) iron out all the kinks. Once that happens, I'll do the flash dance and feel like I have a new phone...all over again :laugh:
I'm in the same position - the Optimus G or the Galaxy S3. I'm leaning heavily toward the G right now due to the better internals. Porting 4.2 to it shouldn't be that hard of a chore. The lack of a micro SD shouldn't be that inconvenient because hopefully someone will make USB OTG support so we can just plug in flash drives whenever we need extra space on the spur. I'm really annoyed because I would get the S4 if I could but I can't wait until February as the phone is supposed to be a gift for me for the holidays.
TechNinja49 said:
I'm in the same position - the Optimus G or the Galaxy S3. I'm leaning heavily toward the G right now due to the better internals. Porting 4.2 to it shouldn't be that hard of a chore. The lack of a micro SD shouldn't be that inconvenient because hopefully someone will make USB OTG support so we can just plug in flash drives whenever we need extra space on the spur. I'm really annoyed because I would get the S4 if I could but I can't wait until February as the phone is supposed to be a gift for me for the holidays.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just had a chat with a friend of mine and asked him the same question. His response was: "I really like the Note 2." When I pointed out that was a little too large, he said: "Well, I just ordered the Nexus 4, but the Galaxy S3 is probably fine." I pointed out that the Nexus 4 is a stripped down Optimus G, which is essentially a Nexus 4 + LTE, but its been adulterated by LG of course. He claimed the Nexus 4 battery was replaceable, it was a separate unit, held in by some small Torx screws. So replacing the battery shouldn't be a big deal. He thought the lack of MicroSD was a non-issue. His primary complaint was its LGism.
But here's the rub... and its exactly what you said. "I'm really annoyed because I would get the S4 if I could but I can't wait until February." As soon as the GS4 comes out, no one will buy the Optimus G. And everyone knows its coming out. So the only support for the Optimus are going to be the small number of people who are buying it between mid-November and March who can't hold out for the GS4. I had hoped that porting 4.2 would be pretty trivial, afterall the Nexus 4 runs it, and its virtually the same phone -- but I'm not so convinced. I'm not going to port it, and there's not going to be a huge number of people who will have the phone who have the skills to port it.
The Galaxy S3 came out in April didn't it? That is a long time from now.
Go to your wireless store and pick up an Optimus g. Use it for 10 days. Go back to the store and switch it out to galaxy s3. You will most likely get frustrated from the lag of the s3, and switch back.
Sent from my LG-E970 using xda app-developers app
Bigjohn_S said:
Say WHAT?? NO micro SD? ****, that settles it for me... I got a 32gb SD card full of music and stuff...and I mean FULL!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 this made my decision between this and HTC Evo 4G LTE easy.
Man, am I torn. Really Really torn.
I'll probably end up with the GSIII, though because I like FLASH on my browser, running 4.0.x don't bug me at all...
Thanks for all the comments... all good points and very valuable.
Bigjohn_S said:
Man, am I torn. Really Really torn.
I'll probably end up with the GSIII, though because I like FLASH on my browser, running 4.0.x don't bug me at all...
Thanks for all the comments... all good points and very valuable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S3 is now on jelly bean, which doesn't support flash. The Optimus G currently supports it since it's still on ice cream sandwich but a JB update is coming soon. So, flash really shouldn't be a factor here. You're going to lose it with either phone.
Sent from my LG-LS970 using xda premium
I just upgraded to the LG O.G. through Amazon for $100. It's still $199 on Sprint's website, fyi
Wait so you're telling me with jellybean I won't be able stream sports or play flash even if I sideload the app ? Say it ain't so I don't wanna own a LG iphone
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium
ackNalej said:
I just upgraded to the LG O.G. through Amazon for $100. It's still $199 on Sprint's website, fyi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also at best buy for that through tomorrow, thinking going to try it out otherwise back to my EVO 3d, radio strength and development will be key over next few weeks. Tried LTE on release day and download speeds half of my 3d...lol, it was returned though loved it.
Sent from Taptalk on the Sense 4.1 EVO 3D Rom of the day!......
Please use this thread to discuss all other devices and comparisons.
Thank you
Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
I'll go first. Staying with my note 2. Not giving up my stylus just yet. No other phone has impressed me enough to give up my GN2 just yet.
According to the commercials "The Next Big Thing is Already Here"....and I have it =D. I am totally content with my phone. I use the stylus daily, it is beyond convenient and productive. Contrary to what I suspected prior to buying my GN2, the size is just right for me. I have small hands but I do just fine with it; albeit I do get the occassional hand cramp from holding it; but that's because I rarely put it down I've been totally spoiled by the size, and couldn't imagine having a smaller screen. I was putting games on my Captivate for my lil one to play on, and I giggled...how did I live with that tiny screen. On the flip side I also couldn't imagine going any bigger, with that said I plan on keeping my Note 2 for a long time.
Im trying to decide between the S4 and the Note 3 whenever it comes out. I do love the larger screen size of the Note 2.
Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
I don't think I can ever go back to a smaller screen, so I'll most likely be getting the note 3.
Sent from my GT-N7105
Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
After you own a note 2,every other device looks so tiny. I'll just wait for the note 3.
Edit: WOW this thread is a sticky now,I think a sticky should be informative not a conversation.
Edit 2: no pun intended.
sent by,note 2 using liquidsmooth.
Glad this thread is here. When I had my One X, every other thread was a comparison thread. Just mucked up the forums honestly.
Good idea Mod!
Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
z28tovette said:
After you own a note 2,every other device looks so tiny. I'll just wait for the note 3.
Edit: WOW this thread is a sticky now,I think a sticky should be informative not a conversation.
Edit 2: no pun intended.
Edit: some users don't bother looking at sticky threads. So you'll see more comparison threads.
sent by,note 2 using liquidsmooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sent by,note 2 using liquidsmooth.
The HTC One has my attention, but I'm just not sure that I'm willing to part with my GN2 yet. The only thing that hacks me off about Samsung is their insistence on the cheap plastic finish.
The fit and finish of the HTC One may lure me in...I'll decide when I see it in person.
I would never go to another phone, so either way I will wait for note3 or if something bad happens to me phone I will just buy a new note2.
MissyKoneko said:
I would never go to another phone, so either way I will wait for note3 or if something bad happens to me phone I will just buy a new note2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well hopefully the rumour about the note 3 having a LCD screen is false I rather have the AMOLED screen even if the reason for the LCD screen is better use of the S-pen.
MissyKoneko said:
I would never go to another phone, so either way I will wait for note3 or if something bad happens to me phone I will just buy a new note2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly, I love my Note 2 a lot, finally feel like I have a phone that is great and has what I want.
Just finished watching the first episode of the S IV launch event the new features seems really cool for it, but just as you said will wait to see what they do to the Note 3.
I think I'm sold on the S4, although I do love my Note 2. But... will a lot of the S4 features, software wise, is just a part of an updated OS or apps that we can use on the Note 2? That could potentially keep me here. But then again the 13mpx camera and 441dpi is very tempting.
ThaiM said:
I think I'm sold on the S4, although I do love my Note 2. But... will a lot of the S4 features, software wise, is just a part of an updated OS or apps that we can use on the Note 2? That could potentially keep me here. But then again the 13mpx camera and 441dpi is very tempting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well most of the features that are on the s4 will be coming to the note 2 so the rumor goes with the 4.22 update but we will probably get the update when the note 3 comes out and it will have all those features and then some.
Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
I don't understand the "I hate the plastic' on the Samsung phone...
I ride a Triumph motorcycle that will do 150mph+ and it has a plastic body covering an awesome engine and frame and even better electronics ... JUST like my Samsung note 2 (or future galaxy 4)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
I'm Taking a pass on GS4 holding out for Note 3
andrawer said:
I don't understand the "I hate the plastic' on the Samsung phone...
I ride a Triumph motorcycle that will do 150mph+ and it has a plastic body covering an awesome engine and frame and even better electronics ... JUST like my Samsung note 2 (or future galaxy 4)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Speed Triple has plastic?
ThaiM said:
I think I'm sold on the S4, although I do love my Note 2. But... will a lot of the S4 features, software wise, is just a part of an updated OS or apps that we can use on the Note 2? That could potentially keep me here. But then again the 13mpx camera and 441dpi is very tempting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not in a million years. The S4 looks OK, but is in no way a replacement for the Note 2.
1 - I will never use any of those "features" on the S4. Like MKBHD mentioned on his S4 video, and I agree, the new features are attractive to people who are not very phone-literate. If you want to use different apps other than the standard ones, you'll lose them anyway, like the smart pause. I don't see myself using any of the new features they announced.
2 - The battery life is virtually guaranteed to suck when compared to the Note 2. If it's anything like the S3, which I owned and gladly sold within 2 months, there won't be ROMs or kernels good enough to make the battery last anywhere close to the Note 2. Unless you need the absolutely fastest phone in the world, you don't need an S4. The processor is gonna run your battery to the ground with very little use, I'm sure.
3 - Having been a completely satisfied Note 2 owner for about 3 months, I think the S4 is too small! Well, anything else is too small for that matter.
4 - No S-Pen = FAIL. The S-Pen is one of the highlights of the Note 2 and I now expect all phones to have it (OK, that's unrealistic, but it would be really nice!).
As many users here said, I don't think I'll ever buy anything other than Notes from now on. I'll wait for the Note 3 or 4 depending on how excited I get when they come out.
Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
Main reason am gonna stick to Note2 is for Exynos processor.
I have used International version of S2 which had dual core exynos processor than S2lte with snapdragon and it sucked.
Then comes the North American S3 (big update in snapdragon processer), but still was behind in smoothness comparing international version of S3 having exynos quadcore porcesser.
And comes the beast Note2 with exynos processor and 2gb Ram as addon, nothing can beat smoothness of this phone.
Snapdragon qualcomm processer has got better, but for me are still behind in smoothness comparing to exynos.
Hoping Note3 to come with exynos like of Note2, orelse I will have to go with international version at cost of no LTE.
Sent from my SGH-I317M Samsung Galaxy Note2 LTE Rogers Canada using xda app-developers app
Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
I just picked up a note 2 last week and really like it,havent even looked at my s3 since lol..i will buy the s4 as well though just to check it out..one can never have enough tech around :thumbup:
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda premium
Please discuss other devices besides the S3 here.
Thanks
FNM
Good place to start, because you know the "what do you think about the s4" is coming.
Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
I will hopefully get the ball rolling. I personally will wait with upgrading. Reason being is when I upgraded to the s3 when it was at preorders and rumors of other more powerful phones came out. Then the note 2 appeared. I was upset. I will personally wait for the next stage of the new and hopefully octa core processors that the note 2 or the next google phone comes out with.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
+1 I absolutely agree with you Bruce Lee. There's really no need for the S IV. The S III does everything I need it to do and more. The last thing I need a phone to do is take over my life.
The only reason to upgrade from the S III to S IV would be bragging rights... How much are they really worth?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
theROMinator said:
+1 I absolutely agree with you Bruce Lee. There's really no need for the S IV. The S III does everything I need it to do and more. The last thing I need a phone to do is take over my life.
The only reason to upgrade from the S III to S IV would be bragging rights... How much are they really worth?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S3 doesn't have a 1080p screen with a 400+ ppi. It is as substantial upgrade as any these days. That being said, I'm going to skip over it. It's pretty much one step above or a half step above the s3 in many ways but I am under contract until December so I can't justify paying outright 500$ mostly for the screen overhaul. If anything I'll wait to see the Motorola X phone since it is supposed to be as low as 200$ from what I've read and wait for the s5 or whatever the new hotness is next year.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
I found the Samsung IV release presentation extremely cheesy---I'm not sure what they were thinking.
I am disappointed at all the hype that preceded the release. What happened to the flexible, unbreakable screen? What happened to the very innovative Big-Little Exynos octocore that the US will not be receiving? And a pentile screen again!
I am pleased with the slightly bigger screen, the +400 ppi, and the bump in battery capacity. IMO, Samsung would have hit a home run if they would have built the Galaxy 4 with similar construction like the HTC One (instead of all the plastic). I hear the speakers on the One are amazing and I hope the Galaxy's are at least on par. My contract renews in January and so I will wait to see what the Motorola X and the new Galaxy Note will provide (if it doesn't go up to a 6 in. screen).
I'm completely happy with my s3, not planning on upgrading any time soon!
I don't understand the hype for 1080p displays... Playing any type of game is going to murder your battery, and you're waisting CPU cycles on pixels you can't see. I personally would've rather had a 720p samoled plus display. No more screen burn in, dark pixels, and battery effiecent.
Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
Brand New said:
I don't understand the hype for 1080p displays... Playing any type of game is going to murder your battery, and you're waisting CPU cycles on pixels you can't see. I personally would've rather had a 720p samoled plus display. No more screen burn in, dark pixels, and battery effiecent.
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Sammy has some new tech that's supposed to reduce battery used by the screen, forgot where I read that but I believe it said Nokia has used it as well before. I haven't used the s4 obviously, but the DROID dna has a 1080p screen and I at least can see a huge difference between that screen and my s3 or my girlys one X which is more comparable given that both the HTCs are lcd. Especially in plain text.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
No I will not upgrade,this is something that I learned the hard and expensive way. There is always gonna be something better.
My thoughts exactly on the stupid Galaxy IV event:
http://androidheadlines.com/2013/03...tude-on-display-not-a-new-flagship-phone.html
I will personally wait for the next stage of the new and hopefully octa core processors that the note 2 or the next google phone comes out with.
So I'm coming from a Samsung Infuse, and honestly, this phone cannot piss me off even more than I already am. I'm talking about constant resets (stuck power button), terrible GPS reception, UNBEARABLE LAG even with the latest paranoid android, and finally, messed up APN settings which bares the phone useless since I can't have any service on it! So now you understand of my struggles with my current phone. I'm in search for something that I can rely on and won't have even the slightest bit of lag after 2+ years of owning it.
Now, I've been doing some research on some phones (gs3, htc one x, htc one, gs4) And I come here to find out your honest opinion on the GS3 since the time you've owned it. Should I save some cash buying a GS3 or a One X, or are there some sort of problems with these phones that have ticked you off that I should consider paying the extra buck and looking at the 2013 flagships instead?
lemonz23 said:
So I'm coming from a Samsung Infuse, and honestly, this phone cannot piss me off even more than I already am. I'm talking about constant resets (stuck power button), terrible GPS reception, UNBEARABLE LAG even with the latest paranoid android, and finally, messed up APN settings which bares the phone useless since I can't have any service on it! So now you understand of my struggles with my current phone. I'm in search for something that I can rely on and won't have even the slightest bit of lag after 2+ years of owning it.
Now, I've been doing some research on some phones (gs3, htc one x, htc one, gs4) And I come here to find out your honest opinion on the GS3 since the time you've owned it. Should I save some cash buying a GS3 or a One X, or are there some sort of problems with these phones that have ticked you off that I should consider paying the extra buck and looking at the 2013 flagships instead?
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Click to collapse
I have had the blackberry storm WOW I literally through that against the wall it was stupid, I got an xperia arc, liked it got bored with it... then I got the Sony XPERIA ION enjoyed the 12MP camera but again it got boring. I can honestly say since I have gotten the S3 I have not thought about owning another phone, the ease of customization all the support for it and it works. I rely on it and there seems to be always something new to try out on it and I am still not bored with it. I am on the i747m.
lemonz23 said:
So I'm coming from a Samsung Infuse, and honestly, this phone cannot piss me off even more than I already am. I'm talking about constant resets (stuck power button), terrible GPS reception, UNBEARABLE LAG even with the latest paranoid android, and finally, messed up APN settings which bares the phone useless since I can't have any service on it! So now you understand of my struggles with my current phone. I'm in search for something that I can rely on and won't have even the slightest bit of lag after 2+ years of owning it.
Now, I've been doing some research on some phones (gs3, htc one x, htc one, gs4) And I come here to find out your honest opinion on the GS3 since the time you've owned it. Should I save some cash buying a GS3 or a One X, or are there some sort of problems with these phones that have ticked you off that I should consider paying the extra buck and looking at the 2013 flagships instead?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went from the Infuse to the GS3 and haven't looked back. I had a small crack in the corner of my Infuse and also the camera would not focus so I called up to see what my options were to get it replaced through the insurance plan. They told me my replacement was going to be a GS3 but that a $200 deductable would be charged to my next bill. It was a no brainer, especially since I am not eligable for an upgrade for another year. The GS3 is head and shoulders above the Infuse. It's a flagship phone with tons of support. I got it and rooted it that night. There are tons of great roms on XDA and have tried most of them. This phone is amazing. Can't really see why I'd get the S4. Perhaps when the Note 3 comes out, I would consider upgrading. An even larger screen would be very welcome.
Re: Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
An upgrade is really dependant on what you use a device for. The s3 does pretty much what I need it to do for work and for personnel uses.
It's plenty fast still. I ran my iPhone 4 to end of contract and still think it could what I need from a phone.
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nexus
I think ill wait for another nexus 4 to come out
wutbdat said:
I think ill wait for another nexus 4 to come out
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why would they release another of the same version?
It would be nexus 5 or some other name, they wouldn't reuse the same name
Just moved from my trusty Nexus S to the Canadian Galaxy S3. Love it. Finally I have free ram even when doing intensive tasks. Honestly, this is what Android should feel like.
Still learning the thing, installed TWRP, flashed latest cm10.1 nightly and put back my titanium backup. This thing feels like home, but twice as fast.
It's a bit of a shame there's so many S3 variants, really spreads out the development for it, whereas on the Nexus S there were very few versions (like 4, which all shared similar internals minus modems), making things very simple.
I'll see you guys around!
Off-topic other device and upgrading phone discussion
Wow, Samsung 4 is $250 at AT&T and I can only assume that Verizon and possibly Sprint will follow suit:
http://www.phonearena.com/news/AT-T-Galaxy-S4-price-will-be-249-pre-orders-start-on-April-16_id41309
This is a mistake and will cost them some sales numbers. I'm sure HTC, Motorola/Google, and LG are licking their chops.
Tmobile no contract $99 Galaxy S IV is really tempting. Too bad their service sucks in this area. I'll be at 18 months come January and ready to upgrade and am currently tempted by the LG Optimus G Pro and am awaiting the details on the Google X. It sounds like the Note 3 screen will be too big for my liking.
I've had my trusty Verizon Galaxy Nexus for 2 years and my contract is up. I'm been looking at phones and eyeballing the LG G2. I'd love a Nexus 5 but it isn't coming out for Verizon. Plus the G2 seems to have all the features I want in a phone like Wireless Charging, Good specs, etc.
BUT I'm iffy going away from the Nexus line cause last time I did that with the LG G2x, it was a complete disaster and I see the G2 basically starting off the exact same way. The G2x was released with an older Android rom with the promise of a timely update, which never happened and fixed a few problems and introduced several more. The plagued device still has issues and doesn't work right.
The G2 is doing the same thing with 4.2.2. It doesn't even have 4.3 yet and we're about to roll into 4.4. I have a feeling that by the time it gets 4.3, 4.4 will old and 5.0 will be out... if the G2 even gets any additional love. I'm hoping the N5 will help pull some of the weight with the G2 and some stuff gets moved back and forth. But this isn't really a given. I don't want to be in the same boat as the Galaxy Nexus where Verizon or LG doesn't provide updates for stuff like new radios and kernels.
It is a work phone so I have to go with Verizon. The Note 3 sounds great but too big and I have a N7... The G2 just seems like the perfect phone hardware wise and the software has some neat features... but I'll probably jump on AOKP if it ever gets supported. I was actually calling a few Verizon stores in my area and I can pick one up for less than $100 to renew my contract.
What is everyone's thoughts on LG? Have they gotten better at updating their phones? Hopefully with a huge rollout of the G2 they would try to support it a little better. Anyone know when the Samsung S5 is due out?
I'm actually having the same thought about upgrading from my Galaxy Nexus, and the LG G2 is one of my top choices, along with the Note 3. What is keeping me from making the jump is the horrible UI on the G2, at least that's my though being used to clean stock Android. Apart from that, the G2 is definitely an amazing device, a great option for an upgrade.
From what I hear s5 drops mid 2014
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I am holding off until the announcement of n5 just to be sure its not coming to verizon. I am weary to upgrade to another device though as support for them seems to die in about a year unless its a nexus.
Yea I have next week before I leave for Detroit for work. G2 dev looks good now but in 6 months it might be dead. I almost bought a G2 yesterday but I'm going to wait for the N5 and 4.4, then see how fast they port it to the G2. Hopefully its fully compatible with AOSP.
[Update]
I went to the Verizon store today and looked at the G2 and the Note 3. Some concerns. The G2 has a curved edge similar to the G2x, which makes putting a screen protector on it painful. Basically you'd have to use a wet apply Screen protector so it sticks to the curves. I run a SP on ALL my devices and really hate wet applies. You probably could use a smaller SP to not reach edge to edge and be ok, but then it looks like crap.
The G2 is very close in size to the Galaxy Nexus which is cool.
The G2 has some pretty good development going on, but I also started looking at the Note 3. It is a little more pricey but basically the same phone in a larger shell with an S-Pen. My phone is a business/pleasure device where I work with customers face to face. I've always thought it would be handy to be able to take written notes on the fly. The size is concerning though. It didn't feel too bad in hand, I could probably manage. The "leather" backing really helped with grip.
I also learned that the Verizon Galaxy Note 3 Developer Edition is coming out "rumored" November 1st (same as Nexus 5). So perhaps we'll get a new launch of "Developer Editions". If the Galaxy Note 3 (Verizon Edition) can use the roms and mods from the Developer Edition, that would be awesome. Although I don't know how the S-Pen would function on AOSP (like a standard stylus?).
So basically, like I said before, I'm really anxious to pick up a new phone. I actually had the guy grab a G2 from the back, along with a blue feather case, waiting to check out. Being a corporate line, I require permission from an authorized person before they can process it.
At this point I really am excited to wait for the Google Announcement to see what comes out. I'd have to do my homework to see how development moves from a "Developer Edition" to a standard carrier edition.
Any thoughts?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I want to upgrade as well. G2 prices is great. Note 3 is way too expensive.
But I'll wait for Nexus 5.
I'm really crazy about getting updates.
At some points, I really want to use other OEM's ROM, as they looks way more stable than custom ROMs like PA or CM.
But... I don't like waiting for updates. and their updates doesn't feel like an update because the UI almost not changed...
---------- Post added at 01:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:36 PM ----------
I want to upgrade as well. G2 prices is great. Note 3 is way too expensive.
But I'll wait for Nexus 5.
I'm really crazy about getting updates.
At some points, I really want to use other OEM's ROM, as they looks way more stable than custom ROMs like PA or CM.
But... I don't like waiting for updates. and their updates doesn't feel like an update because the UI almost not changed...
Ge note 3 would be awesome. But IMHO snote is what makes the spen bad ass. Been hoping For Google keep to support wacam spen. Don't see why it would hurt seeing that those who don't have spen won't notice the difference. Or since my understanding is Google edition is basically an OEM ROM with OEM framework maybe snote could be downloaded in the play store...
I am partial to the note is say get the note. Chances are their will be ROMs for the latest and greatest. TW has some neat features you may end up liking them. Or you can hate them. For me the G2 seems too awkward with the volume And power button on the back. Made the phone feel bigger than it actually is. Maybe you could adjust to it.
I am running kit kat 4.4. on my note 2000
I'm not 100% sure. After doing some research, I think I misspoke here and there is supposed to be a "Developer edition" which is basically stock TouchWiz but comes pre-unlocked.
Although if they were going to announce it at the Nexus keynote, why wouldn't it have stock Android?
Anyway, the Verizon Note 3 is locked down tight right now. No Root. No bootloader. No custom recovery. No roms. The other carriers are having fun though. We'll see. I played with the G2 and the Note3 in depth at the store and while I was leaning on the Note3, I'll probably get the G2. It all really depends. My company typically buys them, so if he says "Hook him up", then I'll take the Note 3 for a trial run to see how I like it.
The G2 on Verizon is getting blown up with mods and roms but don't expect LG to come through with updates after a year. For me, it is a really tough call. Going AOSP on these phones pretty much ruins the experience with all the extras that make them unique. I do plan on using the stock roms for a while. I just hate how LG released on 4.2.2. In 9 months they'll update to 4.3 and call it a day. Note 3 is already 4.3, and probably see 4.4 here soon. And you know you'll get 5.0 (or whatever the next update is).
The Note 3 also felt better in hand.
player911 said:
I've had my trusty Verizon Galaxy Nexus for 2 years and my contract is up. I'm been looking at phones and eyeballing the LG G2. I'd love a Nexus 5 but it isn't coming out for Verizon. Plus the G2 seems to have all the features I want in a phone like Wireless Charging, Good specs, etc.
BUT I'm iffy going away from the Nexus line cause last time I did that with the LG G2x, it was a complete disaster and I see the G2 basically starting off the exact same way. The G2x was released with an older Android rom with the promise of a timely update, which never happened and fixed a few problems and introduced several more. The plagued device still has issues and doesn't work right.
The G2 is doing the same thing with 4.2.2. It doesn't even have 4.3 yet and we're about to roll into 4.4. I have a feeling that by the time it gets 4.3, 4.4 will old and 5.0 will be out... if the G2 even gets any additional love. I'm hoping the N5 will help pull some of the weight with the G2 and some stuff gets moved back and forth. But this isn't really a given. I don't want to be in the same boat as the Galaxy Nexus where Verizon or LG doesn't provide updates for stuff like new radios and kernels.
It is a work phone so I have to go with Verizon. The Note 3 sounds great but too big and I have a N7... The G2 just seems like the perfect phone hardware wise and the software has some neat features... but I'll probably jump on AOKP if it ever gets supported. I was actually calling a few Verizon stores in my area and I can pick one up for less than $100 to renew my contract.
What is everyone's thoughts on LG? Have they gotten better at updating their phones? Hopefully with a huge rollout of the G2 they would try to support it a little better. Anyone know when the Samsung S5 is due out?
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I am hearing great reports on the LG phone, especially that it might be the only ofew getting the Kit Kat update on verizon. these are from some dev's and long time Samsung owners. i think a LG thread was created and development started in XDA. i havent used it yet, i have a few months left on my contract. here is the xda link http://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g2
maybe i will upgrade my wifes phone to LG and secretly swap phones:laugh:
Things that bother me on the G2 is:
Curved sides of the screen = problems with screen protectors
LG's horrible history supporting phones for very long.
4.4 is just a stepping stone so upgrading to 4.4 shouldn't be much of a hassle for any 4.x+ phone. However Android 5.0 will probably require a kernel update which must be supplied from LG.
This is exactly the same problem the Galaxy Nexus is having. Verizon isn't updating the kernel for 4.3+ builds and thus are having radio issues. It works but if you travel, you'll notice your data will never come back once it disappears... until you do a hard reset of course.
So who knows. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about the LG too and they've included lots of functionality into customizing the phone. Pretty much everything can be disabled and changed. It even has built in system-wide theme support.
player911 said:
Things that bother me on the G2 is:
Curved sides of the screen = problems with screen protectors
LG's horrible history supporting phones for very long.
4.4 is just a stepping stone so upgrading to 4.4 shouldn't be much of a hassle for any 4.x+ phone. However Android 5.0 will probably require a kernel update which must be supplied from LG.
This is exactly the same problem the Galaxy Nexus is having. Verizon isn't updating the kernel for 4.3+ builds and thus are having radio issues. It works but if you travel, you'll notice your data will never come back once it disappears... until you do a hard reset of course.
So who knows. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about the LG too and they've included lots of functionality into customizing the phone. Pretty much everything can be disabled and changed. It even has built in system-wide theme support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea you are rite, LG does have a history of not supporting their phones in the long run..maybe you can get a good 2 years out of the LG, just in time for the next release.
player911 said:
Things that bother me on the G2 is:
Curved sides of the screen = problems with screen protectors
LG's horrible history supporting phones for very long.
4.4 is just a stepping stone so upgrading to 4.4 shouldn't be much of a hassle for any 4.x+ phone. However Android 5.0 will probably require a kernel update which must be supplied from LG.
This is exactly the same problem the Galaxy Nexus is having. Verizon isn't updating the kernel for 4.3+ builds and thus are having radio issues. It works but if you travel, you'll notice your data will never come back once it disappears... until you do a hard reset of course.
So who knows. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about the LG too and they've included lots of functionality into customizing the phone. Pretty much everything can be disabled and changed. It even has built in system-wide theme support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What bothers me about the G2 is the software. Being used to stock Android, and after reading a bunch of reviews from trusted sources about how the UI that LG put into this new device is quite bloated and ugly. My idea is to buy one of these devices now, and sell it once the Nexus 5 is out and in stock in Europe.
I've been looking up comparisons between the G2, the Galaxy S4, and the HTC One. The latter two are older devices, and if I want to be able to sell it in less than a year, I think the smartest choice would be to get the newer one.
The Note 3 looks incredible, but I'm already having trouble fitting the Galaxy Nexus into my pockets sometimes, and I'm not the kind of person who is constantly carrying a backpack. Maybe I could change that, I've always liked the idea of the S-pen.
In conclusion, I'm undecided between the HTC One and the LG G2.
The HTC One is amazingly built, with it's irresistible alluminum unibody and the speaker/audio quality, and has a plethora of ROMs and customizations to it, but it's already been out for a while, which makes it less profitable if I want to resell it in 6 months.
The LG G2 is brand new, has a better screen, more powerful in terms of processor, but at the same time I'm hearing about lots of issues with the camera, sound and lag. I hope the ROMs and mods from the Verizon G2 will be ported to the international variant, as there are many more available.
Today I'll go look at them in person, and hopefully make my decision aswell.
I hate those decisions, all are good phones, but just have to pick which one feels better. I think to resell down the line, the Samsung phones may hold better value, maybe due to the watch launch.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
I went to the store to buy the Note 3, but I just couldn't use it at all one handed. Because of the huge size, I couldn't even barely get it stable enough in my grip to even remotely reach half of the screen. Plus the lack of Wireless Charging is a pity. I like feather cases and the additional thickness of the Qi backplate would make it not sit well. Plus I have a make-shift Qi Note2 charger pad in my Galaxy Nexus that is crafty. I don't want to have to worry about if the contacts are clean, connecting, working. I just want it to work.
I took home a G2. They had the Blue Incipio Feather case I wanted. Being used to Nexus and AOSP for so long, some of the apps do feel bloated. Email Exchange has a new SMS Sync that was syncing all of my drunk texts to my corporate exchange! I had to quickly disable that feature and delete all my sexy text messages off the email server. I've disabled like 20 different apps. There are TONS of bloat on there. Default ringtone (Boy Choir?) was god awful. You can have up to 7 apps in the Launcher Tray. Making the Font size to smallest gives you that roomy feeling. I don't understand why you would get a big screen when everything is just bigger. I buy a bigger screen to give me more room to move around.
BUT once you sit down with it, adjust the Notification toggles, lockscreen, homescreen, freeze unwanted apps, find a good theme combo (keyboard, SMS, homescreen, lockscreen), some new wallpapers, etc... it really starts to feel like a decent phone.
I DO really like the Memo app, where you can make notes over top any app. At the bar last night we were taking pictures of friends in my group and drawing stupid stuff on them. I can see how it would really be handy.
I also don't know why there are a bizillion icons in the status bar. There is a Signal bar... then a separate 3G/4G icon... then what appears to be some sort of GPS icon that I can't get rid of, AM/PM Clock, battery, alarm, etc. It takes up like half my status bar. I just need 3; Signal, Battery, Clock. Boom.
Most of the floating apps I can't really see myself ever using. I couldn't get the IR Blaster to turn off the Bar TV last night.
Most of the G2 is fluff. Fluffy fluff. Outside from that overlay note app, I'm already thinking about going to a custom rom. The IR Blaster doesn't work on AOSP though which is something I do want to utilize.
It has a pretty bad out of box experience but it is a super nice phone. Once you get rid of all the junk, it starts to come together nicely.
Not giving the G2 a bad review, I'm just used to Nexus Devices and stock Android... I'm used to that and I like that. The Stock UI has a nice feel to it. Very quick and snappy. I'm impressed with the level of customization you have with the device. I would like to see a single general theme app with all of the options. Right now, the theme settings are in there respective places so finding them is a little intense, especially for someone who isn't strong on Android skills. I know my gf probably wouldn't have found the SMS or Keyboard theme settings.
I was a little skeptical last night but it is growing on me now its setup and I'm getting familiar to the different app layouts. I just pray LG doesn't screw me again with Software updates. At least Qualcomm is better at opensourcing their stuff. I know the G2x had lots of problems because of NVidia Tegra 2.
I'm in the same boat. Running my nexus for about 1.5 yrs and looking to upgrade. I have unl. Data w Verizon but as all know vzw sucks w how they bloat and lock their phones. So gar I'm looking/ interested in the note 3, g2 or maybe the HTC one or moto x. Some of the things I want are a bigger chassis...not huge but bigger than the gnex, customizable w ROMs and kernels, timely updates, ect. My cousin has the one but it didn't wow me, but it was a stock unit no customization. The g2 looks great...good size, batt, ect but afraid like others slow w updates. As far as I read on the note 3 it is looked tight. Not a lot of ROM for customization due to Knox I guess..
I think I would love the note 3, bigger, big batt, fast but the lack of development saddens me haha. I was so waiting for the nexus 5 but that small batt honestly is making me sway away from it and the styling isn't to different from the rest of the nex. If new reviews come out saying batt life is much improved I may sway back but for now ...egh. Carrier wise I want a cheaper plan, good coverage ect and really only do maybe on a heavy month 3 gig as I use mostly wifi so I was looking at art. Gonna take a ride today and check them out and see which phone excites me. Any batt life better than my next is an improvement .
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