Develop Bugs

Replace Nexus 7 with Note 2?

Hey everyone!
At the moment, I'm using Nexus S and Nexus 7 combo. Nexus S is getting too old to be on par with new software which lags, and since I have the I9023 version, it has SLCD display and camera wasn't as good even for the time when it came out.
So I was thinking, maybe I should sell both devices and add a bit more money to it, and get Note 2?
So I did the math
I lose:
- bigger N7's screen
- Nexus experience
- multiple devices option (battery saving and stuff)
- good reading experience on N7
I get:
- a single device on which everything is done
- Note experience
- by far a better camera
- Super AMOLED display
So I need your opinion, I hope this isn't getting way too boring for you (these questions), does it pay out, since I'd really like Note 2.

I own both, and I hardly use my Nexus 7 now Depends on your usage though, you must already be aware that screen size is significantly smaller - but it's significantly better device in all other respects, and much easier to hold than a tablet obviously. For me, N2 hits the sweet spot. And obviously there's S Pen, which you may or may not use - I do use it a lot for browsing and typing especially.

I just switched from Nexus 7 + Lumia 800 to Note 2. I am very happy with the change. The Nexus was great, I loved it, but I had to carry two devices. Now it is perfect.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

the google experience is very beautifull, but it is too thin, too poor of features and uncared for in my opinion, the only good thing is lightening fast updates.
For the rest I sold the Nexus 7 as soon as I took notes 2 and I decided to buy 10.1 Notes and Notes 2 and now I feel really good xD

Get a note 8... best of note 2 in a bigger size. .phone calling included
scribbled from my note 2 (N7100)

Note 8 isn't a phone. It's still a tablet with call facility. Obviously if that's what he's looking for then Note 8's the better choice obviously.

Dzong said:
the google experience is very beautifull, but it is too thin, too poor of features and uncared for in my opinion, the only good thing is lightening fast updates.
For the rest I sold the Nexus 7 as soon as I took notes 2 and I decided to buy 10.1 Notes and Notes 2 and now I feel really good xD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. But honestly, that is why we have this forum, I can always try some ROM of new Android which is not yet available for Note.
I don't think I'll get Note 8, I can't really carry it around everywhere I go. I'll go for Note 2, already sold my racket I don't use that much, so I need to sell my NS and N7 and that's it.
Question though! Reason I was hesitating was big screen for gaming, and then it hit me - Note does have HDMI output right? So can I fire up say, Asphalt 7 and hook it up to TV, and then just use my phone as a controller?

JavaJunkay said:
Exactly. But honestly, that is why we have this forum, I can always try some ROM of new Android which is not yet available for Note.
I don't think I'll get Note 8, I can't really carry it around everywhere I go. I'll go for Note 2, already sold my racket I don't use that much, so I need to sell my NS and N7 and that's it.
Question though! Reason I was hesitating was big screen for gaming, and then it hit me - Note does have HDMI output right? So can I fire up say, Asphalt 7 and hook it up to TV, and then just use my phone as a controller?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the nexus experience is not that important to you then by all means get the note2. Touchwiz is actually bearable and useful on the mote2. Very optimized hardware, software is pretty good and optimized, battery life can't be beat, screen is friggin' awesome especially movie mode for the accuracy, reception is actually pretty dang awesome for a Samsung phone, it is easier to hold than a 7" tablet, the interchangeable battery and expandable storage etc etc...
Yes, there is video out through mhl. I highly recommend getting the official OEM accessories to do it, and there are different methods of getting it like the smart dock, adapters or straight mhl to HDMI cable. I haven't tried games yet, but you might want to consider the input lag that might or might not be there. Video though looks great.
Sent from my GT-N7100

Good to see I'm not the only one with N7 and SGNII I have both devices and don't carry my N7 as much as I used to, but I love it and use it at home, since it's much more convenient, bigger screen, etc. Note II is BIG, but not as big as N7

I had an n7 too, but no longer. The screen is bigger, but I found that the superior display quality of the note 2 factors in in the reading experience. An even better example is my Transformer Pad, which has such an abysmal display compared to the note 2, that I almost read better on my phone in spite of it being a fourth of the screen size.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

I would better have note 10.1 with note 2, experience of both tablets and phablets world

I have Note 2 and Note 8 and I'm thinking of selling the Note 8 as I hardly ever use it.
Sent from the mighty Note II

Thinking I May Return My Tab 3 8"

I'm pretty disappointed with the Tab 3. Seems very slow/laggy. In addition, there is zero development on XDA for the tab 3. I know this just came out in the US, but it has been out for months worldwide. I've had this tablet for a couple weeks, so it's not just a first impression at this point.....
Currently, very unstable root and recovery. No custom roms. No way to install scripts/intd.
I've had a Galaxy 3 phone for about a year and love it. My phone runs circles around the Tab 3 in terms of responsiveness, processing......pretty much everything actually.
Am I getting a unique experience with my Tab or is everyone noticing the slow, dragging, instability of this tab? Size and screen are great, but do not outweigh the performance issues in my book.
Anyone else returned/exchanged their Tab 3? If so, what did you return it for? Thinking about going w/ the new Nexus 7, but there are a lot of options out there....please help!!!!!!

Weird. I had the nexus 7 2, the note 8, and now the tab 3 8. I don't think the tab is slow at all. Granted I don't play games, but overall I think its quite responsive and solid all around.
But I've seen a few complaints about how awful it is so it seems people have vastly different experiences.
Did it get slower over time? What are you doing when it lags? Did you install a ton of weird stuff?

rumatt said:
Weird. I had the nexus 7 2, the note 8, and now the tab 3 8. I don't think the tab is slow at all. Granted I don't play games, but overall I think its quite responsive and solid all around.
But I've seen a few complaints about how awful it is so it seems people have vastly different experiences.
Did it get slower over time? What are you doing when it lags? Did you install a ton of weird stuff?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not at all. I don't play games on it or anything that requires heavy cpu usage. Just basic navigation is very slow. Is your tab rooted?
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium

arshull said:
Not at all. I don't play games on it or anything that requires heavy cpu usage. Just basic navigation is very slow. Is your tab rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope not rooted.

Yeah I wish I could return mine at this point the asus memo 7 hd seems like a much better choice for 50 less than this thing.

arshull said:
I'm pretty disappointed with the Tab 3. Seems very slow/laggy. In addition, there is zero development on XDA for the tab 3.
Currently, very unstable root and recovery. No custom roms. No way to install scripts/intd.
Am I getting a unique experience with my Tab or is everyone noticing the slow, dragging, instability of this tab?
Anyone else returned/exchanged their Tab 3? If so, what did you return it for? Thinking about going w/ the new Nexus 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I owned a Nexus-7 2013.. Took it back on the 15th day.. (Walmart) They're a lot of issues going on with the N7.. GPS being the main one.. And there are some bad ones out in the field.. So be warned. I was lucky and got a good one, but it just did not justify the price (32 Gb) $294.00 out the door.. for the size of the Tablet for me.. I also own an iPad Mini.. and the 7" Screen of the N7 just was not cutting it for me after being exposed to the 8" 4:3 Screen of the iPad Mini for the last year or so.. The N7 just seem too small.. lots of development for it.. but for me they were the same ROMs I was running on my recently sold Galaxy Note.. so they were Quite Boring and offered nothing new. Then I spotted this Tablet and the Beautiful Saturated Colors and it's 8" Screen won me over on 1st sight.. You got a bad Tablet.. You should just do a Factory Reset Wipe everything and go back to how the Tablet was when it came out of the box. if it's still laggy.. Return it and try another Tab 3 8.0 or something else. Mine was fast out of the box .. is now rooted and still smokes.. have you tried a different launcher? have you gone into developer options and adjusted your animations for faster response...?
rumatt said:
Weird. I had the nexus 7 2, the note 8, and now the tab 3 8. I don't think the tab is slow at all. Granted I don't play games, but overall I think its quite responsive and solid all around.
But I've seen a few complaints about how awful it is so it seems people have vastly different experiences.
Did it get slower over time? What are you doing when it lags? Did you install a ton of weird stuff?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No issues with my Tab 3 8.0 either..
mirrin said:
Yeah I wish I could return mine at this point the asus memo 7 hd seems like a much better choice for 50 less than this thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this is about the Tab 3 "8.0" but you are correct... the Asus would be a better choice when comparing to the Tab 3 7.0.. IMO..
Sell what you got for $150.00... Then buy the Asus.
You are still cutting someone a deal if your unit is still in "Like New" Condition..

Speed
Mine is rooted and still is quite responsive.
Speed wise it was not as fast as the Note 8.0 but it is only dual core!
Ran Antutu on Note 8.0 and tab 3 before buying tab 3 8.0
note was 16,000 and tab 12,000
Where as my mtk6569 Note 5.5' clone came in at 16,138.
my old mtk6575 was around 9,000 from memory. But it has gone to the gods RIP.

vladmaster98 said:
Speed wise it was not as fast as the Note 8.0 but it is only dual core!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is potentially misleading. It's the same clock rate processor. For many tasks the Tab 8 is just as fast as the Note 8. Exactly the same speed.
Where a quad core will shine over a dual core is when you're trying to do lots of stuff at once. The main area I noticed a difference is something like loading a huge web page and trying to scroll while it's still loading. Lots of stuff happening at the same time there so more processors makes a clear difference.
But for basic, one at a time tasks where there's not much parallelism to be found, there isn't much noticeable performance difference.

I don't know if the '8 is that much different, but my tab 3 10.1 is among the speediest i' ve ever used(tablets)
Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk 4

[Q] Tab Pro 10.1, Tab S 8.4 or Ipad Air ?

Hi,
I'm going back and forth with this..
I have a budget around $400 to $450... and I basically want to use the table as a replacement of the laptop for basic stuff ( browsing, FB, youtube, videos, movies, email, etc). I like how IOS look right now, my mom has an ipad retina display and look and feel good, but my budget allow me to but the 16gb one... and isn't enought since I'm planning to copy movies on the table and watch them... beside ipads doesnt allow me to watch movies on divx, xvid, mkv, etc... I had to converted to mp4 and thats a hazzle...
I was thinking on buying the Tab Pro 10.1 because of the size, the screen definition and the battery life... but now that the Tab S is around the corner I don't know what to do... I don't care about the fingerprint... the Super Amoled is a nice touch (I have a galaxy S4) but the screen on the Pro look good enought for me... the selling point for me is the extra GB of ram...I don't know if is really work it to pay extra for that GB of ram (assuming that I can go up to $500 for the galaxy S 10.5) or paying the same as the Pro 10.1 ($400 on amazon) for the Galaxy S 8.4 and downgrade the size of the screen...
What do you guys say? Ipad air ($450), Pro 10.5 ( $400), S 8.4 ($400) or S10.5 ($500). Paying an extra $100 for 1GB of ram seem pricy to me if the feeling and performance is similar of the 2gb pro 10.1.... but I don't know if the cost/benefit is really good?

I bought a Tab Pro 10.1. It's not perfect, but I'm pretty happy. Obviously it's what I would do, since it's what I did. Just make sure Tha at you are comfortable doing a root... Of course that's the case with any android device.
Good luck!
Sent from my SM-T520 using Tapatalk

Well, you could save yourself some money by buying the iPad as a refurb straight from apple. It comes down to the ecosystem and os that you prefer. Is ios nice? Sure. But does it work for you? Do you struggle with the 2gb of ram in your phone today? If not then I wouldn't worry about the 2 vs 3gb of ram. If you're worried about ram, I'm pretty sure iPad air only has 1gb.
I've tried 2 different ipads and I keep coming back to android. I just started using a tab 8.4 today and it's smooth. If you keep a ton of apps open at once then it may get laggy, but I'd imagine the iPad would have the same issues. The iPad air has what seems limitless keyboards, cases...while there are significantly less for the tab pro. I think the s line is going to have Samsung accessories.
Don't forget the real file browser, micro sd, USB support, and vast selection of keyboards on androids. You can't really go wrong with any of them, all nice devices. Pick the he one that fits your budget and hits your biggest priorities.

I have a tab pro 8.4 and it is a really good tablet. I am considering getting the pro 10.5. I've also thought about an iPad air too, so I am in a similar situation. I do love the fact that the iPad has a plethora of keyboard case options. Supposedly with the S Series Samsung is going to get more Keyboard cases. Logitech has already announced one for the 10.5.
I am probably going to go with the pro 10.5. If you have a micro SD card it is really simple to expand the storage in which the iPad would not be able to do. If you already have purchased apps on your Android phone, it's much easier just to use an Android tablet then using an iPad and paying more money for apps you already have.
That's how I work things out in my head anyway.
Sent from my SM-T320 using Tapatalk

I am a long time user of apple , I think apple lost me after the 4S, the closed ecosystem is terrible in my view. So I switched to nexus 5 and never looked back. On tablet I bought the tab 8.4 , and put aside my iPad retina . I last week upgrade it to iOS 8 , and have to say I'm disappointed and not impressed . so I'm still loyal to my macbook on the PC side. But as far as tablet and phone no question in my mind that you get better value and better ecosystem in an android device. I also didn't root my tab, only put on it Google now lquncher and I love it , love the density and sharpness of the screen
Sent from my SM-T320 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Jumping in the thread :
So I got 7 and 10.1 tablets in the past. They both have their strengths and weaknesses but I would like to have your opinions on the 8.4/10.1 Pro more specifically.
By default, I'd go with the 10.1 for the bigger screen and battery especially as it seems quite light, especially in comparison to my past 10.1 devices.
However, the 8.4 seems to have more ROM support and looks more powerful. Plus, the 8.4 format allows a better grip with one hand. But I'm afraid the battery won't hold as much as I want to.
So, here my questions :
- Is there any work done on CM11 for the 10.1 ?
- How comfortable is the 10.1 to hold ?
- Is the 8.4 really much more powerful and snappy ?
Thanks !

DannyBiker said:
Jumping in the thread :
So I got 7 and 10.1 tablets in the past. They both have their strengths and weaknesses but I would like to have your opinions on the 8.4/10.1 Pro more specifically.
By default, I'd go with the 10.1 for the bigger screen and battery especially as it seems quite light, especially in comparison to my past 10.1 devices.
However, the 8.4 seems to have more ROM support and looks more powerful. Plus, the 8.4 format allows a better grip with one hand. But I'm afraid the battery won't hold as much as I want to.
So, here my questions :
- Is there any work done on CM11 for the 10.1 ?
- How comfortable is the 10.1 to hold ?
- Is the 8.4 really much more powerful and snappy ?
Thanks !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to be more specific on the 10.1... For the 10.1 LTE (sm-t525 aka picassolte) CM11 is coming along nicely but for the WiFi only 10.1 (sm-t520) there is no known work on it for CM11.

I was thinking about the Wifi version, sorry. I forgot that the LTE model is also Snapdragon and benefits, I guess, of the work done on the 8.4.

Acutally, I need my tablet for some productivity as well. Mostly, taking meeting notes on the go. Is the 8.4 screen big enough in landscape to do so ?

[Q] Galaxy Tab S or S2 ?

Hi Guys,
My 2012 Nexus 10 is showing its age and I am desperate for a new tablet. I waited so long for Galaxy Tab S2, but I am kinda disappointed with its spec. old 5433 SoC and 4:3 screen with downgraded ppi and resolution ! so I am thinking about Galaxy Tab S, what do you think about it after lollipop update ? I heard many users complained about its lags and underpowered SoC, would you recommend it ? also how is the custom ROM community for it ? I can see there are a couple custom ROMs but are there stable enough to for daily usage ? I remember exynos had very limited developer support, so there was not many great ROMs for exynos devices out there, what do you think ? Galaxy Tab S or S2 ?

The S1 is a masterpiece the S2 is a frankenstein monster, 4:3 spit, virtually mono sound spit, so looks plain jane spit, no camera flash spit, no if-red spit, portrait design spit, I though it was an Galaxy Tab A by the photo`s it looks so cheap.
Exynos version has loads of rom`s, snapdragon version hardly any, If you want stability stick to kitkat, if your fine with flashing have fun with different roms.
John

But what about the lags and stutters on kitkat ? I heard lollipop fixed that. is it true ?

I have had no lag or stutter on my 10.5" kitkat , I had it running continuously for 160 days, I never shut it down or restarted it, I only did a restart to re-calibrate my battery but i had no problems with the battery, it was just maintenance.
But i am not a gamer, I mostly watch video`s and browse the internet for at least an hour every day, but white on an oled display eats the battery, if you do a lot of browsing use night mode or get an lcd tablet.
John.
fifthelement said:
But what about the lags and stutters on kitkat ? I heard lollipop fixed that. is it true ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

hmm. hard question. I personally would not get either right now. The s2 looks like a step backwards in the key areas, the darn screen.
the s has the lovely screen, but unless you can get a decent deal, its too long in the tooth to spend out a lot for.
its so irritating as there are no tabs which tick all the boxes. the experia z3 is good, but the res is lower, but everything else is up to speed.
dont get me wrong, I really do like my tablet, but who knows what is coming out in the next few months, or will be announced. I hope finally there is something which is progress in all areas.

The Tab S2 has a lower resolution screen than the Tab S (both resolution AND PPI), a significantly smaller battery and a marginally upgraded processor.
I'd wait for the true successor to the Tab S - which will likely a more upmarket SAMOLED tablet, priced higher than the Tab S with a full metal body (Like the Galaxy Tab A) and more of a competitor for the iPad.

I prefer plastic to metal, metal is cold and when bent or dented it does not spring back like plastic also it blocks radio waves so you have to have non metal sections to let the waves in and out, Samsung are masters of durable plastic, you can bend the battery cover of their phones almost in two and it will spring back without any damage try that with metal.
John

So I bought my Tab S around a month ago and I have to say I'm in love with it! After seeing the specs of the Tab S 2 I knew straight away the device for me.
The tab s in my opinion tick pretty much every box the only thing I wish was better is the GPU for gaming (not that it plays games badly - they play well enough) but I can be quite picky and if I'm not getting the max FPS from a game I feel upset! Everything else on the tablet is perfect and I'm the kind of chap that sells his devices every couple of months for the latest better version but this is the first device I've come across that I've not even looked at replacing, well worth the £300 I spent for it. The xperia z4 tablet is now out and it's specs are majorly impressive but it's thick bezels I think make it an ugly design, I love the thin sides of the Tab S, another tablet I've been looking at is the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 but again after seeing it in the shop I think it's quite ugly and put a Bluetooth keyboard, mouse and hancom fine with my tab s and it's replaced my laptop, which I'm selling on eBay at the moment as it hasn't been used since I bought my tablet.
I'm a network manager at a school and have used my Tab S for a hell of a lot including connecting to multiple servers and writing 30 page policies. It's a great little device.
I upgraded to Lollipop but I'm using IronRom instead of stock and I have to say it's very stable and very fast. No lag. On antutu I got around the 4100 mark with all my GPU and CPU over locked it's just as powerful as an S5 phone. I'd recommend it to anyone and already multiple family members and the girlfriend have ordered one after seeing mine.
Sorry this was long but I hope it helped

Comes down to a few questions:
Do you value performance. The Exnos 5420 is a 2 year old processor. The 5433/7410 is a 1 year old processor (though it is a 20nn version of the 7420 in the S6)
Do you value battery life. The Tab S2 8.0 has a battery that is 20% smaller than the original tab. It may be that the 20nn processor and smaller newer screen are more efficient but I don't expect better battery life.
Do you value longevity/updates: The Tab S2 is a year newer so it will have its updates discontinued later than the Tab S.
Does display ratio matter to you: If you mostly read, the Tab S2 may be a dream come true. If you mostly watch videos, it's a disaster.
Do you value internal storage: Other than a best buy limited edition model, the Tab S has 16gb storage. The S2 has 32GB.
It seems like the Tab S2 is a Galaxy Note 4 (international) turned into a tablet. The Tab S was the Galaxy Note 3 (international) turned into a tablet.
This is a tough question for me. I re-bought the Tab S 8.4 for 190 (ridiculous deal best buy had a few months ago) after leaving it late last year to try other tablets (The Xperia Z3 Tablet and the Venue 7840). I also bought the Tab S 8.4 on day 1 last year (great deal, $350 for the tablet, Samsung cover, and 16gb sd card) to replace my Tab Pro 8.4 that I bought on day 1. I'm leaning towards getting it if the same deal is in play.

I have asked basic maths for help:
smaller side of t800 is 5.87 inch and of t810 is 5.82 inch...
So I do not see any advantage for browsing in new generation...

rp3 said:
Comes down to a few questions:
Do you value performance. The Exnos 5420 is a 2 year old processor. The 5433/7410 is a 1 year old processor (though it is a 20nn version of the 7420 in the S6)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately yes he is right here as the Tab S processor is a year older, though I find it very quick and non-laggy when using IronRom on lollipop. As stated above the one thing I'd change is GPU performance but remember you always have over clocking when you root!
rp3 said:
Do you value longevity/updates: The Tab S2 is a year newer so it will have its updates discontinued later than the Tab S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best thing about android is that you can flash a custom ROM so updates never bother me as I can always flash a latest build of Cyanogenmod if needs be.
rp3 said:
Do you value internal storage: Other than a best buy limited edition model, the Tab S has 16gb storage. The S2 has 32GB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have 16GB internal storage on my Tab S including a 128GB memory card. Everything including apps is stored on my memory card thanks to the app "foldermount" you must be rooted though, I don't think the Tab S 2 has expandable storage but I could be wrong.

Good Point the S1 beats the S2 in both horizontal and vertical resolution, so the S2 is not really better for browsing, though you have to turn the S1 10.5" to portrait mode as it`s an landscape tablet while the S1 8.4" is an portrait style already.
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/co...ch,Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-S-10.5/phones/9385,8662
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/co...nch,Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-S-8.4/phones/9384,8663
John.
ivanox1972 said:
I have asked basic maths for help:
smaller side of t800 is 5.87 inch and of t810 is 5.82 inch...
So I do not see any advantage for browsing in new generation...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thank you all for your responses and opinions, I guess I would go for a Galaxy Tab S. but I will wait until S2 is released so I can get a good deal. I expect galaxy tab s gets a discount when s2 is released.

S1 - just bought my third for the household, was holding out for the S2 but so glad i did not wait for a iPad Air copy.

This morning I read that the S2 comes with Android 5.0.2 and started to laugh. Seriously 5.1.1 has been out for months including on a few Samsung devices. At the glacial pace that Samsung updates their tablet OS versions Android M will have been out for at least three months before the S2 gets v5.1.1, what a joke.
That on top of an older processor makes you wonder why they even bothered. I'm very happy to have bought my S 10.5 at almost $70 less retail, a few months ago, rather than this laughable new flagship tablet. Samsung's advantage of the best screen technology in the industry is getting sabotaged by very odd engineering decisions. It seems like the tablet division is run by their B team.
Sent from my SM-T800 using XDA Premium HD app

Frankly speaking, I would never buy an S2 over the Tab S. At the moment on the Tab S you can have Lollipop, Xposed, custom kernels with F2FS, and the tablet flies, literally.

Yeah, but with the S2 you have like errr emm eerrr nothing help!!!!
John.
stopa10 said:
Frankly speaking, I would never buy an S2 over the Tab S. At the moment on the Tab S you can have Lollipop, Xposed, custom kernels with F2FS, and the tablet flies, literally.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

www.youtube.com/watch?v=P28m9cwa47E
Samsung tab s2 hands on and comparison with tab s. In English . According to this guy tab s2 has much more per and pricing will be matched to tab S.

ivanox1972 said:
I have asked basic maths for help:
smaller side of t800 is 5.87 inch and of t810 is 5.82 inch...
So I do not see any advantage for browsing in new generation...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the advantage is that is almost the same viewing area but in a smaller and lighter package. Also, much more natural than the awkwardness that 16:10 is in portrait on such a large tablet as the tab S IMO. YMMV.

yohandesilva1 said:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=P28m9cwa47E
Samsung tab s2 hands on and comparison with tab s. In English . According to this guy tab s2 has much more per and pricing will be matched to tab S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That video sure did nothing to change my mind that the S2 is a step backward. Especially the comparison of reading the magazine which showed nothing visually while the video playback did demonstrate the smaller picture and unused screen black bars. Is Samsung going to pronounce, to video watchers, that the black bars on video playback is actually a way to extend your battery life? Which maybe needed as the thinner design and aspect ratio has reduced overall battery size. It is going to be tough to polish a turd and sell it at a flag ship price.
After reading the S2 details I'm still amazed that the OS is v5.0.2 and it does not have the same processor that the S6 phone uses. What were they thinking?
Sent from my SM-T800 using XDA Premium HD app

Upgrading to the Tab S 8.4 from a Nexus 7 - who's done it?

I have owned the Nexus 7 (2013) since early 2014. It's quite nice overall although occasionally the touchscreen becomes unresponsive. It's running stock Marshmallow which is pretty nice. The only shortcoming for me is the 7" screen. I'd like a slightly larger screen but something less than 9". Either an 8 or 8.4 seems about right. I will buy a used tablet and the current 8" S2 models are still more than I want to spend so I'm thinking either a Tab S or a Tab Pro. Leaning towards the S because it's running Lollipop. Just wondering if any 8.4" Tab S owners came from the Nexus 7 and if so, are you happy you made the switch. FWIW, I mainly use it for reading books, web-surfing and a few apps e.g., NYTimes, Flixster, XDA, Facebook, YouTube. I don't play any games. Thanks.

I had a Nexus 7 2012, then a Nexus 7 2013 before coming to the Tab S 8.4. I have had my Tab S since February of last year, and loved it...until the day before yesterday when it bricked. But that is a different story...=(
The Tab S is a great tablet, and was a huge upgrade over either of the Nexus. My only complaints were 1.) the camera is far inferior to the N7 2103's, and 2.) the stock lollipop was so bloated I couldn't stand it. So I rooted it early on, and ran the stock firmware, debloated via Titanium, for well over a year. A couple months ago I switched to AOSP 6.0 because I needed to have adoptable storage. Like any tablet, it is sometimes laggy, etc. But overall the performance, for me, was top notch. I don't play games on my tablet, tho. It is mostly utilitarian for me, websites and spreadsheets, etc. for work, and watching movies and such at home.
I hope this helps.
-A.H.

amateurhack said:
I had a Nexus 7 2012, then a Nexus 7 2013 before coming to the Tab S 8.4. I have had my Tab S since February of last year, and loved it.
I hope this helps.
-A.H.
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Yes it does. Thanks.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Free mobile app

Op, I am curious if you have considered the Nvidia Shield K1 tablet? In USA, the new one is now priced at 200USD. According to a lot of reviews and benchmarks, the K1 has faster internal hardware than either Tab S1 or S2, although its screen colors may be less accurate than those of both Samsung tablets.

Akopps said:
Op, I am curious if you have considered the Nvidia Shield K1 tablet?
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I have not but I'll give it a look. My impression was it's aimed at the serious gamer which I am not. Thanks.

lmacmil said:
Yes it does. Thanks.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Free mobile app
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Don't forget to click that "Thanks" button, then. =)

amateurhack said:
Don't forget to click that "Thanks" button, then. =)
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Done!
Btw, I found your comment "Like any tablet, it is sometimes laggy" very interesting. I have noticed this both on my Nook HD (whether it was running CM11 or CM13) and to a lesser extent, on my Nexus 7 (currently on Marshmallow.) I'm not sure why that is. Sometimes when the Nook first wakes up from sleep, it is sluggish for several minutes until it "warms up." Not sure if this is due to hardware or software or both. FWIW, I never notice that kind of behavior on my Moto X phone.

I had the Nexus 7 (2012 and 2013) and the Tab Pro 8.4 before I got the S 8.4. The AMOLED screen on the S 8.4 is the best feature, so skip the Pro 8.4. Since you're used to AOSP (Nexus 7 and Moto X) you'll probably hate Touchwiz, but that's easily remedied with custom AOSP ROMS on the S 8.4. I love the S 8.4 and I don't plan on upgrading for a while. I don't play games on my phones/tablets either.
Here's a comparison the S 8.4 vs Nexus 7 2013

HKSpeed said:
I had the Nexus 7 (2012 and 2013) and the Tab Pro 8.4 before I got the S 8.4. The AMOLED screen on the S 8.4 is the best feature, so skip the Pro 8.4. Since you're used to AOSP (Nexus 7 and Moto X) you'll probably hate Touchwiz, but that's easily remedied with custom AOSP ROMS on the S 8.4. I love the S 8.4 and I don't plan on upgrading for a while. I don't play games on my phones/tablets either.
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Good info on the Tab Pro vs S. Had been looking at the Pro mainly because they are cheaper, being a little older. Since it will be mainly a reader, websurfer and YouTube video watcher, the older screen may not be a big issue for me. I just bought a Tab S 10.5 for my wife to replace her Nook HD+. I should have it on Saturday so I'll play with it some and see how Touchwiz is. You're right, I'm not a fan of the manufacturers' overlays in general. When it comes to Android, less is more, imo. I'm not averse to flashing a new ROM as long as it's pretty stable. I have only used CM on the Nooks.

lmacmil said:
Good info on the Tab Pro vs S. Had been looking at the Pro mainly because they are cheaper, being a little older. Since it will be mainly a reader, websurfer and YouTube video watcher, the older screen may not be a big issue for me. I just bought a Tab S 10.5 for my wife to replace her Nook HD+. I should have it on Saturday so I'll play with it some and see how Touchwiz is. You're right, I'm not a fan of the manufacturers' overlays in general. When it comes to Android, less is more, imo. I'm not averse to flashing a new ROM as long as it's pretty stable. I have only used CM on the Nooks.
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I forgot the Tab S has 3 GB of RAM versus 2 on the Tab Pro.

Yes. I've made a spreadsheet comparing specs. The RAM and the screen appear to be the main differences, other than the Android versions.
Sent from my Nook HD running CM13 (Android 6.0.1)

Samsung is supposed to announce the availability of the Tab S3 some time soon which means that the prices on the Tab S2 (even brand new one), should start coming down any moment now. That's just my theory.

Akopps said:
Samsung is supposed to announce the availability of the Tab S3 some time soon which means that the prices on the Tab S2 (even brand new one), should start coming down any moment now. That's just my theory.
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I'm in no hurry so I will just wait until the S3 is released. I would actually prefer the 8" to the 8.4" screen anyway so if S2 prices do come down, that would be good.

lmacmil said:
Done!
Btw, I found your comment "Like any tablet, it is sometimes laggy" very interesting. I have noticed this both on my Nook HD (whether it was running CM11 or CM13) and to a lesser extent, on my Nexus 7 (currently on Marshmallow.) I'm not sure why that is. Sometimes when the Nook first wakes up from sleep, it is sluggish for several minutes until it "warms up." Not sure if this is due to hardware or software or both. FWIW, I never notice that kind of behavior on my Moto X phone.
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I've always attributed that to background processes that sometimes wake up while you're using the device. Every "computer-type" device I've owned in the last 30+ years has had some level of lag at times. The only way to eliminate that would be to eliminate multitasking, and who wants that? I did find, after a year or so of heavy use that the lag was getting to be pretty bad, and I realized that I was always running critical on internal storage. I have the 32gb model, and I initially had a 32gb sd card, so I had plenty of storage, but the cache would almost instantaneously take up more than 1gb with all the apps I have installed. So that's why I switched to the AOSP 6.0 ROM, and I upgraded to a 128gb sd card, and adopted it all as internal storage. It hasn't eliminated the lag, but it hasn't been nearly as bad. If you look at some of my previous posts, you can see some of my history with that, if you like.
I'm also happy to say that my tab s miraculously uh-bricked itself today. Minutes ago, in fact. I am one super-happy camper at the moment.
Thanks for the thanks!

amateurhack said:
...and I upgraded to a 128gb sd card, and adopted it all as internal storage.
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I have not heard of this. Is this an Android feature or a feature added to a custom ROM?

It's a feature of Android 6, but you will need a custom ROM to enable it as it is expected that the Samsung stock 6.0 ROM will have it disabled. Just search for "adoptable storage."