Related
Hi,
currently I am thinking about swithing from N7 2012 (grouper) to 8.4 (non-LTE) and I am little bit scared from what I read here or on any other sites...
I read lot about lags, poor performance, these problems were slightly mentioned even in reviews. But when I am reading here how many problems 8.4 user`s have I am thinking of buying Shield Tablet.
Can anybody please provide his own opinion on the 8.4 version? Is really real life performance that bad? - Benchmarks show different things...
Thanks for your replies...
senel said:
Hi,
currently I am thinking about swithing from N7 2012 (grouper) to 8.4 (non-LTE) and I am little bit scared from what I read here or on any other sites...
I read lot about lags, poor performance, these problems were slightly mentioned even in reviews. But when I am reading here how many problems 8.4 user`s have I am thinking of buying Shield Tablet.
Can anybody please provide his own opinion on the 8.4 version? Is really real life performance that bad? - Benchmarks show different things...
Thanks for your replies...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the 8.4 Tab s and performance wise I think it's good. I haven't noticed any lags. I'm not running anything out of the ordinary though. I don't play games on it. Mostly for media consumption. Battery life has also been good. It can comfortably last a day browsing and watching videos.
Quality control on the other hand I'm not too happy about. This is my third Tab S. The first two had a dead pixel, so I exchanged them. On this one no dead pixel, but there's a pink tint on a slight tilt. It's noticeable when I put the Tab S on a desk for example in portrait orientation. Obviously in that case I would be viewing the device tilted since it would be uncomfortable for me to put my head directly over it over the desk.
I am afraid of input lags mentioned here on forums. I'd like the tablet for taking notes and mainly consume content.
I am not hardcore gamer, but sometimes I like to play games like FIFA or Autumn Dynasty.
YouTube videos shows pretty good gaming performance and also pretty significant lags in Touchwiz. Are there really that bad or is was solved by update?
I would say it's pretty decent replacement for Nexus 7. Shield tablet also looks good (and has stylus - big plus) but the display and is not as good.
senel said:
I am afraid of input lags mentioned here on forums. I'd like the tablet for taking notes and mainly consume content.
I am not hardcore gamer, but sometimes I like to play games like FIFA or Autumn Dynasty.
YouTube videos shows pretty good gaming performance and also pretty significant lags in Touchwiz. Are there really that bad or is was solved by update?
I would say it's pretty decent replacement for Nexus 7. Shield tablet also looks good (and has stylus - big plus) but the display and is not as good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TouchWiz has been fine for me. No lag.
senel said:
I am afraid of input lags mentioned here on forums. I'd like the tablet for taking notes and mainly consume content.
I am not hardcore gamer, but sometimes I like to play games like FIFA or Autumn Dynasty.
YouTube videos shows pretty good gaming performance and also pretty significant lags in Touchwiz. Are there really that bad or is was solved by update?
I would say it's pretty decent replacement for Nexus 7. Shield tablet also looks good (and has stylus - big plus) but the display and is not as good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not going to pay 5 dollars to test a game for you, but I would be happy to download fifa14 and any other free game to test for you.
I am getting unbearable lag in Simpsons Tapped Out, so I'm curious to know how other games perform on this tablet. Let me know if any games come to mind that you would like me to test out
senel said:
I am afraid of input lags mentioned here on forums. I'd like the tablet for taking notes and mainly consume content.
I am not hardcore gamer, but sometimes I like to play games like FIFA or Autumn Dynasty.
YouTube videos shows pretty good gaming performance and also pretty significant lags in Touchwiz. Are there really that bad or is was solved by update?
I would say it's pretty decent replacement for Nexus 7. Shield tablet also looks good (and has stylus - big plus) but the display and is not as good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love my Tab S 8.4, but I have two concerns about it:
- Screen homogeneity
- Performances
Let's start with screen homogeneity:
I exchanged the tablet several times and tested some more in stores. All of them were affected by screen homogeneity issues. I am being really touchy here, as it is only visible in specific situations: Extremely dark homogenous images that are not black, looked at in the darkness. The background used for TouchWiz settings for instance si affected: When looking at it in the darkness, I can see a gradiant from a dark deep blue to a lighter, green tinted blue. It looks quite good, but it's a deflect known as "mura effect".
Besides that, this is pretty much a non issue when looking at bright/mixed colors. The colors are vibrant, the contrast increadible, the blacks are black and the viewing angles are excellent. The counterpart is that the low quality of some textures become much more obvious with such a good screen.
Now, the performance part is more annoying:
Coming from a Note 8.0 and a Nexus 7 2013, I was hoping for much better performances on the Tab S 8.4. And I am disappointed.
The unit does to be swifter, but it's lacks smoothness. It could be related to the amount of pixels to display, to the lack of GFX power, to poor Exynos/Firmware optimization, to TW issue... but the result is a lack of perceived performances compared to my previous tablets.
Again, I am being touchy: I am used to perfectly smooth animations on 2013 tablets, and I notice stuttering and slower animations in general on this one. Here are some examples comparing Nexus 7 2013 to Tab S 8.4:
- Opening/Closing windows or apps animation: This one is 100% smooth on the N7, while often stuttering on S 8.4. At its best it can look smooth, but N7 will still look smoother. It also affects fading effects during loading times: In the playstore for instance, when loading a new page the fading effect tends to stutter.
On another hand, apps are loading slightly faster on Tab S 8.4.
- Games: I tested Riptide GP2 and Asphalt 8, and am now installing Fifa 14. Both game are running ok, but suffer from DPS drops. Riptide GP2 automatically goes for average settings, and still doesn't run as smooth as it does on my N7.
- Perfect Viewer (Comics reader) and Moon+ Reader (e-book reader): Two of my favourite apps, both of them are quite obviously running smoother on my N7 than on Tab S 8.4. By smoother, I mean scrolling pages with a higher FPS.
- Web browsing: No issue here, the pages are loading quickly (maybe even faster than on N7)
- Benchmarks: No issues here either. The Tab S 8.4 is a killer in benchmarks, with theorically a good 50% more performances than N7 2013. It looks like the power is there, and is optimized for benchmarks.
- TW scrolling: Extremely smooth, nothing to report here. Every launcher I tried ran smoothly when it comes to scrolling, but all are still affected with transitions during loading times.
As a bottomline, my feeling is mixed up. The power is obviously there, but it looks like only few apps are optimized for it. I hope to see improvement in future firmware, official or not.
Because even through these issues, this is an increadible piece of hardware. Difficilt to handle without a cover (it is too thin, and so are its borders), but well built, extremely slim and with an increadible display. It would definitely be an iPad killer if it was backed up by as much optimization efforts as Apple puts in its devices.
ukael said:
I love my Tab S 8.4, but I have two concerns about it:
- Screen homogeneity
- Performances
Let's start with screen homogeneity:
I exchanged the tablet several times and tested some more in stores. All of them were affected by screen homogeneity issues. I am being really touchy here, as it is only visible in specific situations: Extremely dark homogenous images that are not black, looked at in the darkness. The background used for TouchWiz settings for instance si affected: When looking at it in the darkness, I can see a gradiant from a dark deep blue to a lighter, green tinted blue. It looks quite good, but it's a deflect known as "mura effect".
Besides that, this is pretty much a non issue when looking at bright/mixed colors. The colors are vibrant, the contrast increadible, the blacks are black and the viewing angles are excellent. The counterpart is that the low quality of some textures become much more obvious with such a good screen.
Now, the performance part is more annoying:
Coming from a Note 8.0 and a Nexus 7 2013, I was hoping for much better performances on the Tab S 8.4. And I am disappointed.
The unit does to be swifter, but it's lacks smoothness. It could be related to the amount of pixels to display, to the lack of GFX power, to poor Exynos/Firmware optimization, to TW issue... but the result is a lack of perceived performances compared to my previous tablets.
Again, I am being touchy: I am used to perfectly smooth animations on 2013 tablets, and I notice stuttering and slower animations in general on this one. Here are some examples comparing Nexus 7 2013 to Tab S 8.4:
- Opening/Closing windows or apps animation: This one is 100% smooth on the N7, while often stuttering on S 8.4. At its best it can look smooth, but N7 will still look smoother. It also affects fading effects during loading times: In the playstore for instance, when loading a new page the fading effect tends to stutter.
On another hand, apps are loading slightly faster on Tab S 8.4.
- Games: I tested Riptide GP2 and Asphalt 8, and am now installing Fifa 14. Both game are running ok, but suffer from DPS drops. Riptide GP2 automatically goes for average settings, and still doesn't run as smooth as it does on my N7.
- Perfect Viewer (Comics reader) and Moon+ Reader (e-book reader): Two of my favourite apps, both of them are quite obviously running smoother on my N7 than on Tab S 8.4. By smoother, I mean scrolling pages with a higher FPS.
- Web browsing: No issue here, the pages are loading quickly (maybe even faster than on N7)
- Benchmarks: No issues here either. The Tab S 8.4 is a killer in benchmarks, with theorically a good 50% more performances than N7 2013. It looks like the power is there, and is optimized for benchmarks.
- TW scrolling: Extremely smooth, nothing to report here. Every launcher I tried ran smoothly when it comes to scrolling, but all are still affected with transitions during loading times.
As a bottomline, my feeling is mixed up. The power is obviously there, but it looks like only few apps are optimized for it. I hope to see improvement in future firmware, official or not.
Because even through these issues, this is an increadible piece of hardware. Difficilt to handle without a cover (it is too thin, and so are its borders), but well built, extremely slim and with an increadible display. It would definitely be an iPad killer if it was backed up by as much optimization efforts as Apple puts in its devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your exhaustive post. It gives me pretty good overview over the 8.4 situation and basically confirms my worris. However I`m still tillted towards to buy it.
I read that using 3rd party cases that covers whole back causes back cover deformations. It would be major issue for me if it`s true. Samsung stated that it was SW issue, however many users were complaining about poor plastic used to back cover. So I understand that solution is to OEM cover. Am I right?
And another question: About the year ago Samsung stated that future Exynos 5 power devices (http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/09/samsungs-exynos-5-octa-hmp/) will use 8 cores at same time. This was only mention I found since then. What`s the situation now? Can 8.4 use all 8 cores simultaneously?
senel said:
Thank you for your exhaustive post. It gives me pretty good overview over the 8.4 situation and basically confirms my worris. However I`m still tillted towards to buy it.
I read that using 3rd party cases that covers whole back causes back cover deformations. It would be major issue for me if it`s true. Samsung stated that it was SW issue, however many users were complaining about poor plastic used to back cover. So I understand that solution is to OEM cover. Am I right?
And another question: About the year ago Samsung stated that future Exynos 5 power devices (http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/09/samsungs-exynos-5-octa-hmp/) will use 8 cores at same time. This was only mention I found since then. What`s the situation now? Can 8.4 use all 8 cores simultaneously?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not seen any tab affected by the back cover issues. The quality of the back on mine looks excellent, and feels great.
I personally use the official book cover. It's a little bit heavy, but extremely slim and nicely hardened. Once in position, it has a strong grip on the tab and becomes an efficient support with multiple viewing angles.
senel said:
Hi,
currently I am thinking about swithing from N7 2012 (grouper) to 8.4 (non-LTE) and I am little bit scared from what I read here or on any other sites...
I read lot about lags, poor performance, these problems were slightly mentioned even in reviews. But when I am reading here how many problems 8.4 user`s have I am thinking of buying Shield Tablet.
Can anybody please provide his own opinion on the 8.4 version? Is really real life performance that bad? - Benchmarks show different things...
Thanks for your replies...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey man, I have the SM-T700 rooted and with the SkyHigh kernel, OCed to 2.1GHz, and UVed and it's fully stable, as well and runs cool. I absolutely love it. Build quality is very good, feels solid but light. For me, everything is perfect! It runs games and all apps incredibly. The smoothness of the touch input is the 2nd thing I noticed were very good. The first was the ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL display! I could hardly spot a single pixel from 2 Inches away!! The colors are brilliantly vibrant! I would definitely recommend it for any and all uses. I can't find a single flaw!(and I've tried to!) The book cover case is also very nice, sturdy, and feels good in your hand! Definitely a great choice! Excells in performance and beauty!
---------- Post added at 01:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:15 AM ----------
senel said:
Hi,
currently I am thinking about swithing from N7 2012 (grouper) to 8.4 (non-LTE) and I am little bit scared from what I read here or on any other sites...
I read lot about lags, poor performance, these problems were slightly mentioned even in reviews. But when I am reading here how many problems 8.4 user`s have I am thinking of buying Shield Tablet.
Can anybody please provide his own opinion on the 8.4 version? Is really real life performance that bad? - Benchmarks show different things...
Thanks for your replies...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I take my tablet everywhere! And I have no issues with battery life! Real life performance for me is very good! No hangs or lags with touchwiz for me.
---------- Post added at 01:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:18 AM ----------
senel said:
Thank you for your exhaustive post. It gives me pretty good overview over the 8.4 situation and basically confirms my worris. However I`m still tillted towards to buy it.
I read that using 3rd party cases that covers whole back causes back cover deformations. It would be major issue for me if it`s true. Samsung stated that it was SW issue, however many users were complaining about poor plastic used to back cover. So I understand that solution is to OEM cover. Am I right?
And another question: About the year ago Samsung stated that future Exynos 5 power devices (http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/09/samsungs-exynos-5-octa-hmp/) will use 8 cores at same time. This was only mention I found since then. What`s the situation now? Can 8.4 use all 8 cores simultaneously?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep! The little cores take on smaller tasks while the big ones do the heavy lifting.
Once more, thank you guys for feedback.
Today, I ordered tablet, price was little bit ridiculous in my country - almost $600 for non-LTE variant, lol.
Next problem is cover, Samsung does not sell their`s covers in my country and I dont want to pay another $80 - $120 on ebay for Samsung book cover or flip cover.
Can somebody recommend me good cover? I am thinking about this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Baseus-Leather-Case-Cover-with-Sleep-function-For-Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-S-8-4-T700-/281400790543?pt=US_Tablet_eReader_Cases_Covers_Keyboard_Folios&var=&hash=item4184cb4e0f
Which is preferable? Screen and etc? Anyone's opion is awesome!
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
LG shaped better and easier to hold. Battery life seems slightly better on the S3. S5 bloatware seems to negatively affect operation more than on G3 - G3 also has 3gb of ram (S5 has 2gb). G3 keyboard more accurate and convenient. G3 resolution specs look really high on paper, but fonts often seem a bit washed out/blurry...overall I'd say the S5 has a slightly better screen. G3 screen noticeably larger. G3 camera better and more responsive. I'll let others add to this and share their thoughts, but I feel like the S3 is definitely a better overall value.
Sent from my Verizon LG G3 using XDA Premium HD app
Brava27 said:
Which is preferable? Screen and etc? Anyone's opion is awesome!
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S5 has an E-fuse that blows when you root the phone, permanently voiding your warranty. LG G3 can be reflashed to stock rom/unrooted and returned.
I have to say that I love my S5 but finally got to get my hands on a G3 about a half hour ago and it is a beautiful phone. Did not see any of the lag issues or sharpening issues that are being reported but I only got to play with it in store for a little bit. I would be lying if I didn't say that I am having a little envy towards the G3 right now. Developer support would be one worry I would have with the G3 since I do like to flash custom ROMs after having my phone for a while.
Tapped It!
Just came from an S5. The camera and battery are the only benefit, and one of those (battery) can be made much better on the G3. I do have to say I'm largely unimpressed by the ability to take good pictures with the G3. Its not the worst, but the S5 has an amazing camera.
S5 seems a little faster through the launcher, but loading apps and swapping back and fourth between them isn't much difference.
Had battery issues with my G3 until removing carrier IQ, freezing apps, and installing greenify. Now its every bit as good as my S5 on batter (running G3 at 50% auto brightness).
Double-tap screen on/off is a nice feature that I found myself doing after turning on the S5 last night and messing with it again.
Screen goes, hands-down, to the G3. I don't have(or don't see) the sharpening effect that everyone complains about. I also don't see the digitizer like some people say they can.
I think ROM support will come eventually, but its fine just rooted and cleaned up. Great phone and I'm liking it more and more each day.
Be ready for funny reactions/faces when people ask about why you switched from the S5 to some "LG thing".
Had it for a day, traded for the g3, never looked back, this screen, the snappiness, the camera, and the lack of bloat to me just combines together to make the best phone right now
I got the G3 a couple of days ago, my wife has had the GS5 for a couple of months both on Sprint. One of my concerns about the G3 was battery life, but I found them to be about the same. I removed a lot of bloat from the G3, but found it impossible to do the same with the GS5 without root. In use both are snappy, but the SG5 interface feels more cluttered and clunky. Side by side both running Nova, they are equivalent. The same goes for the camera, the G3 feels cleaner and snappier but side by side? They are equally fast, maybe the G3 focuses a teeny bit faster but not of any consequence in my use. Both have outstanding camera output and I couldn't say one better than the other. Both are good overall choices, but the G3 feels cleaner, snappier and more modern although this is more perception than reality. Certainly the GS5 has more gimmick features that we don't use (HR monitor, fingerprint reader, crap load of "S" apps) while the G3 has a few that I find compelling (knock codes, clip tray, ear to answer). I came from a Note 2 which I liked just fine. I thought about upgrading to the GS5 when my wife got hers, but it didn't feel that much different than my N2, just a bit faster. When I bought the G3 I was 50-50 that I was going to return it based on published screen and battery issues. After 2 days of use, I'm for sure keeping it. It made my N2 feel clunky and old.
I currently have the Note 3 and even though I have to admit, it is an awesome phone when it's rooted and loaded with a custom ROM/Kernel. With that being said, I just don't use the features that make the phone different to the rest, such as the stylus.
I could say that maybe 3-4 times, I've used the stylus, that's it. And lately the dropped calls and the phone as a whole, is getting bit long on the tooth.
Seeing that I really don't need a stylus and the phone is I want to say, a "tad" too big for my hands; is the LG G3 a good phone to switch to?
Would it be an upgrade for me? Or more like a lateral move or perhaps even a downgrade?
Suggestions, advices?
BTW, is it hard to root the LG G3?
I have a note 3 and in the same boat as you. I absolutely despise amoled screens and that's the reason I want to move to lg g3. However, I don't know how I feel about the back minted buttons add I often use my phone on the desk and back mounted buttons can be an issue
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
I've had all 3 Notes. I loved the phone. I didn't use the S-Pen that much either. I bought the Note 1, 2 and 3 purely on specs and screen size. Other manufacturers kept an eye on the Note sales and seen they were doing good. Now there is plenty of competition in the 5.5" plus category. If you switched from the Note 3 to to the LG G3 I really don't think you would be disappointed. It's a sweet device. Especially the knock on knock off for the screen.
---------- Post added at 09:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:30 PM ----------
nohcho said:
I have a note 3 and in the same boat as you. I absolutely despise amoled screens and that's the reason I want to move to lg g3. However, I don't know how I feel about the back minted buttons add I often use my phone on the desk and back mounted buttons can be an issue
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NO issue at all, you can tap to turn on screen, as well as turn it off, there is a option for a volume slider in the notification area. I hardly ever use the buttons.
I cant speak for the note 3 but i do love my g3. The specs are better than the note 3 and it doesnt feel as bulky. Only thing the note 3 has is 64 gb opposed to 32 gb memory. But throw an sd card in and your good. The screen on the g3 is awesome plus the camera is pretty legit too. Hope this helps
Sent from my LGLS990 using XDA Free mobile app
nohcho said:
I have a note 3 and in the same boat as you. I absolutely despise amoled screens and that's the reason I want to move to lg g3. However, I don't know how I feel about the back minted buttons add I often use my phone on the desk and back mounted buttons can be an issue
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you hate about the AMOLED screens? I really like the deep blacks when watching a show or movie. It's amazing to see just pitch black where it's supposed to be black.
From what I read, the back buttons take a bit of getting used to until mucle memory kicks in, and it then feels very intuitive. I think I could get used to that.
But back to the screen, what are the pros of the IPS screen over the AMOLED one?
budco2000 said:
I've had all 3 Notes. I loved the phone. I didn't use the S-Pen that much either. I bought the Note 1, 2 and 3 purely on specs and screen size. Other manufacturers kept an eye on the Note sales and seen they were doing good. Now there is plenty of competition in the 5.5" plus category. If you switched from the Note 3 to to the LG G3 I really don't think you would be disappointed. It's a sweet device. Especially the knock on knock off for the screen.
---------- Post added at 09:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:30 PM ----------
NO issue at all, you can tap to turn on screen, as well as turn it off, there is a option for a volume slider in the notification area. I hardly ever use the buttons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, seems like everyone is raving about that knock on knock off feature. I agree, the Note 3 is indeed a great phone but I just feel that I'm not the person for it. In other words, like I'm not getting the max potential out of it.
AviatorBimmer said:
What you hate about the AMOLED screens? I really like the deep blacks when watching a show or movie. It's amazing to see just pitch black where it's supposed to be black.
From what I read, the back buttons take a bit of getting used to until mucle memory kicks in, and it then feels very intuitive. I think I could get used to that.
But back to the screen, what are the pros of the IPS screen over the AMOLED one?
Yea, seems like everyone is raving about that knock on knock off feature. I agree, the Note 3 is indeed a great phone but I just feel that I'm not the person for it. In other words, like I'm not getting the max potential out of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also a fan of AMOLED. I like the deep blacks and the vibrant colors. The G3 LCD screen is not bad at all. I've had the last 2 generations of the Nexus 7 so I'm used to both screen types.
AviatorBimmer said:
What you hate about the AMOLED screens? I really like the deep blacks when watching a show or movie. It's amazing to see just pitch black where it's supposed to be black.
From what I read, the back buttons take a bit of getting used to until mucle memory kicks in, and it then feels very intuitive. I think I could get used to that.
But back to the screen, what are the pros of the IPS screen over the AMOLED one?
Yea, seems like everyone is raving about that knock on knock off feature. I agree, the Note 3 is indeed a great phone but I just feel that I'm not the person for it. In other words, like I'm not getting the max potential out of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I do agree that amoled screens display deep blacks and all, but thats just part of a story. The fact still stands that amoled screens aee not very accurate color reproducesrs, blue whites, power consuption when displaying anything other than dark colors, burn in issues.
People love deep blacks beacause those pixels are completely shut of. But oversaturation is an issue that still persists on amoled screens. So thos are my gripes.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
nohcho said:
While I do agree that amoled screens display deep blacks and all, but thats just part of a story. The fact still stands that amoled screens aee not very accurate color reproducesrs, blue whites, power consuption when displaying anything other than dark colors, burn in issues.
People love deep blacks beacause those pixels are completely shut of. But oversaturation is an issue that still persists on amoled screens. So thos are my gripes.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that and those are valid concerns, though I don't hold those high in my list of things when it comes to displays. Personally, I will look for perfection when it comes to the projector in my home cinema which powers my 135", 16:9 screen. For the occasional movie or show I might watch on a 5" screen, I don't worry about oversaturation or if the color hue is a bit off. But that is just me and I respect your opinion.
I got the Note 3 with Sprint as soon as it came out last year, Oct 2013. I was the same as you and only used the stylus for a few months before I didn't use it anymore, just didn't really need to or remembered that I had it. The Note 3, with my added case, was a bit too bulky in my hand and my hands are large. After a while of holding it while reading the news or books, my hand would start to cramp. It's a nice phone but just a tad too large to hold and carry in one's pocket.
Holding the G3 is a A LOT better and easier over the Note 3 and the screen is just about as large (0.2" smaller IIRC from the Note 3). It feels a lot more comfortable, even with the a tad bulky Supcase Beetle case on it. Makes a helluva difference on the train, holding the phone in one hand and the pole in the other.
Though, it was a bit unusual to get use to the G3 colors and screen, coming from the extremely saturated Note 3 AMOLED, especially since I had kept it on extra saturated mode (forgot it was on that) for months. The G3 screen looks a bit washed out compared to the Note 3, but you get use to it after a week, as I did. It did win an award for best RGB color representation, if that matters to you.
As with you, I left Sprint due to the very poor coverage, bad call quality and dropped calls. Tmo is much, much better and the G3 call quality is great, especially when it even tells you on a call if the call is HD Voice or not, it'll let you know. It does have Wi-Fi calling and it *might* get the VoLTE later this year if you're in a market with it or soon will be.
I did root my G3 with Purple Drake and it was the easiest root ever I have ever done with rooting my phones in the past 5yrs over seven separate device models since I started rooting, and it's just unbelievably easy and quick to do with the G3 and thecubed's Windows zip. You won't realize it till you actually root it and go "Wow, that was easy."
Also, I changed the DPI on my two G3's to 560 and the screen is much better to navigate and doesn't look so cluttered over the 640 stock DPI, looks much more streamlined and smooth, but you can change it from 530-640 for your tastes. It's a great screen, but the icons are a bit too large and the Notification panel needs to be scrolled once you just get a few popups, but the new DPI fixes that.
There is an app called G3 Tweaksbox that unlocks and lets you modify PLENTY of features and more on the G3 after you root it and install the Xposed installer. I am still using the free version but will be buying the premium ($1.50), as there are plenty more features unlocked with it and very well seems worth it.
Even with the lack of a full ROM for the Tmo G3 so far, the G3 Tweaksbox makes it almost negligible with the features is gives.
The G3 feels just as smooth as the Note 3 and once I cleaned off the bloatware and other programs and processes, it runs smooth and purrs with battery life comparable to the Note 3. I always had my Note 3 on 100% brightness and I'm getting the same battery life on the G3 with the same settings and all on it.
Coming from the Note 3 to the G3, it does take a little learning curve with the rear buttons, cause I kept reaching for the side power button or the hard Home button. But, once you get use to the buttons and layout, it's a wonder you never thought of this layout earlier.
Add in the Knock-On and you're going to be using it nonstop. The one part I did find a bit annoying was when I had my phone flat on the desk all day, face up, I couldn't access the power button to restart. But, I just installed QuickBoot and dropped a widget for Reboot and use that for a super quick restart without having to flip or pickup the phone.
It's good and it's snappy, I don't think you'll be disppointed but not entirely sure you'll be wow'd by it, coming from the Note 3. If you were coming from a earlier generation phone (like the HTC One M7, that my wife had), you'll be really surprised by it, as she was.
But I haven't complained about it, so that, in my opinion, makes it good, because if it wasn't, I would be swapping it for another device.
The one thing you might not like is the extra sharpening on the text that LG did for some extremely odd reason. It only appears with a semi dark background, like white text on gray or vice versa, the text gets a halo effect. You can find plenty of threads about that on here, it's not too distracting and you get use to it after a while, but it's not overly distracting or straining.
That's my opinion on it, if you root and clean up the bloatware and make some easy changes, I think you'll be happy with the phone and what it can and will do.
Any other questions, I'll try and answer them if I can.
AviatorBimmer said:
What you hate about the AMOLED screens? I really like the deep blacks when watching a show or movie. It's amazing to see just pitch black where it's supposed to be black.
From what I read, the back buttons take a bit of getting used to until mucle memory kicks in, and it then feels very intuitive. I think I could get used to that.
But back to the screen, what are the pros of the IPS screen over the AMOLED one?
Yea, seems like everyone is raving about that knock on knock off feature. I agree, the Note 3 is indeed a great phone but I just feel that I'm not the person for it. In other words, like I'm not getting the max potential out of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One major concern of AMOLED is burn.
Fortunately, I did not have any even after 9 months of use (some look pretty bad on G Flex).
JustLok said:
I got the Note 3 with Sprint as soon as it came out last year, Oct 2013. I was the same as you and only used the stylus for a few months before I didn't use it anymore, just didn't really need to or remembered that I had it. The Note 3, with my added case, was a bit too bulky in my hand and my hands are large. After a while of holding it while reading the news or books, my hand would start to cramp. It's a nice phone but just a tad too large to hold and carry in one's pocket.
Holding the G3 is a A LOT better and easier over the Note 3 and the screen is just about as large (0.2" smaller IIRC from the Note 3). It feels a lot more comfortable, even with the a tad bulky Supcase Beetle case on it. Makes a helluva difference on the train, holding the phone in one hand and the pole in the other.
Though, it was a bit unusual to get use to the G3 colors and screen, coming from the extremely saturated Note 3 AMOLED, especially since I had kept it on extra saturated mode (forgot it was on that) for months. The G3 screen looks a bit washed out compared to the Note 3, but you get use to it after a week, as I did. It did win an award for best RGB color representation, if that matters to you.
As with you, I left Sprint due to the very poor coverage, bad call quality and dropped calls. Tmo is much, much better and the G3 call quality is great, especially when it even tells you on a call if the call is HD Voice or not, it'll let you know. It does have Wi-Fi calling and it *might* get the VoLTE later this year if you're in a market with it or soon will be.
I did root my G3 with Purple Drake and it was the easiest root ever I have ever done with rooting my phones in the past 5yrs over seven separate device models since I started rooting, and it's just unbelievably easy and quick to do with the G3 and thecubed's Windows zip. You won't realize it till you actually root it and go "Wow, that was easy."
Also, I changed the DPI on my two G3's to 560 and the screen is much better to navigate and doesn't look so cluttered over the 640 stock DPI, looks much more streamlined and smooth, but you can change it from 530-640 for your tastes. It's a great screen, but the icons are a bit too large and the Notification panel needs to be scrolled once you just get a few popups, but the new DPI fixes that.
There is an app called G3 Tweaksbox that unlocks and lets you modify PLENTY of features and more on the G3 after you root it and install the Xposed installer. I am still using the free version but will be buying the premium ($1.50), as there are plenty more features unlocked with it and very well seems worth it.
Even with the lack of a full ROM for the Tmo G3 so far, the G3 Tweaksbox makes it almost negligible with the features is gives.
The G3 feels just as smooth as the Note 3 and once I cleaned off the bloatware and other programs and processes, it runs smooth and purrs with battery life comparable to the Note 3. I always had my Note 3 on 100% brightness and I'm getting the same battery life on the G3 with the same settings and all on it.
Coming from the Note 3 to the G3, it does take a little learning curve with the rear buttons, cause I kept reaching for the side power button or the hard Home button. But, once you get use to the buttons and layout, it's a wonder you never thought of this layout earlier.
Add in the Knock-On and you're going to be using it nonstop. The one part I did find a bit annoying was when I had my phone flat on the desk all day, face up, I couldn't access the power button to restart. But, I just installed QuickBoot and dropped a widget for Reboot and use that for a super quick restart without having to flip or pickup the phone.
It's good and it's snappy, I don't think you'll be disppointed but not entirely sure you'll be wow'd by it, coming from the Note 3. If you were coming from a earlier generation phone (like the HTC One M7, that my wife had), you'll be really surprised by it, as she was.
But I haven't complained about it, so that, in my opinion, makes it good, because if it wasn't, I would be swapping it for another device.
The one thing you might not like is the extra sharpening on the text that LG did for some extremely odd reason. It only appears with a semi dark background, like white text on gray or vice versa, the text gets a halo effect. You can find plenty of threads about that on here, it's not too distracting and you get use to it after a while, but it's not overly distracting or straining.
That's my opinion on it, if you root and clean up the bloatware and make some easy changes, I think you'll be happy with the phone and what it can and will do.
Any other questions, I'll try and answer them if I can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW, thanks for taking the time for writing up such a nice and elaborate post. [emoji2]
I will definitely swing by TMO and check it out in person.
From what it seems, there really isn't even a need to install a custom ROM on it. With that app you mentioned, you can tweak your rooted phone and leave it running like a nicely, streamlined, custom ROM, sort of speak. Kudos for that.
Thanks again, buddy!
BTW, is the UI way better than TouchWiz?
I also came from Note 3.
The hardware is far superior than other high end models, but only G3 is comparable.
I don't want M8 because the battery is not removable (I have to replace battery once sometimes).
The reason why I jumped ship is Samsung's attitude. N900T only supports six languages and there's no other "hidden" languages. I am absolutely fine with English, but I'd prefer Trad Chinese interface (my native), but G3 has a lot of different languages even with Japanese and Arabic.
Note 3 screen is good and the contrast is unlimited, but G3 isn't bad at all. The only downside is mine has "cold" tint under outdoor sunlight. Viewing angle on G3 is pretty close to 180 degree without discoloration.
Even the screen is slightly smaller than Note 3, the total size of G3 is smaller and easier to handle (I have big palm and I can hold Note 8 with single hand).
Tap to wake (Knock on) is a pretty useful feature which I just tap twice to wake the phone though I just press home button on Note 3 to wake, but pressing home button causes some mis-operation sometimes in the bag.
Battery is slightly better on Note 3 (3.2Ah vs 3Ah), but it doesn't matter much because the battery is removable.
Both supports FAT64/SDXC.
Note 3 supports MHL2.0 but G3 does not, but Chromecast comes handy if you want to mirror screen to TV.
Calling quality on G3 is second to none. Wi-Fi calling on G3 is same as with cellular; Note 3, on the other hand, Wi-Fi calling is BAD (fading voice, chopping, distortion).
Though VoLTE isn't available on G3 at this time, I'd disable it because I hear nothing with VoLTE where the network is busy, so I have to use UMTS for cellular calling instead.
USB3 does not have much advantage on Note 3. If you have 2A or higher USB power supply, you can't tell the difference when charging.
Speakerphone and music playback is much louder on G3 (this reminds me S3 day which has exceptional speaker quality) than Note 3.
G3 can get hot easily when browsing internet continuously or playing CPU intensive games. It's same problem as S3 but G3 has thermal throttling. Note 3 seldom has overheat problem.
Music playback quality over headphones G3 is better with 192kbps ogg than Note 3, but the music may stutter (it's rare) when the unit is acquiring signal while Note 3 does not have such problem.
Angry Birds Star Wars and Angry Birds Star Wars II cannot be downloaded from Play Store, but it works fine after sideloading.
I personally prefer G3 over Note 3 though both have top notch hardware.
Good to hear all different inputs. I'm still undecided though. Note 3 is a serious piece of equipment that still holds up very well. But the smaller size on g3 May win me over as the Note 3 is just stupid big.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Awesome thread so far!!! Nothing better than to read experiences from people just like me and in a similar situation. I agree, the decision is tough because the Note 3 is no slouch! LOL
JustLok said:
I got the Note 3 with Sprint as soon as it came out last year, Oct 2013. I was the same as you and only used the stylus for a few months before I didn't use it anymore, just didn't really need to or remembered that I had it. The Note 3, with my added case, was a bit too bulky in my hand and my hands are large. After a while of holding it while reading the news or books, my hand would start to cramp. It's a nice phone but just a tad too large to hold and carry in one's pocket.
Holding the G3 is a A LOT better and easier over the Note 3 and the screen is just about as large (0.2" smaller IIRC from the Note 3). It feels a lot more comfortable, even with the a tad bulky Supcase Beetle case on it. Makes a helluva difference on the train, holding the phone in one hand and the pole in the other.
Though, it was a bit unusual to get use to the G3 colors and screen, coming from the extremely saturated Note 3 AMOLED, especially since I had kept it on extra saturated mode (forgot it was on that) for months. The G3 screen looks a bit washed out compared to the Note 3, but you get use to it after a week, as I did. It did win an award for best RGB color representation, if that matters to you.
As with you, I left Sprint due to the very poor coverage, bad call quality and dropped calls. Tmo is much, much better and the G3 call quality is great, especially when it even tells you on a call if the call is HD Voice or not, it'll let you know. It does have Wi-Fi calling and it *might* get the VoLTE later this year if you're in a market with it or soon will be.
I did root my G3 with Purple Drake and it was the easiest root ever I have ever done with rooting my phones in the past 5yrs over seven separate device models since I started rooting, and it's just unbelievably easy and quick to do with the G3 and thecubed's Windows zip. You won't realize it till you actually root it and go "Wow, that was easy."
Also, I changed the DPI on my two G3's to 560 and the screen is much better to navigate and doesn't look so cluttered over the 640 stock DPI, looks much more streamlined and smooth, but you can change it from 530-640 for your tastes. It's a great screen, but the icons are a bit too large and the Notification panel needs to be scrolled once you just get a few popups, but the new DPI fixes that.
There is an app called G3 Tweaksbox that unlocks and lets you modify PLENTY of features and more on the G3 after you root it and install the Xposed installer. I am still using the free version but will be buying the premium ($1.50), as there are plenty more features unlocked with it and very well seems worth it.
Even with the lack of a full ROM for the Tmo G3 so far, the G3 Tweaksbox makes it almost negligible with the features is gives.
The G3 feels just as smooth as the Note 3 and once I cleaned off the bloatware and other programs and processes, it runs smooth and purrs with battery life comparable to the Note 3. I always had my Note 3 on 100% brightness and I'm getting the same battery life on the G3 with the same settings and all on it.
Coming from the Note 3 to the G3, it does take a little learning curve with the rear buttons, cause I kept reaching for the side power button or the hard Home button. But, once you get use to the buttons and layout, it's a wonder you never thought of this layout earlier.
Add in the Knock-On and you're going to be using it nonstop. The one part I did find a bit annoying was when I had my phone flat on the desk all day, face up, I couldn't access the power button to restart. But, I just installed QuickBoot and dropped a widget for Reboot and use that for a super quick restart without having to flip or pickup the phone.
It's good and it's snappy, I don't think you'll be disppointed but not entirely sure you'll be wow'd by it, coming from the Note 3. If you were coming from a earlier generation phone (like the HTC One M7, that my wife had), you'll be really surprised by it, as she was.
But I haven't complained about it, so that, in my opinion, makes it good, because if it wasn't, I would be swapping it for another device.
The one thing you might not like is the extra sharpening on the text that LG did for some extremely odd reason. It only appears with a semi dark background, like white text on gray or vice versa, the text gets a halo effect. You can find plenty of threads about that on here, it's not too distracting and you get use to it after a while, but it's not overly distracting or straining.
That's my opinion on it, if you root and clean up the bloatware and make some easy changes, I think you'll be happy with the phone and what it can and will do.
Any other questions, I'll try and answer them if I can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What did you use to change your DPI. I want to try 560 as well. Not sure if I should use an app, xposed, or just change it in the build prop with root explorer
budco2000 said:
What did you use to change your DPI. I want to try 560 as well. Not sure if I should use an app, xposed, or just change it in the build prop with root explorer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
W A R N I N G:
MAKE SURE YOU BACKUP YOUR DEVICE!!!!!
Once you have you phone rooted, edit build.prop the following line:
Code:
ro.sf.lcd_density=640
to
Code:
ro.sf.lcd_density=560
I am currently using the Nexus 5 and looking at changing to the G3. I have used this program to change the dpi size on the nexus 5. It might work on the G3
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.texdroider.texdroider_dpi
I agree with @JustLok and @mingkee.
I had two Note 3s. The first one would not hold a signal at my house, and I live 25 minutes from downtown Houston. The second Note 3 was no better. So I decided to switch to another OEM. The G3 is a little easier to use one-handed. I always used two hands with the Note 3 because I was afraid I would drop it. But I can comfortably use the G3 with one hand.
As others have noted, the G3 colors are not nearly as saturated as AMOLEDs, but you probably won't miss that after a few days. I had a GNex, Galaxy S3, Note 2 and Note 3, and I don't miss the overblown colors (but I do miss the inky blacks). I got my G3 on release day and have not had any overheating issues, but I don't play a lot of heavy 3D games.
Rooting the G3 is brain-dead simple, thanks to PurpleDrake. And spending $1.50 for the full version of G3 TweaksBox is a no-brainer too. If you used Wanam Xposed on the Note 3, then G3 TweaksBox is an absolute must have. Most people spend that much on soda or junk food every day, so $1.50 is a bargain for something that enhances your phone every day.
Call quality is exceptional, especially on Wi-Fi. UI lag is virtually nonexistent if you install a good launcher like Nova and reduce window animations (under main settings > Dev Options)
Battery life is good, but not the best. My Note 2 and Note 3 had slightly better battery, but the G3 lasts all day, so that is really all I need. I think the Note 3 and Galaxy S5 have better cameras, but the G3 is very close.
In the end, it just depends on your priorities. If you like the extra Note features, then stick with the Note 3 or wait for the Note 4. But if you want something a little more compact without sacrificing screen size, and runs all day without lag, then the G3 deserves a look.
After having the G3 for a few weeks now and on my 2nd one since the first one was a lemon. I don't regret it at all. It's actually easier to hold one handed compared to the N3, battery isn't as good as a N3 and IMHO I prefer the AMOLED screen more. But the G3 is still a very good device and the keyboard is awesome.
What I miss the most from the N3 is the stylus for work and SHealth. I wished LG Health was similar to SHealth is all the options it has but it does its one job very good.
G3 is worth the purchase of you're looking for something different.
Not to be a sick in the mud but the note 4 release isn't too far away, I would wait to see what they offer. I am thinking of getting the g3 as well if the note 4 doesn't wow me.
First of all I would like to begin by stating I am an Android hardcore fan and by no means an Apple fanboy.
With that out of the way I need your help.
I want to buy an android tablet. I was very excited and pre-ordered the new Nexus 9 (currently own the Nexus 7). However after reading the first reviews that came out that talked about the device having serious screen light bleed and overheating I quickly changed my mind and cancelled my order.
So the next thing I did was try to find another good android tablet. I really like the hardware Samsung offers but I really HATE touchwiz. I like my Android stock as google intended. Yet at least in my opinion there is no other good offerings for 10" android tablets out there apart from the Galaxy Tab S (ok I really liked Sony Xperia Z2 tablet but its almost impossible to find).
Never had anything made by Samsung before (tried to stay in the Nexus line of things) because I wanted to stay away from touchwiz and all the bloatware other companies inflict uppon android.
So I went down to a brick and mortar store to see the Galaxy Tab S up close and see if I liked it.
The hardware, build quality and screen are perfect! So here comes the bad part.
I put it to the lag test. I restarted the device, cleared the memory from running apps, removed all widgets and shortcuts from the desktop and loaded up Chrome. Opened two tabs. One for the Verge and one for Phonearena. Waited for the sites to load and when finished tried to quickly scroll through. The thing choked! I mean it lagged and could not keep up with the scrolling. Parts of the website had to be loaded again while I was staring at a blank screen waiting for the tablet to catch up to my scrolling. I do this with my Nexus 7 and the thing keeps up like a champ! I would expect that a device with the specs of the Tab S would fly.
I tried a nearby ipad air (not even 2nd gen) and scrolling was smooth as butter with no lag at all. I also then realised that there was about 10 apps running in the background on the ipad as I had forgot to clear the memory.
Don't know if this is just a chrome problem but I'm really nervous about the lag on this device. And yes I am very picky when it comes to such things. Even the slightest hickup will drive me crazy!
I don't want to buy an ipad cause as I said I want an android device.
What would you do if you were me?
Would you take your chances with the Nexus 9, wait for another tablet to come to market or even go for an ipad?
I am also considering using different roms on the Tab S but its kind of a big risk as it costs a lot of money and I am not sure how good other roms will work on this device.
Anyway sorry for the long post and I am waiting for any answer you give me. Thank you.
Chrome is very laggy for some android devices. It has gotten worst after each update. Yet I dont use chrome and the stock browser works well. This has an amazing screen though.! I get 8 hours battery life while watching youtube. If you would like to root.. You can remove the lag from the bloatware. And the lag is also from touchwiz launcher. I use nova launcher and its much better. As of now we do have a unoffical CM11 custom rom. And as of now android L should be coming within a couple of months or maybe early 2015. So.. The lag maybe removed in android L but it may take a while for it to come to the tab s. The tab s is really light but the edges hurt my hand when holding it landscape. It is also great at watching youtube videos and the video fills up the whole screen vs the ipad doesnt. The screen is also bright at night even on 1/4 brightness. But as of roms, we have a few right now and are still being developed on. The thing is if you drop this tablet and the screen breaks.... You will have the pay for the whole screen, not just the glass. This tablet has knox too. So if you trip knox installing a rom then you have no warrenty. If your worried about price, try looking into some other samsung tablets! There are so many to chose from for your needs. Hope this helps!
First thing you want to do is get rid of chrome get firefox it's flawless on this tablet, next thing would be get a different launcher to replace touchwiz. I absolutely love nova prime but there are many to choose from so just do some research. Once you have done this your tablet will be way better then the ipad imo. If you want to root be warned in advance that there is this virtual circuit breaker called knox and once it trips you have voided your warranty something I wished I knew beforehand.
I was in a similar situation, I had a nexus 7 but used an LG g pad 8.3 and decided I would prefer the extra screen size as I do a lot of media watching. I was hoping for the nexus 9 but was put off by the 4:3 and its overall weight etc. so I opted, slightly reluctantly for the tab s 8.4.
I also hate touchwiz and instantly swapped out the launcher to nova, alas I don't like google now launcher on tablets as it messed up the bbc weather widget... The system does also lag at times and I did also notice it on chrome on some sites, it would just not do anything until it was all loaded up. I used the beta which seemed a little better and just put up with it. Its weird though as it flies through things like app installs but chokes on things like pressing the home button. Now personally I dont care, its just a stutter but its there.
So sadly there is not a perfect solution at the moment, the nexus 9 seems to have its issues which I hope quickly clear up. The tab s is probably the best bet, but its also got its issues. I do hear they are bringing out a version with a better snapdragon chip which might help.
it does have an amazing screen though, which makes me forgive most of its issues! not the no led notification though, I wont forgive them that omission My 8.4 came with a £50 play voucher (well will when it arrives) and that made the decisions easier for me, the relative cost came down into the worth a punt bracket. While im glad I did, its a shame there is little out there for the larger screens for those who want a top notch product with zero flaws.
I was on the nexus 9 fence for quite awhile. I even order and cancelled THREE times!
The Samsung Tab S is or was $404.00 on Amazon so I pushed the button and I'm more than happy with Me decision.
The screen is beautiful, Lollipop will be coming a little after the first of the year,and the build of the device (i bought the white one) is very nice.
The Tab S 10.5 is the best device for the money at this time.
Sound a lot like me OP. I was so set on getting the Nexus 9, pre-ordered one on Amazon, but couldnt wait for delivery so I went to Best Buy and bought one there to play with while I waited for the Amazon order to be delivered. The one I bought from Best Buy had all the issues that some people had been talking about. Overheating was the first thing I noticed right from the start, then after I read the reviews about the back cover being easily pressed in and making a creaking sound, I noticed mine does the same thing, and the cherry on top was right after I bought it for the full $399 plus tax, HTC went and did their "fire sale" and slashed the price to $199 for a limited time/limited quantity and that confirmed my decision to return it and cancel my Amazon order, which I ended up doing reluctantly. Android 5.0 was pretty amazing though and the tablet, at least for me, was the perfect size for portability/comfort for media consumption/web browsing. (Although the 4:3 aspect ratio wasnt the best for netflix/movies both on the tablet and when mirroring the tablet to my tv via chromecast since when mirrored to my tv i would have two black bars on both sides of the screen
I had a nexus 7 before i bought the nexus 9, but it was just too small for web browsing. Screen was amazing on it and build quality was great. I bought an ipad air (first gen with A7 processor), and while the build quality is better than any other tablet in the market and it was an overall very fluid, smooth and lag free experience, iOS isnt for me. Too limited, not enough customizability and since i have an android phone I'd rather stick with an android tablet for better continuity and syncing between my devices. Played with the ipad air for a few days and returned it.
After returning the ipad I decided to pick up the samsung tab s 8.4 . While the screen is great, samsungs bloatware ruins the tablet IMO. Just like you, even the slightest stutter or lag drives me crazy . Chrome definitely was slow and scrolling was choppy. I had it rooted with CF-Auto root, and even after disabling/erasing samsung bloatware and changing the launcher to nova launcher, it still wasnt as fluid and smooth as I want so i returned it. The Tab S is feature packed, but still feels slow and laggy compared to the ipad air i tested for a couple days. With 3gb of ram and the pretty decent processing power, I expected ipad like performance but it definitely fell short.
Now I'm looking at picking up the ipad air 2 but first reading through the forums to see if there are ways to sync my android phone to the ipad.
Why cant we just have a tablet with:
8-9" screen with a 16:9 or similar aspect ratio, 1080p or higher resolution
SD card expandable
Vanilla/Stock Android 5.0 L
Front Facing Speakers
Front/rear facing cameras (not THAT important)
Good build quality
2-3gb ram
Good/fast processor
Sounds like I'm describing the Nvidia Shield from those specs (except for android 5.0), but even the Shield has had some negative reviews dealing with both wireless connectivity issues and build quality defects (cracking trim around the tablet due to heat)
Is that so hard? lol..sorry for the rant
princecharming88 said:
Sound a lot like me OP. I was so set on getting the Nexus 9, pre-ordered one on Amazon, but couldnt wait for delivery so I went to Best Buy and bought one there to play with while I waited for the Amazon order to be delivered. The one I bought from Best Buy had all the issues that some people had been talking about. Overheating was the first thing I noticed right from the start, then after I read the reviews about the back cover being easily pressed in and making a creaking sound, I noticed mine does the same thing, and the cherry on top was right after I bought it for the full $399 plus tax, HTC went and did their "fire sale" and slashed the price to $199 for a limited time/limited quantity and that confirmed my decision to return it and cancel my Amazon order, which I ended up doing reluctantly. Android 5.0 was pretty amazing though and the tablet, at least for me, was the perfect size for portability/comfort for media consumption/web browsing. (Although the 4:3 aspect ratio wasnt the best for netflix/movies both on the tablet and when mirroring the tablet to my tv via chromecast since when mirrored to my tv i would have two black bars on both sides of the screen
I had a nexus 7 before i bought the nexus 9, but it was just too small for web browsing. Screen was amazing on it and build quality was great. I bought an ipad air (first gen with A7 processor), and while the build quality is better than any other tablet in the market and it was an overall very fluid, smooth and lag free experience, iOS isnt for me. Too limited, not enough customizability and since i have an android phone I'd rather stick with an android tablet for better continuity and syncing between my devices. Played with the ipad air for a few days and returned it.
After returning the ipad I decided to pick up the samsung tab s 8.4 . While the screen is great, samsungs bloatware ruins the tablet IMO. Just like you, even the slightest stutter or lag drives me crazy . Chrome definitely was slow and scrolling was choppy. I had it rooted with CF-Auto root, and even after disabling/erasing samsung bloatware and changing the launcher to nova launcher, it still wasnt as fluid and smooth as I want so i returned it. The Tab S is feature packed, but still feels slow and laggy compared to the ipad air i tested for a couple days. With 3gb of ram and the pretty decent processing power, I expected ipad like performance but it definitely fell short.
Now I'm looking at picking up the ipad air 2 but first reading through the forums to see if there are ways to sync my android phone to the ipad.
Why cant we just have a tablet with:
8-9" screen with a 16:9 or similar aspect ratio, 1080p or higher resolution
SD card expandable
Vanilla/Stock Android 5.0 L
Front Facing Speakers
Front/rear facing cameras (not THAT important)
Good build quality
2-3gb ram
Good/fast processor
Sounds like I'm describing the Nvidia Shield from those specs (except for android 5.0), but even the Shield has had some negative reviews dealing with both wireless connectivity issues and build quality defects (cracking trim around the tablet due to heat)
Is that so hard? lol..sorry for the rant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree too. Like the tab s has a great screen but it kills the battery more as you watch videos. I have no lag because I used greenify to hibernate my apps after i exit them. For me only chrome lags because as of each update it gets worse. Firefox works without any lag. We now have cm11 which doesnt lag too.
DUHAsianSKILLZ said:
I agree too. Like the tab s has a great screen but it kills the battery more as you watch videos. I have no lag because I used greenify to hibernate my apps after i exit them. For me only chrome lags because as of each update it gets worse. Firefox works without any lag. We now have cm11 which doesnt lag too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forgot to mention I also tried greenify on the tab s and also removed a bunch of other apps after i had it rooted and still got a bit of lagging. Again, I'm the type that if there is lag/stutters it just ruins the tablet consumption experience for me. I'm mostly using the tablet when I'm on the couch after a day of work/school and dont want to wait for apps to load up forever, sounds pompous of me but if I'm paying $400 + for a device i think its a fair expectation everything will work smoothly out of the box without having to do anything else to it/
I use tapatalk and news+ (rss) heavily and scrolling is jerky. I switched to nova launcher, I've rooted (voided my warranty) and debloated and greenified, the lag is still there.
I have an old iPad 3. Spec wise the S leaves it in the dust. And yet whenever I pick it up I'm amazed at how smooth it is, considering it's running an OS two generations newer than it is. The rss app which looks a lot like news+ (or news+ looks a lot like it) just scrolls through tons of images like it's nothing.
If it weren't for the screen I'd ditch this thing in a second. Basically the S is like a girl who is so hot you put up with all her craziness.
What tablet on the market has the next best screen? for me the quality of the screen is the draw. I was amazed when I saw one on display at Costco a few months ago. Part of the problem is I'm going out of town next week and really wanted a newer tablet to take on the road so I can leave my heavy laptop at home. I have an original Nexus 7 but it's pretty slow.
I hear that in South korea they remade the tab s a bit with less lag. But the new tab s is only in south korea. Like the model is different but has a bit better specs to handle the lag.
barth2 said:
If it weren't for the screen I'd ditch this thing in a second. Basically the S is like a girl who is so hot you put up with all her craziness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perfect analogy to describe the tab S LOL. The screen is pretty amazing, but I'd rather have the girl who is cute, sane and gives great head
princecharming88 said:
Perfect analogy to describe the tab S LOL. The screen is pretty amazing, but I'd rather have the girl who is cute, sane and gives great head
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol! Well my girl (Tab s) has a great screen, good battery life, isnt crazy or laggy, has a nice looking butt(back cover), is rooted sadly because i made it happen, and runs really fast. She is really smart and is someone o can talk too. Idk about your girl(tab s) but mine is da bomb. Lol
wth is going on here anyway I also remember someone telling me the tab s was crap because of its benchmarks. which I remembered after watching a couple of hours of films on my flight on such a quality screen.
Yes it has some lag, big deal. Yes it would be better if it wasn't there but compared to the alternatives, there is nothing out there which ticks all the boxes and doesnt appear to be any on the horizon. Its a shame the price doesnt come down or they gloablly do the £50/$75 google play voucher as that makes it decent value for the specs. Its not just the screen, its the size and weight. Its the same damn weight as the nexus 7 and not much bigger at all, but packs in the 8.4 screen and QHD. all easy to hold in the one hand for long periods.
the nexus 9 is 425g compared to 300g of the 7 and tab s. thats almost 50% heavier and for me whos uses the tab for hours a day, thats a big deal. plus (im amazed to say this) I think lolipop is a step backwards. Its about looks and not function, which is the kinda thing I avoided apple for. 4.4.4 would be ideal for me, does the job perfectly without stupid design icons and white all over the place. anyway, thats my rant over
I love my tab s. The screen is where its at!
I really don't understand this obssession people have with smooth scrolling. One of the fist things I do with my desktop browsers is disable smooth scrolling. Whenever I let someone play with my N5 to check it out, the first thing they do is scroll through the 5 pages on my app drawer, and then proceed to say "yeah, it's pretty fast" before handing it back to me. Not once do they open Youtube or a game or some random app to see how the phone really performs.
Having said that, the Tab S LTE (10.5) performs like a champ. The S-AMOLED is absolutely gorgeous, build quality is top notch. Yes, it has a plastic back, but that makes it thin and light. I'm not complaining.
The only downside I can see is the dead custom ROM scene for the Exynos chip. That makes me effectively stuck with stock ROM + Nova Launcher for the life of the device.
I'm so satisfied with my purchase that I'm seriously considering buying a second one (8.4) to take with me on the road.
From what I read in another thread it sounds like Samsung is going entirely to Exynos, which means all of us with Samsung tablets will be SOL for ROM development. They'd rather us an in house chip than pay the extra cost for an outside chip. I love the build and screen, but don't really have any particular allegiance to Samsung.
I'm still waiting to hear more news about the Dell Venue 8 from the 7000 series. It is supposed to be released this month, but I haven't seen any recent information on it.
Thanks for the heads up on that dell tablet. I was really close to buying a tab s. That dell looks sweet though and it has the same screen. I wish we had a release date and price.
I don't get it. Everyone complains about Chrome in favor of Firefox. But I, on my Tab S 10.5, see Chrome being much smoother than Firefox, in terms of loading and scrolling the page. Chrome is flawlessly smooth in most pages (except some very heavy ones), Firefox however lags - even heavily - on pretty much most pages.
Hi,
I have got the LG G3 now and this is my first impressions.
Its a really nice looking phone, it feels vary premium. I would however hope that the finish was not that shiny, it attracts smudges and gives a bit of a cheap look in light(have the gray version).
Out of the box the phone is vary laggy, its really, really bad! After a 4-5 updates the phone is up to date and there is almost no lag anymore. By switching out the stock launcher to nova launcher I get vary good flow but there is still places in the phone that will lag. I would say that the lagg is simular to my old Samsung S3(also on stock with nova launcher).
The default GUI is in my opinion vary dull, icons looks old and cheap, the Phonebook, Dailer and so on feels dated. The nova launcher icon switch to lollipop makes the icon nice but the phonebook and dailer still looks the same.
The main reason to switch the launcher is that on the original launcher a big part above the button row icons(where the dots for the screens is) will not react when you try to swipe left, right. This is really bad becouse on a big phone like this its a comfortable place to scroll the screens. I runned in to this several times, I swiped and nothing happened before changing the launcher.
The screen is big and good enouth but it does not impress, My old Samsung S3 LTE have a more "popping" image, more colors and ALOT better black!? The Samsung S3 got a Super Amoled. The extra pixels do give a higher sharpness but its not that visible if you dont look for it.
The buttons on the back feels like a good way to go but after some use, Im not that sure. I often press the photolins instead of the vol up button and then the phone is laying on its back there is no way to fast change vol or turn on/off the screen!? You could tap it to wake but I have head that most user have hade to turn this off becouse it unlocks in the pocket. A regular placement of the vol and power button make it alot easier to use on the sides when the phone is laying flat.
Talking about laying flat, the back is not flat so its hard to do things on the phone while it is placed on a table or anything like that, it will tilt alot more then other phones.
I have compared the startup of diffrent apps with Nexus 5 and Samsung S3 LTE. Both new startup and cached starupt and the Nexus 5 with lollipop is ALOT faster and smother in most cases, I hope that this is due to the Android version. Comparing Samsing S3 LTE and the LG G3 there is vary little diffrence even while there are several years between them so I most say that the manufacture are good at hyping hardware that is not that much better.
I do really like the Samsung S3 LTE feel ove the LG G3 but the Samsung S3 LTE have old software and this is really the only thing that holds the phone back according to me. Nexus 5(also from LG) feels cheep right out of the box and can´t be compared(and should not) with the LG G3, the software is however alot smoother compared to both S3 and G3.
Im not really sure what to do at this point, switch the G3 for a OnePlus or stick with it. I like the wireless charging in G3, I have however not tested it so maybe its to slow to replace regular loading? The OnePlus will probably have a more updated software and also mor like the Nexus stock(if you want). Not sure if you lose the warrenty to install custom rom on the OnePlus as you do with the LG but the suport is so bad(from what I heard) so it will probably not matter.