My contract is already up,and I have some questions about the note. For those of you using the note for a while. Is the note's size an issue or is it totally worth having even though the note is a very big phone? Screen quality how is it? Is it a fast phone? If you didn't have the note, would you buy it again? Call quality? I'm thinking about buying one tomorrow, and I wanted your input on the phone. Feel free to add any info that could be useful about the phone. Thanks guy's.
lildoggs said:
My contract is already up,and I have some questions about the note. For those of you using the note for a while. Is the note's size an issue or is it totally worth having even though the note is a very big phone? Screen quality how is it? Is it a fast phone? If you didn't have the note, would you buy it again? Call quality? I'm thinking about buying one tomorrow, and I wanted your input on the phone. Feel free to add any info that could be useful about the phone. Thanks guy's.
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Click to collapse
The size is really overblown on a lot of web reviews. It is comfortable to hold, fits into all of my pants pockets just fine, is really awesome when browsing the web, and the size allows for the larger battery.
I have had the Note for a month now and do no ever see myself returning to a smaller screen.
The resolution is beautiful, but there are some issues with gradients and dark scenes in movies so be sure to walk into a store when buying it so that you can run some tests on the phone they are going to sell you. There is a thread here about black clipping with a lot of great tests to try out. Some Notes are worse than others.
I love the call quality on the Note. The only downfall is that you really have to lower the volume while in a call unless you don't mind folks around you hearing it. The ear speaker is very loud.
As far as speed goes...that really depends on your phone. I have seen posts where people are experiencing lag even though I haven't personally experienced any of it.
I started off with the white Note, but returned it due to the soft keys having bad light bleeding at night. They can be turned off, but it bugged me so now I have the black/blue one.
Also, try out the stylus. I didn't realize it until I exchanged my Note, but the stylus on the first one was really laggy and unresponsive. I thought it just sucked until I got the second Note. It should be snappy and precise.
I am now running DAGr8's ICS rom and have turned the DPI down to 240. It really enhanced the phone by making the resolution smaller which in turn gives you more space for widgets, icons, etc.
lildoggs said:
My contract is already up,and I have some questions about the note. For those of you using the note for a while. Is the note's size an issue or is it totally worth having even though the note is a very big phone? Screen quality how is it? Is it a fast phone? If you didn't have the note, would you buy it again? Call quality? I'm thinking about buying one tomorrow, and I wanted your input on the phone. Feel free to add any info that could be useful about the phone. Thanks guy's.
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Click to collapse
Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. The Note is large, yes, but very easy to hold and get used to due to how thin it is. Screen quality is unmatched by anything out there in my opinion. The combination of Gorilla Glass, Super AMOLED, and 720p resolution are really awesome. Some people say they have lag, but I have not had or used a faster Android device. Also, if you are in an LTE area, you get that awesome speed too. If I didn't have it, I would still be drooling over it. I got lucky and got it for half off, but if I hadn't, I would still be waiting a couple months until summer to buy it, which I definitely would again. Call quality is also great, and speakerphone is also loud and clear.
Now for the other things I highly commend the Note for. The SPen is awesome. You may think it's gimmicky, but you would be wrong. It's great for jotting down quick notes while on a call. Great for making funny captions on pictures before you send them. Great for navigating the phone. Great for Swyping with the tablet Swype beta. Great for taking screenshots. Also, we now have ICS, which brings some new and exciting features, my favorite being face unlock. I really can't recommend this phone enough. People may say, wait for the gs3 or one x, but I don't see the attraction. We already have ICS, and those other phones are small compared to the Note, and won't have the SPen. You may think the size is too big, but you get used to it really easy, and my nope had now ruined any smaller of a device. Also, battery life is the best I've experienced on any Android, besides the RAZR MAXX, but who wants a Moto phone anyways?
Really, the only way I would upgrade to another phone is when the Note 2 comes out. I don't have a single complaint, and this screen is killer.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk
To answer your questions.
Is the note's size an issue or is it totally worth having even though the note is a very big phone?
I came from a Streak, I'm a BIG guy and the phone sits well in my hands. My gf has freakishly small hands and she says it's too big for her hands, but loves the fact that she can put it into her purse and can easily find it. It does look silly holding up to your head and talking though.
Screen quality how is it?
Personally I think the screen quality is great for a 5.3" device. A lot of people are complaining about black crush (there's a good thread on it) and while it's there, personally it isn't enough to bug me, I've watched low res videos for a long time and it just doesn't bug me anymore.
Is it a fast phone?
A lot of people are complaining about lag on their phones and yes I can see it there from time to time but I run 2 RSS feed readers, 5 email accounts, 2 weather widgets, and quite a few other things. The device is speedy, I can play games like shadowgun without the hint of lag, when i tell the phone to do something it might think about it for an 1/16 of a second then away it goes. So is the phone fast? I say yes it is.
If you didn't have the note, would you buy it again?
In a heartbeat
Call quality?
I love it, it's clear and easy to hear people, except my gf, she has the original droid and that thing has a TERRIBLE mic and speaker. a lot of our fights have been caused by her phone . Again it does look silly when you hold it to your head, but I've never been one to shy away from looking silly.
In short, depending on what you want to do/replace with the phone I'd say buy it. I use mine to manage 100 servers and RDPing into them while on the move which it does a great job on. I can read docs on the go and pull up webpages to prove people wrong and they can read them without having to hold my phone.
Lastly, if you're in one of those great states that charge you tax on the full price of the phone (in this case 700 smackers), look for a Sam's Club. I bought my phone on release day from them for 260 and with tax it was under 300.
Thanks for posting these questions. I have my upgrade available later this month and I am strongly considering the Note.
What I want to know is, as far as anyone can tell, is there a color or build location that seems to have fewer problems overall? I have seen a few places that people seem to think the white ones are less laggy. There was some speculation that the China Notes have less black crush. I'm pretty color neutral on these. I just want to be able to look at the box and get a sense that the one they give me has a better chance of being issue free.
How in the hell would the color of the plastic around the phone affect performance? :what:
That's like painting flames on your car to make it go faster.
Black crush is fixed in ics
studacris said:
How in the hell would the color of the plastic around the phone affect performance? :what:
That's like painting flames on your car to make it go faster.
Black crush is fixed in ics
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First, Black Crush is not fixed in ICS, they just lowered the point of full black so it would appear better. The dropoff is still severe, but it is less noticeable. I don't own the device but I have been following these things very closely.
Second, I did not come up with the color thing. It is based off what I was reading. In this case it is not at all like painting flames and expecting something to go faster. They very well might come off different assembly lines with different QA and different physical runs of parts. I know its a longshot, but that is why I am asking if anyone can verify. I realize it is more likely that the Chinese vs. Korean Notes may exhibit some differences. Again, I am asking in the Q&A section to be sure.
knight4led said:
First, Black Crush is not fixed in ICS, they just lowered the point of full black so it would appear better. The dropoff is still severe, but it is less noticeable. I don't own the device but I have been following these things very closely.
Second, I did not come up with the color thing. It is based off what I was reading. In this case it is not at all like painting flames and expecting something to go faster. They very well might come off different assembly lines with different QA and different physical runs of parts. I know its a longshot, but that is why I am asking if anyone can verify. I realize it is more likely that the Chinese vs. Korean Notes may exhibit some differences. Again, I am asking in the Q&A section to be sure.
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From what I've read the only issue that seems different between the white and black is the micro crack that people have in the white ones. It seems spread wide on who has a good one and who has a bad one. So to be fair I can understand where studacris is coming from on the color. As for the black crush, I can't say either way as I'm running completely stock non-rooted, but I'd imagine that if it's hardware related then no it wouldn't be fixed with ICS, if it's software related, other phones would be experiencing the same issue. Lastly I guess a good question would be who bought their phone where and if it's running poorly or not to see if there's a correlation with the batches.
Hey guy's thank-you for posting your opinions and thoughts about this phone. If you have anything else to post please do so and I'll be here checking out this thread as the day rolls on.
I had a Streak for over a year, and I wouldn't have replaced it with a device with a smaller screen. Think about what you do/want to do with your mobile device. If you mostly use it for talking on, than maybe the Note is not for you. But if you do a lot of email, Web surfing, navigation, playing games, etc. than after you've used a Note for a week you'll never want to use a smaller device again, and you'll wonder how you ever did before
I have a white one and my phone rarely shows any lag, and my quadrant scores ate just as high as anybody's...not that wouldn't means much, but people seem to obsess over it. There isn't any difference between the two except that micro crack thing, although I'm sure that could also be a problem with the black version. I say that, because a similar crack would be nearly impossible to see in black plastic. When I had my old iPhone 3g, I exchanged it multiple times due to the problem that they had with cracking around all of the ports, and it was really only visible with the white ones. I looked at multiple black ones that friends had, and they all had the cracks, but you basically had to look at them with a magnifying glass in the right light to see the cracks. Therefore, I think it may be the same case with the Note.
Really, I can't recommend this phone enough. I dare a manufacturer to try and top it, because that would be a hell of a feat in my eyes.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk
Related
I was playing around with this phone at a Verizon store today and noticed weird fuzziness on text & around icons. I thought there was something wrong with my eyes at first, but then realized none of the other phones in the store were doing it. I then went to another RAZR that was on display and it was the same way also. I could see it holding the phone roughly 2ft away... granted, if I extended my arm out I couldn't tell anymore.
wow though.. when. saw all the reviews of people comlaining about the screen I didn't realize how bad it actually is. granted, I don't wear glasses & have 20/20 vision so I'm not sure if everyone is affected. you'd think they would at least have some sort of blur filter to mask it.
What are you talking about.... I compare my razr with high brightness setting with my gf iPhone 4s, beat the retina display
Sent from my DROID RAZR using XDA App
No problems with my display, looks great all day all night. Came from atrix though, so maybe thats the deal.
I cant see any Pentile effects until its less than 1 foot 3in away. Past that I dont see it anymore. My viewing distances is between 1ft 3in and 1ft 9 in. If you can see it at 2 feet away....you have very good, exceptional eye sight.
And when I say I can see it...thats the closest distance I can start seeing it if I focus on the icon edges and texts. And it seems to be certain color texts on certain color backgrounds. Cuz on my home screens I can see the effect real good. I tried a website and I cant see it at all.
Actually....I must have short arms too cuz at 2 feet away thats like almost at the extreme length of my arms. EDIT...Ok...sitting down I use the phone about at that distance...lol. But stretched out in front of me its uncomfortable.
As far as it being bad, real bad, extremely bad...lol. Everybody's entitled to their opinion.
Hey....at extreme closeness for me, yea its bad around icons and texts. But thats at extreme closeness....for me. To me...some ppl make it out like the entire screen looks like a screen door. Thats not the case. I also think everyone doesnt have the same viewing distances to see the effects. And I have pretty decent eye sight. So you will see some ppl that dont see it at all, period. And some that see it like you do.
So how do ppl tolerate it? The ppl that dont, cant see it....there is nothing to tolerate. Ppl that can see it under specific conditions...like me...those specific conditions are not normal use for me. Like viewing angles of most LCD screens on phones. They wash out, fade bad. I always look at my phone screen straight on. So Amoled viewing angles dont really matter unless you are trying to show ppl things on your phone. Noprmally I would want them to see the phone screen straight on anyway. Its all about specific conditions...
jroc said:
I cant see any Pentile effects until its less than 1 foot 3in away. Past that I dont see it anymore. My viewing distances is between 1ft 3in and 1ft 9 in. If you can see it at 2 feet away....you have very good, exceptional eye sight.
And when I say I can see it...thats the closest distance I can start seeing it if I focus on the icon edges and texts. And it seems to be certain color texts on certain color backgrounds. Cuz on my home screens I can see the effect real good. I tried a website and I cant see it at all.
Actually....I must have short arms too cuz at 2 feet away thats like almost at the extreme length of my arms. EDIT...Ok...sitting down I use the phone about at that distance...lol. But stretched out in front of me its uncomfortable.
As far as it being bad, real bad, extremely bad...lol. Everybody's entitled to their opinion.
Hey....at extreme closeness for me, yea its bad around icons and texts. But thats at extreme closeness....for me. To me...some ppl make it out like the entire screen looks like a screen door. Thats not the case. I also think everyone doesnt have the same viewing distances to see the effects. And I have pretty decent eye sight. So you will see some ppl that dont see it at all, period. And some that see it like you do.
So how do ppl tolerate it? The ppl that dont, cant see it....there is nothing to tolerate. Ppl that can see it under specific conditions...like me...those specific conditions are not normal use for me. Like viewing angles of most LCD screens on phones. They wash out, fade bad. I always look at my phone screen straight on. So Amoled viewing angles dont really matter unless you are trying to show ppl things on your phone. Noprmally I would want them to see the phone screen straight on anyway. Its all about specific conditions...
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yeah... if your eyes don't notice it its not a problem. similiar thing happened when I traded in a couple of Sony PSP 2001 models so I could grab the new 3001 model. I could see big time intrrlacing/scanline effects all over the screen(mainly when there was a lot of motion). I took it back complaining and the guy at the counter said he couldn't see it.... yet I found a bunch of forums/reviews of people specifying that they had the same experiences as me.
oh, and at 2ft away I could just barely notice it... but at about 1ft away it really bothered me and kept feeling like there was something wrong with my eyes. damn though, the phone does look & feel really cool.
btw, my eyes may be good, but my hearing is crap from years of partying & dj'ing. everytime someone talks to me I'm all "pardon?"...
Why do people that don't own the phone, or are not considering it, feel compelled to start a whole thread to complain about it?
Sent from my DROID RAZR using xda premium
I don't notice any problems. The text looks good to me.
Gave me a headache the first day I used it. Seem to have adapted to it now. Increasing the size of text in commonly used apps helped a lot.
Sent from my Motorola RAZR
I have both the Rezound and Razr.. Razr is good, better than Bionic.. but after the Rezound, everything else is just ok now.
Is this the first pentile you have seen, or a loaded thread?
Most reviews actually like the display in relation to the actual bad reviews of the display. I agree there are better displays like the Rezound, but the Razr display is not as bad as implied. Does look funky next to the Rezound though.
yea, went to verizon to compare rezound and razr sceens last week. first went to razr and it looked really good. then to rezound with the wavy dots live wallpaper and was amazed. walked back to razr and instantly saw all the pentile dots everywhere. it all changes with perspective.
maybe its the crack you were smoking... this screen is fantastic! is it perfect? nope, but which one is?
voxigenboy said:
I was playing around with this phone at a Verizon store today and noticed weird fuzziness on text & around icons. I thought there was something wrong with my eyes at first, but then realized none of the other phones in the store were doing it. I then went to another RAZR that was on display and it was the same way also. I could see it holding the phone roughly 2ft away... granted, if I extended my arm out I couldn't tell anymore.
wow though.. when. saw all the reviews of people comlaining about the screen I didn't realize how bad it actually is. granted, I don't wear glasses & have 20/20 vision so I'm not sure if everyone is affected. you'd think they would at least have some sort of blur filter to mask it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw no problems with the screen, and actually found it very crisp... IDK what u saw hoenstly, maybe its 20/180 vision u have?
CoNsPiRiSiZe said:
I saw no problems with the screen, and actually found it very crisp... IDK what u saw hoenstly, maybe its 20/180 vision u have?
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May be he just saw lock screen. Yes you can saw pixels clearly on blur lock screen. But after unlock it is fine.
Sent from my XT910 using Tapatalk
Razr's screen is great once your eyes adapt to it which usually takes a day. Rezounds screen might be better but i am not sure if it can produce colors like razrs. Plus dont forget that rezound is 2x thicker than razr.
wardo5757 said:
maybe its the crack you were smoking... this screen is fantastic! is it perfect? nope, but which one is?
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Click to collapse
iPhone 4... Sorry but its true. Getting my razr today and I'm praying I can tolerate the display. I've been trying to get rid of my iPhone for a while now, because it's driving me insane. (great hardware, no awesome hardware, but iOS? Lol what a crappy OS).
But every android I had so far just sucked. S2? Ugly as hell. sensation? Are you serious with that display?
And now the razr. I really hope third ones the charm. Was thinking about galax nexus but no sd card is a no go. Why is it so hard to make a good phone? Somewhere around a 4" screen, notification led, sd card slot and a display that doesn't give you a headache when you're reading an article for 20 minutes.
Would get the rezound, but for some reason I do not understand it's not coming to Europe...
voxigenboy said:
I was playing around with this phone at a Verizon store today and noticed weird fuzziness on text & around icons. I thought there was something wrong with my eyes at first, but then realized none of the other phones in the store were doing it. I then went to another RAZR that was on display and it was the same way also. I could see it holding the phone roughly 2ft away... granted, if I extended my arm out I couldn't tell anymore.
wow though.. when. saw all the reviews of people comlaining about the screen I didn't realize how bad it actually is. granted, I don't wear glasses & have 20/20 vision so I'm not sure if everyone is affected. you'd think they would at least have some sort of blur filter to mask it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went to one Verizon Store and the Screen looked Great!!! I went to another Verizon Store and it did not look as good as the other. What I am saying to you is that in every store the screens on the RazR can change.
If you compare the RAZR display to the SGS2 one, the only problem is that RAZR is PenTile Matrix while SGS2 is RGB.
RGB looks really better (only for resolution), while the RAZR's PenTile (not an OLD PenTile, it's a new one, the pixels are really small compared to the oldies...like ATRIX as well) is better: better vibrance, better colors, better resolution.
It's bad at the beginning, but if you use it for a couple of days, you'll see it isn't bad!
Ask yourself why most of these complainers who try to throw some **** to RAZR's fantastic display, dont even mention that their phones' poor signal reception, call quality and low speaker volume, cheap build quality, erratic battery issues in their own forums ?
Just my 2cents.
pswin09 said:
May be he just saw lock screen. Yes you can saw pixels clearly on blur lock screen. But after unlock it is fine.
Sent from my XT910 using Tapatalk
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And I really think that the lock screen is done by design. If you look closely at the area with no letters or numbers it looks like mesh. Look at the area while you are unlocking thats not part of the lock screen, around the lock icon, and it looks clear. Like look at the notification shade when its pulled down. You can see thru it and it looks like mesh. I think its by design.
Like on the Bionic's lock screen and car dock screen.
Hi all. I am thinking about buying a Titan to replace my Focus but i haven't followed this phone too closely and i would love some input.
The Focus is a great size and Windows Phone is fantastic but it feels like a Samsung, meaning cheap and plastic. Also I would like a front facing camera.
Most of my phones have been HTC and I miss the quality feel of an HTC device. I'm concerned about the size of the device and whether it will fit well in my pocket. Spec wise it isn't much bigger than the HD2 but that doesn't always tell the whole story.
Anyway the reason for posting is to ask whether there are any known issues to be aware of, are there any model or versions to look for when buying second hand and is there a working unlock for this device?
Lastly has anyone made the move from the Focus to the Titan and if so what are your thoughts?
I think alot of people with the AT&T Titan is having issues. The only issue I have right now is that the WiFi randomly loses the connection so I gotta go into settings>wifi and just let it search, it finds the hotspot and automatically connects to it again. Annoying.
I have a Titan on AT&T, as does my girlfriend. We have had zero issues so far. Call quality could be a little better, but overall I have no complaints about the device. It definitely feels solid and quality built when handling it, and has a decent heft to it that you obviously don't get with plastic devices.
I'd say if you are looking to make the switch, go ahead and do it. From what I have experienced, it's a great device. I came from a GS2 on Sprint and the size of this phone actually does not bother me. I am 5'9" tall with "normal" sized hands and I can still perform all functions on this device with one hand.
I have the same experience: came from the Focus and haven't looked back. I don't have the connection issues many experience, but I agree that the call quality is horrible. I've never had so many people have trouble hearing me - it's almost unusable on speaker phone because nobody can understand me. Fortunately, I hate being on the phone.
Another thing is that my wife has dropped her Focus hundreds of times and it always breaks apart on impact with minimal damage. I don't drop my phone often, but I had the same experience with my Focus. Of course, when I was getting used to the size of my Titan, I did drop it once, just one day before my case arrived. Naturally, there was a huge gouge in the metal body. It's solid, but it's not as forgiving as the "cheap, plasticky" Focus.
Oh, so one other point: the Titan is huge, initially, but you get used to it really quickly. I laugh when people talk about how 4.7 is too big, and that it might as well be a tablet, that phones will start shrinking again. (http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/44717/nokia-big-screens-are-stupid) I'm not so sure...this phone, because of its thinness, is easy to get used to. It now feels "normal" size and my wife's Focus feels "dinky." ...and the Focus screen wasn't all that tiny either!
Here are some of my early gripes with the Titan, but it's pretty much outdated at this point, because I really have very few gripes anymore about this awesome phone. And at a penny (same price I paid on Black Friday), you canNOT go wrong.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1372056
Thanks. If the price is right I’ll probably pick one up.
One other thing I’m curious about. I started with WP7 using the original dft rom on an HD2 and I thought the screen response and especially the keyboard were outstanding. I’m less impressed with the responsiveness of the Focus. I’ve seen mixed comments about the Titan, anyone have current thoughts about this?
Will_nonya said:
Thanks. If the price is right I’ll probably pick one up.
One other thing I’m curious about. I started with WP7 using the original dft rom on an HD2 and I thought the screen response and especially the keyboard were outstanding. I’m less impressed with the responsiveness of the Focus. I’ve seen mixed comments about the Titan, anyone have current thoughts about this?
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Click to collapse
I think the screen of the Titan is a bit unresponsive/slow compared to my iPhone in terms of tracking the finger. iPhone tracks it 100% correct and fast while the Titan seem to either struggle or have a speed limit on the screen.
Will_nonya said:
Thanks. If the price is right I’ll probably pick one up.
One other thing I’m curious about. I started with WP7 using the original dft rom on an HD2 and I thought the screen response and especially the keyboard were outstanding. I’m less impressed with the responsiveness of the Focus. I’ve seen mixed comments about the Titan, anyone have current thoughts about this?
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Is a penny the right price? ATT has it on sale again. I had a Focus. I moved to the Titan. I had all the issues mentioned,lol. I did all the fixes mentioned in this forum and I'm tickled pink. I gave my Focus to my girlfriend. Had my Titan since December. Yesterday my girlfriend wanted my to add something to her phone. When I grabbed the Focus, I couldn't believe how tiny it looked. I had trouble typing on the keyboard because the letters looked so small. Titan has ruined me! I can't get a smaller phone,lol.
ArtieQ said:
I think the screen of the Titan is a bit unresponsive/slow compared to my iPhone in terms of tracking the finger. iPhone tracks it 100% correct and fast while the Titan seem to either struggle or have a speed limit on the screen.
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ArtieQ, my experience with the iphone obviously differs from yours but ill take the point as "it could be better"
I went and played with a Titan today and i was pretty impressed with it until i changed it to the same green theme in had on the Focus. The colors were completely different. Ive always thought that the Focus was a bit much but in a direct comparison the Titan seems to go to the opposite extreme.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA
I went from the Arrive to the Titan. I haven't looked back. I'm 5'10" and comfort isn't an issue. I don't even notice the phone in my pocket (I never use a case except at work). I have had zero issues that most people express except for the occasional keyboard problem (minor issue compared to the text limit of the Arrive). Build quality is right on par from what I expect from HTC. No plastic feeling here. I agree with bennyj71, I'm amazed how tiny the wife's 4.3" phone seems after using this phone the last 4 months.
Thats cause the focus uses a super amoled screen colors tend to be better QUOTE=Will_nonya;23348196]ArtieQ, my experience with the iphone obviously differs from yours but ill take the point as "it could be better"
thats because the focus uses a super amoled screen colors tends to be more vibrant
I went and played with a Titan today and i was pretty impressed with it until i changed it to the same green theme in had on the Focus. The colors were completely different. Ive always thought that the Focus was a bit much but in a direct comparison the Titan seems to go to the opposite extreme.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA[/QUOTE]
Sent from my PI39100 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
The only issues I ever had with my Titan are the WP7.5 ones with disappearing keyboard etc that the latest update has gotten rid of.
The handset feels great to hold and use and fits easier in your pocket than you might think, forget about any docking stations except the specific one though! I like the battery cover being one whole side of the phone too, makes it seem more solid.
The camera is really really good, useful having the front facing one too and to help with photos, the screen quality is miles better than my old phone the HTC HD7.
Literally the only thing I can think of that annoys me is that there aren't more theme colours!!!
In all it's a great phone to have and people although mocking, will actually be jealous of the screen size!
I love HTC hardware. It just feels so much better in your hand than Samsung was certainly no exception. It also seemed to perform very well.
The only thing that gives me pause is the washed out look of the screen. Some colors that are briaght and vibrant, and arguably over saturated, on the Focus were washed out and not even close to the same shade.
The only other consideration is how the Lumina 900 will compare. Assuming that it is well build I'm honestly more interested in the Nokia software but i have a long history with HTC.
Will_nonya said:
I love HTC hardware. It just feels so much better in your hand than Samsung was certainly no exception. It also seemed to perform very well.
The only thing that gives me pause is the washed out look of the screen. Some colors that are briaght and vibrant, and arguably over saturated, on the Focus were washed out and not even close to the same shade.
The only other consideration is how the Lumina 900 will compare. Assuming that it is well build I'm honestly more interested in the Nokia software but i have a long history with HTC.
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Click to collapse
Can't disagree with the build quality, but I do disagree about the screen. Nothing about it is washed out to me, and I also came from the Focus. I also have heard that the Focus S is even MORE saturated, and I've definitely come to prefer the Titans more realistic colors. More under "screen colors" here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1372056
Go and get the Titan. you won't be disappointed.
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Got the phone a couple days ago, wanted to share some first impressions as everyone (or most) here has been so helpful.....
1. Screen
One of the major reasons I upgraded. Obviously much sharper, rendering the nytimes in desktop mode is my de facto test and is quite glorious compared to the s3 indeed, though chrome seemed to have difficulty rendering the smaller text. I have the display set to dynamic, auto adapt off, auto correct tone off and the white point with these settings is definitely preferable to the s3. Initially I looked at my s3 and my first thought was, WOAH !, that the s4 screen was way too warm but then I looked at my desktop lcd and realized the s4 screen was very similar to lcd white balance. I guess our brains, or mine at least kind of calibrates to different white sources.
I was a little concerned about the brightness when browsing sites with high APLs (mostly white pages) as Samsung seems to have programmed in a bit of trickery with the auto brightness to save on battery. I can definitely confirm that firefox has a substantially brighter white luminance than either the stock or chrome browsers. Much brighter than I was able to achieve with the s3. It's nice to be able to crank it and hurt your eyes once in a while when your on the couch lol.
Outdoor viewing was surprisingly good considering it's an often used attack on the amoled screens, a notch or two better than my old s3, and that one was no slouch either.
Oh yeah, and the screen is dead black at night, kinda freaky as I feel like the phone if off, the s3 kinda gave me a vague glow in similar conditions.
2. Battery
Yeah, my s3 was giving me problems with this for some reason. I could get 2-3 hrs screen time max. Yesterday I got around 5 with high brightness, mostly wifi, and only a few of the samsung features turned on. Today was a bit more of a mix 80% wifi, 20% 4g, mostly max brightness and I am at 2 hrs 45 min with 45% remaining. I am cautiously pleased so far, especially considering all of the downloading and installing that was going on.
3. System interface :/
So I am using nova prime and that's helping a lot but like a few others here, I am noticing some strange hiccups/stutters in daily use that are pretty foreign to me coming from the s3. After turning off the samsung feature set, maps of all things is still hiccuping along when zooming or moderate panning. This is worse with a tilted satellite view but still noticeable even with just the road layout. Viewing photos in the gallery has a slight chop as well, using quickpics has been a temporary solution. I hoping for some kind of software update.....
Not a huge of the fan of the redesigned dialer, contacts list. Black themes should be a mandatory option (lol) with these oled phones.
One of feature that originally generated some excitement which was mercilessly quashed after reading reviews but then rekindled with the unit in hand was air hover. Using this in mail, messages with the haptic setting on is surprisingly smooth and useful, not to mention pretty cool. Your finger doesn't even need to be particularly close. Not sure about the air gestures, they seem pretty consistent but need to be used to add different functionality. I can imagine some neat implementations if developers decide to hop on board.
Design
Well I think I need some time to adjust to this but I can tell you that my observant roommate (who is a techie and just got the one) hasn't realized i got the new phone yet and I've been talking about it for a while. Even with all the installation beeps and ringtones that come with a new phone and him sitting on a nearby couch for hours he hasnt said anything. I ll see how long I can pull this off.
For me it definitely feels different in hand, not as slippery due to the less tapered edges which is good but also a bit less curvaceous and flirty (which I kind of liked in the s3). This feels more like a passat and the s3 more like a jetta I guess. Let me say that I do appreciate really well designed things in general and this phone doesn't make me cry so......
Last thing, I bought this phone off contract at full price and my purchase experience at the verizon store was really bizarre. Of course they must make less money when someone buys it outright but the salesman was like," why do you want to upgrade from the s3??" ,"The battery might be a bit better than your used to but don't count on it."..."So you're gonna like play around with the screen "(in mocking tone cause I told him I was interested in the new display) . That place sucks and the one out in the surburbs was even worse. Like used car salesman or something...
. Anyone else have this kind of experience?????
Also, anyone using lightflow with this device? In case you haven't guessed I love to freakin tweak thingszzzz...
best to yall.....
I came from the s3 yesterday.. picked up the s4 and couldn't be happier. I've had the phone for about 24 hours.. first thing I noticed was how clear the screen was. Not much if a difference over the s3 but it's there. Battery life as been great on stock un rooted rom. Compared to my s3 which was rooted running slim bean and a custom kernel overclocked and uv. I wanna say s4 is better. I like the feel of the s4 better other than the s3's rounded edges. Overall I'm happy... Will root soon!
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda premium
I just upgraded yesterday as well. So far I am liking it. Initially I wasn't impressed but I shattered my s3 screen and figured since I had an upgrade on my other line I would go ahead and get it instead of spending $100 just to get another s3. I have already rooted and froze most of the bloat with titanium backup. I have never flashed any roms but since my s3 is still functional, I plan on using it to learn. I am already having fun with the irblaster changing channels on random TVs lol. Overall I'm happy so far.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
Battery and other things
The battery is like night and day. Yesterday around dinner time my battery was at about 85%, and I use my phone constantly. On my SIII, I'd be lucky if it went the whole day without dying. That is one feature that I did not think would vary as much as it did, and am very happy with that.
I love the screen. It seemed a bit flickery (that's the best way I can describe it) for the first couple of days, but whatever was causing that (perhaps my imagination) has stopped.
The infrared sensor is much more useful than I had initially anticipated. Aside from being able to use it with multiple TV/set top box setups, I can screw with people in restaurants. :silly:
As a smartphone in general I have been very impressed so far.
Why would using Quickpic be temporary? First thing I do is set Quickpic as the default and hide gallery.
Frankly, I never really notice the stutters that other people talk about. When using an app that is reflowing from the net, there is no way to separate device issues from network issues, and I always notice it is these sorts of apps people complain about (maps, browsers, etc.).
yeah, quickpic was actually my goto image app on the s3 now that I think I about it....
The stutters and what not are definitely a little more pronounced on the maps app with the s4 than the s3 on the same
wifi network. Maybe it's the fact that the s4 is moving 2.5 times the pixels, maybe it's an early bug yet that will be fixed shortly,
maybe it's the way the snapdragon throttles the cpu too aggressively according to some thread I remember reading over or maybe I am just expecting too much buttery perfection
yeah just tried the ir blaster. 3 of my housemates were so seriously into watching the final episode of "top of the lake" about an hour ago and I was tempted to spoil the moment but I hadn't programmed the phone for that tv. oh well......
I've been skeptical of purchasing a samsung device because I don't generally fall for overly marketed items. That being said, I went ahead and pulled the trigger coming from HTC Rezound and I couldn't be happier about this device. It is no doubt a winner among users as long as you root and get rid of the bloat coming with it.
I love this phone... I mean love this phone, but had I not been having mad GPS problems with my S3 I would never have made this upgrade. It's just not a compelling upgrade over the S3, which is still an awesome phone. Most of the new features are very gimmicky. I have pretty much everything with the prefix "Smart" turned off and almost everything with the prefix "Air" turned off. The hovering trick is pretty much the only one I don't feel is a gimmick.
About Quickpic - that has been my go-to gallery app since the Thunderbolt but I actually like the S4 gallery better. The GUI is very slick and the hover image preview is actually useful.
I agree with a few of the topics covered coming from the S3
The screen is awesome, definitely noticeable to me, battery life seems to be up, GPS works perfectly, and the camera is pretty awesome; really like the wider angle on the front camera as well. Pretty motivational upgrade if you ask me..
However, I am noticing some UI lag, as mentioned maps as well as chrome. This could be that I was using cleanrom on the S3 and that rom is amazing! made the phone much snappier and fluid. Its out for the S4 now so will be giving it a try soon. Also apex launcher helped some.
and little things like the smaller notification led seems cheaper. the colors dont mix well. the power button isn't as clicky as Id hope for either.
I'm really happy with the battery life. My galaxy nexus went tops 4 hours on a charge. I can easily to 8 - 9 on this.
I have a lot of apps running that kill battery for me specifically Touchdown for work which It hink is one onf the biggest offendors. Maybe i should download gsam and follow it a little more closely.
I agree that the display is amazing, and the camera too, but the device seems no faster and radios no better.
From normal viewing distance, the display does not stand out either, but is better if you view closer. It is the size of the display that minimizes the higher def effectiveness.
I only have 6gb free on my S3 32gb, so do not see enough improvement to sacrifice the storage. I still want the S4, but only if a 32gb is ever released.
orangelight99 said:
Last thing, I bought this phone off contract at full price and my purchase experience at the verizon store was really bizarre. Of course they must make less money when someone buys it outright but the salesman was like," why do you want to upgrade from the s3??" ,"The battery might be a bit better than your used to but don't count on it."..."So you're gonna like play around with the screen "(in mocking tone cause I told him I was interested in the new display) . That place sucks and the one out in the surburbs was even worse. Like used car salesman or something...
. Anyone else have this kind of experience?????
best to yall.....
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Click to collapse
Haha, I got mine with a new contract (Coming from Sprint, never had Verizon before). When the guy asked me if I wanted the insurance for $199 and I told him no, he was straight-up BEWILDERED. He literally could not comprehend how in the world I would not want to pay $200 to replace my phone if I smashed it. And then he was like, "Well, let's go look at cases now," as if he had just assumed I would, of course, want a case. But I didn't want a case. He was so flabbergasted. His eyes went as wide as possible and he just stared at me for a good 10 seconds before saying, "What if you drop it? What then?!"
It was more funny than weird, to me. I've never bought insurance for any phone I've ever had, and I've never regretted it. I honestly could not tell if the guy was seriously just that crazy, or if it was just some really stupid sales technique that, of course, did not work on me.
Ayesuku said:
Haha, I got mine with a new contract (Coming from Sprint, never had Verizon before). When the guy asked me if I wanted the insurance for $199 and I told him no, he was straight-up BEWILDERED. He literally could not comprehend how in the world I would not want to pay $200 to replace my phone if I smashed it. And then he was like, "Well, let's go look at cases now," as if he had just assumed I would, of course, want a case. But I didn't want a case. He was so flabbergasted. His eyes went as wide as possible and he just stared at me for a good 10 seconds before saying, "What if you drop it? What then?!"
It was more funny than weird, to me. I've never bought insurance for any phone I've ever had, and I've never regretted it. I honestly could not tell if the guy was seriously just that crazy, or if it was just some really stupid sales technique that, of course, did not work on me.
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Click to collapse
Because one out of five people react to the bewildered face and get the insurance They ARE sales people, you know.
jimmiem said:
I love this phone... I mean love this phone, but had I not been having mad GPS problems with my S3 I would never have made this upgrade. It's just not a compelling upgrade over the S3, which is still an awesome phone. Most of the new features are very gimmicky. I have pretty much everything with the prefix "Smart" turned off and almost everything with the prefix "Air" turned off. The hovering trick is pretty much the only one I don't feel is a gimmick.
About Quickpic - that has been my go-to gallery app since the Thunderbolt but I actually like the S4 gallery better. The GUI is very slick and the hover image preview is actually useful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it possible to get quickpic to show the pics in internal memory without being rooted? I'm only seeing the pics on my SD card.
Super Sam Galaxy said:
I love the screen. It seemed a bit flickery (that's the best way I can describe it) for the first couple of days, but whatever was causing that (perhaps my imagination) has stopped.
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Click to collapse
When you saw the screen flicker, were you outside by any chance?
I have noticed that when I am inside then step out into direct sunlight, the screen flickers while it ramps up to full brightness, then it stabilizes.
mutelight said:
When you saw the screen flicker, were you outside by any chance?
I have noticed that when I am inside then step out into direct sunlight, the screen flickers while it ramps up to full brightness, then it stabilizes.
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Click to collapse
Actually, I hate to say it as I'm sure this will not help you diagnose any issues you may have been experiencing, but I don't think that I was. If I remember correctly it was mostly when I was in my apartment. I remember this because I have an overhead light that is florescent and I remember at least on one occasion wondering if that was what was flickering.
Sorry if that doesn't help.
Super Sam Galaxy said:
Actually, I hate to say it as I'm sure this will not help you diagnose any issues you may have been experiencing, but I don't think that I was. If I remember correctly it was mostly when I was in my apartment. I remember this because I have an overhead light that is florescent and I remember at least on one occasion wondering if that was what was flickering.
Sorry if that doesn't help.
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Click to collapse
Oh, no worries! The only time I have seen the screen flicker was under the scenario I described or if I look down at the display with a pair of my active shutter 3D glasses.
I can see the PenTile dithering in the display however, so my eyes are fairly sensitive.
mutelight said:
Oh, no worries! The only time I have seen the screen flicker was under the scenario I described or if I look down at the display with a pair of my active shutter 3D glasses.
I can see the PenTile dithering in the display however, so my eyes are fairly sensitive.
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Click to collapse
Oh, I see! Well I would assume in my case it was just the fluorescent lighting. My eyes are not all that sensitive, so I may not notice small flickers like that. The part that confused me is that it stopped! But I think that also suggests it's just the light, because sometimes they seem to flicker depending on how they are sitting, and if you tap them a bit they stop. Either that, or it actually was flickering, but to such an unnoticeable extent that I got used to it very quickly. It was one of those undefinable things where you feel like you saw it flicker but if you have to explain exactly what part flickered, you wouldn't really be able to.
elucid said:
Is it possible to get quickpic to show the pics in internal memory without being rooted? I'm only seeing the pics on my SD card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't install it because I like the S4 Gallery better. You should be able to, though. Just poke around in the settings and look for included folders.
Sometimes when I hold my tablet in a certain spot (usually right side) and let go... the backing makes some sort of clicking sound. The device doesn't feel flimsy to me, as other have complain... but that noise worries me.
Have others experience this clicking sound when holding their tablet?
Mine did this — it felt like the glue holding the backing in place was coming unstuck. I also found that if I pressed on the back, the pressure point showed on the screen and even engaged the touch sensor.
This along with other annoyances (screen shadow along bottom edge, a dead pixel, diagonal lines on screen and breaking of Firefox Sync by Sony Android OS) made me return it. I expect a $600 to be well-built and last at least 2 years and this glue unsticking spoke of shoddy design and a short product life.
My original Xoom cost the same and is still fully functional and unblemished. I was hoping the Xperia would be a worthy replacement, but it was a disappointment.
TellTenPeople said:
Mine did this — it felt like the glue holding the backing in place was coming unstuck.
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Click to collapse
That's exactly how I would describe it. I've been trying to find more information about this issue, but not many people have written about it. Do you think this issue is normal for all these tablets, or I got a defective one?
SmartBugger said:
That's exactly how I would describe it. I've been trying to find more information about this issue, but not many people have written about it. Do you think this issue is normal for all these tablets, or I got a defective one?
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Click to collapse
Mine makes the same clicking sound. And I also have the "loose headphone flap". I'll ask for an exchange.
I have the same problem with mine. It feels like the glue is not holding well. Hopefully it can be easily fixed by SONY if it start to cause problems.
One more thing. When you press the loose place it makes screen go white, which worries me a little. No problem if you using case but still something like that shouldn't happen in high end device. Maybe it is thinnest tablet but it is not the strongest
Sent from my SGP311 using XDA Premium HD app
SmartBugger said:
That's exactly how I would describe it. I've been trying to find more information about this issue, but not many people have written about it. Do you think this issue is normal for all these tablets, or I got a defective one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you got a defective one. If you have the patience to do the exchange-fix dance with Sony or whatever retailer you bought it from and like everything else about the tablet then you should.
If the just-announced Tegra 4 Toshiba Write hadn't caught my eye, I would probably had tried to exchange it to see if I could get a properly glued one, but that Toshiba is the same price, had a newer processor and is designed for my intended use-case (notetaking), so Sony's lose is Toshiba's gain at least in my case.
TellTenPeople said:
I think you got a defective one. If you have the patience to do the exchange-fix dance with Sony or whatever retailer you bought it from and like everything else about the tablet then you should.
If the just-announced Tegra 4 Toshiba Write hadn't caught my eye, I would probably had tried to exchange it to see if I could get a properly glued one, but that Toshiba is the same price, had a newer processor and is designed for my intended use-case (notetaking), so Sony's lose is Toshiba's gain at least in my case.
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Click to collapse
I got it from newegg, and I suspect they will be good about doing an exchange. That being said, I don't want to do an exchange if this problem is very common. So perhaps I should ask... has anyone NOT experience this issue?
The main reason why I got this instead of the nexus 10, was because of its waterproof nature. I want a tablet I can go to the gym with... and not having to worry about sweat/water was a huge selling point for me.
There's really no way of knowing how widespread the issue is without a proper survey of a representative sample of Xperia Tablet Z owners. People on forums tend to go there with problems they have so forums are full of people with problems Not a great sample.
Ultimately, all that you can realistically do is keep exchanging until you get one you like, or you or Newegg lose patience.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Mine can flex slightly (which triggers recognition on the screen), but I have no clicking sounds or similar things - mine feels very solid and feels top-notch otherwise, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sony's quality control for Japanese units was tighter.
Same thing here SGP321 FROM DUBAI, seems like the glue between the back cover and whatever inside got unstuck...
My xperia tablet Z makes the clicking sound on both the bottom left and right, around the speaker area.
To me it sounds like the paper (or plastic) that is generally found in a (earplug) speaker.
Seeing that the slim design i think it is more then likely that we are pressing on the speaker of the tablet, and not so much the glue coming apart.
If it were the glue then it would most likely be at random places across the tablet. Seeing that we are all reporting the noise in the same general area, which also happens to be the place where the internal speakers are located, i feel that it is the speaker making the clicking (crackling) noise.
Hi look on youtube and search, Opening up Sony's Android Tablet, the Xperia Tablet Z (Teardown) you can see the back cover is stuck on with double sided tape.
dazbut28 said:
Hi look on youtube and search, Opening up Sony's Android Tablet, the Xperia Tablet Z (Teardown) you can see the back cover is stuck on with double sided tape.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is a link to the video you mentioned.
Opening up Sony's Android Tablet, the Xperia Tablet Z (Teardown)
Cat McGowan said:
Here is a link to the video you mentioned.
Looks easy enough to pop off the back and add some additional tape or silicone adhesive, if you're so inclined.
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Click to collapse
I have the same issue. I decided to give it a week or so before returning it to see how much I use it and if there are any other problems. I am nit-picky and the screen colours (greys and whites mainly) are just strange. Greys are red-ish while whites and yellowy, so a screen adjuster app doesn't help at all. Also I get a shadow right around my screen, it's really distracting on things like Falcon Pro in white. The sticky back is still happening and I also found out that I don't really like Android tablets. That, or they're just not ready for me yet. The 16:10 aspect ratio has no advantage to me, just disadvantages, and apps that I want to use just aren't good enough or they're non-existent.
So I'm returning it and waiting for the iPad mini 2. Sorry, but the Nexus 7 felt like a blown up experience of my phone rather than a shrunken down experience of a tablet.
Mister, here are people who use and like Android because of the openness and customizability.
If that isn't important to you, then you are anyway wrong here, and I wish you much fun with your Apple stuff.
iisshaun said:
I have the same issue. I decided to give it a week or so before returning it to see how much I use it and if there are any other problems. I am nit-picky and the screen colours (greys and whites mainly) are just strange. Greys are red-ish while whites and yellowy, so a screen adjuster app doesn't help at all. Also I get a shadow right around my screen, it's really distracting on things like Falcon Pro in white.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with my colors being a little warm, but it's not extreme or bad (my desktop monitor is also set moderately warm). Probably unit variance. What I do have is the 'shadow' on the bottom border, but I'm not unaccustomed to backlight bleed or such. It doesn't bother me much either since usually the black Android system bar is there to begin with.
Sounds like Sony's quality control isn't very tight on international units...
salanos said:
I agree with my colors being a little warm, but it's not extreme or bad (my desktop monitor is also set moderately warm). Probably unit variance. What I do have is the 'shadow' on the bottom border, but I'm not unaccustomed to backlight bleed or such. It doesn't bother me much either since usually the black Android system bar is there to begin with.
Sounds like Sony's quality control isn't very tight on international units...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My monitors are every so slightly yellowy, but I was able to use that with a slight colour value change. It seems mine just has odd variables on different tones... quite a bit like my old Galaxy Nexus was like (Yellow whites, green greys and purple dark greys). That's actually why I really dislike AMOLED, so it's a bummer that this IPS panel isn't as accurate as I'd like.
And yeah, really doesn't like they're super tight on the international side. I didn't really want to bother with what could have been back and forth replacements.
hasenbein1966 said:
Mister, here are people who use and like Android because of the openness and customizability.
If that isn't important to you, then you are anyway wrong here, and I wish you much fun with your Apple stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well look at that, I do actually use and like Android (it's the only mobile OS I use right now). It's just the tabs that aren't up to snuff for me. Openness and customisability is only a good thing if it actually helps make something more useful for me. I find those aspects very useful on my phone. I need to be quick and efficient and I can do that on an Android, but not really on an iPhone. A tablet serves a different purpose for me. It's a leisure/convenience device, I don't need any customisation for it to allow me to do anything faster. Also, my phone has a ton of apps and absolutely all of the ones I want, this Xperia tab doesn't, and definitely not all the apps I consider essential.
Sorry that I have different needs and wants than you, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not wrong in being here because 1) I own the tablet that's in question here and 2) I use Android as my only mobile OS right now and I'll still be using it on my phone for a long time. I wasn't trying to start some petty flame war here, I was just explaining my issues with this tablet and elaborating on why I'm returning it. So let's stay on topic here, huh?
If you're looking for a leisure device, wouldn't 16:10 be more ideal for movies? But I agree on the lack of proper tablet optimized apps. What exactly do you want to do on your tablet though?
If it's web browsing, I feel Android will always deliver a superior experience (I have long tired of constantly reloading tabs on the iPad 3). If it's gaming... well, no argument, iOS usually gets more games.
salanos said:
If you're looking for a leisure device, wouldn't 16:10 be more ideal for movies? But I agree on the lack of proper tablet optimized apps. What exactly do you want to do on your tablet though?
If it's web browsing, I feel Android will always deliver a superior experience (I have long tired of constantly reloading tabs on the iPad 3). If it's gaming... well, no argument, iOS usually gets more games.
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Click to collapse
Well I don't really watch much video away from my PC anyway, and I hardly ever watch any movies either. You've hit the nail on the head though, it's what I plan to do on it that makes the difference. I do a lot of social media stuff, reading, some browsing, games and a bit of video. Reading is far better on a 4:3 screen in portrait. I like 16:9 in portrait on my PC for reading, but trust me it's very different on a tablet. Also, I can't even get a half-decent way of using Facebook on the XTZ either. The official app is awful and Friendster which is supposed to be great is honestly rubbish.
Really it's just something to waste time on, read stuff on and be a convenient portable web browser. A 10" tablet isn't very convenient tbh and the Nexus 7 isn't either when it's so similar to my phone that's already in my pocket. An 8" 4:3 screen is a lot different from a 4.7" or 7" 16:10 screen. It's big enough to be something I want to use over my phone in some situations and small enough that it can travel most places quite easily.
It's just personal preference, it's been said a million times, but I think you already know that. Back on topic though.
I have been on the fence for a while. I've watched literally every video I can find and read every review. I'd like to know how you feel about your Ultras in day-to-day use. Any regrets, etc. If you wouldn't mind taking the time to answer some or all of the following questions:
For reference, I have had a lot of different smartphones over the last few years and I currently own a Lumia 1520 and Note 3, so I'm fairly versed in the "big phone" category, though this is the biggest.
How is the size working for you? Issues with pocketability, etc? I know it's not a one-handed phone by any means, but do you wish for something smaller at times?
Does the pre-installed screen protector bother you at all? How is the screen overall, in your estimation?
Do you regret not having a better camera when you need to take photos, especially in the dark?
Do you feel that having a such a large screen to consume media justifies lugging around a phone this big for everyday use?
If you could change just one thing about the device, what would it be?
Lastly, does the phone have burst mode? I haven't been able to confirm this anywhere. I know about time shift, but I'm talking about the hold for burst setting. If so, how fast is it?
Thanks for any feedback, guys. I'm really intrigued by this phone and I'd just like to know how some real owners feel about it.
greyhulk said:
I have been on the fence for a while. I've watched literally every video I can find and read every review. I'd like to know how you feel about your Ultras in day-to-day use. Any regrets, etc. If you wouldn't mind taking the time to answer some or all of the following questions:
For reference, I have had a lot of different smartphones over the last few years and I currently own a Lumia 1520 and Note 3, so I'm fairly versed in the "big phone" category, though this is the biggest.
How is the size working for you? Issues with pocketability, etc? I know it's not a one-handed phone by any means, but do you wish for something smaller at times?
Does the pre-installed screen protector bother you at all? How is the screen overall, in your estimation?
Do you regret not having a better camera when you need to take photos, especially in the dark?
Do you feel that having a such a large screen to consume media justifies lugging around a phone this big for everyday use?
If you could change just one thing about the device, what would it be?
Lastly, does the phone have burst mode? I haven't been able to confirm this anywhere. I know about time shift, but I'm talking about the hold for burst setting. If so, how fast is it?
Thanks for any feedback, guys. I'm really intrigued by this phone and I'd just like to know how some real owners feel about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'd like to add in, how well does the device work laying on my side on the bed? i always watch movies on the bed on my side holding the phone with 1 hand (no jacking off lol) , is that possible?
greyhulk said:
I have been on the fence for a while. I've watched literally every video I can find and read every review. I'd like to know how you feel about your Ultras in day-to-day use. Any regrets, etc. If you wouldn't mind taking the time to answer some or all of the following questions:
For reference, I have had a lot of different smartphones over the last few years and I currently own a Lumia 1520 and Note 3, so I'm fairly versed in the "big phone" category, though this is the biggest.
How is the size working for you? Issues with pocketability, etc? I know it's not a one-handed phone by any means, but do you wish for something smaller at times?
Does the pre-installed screen protector bother you at all? How is the screen overall, in your estimation?
Do you regret not having a better camera when you need to take photos, especially in the dark?
Do you feel that having a such a large screen to consume media justifies lugging around a phone this big for everyday use?
If you could change just one thing about the device, what would it be?
Lastly, does the phone have burst mode? I haven't been able to confirm this anywhere. I know about time shift, but I'm talking about the hold for burst setting. If so, how fast is it?
Thanks for any feedback, guys. I'm really intrigued by this phone and I'd just like to know how some real owners feel about it.
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1. The size is just fine now. I've had mine since its European release back in September, so i've used it for awhile now. It was a incredible big in the hands the first week i had it, but you know how things seem to "shrink" the more you use it and getting used to it? That'll also happen with the Ultra. It's not that big anymore.
2. It doesn't bother me, but i'd rather not have it on. You can't see it or even notice it though, so it won't bother you from day to day. It scratches easily though, so keep that in mind. You may want to add a second protector on top of the pre-installed one, or remove the pre one and use it naked (without any protection) or add a third party protector. It's up to you.
3. I take about 5 photos a year, so that's a no. I knew the camera wasn't good long before i bought it, so i don't really care. It would've been nice to have a LED though, but again, i don't really care that much. The quality is okey if you keep the ISO low in brightly lit environments though, but don't expect amazing results.
4. Absolutely. It's incredible thin, so it's not hard to take it with you, but you can't exactly put it in your pants pocket and expect it to still be straight after you've been sitting down. You'll learn to take it out of your pants pocket before you sit down. The Ultra is also as wide as a passport, so it fits perfectly in inner blazers pockets.
5. Easy. Camera. I don't use it much (as mentioned), but it's still nice to have a good camera when you want to take a few pics.
6. Yes, it does have burst mode. I believe it can take 10 photos per second. It's very very very quick.
anonapersons said:
i'd like to add in, how well does the device work laying on my side on the bed? i always watch movies on the bed on my side holding the phone with 1 hand (no jacking off lol) , is that possible?
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Yeah, that's totally possible. The better thing to do (like i do), is to get the DK30 dock and use it on your nightstand/night table (if you have one). It'll stand on its own and act like a mini Bravia TV It's perfect.
Size is effectively the biggest pro on this phone (duh). You can easily put it into your coat/jacket pocket, and also in a lot of jeans pockets, but like Lord said, you'll have to get used to take it off any pocket (except jacket I guess) and put it on the table when you sit down.
I use it as my principal phone, so the size is no problem at all. Also, I have big hands and can use it one handed lots of times.
I installed a screen protector as soon as it came out of the box, used it with a matte and clear one, clear one is better for the screen. If the film put by Sony bothers you, you can just take it off (with sweat and pain).
Yeah, sometimes I do. But I knew what I was buying, and if I do have to take good photos, I either have my camera or the QX10 with me, so I don't regret it anymore.
Well, that depends on how important that thing is for you. You may get it for media consumption, but you'll end up using it for everything else too, asking yourself how could you go back to anything smaller.
I'd say camera.
As for burst mode, it has one, it's fast, and timeshift is even better.
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1) I got it because of the size. I was on iPhones for the preceding 6 years but got hold of a Nexus 7 at the end of last year. Within a week I flogged them both to get an XZU. It was frustrating having 2 devices so functionally similar - what device shall I check my Evernote account on now? for instance - so I thought this would be the best compromise. If anything it could be a little bit bigger (but I am very tall with presumably corresponding hand size!).
2) The screen protector is pretty good IMO. I'm sure if I shave it off like so many people on this forum have it will look even better though:silly: I never used protectors on the iPhones and this seems to be as responsive to touch as they were.
3) Camera isn't too important to me but I'm old. If I were a young man out raving and partying I think I would need one but I only use it to take pix of my dog these days so not a biggie.
4) ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!! I use this a hell of a lot more like a computer than a phone. With some apps you might need to faff about in Xposed to get the best real estate value but this is basically a tablet.
5) Other than the camera a better magnetic charger. It works well in dock but I've tried 3 cables from eBay and they just don't work.
Caveat to the above: I use it with a SBH 52 and a smartwatch 2. Without these 2 it would be more fiddly to use. I'd be less inclined to take it out every few seconds like I did with my iPhone, but if my notifications are all in ear or on wrist I don't need to so...
I got it because with stock version when I paired it with xb90 earphone then, the sound output it gave was mind blowing. But, with the latest update things seems to have become disappointing
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