To get the Note 2 or something else? - Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II

My digitizer just died on my HTC One X and bought it out right and looking to get a new phone. I found out I was approved for a concession line at work so I am looking for a new phone on Verizon. The Motorola Maxx HD just came out, the S3 has been out for a while, and the Note 2 just came out. I am trying to decide between each, and are wondering yall’s recommendation. I like the S3 and its size, and how there is a lot of development of it. The Maxx HD has epic batter life and I like the design and materials used and the note 2 I love the screen size. I am trying to decide between which. Give me your comments!

seandidk said:
The Maxx HD has epic batter life and I like the design and materials used and the note 2 I love the screen size. I am trying to decide between which. Give me your comments!
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The Note 2's battery is barely smaller than the Maxx HD, so you'll have close to the same battery life as the Maxx HD.
If you like the screen size and good battery life, the Note 2 is what you want.

-BoneZ- said:
The Note 2's battery is barely smaller than the Maxx HD, so you'll have close to the same battery life as the Maxx HD.
If you like the screen size and good battery life, the Note 2 is what you want.
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Click to collapse
Just because the batter is about the same size doesn't mean you'll have the same battery life. The Motorola will likely get better reception on average based on other Motorola phones, and it also has a screen that is almost 1" smaller diagonally, both of which will help the Moto get better battery life.

imnuts said:
Just because the batter is about the same size doesn't mean you'll have the same battery life. The Motorola will likely get better reception on average based on other Motorola phones, and it also has a screen that is almost 1" smaller diagonally, both of which will help the Moto get better battery life.
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Of course the Maxx will have better battery life, that's why I said "close". Reading people's battery usage, it's close enough.

I have the s3 now and its gotta be one of the slickest phones I've ever had. Its quick and smooth and I've had no problems. I ordered the note 2 yesterday because I want that GIGANTIC screen (and all the specs of course) but if the big screen is too much for you IMO id definitely go with the s3 then.
Tap'n

There's only 2 phones on Verizon I would consider before years end. That is the Note 2 and HTC DNA. I would not get a Razr HD over the S3 and I would not get an S3. The S3 is a good phone but I have a personal policy of getting phones right when they're released. Super phones have such a low life span and when you see the S4 in a few months you will have a feeling of regret. That's why I'm picking the Note 2 because of it's software enhancements, specs, S-Pen, removable battery, sd card and the fact that the phone will not be replaced for at least a year. The HTC DNA sounds good on paper but it's missing a lot of features that the Note 2 has. The Note 2 is the best all around package on the market if size does not bother you.

Note 2! Multiscreen is amazing!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

Signal stuff is just speculation, feel free to ignore that for now. If it's important to you wait and see is the only answer there.
Development is much the same boat, as Note will likely be locked and take a while to resolve that, Maxx is locked, the HTC DNA/DLX will likely be locked...so, yeah, welcome to Verizon. haha.
Personally not a fan of Motorola's design chops so I ruled them out, and waiting to see how the Note/HTC devices look after coming out.

I was set on buying the Note 2, but I have changed my mind and will be buying the HTC DNA because its more powerful, better screen, and unique. It will be nice not seeing every other person using the same phone as me. I am hoping HTC puts in a 2500mah or larger battery. I will be jealous of the Note 2 5.5in screen, but when I am looking at the DNA 5in 440ppi lcd3 screen I will forget all about that extra .5 inches.

Chaoticjerkface said:
I was set on buying the Note 2, but I have changed my mind and will be buying the HTC DNA because its more powerful, better screen, and unique. It will be nice not seeing every other person using the same phone as me. I am hoping HTC puts in a 2500mah or larger battery. I will be jealous of the Note 2 5.5in screen, but when I am looking at the DNA 5in 440ppi lcd3 screen I will forget all about that extra .5 inches.
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Keep in mind that any extra power that the DNA might have is being wasted on the 1080p display, and also that display will send its small battery to hell, and it lacks any S-Pen features. If you're okay with those drawbacks (I assume you're also fine with the non-removable battery/SD card), then go for it.
Personally, the 1080p display isn't worth all of those other problems.

Chaoticjerkface said:
I was set on buying the Note 2, but I have changed my mind and will be buying the HTC DNA because its more powerful, better screen, and unique. It will be nice not seeing every other person using the same phone as me. I am hoping HTC puts in a 2500mah or larger battery. I will be jealous of the Note 2 5.5in screen, but when I am looking at the DNA 5in 440ppi lcd3 screen I will forget all about that extra .5 inches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
at $300 even with a 2 year contract, you won't be seeing every other person with a gn2. trust.
htc = nice hardware on a undersized battery since forever...

zentech said:
at $300 even with a 2 year contract, you won't be seeing every other person with a gn2. trust.
htc = nice hardware on a undersized battery since forever...
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Click to collapse
Between the iPhone 5/S3, I bet you will barely see people with a Note2. Simply put, the Note2 is a niche market.

Don't forget that the note 2 will have potential burn in issues
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I can't decide either...
Note2 - Stupid hard home button...really pisses me off, gNex is so much easier than the gs3,
HTC DNA - Stupid power button on top, are u serious??? Why just why, and HTC battery life....
Cant we see a Nexus Note with soft buttons, and a power button on the side... I would be sold

OneSlickDeal said:
I can't decide either...
Note2 - Stupid hard home button...really pisses me off, gNex is so much easier than the gs3,
HTC DNA - Stupid power button on top, are u serious??? Why just why, and HTC battery life....
Cant we see a Nexus Note with soft buttons, and a power button on the side... I would be sold
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you really want to pick between these two phones, I would advise trying to distinguish between the other major features of the phones. Do you absolutely need/want the S-pen? Do you want the split screen? Is the .5" too much of a difference to fit in your hand or pocket? Do you like SAMOLED more than SLCD? Do you like Sense over Touchwiz? How big of an issue is the battery to you?
Adapt or die! jk If the power button really bugs you, you could use a flip case and an app that uses the proximity sensor to turn the phone on and off.
Being realistic I highly doubt you will see a new Nexus device on Verizon until engineers get the LTE band issues worked out.

If the on-screen softkeys could be enabled for the SGS3, I'm sure you can do the same thing on the Note 2 if you wanted to.

Chaoticjerkface said:
I was set on buying the Note 2, but I have changed my mind and will be buying the HTC DNA because its more powerful, better screen, and unique. It will be nice not seeing every other person using the same phone as me. I am hoping HTC puts in a 2500mah or larger battery. I will be jealous of the Note 2 5.5in screen, but when I am looking at the DNA 5in 440ppi lcd3 screen I will forget all about that extra .5 inches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screen will be nice on the DNA, but I personally wont be sold unless there are some features unique to the device. While the processor is said to be killer, I have a feeling the screen and Sense may take away from that power, as well as eat up the battery....but thats just my own assumption of course. Personally, the multi-window feature and the S-Pen features make the Note 2 more appealing to me.

Related

[Q] Which main features you prefer most for next HTC phone

Hi bro.
It looks like Rezound is the best spec of HTC 2011, but not really that good for my expectation (Display PPI or battery or SW ICS....). Just wonder which main feature you guys look forward to most for your next HTC phone?? HTC should hear our voice for better strategy!
Seems like you have unrealistic expectations.
I'm a big fan of the call button since it is a phone.
KORM via the beast known as the Rezound.
I'm confused. Are you saying the display has too many PPI, or are you saying it doesn't have enough?
Idk how the displays ppi isn't up to your expectations... I think it's beautiful. What were you expecting, 4k x 2k?
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA Premium.
It has 342 ppi, higher than any phone that curre.tly exists. How can you complain
Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA App
mmmcfc said:
It has 342 ppi, higher than any phone that curre.tly exists. How can you complain
Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cause he's a nexus fan boy and likes dem pixelated displays.
For me, I think the resolution of the display is about the max you could need in a phone for at least the foreseeable future. Finding individual pixels on this screen is very difficult.
The current performance level is good as well, though who can complain if given more. LOL
All I really want now is better battery life, and a 4 inch screen with a design that fits the hand well. (large screens plus thin profile is uncomfortable to hold and use one handed... think Razr)
I find that the large screens are just getting too big for day to day use, comfort, and ease. 4.3 inch is really the largest I can stand (or really the overall phone size for this range. the Rezound reaches the max size I can be comfortable using) If I could have a device that was similar in size to my old MT4G with a 4 inch screen, current gen dual core, good battery life, and 720p resolution I would be ecstatic.
Even the battery complaint is puzzling. All top shelf Android phones stink in the longevity dept. That problem definitely wouldn't be solved by going to the nexus or razr. From the inspire on att to the droid charge, to the droid bionic, to the rezound, battery life hasn't strayed too far, regardless of specs. But i would definitely like to see all the manufacturers, and Google work on battery management and capacity.
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kgbeezr1 said:
Even the battery complaint is puzzling. All top shelf Android phones stink in the longevity dept. That problem definitely wouldn't be solved by going to the nexus or razr. From the inspire on att to the droid charge, to the droid bionic, to the rezound, battery life hasn't strayed too far, regardless of specs. But i would definitely like to see all the manufacturers, and Google work on battery management and capacity.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah better efficiency in both hardware and software is needed.
And getting back to reasonable size screens would help too.
I would like to see the next best come with an unlocked bootloader :-D and have the HTC hub and such
I might prefer a 4" in the past, but only because I hated that all the larger screens had the same resolution as smaller screens making them pixalated, though I can say I do enjoy the extra screen space on the rezound thanks to the high dpi and rez.. I would maybe like to see an led screen without any lines/banding that doesn't over saturate colors. But the SLCD completely satisfies me anyway because it does not have those issues
Everyone wants better battery life of course. I'm impressed by the life I get from my phone. I can easily go all day without charging it...
Maybe an optical rear camera, and a next generation processor and GPU? Hell idk what else other than continuing to optimize android OS and making it even better.
Oh and I guess nfc options lol
Edit: it would also be nice if the re-designed the LED notification light to something a little more visible and multi colored, possibly maybe make one of the soft keys glow or something neat.
As well as multi color soft keys. Though if they moved away from softkeys, I wouldn't mind if they did others might have preference, they should also make on-screen keys color changeable as well.
This is my first HTC phone and honestly might be my last since Verizon doesn't like their stance on unlocking phones. Besides that, when I'm up for a new phone I'm going to compare the specs of all available manufacturers/models instead of being a brand whore and taking up whatever my "fave" is dropping in that time frame.
Battery issues will be over in a few years. Researches are developing a new way to build l-io batteries. These batteries will take 15 to charge and last a few days. Search my posts , I linked the article a few weeks back
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platinumrims said:
I would like to see the next best come with an unlocked bootloader :-D
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1!
Sent from my HTC Rezound using Tapatalk
I like how you addressed the entire forum as "bro"
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA App
Why can't all phones come unlocked and bloat free?
I would like my next phone implanted into my brain. Unlocked of course
sent from my mom's basement
On the PPI discussion, I would be curious to know the theoretical maximum beyond which the unaided human eye can no longer discern a difference. I'm sure someone has done the research.
Unlocked bootloader and nfc
Sent from my CM7 Nightly HTC Desire HD
This phone is absolutely awesome. The ONLY drawback it has (and its a MAJOR one unfortunately) is the S-ON lockdown.

DInc4g or Google Nexus? Maybe SG3?

So I got my DInc4g this past weekend and I'm loving the phone, I chose it over the new GS3. Today I was playing around with a coworkers Google Nexus and it's pretty damn nice. I have been an iphone user since my XPeria X10. So I'm not hip on the whole current android universe.
Looking at specs... The nexus and the DInc4g seem pretty close, except the camera. I like the size of the nexus, it's the middle ground between the two other phones. And JB runs super smooth on it.
I'm still in my window to exchange this phone for the nexus. So I'm reaching out for opinions.
Nexus or DInc4g? Or can somebody convince me to wait 2 days for the SG3?
Sent from my DInc4g using xda app-developers app
Bkral93 said:
So I got my DInc4g this past weekend and I'm loving the phone, I chose it over the new GS3. Today I was playing around with a coworkers Google Nexus and it's pretty damn nice. I have been an iphone user since my XPeria X10. So I'm not hip on the whole current android universe.
Looking at specs... The nexus and the DInc4g seem pretty close, except the camera. I like the size of the nexus, it's the middle ground between the two other phones. And JB runs super smooth on it.
I'm still in my window to exchange this phone for the nexus. So I'm reaching out for opinions.
Nexus or DInc4g? Or can somebody convince me to wait 2 days for the SG3?
Sent from my DInc4g using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its all personal preference really, i think the biggest 2 things are this:
1) what screen size/form factor is best for you
2) what version of android do you like running? if you get the nexus you ll always have the most up to date (well for 2 years or so) stock versions of android..and you can get miui w/ it to....if you get the gs3 you ll (probably) get aosp versions and have tw roms...witht his (hopefully) we ll have aosp at some point, but primarily sense roms
and price is a factor to some extent (if using an upgrade to purchase)
I can't give you any info on the SG3 but I can give you a direct comparison on the Inc 4g and the GNex.
I purchased both phones at the same time as I was curious on which would be better for my needs. I was a little on the fence about the Inc with it having a smaller screen than my current phone (Rezound). So I played with both over the weekend and the Inc 4g won me over hands down.
The GNex is a very nice phone, don't get me wrong, but the battery life is absolutely abysmal. I thought the Rezound had battery issues! The GNex had really bad signal as well. The Inc 4g had about 2 bars of signal and the GNex was telling me to connect to wifi sitting next to each other. So I played around with some kernels and different roms for the GNex to see if it would get any better on signal and battery life. Nothing helped in a serious manner. The amoled screen on the GNex is pretty nice as you dont get the washed out blacks like you do on an SLCD screen. But comparing the two screens next to each other, I preferred the Inc 4g as far as overall color and sharpness was concerned.
The lack of an SD card was a major drawback for me as well, by the time I copied my music over to the GNex my left over space was very limited. The dev community on the GNex is huge though. If you're a flashaholic...the GNex is for you. If you want your phone to last a full day and then some...get an Inc 4g.
Would also like to point out that the speed tests I ran on a 4g connection, the Inc 4g won on every test. Usually by 5Mbps on the download and 2Mbps on the upload. This was consistent on every test.
Screen size is your other determining factor. If you prefer a large screen...GNex. The Inc 4g has a smaller screen but there are no issues with reading anything on it. It's very clear, so don't assume a smaller screen is a harder screen to read. I've found the larger the screen, the worse off the battery life is. GNex takes it to a whole new level on battery drain though. I have used many phones over the years and the GNex is the absolute worst on battery life I have ever seen. Even with an extended battery you more than likely will not last an entire day with moderate use.
As far as the Inc 4g, I really don't have any complaints. Its extremely responsive, no lag that I have noticed and the battery life is the best I've seen from a smartphone to date. There is only one thing that in my opinion could make this phone better...Amoled screen. But the only thing you'd gain is the pure blacks you just don't get with LCD technology.
Hope it helps a little. I like both phones very much. Really it comes down to screen size and what your willing to put up with from your battery.
---------- Post added at 10:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:02 AM ----------
nitsuj17 said:
and price is a factor to some extent (if using an upgrade to purchase)
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GNex and Inc4g are the same price ($149)...GS3...omfg
*Madmoose* said:
GNex and Inc4g are the same price ($149)...GS3...omfg
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Click to collapse
depends on where you buy it...directly from vzw yes, but its still 40 for inc on letstalk...not sure what the best gnex deal is...and havent really seen any sgs3 deals (cuz it was preorder) just 199/249 from vzw
nitsuj17 said:
depends on where you buy it...directly from vzw yes, but its still 40 for inc on letstalk...not sure what the best gnex deal is...and havent really seen any sgs3 deals (cuz it was preorder) just 199/249 from vzw
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Click to collapse
Good point there, you are absolutely right.
I haven't heard good things about the Nexus on Verizon. 2 of my coworkers has it. One with Verizon, he complained about it. Idk if the other is on Verizon
The galaxy nexus is horrid on Verizon... I had and the phone battery is the worst I have ever expierenced... Mind u I have had the thunderbolt and the original Razr... Yes nexus now has JB but soon we will too... Remember this phone just came out last week lol... Without any hacks and scripts this phone is crazy fast... Just imagine what will happen a few months from now and we could really hack into this thing and bring out its true power... Galaxy S3 is a power house don't get me wrong but people who talk on in looks like they talking on a Gameboy lol
Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2
My coworker has a JB nexus with 3 hrs screen on time. I've only heard people complain about battery life if they don't use custom roms. Also, it's sort of asking for poor battery life if you don't use system toggles. Does anybody have a fully modded nexus that can comment on the battery life? Or even with the extended battery?
Sent from my ADR6410LVW using xda app-developers app
I don't have either the Nexus, or the INC 4g, but I do have the OG INC, and I think what the guys said above should spell it out, pretty clear.
I actually went in a VZ store yesterday to ask the folks about some changes to my plan coming up, and while I was there I wanted to see what the INC 4g looked like compared to my OG INC, and maybe even the GS3.
Well, the INC 4g was the same size as my phone in an otterbox, so I figure it will be even slightly bigger, if I get it and will get an otterbox covering it. It was a little laggy though, but hell, the store model had so many dang icons on the top, with gps and everything going on, it didn't suprise me, guess the clerks have downloaded everything under the sun on that thing. I liked what I saw though, and sense 4.0 looked kind of refreshing, nice. The viewable screen is a little more than I currently have with the OG INC, which was cool.
Now, I was disappointed I couldn't actually lay my hands on a GS3, I wanted to compare the two, and they don't have one in the store, but yet you can preorder the damn thing, well that to me sucks.
However, I did see a Nexus, and my first reaction was,. WTF, that damn thing needs a saddle bag strapped on my waist to hold it, lol. I mean, I thought it was just too damn big, and if I've read the information on here right, the GS3 is even slightly bigger. Well that concluded my interview, I do not want a tablet for a phone, and that was the impression I got, so if you like em big, then you might just dig the GS3 or Nexus.
Funny though, I was listening to a sales rep, talking with some potential customers, and I don't consider myself to be an expert, but, this fool was talking about how in another two days the new Nexus was hitting the store, and I had to laugh at that. Also, he compared the Droid 2 to the INC 4g, as far as speeds and overall phone similarities, oh brother, these guys are really up to snuff on their products...
Haha wow... Some reps really need to learn what they talk about before opening their own mouths smh
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I just noticed after playing around a little, if you remove the tabs at the bottom of the app launcher you could fit 6 rows in there easily...
...there's a dev somewhere going "you don't know what the hell you are talking about, you have any idea what that involves?"
Don't shoot!
---------- Post added at 03:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:29 PM ----------
miguel11691 said:
Haha wow... Some reps really need to learn what they talk about before opening their own mouths smh
Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I learned a loooong time ago not to listen to reps in the store.
I was swapping out the GNex i had for the Inc 4g today and the girl told me I shouldn't do that cause the HTC phones are much worse for battery than the phone i had...all I could do was sigh at her. She then proceeded to tell me that the SG3 was a great phone and couldn't understand why I was trading it in. Some people were just born at the wrong end of the stupid meter.
Don't get me wrong, there are some great reps out there, but they are extremely few and far between.
*Madmoose* said:
I just noticed after playing around a little, if you remove the tabs at the bottom of the app launcher you could fit 6 rows in there easily...
...there's a dev somewhere going "you don't know what the hell you are talking about, you have any idea what that involves?"
Don't shoot!
---------- Post added at 03:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:29 PM ----------
I learned a loooong time ago not to listen to reps in the store.
I was swapping out the GNex i had for the Inc 4g today and the girl told me I shouldn't do that cause the HTC phones are much worse for battery than the phone i had...all I could do was sigh at her. She then proceeded to tell me that the SG3 was a great phone and couldn't understand why I was trading it in. Some people were just born at the wrong end of the stupid meter.
Don't get me wrong, there are some great reps out there, but they are extremely few and far between.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha indeed... I freaking love this phone... It's so fast and speedy and the battery has been great so far.. imagine how our device will be once nodded or JB is installed
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I also pre-ordered a SG3 to keep my unlimited and have been thinking of (probably will) exchange for an Inc4g.
I've been reading alot of reviews of the Incredible 4g and SG3 and find it strange that the Inc4g is mostly described as a disappointment, under-powered and not much of an upgrade where the SG3 is mostly described has a flagship top-of-the-line phone. However when I look at the specs, they look "pretty much" the same.
CPU: Same CPU model, 1.2Ghz vs 1.5Ghz, I doubt 300Mhz is a noticable difference especially since you're probably running at a lower freq most of the time anyways
Screen: GS3 has slightly higher pixel density (306 vs 275)
Dimensions: GS3 is thinner but larger
Battery: GS3 has larger but as long as I can get through a day, whats the difference?
Skin: Sense vs TouchWiz, I think most people prefer Sense
Camera: Both 8MP, Inc has a F2.2 vs F2.6 lens, but GS3 may have a better chip?
Everything else, GPU, weight, etc, is almost exactly the same.
I would use the same argument to choose the Inc4g. People say the Inc4g isnt worth it because it is too much like the rezound. I say the SG3 isnt worth it because its too much like the Inc4g and I dont want to give up the ability to use my phone with one hand or fit it in my pocket. If they were both 4in, I might go for the GS3 since its thinner and slightly higher speced, but it doesnt seem worth it.
I walked around to verizon, sprint, tmobile to compare. I hope that verizon finally has a SG3 now so I can compare them in the store side by side.
First time posting on XDA, been watching and learning for a long time...
I was in the same boat as the op, until this morning at my local VZW Corp store. First, I love my Rezound, the screen is top notch, accurate color representation. With an art and photography background, this is number 1 thing I look at and require, a great screen. But because of the hype, I had to check out the SG3 to see for myself. Talk about major letdown. Dim, dim ,dim screen is all I can say. Google home page is white, not gray like I saw this morning. The LG models looked crisper sitting next to it. And brightness was at max. Touch wiz is ok, too muddy and jumbled.
Next I looked at the Dinc4g, and man what a difference. No lag, great feel in hand, and a clean, crisp, bright screen. Really felt like the little brother to my Rezound, only snappier. If the Dinc4g had a screen in the 4.3 - 4.7 inch size, I would have left the store with one. Not a big dealbreaker, but would need more time to adjust to the size.
Ram size, proc speed really is not an issue, unless you are doing video editing, photo editing, etc in which case that is what a desktop is for. I personally like the Dinc4g for its clean UI, snappy feel, build quality, and clean/bright screen. May end up getting it to replace my old dx the wife uses.
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Welcome aboard!
Yeah, the screen size is definitely smaller, but really I don't even notice it until I hit websites in desktop mode. But the pinch/zoom fixes that up nicely. Overall I wouldn't be happier with any other phone. The battery life is amazing on the Inc 4g. I honesty don't know how they did it...it's just...remarkable.
Really? Dim? I did not notice any difference in the displays. Ofcourse I had to look at the SG3 in a sprint or tmobile, then goto a verizon to look at the Inc4g so I never saw them side by side.
I'm thinking the two phones are pretty much equal. If you prefer a larger phone, the the SG3, if you prefer a smaller one, then the Inc4g.
enricong said:
Really? Dim? I did not notice any difference in the displays. Ofcourse I had to look at the SG3 in a sprint or tmobile, then goto a verizon to look at the Inc4g so I never saw them side by side.
I'm thinking the two phones are pretty much equal. If you prefer a larger phone, the the SG3, if you prefer a smaller one, then the Inc4g.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree, 2 phones are equal, comes down to UI and size.
Regards to dim screen, next to my Rezound and Dinc4g in store, yes sg3 not nearly as bright. The whites were not white. There is an article also confirming screen illumination. Sorry, can't post a link yet. Not nit picking, all a matter of personal preference. Still both are good devices and no matter which one folks go with, they will be more than pleased with the experience.
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enricong said:
I'm thinking the two phones are pretty much equal. If you prefer a larger phone, the the SG3, if you prefer a smaller one, then the Inc4g.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
a3photogod said:
Agree, 2 phones are equal, comes down to UI and size.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm quoting these parts of these two posts in particular because I feel like we need to start seeing that sentiment expressed more often. The way people on the internet seem to talk about this phone versus the GS3 is ridiculous. They make it seem like they're two totally different phones and the SGS3 is so ultimately superior in every way, when they have the same operating system, the same chipset (with the Incredible underclocked by 0.3 GHz which only serves to extend battery life and is not noticeable in everyday tasks, not to mention the fact that it can easily be overclocked to its original 1.5 GHz), and roughly equivalent-performance battery capacities when you take into account the SGS3's dramatically larger screen. This phone has been panned in multiple reviews I've read about being "stuck in the past" or "not up to the standards expected at the $200 price tag today" but the only phones out right now at the $200 price level in the same class as this phone are the SGS3 and HTC's own One series of phones, both of which have significantly larger screens. It all seems like Samsung's shelling out a lot of dollars to get major media outlets to make this phone look like a dinosaur when it just isn't.
(Also, one review called this phone "too thick and bulky"--seriously? I'm not really interested in carrying around a sheet of window glass. This phone's thickness will do just fine.)
polarimetric said:
I'm quoting these parts of these two posts in particular because I feel like we need to start seeing that sentiment expressed more often. The way people on the internet seem to talk about this phone versus the GS3 is ridiculous. They make it seem like they're two totally different phones and the SGS3 is so ultimately superior in every way, when they have the same operating system, the same chipset (with the Incredible underclocked by 0.3 GHz which only serves to extend battery life and is not noticeable in everyday tasks, not to mention the fact that it can easily be overclocked to its original 1.5 GHz), and roughly equivalent-performance battery capacities when you take into account the SGS3's dramatically larger screen. This phone has been panned in multiple reviews I've read about being "stuck in the past" or "not up to the standards expected at the $200 price tag today" but the only phones out right now at the $200 price level in the same class as this phone are the SGS3 and HTC's own One series of phones, both of which have significantly larger screens. It all seems like Samsung's shelling out a lot of dollars to get major media outlets to make this phone look like a dinosaur when it just isn't.
(Also, one review called this phone "too thick and bulky"--seriously? I'm not really interested in carrying around a sheet of window glass. This phone's thickness will do just fine.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the Inc4g actually underclocked 1.2ghz or is it an actual 1.2Ghz cpu? I know the difference is minimal, but it makes a difference when overclocking and stability. If I recall, most phones run at a lower frequency to save power and only jump up to the max speed when you need it (launching an app, games, etc) so they may literally be running the same speed most of the time. As for the battery life, I haven't been able to find a review of both phones where they used the exact same technique to measure battery life so I have no idea how much of a difference it is. I assumed that the GS3 is better because its larger. Yes the screen is larger, but it is probably also off a majority of the time. I do wish the phone were thinner and lighter but I guess that is a personal preference just like how some people want a bigger screen.
enricong said:
Is the Inc4g actually underclocked 1.2ghz or is it an actual 1.2Ghz cpu? I know the difference is minimal, but it makes a difference when overclocking and stability. If I recall, most phones run at a lower frequency to save power and only jump up to the max speed when you need it (launching an app, games, etc) so they may literally be running the same speed most of the time. As for the battery life, I haven't been able to find a review of both phones where they used the exact same technique to measure battery life so I have no idea how much of a difference it is. I assumed that the GS3 is better because its larger. Yes the screen is larger, but it is probably also off a majority of the time. I do wish the phone were thinner and lighter but I guess that is a personal preference just like how some people want a bigger screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC claimed that the processor was "totally different" when the phone was originally announced, but it has since been confirmed that the Incredible 4G has an MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 chipset inside, which is the same chipset as the one clocked at 1.5 GHz in the SGS3 and other phones. Obviously, we will know better once the development on this phone moves forward how stable this phone is at 1.5 GHz, but since there is no record of a 1.2 GHz MSM8960 being produced by anyone, the assumption (and the repeated statement in many reviews/articles about this phone) is that it is an underclocked processor.
The GS3 has a 2200 mAh battery versus the Incredible's 1700 mAh battery, which would be a big difference if the two phones were comparable, but due to the GS3's higher clock and bigger screen, the difference is much less pronounced. The GS3 probably does have better battery life in real-world usage than the Incredible 4G, since, as you say, the screen is off most of the time, but the difference is not as pronounced as some reviews may lead you to believe. A 4.8" screen has to light up significantly more area than a 4.0" screen, and given that these phones are a lot more efficient CPU-wise than previous generations thanks to the S4, the screen is now by far the biggest pull on the battery (62-80% on my Inc 4G depending on how many voice calls I make).
The only benefit to a thin phone for me is that you can put a bulkier case on it without worry of the phone getting too thick. I don't really like how overly thin mobile devices feel in hand, especially phones--I like my palm to be able to rest comfortably on the back of the phone while holding it one-handed without my fingers awkwardly hanging off the side, which requires a bit more bulk.

Note 2 or Htc Dna/Dlx

Wondering what everyone's opinion is on which one to get or which one is better, price included etc...
I can imagine that the screen on that thing will be beautiful. Though the small battery concerns me. I have never had good luck with HTC's customization and battery life. How important is the S Pen to you?
I'd have to mess with it but I've had smart phones for years with out a problem but the s pen would probably come in handy
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
jackholl92 said:
I'd have to mess with it but I've had smart phones for years with out a problem but the s pen would probably come in handy
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me, the S Pen and the multi-window feature is the entire reason I am purchasing the phone (It isn't time for my "upgrade" yet). Spec wise it is really kind of a wait and see. I personally like the black and red, but I am not a fan of the glossy black. I prefer the look of the brushed "metal" of the galaxy series.
Has HTC cooked up any compelling software features?
I'm almost positive I'm getting the Note 2, but the HTC DNA is definitely intriguing. I sorta made this pros and cons for myself, it may be helpful to you or others though.
HTC DNA
Pros
Nice build quality from HTC
Very sharp screen with around 440ppi
Aesthetically pleasing (personal opinion of course)
SD Slot (possibly)
S4 Pro
Great camera normally by HTC
Cons
First generation of 1080p screen may have unexpected problems
Battery is on the small side
No multi-window or S-Pen (my 2 main reasons for going for the Note 2)
Non-removable battery (personally I like just having the option to have a spare on hand)
Galaxy Note 2
Pros
Larger screen
S-Pen
Multi-window
Allshare (not sure if HTC has something like this or not)
Removable Battery and SD Card Slot
Exynos 4412
Light weight for such a large phone
Home Button (definitely personal preference, but I like it)
Cons
Home button Verizon branding (can fix however with these,http://www.ebay.com/itm/Metal-ALUMINUM-HOME-Button-Keyboard-Sticker-f-Samsung-Galaxy-Note-2-II-N7100-Slv-/121002308301?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item1c2c4cb2cd
My brain won't let me think of any other since I've already bought 3 cases and the Allshare Cast Dongle for the Note 2.
I will be going to check out the HTC DNA for sure when it arrives in store either way though.
jackholl92 said:
Wondering what everyone's opinion is on which one to get or which one is better, price included etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would def choose note 2 over dlx anyway bc bigger screen size s pen although i could care less and removable battery
clemson91 said:
I'm almost positive I'm getting the Note 2, but the HTC DNA is definitely intriguing. I sorta made this pros and cons for myself, it may be helpful to you or others though.
HTC DNA
Pros
Nice build quality from HTC
Very sharp screen with around 440ppi
Aesthetically pleasing (personal opinion of course)
SD Slot (possibly)
S4 Pro
Great camera normally by HTC
Cons
First generation of 1080p screen may have unexpected problems
Battery is on the small side
No multi-window or S-Pen (my 2 main reasons for going for the Note 2)
Non-removable battery (personally I like just having the option to have a spare on hand)
Galaxy Note 2
Pros
Larger screen
S-Pen
Multi-window
Allshare (not sure if HTC has something like this or not)
Removable Battery and SD Card Slot
Exynos 4412
Light weight for such a large phone
Home Button (definitely personal preference, but I like it)
Cons
My brain won't let me think of any since I've already bought 3 cases and the Allshare Cast Dongle for the Note 2.
I will be going to check out the HTC DNA for sure when it arrives in store either way though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the list of Cons for Galaxy Note 2 (Verizon)
Locked bootloader (unless someone can crack it or another leak happens)
The Logo on the home button (it may not bother some, but due to the volume of posts I figured it should be mentioned)
SFBPro said:
On the list of Cons for Galaxy Note 2 (Verizon)
Locked bootloader (unless someone can crack it or another leak happens)
The Logo on the home button (it may not bother some, but due to the volume of posts I figured it should be mentioned)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh well I had thought of the locked bootloader, but then thought the HTC DNA's would be locked as well so they sorta cancelled each other out. The home button is a good point since those who don't like would need to get those cover up stickers.
clemson91 said:
Oh well I had thought of the locked bootloader, but then thought the HTC DNA's would be locked as well so they sorta cancelled each other out. The home button is a good point since those who don't like would need to get those cover up stickers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While the bootloader may be shipped locked on the DNA, at least you could "unlock" it via HTC Dev. I for one am going to try the sugar water method to get rid of the logo.
clemson91 said:
I'm almost positive I'm getting the Note 2, but the HTC DNA is definitely intriguing. I sorta made this pros and cons for myself, it may be helpful to you or others though.
HTC DNA
Pros
Nice build quality from HTC
Very sharp screen with around 440ppi
Aesthetically pleasing (personal opinion of course)
SD Slot (possibly)
S4 Pro
Great camera normally by HTC
Cons
First generation of 1080p screen may have unexpected problems
Battery is on the small side
No multi-window or S-Pen (my 2 main reasons for going for the Note 2)
Non-removable battery (personally I like just having the option to have a spare on hand)
Galaxy Note 2
Pros
Larger screen
S-Pen
Multi-window
Allshare (not sure if HTC has something like this or not)
Removable Battery and SD Card Slot
Exynos 4412
Light weight for such a large phone
Home Button (definitely personal preference, but I like it)
Cons
Home button Verizon branding (can fix however with these,http://www.ebay.com/itm/Metal-ALUMI...308301?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item1c2c4cb2cd
My brain won't let me think of any other since I've already bought 3 cases and the Allshare Cast Dongle for the Note 2.
I will be going to check out the HTC DNA for sure when it arrives in store either way though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks that definitely helps I've definitely called Verizon twice to pre-order then I just hung up lol
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Both seem like great devices. I personally don't really care about the s pen, I probably won't use it much. But I do like the multi-window and large battery of the Note 2.
It's the battery that did it for me. I was really excited when I heard rumors that HTC was going to make a note competitor but then when I saw that the battery was only around 2000mah and non-removable that ruined it for me. Plus I kind of see the lower resolution as a plus, I've always gone with the highest resolution I could for computers but when the pixels are as small as they are on this I don't know how much better 1080p can really be but I do know it will be a lot more taxing on the GPU so the note 2 should have better graphics performance.
IvanNCase said:
It's the battery that did it for me. I was really excited when I heard rumors that HTC was going to make a note competitor but then when I saw that the battery was only around 2000mah and non-removable that ruined it for me. Plus I kind of see the lower resolution as a plus, I've always gone with the highest resolution I could for computers but when the pixels are as small as they are on this I don't know how much better 1080p can really be but I do know it will be a lot more taxing on the GPU so the note 2 should have better graphics performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That makes a lot of sense lol has anyone messed with the Note 2 yet?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
jackholl92 said:
That makes a lot of sense lol has anyone messed with the Note 2 yet?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the t mobile note 2 for a couple days and the only con I have is the physical home button. I really wish it was capacitive. It's kind of a pain to actually click the button when you're holding the phone with one hand because it messes up the balance of the phone in your hand making it feel like it's about to fall.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
I love the phones HTC makes. However reading the 12 page review of the N2 on GSMArena the other really dived into all the extra bits samsung and put into the Galaxy phones and then the note widgets as well. I can see them being very useful.
I like using Google Voice actions in the car, but never in a crowded area, with the S Pen a few swipes and boom a text is sent.
r0n0c said:
I love the phones HTC makes. However reading the 12 page review of the N2 on GSMArena the other really dived into all the extra bits samsung and put into the Galaxy phones and then the note widgets as well. I can see them being very useful.
I like using Google Voice actions in the car, but never in a crowded area, with the S Pen a few swipes and boom a text is sent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
SFBPro said:
While the bootloader may be shipped locked on the DNA, at least you could "unlock" it via HTC Dev. I for one am going to try the sugar water method to get rid of the logo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And chances are that someone may stumble upon an unlocked bootloader for the Note 2, so how is it any different? There is also no confirmation that it can be unlocked via HTC Dev.
The lack of SD card and too small nonremovable battery leaves out the DNA.
Oh I just thought of probably the biggest reason I'm going for the Note 2 now, and I'll wait for another 1080p device later, nothing will really take advantage of all those pixels, everything is just now starting to work well a 720p. Hopefully more 1080p phones come out over the next year, and then the Note 3 comes with a 1080p screen, so by then more apps will be taking advantage of all those pixels.
If it is true that the DNA/DLX only has a 2000mAh battery (or thereabouts) then that would be a huge con IMO. People complain about battery life all the time, even when they're getting better than average battery life. You're taking a device with a larger screen than a SGS3, plus has twice the CPU cores, and putting the same sized battery in it. For battery life comparisons, I would guess that the DNA will have worse battery life than the SGS3.
While the Note 2 has a HUGE screen and quad core, it also has a huge battery to go with it, and from what I've read, it gets battery life comparable to the SGS3, maybe slightly better, depending on usage. Add in the S-Pen, and you have two major selling points IMO. But, there are always going to be fans of HTC, and Samsung haters. One thing to note is that if both are unlocked, the DNA/DLX is more likely to get AOSP going due to the Snapdragon processor, at least at this point. If Samsung lives up to their word and releases the Exynos sources as requested, that could change.

Note 2 vs. DNA vs. Nexus 4. I had all 3.

Here is my LONG and slightly biased review of the 3 top devices right now.
I had a DNA, Nexus 4, and Note 2 all at the same time and here is a summary of my thoughts on how they compare.
The DNA and Note 2 were my personal phones, the Nexus 4 belonged to my company and was purchased for a tear down analysis. I got to use it for about a week.
I have been following the HTC J Butterfly ever since it was announced in Japan. Although I was 100 percent satisfied with my Note 2, I was quite intrigued with the phone's full 1080 progressive display. So many pixels crammed in 5" of screen real estate must be amazing I figured. I wanted to see if this phone would give me second thoughts and sway me away from my beloved Note 2.
Screen:
1. DNA
2. Note 2
3. Nexus 4
The crown jewel of the HTC DNA is the display, while quite amazing in person, it reminds me a lot of the iPhone 5's Retina display, just bigger. I know the DNA has a much higher ppi density, but in reality you really can't tell the difference once the resolution gets so high in a 4-5" screen. Only situation where I could clearly distinguish the difference was in text, and when zoomed all the way out and the texts are all microscopic but still legible if you put a magnifying glass to it.
The novelty of the 1080P screen wears out QUICK. I showed a few of my co-workers and friends/families and they couldn't really see what the big fuss was all about. They say their iPhone 4S/5 ect. looks the same. Oh well, I should have brought with me a magnifying glass to brag about the difference I suppose. Once the novelty wears off, the beautiful screen becomes more of a curse. A LOT of games/apps don't work right with the 1080p display. I know developers will eventually update their apps, maybe, to support the 1080p resolution but in the meantime it's a waiting game. I hate waiting...and it seems like I'm missing out on a lot of good games and apps while other phones get to enjoy it RIGHT NOW.
Next, The high ppi count combined with HTC sense lags this phone. You can tell it taxes the GPU/CPU pushing all those pixels. If you claim your DNA doesn't lag, then you either don't know what lag is, or never experienced a phone that is lag-free. The iPhone 5 is lag free, the Nexus 4 and Note 2 are "almost" lag free but those two still offer much smoother UI performance as a whole than the DNA.
The Nexus 4 screen is "nice" but it's nothing to write home about, nor is it super uber amazing like some Nexus fans might lead you to believe. The viewing angles and resolution are above average but the color is quite disappointing. Everything looks washed out and drab on the screen next to the DNA and Note 2, no real pop or anything to make it stand out. It reminds me a lot of the display on my LG G2X, just higher resolution.
Note 2's screen, don't be fooled by the "only" 267ppi count. This screen is by far one of the best displays I've seen on a smartphone, and I've had pretty much most all high end smartphones due to the line of work I do and frankly, my addiction. The lame background that Samsung loads on this phone default from the factory does not do the phone justice. I can see how a person would think the screen isn't anything special when they first turn it on. Com'on Samsung, load a high resolution default background to show off that beautiful screen, not some low resolution, plain blue background with a feather in the back.
This display is not like the other Samsung AMOLEDs of the past like the Note 1, Galaxy S, Nexus, Galaxy S3. Those are all Pentile matrix. Those are not comparable to the Note 2's screen.
The Note 2 is an RGB matrix OLED HD NON-PENTILE display, the highest resolution one that Samsung has ever put on a phone. And it's a spectacular display, which blows the other Samsung SuperAMOLED's out of the water. Everything looks sharper on a non-pentile display. Don't be fooled by the ppi count on AMOLED's when comparing pentile to non-pentile, the S3 might have a higher ppi density but the Note 2 offers a superior viewing experience. Text, images, ect. all look much more clear, sharper and cleaner on the Note 2.
It doesn't quite match the DNA's overall brightness and resolution but it's a solid, high resolution beautiful screen. Better than the Nexus 4's screen by far.
Camera:
Camera quality wise I would rank them as follows.
1. Note 2
2. DNA
3. Nexus 4
The Note 2 takes the best pictures in all light conditions, the DNA takes good pictures in good lighting but they produce a LOT of noise and it gets worse as the lighting drops. Noise is very apparent when you blow the picture up to 100 percent crop. The Nexus 4 is last place, I could not take a decent picture with that thing especially low light. The Note 2 takes really high quality pictures without a lot of noise, I am very impressed with it.
Build:
Build quality and feel.
1. Nexus 4
2. DNA
3. Note 2
I got to hand it to LG and Google on the Nexus 4, this thing feels like a million bucks in your hand. Glass front and back, rubber surround between. It just feels very premium. Like German Engineered. =) It just feels really good in your hand. Just don't drop it.
The DNA feels... Japanese. Very well built, gives the impression that it should last for a long time and fare well in drop survival . Doesn't quite match the Nexus for that extra premium feel. Very ergonomic to hold, I think it was my favorite thing about the DNA. It felt really nicely balanced in your hand for it's size.
Sadly the Note 2 feels like a GM product. Plastic, plastic, plastic. Even the simulated metal surround is just painted plastic. Upside is it's relatively light for it's size but don't expect it to have a premium feel to it, it's not bad, it's actually very solid but just not premium feeling like the other two. Feels better in the hand than the Note 1, which was kinda ridiculous and shaped more like a tablet. The Note 2 feels like a phone, just a large one. Not the most comfortable phone to hold for a long time one handed but definitely not that bad.
Software.
1. Note 2
2. Nexus 4
3. DNA
The Note 2 is on a whole different planet when it comes to functionality and software. I know many people scoff at Touchwiz and Sense, or any UI overlay that messes with the pure Android experience. I too was one of those people. My mind was blown when it came to the Note 2. It's been a month since I had my international Note 2, and about a week with my T-Mobile Note 2. I am still finding out new incredible things the software and S-Pen can do on this phone. Touchwiz is truly great on this phone, also it is butter smooth in operation. I can't believe I'm saying this but Touchwiz on the Note 2 makes pure Android 4.2 on the Nexus 4 seem rather lame and boring. It seems like Samsung really took their time, did their homework to really optimize the operation of their UI on this phone. Rooting and Installing custom roms is as easy as they get on the Note 2. Flash 1 simple file, and bam you got a custom recovery. Root and install custom roms and kernels till your hearts desire!
HTC Sense, now this is one beautiful looking UI. Unfortunately DNA is loaded to the gills with bloatware, OMG I've never seen so much bloat on a phone. You can tell the UI really taxes the phone's CPU and GPU. The performance definitely do not match the benchmarks. Don't get me started on unlocking the bootloader on this thing, have you guys seen the instructions? Seems more complicated than brain surgery with the risk of bricking your phone the whole process.
What can I say about the Nexus 4? It has pure 4.2 Android and is very smooth. On par with the Note 2. Pure Android feels sorta naked, with not much stuff to discover. It's plain jane, what pisses me off is Google decided to take out the AOSP browser and made Chrome the default browser. No flash support and performance isn't that great. I'm surprised that Chrome is actually pretty decently smooth on the Nexus 4 but still not as good as the stock AOSP browser. I did not like the on screen buttons which took a lot of screen real estate away.
I always found the S-Pen on the original Note kinda gimmicky, not so much on the Note 2. It is incredibly useful on the Note 2 and I find myself using it ALL THE TIME and I'm not a pen/tablet kinda guy. It's literally 10 times more accurate and functional on the Note 2 loaded with all kinds of great features. Air view is one of them and awesome!
Battery life:
1. Note 2
2. DNA
3. Nexus 4
Okay this is no contest. I am a HEAVY user with a lot of screen on time, I hardly charge my phones. The Note 2 gets me through the day with Heavy Usage, 10+ hours and I still have 25 percent reserve. Same type of usage, the Nexus 4 is dead in 3 1/2 hours flat The DNA is slightly better but still dead in about 4-5 hours of the same type of usage. With light to moderate use, the Note 2 got me through a weekend of camping with no charger in sight, that's with browsing the web, checking email, doing some work related stuff, streaming a few Youtube videos for my daughters. I would never attempt that with any other phone. Impossible with the Nexus or DNA. The Note 2's battery life is simply unbelievable. What's even better than the Note 2's amazing battery life? The ability to carry MORE if needed, since it's removable! The Nexus 4 battery blows! I'm at 60 percent just browsing the web on that thing for 45 minutes, hopefully with the next few updates Google will find a way to make the battery last longer.
Storage:
1. Note 2
2. DNA/Nexus 4
Again, No contest.
I had a 64GB Sandisk from my GS3, popped it into my Note 2 and now I have 80GB of combined storage. It's perfect for putting in literally my whole movie collection and mp3 songs on the go. My daughters could browse through the movie collection and find the ones they want to watch anywhere to keep them quiet, no need to plan ahead and only put in only 1 or 2 choices due to storage limitations. I could carry along more SD cards as I wish, basically limitless storage capacity is priceless to have.
After having owned and used all 3, I returned the DNA pronto.
There is absolutely no device that has satisfied me in all areas like the Note 2, it's basically the Swiss army knife of phones. It's a no contest comparing the DNA or Nexus 4 to the Note 2. They don't stand a chance. This is the ONE and ONLY device that has ever stopped my urge and yearning to try something different because I know there is no other phone out there that can measure up to it. Literally and figuratively.
I wouldn't put the fragile Nexus 4 at the top of build quality when the glass cracks easily. There's even been reports that temperature change (it being warn in your hand and then sat on a counter top) cracks it. Plastic is better build quality because it's built to last.
Thanks.. Well written comparison between the three phones and i think it's fair for the most part.
Highly biased towards the note 2 but that's your opinion
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda premium
Unless the DNA overheats or I use chrome, I don't see low framerate. I got it to overheat and used chrome at the same time today.
Wasn't pretty.
I wish people would stop calling low framerate lag. Lag is not even a relevant term.
LOL This sounded like a "Gather around kids, let me tell you about these phones, I had all 3!" "ooohhhhhhh aaaahhhhh"
Seriously though I have to agree with the OP on Touchwiz. I have a Note 10.1 tablet and I had a Galaxy SIII. I traded my S III to my sister for her upgrade so I could get the Note 2 on Verizon when it came out. Got tired of waiting and got the DNA. The DNA is a great phone, don't get me wrong, but after playing around with the S III and the Note 10.1 I found Sense to be just . . . boring. The whole 1080p thing really gets boring quick and I was just left with a skin that doesn't do all that much.
Today a friend was showing me that she bought the S III I recommended her to buy and I was showing her all these little things I liked and I kept having to say "no, my new one doesn't do that... but look at the screen!".
I carry 2 phones with me at all times. My Serious "work" phone (Verizon) because I need a phone that will work wherever I travel and my "Just for fun" phone (T-Mobile prepaid).
There is a lot I do like about the DNA, call quality is great, display really is amazing, I love the looks of it and it just feels reliable. So I made the decision that I'm going to keep the DNA on Verizon and instead I'm going to replace my Galaxy Nexus on T-Mobile with the Note 2. I think it makes sense, Verizon is my Reliable line and I think the DNA will be the most reliable PHONE, T-Mobile is my for fun line so I think the Note 2 will be the most fun phablet for it.
That's a whole bunch of hardware to carry around lol.
It really is an addiction LOL, I carry a manbag (IT'S NOT A PURSE!) with my Galaxy Note 10.1 and my Nexus 7 and my Bluetooth keyboard and a bunch of cables and a portable hard drive and chargers and then I carry my 2 phones around and I don't do **** with any of it. It's always a "Just in case" thing. It's that Ti and Ne kicking in.
People always slagged off Touchwiz but I tried Android on a phone in store in 2010 and I hated it, I then decided to go for the iPhone 4. When it came to the GS2 launching I had gotten so fed up of how restrictive IOS is that I sold my iPhone 4 and got the GS2 last year. It was so much better than the Android I used before and I messed around with lots of roms after people saying how stock is much better and I hated it, stock just lacked so many features that TouchWiz had. I also thought the apps Samsung had on the phone all just worked, where the stock apps felt rather dated. Then using the Note 2 in store I just the added functionality of the pen, especially being able to quickly write numbers down while on the phone without having to go through menus. PiP and the multiple windows open is just something I so badly want now and I loved how Samsung have improved TouchWiz so much since the GS2.
I would buy the Note 2 if the specs were more impressive, however the Mali 400 is a real let down, it struggled a bit on the GS2 and it would be even worse on the Note 2.
Though I've tried The Nexus 4 at work as my mate has one and I still think stock Android is **** compared to Touchwiz.
I truly appreciate this, thank you very much! I agree with everything you said as well (as far as the DNA and N2 go, I haven't used the N4). You've made the decision to return the DNA in for the Note 2 that much easier!
DNA has no screen stuttering when navigating the launcher or any of the apps... there will be some moments when its loaded up with apps that ive been using where it might have a very slight stutter but it usually corrects itself ... I personally love sense compared to anything else... the rest of my family all got GS III's and i hate touchwiz so much... the entire UI stutters from opening apps navigating screens and settings.. haven't played with a note II yet so i cant really go into detail with that...
Don't know what your whole family did to their S3's but I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in saying the S3 is quite smooth. Of course its not nexus 4 quick though
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
I had the note2 on T-Mobile for two weeks and now the DNA for one week. They are both great phones! Personally I don't care for sense or touchwiz, but then again that's why we are all here....you can get your android os anyway you like. I settled on the DNA because, I have always used HTC, even pre android, and think that they have the finest build quality in the android world. Also the note2 felt just slightly to big.
I think it really comes down to those little personal preferences when dealing with these power house phones! You won't be sorry with any of these.
I really wanted to like the S3, but nothing about it was 'woah' for me. It didn't look that good, and I didn't mind waiting to see what else was around the corner. So I got the DNA, and I'm blown away. I really don't care about comparing Touchwiz vs. Sense vs. Pure Android, because regardless of what skin I have, I'm going to either find an AOSP ROM or I'll be uninstalling all the bloat ware and using a different launcher.
The S3 is a good phone, and I would recommend it, but I love my DNA a lot more. The screen isn't a novelty for me really, its just beautiful and not Pentile.
The note2, I feel like that's not considered on the same category. I've never gotten to play with one, but if we are looking at $200 on contract, DNA is the way to go and not go to up for the Note2.
Pretty insightful, especially since I'm deciding between the DNA and Note 2. I haven't tested either phone in the store yet, but I plan on doing that soon. Swaying to the DNA because of the awesome design (IMHO) and the screen. Note 2 is looking good because of the removable battery and expandable storage. 6+GB of music will fill the DNA FAST since I can't really use cloud storage (NYC subway has no service). I have only 2 problems with the Note 2 from all the videos I've seen: 1. That sore thumb of a logo on the home button 2. Doesn't seem like the S-Pen works with AOSP roms like CM/AOKP/PA, based on what I've seen with the Note. Sort of a problem since I'm sure the S-Pen is a considerable amount of the final cost of the phone.
How clear would you say the screen on the Note 2 is? I've really only experienced the screen on my GNexus and a few of the first Galaxy S phones. I actually love my Nexus's screen, but at 5.5", I can't think of it being as nice.
Talked to a friend of mine who has tested both. He feels the Note 2 is no faster than the DNA even at lower resolution.
.torrented said:
DNA has no screen stuttering when navigating the launcher or any of the apps... there will be some moments when its loaded up with apps that ive been using where it might have a very slight stutter but it usually corrects itself ... I personally love sense compared to anything else... the rest of my family all got GS III's and i hate touchwiz so much... the entire UI stutters from opening apps navigating screens and settings.. haven't played with a note II yet so i cant really go into detail with that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree here 100% I hated...HATED! Sense on my thunderbolt but this is a whole new sense.. I'd almost venture to say I prefer this newest sense to stock android... Just my input on that
This is very good thread, not biased at all to be honest. I was in love with the DNA display for the first few days, and guess what it wore off, lol. Now I can't tell a difference between 1080p and 720p lol. I now tell people hey you won't be able to tell after 2 days, lol.
I am about to go tomorrow to check out the note 2 and see if the narrow design fits my hands. I might switch it out but I am not going in with the mindset to pick one up, I however will be ready to exchange it if I am impressed. I am really tired of sense I like other launchers and for some reason they don't seem to run as fast on the 1080p screen.
Sense is so unproductive it looks nice but seriously why the hell do I have to go in to settings to change a wallpaper, the long press on home screen just lets you add widgets, so stupid. HTC seems to have made it worse.
I love the DNA but if I am as impressed by the note 2 I might exchange it out tomorrow.
---------- Post added at 06:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:05 AM ----------
adrynalyne said:
Talked to a friend of mine who has tested both. He feels the Note 2 is no faster than the DNA even at lower resolution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trust me unless your friend was a robot he wouldn't know. They are both fast phones, if someone says they can see the difference when they use it, they are most likely lying, lol.
I could be wrong but regarding battery category,
Is your Notes 2 using TMobile's network ? since Verizon's Note 2 is only available tomorrow, I guess the Notes 2 you own is GSM version.
Verizon's DNA is running on LTE.
So I would give it some kudos for running on LTE doing the heavy usage you had for 4-5 hours with 2020 mAH battery, (note 2 has a 1.5 bigger battery inside.)
Thanks for the review - and thanks for trying out phones that you know you are going to return. Helps everyone out when our carrier has to handle RMAs for people that want to try phones just to review them.
*sighs*
-D

Droid Dna vs S3

Im sure this has been asked a lot, but there are some things I cant seem to find.
My major concerns are of course, the non expandable storage space, and the non removable battery.
The DNA is advertised to have 16 gigs of storage space. Is this the free space available out of the box? Or does the os use some of this space.
As for the battery, i do mostly texting and web browsing, some videos. Im usually driving or at my desk so it will likely be plugged in most of the time. This isnt a huge concern, but still a small issue.
If you have this phone, what dont you like about it?
Thanks for the input.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
A quick addition, for those who have had htc devices for a while, how are they with software updates? Coming from motorola, whos horrible, it would he nice to have a phone that gets updated accordingly.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
Out of the you'll have just a little over 11gb of storage to play with. As for battery life the DNA has surprised many by lasting most pretty much all day. Of course it depends how heavy you use it? You'll be more than fine with battery life with what you mentioned.
The DNA beats out the gs 3 in every way, except for the expandable storage. Once you debloat the phone you get more than 11 gigs. The battery is very good especially with cubed kernel
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda app-developers app
I actually just got my s3 back from repairs and I plan to do a comparison video before selling it.
The DNA beats the gs3 in every way except for storage and some touchwiz features(palm screenshot, eye following, etc)
And the DNA has around 11 gigs available.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda app-developers app
i've got both, and i do love both.
i've always been an HTC man, from the eris, Inc, to the Rezound, and now a DNA. i've got a galaxy nexus, and an S3 as well.
the S3 has a great camera that right out of the box, point and shoot, looks amazing. with the DNA, as i found with most HTC devices, you have to do a little fine tuning to get pictures to come out well. the LED flash on the S3 is also much brighter than the DNA, which makes better flash-lowlight pics on the S3.
the S3, like all other samsung androids, doesn't have the best of service unfortunately. the nexus had bad service and would never pickup 4g, whereas my rezound had great service and would grab 4g no problem. i was in a new 4g area, so that could explain it, but the rezound would get it more often. the S3 picked up 4g much better than the nexus, but it's GPS antenna was AWFUL. my S3 would never lock on for me if i was inside any building, or hell, even a car. it was really bad...compared to my Nexus 7 which is INSTANT lock, and my DNA/Rezound which both locked really quick as well.
the call reception on the S3 was good, and sounded good, but the DNA def. beats it out. people say it sounds like i'm calling from a landline, thats how clear the DNA is.
in terms of battery life, my S3 would average around 14 hours with maybe 2 hours screen on time. when idling over night, i've gotten as much as 32 hours out of it before. the DNA, so far, seems to be almost identical. i pulled it off the charger at 5am this morning because i saw it was full, went back to sleep, and got up at like 10:30. it only dropped to 98% idling for 5 hours. considering the fact i have so much stuff synicng all the time and i was on 4G all night, that's pretty damn good!
the screen on the DNA is just amazing. the viewing angles are insanely good, and the screen is so close to the glass so it looks just amazing. the S3 has a great screen as well, although a bit more on the warm side and oversaturated sicne it's a super AMOLED.
the DNA has an amazing build quality factor here. HTC used like rounded off glass for the screen just like the S3, so your hand just glides over the edge. it doesn't have those horrible sharp corners old HTC phones had, like the rezound, where gunk and dust would get stuck in the gap and look horrible, and even worse, get dust under teh screen.
overall, the size of the DNA is fine. yeah, it's bigger than the S3 and def. feels it, but i can still do almost everything one handed on it. the S3 may seem a little bit quicker at first, which i simply attribute to touchwiz compared to sense, but overall, the DNA feels smoother.
i'm fortunate enough to be able to have all of these phones and keep them all. i'm loving the DNA, and i'll always have my galaxy nexus and S3 to switch between!
First let me say that I just came from a Samsung fasinate. I used it for two years stock and then rooted for two months. The GUI that Samsung uses is more intuitive IMO. And once rooted, opened my eyes to the plethera of settings/customization that can be done with a rooted phone. The options you get to p lay with on a stock DNA are limited. In fact some of the coolest features that JB has to offer are over written by HTC sence. I have had this phone since the day b4 thanksgiving, and it is way fast. The Screen is huge and beautiful. It is a great phone that will be better once I root it.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda app-developers app
earthrocker said:
i've got both, and i do love both.
i've always been an HTC man, from the eris, Inc, to the Rezound, and now a DNA. i've got a galaxy nexus, and an S3 as well.
the S3 has a great camera that right out of the box, point and shoot, looks amazing. with the DNA, as i found with most HTC devices, you have to do a little fine tuning to get pictures to come out well. the LED flash on the S3 is also much brighter than the DNA, which makes better flash-lowlight pics on the S3.
the S3, like all other samsung androids, doesn't have the best of service unfortunately. the nexus had bad service and would never pickup 4g, whereas my rezound had great service and would grab 4g no problem. i was in a new 4g area, so that could explain it, but the rezound would get it more often. the S3 picked up 4g much better than the nexus, but it's GPS antenna was AWFUL. my S3 would never lock on for me if i was inside any building, or hell, even a car. it was really bad...compared to my Nexus 7 which is INSTANT lock, and my DNA/Rezound which both locked really quick as well.
the call reception on the S3 was good, and sounded good, but the DNA def. beats it out. people say it sounds like i'm calling from a landline, thats how clear the DNA is.
in terms of battery life, my S3 would average around 14 hours with maybe 2 hours screen on time. when idling over night, i've gotten as much as 32 hours out of it before. the DNA, so far, seems to be almost identical. i pulled it off the charger at 5am this morning because i saw it was full, went back to sleep, and got up at like 10:30. it only dropped to 98% idling for 5 hours. considering the fact i have so much stuff synicng all the time and i was on 4G all night, that's pretty damn good!
the screen on the DNA is just amazing. the viewing angles are insanely good, and the screen is so close to the glass so it looks just amazing. the S3 has a great screen as well, although a bit more on the warm side and oversaturated sicne it's a super AMOLED.
the DNA has an amazing build quality factor here. HTC used like rounded off glass for the screen just like the S3, so your hand just glides over the edge. it doesn't have those horrible sharp corners old HTC phones had, like the rezound, where gunk and dust would get stuck in the gap and look horrible, and even worse, get dust under teh screen.
overall, the size of the DNA is fine. yeah, it's bigger than the S3 and def. feels it, but i can still do almost everything one handed on it. the S3 may seem a little bit quicker at first, which i simply attribute to touchwiz compared to sense, but overall, the DNA feels smoother.
i'm fortunate enough to be able to have all of these phones and keep them all. i'm loving the DNA, and i'll always have my galaxy nexus and S3 to switch between!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you have used both as a daily driver. If you had to pick, what would it be?
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
earthrocker said:
in terms of battery life, my S3 would average around 14 hours with maybe 2 hours screen on time. when idling over night, i've gotten as much as 32 hours out of it before. the DNA, so far, seems to be almost identical. i pulled it off the charger at 5am this morning because i saw it was full, went back to sleep, and got up at like 10:30. it only dropped to 98% idling for 5 hours. considering the fact i have so much stuff synicng all the time and i was on 4G all night, that's pretty damn good!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would just like to add my battery life on my DNA to compare to your 2hr/14hr on the s3. And note this is with playing at least an hour of games, and that killed my battery.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda app-developers app
Firstly, battery life isn't a problem. It's not going to win any awards, but I'd honestly say it's above average for a smartphone. It'll get you through the day for sure. I wish it were removable, but it's not a dealbreaker by any means. Lack of storage space could either be a huge issue or a non-issue if you (like me) stream most of your media.
Build quality is top notch. This thing looks futuristic and feels great in the hand. It doesn't feel like a 5" phone at all. It's certainly big, but it's so thin and the taper so aggressive that it doesn't feel overwhelming. I can reach the whole screen with my thumb if I adjust how I hold it slightly. The DNA feels very similarly in size to the S3, although the latter is definitely more plasticky and cheap-feeling IMO. I'm not a fan of Samsung's glossy plastics and never have been, despite having purchased several of their products.
Coming from the Epic 4g (the original slider version, not the Touch), and playing around with my dad's S3, I find myself actually enjoying Sense. This is the first Sense phone I've bought and I much prefer it to Touchwiz, which I find garish and clunky. I had to root my Epic just to make it usable in many regards (awful battery life, lag, and FCs out of the box, all of which were handily fixed thanks to SyndicateRomFrozen). In contrast, the DNA has rock solid performance, and Sense adds some details I really like. I'd prefer AOSP, of course - but unlike my Epic, which needed some serious fixes right out of the box, I don't feel as strong of a need to root my DNA. I think I'll actually be ok with keeping it stock for awhile - that's how much I like Sense.
Anyway, my .02
Bigandrewgold said:
I would just like to add my battery life on my DNA to compare to your 2hr/14hr on the s3. And note this is with playing at least an hour of games, and that killed my battery.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to say HTC has an AMAZING way to make sure their devices (including DNA) consume as little battery as possible during idle. Which is one of the best stuff I valued.
After HTC DNA, 1% per hour in idle is no long acceptable. 1% per 3 hours seems normal in idle mode.
jiwengang said:
I have to say HTC has an AMAZING way to make sure their devices (including DNA) consume as little battery as possible during idle. Which is one of the best stuff I valued.
After HTC DNA, 1% per hour in idle is no long acceptable. 1% per 3 hours seems normal in idle mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol apparently you were a release day Rezound user when it came to battery life. On my S3 I averaged around 3.5 hours screen on time w/ no WiFi, all verizon data, unlike some of the screenshots we're seeing in this thread.
Would really like to try a DNA but so far liking the compact factor of the Razr M. The one thing, as mentioned that has always bugged me about Sammy vs. HTC or Moto are the radios. My Rezound had the best down speeds I've ever seen. And I've been rocking 4G since they implemented it here in Chicago. My Sammy's have always had so so radios. But my S3 had a great 4G radio and so so 3G radio/connection. And then Moto throws me for a loop and has terrible reception with the M. That's the one flaw of the M IMHO. If I didn't live in strong 4G I couldn't own this phone.
But since we're on the battery topic I think we're gonna start seeing the law of diminishing returns. Hardware wise and software wise there isn't much left for the "smartphone" of today. Battery tech is what really needs a push in research and development. Funny how hot phones are hampered by batteries and hot cars/bikes hampered by fuel.
I'm using the dna as my daily driver and will be for a long long time.
Sent from my HTC Droid DNA using Tapatalk 2
Anyone happen to have a screenshot of the storage graph on a fresh phone?
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
jiwengang said:
I have to say HTC has an AMAZING way to make sure their devices (including DNA) consume as little battery as possible during idle. Which is one of the best stuff I valued.
After HTC DNA, 1% per hour in idle is no long acceptable. 1% per 3 hours seems normal in idle mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You never owned a Thunderbolt then. That thing could blow through a battery like no other! Barely got better and the device never saw the ICS update that was promised. There was a leak via Bamf, but that was a battery killer in my usage too. Can't blame HTC/VZW, why support a dead device when you can sell a new one?
On a good note, the DNA I bought on 9 Dec has kick ass battery life for how I use it. I haven't had much time to do gaming on it.
I came from an GS3, I prefer the DNA. One of the most annoying things about the GS3 (to me) was the hard key would wake the device. My phone is always in my pocket at work and I'd constantly find it on doing something. Erg.
As far as the storage goes; I've loaded the music that I listen to most and have all my apps/ other crap installed and still have 7.6 gigs left. I doubt I'd fill that up. With my GS3, I had the 16 gig model with another 16 gig card, I didn't even come close to maxing that out.
I just recently sold my verizon SGS3 and now I'm a happy DNA owner. Battery life is better on DNA. There is only one thing I miss having and that is CM10.
I'd kill for CM10 on DNA.
rabnud said:
You never owned a Thunderbolt then. That thing could blow through a battery like no other! Barely got better and the device never saw the ICS update that was promised. There was a leak via Bamf, but that was a battery killer in my usage too. Can't blame HTC/VZW, why support a dead device when you can sell a new one?
On a good note, the DNA I bought on 9 Dec has kick ass battery life for how I use it. I haven't had much time to do gaming on it.
I came from an GS3, I prefer the DNA. One of the most annoying things about the GS3 (to me) was the hard key would wake the device. My phone is always in my pocket at work and I'd constantly find it on doing something. Erg.
As far as the storage goes; I've loaded the music that I listen to most and have all my apps/ other crap installed and still have 7.6 gigs left. I doubt I'd fill that up. With my GS3, I had the 16 gig model with another 16 gig card, I didn't even come close to maxing that out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats funny, i acutally loved the hard home key waking it up..i keep finding myself trying to hit a home key on my DNA lol. the power button is kinda hard to press on the DNA, thats my only complaint really..and that weird screen fadeout post-picture gallery issue i get. but i feel thats software and not hardware, i hope..
earthrocker said:
thats funny, i acutally loved the hard home key waking it up..i keep finding myself trying to hit a home key on my DNA lol. the power button is kinda hard to press on the DNA, thats my only complaint really..and that weird screen fadeout post-picture gallery issue i get. but i feel thats software and not hardware, i hope..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In all honesty, I don't like having a security lock screen setup on my android devices. It drove me nuts, I'd pull the Sammy out and it would be taking a picture or trying to open a webpage/facebook, etc... BUT, I did like that it took all of 30 minutes to root/s-off/unlock and load a Rom. The 3G/4G hand off was a bit harsh on the ones I tried. It was a good phone, but didn't work well for me at work.
All being equal, I've been an HTC guy for years. I was sad that there was no OneX VZW variant. I think the DNA makes up for that in spades.
rabnud said:
In all honesty, I don't like having a security lock screen setup on my android devices. It drove me nuts, I'd pull the Sammy out and it would be taking a picture or trying to open a webpage/facebook, etc... BUT, I did like that it took all of 30 minutes to root/s-off/unlock and load a Rom. The 3G/4G hand off was a bit harsh on the ones I tried. It was a good phone, but didn't work well for me at work.
All being equal, I've been an HTC guy for years. I was sad that there was no OneX VZW variant. I think the DNA makes up for that in spades.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agreed. HTC has always been my favorite brand! their customer support rocks.

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