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
Related
Switched from iPhone 4 to a white note, been using an iphone since 2007, thats 5 years in a row!! after one hour with the note i have no regrets!
who else switched?
the only thing i miss is one app, scramble with friends
I play Words with Friends on Android with people on iPhones.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk
Apple makes great MBPs and wireless routers. That's about it. The iphone was good in 2007.
I can't think of a single reason to own one now instead of any Android
remyxd said:
Switched from iPhone 4 to a white note, been using an iphone since 2007, thats 5 years in a row!! after one hour with the note i have no regrets!
who else switched?
the only thing i miss is one app, scramble with friends
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Scramble with friends will make its way to Android eventually. Probably soon.
I switched from 3gs . . . lol.
I actually just popped on the forums to comment on the fact that I am, for one, IMPRESSED by the battery. For how huge this phone is and everything. . . it's utterly amazing. I've been on red for the better part of an hour. Just paid two Kaiser bills (they take seemingly forever to pay) over the phone with speaker phone on and the screen on the whole time. Barely dropped a couple of percent.
I don't have an allegiance to either system but I am torn atm
I really like the idea of the Note:
- GIGANTIC screen
- replaceable 2500 mAh battery
- g-maps navigation
- power control widget
The only problem?
I can't really find anything wrong with my iPhone 4S either...
- Great battery life on the 4S
- I don't mind a 3.5' screen (hell I've even used a 2.7' HP Veer before and have been ok) but I wouldn't mind a 5.3' screen either
- Great camera on both
- Great screen quality on both (love both AMOLED and IPS)
- Both sides have all the core applications I need
- Garmin GPS app gives turn by turn directions
- Siri and Google dictation services are basically a wash
- I don't feel "locked down" by Apples system like most here do. I figure out how to conform either system (iOS or Android) to fits my needs
Decisions decisions...
Just switched from an iPhone 4 to a white Galaxy Note with a blue flip cover. I love it so far. I've rooted it, removed all the AT&T/Samsung Bloatware, Installed Go Launcher and have a bunch of emulators. I regret nothing!
I just switched to the note from an Iphone3gs today. So far the experience has been amazing, wish I switched over earlier!
Another iPhone 3GS convert here... just picked up my carbon Note tonight, and I think I'm in love.
I've been running CM7 on my Nook Color for the last year, so I've had plenty of time to test out the Android ecosystem. Needless to say, I'm ecstatic to finally be 100% free from the confines of iOS, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what we can do with the Note.
/w00t and stuff
Switched from iphone 4 myself, got the white note yesterday. Its a handful lol, been doing a lot of research on this site since I am a noob.
I'm a big apple and linux user, and my previous phone was an iPhone 3GS. I'm really enjoying the Note so far, and android in a nice new experience for me. I think my favorite thing is how if you feel that something isn't working the way you think it should, there's an app for that.
A lot of the things I've been doing so far have been toward making it do things that the iPhone got right that you never really had to think about, but now that that's all sorted everything is brilliant.
Excelsior!
I've been on an iPhone since the original...this phone was the first one different enough and against everything that apple believes that i know i won't be disappointed when the iPhone 5 comes out....I love it!
Welcome to all of you. You shall not be disappointed with Android. Once some custom ROMs start coming out, our phone will be a beast for a long time...not that it isn't already. Glad you all finally came over from the dark side! Haha.
Switched from a 4s to the Note yesterday. I'm pretty sure it has already ruined me for smaller screen phones. I turned my iPhone on today connected to wifi to play Scramble and it already felt like the smallest phone in the world. My Note is running great and I don't see me going back.
Picked up the Note today at Best Buy at full retail. I currently have the iPhone 4S 64 and here are my thoughts.
The Note is huge but I knew that and it doesn't bother me to much because it fits nicely in my pocket. I have none of the lag issues with the UI some state. The OLED screen is very nice. Blacks are black colors are punchy. The reddish/pinks can be a bit blown out as with any OLED screen I have seen. I can't even tell its a pentile display due to the hi res. The phone is a bit slippery so I will need a case to help with that but then the phone will be even bigger . As with all Androids I have tested, battery charging is slow as hell. Im guessing about 3 hours for a full charge on the Note vs. 1 on the iPhone. I love how I can wake up in the morning forgetting to charge my Iphone. I realize its at 20 percent and by the time I am out of the shower and ready to go its at 60%. The Note took 45 mins to go from 35 to 50% roughly. Also due to the size I can easily do everything with my 4S in one hand. I can with the Note but its a bit awkward and I am afraid I might drop it. I have decent size hands and can grip a basketball in one hand.
With that said, the Note is my favorite Android on the market. If you are an Android fan and don't mind the size then give it a try. I always go back to iOS. Right now since I am swapping my iPhone sim back and 4th all I get is HSPA+4G and not LTE 4G (San Francisco). Supposedly I will need to call ATT to change to an LTE plan but then I am not sure if it will work properly in the 4S. I would not mind keeping both and just switching based on my needs/mood but many of my friends use iMessage so that makes it a bit challenging.
Switched from an iPhone 4. I have no regrets and will never go back!
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note.
richard371 said:
As with all Androids I have tested, battery charging is slow as hell. Im guessing about 3 hours for a full charge on the Note vs. 1 on the iPhone. I love how I can wake up in the morning forgetting to charge my Iphone. I realize its at 20 percent and by the time I am out of the shower and ready to go its at 60%. The Note took 45 mins to go from 35 to 50% roughly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A couple thoughts,
A. This is an apples and oranges comparison because the battery in the Note has a significantly greater capacity, it will obviously take longer to charge.
B. I came to the Note from the Infuse which also had long recharge times because Samsung's charging scripts are conservative. There are ROMs like ZEUS that incorporate different charging scripts and will fully charge that phone in an hour and a half or so.
C. Once a CWM recovery is out for this phone, development will pick up and different governors will come into play which, when incorporated with an ext4 file system, will make the phone faster and less of a battery hog.
Give it time, you will fing your iphone becoming less and less used until you wonder why you haven't sold it. At least that's what happened to me.
--Mike
Sent from one of many Samsung devices.
MobileData said:
Give it time, you will find your iphone becoming less and less used until you wonder why you haven't sold it. At least that's what happened to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use my iPhone more and more as time goes on (and this is coming from someone who is getting the Note soon). My smartphone, doesn't matter iOS or Android, gets tweaked until it takes care of every single electronic need of mine.
I switched from the iPhone 3GS and love most things about the Note so far, especially the size and flexibility. However, I don't like the voicemail function. I much prefer the simplicity of the iphone visual voicemail that is just there and you tap to listen, rather than having to call a phone number to access and then hit a variety of number to retrieve, save, or delete. Maybe there's a visual voicemail app out there??
ap3604 said:
I don't have an allegiance to either system but I am torn atm
I really like the idea of the Note:
- GIGANTIC screen
- replaceable 2500 mAh battery
- g-maps navigation
- power control widget
The only problem?
I can't really find anything wrong with my iPhone 4S either...
- Great battery life on the 4S
- I don't mind a 3.5' screen (hell I've even used a 2.7' HP Veer before and have been ok) but I wouldn't mind a 5.3' screen either
- Great camera on both
- Great screen quality on both (love both AMOLED and IPS)
- Both sides have all the core applications I need
- Garmin GPS app gives turn by turn directions
- Siri and Google dictation services are basically a wash
- I don't feel "locked down" by Apples system like most here do. I figure out how to conform either system (iOS or Android) to fits my needs
Decisions decisions...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since you are equally happy with both os offering, then might i suggest you look at it from a different angle. What hdtv would you buy? A 32 inch HDTV (iphone) or 55 inch HDTV (note)?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717
Hey, Just curious what everyone think about screen sizes.
I love how samsung keeps pushing the envelope, I'm not sure if they were the first ones with 4.5 with some gs2 models, and then 4.65 with the nexus.
And they came out with our beautiful note! Everyone said it would fail, but as we all know, it became very popular, and the note 2 is getting alot of publicity now.
And other companies try and leech off of samsungs sucess, like lg with their piece of crap! and there are some other ones that the jury is still out on, like HTC's... but i heard its only going to be 5 inches... the note 2 will be 5.5!
And Then they announce theyre flagship phone at 4.8.
So;
the question is, how far can they go?
First of all, i already know that some people (probably very few) dont like the gs3 because its too big for them. Of course most people understand that we use our phones less and less for talking and more and moree for apps, games, web browsing, movies... so, bigger is better.
But, how much bigger can they go with the flagship phone? when the Galaxy S4 comes out? do you think itll be bigger??
And now, the note,
Samsung thinks, and i agree with them, that they are going to sell a ****load of note 2's. remember, the note 1, was only on att.
This time next year, when the note 2 is announced, what size do you think itll be, and the next one, and the next one....
I tr to picture myself sometimes using the galaxy tab as a phone. but no. thats too big, if it cant fit into a shirt pocket or pants pocket.... then it wont work...
so what do you think? will it stop at 6"? Bear in mind that for at least this year, next year and the year after, Apple will be sticking with 4 inches while everyone else heads up to 5.
Let me just finish by saying that i love the looks and comments i get when using my note in public the top 3 comments are get are "Wow! is that a/your phone?!" "Wow!what phone is that?!" and... youve all heard this.... "Is that a phone or a tablet!!"
And one more thing, I'm sorry you naysayers but, Make it thinner, a little narrower so its easier to hold, a little bigger screen, TWO GIG RAM, 1.6 GH QUAD CORE!, and an absolutely insane battery!! and hey, maybe all the extra software will be nice too,
I'm picking up one of these bad boys as soon as i can get my grubby paws on it!!!
So, who's next?
I'll race you. First to get their pre order in wins. Prize to be determined. Jumping all over note 2 day 1 pre order.
I think the Note 2's 5.5 non pentile size is about perfect t for me. For me, I like the 16:9 ratio much more than the Note 1's 16:10. The two camps seem split about 50/50 on ratio preference but as an avid movie watcher, the 720p screen is actually gonna give more usable real-estate for many things (smaller black bars during movies, etc)
I have a note 10.1 3g and man. This exynos quad is wonderfully smooth and battery life is GREAT. Can't wait to see an even higher clocked version on the Note 2. Only thing I was worried about was battery life but seeing a 3300MaH and seeing how efficient this exynos is, my fears have eased quite a bit.
I still fear LTE though.... H+ is plenty fast for me (1.5 - 2 megs per sec here) and WAY less demanding of battery. In all honesty if ATT offered a 3g and LTE version, I'd probably go with the 3g. I'd rather have 3g and 24+ hour battery than LTE and a 14 hour battery.
Either way Note 2 is a big big upgrade and I'll be all over it the second its available.
Oh and for those that think the screen is a downgrade, look at the android authority in-depth comparison between note 1 and 2 screen. In a nutshell the Note 2 screen dominates. If anyone hasn't read it or naysayers show up in the thread ill post the link.
Sent from my Galaxy Note SGH-I717 running The Collective's AoCP 2.1 ROM.
---------- Post added at 01:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:30 AM ----------
I KNOW the Note 2's "screen is bigger with 13 DPI less, failzorz!!" naysayers are gonna pop up so here's the link to the screen comparison.
http://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-galaxy-note-2-display-comparison-112812/
Sent from my Galaxy Note SGH-I717 running The Collective's AoCP 2.1 ROM.
I'm not a naysayer but would like to see the article nonetheless.
As for my opinion, Samsung has my loyalty due to their screens. It started with the Captivate, where I fell in love with Samsung's amoled screens. I could care less about the pentile sub pixel arrangement, the colors on the screen and the truly black blacks meant more to me than the pixels.
After the Captivate was my Infuse, which again was a great phone, and Samsung blew me away again. Yes, it was a plus screen, so it had full sub pixel arrangement, but the benefits of the arrangement compared to the Captivate were marginal due to the difference in screen size.
Then came my Note. With the Note, away went any qualms with pentile, as the resolution is high enough that it really doesn't matter anymore. Plus, with the Note, I can hold my phone twice as far away as my Captivate and comfortably read, which makes the pixels indistinguishable. I also really enjoy the 16:10 aspect ratio for reading articles and forums on my phone in portrait mode.
Same story with my Nexus now. The arrangement is pentile, but I could care less due to the high resolution in such a small package. I have a tough time deciding between my Note and Nexus as to which I want to carry each day. I feel spoiled with the screens on these two phones.
Due to how great the screens on the Nexus and Note are, the screen on the Note 2 isn't improvement enough for me to upgrade. I'm sure its great, and probably better than both my Note and Nexus, but the screen alone won't sway me.
As for the processor and RAM improvements, again, nice upgrades, but I don't game much on my phones and the Note and Nexus are plenty fast for my uses, especially with the great dev community we have. The increased battery life would be nice with that 3000+ mAh battery, but in the course of a day there's no way I could deplete both batteries for my Note and the one in my Nexus.
The way I see it, the screen technologies overall are to the point where most improvements are going to be marginal from here forward...1080p maybe or a more efficient screen...and Samsung's amoled technology puts them on top of all OEMs. My next phone will either be the next Nexus (if it has an amoled screen, hopefully made by Samsung) or the Note 3, and if not either of those two, some beast of a phone that Samsung has up their sleeve.
Hands down, IMO, Samsung makes the best screens out there, and since the screen is what you interact with most on a smartphone, I will stay loyal to Samsung as long as they're on top of the screen game. It will take something better than amoled, truer blacks (somehow?), and better color gamut/representation to end my loyalty.
Edit: I know my post was already long, but I guess I didn't talk about screen size all that much. I could see myself using a 6 in screen if it had a 16:10 aspect ratio, and smaller bezels to keep the overall size down. Give me that with 1080p (slightly more with the 16:10), amoled, and you have my perfect, maximum sized phone screen. With my Note I have no need for a tablet, and a 6 inch Note would make that need even less.
That being said, compared to my Note, I also appreciate the size of all of my other phones. The Nexus is a great size overall, I just can't run tablet mode as nicely. The Infuse was basically the same size phone as the Nexus overall, and I loved that as well. Sometimes that smaller size is nice. As for my Captivate, I still love playing with it whenever I'm with my dad (who uses it now), and think even that was a great size for a phone. I would love to see a phone with a 4 inch 720p screen and great internals. The great thing about Android, is that there are so many choices for screen size, and all sizes have their merits.
I just really hope that OEMS don't go completely 4.7+ inch phones from now on for their flagships, and somebody produces smaller, still top notch spec phones. I know many people that would love a phone that runs as smoothly as my Nexus or a GS3, only with a smaller screen. My gf is 5 foot flat with tiny hands. I would love to guide her to an Android with top notch internals and an iPhone sized screen.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
I didn't quote respond because that'd be even longer lol. I posted the link to the screen comparison above in case ya missed it.
My fiancé is 5'1 with teenie hands so she can't handle the Note either lol.
I agree - Samsung displays are wonderful. Samsung devices in general are wonderful. I actually like the plastic builds - they are high quality but arguably hold up a lot better than metal/glass. Sure there are odd stories of minor falls seriously buggering up a device but that's the same with most phone makers. There are some "duds" that aren't as durable but I've loved my Samsung devices.
Sent from my Galaxy Note SGH-I717 running The Collective's AoCP 2.1 ROM.
I prefer plastic and light weight over metal and heavy bricks anyday of the week. Phones aren't made for physical abuse and if so, there are cases and screen protectors for protection. This is my third Samsung device and so far, no disappointment. I would agree that the Galaxy Note is NOT a smartphone, it's a SuperPhone!
-Once you go NOTE, you'd say 4 inches a Joke
[Lady]: "How do you carry that huge phone in your pocket?"
[Note User]: "I'm used to having huge stuff in my pants"
To a "large" extent I think smartphones need some portability. Screen size of 6" would push the limit on "my" ability to pocket the phone as I maneuver through the day. I could care less about the requirement of many that say they need one-hand ability to work their smartphone...I think that is just an excuse to sooth their jealousy. However, I do find myself moving my Note from front pocket (for sitting) to back pocket (for walking) or laying it on the seat or tabletop at a restaurant.
My favorite thing about my Note is the ability to go larger font size and still fit a decent amount of text on the screen. Hey, I'm getting older and I can't dig the super small print without glasses. That's why I avoid those very nice ROMs that allow tablet, phablet mode, etc.
Personally, I'd like for Samsung to figure out how to eliminate the bezel and have an all glass front. Maybe then they can increase the display and keep the same size xy dimensions of the total Note smartphone. For example, even though the Note II is taller than my Note...it is narrower and thinner so I am considering the possible move to the new one.
Note 1 screen is a winner ....
Note 2 screen is a winner as well.
But I'm always Leary of new device hype, and tend to wait until the rubber hits the road so to speak.
We'll have to wait until these new phones get going, before any grand claims about how much better the screen is etcetera.
Often times the reports and specifications are stretched to a maximum, just to gain market share.
Not unlike the claims made about the note 1, that performs at about 80% of it's rated performance.
And I'm thinking that the note 2 will be the same. A good device, but hyped beyond reality ....
This is simply my opinion .....g
gregsarg said:
Note 1 screen is a winner ....
Note 2 screen is a winner as well.
But I'm always Leary of new device hype, and tend to wait until the rubber hits the road so to speak.
We'll have to wait until these new phones get going, before any grand claims about how much better the screen is etcetera.
Often times the reports and specifications are stretched to a maximum, just to gain market share.
Not unlike the claims made about the note 1, that performs at about 80% of it's rated performance.
And I'm thinking that the note 2 will be the same. A good device, but hyped beyond reality ....
This is simply my opinion .....g
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I might agree with you Greg but there is one thing that makes me disagree.
My note 10.1 has virtually identical specs to the Note 2 and it meets (and sometimes exceeds) the same performance claims made by Samsung about the note 2.
The note 1 was about 80% of its claimed performance but there wasn't something else on the market to really compare it to. With the note 2 we already have the note 10.1 with identical specs except for a 200mhz slower processor clock. The only "unknown" factor of the note 2 is the screen, which, knowing Samsung and early reviews, will NOT be a disappointment.
What I'm saying is if I put the 5.5 inch note 2 screen on my note 10.1, I'd have a note 2. My note 10.1 performs as well as the claims made about the note 2 and I'm not even running jellybean yet. Jellybean provides a huge performance boost with the oem implementation (most jb roms have seen a decrease in performance whereas oem jb builds have greatly boosted performance by 40% in some cases)
I have no doubt the note 2 will 100% live up to the performance hype. We basically already have a 10.1 inch note 2 with a slightly larger resolution to predict how the note 2 will perform.
I'll bet you anything the note 2 in the US does indeed have a quad exynos, LTE, 2GB RAM, and the other claimed stats. Wait and see
Sent from my Galaxy Note SGH-I717 running The Collective's AoCP 2.1 ROM.
Err0xx said:
My fiancé is 5'1 with teenie hands so she can't handle the Note either lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heh heh... I'm 5'1/2", yes, half an inch, and I handle my Note just fine. Eh, maybe my hands are a bit bigger or something.
Anyway... I think 6" is probably the biggest that phones can get without just being tablets that can make calls. I don't think they'll get bigger than 5.5 though, to be honest.
I get a lot of "omg what is that?!" comments when I pull my note out too. I've gotten completely used to the size, it looks & feels just normal to me now, but apparently it looks huge to everyone else.
My sig.
-Once you go NOTE, you'd say 4 inches a Joke
[Lady]: "How do you carry that huge phone in your pocket?"
[Note User]: "I'm used to having huge stuff in my pants"
I just wanted to chime in and say the as great as it is was not the first five inch phone the I have used. I had the Dell Streak and we had some great devs. The Note was an obvious next phone and really is a great unit.
I used in tablet mode most of the time as this is how I used the dell streak.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
I need more excuses to get this phone.. I mainly want it because of the screen size, the S-Pen also looks like (although sort of gimmicky) and the processor/RAM combo.
What do you use the phone most for? What are you most impressed/disappointed with?
Thanks!
So I would stop carrying (and losing) small rite in the rain notebooks around.
I had the DNA. Great phone in its own right. Went to the AT&T store to play with the Note 2 before it came out on Verizon. The only advantage the DNA had was the 1080p screen and it wasn't even that noticeable.. you would really have to try hard to notice the difference.
The larger screen, larger battery, and the better accessory/dev support made it almost a no-brainier to switch. I don't have a large music collection or listen to it much but I know the SD card was a just plus for this phone too vs the DNA.
The S-pen is cool I guess but it really is kind of a gimmick in my mind. Its fun to doodle on sometimes though.
Haloman800 said:
I need more excuses to get this phone.. I mainly want it because of the screen size, the S-Pen also looks like (although sort of gimmicky) and the processor/RAM combo.
What do you use the phone most for? What are you most impressed/disappointed with?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The s pen, to me, is not a gimmick. I use it for taking notes at work, games, and many other things. The screen and size as you mentioned are good but the antenna is was better than the s3. This phone is screaming fast. The battery is amazing.
I am most impressed with the factions of the s pen. I never thought I would use it as much as I do.
I'm seriously not dissapointed about anything with this phone.
Sent from my SCH-I605
I bought it for the screen size, battery, and spen...best smart phone ever hands down....GN2>GS3>DNA
droidstyle said:
I bought it for the screen size, battery, and spen...best smart phone ever hands down....GN2>GS3>DNA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sums it up. Battery was a huge factor for me. I wanted something that would last me through an entire busy day, without having to have a backup battery. The screen is awesome, and the s-pen is finding more and more use everyday.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda premium
Mostly the screen size, but if it had a bad battery or processor I would have gone with the DNA.
I will be getting this phone because it has a purpose. I'm not just getting a great phone, I'm getting a phone that I can draw with. I'm getting a phone I can multitask with. I'm getting a phone I can be productive with.
This is why I prefer the Note 2 over the DNA. The DNA looks sleeker and performs a little better, plus the size is more suited to me. But there's just something... lacking about it. It doesn't have a purpose. It's really a phone designed to be a phone (albeit a good one). Samsung had something more in mind with the Note 2. It's packed with features which, overall, aim towards making you more efficient at getting things done on the go. The DNA is not like that. It was inspired by Ferraris, says HTC, and that's basically what it is. It's a Ferrari, where the Note 2 is more like a pickup. The DNA looks good and performs well, where the Note 2 is just about getting stuff done.
I don't know about you guys, but I like getting stuff done. Note 2, I choose you!
If you call the note 2 a pickup then its a pickup and the motor as a couple of turbos and a shot of nitrous.
I wanted my S3, just more so, and this is it I also noticed once I had a larger phone I was using it more as my de facto tablet when it wasn't handy to have my ipad around. Also, I loved using Android more and more but no android tablet was nearly as good as the phones. Add in an actual digitizer and things really took off.
When the phone was announced I didn't think I'd bother, I thought the screen would be worse and the locked bootloader sucked. The 2nd part is true, but everything else is better than I imagined.
The s-pen is much more than a gimmick. I love it! The "air view" feature is really mouse hover-over functionality.
You can access drop-down menus on websites, get info on all kinds of things You hover the cursor over, not just within Samsung apps but I even just noticed it works in Titanium Backup.
I setup remote desktop to control my PC from anywhere and the s-pen is perfect for this, feels just like using the mouse in the way it behaves and the button works to right-click!
Your Samsung account also gives you Allshare Play which will stream music and video from your computer at home without lag (tried using RDP for this but very laggy)
..and after setting up and messing with all that stuff for hours today and also using multi-view to simultaneously watch YouTube and browse XDA, still 49% battery left!
This thing is a beast. I'm coming from a HTC Thunderbolt though so that may explain my enthusiasm
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app
I got it for the "my phone is bigger and can beat up your phone" status. haha
Just got the phone today, all I can say is Wow. It's pretty much just a bigger, better version of every other Android phone I've ever owned. it only froze up twice (my fault both times) and everything is just amazing, the screen, the battery (I was coming from a Razr MAXX so this was a concern), I can even see the potential for the S-Pen. This phone is a beast, I have absolutely no compaints.
I had always liked the Note original because of the size. In addition, I can't seem to own a phone for more than a year. I was fast approaching that. But the fact there was multiview, the S-pen, screen size, and processing power trumped my Galaxy Nexus.
nosit1 said:
I had always liked the Note original because of the size. In addition, I can't seem to own a phone for more than a year. I was fast approaching that. But the fact there was multiview, the S-pen, screen size, and processing power trumped my Galaxy Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. I am a vzw user and droooled over the note. So when I heard this was coming out, I was interested but not sold. I was however sold when I saw how powerful this thing was, and how it is very close to the s3. However, because I do like a new phone every so often, to appease the wife (and because I have to pay retail due to my grandfathered unlimited data plan) I need an AT LEAST 1 year phone, 1.5-2 would be splended. I love bigger screens, dont mind the weight, since my phone is usually docked, and I dont talk for hours on end. The pen, Im not sold on because its real sensitive and seems like a burden but may use it more often if I can get it resolved.
Now hopefully we can unlock the bootloader, and I am yet again, gambling with the fact that I hope updates and custom roms will keep this thing afloat for a while, I know the hardware will keep up.
#1 reason: Battery size. (Life)
#2 reason: The main raw stats; quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM.
I was basically sick of my iPhone and it's little screen and locked OS. I will say it was reliable but too vanilla. I chose the Note 2 because it was faster, bigger screen, expandable memory and customizable. I've had I for about 2 weeks now and though it was a bit of culture shock for the first few days I can tell ya t is an outstanding device...stock. I 've been lurking in the dev forums watching the progress of the root for my VZW n2. Probably gonna root this thing and get even more satisfaction out it.
When I first laid my eyes on the original Note I knew I wanted this style of phone. I was was a big stylus user back in the windows mobile days and the idea of having a precision pointing device was a dream come true within Android. And the people that tell you otherwise are the same folks that prefer a game pad over a mouse and keyboard in a first person shooter; the s-pen is more accurate than my fat fingers. Combine that with the huge beautiful display, speed and Samsung's software enhancements over stock Android it's a winner.
My next option would have been the DNA but that device is just a phone. I want more than a phone with a pretty face.
I was satified with my GS3 until i walked into a Verizon store this week & saw the Note 2 & GS3 sitting side by side & i was like !! Long story short the GS3 is going back this week & the Note 2 is on the way. Plus the battery life is way better on the Note 2.
I haven't decided to buy just yet. I'm waiting to see what happens with the bootloader, and what effect porting cyanogenmod to this device will have on the SPen.
I've been using my Droid X for almost 2 and a half years, and I'm ready to upgrade. Reasons are the specs, the screen size, and the stylus.
I'm not sure I understand all of the comments from people who say the stylus is a gimmick; that's like saying a Wacom tablet is a gimmick. Some of the features that Samsung has built into the device that use the stylus might be gimmicky, but the stylus itself is quite useful for those of us who want a precision pointing device for drawing, note taking, etc.
So I was finally able to get my hands on the device late last night. First impression was what I had heard from the reviews, the phone is the best android phone ever built from a hardware perspective, and on par with the iPhone 5. What was sort of disappointing is I was expecting the One to beat the iPhone 5 in terms of hardware build quality, but it just felt on the same level as the iPhone 5.
Screen...was nice. My self hype got me to expect to be blown away by the 1080p Super LCD 3, but honestly it is just a sharp screen that is on par with the (sorry for this) iPhone 5. I am in no way saying the screen is bad, it is excellent. However the full 1080p vs full 720p on a phone is hardly noticeable, which was a bummer seeing that it was one of the highlighted specs on the phone. One gripe I had about my screen was that when it was off and I was in broad daylight, I could see blueish grid lines on the phone. I'm not sure if this is a defect that would rid itself after a replacement or just something that you can expect to see. But I have never seen it before and it bothers me.
Speakers! AWESOME. Best sound on a mobile device period. HTC got this one right and makes videos/gaming on with phone a pleasure. Plenty loud too. 10/10 on the speakers.
UI was blazing fast, however my return to Sense since HTC One X wasn't that great. While it is much faster, it also seems more complex. Getting around the phone was a bit confusing for a while with the funky menu style and Blinkfeed defaulted as the home screen. Plus only 2 capacity buttons is wacky! But I expect that to be fixed up once those custom ROMs start rolling out ready to be flashed.
Camera was good for my standards. I honestly don't take a lot of pictures, but from the shots I took they looked great. Plus with only 4 MP they take up less space on the memory which is good. I didn't try the Zoey feature out, seems like a gimmick to me, but what do I know??
Now performance...this is what disappointed me to the point that I returned it early this afternoon. While the UI is blazing fast and my everyday use apps ran pretty well, there were some games that lagged considerably when playing them. The game I noticed this first was Hill Climb Racer. This was the first eye opener since this game runs flawlessly with no lag at all on my Galaxy Note 2 and iPhone 5, but on the One it seemed to stutter and have difficult keeping up with the side scrolling (maybe its an app issue and needs an update). Call me picky but I am a big Hill Climb player so that drove me nuts. So I would say overall performance was good, but should be way better considering its the biggest baddest phone on the market now.
So I paid a visit to my local AT&T store to see about the blueish grid appearance on the screen, but the sales rep told me that was a normal finding (I am still skeptical). Then I went over to the demo unit and installed Hill Climb to see if maybe the stutter was a screen issue on my phone, but sure enough the same lag was present on the store unit. I ultimately decided to part ways with it and return it for a refund. This way I can see if I like the black when it becomes available, or just wait until the next big thing.
How is everyone else's experience with the One? Is the blue grid noticeable on your phones? And do you notice any lag in games like Hill Climb?
Its because the apps aka games are not optimized yet for the s600 most likely. Probably just wait for app developers to optimize it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Awesome. Returned a newly release device because a game hasn't been optimized for it. Forward thinker..
How is a screen on par with the iPhone 5, but slightly sharper? Apple lovers: oooh retina ZOMG!!! Android device with higher PPI: hardly noticeable, lol.
Unfortunately that is the price that is paid for latest and greatest hardware. Same problems I had last year with the S3. You are just going to have to wait for developers to catch up with the S600 cpu.
Also unfortunately for you you were comparing to the Note 2 which I feel has the best software compatibility of any highend phone released the past 6 months. Again that's most likely because the hardware it uses was released almost a year ago in the S3 international.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app
oneinfour said:
So I was finally able to get my hands on the device late last night. First impression was what I had heard from the reviews, the phone is the best android phone ever built from a hardware perspective, and on par with the iPhone 5. What was sort of disappointing is I was expecting the One to beat the iPhone 5 in terms of hardware build quality, but it just felt on the same level as the iPhone 5.
Screen...was nice. My self hype got me to expect to be blown away by the 1080p Super LCD 3, but honestly it is just a sharp screen that is on par with the (sorry for this) iPhone 5. I am in no way saying the screen is bad, it is excellent. However the full 1080p vs full 720p on a phone is hardly noticeable, which was a bummer seeing that it was one of the highlighted specs on the phone. One gripe I had about my screen was that when it was off and I was in broad daylight, I could see blueish grid lines on the phone. I'm not sure if this is a defect that would rid itself after a replacement or just something that you can expect to see. But I have never seen it before and it bothers me.
Speakers! AWESOME. Best sound on a mobile device period. HTC got this one right and makes videos/gaming on with phone a pleasure. Plenty loud too. 10/10 on the speakers.
UI was blazing fast, however my return to Sense since HTC One X wasn't that great. While it is much faster, it also seems more complex. Getting around the phone was a bit confusing for a while with the funky menu style and Blinkfeed defaulted as the home screen. Plus only 2 capacity buttons is wacky! But I expect that to be fixed up once those custom ROMs start rolling out ready to be flashed.
Camera was good for my standards. I honestly don't take a lot of pictures, but from the shots I took they looked great. Plus with only 4 MP they take up less space on the memory which is good. I didn't try the Zoey feature out, seems like a gimmick to me, but what do I know??
Now performance...this is what disappointed me to the point that I returned it early this afternoon. While the UI is blazing fast and my everyday use apps ran pretty well, there were some games that lagged considerably when playing them. The game I noticed this first was Hill Climb Racer. This was the first eye opener since this game runs flawlessly with no lag at all on my Galaxy Note 2 and iPhone 5, but on the One it seemed to stutter and have difficult keeping up with the side scrolling (maybe its an app issue and needs an update). Call me picky but I am a big Hill Climb player so that drove me nuts. So I would say overall performance was good, but should be way better considering its the biggest baddest phone on the market now.
So I paid a visit to my local AT&T store to see about the blueish grid appearance on the screen, but the sales rep told me that was a normal finding (I am still skeptical). Then I went over to the demo unit and installed Hill Climb to see if maybe the stutter was a screen issue on my phone, but sure enough the same lag was present on the store unit. I ultimately decided to part ways with it and return it for a refund. This way I can see if I like the black when it becomes available, or just wait until the next big thing.
How is everyone else's experience with the One? Is the blue grid noticeable on your phones? And do you notice any lag in games like Hill Climb?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's funny how you would return a phone due to the app not being optimized, it's difficult to have optimized for every device/manufacturer so your best bet is getting an iPhone since it won't have that problem.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
I had the blue grid thingy on my droid 3 as well. I just went outside and checked and yes I can see it while the screen is off if I concentrate. I thought it was just a thing with LCD screens. Doesn't annoy me any, and of course it's not visible with the screen on. only game I've tried was dead trigger, and it ran flawlessly, so I'm pleased. I stopped noticing performance increases after the OMAP4 to snapdragon s4 jump though, that was the last big one for me.
Yup, apps just aren't optimized for the 600 yet. If you want an example of that, download Dolphin Browser. Incredibly smooth on my One XL, but runs terribly on the One.
I think you made a poor choice in returning it just because some apps run poorly, but I suppose it's your call.
jamesklyne said:
Awesome. Returned a newly release device because a game hasn't been optimized for it. Forward thinker..
How is a screen on par with the iPhone 5, but slightly sharper? Apple lovers: oooh retina ZOMG!!! Android device with higher PPI: hardly noticeable, lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure Apple hit the sweet spot for sharpness, which is probably why it's hardly noticeable.
Cryosx said:
I'm pretty sure Apple hit the sweet spot for sharpness, which is probably why it's hardly noticeable.
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Click to collapse
I'll argue that. Whereas the iPhone 5's display is amazing, when I walked into AT&T and saw the waterfall or stream picture on it [HTC One] (babbling brooke? lol) I definitely saw the difference.
jamesklyne said:
Awesome. Returned a newly release device because a game hasn't been optimized for it. Forward thinker..
How is a screen on par with the iPhone 5, but slightly sharper? Apple lovers: oooh retina ZOMG!!! Android device with higher PPI: hardly noticeable, lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you are the first company on the market to release a screen that has a high enough pixel density that the eye can't distinguish the pixels, the public is going to notice the drastic change. My point was that since most phones now have high enough pixel density where the eye can't see the pixels, a 400+ PPI on a phone screen doesn't produce the same "WOW" factor that the iPhone introduced when the retina display several years ago, which was disappointing since I was excited about the screen about the HTC One.
eddieruiz001 said:
It's funny how you would return a phone due to the app not being optimized, it's difficult to have optimized for every device/manufacturer so your best bet is getting an iPhone since it won't have that problem.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That wasn't the only factor going into the return. The blue grid when the screen is off bothered me, the wacky interface of sense 5 bothered me. I figured it might be best to hold off for a month or two and wait for later batches to come out. That way most apps will be optimized and maybe the screen grid will be gone, and I will be able to get it in black. Or there will be an even better phone out. Who knows!
oneinfour said:
When you are the first company on the market to release a screen that has a high enough pixel density that the eye can't distinguish the pixels, the public is going to notice the drastic change. My point was that since most phones now have high enough pixel density where the eye can't see the pixels, a 400+ PPI on a phone screen doesn't produce the same "WOW" factor that the iPhone introduced when the retina display several years ago, which was disappointing since I was excited about the screen about the HTC One.
That wasn't the only factor going into the return. The blue grid when the screen is off bothered me, the wacky interface of sense 5 bothered me. I figured it might be best to hold off for a month or two and wait for later batches to come out. That way most apps will be optimized and maybe the screen grid will be gone, and I will be able to get it in black. Or there will be an even better phone out. Who knows!
Click to expand...
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Apple's NON HD Retina Iphone 5 screen isn't that great.
A 1080p 4.7 inch display, hmm now that's better.
But seriously, if your eyes can't tell the difference, doesn't mean we all have poor eyes
Dazog said:
Apple's NON HD Retina Iphone 5 screen isn't that great.
A 1080p 4.7 inch display, hmm now that's better.
But seriously, if your eyes can't tell the difference, doesn't mean we all have poor eyes
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Again, I am not trying to say there isn't a difference, there is. My point is that the difference isn't as impressive the jump in pixel density that started in 2010. Geez, I should probably stop using "Apple" or "iPhone" in my posts since it seems to cause people to get unnecessarily defensive.
Dude u like iPhone better just admitted it lol
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
The "blue grid" is the digitizer for the capacitive touchscreen. It is normal, and almost all phones have this, except for the Optimus G, Nexus 4, and iPhone 5 which use in-cell touch sensing (which requires much more cooperation with the display manufacturer and might not be possible yet on such a high-density display).
See here:
http://anandtech.com/show/6330/the-iphone-5-review/15
In addition to just the air-adhesive interfaces introducing thickness and unavoidable Fresnel reflections, there’s also the traces from transparent conductors in the digitizer as well to think about. At present that material is Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), which is one of very few known transparent conductors and used inside every LCD. Because Indium is a relatively expensive rare earth metal, ITO traces are only laid down where they need to be on top of and below the glass substrate (for both transmit and receive layers of the digitizer), and the areas inbetween those traces are then filled with an index-matching space fill material to diminish their visibility. How well this space fill is done and how close the index is to ITO’s is one of the quality metrics of a digitizer to begin with, and often these rows and columns are visible under direct illumination either outdoors or with good eyes indoors.
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Jeez, you couldnt have atleast used it over the weekend? Why didnt you just try a demo in the store and see if your favorite games work good on it or not?
Got mine from bestbuy this morning. I have 14 days to let this phone wow me so that I don't return it for the S4. So far I love the phone. Can't keep my hands off it so I don't know about battery life. The only issue I have is the button layout. I quickly replaced the stock launcher with nova.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
I'm sorry that you returned an amazing phone because of a game. I'll be getting one soon but I don't play games much so hopefully my experience is as good as yours was minus the game.
Dazog said:
Apple's NON HD Retina Iphone 5 screen isn't that great.
A 1080p 4.7 inch display, hmm now that's better.
But seriously, if your eyes can't tell the difference, doesn't mean we all have poor eyes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd honestly choose a 720p 4.7 inch display over a 1080p 4.7 if it meant better battery life and gaming performance.
Dazog said:
Apple's NON HD Retina Iphone 5 screen isn't that great.
A 1080p 4.7 inch display, hmm now that's better.
But seriously, if your eyes can't tell the difference, doesn't mean we all have poor eyes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is more to a display than PPI.
The iPhone 5 still has incredible color reproduction and viewing angles, along with in-cell touch and no gap between glass and display.
jamesklyne said:
Awesome. Returned a newly release device because a game hasn't been optimized for it. Forward thinker..
How is a screen on par with the iPhone 5, but slightly sharper? Apple lovers: oooh retina ZOMG!!! Android device with higher PPI: hardly noticeable, lol.
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I picked mine up yesterday and I've switched from an iPhone 5. The screen is much better than the iPhone 5 and the build quality of mine is just as good and I would argue better with the design of the front screen.
ANYONE who returns this within 1-3 days hasn't given it a proper consideration. Ignore them.
Since I picked it up yesterday, many things have gone from "Not sure about this" to "This is great". The keyboard layout (switched to Swiftkey), the size, the app tray, and other areas take time to adjust to after half a DECADE+ of iOS use.
I have enjoyed every iPhone and advocated it strongly to my friends and family and I'm here to say that I am sure I will be keeping the HTC One as an iPhone replacement. Other people can argue which is better, but I wanted something innovative and different for the term cost of my upgrades.
As far as the camera goes, it won't take as good of a picture with a quick point and click in most circumstances but it is very powerful if you learn to use it properly and post edit down the captured light (lots) to a solid photo. It is a great camera, but I wouldn't say better...just different.
Like the title says, I've been a Samsung leg humper since the original Galaxy S. In my line of work, I always had access to the latest handsets. Had almost every variant of the Original Galaxy S (ATT, International and T-Mobile 4G version) Galaxy SII again in ATT, International and T-mobile versions, The S3 in the Quad-Core International Version and T-Mobile Dual Core S4 version, then had also both the Note and Note 2.
I just preferred Samsung phones over other Android phones. My most recent addition is my T-Mobile Galaxy S4.
I am currently in the process of returning it! Wow did Samsung disappoint me in this edition. It feels unfinished, unrefined, slap together with a bunch of gimmicky tricks that I disabled immediately after 10 minutes of messing with them. The phone feels cheap... especially in the black version. That back plastic finish and pattern looks SUPER TACKY. They should have at least made it look like the finish on the Note 2's Titanium Gray, that at least looks pretty premium for plastic.
Don't get me started on the software, the phone LAGS. I mean A LOT! I was using a Nexus 4 while waiting for the S4 and boy is it night and day. The Nexus is buttery, the S4 lags in simple tasks like closing and opening the dialer and switching between homescreens, it lags when you open the camera. It stutters everywhere. It feels like a 2 generation old Android Phone, not the latest and greatest. It's quite pathetic really.
The stock keyboard is terrible, it lags when you type fast. It just can't keep up with fast typing. I was even pushed the latest software update a couple days ago which everybody raves fixes a bunch of lag, it helped but honestly the phone still lags and stutters all over the place. Completely inconsistent and frustrating. What really ticked me off was that Samsung disabled flash player support in their native browser and chrome. That was the last straw..
Today my T-Mobile HTC One arrived, I've been playing with it for the last 5 hours and I can't put it down! Well it's currently on the charger right now so I can play with it some more. That's the biggest compliment I can give it, when my S4 arrived, I played with it for maybe an hour and was so disgusted by the lag that I haven't really enjoyed picking it up and using it much since I received it 9 days ago! The HTC feels just so much more refined in everything, it feels finished and polished. Software is smooth, I saw a tiny, and I mean TINY bit of lag during closing a couple apps but it's nothing compared to the stuttering on the S4. Boom sound is overrated I think, the S4 is just as loud (seems almost louder?) but the HTC sounds fuller. I thought I was going to be blown away, but I wasn't. Sounds pretty good though, just not as amazing as all the reviewers make it seem. Camera is nice so far, nowhere near as feature packed as the S4, but it took decent low light pictures tonight. I'll try it again out in daylight tomorrow.
The LCD screen on the HTC ONE is so much better than the AMOLED screen on the S4 in my opinion. Text and everything seems just so much easier and smoother to look at. Everything looks crisp, and smooth.
Well that is it so far, I'm so glad I gave the HTC a shot. This one is a keeper for sure! Goodbye Samsung, you used to wow me with your products....HTC just kicked your butt on this round.
I completely agree that Samsung did not do as well as HTC this time
What is your line of work if you don't mind? I played with my friends s4 today- I have the note 2 and also noticed the lag on stock touch wiz and the keyboard. I put him on nova launcher and it was buttery smooth going through the phone's interface. I know what you mean by keyboards lag but I think Samsung will push an update to smooth things out, which honestly should have been done from the start. I like how the s4 looks with that texture but it is a bit tacky and wow does or attract fingerprints. It's plastic body does allow it to be thinner and lighter though. Each phone has its advantages and disadvantages .
JediX13
gonna give the HTC one a try if i dont like it, hopefuly the 32gb s4 will be out by then
Well after almost 24 hours of use I can report some other findings.
The Camera on the S4 is hands down better in good lighting, the HTC produces a lot of noise even in great light. A little disappointed in that area since I do use my phone to take lots of family photos.
NEED FOR SPEED: Most wanted. Not available on the HTC One but is available for the Galaxy S4. Lame. They have the same processor and the same screen resolution yet the Samsung supports it and the HTC one doesn't. It's one of my favorite time killing games. A little sad there...
The LED notification on the HTC seems to time out after about 5 or 10 minutes, which makes it useless. I sometimes come back and glance at the phone thinking there are no messages because the LED notifier turns off, I check my phone just in case and I have lots of texts and emails. Minus another point for the HTC. The S4 will glady blink all day long until you open it up to check it. This one really bothers me because I rely heavily on the LED notification.
Boom sound still is overrated...
Overall, the HTC disappointed me in a few areas so far... I've yet to find a phone that is near perfect as the Note 2. Which in my opinion is an awesome phone, just needed a little speed boost in games and maybe a tiny bit smaller form factor and it would have been perfect.
I'll hang on to the HTC for a while and wait to see what the Note 3 can offer...... So far the Note 2 is still my favorite handset of all time.
Nice to hear that update. I too miss the LED notification that the S3 has. It's nice having something, but Samsung really nailed the notification LED. I can live with the size of the LED on the One, but it would be nice to have more of it, and different colors for different notifications.
I also agree with the daytime photos. The One is good enough for my needs but the S4 does indeed pull in a great amount of detail.
I do however love "boomsound". I watch a lot of videos on my phone and can clearly hear the difference between the One, my GS3 (which I still have), and my Z10. It might not be louder than the other two, but man it just sounds better. If you do a blind sound test, you can clearly pick the One over the others.
HTC Could have really put a dent in Samsung's sales if they'd included an 8 "ultra pixel" camera.
Some of the things I agree with about the One. But I have a few pointers, I see no reason whatsoever why you're are getting noise on the One. The sensor is far to large to get noise unless you are in low light where it stills blows away other devices. Check your settings.
I've been using the camera in mediocre light with no noise.
As for the LED it is pretty much useless, especially coming from the world's greatest in the Galaxy Nexus. What I did was root and flashed the kernel that enables the capacitive lights to blink on a notification and it doesn't shut down after 5 minutes.
Also I finally heard the difference today between beats on and off. The difference is night and day, you will lose a good quarter volume but the sound is worlds better. Loud < Quality.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
I honestly thought I would be one of the few to get the One after having the S3. Looks like there are plenty!
I don't get any noise on my One either.
I think I'm going to get a HTC....
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
Im using Galaxy S3 now, its a piece of crap. Im on vacation when the One isnt release yet. So I went and bought S3, will give this to my nephew.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
I owned the S2 and the S3, then I bought the HTC One as well. The S4 is just full of useless gimmicks honestly, and they are marketing it as such. They didn't change much other than internal hardware compared to the S3 and the HTC One is a completely fresh new idea.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
I think the S4 is a damn fine phone. However I've owned ever galaxy s and note series except the S4.
I needed the change. Just something different.
The ONE fit that bill perfectly.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
mr.orange303 said:
I think the S4 is a damn fine phone. However I've owned ever galaxy s and note series except the S4.
I needed the change. Just something different.
The ONE fit that bill perfectly.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
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I agree. Both are good phones. I bought the one at Wal-mart. Saw that they had a 14 day return policy. I expected to check it out and return the phone. But today the 2 weeks is up, and I just can't make myself give it up.
My latest phones iphone iphone 3g 3gs 4 4s htc sensation samsung galaxy s s2 note note 2 now the HTC one.
Samsung did screw up on their galaxy s3s (s4). I knew they were on this path without a better phone with metal body or any other material besides plastic. Even though most won't admit it people buy the HTC one because of its looks.
I too agree the galaxy note 2 is/was my most favorite phone ever since I got the first iphone in 2007 before that maybe the motorola rzr . The note 3 should not be bigger unless they make it narrower, The note 2 is still too wide.
I have been all samsung phones like you too. It wasnt really the koolaid it was because they did have the best phones since the s2.
HTC one camera sucks ass!
Yes i said it, ok low light its good, but its still 4 megapixels so if you're going to zoom at all there is no clarity.
Boom sound is overrated
my note 2 with volume mod is louder
I hate the HTCs notification!!!
I also hate the battery life. I'm biased because my note 2 lasts a day and half of heavy use without a charge yes 24 hrs + 12 hrs/
I also dislike the ceo of htc. Production delays (because of the 4 gigawiggle pixel) cost over a month of HTC ones sales they lost out on billions of sales!! because of the inferior camera. Why not just put a 8 or 13 megapixel camera??!??
I guess im a little angry because I bought HTC stock and because of the production delay it cost HTC its early lead before the S4 launch.
Both sides made huge mistakes
Samsung if they made the s4 with a metal build would have maybe crushed the htc one.
The HTC one lucked out that samsung didnt.
Because can you imagine if samsung's s4 came in a fancy new metal design?
HTC one metal design no microsd card no removable battery 4.7" screen
S4 metal design microsd card slot removable larger battery 5" screen
I'm good with my s4,i love the design on the one, but I wouldn't be able to live without a extended battery. Both phones are awesome, up to user choice. I just hate people putting rants and complains and blah blah blah. Both phones are flagship phones, they both are new. They both are good.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
So basically Dan there is no pleasing you. HTC one hands down better device than s4. It seems you want perfection though , which you will never get.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Okay, here is a picture I took in front of my friend's house. In good lighting.
Can somebody tell me WTF is up with the HTC ONE camera? It looks like utter **** at 100 percent crop in full daylight condition.
Quality reminds of something you get from those $20 kids toy digital camera.
Dan37tz said:
Okay, here is a picture I took in front of my friend's house. In good lighting.
Can somebody tell me WTF is up with the HTC ONE camera? It looks like utter **** at 100 percent crop in full daylight condition.
Quality reminds of something you get from those $20 kids toy digital camera.
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that looks bad real bad. settings must be off?
I have noticed when I take a pic say of a building with a phone number. When i zoom to read the numbers. the numbers are blurry. Not with my note 2 and i would assume s4 13 mp
seattletecg said:
that looks bad real bad. settings must be off?
I have noticed when I take a pic say of a building with a phone number. When i zoom to read the numbers. the numbers are blurry. Not with my note 2 and i would assume s4 13 mp
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Yes the HTC one pictures look like they were taken by a home made Lego camera. Very Very bad.