Hello
here's a question for owners of Xiaomi Mi Note 10.
Having made experience with it, and knowing what you know, would you buy a Xiaomi Mi Note 10 today?
I ask because I'm about to change smartphone and I'm leaning towards the Mi Note 10.
Looks a solid pick to me; I especially like the Camera and the presence of OIS.
I don't like the fact that the storage can't be expanded, but I've been living constrained within 32 GB with a Huawei P9 for the last 4 and a half years... don't think it'll be much worse within 128 GB.
Everything else about the Mi Note 10 --> I don't know.
How is the skin? Does it have the features you want? What about bugs?
Does the phone heat during usage? If so, when? My P9 would heat quickly while using the Camera.
Keeping the screen On for a good while (browsing, or a long chat...) would also heat my phone.
What about the AMOLED panel? Anything I should know about it? My P9 got an IPS, I never had OLED tech to play with.
How is the Camera software? The P9's is lovely, letting me choose ISO, shutter speed, EV, AutoFocus mode, white balance...
Does the Mi Note 10 have a professional mode?
What about the software updates? Does Xiaomi make them frequently?
Please share your opinion on this device and tell me why you would buy it again today.
And also why you wouldn't.
Thank you
Umb0 said:
Hello
here's a question for owners of Xiaomi Mi Note 10.
Having made experience with it, and knowing what you know, would you buy a Xiaomi Mi Note 10 today?
I ask because I'm about to change smartphone and I'm leaning towards the Mi Note 10.
Looks a solid pick to me; I especially like the Camera and the presence of OIS.
I don't like the fact that the storage can't be expanded, but I've been living constrained within 32 GB with a Huawei P9 for the last 4 and a half years... don't think it'll be much worse within 128 GB.
Everything else about the Mi Note 10 --> I don't know.
How is the skin? Does it have the features you want? What about bugs?
Does the phone heat during usage? If so, when? My P9 would heat quickly while using the Camera.
Keeping the screen On for a good while (browsing, or a long chat...) would also heat my phone.
What about the AMOLED panel? Anything I should know about it? My P9 got an IPS, I never had OLED tech to play with.
How is the Camera software? The P9's is lovely, letting me choose ISO, shutter speed, EV, AutoFocus mode, white balance...
Does the Mi Note 10 have a professional mode?
What about the software updates? Does Xiaomi make them frequently?
Please share your opinion on this device and tell me why you would buy it again today.
And also why you wouldn't.
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw you reposted your question somewhere else, so I'm reposting mine answer too
Well, mate. Simple answer to your question would be: probably yes. I'll explain this "probably" bit later
At first, I've been using stock MIUI ROM only for one week. I've instantly applied for unlocking bootloader in order to flash Xiaomi.eu, which is a debloated version of MIUI with some improvements. I think it improves an overall performance a little bit. There are some other custom ROMs available for tucana, based on AOSP, but I prefer to stay with MIUI at the moment.
1) Camera: It's really good, but it could be even better with better SoC In my opinion, it is bit too weak at least for the huge main lens. Sometimes it lags, but it's not absolutely bad though. The pics quality is really good. Especially huge main lens gives bright, clear photos, it shines most in the night/low light scenarios. Even better with GCam. OIS is an excellent addon. Tele lenses are good enough, wide angle as well. Macro lens is only 2mpx and it is useful for me only when I need to take a photo of a very close object (1-2 cm), but quality is rather poor. But surprisingly, you can take very good macro pictures with wide angle lens
Just one thing: main lens isn't very good for macro shots. Because of its size, it can blur edges of the objects. But for landscapes and people it's just perfect.
There is a PRO mode with EV correction, exposure time, focus and white balance manual sliders. You can get additional features like long exposure, cloninig and stickers with a Magisk module (they are present on stock in Mi Note 10 pro).
Overall, I would give 8 out of 10 as for camera experience.
2) Storage: 128GB is more than enough for me. My previous device was Redmi Note 4 with 32GB plus 16BG on SD card and I managed as well. If you keep your device reasonably clean, I dont think there is much to worry. I sync my photos with Google Photos, so I can delete them from storage later. The only minor inconvenience is that when I want to/have to make factory reset (granted, most people dont do it often ), I have to copy files from internal storage to USB rather than keep them on SD card. But I can live with that.
3) Skin: I've always liked MIUI, so I'm satisfied. Stock features are ok, although I always like to customize my device as much as possible, so I root it and use Xposed Framework. But this is mainly matter of personal preferences. MIUI is heavy skin though, so it can explain occasional lags and little worse battery life than you could expect from >5000mAh battery. It's not absolutely bad though, I can easily use the phone more than one day with moderate usage (I don't play games).
I didn't notice much heating during usage, although as I mentioned, I'm not a gamer It heats a bit only when turbo charging, but it's not unusual.
3) AMOLED screen: Perfect for me. Nothing to complain about. Some people doesn't like rounded edges, I don't mind. Quality is excellent. OLED gives inifinite contrast, so black is totally black (because unused pixels are just turned off). Highest brightness is high enought to see everything even in sunlight (this is the biggest advantage over LCD). And you can use Always-on Display - I like this feature a lot.
4) Software: With stock ROM, as far as I know, updates are not that rare, but not very frequent too. The phone just got official Android 11 and since it started with A9, it's probably last major update (but probably will be getting new MIUI longer). I use weekly beta and I have A11 for some time already Actually there is one annoyance with MIUI based on A11: permissions and restrictions. You have to manually grant almost all permissions and with those more sensitive, you have to wait 10 seconds until the system lets you to grant it. It drives me crazy but fortunately, you have to do it only once Generally, MIUI A11 performes just ok.
So, despite those minor shortcomings, I would probably buy this phone again. I had limited budget and it was within my range. But if you can afford, I'd recommend to consider Mi Note 10 Pro. It has more powerful SoC and that can make a difference.
If you'd like to know something more, I can tell you Cheers!
It's nice of you to share, thanks
(and, sorry for having you chase me on this other thread )
Lord Sithek said:
So, despite those minor shortcomings, I would probably buy this phone again. I had limited budget and it was within my range. But if you can afford, I'd recommend to consider Mi Note 10 Pro. It has more powerful SoC and that can make a difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My budget wouldn't quite afford me a Mi Note 10, but I'm willing to shell an extra for this phone.
The Mi Note 10 Pro is far above my limit, instead. Will prices drop once the Mi 11 hits the market?
(Open...
I'd happily buy a mid-range should I find one that takes proper photos without a metric ton of postprocessing to mask a cheap sensor. Even some flagships of today leave much to be desired here [...]
If you got recommendations, feel free to tell -in PM if they're OT here-.
... closed)
You say that the Mi Note 10 Pro has better SoC over the Mi Note 10, but the two units should be identical save for RAM/Storage GB (6/128 vs. 8/256). Perhaps I misunderstand what you mean?
Lord Sithek said:
If you'd like to know something more, I can tell you Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I forgot to ask about the fingerprint sensor!
I'm spoiled by the phenomenal one on the Huawei P9.
I'm an EMT and wear non-trasparent lattice gloves most of the time and yet the P9's sensor recognizes my fingerprint without issues. Gloves on, just press on the sensor a tiny bit harder --> it unlocks lightning fast as always.
How good is the Mi Note 10's fingerprint sensor, instead?
As for the software...
I don't make rooting. Bricking an expensive device taugh me a lesson, and I decided to stick to OTA and stock software as much as I can. Should stock MIUI be somewhat heavy, I'll live with it.
But it doesn't hurt to know things in advance, so thank you
Another question:
Is there some kind of Secure Folder in MIUI? I mean an encrypted storage protected by password/fingerprint.
Thank you again.
I'd like to hear more on the Mi Note 10...
Umb0 said:
It's nice of you to share, thanks
(and, sorry for having you chase me on this other thread )
My budget wouldn't quite afford me a Mi Note 10, but I'm willing to shell an extra for this phone.
The Mi Note 10 Pro is far above my limit, instead. Will prices drop once the Mi 11 hits the market?
(Open...
I'd happily buy a mid-range should I find one that takes proper photos without a metric ton of postprocessing to mask a cheap sensor. Even some flagships of today leave much to be desired here [...]
If you got recommendations, feel free to tell -in PM if they're OT here-.
... closed)
You say that the Mi Note 10 Pro has better SoC over the Mi Note 10, but the two units should be identical save for RAM/Storage GB (6/128 vs. 8/256). Perhaps I misunderstand what you mean?
Yes, I forgot to ask about the fingerprint sensor!
I'm spoiled by the phenomenal one on the Huawei P9.
I'm an EMT and wear non-trasparent lattice gloves most of the time and yet the P9's sensor recognizes my fingerprint without issues. Gloves on, just press on the sensor a tiny bit harder --> it unlocks lightning fast as always.
How good is the Mi Note 10's fingerprint sensor, instead?
As for the software...
I don't make rooting. Bricking an expensive device taugh me a lesson, and I decided to stick to OTA and stock software as much as I can. Should stock MIUI be somewhat heavy, I'll live with it.
But it doesn't hurt to know things in advance, so thank you
Another question:
Is there some kind of Secure Folder in MIUI? I mean an encrypted storage protected by password/fingerprint.
Thank you again.
I'd like to hear more on the Mi Note 10...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, my bad, you are right - Mi Note 10 and Mi Note 10 Pro have the same chipset. I must remembered it wrong. But another options you might consider are:
1) Mi Note 10 Lite: The same chipset and bit less equiped with cameras than regular Mi Note 10, but as I know from reviews, people praise photos quality as well. There is no 108mpx camera, but I must admit - it's a bit overrated. It consumes much power, but in practice I use the full resolution very rarely. It's not really neccessary in real life. Lite version has 48mpx and it's probably sufficient. And no blurry macros from main lens Amoled screen present as well and the prices should be considerably lower.
2) Mi 10T: If you don't care about Amoled that much (personally I care ). It has high screen refresh rate, so user experience should be really fluent. Supported by powerful chipset. I don't know much about cameras, you would have to watch some reviews. And I don't know about prices...
3) Mi 9T/Mi 9T Pro: I'm not sure they are still available, but they were among the best Xiaomi devices up to date. Mi 9T Pro has more powerful chipset, but is more expensive obvioulsy. Both have Amoled screen, good photo quality, no notch. The latter can be advantage or disadvantage, depending on what do you expect (selfie lens pop up automatically). I was considering Mi 9T seriously until Mi Note 10 appeared
As for Mi Note 10's fingerprint: It's ok. I wouldn't call it phenomenal though. When the screen is active (I mean on lock screen or in the secured app login screen) it works pretty fast. But it's noticeably slower on Always-on Display - I have to hold my finger a little bit longer to get unlocked. Alternatively, I use face unlock. It's standard on MIUI. I know its less secure, but Im not that scared And my enviroment is relatively safe. Face unlock works really fast.
There are tools to secure your data and apps. I just use app lock for one app with my passwords, and I checked you can secure any folder in the file manager.
Lord Sithek said:
...surprisingly, you can take very good macro pictures with wide angle lens
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip, that was a revelation!
I've had the Mi Note 10 for just over a year, and I'd buy it again. The stock camera sometimes over-processes/saturates greens in landscapes, but it's not a deal-breaker. The portrait mode can produce some excellent pics. I've occasionally tried Gcam mods, but the stock camera is good enough most of the time.
Lord Sithek said:
Sorry, my bad, you are right - Mi Note 10 and Mi Note 10 Pro have the same chipset. I must remembered it wrong. But another options you might consider are:
1) Mi Note 10 Lite: The same chipset and bit less equiped with cameras than regular Mi Note 10, but as I know from reviews, people praise photos quality as well. There is no 108mpx camera, but I must admit - it's a bit overrated. It consumes much power, but in practice I use the full resolution very rarely. It's not really neccessary in real life. Lite version has 48mpx and it's probably sufficient. And no blurry macros from main lens Amoled screen present as well and the prices should be considerably lower.
2) Mi 10T: If you don't care about Amoled that much (personally I care ). It has high screen refresh rate, so user experience should be really fluent. Supported by powerful chipset. I don't know much about cameras, you would have to watch some reviews. And I don't know about prices...
3) Mi 9T/Mi 9T Pro: I'm not sure they are still available, but they were among the best Xiaomi devices up to date. Mi 9T Pro has more powerful chipset, but is more expensive obvioulsy. Both have Amoled screen, good photo quality, no notch. The latter can be advantage or disadvantage, depending on what do you expect (selfie lens pop up automatically). I was considering Mi 9T seriously until Mi Note 10 appeared
As for Mi Note 10's fingerprint: It's ok. I wouldn't call it phenomenal though. When the screen is active (I mean on lock screen or in the secured app login screen) it works pretty fast. But it's noticeably slower on Always-on Display - I have to hold my finger a little bit longer to get unlocked. Alternatively, I use face unlock. It's standard on MIUI. I know its less secure, but Im not that scared And my enviroment is relatively safe. Face unlock works really fast.
There are tools to secure your data and apps. I just use app lock for one app with my passwords, and I checked you can secure any folder in the file manager.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The more I look at the pics the Mi Note 10 can take, the more I'm set to it.
I was looking at the Mi 10T too.
I may buy it or the Mi Note 10 for the same price right now.
Speaking for myself, the Mi 10T sports a number of features that I don't find useful or even valuable, but I'd have to pay for nonetheless.
5G support is a pink invisible unicorn in my Country, at least for a good while. 4G devices are perfect.
The high Hz panel is a battery drain I don't need. You want 144 Hz? The chip must compose and present each. Talking of a... *mumbling* some quick math... 60:100=144:x ... x=144*100/60 ... x=240%... umm, talking of a +140% workload increase over a 60 Hz panel. No thanks!
The SoC is also powerful. Perhaps too much? My P9 runs 4x @ 2.5 and 4x @ 1.8 GHz cores. I can tell you it drains the battery quickly. I value more a slower chip that won't drink energy like beer.
Then there's the IPS vs. AMOLED thing... I've been living with IPS for the last 4.5 years and I appreciate it, but in total darkness the grey fog where black should be is gonna make you wish you chose differently.
Last, but not least, I have no samples to compare the Cameras against other devices. I'm sure that the Camera department has been shrunk to contain the production costs. It also lacks OIS, which I want this time around
As for the Lite versions... they were all in my radar. But none has OIS, and their photos always show artifacts from lot of Post-Processing (PP) to enhance the details. Sure, every phone does PP, but there's a reason if the more expensive devices don't need as much PP as the midrangers.
Camera wise, the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 is something! It's also modern and doesn't cost me a fortune
What I'm not thrilled about are the panel's rounded edges. Will get used to 'em, but I don't dig the change.
[edited]
Spoiler: 33 Hours Later (a true story)...
I'll just edit this in, hoping it's not against forum rules.
This afternoon I went to buy the smartphone. I could hardly believe to have found it so close to home (6 km) and at such a low price (349 €). And it was not from some minuscule shop nobody heard of, but in a Shopping Center and from none other than... um, I'm not sure I can name them.
(Open...
But I can reveal that it's a 2-words name, each word starting with M and each 5 characters long.
In their ads a capital red M character is also the omnipresent 3D object appearing in place of whatever the advertized product is.
Funny how they use their original name in all Europe, but in my Country alone they operate under a different name (always starting with M. Also, the ads copy the same graphics as the german originals).
... closed)
Anyway...
When I go at the counter, the surprises begin. They have 6 units total available and each box is NOT sealed, each phone has a protective film applied ALREADY, and there's a hidden EXTRA cost of 24 € for the "service", in addition to the price stated online.
I couldn't believe my ears as the clerk explained this stuff.
I asked if the phones were returned products or even refurbished, for none of this was explained or hinted at, online.
Heed his words: he didn't say they were "new" or "not refurbished", he said they were "not damaged products"!
Yeah, right...
I said this to him: "You can't prove your claim since the boxes are open. Keep your pre-applied protective films. For 350 euros I buy a sealed box covered by full warranty. You have one ready now, or I go away".
He mumbled: "I'm sorry" while turning at his monitor -- couldn't sustain my stare.
I didn't buy online to reserve the merchandise.
I could do so up until midnight yesterday, but waited too much and lost the opportunity (for reason unknown the merchandise went Unavailable for the time being).
Lady Luck herself made me miss the deal -- thank you thank you thank you!
Had I bought online, now it'd be trouble because... 1) I wouldn't get my money back (they'd give me a time-limited voucher valid in their shops only, but they got nothing I want) and... 2) to retrieve my merchandise at the counter I'd be charged the hidden 24 € -- else I wouldn't walk away with my property. Believe, it's all true!
I wonder what would have been sent me if I purchased online and chose to have it delivered home, and shudder at the idea of receiving a refurbished unit sold for pristine.
This thought is further strengthened by the customer reviews found on the website. Two reviews only, the last one from December 2020 saying that he "likes the Mi Note 10 but is disappointed by the lame touch display and fingerprint sensor".
From all accounts the Mi Note 10 doesn't mount lame hardware. I believe that this guy was sold a refurbished unit and he doesn't suspect it. He also praised the low price of the Mi Note 10. Sounds like he got a device from the lot I was presented today.
This is plain Commercial Misbehavior
[SMALL UPDATE]
In the end I bought the smartphone, at another shop, for another price.
I opted to have it delivered at the very shop, because it's near home and I'd go retrieve it myself.
Why use a courier when the shop is a mere 3 km from home -- right?
The package will arrive in two days from now, that is: the coming Monday... however I won't be able to retrieve it because starting with Monday we're in Lockdown and all shops will be closed. Until March 29th.
Covid sucks in every way
Related
Hi Everyone,
I thought I'd share some thoughts on this device after having purchased it yesterday afternoon.
I bought this phone because I felt it was the first device that gave me what I had been craving for a long time - an Android version of the iPhone 6s. I like the size, build and feel of the iPhone 6s/7, but not the software or the price.
I think I am in the minority of people who prefer a smaller handset, and even though Android devices tend to fit a lot more screen real estate into smaller bodies, I still feel that the 4.7in screen size is ideal for me.
The only phones that run Android of that size have been the Xperia compact line, and the Galaxy Alpha/A3 2016 models. There have been others, but only these have come close. Unfortunately, they have suffered compromised designs and specs that have left me wanting (I have owned them all, and this is my opinion which others are free to disagree with).
This new handset, however, has me ticking a lot of boxes.
- Size is fantastic. Just a little smaller than the iPhone 6s, and feels great in the hand. Premium materials, solid build quality, great ergonomics, clicky buttons, no camera hump.
- The display is good, not awesome, but vibrant and colourful without being too over the top. Can be tweaked to each user's preference, and gets both very bright and very dim.
- fingerprint scanner is fast and accurate.
- Camera is good, not amazing. An iPhone definitely trounces this setup, but I paid £280 sim free and my usage is not too demanding so it's absolutely fine for me. Daytime shots are actually very pleasant and I think here it punches above its weight; low light is where it struggles, but I feel that most shots at night are not too important for me so it's a compromise I'll happily make.
- Call quality is very good and it holds onto signal well in my area.
- Sound quality out of the side mounted speaker is actually surprisingly good, at least as good as an iPhone 6s. Headphone performance is also excellent .
- Performance has been nothing short of excellent. I feel we have reached a point where there are not that many tasks that we do that actually need a Snapdragon 821 to run smoothly - granted, some 3d games need serious power on tap to run at their highest settings on a quad HD screen, but with a 720p screen, the A3 2017 runs pretty much anything at best quality without delay or hiccup. And everyday operation is smooth as butter without any lag or slowdowns. Granted, this is very early days, but I am hopeful this will continue.
- Battery life is astounding. I charged it on Saturday night and hit 100% at 10.20pm. I took it off charger and only put it back on at 2% while writing this review and I had nearly 9 hrs and 30mins of screen on time over 1 day and 3 hours. That includes 64 mins of voice calls. Please note that I was home all day on Wifi, but still, I have never seen times like that, not least from a 2300 odd mah battery. Awesome. It also charges pretty fast.
- Other stuff - water proofing is great, finally have USB-C, charges really quickly with the included adaptive charging brick, finally has a blue light filter.
And now for the balance of the review:
- Slippery despite its size, so a case or a skin is advisable.
- 16gb of internal memory nearly broke the deal for me, but a 64gb card and some transferring of apps has left me with 3.8gb left to play with internally. Definitely not ideal and a very cheap move from Samsung, but I'm also hoping Nougat brings adoptable storage soon which will eliminate this as an issue (here's hoping!).
- No notification light is something I have to adjust to, but the always on display does help *somewhat* ( I prefer the light as it's something that alerts me from afar, whereas the display is on regardless of whether you have a notification or not).
- Camera as described above has some shortcomings.
- Usual Samsung software compromised with bloatware - lots of useless stuff on here that eats into that 16gb that I cannot delete (Microsoft suite, Samsung junk, usual duplicate apps that we all use the Google version of). I'll keep trying the usual routes to rid the phone of this but I may have to wait a while.
Other than these points, I am really pleased. It feels nice to have paid relatively little for a device that feels so premium. I know there are other phones at relatively low prices that kill this on specs (OP3, Axon 7, Honor 8, etc) but they are generally much bigger handsets, so for anyone looking at something smaller, this is a great buy.
TL;DR, it's great, buy one if you like small phones ?
I always wanted a phone with an small amoled screen and water proofing so i jumped ship from the huge mate 8 to witch i am comparing. I agree with your pros but i found: 1-the camera is average and lacking OIS (need very stable hands), 2- cannot use sd card as default storage (very handy on mate 8), 3- phone very slippery, 4- Design and Screen of a3 2016 seemed better (personal opinion), 5- no stutter but little slow (comparing to mate 8). Only lacks IR blaster to check all boxes but we can't have everything.
Great feedback, thanks guys.
You mentioned not display is good but not awesome, could you elaborate? Is issue clarity or something else? Thanks.
Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk
mario24601 said:
Great feedback, thanks guys.
You mentioned not display is good but not awesome, could you elaborate? Is issue clarity or something else? Thanks.
Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from a larger phone with a quad HD screen, it's never going to look as dazzlingly sharp, but on a 4.7 inch screen 720p still looks great and it is perfectly sharp and clear - if you've ever seen an iPhone screen, this feels much the same. Colours can be adjusted to your preference - I prefer accurate rather than punchy, but you can set it to either or somewhere in between.
I've had everything from a galaxy s6 which has crazy high pixel density to a Moto x, and personally I prefer the 720p smaller screen because it's far more efficient and I don't notice the pixel density difference after an hour or two.
Hope this helps.
Sunil_Kaura said:
Coming from a larger phone with a quad HD screen, it's never going to look as dazzlingly sharp, but on a 4.7 inch screen 720p still looks great and it is perfectly sharp and clear - if you've ever seen an iPhone screen, this feels much the same. Colours can be adjusted to your preference - I prefer accurate rather than punchy, but you can set it to either or somewhere in between.
I've had everything from a galaxy s6 which has crazy high pixel density to a Moto x, and personally I prefer the 720p smaller screen because it's far more efficient and I don't notice the pixel density difference after an hour or two.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk
Thanks for sharing this. I am also very happy with this phone so far. It's my second day with it, the battery is at 39% with 4h45 sot and 1d3h total since unplugged. In a night of 9 hours, the phone just lost 3%.
I have noticed though that wifi is constantly detected as running by betterbatterysats, even if it's turned off. Any idea how to fix this?
patci32 said:
I have noticed though that wifi is constantly detected as running by betterbatterysats, even if it's turned off. Any idea how to fix this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you checked in Settings -> Connections -> Location?
There are some wifi settings behind it (in location method and improve accuracy) you can deactivate.
F157 said:
Have you checked in Settings -> Connections -> Location?
There are some wifi settings behind it (in location method and improve accuracy) you can deactivate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, I didn't know. Thanks, I hope this works.
---------- Post added at 01:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:33 PM ----------
F157 said:
Have you checked in Settings -> Connections -> Location?
There are some wifi settings behind it (in location method and improve accuracy) you can deactivate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, could you please tell me if you use other settings to improve your battery life?
patci32 said:
Indeed, I didn't know. Thanks, I hope this works.
---------- Post added at 01:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:33 PM ----------
Also, could you please tell me if you use other settings to improve your battery life?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mm, nothing special yet, as I'm really happy with battery life so far.
What I did in the past with other devices is for example use the app greenify (needs root) to hibernate apps you don't want to run in the background.
Also, something that really helped me with my old s4 mini was to set mobile network to 2g, and only switch to lte once required.
And as always, use wifi instead of mobile network as often as possible, disable Bluetooth if not needed, etc.
£280?!?! That's highway robbery for a device with 720p, small battery and everything in budget-range. You get this, all the bells and whistles for £150 with a well known Chinese brand. Now I know why I'd never ever get a Slamsug.
iMaterial said:
£280?!?! That's highway robbery for a device with 720p, small battery and everything in budget-range. You get this, all the bells and whistles for £150 with a well known Chinese brand. Now I know why I'd never ever get a Slamsug.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please could you elaborate on one of these phones that you can get for £150? I'm pretty clued up but if I've missed something I'd be keen for you to share what you've found for myself and the community - my mother needs a new phone so if you've seen something better than the A3 for less I'd love to buy it
Sunil_Kaura said:
Please could you elaborate on one of these phones that you can get for £150? I'm pretty clued up but if I've missed something I'd be keen for you to share what you've found for myself and the community - my mother needs a new phone so if you've seen something better than the A3 for less I'd love to buy it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which stats are you looking for? Battery? Screen res? SoC power?
Compare, with €150 phones, battery, res, SoC, well anything really part from 10 mm in size.
iMaterial said:
Which stats are you looking for? Battery? Screen res? SoC power?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I'm referring to your comment that you could get a better phone for £150, so I guess I'm wondering what phone you are saying is better for that price...
The battery life of the A3 is epic, the PPI is still perfectly decent (720p on 4.7 inches is still perfectly usable and arguably 1080p is unnecessary) and the SoC is both fat and frugal.
So really I'm wondering whether you can get something the same or better for less money
I'd be happy with an alternative with same form factor. Any recommendations? The A3 still not available in US.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
mario24601 said:
I'd be happy with an alternative with same form factor. Any recommendations? The A3 still not available in US.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4.5 to 4.7" screen, 720p res. 2015 - today, only 4-5 options comes up.
http://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2015&nHeightMax=135&nDisplayResMin=921600&fDisplayInchesMin=4.5&fDisplayInchesMax=4.7
Only A3, Sony X and Z5 compact, Xiaomi Redmi 2 Pro has enough RAM, battery and goodies. LG Spirit and Alcatel Idol 3 only has 1 GB and 1.5 GB RAM, not really a viable option.
Sunil_Kaura said:
Well I'm referring to your comment that you could get a better phone for £150, so I guess I'm wondering what phone you are saying is better for that price...
The battery life of the A3 is epic, the PPI is still perfectly decent (720p on 4.7 inches is still perfectly usable and arguably 1080p is unnecessary) and the SoC is both fat and frugal.
So really I'm wondering whether you can get something the same or better for less money
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Redmi 4 Pro can be had for €150 and its battery life is Epic also, the Redmi 3 Pro is way better than A3 and Redmi 4 Pro, with 720p but alas 5". Redmi note 3 is also really good, for even less than €150. Samsung is priced at least £100 than it should, but the same can be said about Sony and Apple also.
iMaterial said:
4.5 to 4.7" screen, 720p res. 2015 - today, only 4-5 options comes up.
http://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2015&nHeightMax=135&nDisplayResMin=921600&fDisplayInchesMin=4.5&fDisplayInchesMax=4.7
Only A3, Sony X and Z5 compact, Xiaomi Redmi 2 Pro has enough RAM, battery and goodies. LG Spirit and Alcatel Idol 3 only has 1 GB and 1.5 GB RAM, not really a viable option.
The Redmi 4 Pro can be had for €150 and its battery life is Epic also, the Redmi 3 Pro is way better than A3 and Redmi 4 Pro, with 720p but alas 5". Redmi note 3 is also really good, for even less than €150. Samsung is priced at least £100 than it should, but the same can be said about Sony and Apple also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree the Xiaomi phones are compelling - my main issue is the fact that they are all grey imports - many purchasers have reported that they do not get any warranty support whatsoever, they generally require a more experienced android user to side load the Google play store, and they have sketchy android skins which have also been reported to spy on their users.
Don't get me wrong, Touchwiz (or Grace UI as it's now known) is not exactly great, but I'd rather know I can walk into a Samsung store and get a problem fixed than rely on a Hong Kong based website for support.
I think it's only fair to compare this phone to what can be had in Europe, and in that regard, it blows the Sony X Compact, Alcatel and others out of the water.
And given its build quality and design, it's good value compared to phones that retail for double this cost.
Also, most Xiaomi phones don't come with NFC (no android pay), some don't have scratch resistant glass, no quick charging, etc
The A3 also uses a processor built on the 14nm process which is up to date technology, whereas the Xiaomi phones at that price point use outdated processors like the 650 and 616.
The 14nm process is what gives the A3 it's great battery life without needing a 4000mAh battery and heavier construction.
A final point - check out the videos of the Redmi note 3 bend test - not encouraging! (I will add the Redmi 3 pro did significantly better though which is good progress).
Sunil_Kaura said:
I agree the Xiaomi phones are compelling - my main issue is the fact that they are all grey imports - many purchasers have reported that they do not get any warranty support whatsoever, they generally require a more experienced android user to side load the Google play store, and they have sketchy android skins which have also been reported to spy on their users.
Don't get me wrong, Touchwiz (or Grace UI as it's now known) is not exactly great, but I'd rather know I can walk into a Samsung store and get a problem fixed than rely on a Hong Kong based website for support.
I think it's only fair to compare this phone to what can be had in Europe, and in that regard, it blows the Sony X Compact, Alcatel and others out of the water.
And given its build quality and design, it's good value compared to phones that retail for double this cost.
Also, most Xiaomi phones don't come with NFC (no android pay), some don't have scratch resistant glass, no quick charging, etc
The A3 also uses a processor built on the 14nm process which is up to date technology, whereas the Xiaomi phones at that price point use outdated processors like the 650 and 616.
The 14nm process is what gives the A3 it's great battery life without needing a 4000mAh battery and heavier construction.
A final point - check out the videos of the Redmi note 3 bend test - not encouraging! (I will add the Redmi 3 pro did significantly better though which is good progress).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Redmi 4 Pro that I bought for a friend in Jan has the 14 nm Snapdragon 625. I can agree that it might lack a few finishing touches, but I could buy it for €150 inc shipping from aliexpress and get it in 7-9 days. But it's half the price, and I know the Adreno is a better GPU than the Mali.
Both on the Xiaomi and the Slamsug, first thing I would do it TWRP and LAOS ROM, they can keep their crap TW and MIUI, can't stand it.
Never the less, it shouldn't be 2x the price for something that is almost inferior in some points and better on others. Esp not in 2017, maybe some years ago, but every day there are better and better phones for under €200, like the Moto G5 and such, only problem is they are so damn big, and big phones are 99/100 new that are coming out, these days, sadly.
iMaterial said:
The Redmi 4 Pro that I bought for a friend in Jan has the 14 nm Snapdragon 625. I can agree that it might lack a few finishing touches, but I could buy it for €150 inc shipping from aliexpress and get it in 7-9 days. But it's half the price, and I know the Adreno is a better GPU than the Mali.
Both on the Xiaomi and the Slamsug, first thing I would do it TWRP and LAOS ROM, they can keep their crap TW and MIUI, can't stand it.
Never the less, it shouldn't be 2x the price for something that is almost inferior in some points and better on others. Esp not in 2017, maybe some years ago, but every day there are better and better phones for under €200, like the Moto G5 and such, only problem is they are so damn big, and big phones are 99/100 new that are coming out, these days, sadly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't disagree there - it's frustrating how few phones there are under 5 inches available.
I will say though that besides the Xiaomi phones which look to have a nice build, the Moto G4 is very cheap feeling, as are most of the other phones available here in that price bracket, so I would happily pay a little more for a nice looking and premium feeling device.
If the Samsung we're £220 I think it'd sell by the bucket load as £20-40 above phones like the G4 would likely tempt many up, but at £280 I agree that it's a harder sell for the lay person.
I'm looking at from the other side - it's a mild compromise from an S7 or a iPhone 6s/7 , but it's half the price, rather than double that of a cheaper device.
And it absolutely looks and feels as good as a £5-600 phone.
Sunil_Kaura said:
Can't disagree there - it's frustrating how few phones there are under 5 inches available.
I will say though that besides the Xiaomi phones which look to have a nice build, the Moto G4 is very cheap feeling, as are most of the other phones available here in that price bracket, so I would happily pay a little more for a nice looking and premium feeling device.
If the Samsung we're £220 I think it'd sell by the bucket load as £20-40 above phones like the G4 would likely tempt many up, but at £280 I agree that it's a harder sell for the lay person.
I'm looking at from the other side - it's a mild compromise from an S7 or a iPhone 6s/7 , but it's half the price, rather than double that of a cheaper device.
And it absolutely looks and feels as good as a £5-600 phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are so many on this forum and in other places that airs the same frustration, so few options for a mobile ca 130mm lenght and 4.5 - 4.7" screen (720p at least), that I'm starting to wonder if we should do something about it, maybe talk to so manufacturer to make at least 1-2 phones under 5"
The Redmi 4 Pro I used for a few weeks felt no worse in build than the Iphone 6 or 6S I have tried a few times, both in metal around 140 - 145mm size. But for €310 I can get a Xiaomi Mi 5 with 820 and have €100 in change over. I have never held a Moto G, last Motorola I have tried was the 4.3" Razr Maxx and it felt solid as a rock.
The J5 goes for around €180-190 here and I see no reason why this smaller, entry level A3 shouldn't be priced in a similar fashion. These days due to deaths in the family and such I'm so poor that €100 is more than I can spare and my Android mobile that I have now is from 2012 or so, single core with 512 MB RAM and I hate every minute when I'm using it. I'm lucky to have been given a 2009 Sony Ericsson C901 as my main caller.
Just my 1¢ (It used to be 2¢, but due to the recession I've had to make cutbacks)
---------- Post added at 07:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:16 PM ----------
What annoys me a lot is also that this A3 is bigger than the A3 (2016) and the battery is only 50 mAh bigger. They could easily have put a 2500 - 2800 mAh battery in this one, just like the Sony Z3, Z5 or X compact, which is 5 mm smaller.
My last perfect phone was the original moto x. I still use it. I am not a power user but the X just needs lil more power but on cm13 it's not bad.
I don't even mind going with old phone as long as has some custom roms to improve performance.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
I've got both at the moment. But one has to go.
So I'm a bit torn between which is the better option, what do you guys think?
On the one hand, the Pixel:
- No LED
- No Wifi calling (certainly not for Three UK)
- 'Pixel' navigation (I'm just not used to it, I know traditional can be re-enabled via ADB - but can you just use a new launcher?)
- No facial recognition (This feature is particularly good on the Mate 20 Pro)
- Smaller battery
- Single camera (but I'm not sure this is an issue)
- No Pro camera options
- Bigger notch than the Mate 20 pro
However:
- Clean Android
- gets quickest updates
- No stupid background killing processes - this in particular is annoying and takes some configuration to get things working right on the Mate 20 Pro
- Excellent night camera
- Good fingerprint sensor. It's crap on the Mate 20 Pro.
- It doesn't have the curved edges like the Mate 20 Pro - but I'm not sure I even like them.
SD845 vs Kirin 980.
Anything else I'm missing? Any thoughts or opinions?
i really really hate emui, and love stock android , butt the hardware on the mate 20 is just kicking some p3 xl ass.......
I don't like the design of the Pixel, the notch is unnecessarily deep, what's going on with the weird glass design on the back and I don't like rear fingerprint readers.
The night mode on the M20P is fine for me and I've always a phone with a decent macro mode.
Yes there are some niggles with the M20P but I'm using a different launcher and fluid gestures and am happy with how I've got it set up.
It all depends on what you value the most.
On paper they're pretty equal in terms of camera performance.
I like my phones to last tho, I can charge this phone and not charge it for 2 days sometimes 3 (if it's light use). Yes, emui is hated by many, I just use nova launcher, debloated this phone with adb and now it's the best phone I've ever owned.
The battery life and camera are fantastic, reverse wireless charge saved a few mates of mine and if you're running low on juice you just charge it for about 15 minutes to half an hour and you got juice for a day.
Also, face unlock works like a charm for me.
The notch doesn't bother me, I don't even notice it most of the times.
Performance wise there isn't a faster phone atm, it's pretty much as fast as the op6t.
The only true difference would be the android updates, but coming from a mate 9 which still gets its security updates I wouldn't stress about it that much.
My first phone mate9 4+32, battery storage is not enough to change the Honor 10, the National Day was stolen, support for a month and other mate20pro. I don't know much about other brands, so this post will not be discussed.
Before I bought it, I was still hesitant to be choose a magic or a Honor edition. After all, the price difference was more than a little, and the two mobile phones had their own advantages. After the release of the foreign country, I went to the experience store and touched it, and suddenly fell. I have to say that the Honor user played mate20pro is without any resistance, the whole devices feel, weight, integrity and technology sense are impeccable, a feeling of elegant. At that time, I booked the Jade green pro 8+256 UD directly in the experience store. I didn’t have any plans to buy the 6+128 version. It’s worth more than a thousand teeth.
At that time, the most controversial Arrangement lens was actually not ugly, and even had some good-looking (maybe my aesthetic was raped). The high recognition can be said to be an advantage, and a ball can be recognized.
In terms of appearance, everyone knows the combination of Samsung and Apple. I have been tangled for a long time, but I am finally get used to it. The structured light is really convenient. not to mention the unlocking. Pro-test grimace tongue can be used on the flat screen, the mask can not be solved, and the nose must be leaked at least. On the back, the back is very good, and the reason for the reservation is not hesitant because of the back panel, the texture of the small lines is too comfortable. Huawei's previous mate and p series can be described as ugly, unlike the p20 youth color, mate20 is stable and beautiful, The curvature of the frame in the side curved screen is particularly cool and feels better than my Samsung. After using it for so long, I still haven’t looked tired, and I am very satisfied with the overall appearance (except for Norch).
In terms of battery life, the factory version is particularly good, and it is used heavily for one and a half days. The current 176 version is also good, second only to the factory version. But the middle version update is too bad, you have to charge it in one day. Charging is also first-class, 40w gets me flying, you plug in, do something, it is full . It is estimated that it is not possible to return to the 18w charge. When the new machine is charged, there is still some high temp. The upper right corner is a little hot. It is estimated to be 50 degrees. The power adapter is also very hot. I am worried that it is not a problem device. The result will be fine. It is estimated that Huawei’s theory of metaphysics . Now, no matter whether it is used or charged, there has never been a case of overheating. It is estimated that the hottest time is only 40 degrees, and winter can't warm up.
In terms of performance, the 980 is really strong. I haven’t met stuck in two months, and it even goes a bit more faster. krin980 is really worthy.
I too have both (and a Note 9) and there are lots of pros and cons on both sides for me though being able to expand the storage on the Mate is the clincher, 128gb on the 3XL is just about enough but does require some managing, on the Mate or any other phone with expandable storage it is a non-issue.
So the china launch of the Mi 9 is today. Anyone buying it? I most likely will if it's around £450 for 8gb /128gb variant. I want me some Snapdragon 855 goodness.
No 4k60fps and 3300 battery? I will pass for the next phone when maybe they choose to upgrade the baseband to global 4g+
My next phone will be OnePlus or Pixel
Full specs
6.39” FHD+ AMOLED Display
Triple Camera
-48MP primary f/1.75
-12MP telephoto f/2.2
-16MP ultra-wide f/2.2
Front 20MP f/2.0 @Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
6GB RAM
64GB/128GB Storage
In-screen fingerprint sensor
3300mAh Battery
20W wireless charging
I'm so disappointed by the battery size. 3300mah is less than the Mi 8's battery.
Battery is not that important for me. The disappointing thing for me is lack of OIS. No matter how good the sensor is, OIS is a must have in my opinion. Sensor itself is small enough to have lots of struggle capturing enough light in poor light conditions, removing the OIS will only make the situation worse. I hope that they change their plans for Mi Mix 4 camera or whatever gonna be their next flagship.
The lack of OIS will be felt while capturing photos in low light. Its a big drawback for me
No OIS, no IP rating, no stereo speakers, smaller battery...no thanks!
No way. Waterdrop in 2019? No thanks. Small battery? No thanks. Worse camera in my opinion, nothing special in this phone.
Next phone will be One Plus, Im tired of Xiaomi.
galakty said:
No way. Waterdrop in 2019? No thanks. Small battery? No thanks. Worse camera in my opinion, nothing special in this phone.
Next phone will be One Plus, Im tired of Xiaomi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just read the review, it scored good 107 points in DxO mark test, while battery seems to last longer thanks to SD855...
pujolsk said:
I just read the review, it scored good 107 points in DxO mark test, while battery seems to last longer thanks to SD855...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DxO is not the best place to check camera Anyway, even in their test autofocus is worse than Mi 8.
Look at GSMarena comparison tool - its worse than Mi 8. Why? Because it sets high iso and fast shutter comparing to Mi 8. Mi8 shoots in low light with for example 1/15 and ISO 900, but Mi 9 shoots 1/50 and ISO 4200. Its terrible!
galakty said:
DxO is not the best place to check camera Anyway, even in their test autofocus is worse than Mi 8.
Look at GSMarena comparison tool - its worse than Mi 8. Why? Because it sets high iso and fast shutter comparing to Mi 8. Mi8 shoots in low light with for example 1/15 and ISO 900, but Mi 9 shoots 1/50 and ISO 4200. Its terrible!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"DxO is not the best place?" Then where need check camera?
GSMarena? In my opinion the worst place to check the camera..
Hello.
In gsmarena picture compare tool, view 20 is much better with the same sensor, so it must be software.
Especially in lower light, mi9 is weaker than mi8 and also redmi note 7... Dxo mark score is not logical, maybe there are phones with diferrent software... Despite the score, it does not seem like a great camera, just average, a little bit weaker than mi8. But it has a wide sensor and better hw so, price wise....good enough phone and camera.
Mi 9 gives you sooo much for 500$, but you are looking for some meaningless details in pictures that no one will mention when you post it in FB, Instagaram, Twitter....etc. For sure ~2000$ phone makes much worst pictures for a bucket of money it costs
There is no such offer for hi-end hardware on the market and I`ll take advantage of it when Global version is out.
It has A LOT of things going for it:
https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_mi_9_specs_and_features_officially_revealed-news-35564.php
https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_announces_more_mi_9_features-news-35578.php
But I feel my Mi 8 still has more than enough life left on it to swap it.
The only reason I'd do it is to sell it at a great price and just add some more to get the Mi 9.
nfsmw_gr said:
But I feel my Mi 8 still has more than enough life left on it to swap it.
The only reason I'd do it is to sell it at a great price and just add some more to get the Mi 9.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same unless I can get it with those ebay discount codes cheaper. I'll probably go for the S10e.
What was the deal breaker is probably no OIS and low light photos suck.
My next phone will be pixel
After all the crap of waiting 360+ hours to even be able to unlock the bootloader I wont be going Xiaomi again, especially with them now building in Adverts into the base operating system the one thing you want is unlock and a different rom
droiduser said:
After all the crap of waiting 360+ hours to even be able to unlock the bootloader I wont be going Xiaomi again, especially with them now building in Adverts into the base operating system the one thing you want is unlock and a different rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think they pledged to make it simpler, imagine with that the Mi 9 Xiaomi has already provided the source code lol.
Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
So perhaps this review might be slightly contradictory to my other thread (Samsung Giving up or....). Only way to find out is to dive right in......
So I'm not here to praise or affiliate myself with a particular brand, what I mean is that some very much love Samsung and don't like any criticism, or others may disagree and that's fine (my words are just from my perspective). Everyone has there own likes, things they find useful, basically we are all different and that is just fine. Opinions from others that may follow are to be respected as we all won't share the same experience or views.
The Galaxy Note 10 got released in two variants oh wait no make that three, and yes I think this is a good idea (although price points i am not agreeable on).
However as the title suggests this little review is based on the model I have SM-N976b that's the Exynos 9825 5G variant.
Display: What we have is a 6.8" Dynamic Amoled Display and there is very little disputing it's best in class. From the vibrant colours to the deep blacks it really is a stunning screen. The punch-hole is symmetrical and really doesn't get in the way or my enjoyment (however some might not like, and find it distracting). I tend to appreciate larger displays (having recently purchased the Mate 20 X 5G 7.2") I was particularly pleased that Samsung decided to make the Display larger on the + variant. With it being a note , that is aimed at productivity and media 6.8" was/is a delight for me personally.
Performance: The performance of the 9825 is marginal if anything above the 9820 (used on the S10, S10+). However I get tired of the complaints, yes perhaps the 855 is marginally better in certain areas, it's not a huge gulf between the two that is going to dramatically affect the user experience. I have found it to be very fast and fluid and hasn't hindered my experience. Basically it performs as a flagship processor should. Very little complaints from me.
Functionality: We have the good old S-Pen and without a doubt it's still industry leading (Perhaps because not many oem's have decided to compete) however as a productivity tool it's fantastic (wether you use it not). I am not sold on the Harry potter waving the pen around, it's just a feature that I think Samsung could have left out & focused that time and resources in another area. However I get that they wanted to add something else to the pen, but I don't think many will be using it.
You have here with the Note 10+ a device that offers up great features as in improving DeX to be used as a virtual environment on a laptop (Some may benefit from this) link to Windows to provide that ecosystem and connection with your PC/Laptop. We also have Gamelink (Conning Soon) along with all the other things like app edge, dual window. So it really does offer up that fantastic functionality.
Battery: Well I have the Mate 20 X and with the 7.2" Display (all be it 1080p) it without a doubt lasts longer than the Note 10+, wouldn't say by a huge margin, I usually and can easily get 7hrs on the note, but with the X it can be 8+, but EMUI is more restrictive in app management. I think the Note could be better optimised and I'm sure with updates it will.
Camera: The cameras on the Note all be it just little improvements over the S-Line, they perform well in most areas, fall short in others. Yes you can say the P30 Pro or pixel are better, some areas yes they most certainly are, but even they fall short in let's say the video department, so as a balanced camera then yeah it's great and that is what I look for, if you want the best if everything Also buy the P30 Pro & Pixel and carry around 3 devices
Design: I think this is where Samsung spent a chunk of time, with the Display & rearrangement, all be it most certainly Q's from Huawei but that's not a negative thing and I absolutely love what Samsung have done here. It's a stunning device.
My Honest opinion: I was complaining slightly that Samsung perhaps could of should of done more and I still stand with that in certain areas. These are in the camera software, perhaps that 90hz (yes I don't think this was possible, due to the S-Pen), but would have been a nice option, but when you look at it, its an iterative improvement, but the areas of focus have been done well, and here we have a stunning productivity device that will make many users happy, but leave some disappointed as expectation, left us without some of the little things we are seeing from others not here on the note.
After using it now for 5 days I fully appreciate a nice and solid device that covers most areas well, but like any device falls short in others. I'm very happy with my purchase and I hope you all are to
Please feel free to add to this, or add in constructive criticism, it's all appreciated, just be respectful, and don't disregard others opinions (unless they are just rediculous).
Duncan1982 said:
So perhaps this review might be slightly contradictory to my other thread (Samsung Giving up or....). Only way to find out is to dive right in......
So I'm not here to praise or affiliate myself with a particular brand, what I mean is that some very much love Samsung and don't like any criticism, or others may disagree and that's fine (my words are just from my perspective). Everyone has there own likes, things they find useful, basically we are all different and that is just fine. Opinions from others that may follow are to be respected as we all won't share the same experience or views.
The Galaxy Note 10 got released in two variants oh wait no make that three, and yes I think this is a good idea (although price points i am not agreeable on).
However as the title suggests this little review is based on the model I have SM-N976b that's the Exynos 9825 5G variant.
Display: What we have is a 6.8" Dynamic Amoled Display and there is very little disputing it's best in class. From the vibrant colours to the deep blacks it really is a stunning screen. The punch-hole is symmetrical and really doesn't get in the way or my enjoyment (however some might not like, and find it distracting). I tend to appreciate larger displays (having recently purchased the Mate 20 X 5G 7.2") I was particularly pleased that Samsung decided to make the Display larger on the + variant. With it being a note , that is aimed at productivity and media 6.8" was/is a delight for me personally.
Performance: The performance of the 9825 is marginal if anything above the 9820 (used on the S10, S10+). However I get tired of the complaints, yes perhaps the 855 is marginally better in certain areas, it's not a huge gulf between the two that is going to dramatically affect the user experience. I have found it to be very fast and fluid and hasn't hindered my experience. Basically it performs as a flagship processor should. Very little complaints from me.
Functionality: We have the good old S-Pen and without a doubt it's still industry leading (Perhaps because not many oem's have decided to compete) however as a productivity tool it's fantastic (wether you use it not). I am not sold on the Harry potter waving the pen around, it's just a feature that I think Samsung could have left out & focused that time and resources in another area. However I get that they wanted to add something else to the pen, but I don't think many will be using it.
You have here with the Note 10+ a device that offers up great features as in improving DeX to be used as a virtual environment on a laptop (Some may benefit from this) link to Windows to provide that ecosystem and connection with your PC/Laptop. We also have Gamelink (Conning Soon) along with all the other things like app edge, dual window. So it really does offer up that fantastic functionality.
Battery: Well I have the Mate 20 X and with the 7.2" Display (all be it 1080p) it without a doubt lasts longer than the Note 10+, wouldn't say by a huge margin, I usually and can easily get 7hrs on the note, but with the X it can be 8+, but EMUI is more restrictive in app management. I think the Note could be better optimised and I'm sure with updates it will.
Camera: The cameras on the Note all be it just little improvements over the S-Line, they perform well in most areas, fall short in others. Yes you can say the P30 Pro or pixel are better, some areas yes they most certainly are, but even they fall short in let's say the video department, so as a balanced camera then yeah it's great and that is what I look for, if you want the best if everything Also buy the P30 Pro & Pixel and carry around 3 devices
Design: I think this is where Samsung spent a chunk of time, with the Display & rearrangement, all be it most certainly Q's from Huawei but that's not a negative thing and I absolutely love what Samsung have done here. It's a stunning device.
My Honest opinion: I was complaining slightly that Samsung perhaps could of should of done more and I still stand with that in certain areas. These are in the camera software, perhaps that 90hz (yes I don't think this was possible, due to the S-Pen), but would have been a nice option, but when you look at it, its an iterative improvement, but the areas of focus have been done well, and here we have a stunning productivity device that will make many users happy, but leave some disappointed as expectation, left us without some of the little things we are seeing from others not here on the note.
After using it now for 5 days I fully appreciate a nice and solid device that covers most areas well, but like any device falls short in others. I'm very happy with my purchase and I hope you all are to
Please feel free to add to this, or add in constructive criticism, it's all appreciated, just be respectful, and don't disregard others opinions (unless they are just rediculous).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not too much to add here.
Really great package!
Terrible speakers
Worst cellular connection to date
Bloatware
tethering feature is broken/lags
Pretty much fantastic in every aspect, minus four:
- terrible battery life (the worst I've ever had to my opinion, compared to Mate 9, Note 4 and Xperia Z1...)
- no high refresh rate display (and still annoying OLED motion blur)
- slow/unsecure unlocking (UDFS/front camera)
- Samsung's "OneUI" software is good overall, but has still strong geographic differences (in term of app availability, see goodlock software for exemple), and doesn't allow you to tweak your terminal to the extent to it should be possible (Galaxy Theme store (yerk!) should basically be Substratum (lite) + Synergy))
darkphoenix2012 said:
Terrible speakers
Worst cellular connection to date
Bloatware
tethering feature is broken/lags
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is really amusing to see how some complain about mainly, battery, speakers, camera and signal, to the grade of "terrible", "worst" etc, I have no complain at all, I come from a note 8, which indeed was an excellent device, and this note10+ is way better, in all aaspects, I did not have the 9, but I have heard always that it was just a little increment over the 8, any way, I am really, really pleased with my note10+, the best device I have had
winol said:
It is really amusing to see how some complain about mainly, battery, speakers, camera and signal, to the grade of "terrible", "worst" etc, I have no complain at all, I come from a note 8, which indeed was an excellent device, and this note10+ is way better, in all aaspects, I did not have the 9, but I have heard always that it was just a little increment over the 8, any way, I am really, really pleased with my note10+, the best device I have had
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto x10!
Sent from my Note 10+ using Tapatalk
And would you guys say note 10+ over note 10?
tileeq said:
And would you guys say note 10+ over note 10?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as i'm concerned yes...
- battery life
- microSD
- TOF, even though still beta-like software for 3D scan, but works very well for blurring background photos (you can see it when comparing front cam and rear cam)
- larger screen, cause i love this (better for watching videos or multitasking)
I would always feel like i have a sub phone if i went note10 route but that's juste me
Downside is the weight of note10+, i find it kinda heavy in the hand.
Yeah, I absolutely love my note10+
I absolutely love my Note 10+. I wish I had pre-ordered, but I wasn't ready for an upgrade from my Note 8 yet.
I got the Aurora Glow (Snapdragon, Verizon US), mainly because it was the one that was readily available and I wouldn't have to wait. I thought I'd just slap a case on it and never have to look at it, but it turns out I love that crazy rainbow bastard and got a nice clear case. I'm averaging 7hrs of SOT (at highest resolution, no power savings, wifi/data, etc), I haven't had to "top up" during the day once since I got it. Sleep drain is almost non-existent...maybe 4-5% overnight (6-7hrs) with WiFi and bluetooth on. I do a lot of artwork on the fly, and this is even more of a workhorse than my Note 8 was. I do multi-layered (usually 12-20 layers) drawings in Medibang Paint at at least 600dpi and this glorious phone doesn't even stutter. AND (and I know a lot of you don't like it) I was psyched to see a screen protector pre-installed. I know it's a crappy one, but it was great to have while waiting for my "real" one to show up. Really small, but well-appreciated, inclusion. I don't even mind the loss of a headphone jack as much as I thought I would. My portable battery has the wireless charging built in (not that I've needed to use it yet), and I think the sound in the USB C headphones included is better than the ones I got with my Note 8.
My ONLY complaint is the camera. Photos look overly soft, and faces seem flattened out. My Note 8 took much better photos out of the box. At least, in my case, it definitely seems to be a software issue...because using GCam improves the photos dramatically. And it seems that Sammy has already released an update to address photo quality...I just have to wait for Verizon to push out the damn thing. I don't take pro photos or anything, 90% of my picture taking is my kids...but my Note 8 gave me much clearer photos of them running around than I've gotten from my 10+. That being said, I know there's a fix on the way so I'm not going to piss and moan too much about it. I look forward to really using the hell out of the camera once it's updated, especially night mode...I didn't have that on my Note 8.
All in all, nothing but love for this phone.
I perceive the photos to be better than those of my note8, yesterday an update mainly for the fingerprint and camera, became available for my note10+, I am yet to see what improvements it may yield
I was looking at a new Chinese flagship (Realme X2 Pro) but then got to play with Dex on a 10 - bought the Note 10+ dualSIM right there, coming from an S8+. Dex is just fantastic, on my Windows or Mac computers, with an additional 95W wall charger and a 100w USB C hub. Now the phone is fully integrated in my desktop workflow and part of the hub with other devices I own, and I love the ability to cut&paste from/to the phone from my main Windows machine. All other elements one comes to expect from a Samsung flagship are there of course, and video quality is excellent. Writing with the S-Pen on the Nebo App is enough for note taking - I can leave the iPad Pro at home for meetings. And Amazon Germany gave a unexpected $120 rebate, plus tax return from Amazon upon leaving the EU, got a great deal altogether. My S8+ lasted three years and thanks to this community is updated well, will now go to my wife.
3 Stars. The magic is lost. Nothing is special about the series anymore.
Call me jaded as someone who's owned every iteration since the Note 2, but this is not the best from the best that previous Note series enjoyed. Same cameras from S10. Would have liked a better tech that includes a seamless uninterruption of the screen. I can do without a social media whore cam or have a motorized selfie cam for those selfie whores. Also, could have used a speedier screen refresh rate found on the the cheaper One+. Otherwise, speed, battery life, features, all the best android has to offer. Nothing earth shattering and futuristic like the first time we saw the Note Edge or Note 5 or BT pen from note 9. Still has a hole in the screen. Still has a "just a refreshed design until next iteration" look. Screen size increased by a hair. Even diluted the brand by making a smaller Note. I usually go for the best but since I had the blue Note 9, I wanted something different and the Aura Blue is gorgeous but disappointed it only comes in 256gb, another ding against Samsung. Overall, 3 stars because the Note series is known for cutting edge and when you have a camera stolen from an older phone and when you decide to toss in a gimmicky AR camera that everyone used for the first minute and forget about but failed to work on the thing that everyone uses 90% of the time, the screen, like incorporate a 120 refresh rate or do away with the hole or notch, then you aren't living to the high standard that the Note series are known for and that its fanbase expects. You used to be able to say, look what my phone has that you don't. Reverse charging? woopty do. My S10 had that before you. 3 cameras? "Stereo" speakers? Well, my phone has a built in BT stylus. So, my cheaper Note 10 does too! *facepalm* We no longer have something special. Used to be we had it first and then it trickled to other devices. Now, it's the other way around.
The one and only phone, not a tablet, that has this unique feature, the spen, there is the "magic"
winol said:
The one and only phone, not a tablet, that has this unique feature, the spen, there is the "magic"
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Click to collapse
Pay attention. You're wrong. We're reviewing the Note 10+. So this isn't the only phone with the s pen. If you pay attention, the diluted note 10 also has one as well as the upcoming note 10 lite. So it still stands, the magic is lost.
As this thread is about the 10+, I am referring to the note10+, so, you pay attention
winol said:
The one and only phone, not a tablet, that has this unique feature, the spen, there is the "magic"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
winol said:
As this thread is about the 10+, I am referring to the note10+, so, you pay attention
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mod edit: removed unnecessarily rude comment
skoobz said:
mod edit: removed unnecessarily rude comment
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please check your private messages. Remeber folks this is a fun hobby for us all. There's never a need to get fired up and taking jabs and low blows. If you're starting to get heated just log off and go do something else or keep scrolling.
Let me preface this by saying I am picky about my phones and this is one of the worst I have seen in years! If you have an old phone I can understand some of the upgrade but here are my thoughts coming well staying with a Note 10+. Never bought and returned a phone this quick. Returning before it is even released on Friday!!
Let's start with the good, well somewhat......
Screen: Once again Samsung delivers a world class screen. Best in brightness, color accuracy, etc etc everything like normal that they always produce in their flagships. Now for the downsize, the infamous 120hz screen refresh rate. Not worth it here. Smoother scrolling, sure but barely. I honestly don't even mind the 1080p and 120 hz just the need for the 120hz on a phone is overkill. Was gaming smoother sure, do I game much on my phone, no not really. The 240 touch response I can tell more of a difference and a worthy difference then the 120 hz refresh
Processing power: Phone is fast, minus animations. Photo processing, night mode shots are a big difference. Much faster in that aspect. Wish we saw little more ram and more storage though at this price
Battery: 5000 mah in this device makes it a little thicker but in my short one day of use it stood up pretty well to transferring apps and everything over and hard use for a few hours last night. Couldn't kill it
and now the bad
Camera: throw all the numbers at it and it will be great.... well not so fast. Main shooter in 12 or 108 mp mode cannot focus on anything. Piece of paper on desk in front of you, good luck. Zoom a few feet away from you, also good luck. 5x/10x/30x zoom is better then Note 10+ of course but how often are you going to use this? Everyday? Once a week? Once a month? Still not great quality (usable) at 10x or 30x really so no point in my book. 5x is crisp but falls off too much after that for me to use. Wide angle is same as note so no real improvement here. Camera also seems to make everything more saturated then I like as well almost to the point of unrealistic. The one and only thing the iPhone can do well and the note seems to be closer to that realistic representation then the Ultra.
Design: not that the design is bad but feels a tad on the chunkier side. Rounder edges do help but does not feel as sleek as nice to hold as note or even s10. Thicker as well to house that battery and camera module. Also worried about how scratched the module bump will become after months of abuse.
UI: Let me first say I hate Android 10/Samsung UI 2.0, I am still using 9 and the Ultra reminded me why. App animations are slow (yes can fix in dev options but still), quick replying to text or message in status bar is not instant like prior android generations. Don't know if this is an android 10 or Samsung UI 2.0 problem but seems like it should be an upgrade not a downgrade
Price: $1400 is a lot even for 2020. That is also only for 128 gb and 12 gb ram model. So no upgrade to ram compared to Note and a loss of half the storage compared to entry level note. Plan was to trade in note 10+ and pay $800 and it isn't worth that tp be honest. Not even close. Only foreseeable upgrades are little brighter screen and zoom lens. The rest is a downgrade to me or the same.
I will continue to use note 10+ until Note 20 maybe? Needs to have something better for the money it is going to cost though
Hello! I have the Mi Mix 2 since it came out but I'm already looking for a replacement, and the Mix 4 seems quite interesting to me.
If anyone has any recommendations on where to buy it, I would appreciate it. In the same way, I want to ask you if it is worth it, and how the software is doing. Thank you very much!
I had a Mi 9 after my Mix 2 and now I bought the Mix 4. I am very satisfied with the device. It currently has the best price-performance ratio without having to sacrifice anything. Unlike most other models, it also has a real proximity sensor. If you don't place a lot of value on selfies, the device is just right.
I bought it at Cect-shop. Unfortunately, they have closed their store due to the current situation. You can still buy devices with confidence at Tradingshenzhen.
The current Xiaomi.eu beta is not running very well, but the stable version is fine.
I am buyed it at tradingshenzen 512gb 12Gb RAM. I want say you that Mix 5 is coming soon, wait for that. The Price ist Not much Higher i think.
First of, what do you want to do with your device? I think it's an important question you need to ask yourself.
I myself had the Mi Mix 2 for many years, was really happy with it, and i'm still using it today, though not my daily driver.
For my usage, i can really recommend the phone. Making selfies is not that great. but taking pictures with the rear-sensor-array is really nice.
I got it from Tradingshenzen. 512GB, 12GB RAM.
Hi,
Got it from Trading Shenzen too.
Really nice device... But you have to know that camera, despite what reviewers say, is really far from "invisible".
There are some occasions where you will not notice it and have the impression you have a "whole" display.
But most of the time, you will see it. And then it is MUCH bigger than any other punch hole in any other smartphone.
This alone is the reason I'm still hesitation g to keep the device to replace the Poco F2 Pro.
Everything else is great on this device : display ; battery ; SoC ; plenty of RAM in the 12GB version I have ; superb GPS precision ; nice phone calls...
Maybe speaker is a little weak, but I don't use my phone as a "speaker phone" so I don't care.
Rear camera makes great pictures.
Front camera makes really OK selfies.
Regards.
NexusPenguin said:
Hi,
Got it from Trading Shenzen too.
Really nice device... But you have to know that camera, despite what reviewers say, is really far from "invisible".
There are some occasions where you will not notice it and have the impression you have a "whole" display.
But most of the time, you will see it. And then it is MUCH bigger than any other punch hole in any other smartphone.
This alone is the reason I'm still hesitation g to keep the device to replace the Poco F2 Pro.
Everything else is great on this device : display ; battery ; SoC ; plenty of RAM in the 12GB version I have ; superb GPS precision ; nice phone calls...
Maybe speaker is a little weak, but I don't use my phone as a "speaker phone" so I don't care.
Rear camera makes great pictures.
Front camera makes really OK selfies.
Regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a personal taste. Imho the front camera is barely visible and In the most of the day it's impossible to see it. In low light you can notice but it's not that bad as you say.
Hi,
Indeed, it is a personal taste. But what else can it be when you're asked "Is it worth buying or not ?"
Anyways, I must say that it is true that the camera is visible TO ME because I tend to use the phone often in really low light conditions with display brightness set to almost minimum and often on solid backgrounds. And, under those conditions the location of the UDC is clearly visible.
To be perfectly honest, in other circumstances, especially as soon as brightness is a little higher, it is indeed barely visible and with backgrounds that are not solid : invisible.
All in all is it worth buying it ? At least as far as I am concerned, this is the only device that checks all my boxes. Those boxes were :
- big display
- fast SoC
- plenty RAM and ROM
- no notch or punch hole whatsoever
- fast charging
- wireless charging
There is literally no other device checking those boxes. Not only does the mix4 check all boxes, but it checks those perfectly... So yes, for me it is a device worth buying.