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Tablets Ask a new Note 8.0 owner, former iPad Mini owner anything

E

Essenar

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 24, 2008
553
186
Okay so some details:
I had a 16GB WiFi White iPad Mini, jailbroken on 6.1.2. I had the digital AV adapter, a bluetooth keyboard, folio case. I had a lot of games on it, some music apps, XBMC and lots of added features.

I ended up selling it today for $345 and spent an extra $60 plus some change to get a Note 8.0. I'm in the transitional stage and here's what I can say so far:

This is the real competitor for the iPad Mini. Not the Nexus 7. While it's true that the Nexus 7 held price advantages over the Mini... You have to understand, it didn't do that because it could do it, it did it because it's necessary for Google to do it.

The #1 argument people use when getting a Nexus 7 is "why would I spend an extra $130 on that?" or "I could get two Nexus 7's for that price.."

Yeah you could.... But you can't add those two Nexus 7's together and get the performance I got out of my iPad Mini OR this Note 8.0. As a former Nexus 7 owner, I'm more equipped to make that judgment than any Nexus 7 owner who hasn't owned all three.

Ranking for me: Note 8.0 > iPad Mini > Nexus 7.

I also feel like the Note 8.0 is 100% worth the cost premium over the Nexus 7. It feels better, performs better, has a rear facing camera, has loads of better features and it's definitely more future proofed. Vanilla updates on demand isn't going to somehow give the N7 more ram which was my one BIG complaint. I constantly had FC's and slowdown when I had more than 5-6 apps running in the background. Using a task manager/killer was almost necessary on that tablet and I could never go more than 6-7 hours without restarting to 'refresh' its speed.

So ask away. I intend on putting it through my normal rounds:
Videos, games, multi tasking, emails, browsing, etc.

Feel free to ask questions or requests.
 
M

Mr Rogers

macrumors regular
Oct 24, 2003
225
3
Hong Kong
I agree that the N7 lacked a few features everyday users take for granted, however, and judging by Rumors on this site, the next iPadMimi refresh may not be available in numbers until January 2014 - on the other hand we know a N7 refresh is out by July that remedies many of the omissions in the present N7 and at the same price point - indeed a 32G N7 with better screen, Snapdragon 600 SoC and 2GB Ram seems a good package, add 4LTE on that for approx. US$250 and you have an excellent package.

I've yet to take the dip myself, basically have loved the iTouch since it was launched and wife and kid like the iPad - however, 7in is a good size compromise for those of us who find a 4in screen useless due to poor eyesight - I'm excited about the Samsung Note III though.

Given this, do you still think your 8in tablet will be as good value once the upgraded N7 is finally launched using stock Android?
 
The Game 161

The Game 161

macrumors Nehalem
Dec 15, 2010
30,991
20,174
UK
Will be buying note 8.0 at the end of the month..can't wait to watch movies on it

I hear picture quailty is great.

What is battery life like?
 
D

dkersten

macrumors 6502a
Nov 5, 2010
589
2
Are you actually using the S Pen? Is the S Pen compatible with third party note taking apps where handwriting could be converted to typed text? I was thinking of giving the Note 8 a chance for some of my classes in the fall if it is integrated well enough with some third party apps (or even S Note if it works well enough). Honestly I think the integration of S Pen is the biggest advantage the Note 8 has over its competitors (at least I think so)
 
Night Spring

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,885
8,056
You explained why the Note 8 is better than the Nexus 7, but I didn't get a sense of why you feel Note 8 is better than the iPad mini. Could you elaborate on that a bit? Thanks!
 
D

durant35

macrumors member
May 2, 2013
74
0
Night Spring said:
You explained why the Note 8 is better than the Nexus 7, but I didn't get a sense of why you feel Note 8 is better than the iPad mini. Could you elaborate on that a bit? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Agreed. I only had to play with the Note 8 for a couple minutes before realizing I would never buy it. This coming from the guy who loved his Note 2 and now owns the S4. The Note 8 just feels way too flimsy and cheap, you definitely notice the plastic more at that size. TouchWiz looks terrible at that size too and I don't know why, it just looks cheesy. I must be odd because I hate iOS on a phone but like it on my iPad mini while I love TouchWiz and Android on my phone but don't like it on a tablet. Plus, I love having both Android and iOS. When the new mini comes out with a retina display and is still cheaper than the Note 8, it will be a no brainer which one to buy.
 
The Game 161

The Game 161

macrumors Nehalem
Dec 15, 2010
30,991
20,174
UK
the fact the note 8.0 with the SD card is a big attraction over the ipad mini. The screen is also not as good on the ipad mini to me...I would use the note 8.0 as a movie/tv show on the go device and being able to use the S PEN is pretty important to me which is why it's better than the ipad mini to me...
 
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srkmish

srkmish

macrumors regular
Feb 10, 2013
216
0
Having owned gadgets for quite a while, im now realizing its more about the apps than the platform. As an amateur musician, there is nothing comparable to garageband on android. Also, i dont think the battery life on Note 8.0 will be on par with mini. Hence an android tablet is a no no for me right now :)
 
S

Saturn1217

macrumors 65816
Apr 28, 2008
1,360
1,048
As someone else asked, how is the s pen for writing. I'm actually more interested in handwritten notes rather than handwriting detection. Could a note 8 replace pen and paper?

Also do you miss the iOS ecosystem at all coming from an iPad mini? Thanks!
 
E

Essenar

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 24, 2008
553
186
Night Spring said:
You explained why the Note 8 is better than the Nexus 7, but I didn't get a sense of why you feel Note 8 is better than the iPad mini. Could you elaborate on that a bit? Thanks!
Click to expand...

The S pen emulates a near fine point finger touch. Right now I'm using hand writing detection mode and it's pretty good at detecting what I'm writing. Multitasking is much better on this tablet. For example, when I'm taking notes, I can have a voice recorder hanging over the page and insert pictures. It's a lot faster than the iPad Mini and it feels more like a competitor to the iPad Retina. Again, it falls back to making compromises and this tablet doesn't compromise.

This model doesn't have 3G but I'm using it on wifi so that doesn't matter to me.

Multi window mode is also something I consider the future of tablets and playing a video next to my messaging app or my note app is super convenient. Everything just seems faster. for example, on my iPad, it took a long time to insert a photo into Pages or Ever note. You have to open a menu and click insert. It just takes too long. In class last night I was able to inset photos while I was taking lecture notes and recording the lecture. That's the type of productivity any MacBook gives me.
 
Night Spring

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,885
8,056
Essenar said:
The S pen emulates a near fine point finger touch. Right now I'm using hand writing detection mode and it's pretty good at detecting what I'm writing. Multitasking is much better on this tablet. For example, when I'm taking notes, I can have a voice recorder hanging over the page and insert pictures. It's a lot faster than the iPad Mini and it feels more like a competitor to the iPad Retina. Again, it falls back to making compromises and this tablet doesn't compromise.

This model doesn't have 3G but I'm using it on wifi so that doesn't matter to me.

Multi window mode is also something I consider the future of tablets and playing a video next to my messaging app or my note app is super convenient. Everything just seems faster. for example, on my iPad, it took a long time to insert a photo into Pages or Ever note. You have to open a menu and click insert. It just takes too long. In class last night I was able to inset photos while I was taking lecture notes and recording the lecture. That's the type of productivity any MacBook gives me.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the details!

The handwriting detecting and multi window mode are Samsung features, right? They are not in stock Android?

Also, does Samsung have a 10-inch tablet with those features, and if so, I'd love to hear a comparison of that with the full-size iPad.
 
ucfgrad93

ucfgrad93

macrumors Core
Aug 17, 2007
19,579
10,875
Colorado

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A

AppleRobert

macrumors 603
Nov 12, 2012
5,729
1,133
I was mildly interested until I heard about the Memo HD 7 from Asus. The price is fab but time will tell how it stacks up and sells. Cannot wait to check it out. On paper, nothing holding me back but in real world use we will see.
 
E

Essenar

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 24, 2008
553
186
Night Spring said:
Thank you for the details!

The handwriting detecting and multi window mode are Samsung features, right? They are not in stock Android?

Also, does Samsung have a 10-inch tablet with those features, and if so, I'd love to hear a comparison of that with the full-size iPad.
Click to expand...

The Note 10.1 is what you're thinking of. In terms of features, the Note 10.1 is more a 2012 Tablet than a 2013 one. They haven't released a Note 10.1 for 2013 yet. But in a nutshell:

The Note 8 has a faster processor and the same amount of memory. The Note 8.0 also has better pixel density and build quality. The capacitive buttons on the Note 8 can be pressed with the stylus which is a welcome change over the Note 2. The Note 10.1 didn't have a hardware home button so you had to rely on the on screen home button.

The 10.1 for all intents and purposes is the same as a Note 8 but the Note 8 just feels better.

In terms of full-size iPad. Like I said, I consider the Note 8.0 to be a worthy competitor to the iPad Retina.

Retina has a better processor and GPU and a higher resolution screen, however the Note 8 has a 'good enough' processor and GPU and the resolution is still high at 189 pixels per inch. What you lose in power, you gain in features and expansion. The Note 8.0 has a micro SD slot and the S-pen. Samsung made notable improvements to multi window support. Now you can resize apps that are running side by side. Hate having to copy an address down from the browser, open Maps and then paste the address into the search? Now you can have Maps open on the bottom of the screen and Chrome open on top.

Also the S-pen takes a huge leap ahead of the most expensive stylus you can use on either the iPad or the Nexus 7. It's not even a fair comparison. The S-pen is just way way better.

A lot of people claim they don't need a stylus. I beg to differ. I think you don't use a stylus because using a stylus on non-Note tablets and phones is atrocious. Once you HAVE the stylus, you use it because it's so much better.
 
Night Spring

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,885
8,056
Essenar said:
The Note 10.1 is what you're thinking of. In terms of features, the Note 10.1 is more a 2012 Tablet than a 2013 one. They haven't released a Note 10.1 for 2013 yet. But in a nutshell:

>snip<

A lot of people claim they don't need a stylus. I beg to differ. I think you don't use a stylus because using a stylus on non-Note tablets and phones is atrocious. Once you HAVE the stylus, you use it because it's so much better.
Click to expand...

Sounds like the 2013 version of Note 10.1 is the one I should watch for, then. I currently have an iPad 3 and the mini, and while I love how light the mini is, the bigger screen fits my usage better. I'm planning on sticking with the 9-10 inch screen size from now on.

Talking about the stylus, does the Note have some kind of palm rejection feature?

Oh, and one thing I love about the iOS music player is that I can make Smart Playlists in iTunes and sync them over. So I have playlists of my least played songs, most played songs, etc. Does Samsung or Android have music players with a Smart Playlist like function? The playlists don't necessarily have to sync with iTunes, though if it did, of course that would be great.
 
A

AppleRobert

macrumors 603
Nov 12, 2012
5,729
1,133
Bumping thread. I can read reviews elsewhere but I value opinions on this forum alot.

Any more experiences with the Note 8.0? I a becoming more interested in it and moving it up on my list of upcoming options to consider.
 
The Game 161

The Game 161

macrumors Nehalem
Dec 15, 2010
30,991
20,174
UK
AppleRobert said:
Bumping thread. I can read reviews elsewhere but I value opinions on this forum alot.

Any more experiences with the Note 8.0? I a becoming more interested in it and moving it up on my list of upcoming options to consider.
Click to expand...

Love it..amazing device.

what do you want to know? S pen is a great feature. Web browsing is far better than i thought on an 8 inch display..it's my main internet page usage even with an ipad 2.

video quailty is great too. Take my note 8.0 everywhere i go from work to meeting friends to using at home when relaxing. so easy to carry.
 
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