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Galaxy Note 5
- Thread starter The Game 161
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I didn't know Samsung Pay required the carriers participation. I thought your financial institution's participation was only needed. So does it mean the carrier just won't have the software in their phones? If so, I wonder if someone on Verizon could buy an unlocked phone and still use it.
b.c of the way samsung is handling the software. They are aggressively "suspending" apps.
I disagree MRU...this is something that affects such a tiny minute segment of the buying public. Yet is soooo overblown as such a huge issue. Really......if it was for you I'll bet no one here on MR would even know it existed. Thats how much it even affect us phone nerds.
Does TW need to be optimized....you bet! Will Android ever be as optimized and able to run on lower speced hardware like IOS? Never.....totally different set of circumstances. Apple is the best at blending their software and hardware. Why? because they WRITE their software with the hardware in mind. So it will run better because all the drivers are designed for that specific hardware set.
Apple even sets firmware instructions in the hardware to better take advantage of their software.
Need proof? Try installing Windows on a Mac without getting the drivers from Apple. Doesn't work so well. Even with the Apple drivers the performance isn't so good.
Your experience is way different than mine with the note 4. I instantly turned on nova launcher and any lag from the TW launcher was gone. I disable bloat and seriously did not have lag when I had the n4. The only reason I did not keep mine was b.c a camera bug where I had to hit my phone on the side to get it to focus.
Well you were quite lucky then...5.0 killed the experience for me on the note 4.
Can somebody explain to a none nerd why there is such a difference in behaviour on Samsung devices? Is it the collection of apps open that dictate how the phone performs? Or is it carrier related? I don't know many, if any Android owners in the wild to ask.
I report what I see, it makes no difference if the public cares about it or not, I'm a phone nerd and it is somewhat of a hot button for me.
I had RR3, Beach Buggy Blitz, and Subway Surfers opened as far as games. Then I had about 4 websites opened. Clock, calendar and calculator as well.
The games all refreshed, so did the websites.
So we have retail mode, Lollipop, and TW probably mucking the waters. I remember my Note 4 running great on KK, since warnings were posted about Lollipop I never upgraded to it.
I Want more hands on time and my next choice would be T-mobile but they usually don't run cellular at my local store on a demo. I don't recall about retail mode but as reported here that his encounter with trying the Note 5 it wasn't running, so I'm going there next.
I had RR3, Beach Buggy Blitz, and Subway Surfers opened as far as games. Then I had about 4 websites opened. Clock, calendar and calculator as well.
The games all refreshed, so did the websites.
So we have retail mode, Lollipop, and TW probably mucking the waters. I remember my Note 4 running great on KK, since warnings were posted about Lollipop I never upgraded to it.
I Want more hands on time and my next choice would be T-mobile but they usually don't run cellular at my local store on a demo. I don't recall about retail mode but as reported here that his encounter with trying the Note 5 it wasn't running, so I'm going there next.
It's Touchwiz. Whilst over the years it's had a facelift and been tidied up aesthetically there is still a plethora of redundant services and legacy api's under the hood. Carriers play no part in this.
Essentially under the hood there is still remnants of old code there from years ago and instead of truly clearing the cupboard - they just give the chest of drawers a coat of paint instead.
Other OEM devices have to go through carriers but still don't have the issue.
And no other android handset I have had use as much memory standing still as Samsung devices.
Often the old trope of 'unused ram is wasted ram' is thrown out to defend this, but that's nonsense. Ram used up on detritus leaving very little to launch and keep apps in the background is far worse for a device than a device having plenty of free ram available for the user to fill up with apps.
The Nexus 6 uses around 600-700mb on system and around 400mb on apps and such - leaving nearly 2gb free for a user to open many apps. Even with a dozen open apps you can still have memory free to open more should you wish to do so.
Touchwiz needs to be re-built from the ground up. HTC did this with Sense 5 and they managed to produce a skin that offers as much options and customisability as Samsung but has a memory management akin to stock android.
Even LG which has the next biggest skin to Samsung can keep more apps open without refreshing.
There is a whole thread on XDA about an alternative to the Note 5, I noticed it last night which was the first time I looked at XDA about the Note 5,
Many complaints in that thread about no IR blaster, SD card, and battery thus eliminating at least some for upgrading to the Note 5.
Go to any review on the web about the Note 5 and reference the comments afterwards. Plenty of people complaining as well.
I get that, but if a review thinks not having those are cons then all phones should get a con for that
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It's all about context. In a vacuum, you're correct, assuming all other things are equal. But if those features we're the primary reason someone chose that device, that they help overcome other shortcomings of the device ( <cough> TouchWiz UI <cough>) and that without them, they find the device user experience subpar to the competition, than yes, being critical of their omission is applicable.
I have seen people on this forum say how much data they have on their SD Card and now that the Note 5 didn't have it....they were going to buy an iphone. So either its a needed feature or it isn't.
Alot stayed with Samsung due to giving it an advantage over the iPhone plus screen size. .now they don't have that advantage some headed back to apple because in their eyes that advantage has gone and the OS is more dependable.
Imagine like a scale, where on one side you put all the things you like about the iphone and on the other you put the things you like about the note. So let's say with the micro SD card and removable battery, the scale tipped towards the note, but once you removed those it tipped back to the iphone. So while those features may not be the end all features, they may have been what once tipped it in samsung favor.
Alot of the reviews touch upon those as cons, it would not go on the positive side for the Note line.
Not all phones should get a con for it. Why?People owning prior Samsung Notes bark the most because it is per se a power user device for many and they need that stuff. They are not looking for the beloved Note line not having it. Should they take the S-pen away?
I get the point you and The Game are making. I really do. I have a 64GB card in my N4 it has almost 20GB of data on it. That data will fit nicely on my Note 5 64GB. I guess listing a feature as a deal breaker...then moving to a phone that doesn't have that feature just makes no sense to me.Imagine like a scale, where on one side you put all the things you like about the iphone and on the other you put the things you like about the note. So let's say with the micro SD card and removable battery, the scale tipped towards the note, but once you removed those it tipped back to the iphone. So while those features may not be the end all features, they may have been what once tipped it in samsung favor.
iOS has other advantages like significantly longer software support with a better historical track record as far as performance and/or issues with its updates
I originally moved to android for perks like removable battery and sd card and samsung hardware. Now I'm set on buying a nexus and forgoing those items just to get updates and long term support. landscape's a changin' !
it's sad there really is no all around best device. have to make compromises with every choice
I originally moved to android for perks like removable battery and sd card and samsung hardware. Now I'm set on buying a nexus and forgoing those items just to get updates and long term support. landscape's a changin' !
it's sad there really is no all around best device. have to make compromises with every choice
I guess it depends if it's a deal breaker overall or a deal breaker on that particular phone. If it's a deal breaker overall I can see your point and makes no sense on going for a phone that doesn't have that feature. But if it's a deal breaker on one particular phone, it's conceivable to go with one that doesn't have it.
Let's say next year Samsung gets rid of the spen, that would be a deal breaker for a lot of people, but that doesn't mean they'll all move on to another phone with stylus.