Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Galaxy Note iOS defectors. Do you have any regrets?
- Thread starter mellofello
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Since the iPhone 5, the only dimension that matters is height. Don't burst the bubble.
A reminder about how absurd the "3/4 the size" comment was:
Michael
Last edited:
I got my Note II delivered yesterday and I am over the moon with it. At first I was having trouble syncing my iTunes content & photos to it from my Mac, but once I got that all done I was sold.
I wanted something fresh and new coming from two iOS devices (the iPhone 5 and iPad mini). I knew that if I liked the Note II enough, I could dump both and have this all-in-one device.
Not only does it have nearly all of the apps that I used on iOS, it has a few more. For example, Home2 Shortcut allows you to set any app you want to a home button double press, which is really cool for replacing S Voice with Google Now.
While the iPad mini is a bit more enjoyable for web browsing due to the 4:3 aspect ratio, the default browser goes full screen on the Note II, so it's not all that bad considering it's a 16:9 aspect ratio.
So far I'm just having so much fun playing around with this new gadget. The battery life is already really good, the call quality is above average, the screen is not only big but also looks good, and it's still quite portable even though it's such a large device.
I wanted something fresh and new coming from two iOS devices (the iPhone 5 and iPad mini). I knew that if I liked the Note II enough, I could dump both and have this all-in-one device.
Not only does it have nearly all of the apps that I used on iOS, it has a few more. For example, Home2 Shortcut allows you to set any app you want to a home button double press, which is really cool for replacing S Voice with Google Now.
While the iPad mini is a bit more enjoyable for web browsing due to the 4:3 aspect ratio, the default browser goes full screen on the Note II, so it's not all that bad considering it's a 16:9 aspect ratio.
So far I'm just having so much fun playing around with this new gadget. The battery life is already really good, the call quality is above average, the screen is not only big but also looks good, and it's still quite portable even though it's such a large device.
How good is sound quality through headphones?
Comparing GS3 with iPhone 5, both seemed to produce good sound, however the GS3 lost some subtle and soft sounds which the iPhone was able to reproduce. However i am a big fan of the virtual surround setting in GS3 music player, should be enabled as default IMO.
I believe this should be better considering it is containing a wolfson chip?
I just used my Note at the gym today and it sounded just as good as my iPhone 5 does!
I am sold on the multi-window feature. I did the mod to allow any app to be used with the multi-window and I think it is amazing. Good battery life too.
My problems after some more use:
1. Screen quality (ppi) is too low.
2. The stock Samsung keyboard doesn't have autocorrect! WTF?!?
3. The phone creaks when I grip it. The plastic construction is no good.
4. TouchWiz unlock screen is awful.
My problems after some more use:
1. Screen quality (ppi) is too low.
2. The stock Samsung keyboard doesn't have autocorrect! WTF?!?
3. The phone creaks when I grip it. The plastic construction is no good.
4. TouchWiz unlock screen is awful.
I think it has more to do with being AMOLED (sorry AMOLED fans) than the ppi. PPI is fine, should have been something like IPS or IGZO LCD instead.
----------
Good to hear!
I like the screen btw.... It was one of the main things that drew me to the note. That said I would take a resolution increase, of course--1080 would be nice.
The only thing that I can possibly make creak is the back cover (but I don't). It is a cover after-all. Coming from an iPhone I love having it. I am actually impressed it looks so much like metal yet is plastic (I have the titanium gray, obviously).
Not sure what you don't like about the unlock screen ... the password/pin entry? I use PIN and don't have an issue. I do like the lock screen. It's nice to see the weather and be able to launch my most-used apps right from there. I suppose it could do more but I found it a chore to change screens at the lockscreen on my Nexus 4.
I don't like the stock keyboard. It doesn't autocorrect though it does offer corrections (if predictive text is turned on). I guess that could be seen as helpful but I hate it. It's particularly annoying since I have bought Swiftkey and the current version of Android doesn't recognize paid apps until after it sets the default keyboard (at least with Samsung devices). So after any reboot I am thrown back into the stock keyboard. (I am working around that now by using the beta of SwiftKey Flow.)
On the other hand, I am thankful Android allows us to use whatever keyboard we like. I didn't like the iOS keyboard all that much but was stuck with it.
Michael
So after using my Galaxy Note 2 for about 16 days I am glad that I made the switch.
First of all, if you want to get the best experience on Android, you're going to need to get a little tech savy with rooting and flashing.
If you lack the knowledge then I suggest that you visit xda developers. I have a VZW GN2 so when I took my phone home, the first thing that I did was flash it to a stock rooted rom then unlocked the bootloader using the exynos exploit.
I am running Beans Build 6 with the perseus kernel. Upon installing the rom I did the sd swap which swapped the internet storage with my sd card (yay 64GB storage for an extra $55). I have my phone OCed to 1.8 GHz and 633 MHz. The battery life on this phone is simply amazing. I almost never experience any lag. Actually my iPhone 5 appeared to be more laggy than this device with my current setup.
The only time that this phone will slow down is for like a second or two after installing an app through google play.
The stock browser is smooth and amazing. I like it better than Safari. It's just as smooth and it resizes Web pages perfectly (enable that setting. It's turned off by default). Plus it does have the reader function. I'd take a screen shot but unfortunately macrumors doesn't support Tapatalk.
As for the lower PPI. It's a larger device. I personally think that the screen is perfect for this phone.
Here are some features that I love about my phone that you can't do on an iPhone.
SwiftKey 3
Configure Google Voice for visual voice mail that can be accessed anywhere.
Configure Google Voice for international calling. When I dial an international number it automatically uses google voice (built into stock phone app).
Widgets (extremely useful)
Cerberus (flash this, don't install it via Google Play)
Easily change default applications. MX player is a beast.
Easily change your experience by using a new launcher. I personally use Nova Pro. I love using gestures.
Easily flash new ROMs. (AOSP or TWZ)
Superior Google Maps and YouTube
Perfect screen size for gaming and videos
Easily use my PS3 controller to play games. A lot of new games have built in support so you don't need to do any mapping.
Spen has its uses.
Install applications that aren't available in Google Play. Basically bypass the middle man.
Speaking about fragmentation. You don't have to wait for a developer to update their app in order for it to be displayed correctly on your device. It will automatically scale to fit your device.
Google Now being more useful than Siri. Google Now stores important information such as locations, shipping numbers and etc. For example, when I am not home, Google Now gives me an estimate on how long it will take for me to get home.
More useful apps that can only be accessible through Cydia. Rooting a phone is easy compared to jailbreaking. Usually an android phone is rooted within days of release compared to waiting months for a jailbreak on an iPhone.
Option to choose how much storage you need with an SD card. Plus you can swap your internal with external.
Easily create your own ring tones without iTunes.
Easily password lock certain apps (no root or jailbreak required)
Easily backup anything with Dropbox. I use titanium backup Pro to basically backup all my apps and data.
Toggles. No need to always open settings to do a simple task such as airplane mode and wifi.
Better notification menu. You can actually interact with the menu instead of clicking to open an app.
Yes some of those features can be attained by using a jailbreak. But look at the iPhone 5 . It's been out for about 4 months and it's just about to have a jailbreak released. And when that jailbreak is released developers will have to update all of their apps on Cydia.
The Android OS is open. If you get a good flagship phone the you can have an amazing experience but you're going to need to learn to get your hands dirty. You're going to need to learn more about your device than the typical person.
If you're the type of person who is ignorant towards technology and just want to use something that simply works then stick with an iPhone. But if you want to be "different" then get a GN2.
This was posted with Tapatalk so please excuse any grammar mistakes.
First of all, if you want to get the best experience on Android, you're going to need to get a little tech savy with rooting and flashing.
If you lack the knowledge then I suggest that you visit xda developers. I have a VZW GN2 so when I took my phone home, the first thing that I did was flash it to a stock rooted rom then unlocked the bootloader using the exynos exploit.
I am running Beans Build 6 with the perseus kernel. Upon installing the rom I did the sd swap which swapped the internet storage with my sd card (yay 64GB storage for an extra $55). I have my phone OCed to 1.8 GHz and 633 MHz. The battery life on this phone is simply amazing. I almost never experience any lag. Actually my iPhone 5 appeared to be more laggy than this device with my current setup.
The only time that this phone will slow down is for like a second or two after installing an app through google play.
The stock browser is smooth and amazing. I like it better than Safari. It's just as smooth and it resizes Web pages perfectly (enable that setting. It's turned off by default). Plus it does have the reader function. I'd take a screen shot but unfortunately macrumors doesn't support Tapatalk.
As for the lower PPI. It's a larger device. I personally think that the screen is perfect for this phone.
Here are some features that I love about my phone that you can't do on an iPhone.
SwiftKey 3
Configure Google Voice for visual voice mail that can be accessed anywhere.
Configure Google Voice for international calling. When I dial an international number it automatically uses google voice (built into stock phone app).
Widgets (extremely useful)
Cerberus (flash this, don't install it via Google Play)
Easily change default applications. MX player is a beast.
Easily change your experience by using a new launcher. I personally use Nova Pro. I love using gestures.
Easily flash new ROMs. (AOSP or TWZ)
Superior Google Maps and YouTube
Perfect screen size for gaming and videos
Easily use my PS3 controller to play games. A lot of new games have built in support so you don't need to do any mapping.
Spen has its uses.
Install applications that aren't available in Google Play. Basically bypass the middle man.
Speaking about fragmentation. You don't have to wait for a developer to update their app in order for it to be displayed correctly on your device. It will automatically scale to fit your device.
Google Now being more useful than Siri. Google Now stores important information such as locations, shipping numbers and etc. For example, when I am not home, Google Now gives me an estimate on how long it will take for me to get home.
More useful apps that can only be accessible through Cydia. Rooting a phone is easy compared to jailbreaking. Usually an android phone is rooted within days of release compared to waiting months for a jailbreak on an iPhone.
Option to choose how much storage you need with an SD card. Plus you can swap your internal with external.
Easily create your own ring tones without iTunes.
Easily password lock certain apps (no root or jailbreak required)
Easily backup anything with Dropbox. I use titanium backup Pro to basically backup all my apps and data.
Toggles. No need to always open settings to do a simple task such as airplane mode and wifi.
Better notification menu. You can actually interact with the menu instead of clicking to open an app.
Yes some of those features can be attained by using a jailbreak. But look at the iPhone 5 . It's been out for about 4 months and it's just about to have a jailbreak released. And when that jailbreak is released developers will have to update all of their apps on Cydia.
The Android OS is open. If you get a good flagship phone the you can have an amazing experience but you're going to need to learn to get your hands dirty. You're going to need to learn more about your device than the typical person.
If you're the type of person who is ignorant towards technology and just want to use something that simply works then stick with an iPhone. But if you want to be "different" then get a GN2.
This was posted with Tapatalk so please excuse any grammar mistakes.
Lots of you Android guys and some self loathing iOS owners always spout this nonsense about the OS being stale. Do you really spend that much time staring at the home screen or are you in app? Just curious because i spend little time in the home screen, its just a launcher to me.
Can you tell me whats so stale about it?
Can you tell me whats so stale about it?
Of course it's stale. It hasn't changed since launch. And a 4" screen is archaic as well. While I will never buy a Note b/c quite frankly it is too awkward for me to hold and too large to put in my pocket, the GS2 has been the best phone for me so far.
If you really need to ask that after the post just before yours then I doubt you would understand.
"Some self loathing iOS owners" lol.
Michael
Stale being it hasn't changed since inception.
There is no fast toggle for setting. I'm constantly going into settings to turn wifi on and off and even more for do not disturb mode since it can't be scheduled for which days.
There's no live icons or widgets. My weather app constantly says 73 and sunny. I have to go into every app to see minor things a live icon could tell me.
Then the ton of OS restrictions. If I don't like the iOS keyboard, tough. If I prefer another browser to open when I click a link, tough. You won't find powerful automation apps like tasker in the AppStore because its impossible to make an app like that on iOS. Apps like Dropbox are crippled because of iOS, you can't upload to Dropbox/Drive from the camera roll, you need to go into the app and search for the photo you are looking then upload it from there and forget about uploading an actual random file (like a .zip) from iOS.
Even the native apps are stale. You still have to menu dive to turn on/off private browsing in safari. The mail app still can't send multiple files (not pictures, PDF files for example). Camera roll is just a cluster***** of pictures, iOS makes no attempt to organize them, you can't even check the date a picture was taking from the phone!! The camera is completely featureless, no iso, white balance, exposure, or any real basic setting, this falls into iOS restrictions since no 3rd party camera can do that either. I actually don't mind message and maps however both are also featureless, no night mode in GPS, no speed, no avoidance setting again really basic stuff.
It's a wonder not everyone thinks its stale.
And don't worry I have a laundry list of things that annoy me with Android. Never used windows or blackberry.
You can also go check the jailbreaking section full of iPhone lovers and they'll even tell you why iOS is stale.
I defected from Android to iOS and have a love-hate relationship. I think you honestly need to have both devices (if possible). I'm weird, but not any one product satisfies all my needs. There are some things my old blackberry 8300 does well that neither Android or IOS can touch.
You will always regret one thing going from one OS to another. They were built with different purposes. Just like I can get Zelda on Xbox, Gears on Wii U or Fire Emblem on PS3. Figure out what works for you.
You usually have 30....I mean 15 days to try stuff out.
----------
Am I able to Jailbreak my 4s. I heard you couldn't.
You will always regret one thing going from one OS to another. They were built with different purposes. Just like I can get Zelda on Xbox, Gears on Wii U or Fire Emblem on PS3. Figure out what works for you.
You usually have 30....I mean 15 days to try stuff out.
----------
Am I able to Jailbreak my 4s. I heard you couldn't.
Interesting day at the Verizon store today. I was buying some accessories and another woman was in there trying to return her S3 and Note 2 she bought for herself and her husband.
She was furious that the sales rep told her these were the best devices on the market and how they told her the iPhone was "just a phone that is more expensive because of the Apple logo".
I was really surprised by the uproar she laid on the employees at the store. They got destroyed. In the end, she paid the restocking fee and exchanged for 2 iPhone 5's.
She was furious that the sales rep told her these were the best devices on the market and how they told her the iPhone was "just a phone that is more expensive because of the Apple logo".
I was really surprised by the uproar she laid on the employees at the store. They got destroyed. In the end, she paid the restocking fee and exchanged for 2 iPhone 5's.
take the plunge I did and I love the phone (GN2)..perhaps the best phone i ever owned, and yes i still have my iphone
here are my current phones (all active )
GN2, GS3, Iphone 4
DSC00002 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr
here are my current phones (all active )
GN2, GS3, Iphone 4
DSC00002 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr
The Note 2 can cost more than the iPhone 5 because the Note 2 is a more premium device that offers more. The iPhone 5 is a level below.
----------
Can't believe I ever bothered using an iPhone now that there is a Note 2. That picture shows why people in the know are ditching iPhones.
----------
take the plunge I did and I love the phone (GN2)..perhaps the best phone i ever owned, and yes i still have my iphone
here are my current phones (all active )
GN2, GS3, Iphone 4
[url=http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8208/8236260574_4d029c30a0_b.jpg]Image[/url]
DSC00002 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr
Can't believe I ever bothered using an iPhone now that there is a Note 2. That picture shows why people in the know are ditching iPhones.
Last edited by a moderator:
I can see the draw of the note or note 2 but its the software that keeps me away. The iPad mini and iPhone give me what I want. Bigger screen when I want/need it and a nice portable device for everyday use. People that are trying to use a phone for powerful computing are banging their head against a wall. Lets take spreadsheets for example. The iPhone to note2 accomplish the same thing. A quick view of the spreadsheet and a few edits. If you're trying to create one on either device you're going about the whole process wrong and inefficient. The note is still too small of a screen to be useful for note taking, it may be ok for short notes but typing them in on that size screen is a hell of a lot easier than trying to write on something that small. There will always be people that force themselves to to things a certain way because the device "can" do it. That doesn't mean that it's the best way to do it. If the note was as big a productivity device that people want to believe, it would be taking sales away from PCs and Macsm not iPhones.
Indeed. I've put larger devices in my pockets just fine. Folks seem to have forgotten that the Palm devices of yore were thicker and just about as large as a GS3 or Note II. The Newton . . . . you get the idea.
I would beg to differ on just about everything you mention, but you did say that it was your opinion.
I've actually found the software on the Note 2, especially the stuff that comes preloaded, to be far superior for productivity when compared to the iPhone or my iPad. I've essentially negated the need for 5 devices with the Note. I don't need to carry a cellphone, iPad, iPod, Laptop, note pad, and a host of other items.
I find it very comfortable starting a spreadsheet or other document on my Note 2, then emailing or sharing that document. Same thing with note taking. I can handwrite a note while on a call, or during a meeting and stop the hunting and pecking that I used to do with my iPad. I don't get any typos and the screen size makes it easy to just keep writing with the S Pen while the phone for some odd reason just knows what I am writing and where my punctuation goes.
After I am done with the note, I come back to my office and share it via NFC with my co-workers to keep them up to date. I have 4 Gmail hosted accounts on the device without a hitch, multiple calendars and drive accounts that stay organized. I can switch which accounts Google Drive I want to use and open a doc, create a new one, or open .DOC files in Polaris. Make the edits while waiting for coffee or a sandwich, then send the email or NFC it when I get back.
Not to mention that using Splashtop on a 5.5" screen is MUCH easier than on a 3.5" one, and since I can actually carry the phone with me all the time unlike my iPad I can pull it out and solve issues right there on the spot.
Naw . . . . . . . the software and hardware mix of the Note 2 just puts my former Apple Fanboyism to shame.