I played with the Note 8, and now the iphone looks blah

[mib1800]

In less words, you are calling me ignorant, which may be true in some cases. With regards to iOS releases, I have been on this site since before iOS and Android, and recall quite a few heated discussions regarding software bugs on previous versions of iOS, The bugs outlined in iOS 11 are lesser, and less impactful than some previous releases.

With regards to platforms, both have been improving in different areas since 2007 - 2008. The features added to both have coincided with advances in hardware on the devices as well. Both have also had a fair share of bugs within new releases, this includes Oreo, and iOS 11.

UI has improved greatly on iOS, pick up a device with iOS 7, and compare it to today. Or better yet, iOS 4. Similar can be said about Android. I don’t see vast differences between both platforms in that regard. Quite honestly, I thought older versions of Android were quite stable, depending on what software / bloatware was on any given device.

Once I stripped the Moto and carrier crap off of my first long term Android phone and updated it to 4.0 in (Droid X for the record), I found that Android was a great and stable mobile OS. Mind you, this was running an unsupported version of Android on that device. Regardless, stock android of that day featured lots of the items I liked on my Jailbroken iPhone 4, stock. It also had great battery life, and less reception problems in some areas I frequented for my photography business.



I am really sorry to hear about the purchasing situation in Australia. With that though, if you are on the fence about a new phone, are you able to swap sims into a friends, or a 2nd hand Android device without impacting your Contract? I still feel that giving the device a good daily drive is a worthwhile experience.

Had I not done that years ago, I would likely still be an Apple Zelot that thinks Android is a load of crap .

I think Android has made more progress over the years than iOS. Just based on common sense. Android is a multi party cooperative effort. Google takes care of core OS. OEMs concentrate on hardware, customizations, apps and functionalities.

Ios/iPhone is just a one company job. To do everything all by yourself means either you lose quantity for quality or vice versa. Keeping everything proprietary stunts the progress further.

 

[torana355]

Thanks for that.

I see your points, and agree with some, but have a different opinion regarding the maturity and scope of improvements overall.

Owning a Pixel 2, I can’t say it has been as stable or smooth as my iPhone 7, nor is it vastly improved over that of my previous 6P in those regards. I encounter bugs in both Android 8.0 and ios 11 that are equally frustrating on a daily basis.

We both just have different viewpoints on this subject, which is totally understandable.

In terms of overall maturity you are right both platforms have been around for quite some time and both have had their fair share of improvements. I just believe that Android has come a long way, a few years ago most Apple users would not even think about moving to an Android device, now there are plenty making the switch and I believe its due to the improvements in smoothness. Im also shocked to see you say your pixel 2 is not as smooth as an ip7, care to elaborate? Most reviews say the pixel 2 is as smooth as it comes.

 

[convergent]

Wrong. If you read my initial post I said "The note looks nice and I debated it heavily. The thing for me is, Android. And on top of that. Touch wiz." To which I was replied to that it can be "debloated," to which I replied it can't. If it can, then prove me wrong. Tell me how to remove the carrier apps and Samsung apps that can't be uninstalled. I'll admit I'm wrong if that's the case, so go ahead.

You are missing the point. It doesn't "bloat" anything.

First off, TouchWiz isn't even a thing anymore. If you don't like their UI, you can easily run another Launcher. https://www.androidpit.com/how-to-remove-touchwiz-on-your-samsung-smartphone The only carrier stuff on my phone are things I need to use because I am with the carrier, but OK. If it bothers you that something is physically still in your storage that you aren't using, then not sure how to help you. Apple loads things I don't care about on the iPhone. I will never use animated emojis or many other things they've added to iOS. I can't remove them. So I guess that makes it "bloat".

Bottom line is that if you don't like what Samsung adds, then don't buy Samsung. Why in the world would someone buy a Samsung phone and then spend the energy to make it exactly the same as something else? With Android you have dozens of vendors to choose from. With Apple you have one. No choices... you like the "bloat" they add and there is nothing you can do about it. You can't remove it. You can't root it. You can't buy different hardware that doesn't include it.

 

[840quadra]

In terms of overall maturity you are right both platforms have been around for quite some time and both have had their fair share of improvements. I just believe that Android has come a long way, a few years ago most Apple users would not even think about moving to an Android device, now there are plenty making the switch and I believe its due to the improvements in smoothness. Im also shocked to see you say your pixel 2 is not as smooth as an ip7, care to elaborate? Most reviews say the pixel 2 is as smooth as it comes.

At the end of the day, it is all mostly minor stuff, but one is quite frustrating.

• Hotspot is buggy, often doesn’t accept the hotspot password when typed in on either my Windows or IOS devices trying to tether. I have to change my hotspot password on device to resolve this (wifi key bug?)
• Notification LED is sporadic at best, often doesn’t work at all.
• Notification dots stopped working first requiring reboots to resolve, now don’t work at all
• I get some strange BT collisions and skips when connected to my car’s (Audi A6) BT audio and phone system.

I believe all of these will be fixed with future software updates, and none of these issues exist on my iPhone 7. I would say that overall I am really happy with my Pixel 2, and Thankfully I like smaller phones & don’t care about bezels, as my screen is perfectly fine.

To be fair, I have the following bugs on my 7 though!

• Maps keeps turning off traffic
• Some webpages have trouble loading and crash Safari. The same pages do not do this on Firefox for iOS
• Numbersync with my AW3 has turned off twice, though that may be an issue with AT&T, with whom I have a scheduled divorce with their services for other reasons.

As and aside, and oddly, I tend to get Gmail and other google notifications on my iPhone before my Pixel in many cases.

 

[comper]

You are missing the point. It doesn't "bloat" anything.

First off, TouchWiz isn't even a thing anymore. If you don't like their UI, you can easily run another Launcher. https://www.androidpit.com/how-to-remove-touchwiz-on-your-samsung-smartphone The only carrier stuff on my phone are things I need to use because I am with the carrier, but OK. If it bothers you that something is physically still in your storage that you aren't using, then not sure how to help you. Apple loads things I don't care about on the iPhone. I will never use animated emojis or many other things they've added to iOS. I can't remove them. So I guess that makes it "bloat".

Bottom line is that if you don't like what Samsung adds, then don't buy Samsung. Why in the world would someone buy a Samsung phone and then spend the energy to make it exactly the same as something else? With Android you have dozens of vendors to choose from. With Apple you have one. No choices... you like the "bloat" they add and there is nothing you can do about it. You can't remove it. You can't root it. You can't buy different hardware that doesn't include it.

Don't get me wrong, the Note 8 and the UI has taken great strides, but to say it doesn't bloat anything is silly. The Samsung Experience is just another name for TouchWiz - whatever they/you want to call it, it still adds additional frameworks and system apps on top of Android itself which is the only explanation as to why there are still some jitters and stutters here and there. Installing a different launcher doesn't just "get rid of the Samsung Experience" - I don't like it when I read this because all of the extra system frameworks are still in place which are the reasons for the tiny hiccups that happen occasionally. This is a phone that has been praised for ALMOST keeping up in terms of UI smoothness with the OG Pixel that's still on last year's Snapdragon processor, so horsepower is not the issue with an 835.

Again, lag is subjectively experienced, but objectively measured. If you don't notice it at all - great, that's good and it will allow you to not notice the difference between devices, but that doesn't mean the device is not objectively dropping frames that you just aren't noticing. This is why you have people who fiercely argue back and forth whether Samsung devices still "lag". Yes, it's improved immensely, but it is the Samsung UI that is still causing the phone to drop frames where another will not, especially with the newest SoC. Is it enough to be a dealbreaker? Maybe to a select few, but it has gotten to the point where it's more than tolerable for most.

 

[convergent]

Don't get me wrong, the Note 8 and the UI has taken great strides, but to say it doesn't bloat anything is silly. The Samsung Experience is just another name for TouchWiz - whatever they/you want to call it, it still adds additional frameworks and system apps on top of Android itself which is the only explanation as to why there are still some jitters and stutters here and there. Installing a different launcher doesn't just "get rid of the Samsung Experience" - I don't like it when I read this because all of the extra system frameworks are still in place which are the reasons for the tiny hiccups that happen occasionally. This is a phone that has been praised for ALMOST keeping up in terms of UI smoothness with the OG Pixel that's still on last year's Snapdragon processor, so horsepower is not the issue with an 835.

Again, lag is subjectively experienced, but objectively measured. If you don't notice it at all - great, that's good and it will allow you to not notice the difference between devices, but that doesn't mean the device is not objectively dropping frames that you just aren't noticing. This is why you have people who fiercely argue back and forth whether Samsung devices still "lag". Yes, it's improved immensely, but it is the Samsung UI that is still causing the phone to drop frames where another will not, especially with the newest SoC. Is it enough to be a dealbreaker? Maybe to a select few, but it has gotten to the point where it's more than tolerable for most.

I have used smartphones since pre-2000, and iPhones since the 3G. I have used laggy phones... the S5 for example. I have seen iPhones get laggy after several generations of updates. The Note 8 that I possess is neither laggy or bloated, and it doesn't skip anything. Most of the people I see fiercely arguing back, I don't think have ever laid hands on what they are bashing, and either spouting talking points or basing views on dated information. And if your definition of bloated, laggy, and skipping is measured in some minute increments that an average human isn't able to measure, then who the heck cares?

 

[koigirl]

That's the point. Opinions are different. If you like, cool, go for it. If you find it useful, cool, use it. I don't like it, I don't find a lot of the features useful and unless buying unlocked you get carrier bloat apps that you can't remove. That's fact.

All my ATT apps are in the folder they came in in the app drawer where I never see or encounter them. I don’t have to worry about the space they use because I have 64GB built in storage plus my 128GB storage card free from Samsung which I could choose to upgrade to 256 if I ever needed it (which I won’t). So the bloatware is out of sight, out of mind, no big deal. Not an issue. I thought it might be but it is not. There is a lot of scary talk on the iOS side about bloatware and updates but it doesn’t constitute a problem in real-life usage in my experience, at least with my Note 8, which is my main experience with Android. My only other android device was a Nexus 7 tablet I bought to play around with in 2013 which was also a good device.

 

[comper]

I have used smartphones since pre-2000, and iPhones since the 3G. I have used laggy phones... the S5 for example. I have seen iPhones get laggy after several generations of updates. The Note 8 that I possess is neither laggy or bloated, and it doesn't skip anything. Most of the people I see fiercely arguing back, I don't think have ever laid hands on what they are bashing, and either spouting talking points or basing views on dated information. And if your definition of bloated, laggy, and skipping is measured in some minute increments that an average human isn't able to measure, then who the heck cares?

But it's not immeasurable or imperceptible - I myself notice the frames dropping here and there where other phones do not. Refer to the XDA study between the Note 8, OG Pixel, and I think a OnePlus which demonstrates these objective findings. Again, if you don't notice it, that's fine, but it is there objectively and others do notice it in real-world usage. The only explanation for it is the "Samsung Experience" bloat behind the scenes causing it. Not a dealbreaker for most, but to say it isn't present at all anymore is simply untrue.

 

[djkinetic]

But it's not immeasurable or imperceptible - I myself notice the frames dropping here and there where other phones do not. Refer to the XDA study between the Note 8, OG Pixel, and I think a OnePlus which demonstrates these objective findings. Again, if you don't notice it, that's fine, but it is there objectively and others do notice it in real-world usage. The only explanation for it is the "Samsung Experience" bloat behind the scenes causing it. Not a dealbreaker for most, but to say it isn't present at all anymore is simply untrue.

Some people have said if you disable bixby a lot of the hiccups go away..ive done it and am using google assistant on my s8+...always on/trusted voice even works from the lockscreen haven't had issues with lag since.

 

[comper]

Some people have said if you disable bixby a lot of the hiccups go away..ive done it and am using google assistant on my s8+...always on/trusted voice even works from the lockscreen haven't had issues with lag since.

Yeah that has been shut off for a while now - it's simply at a system level where these adjustments have been made so I doubt there's a way to fully get rid of them unless someone develops a stock rom or something (but I'm so far removed from rooting and flashing that I wouldn't even bother at this point in time).

I'm not bagging on the phone. It's an awesome phone, and very much improved over even just last year's Samsung lineup. I'm just saying that it's not completely there yet.

 

[OneMike]

All my ATT apps are in the folder they came in in the app drawer where I never see or encounter them. I don’t have to worry about the space they use because I have 64GB built in storage plus my 128GB storage card free from Samsung which I could choose to upgrade to 256 if I ever needed it (which I won’t). So the bloatware is out of sight, out of mind, no big deal. Not an issue. I thought it might be but it is not. There is a lot of scary talk on the iOS side about bloatware and updates but it doesn’t constitute a problem in real-life usage in my experience, at least with my Note 8, which is my main experience with Android. My only other android device was a Nexus 7 tablet I bought to play around with in 2013 which was also a good device.

SD card has limited value. Many apps can’t be installed or moved there.

With 64GB I’ll admit the bloatware is a bit more tolerable. In terms of space at least. Clutter that can’t be disabled is another thing.

 

[convergent]

But it's not immeasurable or imperceptible - I myself notice the frames dropping here and there where other phones do not. Refer to the XDA study between the Note 8, OG Pixel, and I think a OnePlus which demonstrates these objective findings. Again, if you don't notice it, that's fine, but it is there objectively and others do notice it in real-world usage. The only explanation for it is the "Samsung Experience" bloat behind the scenes causing it. Not a dealbreaker for most, but to say it isn't present at all anymore is simply untrue.

I generally make it a practice not to worry about things so minuscule that I can't perceive them and that have zero impact on my life. And it is untrue to characterize such things in product comparisons as "bloatware, laggy, etc..". Would you call a device that gets 10.1 hours battery life as having horrible battery life compared with one that got 10.2 hours of battery life? Of course not.

 

[Darryl.Jenks]

Apple's stance on privacy is the only thing keeping me from making the switch to the S8. The Apple hardware is inferior, but the privacy issue is a hot button for me.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Don't get me wrong, the Note 8 and the UI has taken great strides, but to say it doesn't bloat anything is silly. The Samsung Experience is just another name for TouchWiz - whatever they/you want to call it, it still adds additional frameworks and system apps on top of Android itself which is the only explanation as to why there are still some jitters and stutters here and there. Installing a different launcher doesn't just "get rid of the Samsung Experience" - I don't like it when I read this because all of the extra system frameworks are still in place which are the reasons for the tiny hiccups that happen occasionally. This is a phone that has been praised for ALMOST keeping up in terms of UI smoothness with the OG Pixel that's still on last year's Snapdragon processor, so horsepower is not the issue with an 835.

Again, lag is subjectively experienced, but objectively measured. If you don't notice it at all - great, that's good and it will allow you to not notice the difference between devices, but that doesn't mean the device is not objectively dropping frames that you just aren't noticing. This is why you have people who fiercely argue back and forth whether Samsung devices still "lag". Yes, it's improved immensely, but it is the Samsung UI that is still causing the phone to drop frames where another will not, especially with the newest SoC. Is it enough to be a dealbreaker? Maybe to a select few, but it has gotten to the point where it's more than tolerable for most.

I agree with your comment overall, but even those reviewers that are OCD about frame drops and have a history of being very critical towards TW, have given the Note 8 praise.

There is always going to be dropped frames or lag from any Android phone whether it has a manufacturer overlay or vanilla. This also includes iOS. But I truly believe the Note 8 is the first Samsung phone that you CAN'T say it's more constant on versus other phones.

I personally haven't experience any "noticeable" dramatic drop frames or even slight lag from the Note 8. If I ever do, I going to treat it as an isolated issue like I do with my other devices, and not assume it's a TW issue because of it's past problems. The Samsung Experience 8.5 truly does feel separate from being TouchWiz. I personally think the Android OS itself has a good part to play in that as well. Can't wait to see how it runs on Oreo.

 

[comper]

I generally make it a practice not to worry about things so minuscule that I can't perceive them and that have zero impact on my life. And it is untrue to characterize such things in product comparisons as "bloatware, laggy, etc..". Would you call a device that gets 10.1 hours battery life as having horrible battery life compared with one that got 10.2 hours of battery life? Of course not.

Again, just because you don't notice it doesn't mean that others don't, and it can be pretty bothersome after using devices that keep a strong 60fps throughout basic UI interactions. It's not the same as losing out on 10 min of battery life because it's happening consistently as you use the device.

Back to the original point, it objectively drops more frames than an OG Pixel. Despite potential issues with the Pixel 2/XL screens, the P2 is even smoother due to the 835 which is shared with the Note 8 which still points to the Samsung Experience UI as the culprit.
[doublepost=1509575578][/doublepost]

I agree with your comment overall, but even those reviewers that are OCD about frame drops and have a history of being very critical towards TW, have given the Note 8 praise.

There is always going to be dropped frames or lag from any Android phone whether it has a manufacturer overlay or vanilla. This also includes iOS. But I truly believe the Note 8 is the first Samsung phone that you CAN'T say it's more constant on versus other phones.

I personally haven't experience any "noticeable" dramatic drop frames or even slight lag from the Note 8. If I ever do, I going to treat it as an isolated issue like I do with my other devices, and not assume it's a TW issue because of it's past problems. The Samsung Experience 8.5 truly does feel separate from being TouchWiz. I personally think the Android OS itself has a good part to play in that as well. Can't wait to see how it runs on Oreo.

I'm still trying to give the Note 8 props where it's due - I agree it is generally very pleasant to use and they've made great strides with their UI, but compared to the P2 that I also own, it's just not the same experience. The difference is minor but noticeable.

That's still not to say the Note 8 lags and is bad, and many features + the hardware will more than make up for the small difference in performance for most people. The only reason I originally posted was to say that it 100% objectively does not perform quite as well compared to even the OG Pixel let alone the new one with an updated SoC. The perception is subjective, but it's not fair to say it's not an issue at all just because someone doesn't notice it themselves, and the custom UI is really the only thing to blame.

I'll stop going back and forth as now I'm repeating points. Enjoy the Note 8 if that's the phone you choose as your phone, it really is great.

 

[mib1800]

Again, just because you don't notice it doesn't mean that others don't, and it can be pretty bothersome after using devices that keep a strong 60fps throughout basic UI interactions. It's not the same as losing out on 10 min of battery life because it's happening consistently as you use the device.

Back to the original point, it objectively drops more frames than an OG Pixel. Despite potential issues with the Pixel 2/XL screens, the P2 is even smoother due to the 835 which is shared with the Note 8 which still points to the Samsung Experience UI as the culprit.
[doublepost=1509575578][/doublepost]

I'm still trying to give the Note 8 props where it's due - I agree it is generally very pleasant to use and they've made great strides with their UI, but compared to the P2 that I also own, it's just not the same experience. The difference is minor but noticeable.

That's still not to say the Note 8 lags and is bad, and many features + the hardware will more than make up for the small difference in performance for most people. The only reason I originally posted was to say that it 100% objectively does not perform quite as well compared to even the OG Pixel let alone the new one with an updated SoC. The perception is subjective, but it's not fair to say it's not an issue at all just because someone doesn't notice it themselves, and the custom UI is really the only thing to blame.

I'll stop going back and forth as now I'm repeating points. Enjoy the Note 8 if that's the phone you choose as your phone, it really is great.

What's your point then? Many feedback that iPhone 6,7, 8 lag with ios11. That's the huge "problem" with iOS nowadays too. There are also unwanted "bloatware" which you can't disabled and never used. And worse is iPhone has purposefully built in lag - forced & slow animations.

It is the reality that as phone gets more and more complex with more functions there will be lag since some part of hardware like network, storage cannot keep up. No phone is ever 100% lag free.

Personally I think it is quite silly to insist there is lag when the "lag" is barely noticeable microsecond stutter. All phones (iPhone to low end Android) are fast enough nowadays and definitely not a problem unless you are an OCD person.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I'm still trying to give the Note 8 props where it's due - I agree it is generally very pleasant to use and they've made great strides with their UI, but compared to the P2 that I also own, it's just not the same experience. The difference is minor but noticeable.

That's still not to say the Note 8 lags and is bad, and many features + the hardware will more than make up for the small difference in performance for most people. The only reason I originally posted was to say that it 100% objectively does not perform quite as well compared to even the OG Pixel let alone the new one with an updated SoC. The perception is subjective, but it's not fair to say it's not an issue at all just because someone doesn't notice it themselves, and the custom UI is really the only thing to blame.

I'll stop going back and forth as now I'm repeating points. Enjoy the Note 8 if that's the phone you choose as your phone, it really is great.

I understand what you're saying. I never had hands on with the P2 so I personally can't compare. But I had hands on with the HTC U11 and the Pixel XL and the UI itself was noticeably snappier than even the Note 8 UI. But when it came to performance within 3rd party apps, the U11 was basically no different and the Pixel only out performed with specific apps like Snapchat. But while the Pixel was lightening fast with the UI, the camera software would lag on occasion, where as the camera software on the most recent Samsung phones have been flawless for me.

So being that said ..... is this about the UI itself or includes the performance of default and 3rd party apps? .......... If it's only about the UI itself, then I agree.

 

[comper]

What's your point then? Many feedback that iPhone 6,7, 8 lag with ios11. That's the huge "problem" with iOS nowadays too. There are also unwanted "bloatware" which you can't disabled and never used. And worse is iPhone has purposefully built in lag - forced & slow animations.

It is the reality that as phone gets more and more complex with more functions there will be lag since some part of hardware like network, storage cannot keep up. No phone is ever 100% lag free.

Personally I think it is quite silly to insist there is lag when the "lag" is barely noticeable microsecond stutter. All phones (iPhone to low end Android) are fast enough nowadays and definitely not a problem unless you are an OCD person.

I'm trying not to use trigger words like lag so people have to feel the need to be defensive about their purchase. The whole original post was in response to someone who said the Samsung UI isn't bloated at all and how a third party launcher effectively gets rid of any issues it may cause which just isn't true. And then my second point is that whether you notice it or not, it's objectively there and it's definitely noticeable even if you aren't OCD if you've used devices that don't have that issue.

You can disagree with the importance of the frame drops but just understand they are definitely there and people aren't just looking for reasons to bash the Note 8 by stating it, they are just legitimately bugged by it. If you aren't one of them, more power to you. I notice it but the phone is a good enough package overall that it's worth keeping around.

 

[mib1800]

I'm trying not to use trigger words like lag so people have to feel the need to be defensive about their purchase. The whole original post was in response to someone who said the Samsung UI isn't bloated at all and how a third party launcher effectively gets rid of any issues it may cause which just isn't true. And then my second point is that whether you notice it or not, it's objectively there and it's definitely noticeable even if you aren't OCD if you've used devices that don't have that issue.

You can disagree with the importance of the frame drops but just understand they are definitely there and people aren't just looking for reasons to bash the Note 8 by stating it, they are just legitimately bugged by it. If you aren't one of them, more power to you. I notice it but the phone is a good enough package overall that it's worth keeping around.

If you are talking about smoothness of the launcher, it is true that certain launchers are smoother. I am using TSF and it is so much more fluid than stock. The "lag issue" brought up detractors like broken record I think mostly refer to stutters when scrolling. But here's the thing. Android overall scrolling is much faster and more responsive than iphone. It just doesnt make sense that faster equate to "lag".

 

[adnbek]

I generally make it a practice not to worry about things so minuscule that I can't perceive them and that have zero impact on my life. And it is untrue to characterize such things in product comparisons as "bloatware, laggy, etc..". Would you call a device that gets 10.1 hours battery life as having horrible battery life compared with one that got 10.2 hours of battery life? Of course not.

I’ll remember you said that next time you call the iPhone’s display low res

 

[840quadra]

If you are talking about smoothness of the launcher, it is true that certain launchers are smoother. I am using TSF and it is so much more fluid than stock. The "lag issue" brought up detractors like broken record I think mostly refer to stutters when scrolling. But here's the thing. Android overall scrolling is much faster and more responsive than iphone. It just doesnt make sense that faster equate to "lag".

Based on what? Be curious to read a comparison study on this. As this has not Been my experience.

 

[convergent]

I’ll remember you said that next time you call the iPhone’s display low res

I've never said anything negative about the iPhone display other than that have been slow to get to OMLED.

 

[convergent]

I'm trying not to use trigger words like lag so people have to feel the need to be defensive about their purchase. The whole original post was in response to someone who said the Samsung UI isn't bloated at all and how a third party launcher effectively gets rid of any issues it may cause which just isn't true. And then my second point is that whether you notice it or not, it's objectively there and it's definitely noticeable even if you aren't OCD if you've used devices that don't have that issue.

You can disagree with the importance of the frame drops but just understand they are definitely there and people aren't just looking for reasons to bash the Note 8 by stating it, they are just legitimately bugged by it. If you aren't one of them, more power to you. I notice it but the phone is a good enough package overall that it's worth keeping around.

I would notice the lack of the S-pen, which I use. I would notice the lack of the headphone jack, which I use. I would notice the lack of MST with Samsung Pay, which I use. There are many more. I will trade those things every day for things we are arguing whether they even exist or not. I have used an iPhone 6S+ for two years and up until the Note 8 was the best phone I've ever owned. That is my primary point of comparison since it's my most recent daily driver. The Note 8 has no performance deficit vs the 6S+.

 

[comper]

I would notice the lack of the S-pen, which I use. I would notice the lack of the headphone jack, which I use. I would notice the lack of MST with Samsung Pay, which I use. There are many more. I will trade those things every day for things we are arguing whether they even exist or not. I have used an iPhone 6S+ for two years and up until the Note 8 was the best phone I've ever owned. That is my primary point of comparison since it's my most recent daily driver. The Note 8 has no performance deficit vs the 6S+.

I'm still not sure why you're trying so hard to defend your choice to me. This was and always has been about one part of the phone which you've written off and don't notice or care about personally. I've mentioned numerous times that the phone is awesome overall and has many features that will win someone over despite the custom UI. I was never blindly nor intentionally bashing the phone as a whole, let alone anyone for choosing to purchase and use it as their main phone. I'm honestly glad you enjoy it so much and it shows how much their lineup has progressed over the last couple of years.

 

[Deeds500]

I'm not Koigirl, but I think we are on parallel tracks.

The only time I miss iOS has been with Apple ecosystem adjustments. The rest of the family has iPhones and we have an AppleTV which we use a lot. These are all things we are working through. For example, we have a subscription to Apple Music, but I have moved to Spotify and now having the rest of them switch over to Spotify Family. In this case, I like it better than Apple Music. We also had a Family Share in Photos. As of last night we've replaced it with a shared folder in Google Photos which works pretty much the same. On both Android and iOS you can setup Google Photos to mirror all your photos/videos, so its not better or worse... just different. We have a Chromecast and Roku... I just need to move one of them to our Main TV so that I can just as easily stream stuff with it. I do miss iOS for messaging because so many of my family and friends are using iOS and while it works fine for texting, videos especially are degraded to everyone in the group if one person isn't iOS. This isn't a Samsung issue, its pretty much an issue with anyone not on iOS. We use GroupMe for the family and some of our friends, but its just a little less convenient.

I find no lag issues. Just as Koigirl said, not sure if its the 6G of RAM or its new or what, but the things performs great and no issues there. If it ever were to "develop lag", then I'd do some maintenance and/or factory reset. I don't see that as a problem. And my iPhones have always gotten slower with time because of iOS getting bloated with more crap I don't care about. So nothing unique there.

I don't find the Note 8 complicated... complex yes, but not complicated any more than iOS (today). You spend a few hours watching YouTube videos and learn the differences and you are good to go.

For security I use Iris and FPS together. I generally look and touch and its a bit of a race so the first one that clicks wins. There are use cases each is better at. Iris works with me whether I have my glasses on or not, and also in total darkness. FPS on the back is not really significantly better or worse than front. Its not in the best spot on the back, but your finger lands near it naturally. On the front, its very awkward with my 6S+ to use the FPS one handed... that's probably the worse use case for the iPhone position.

The Note 8 is easier for me to use one handed than 6S+, because its slightly narrower and has the FPS on the back (and iris). I do use it that way a lot. But I also use it a lot with 2 hands. No big change there from a plus size iPhone and Note 8. I do use both of them in a case, so that makes the feel very similar.

My main computer is a Surface Pro which also has a pen. So one thing I think "I couldn't do this on an iPhone" is anything pen related. I take a lot of notes in OneNote and now I can take them and edit them on either device, just the same, and go back and forth. The split screen viewing on the Note 8 is really cool to and I don't believe you can still do that on an iPhone.



This is really getting tiring and stale. It was true in older versions of Galaxy... I tried an S5 and hated it. Today, no. There is nothing annoying or bloated about the Samsung experience in my opinion. If you don't like it that's good for you, but to say people are lying that don't agree with you is getting tiring. And you can choose to use or not use if you prefer something else.

I find all the software they've added (which I've used) to be useful and well done. I'm using much of it. Of all things, their browser is not being rated as one of the best on a mobile device.... like we needed another browser. But I'm using it more and more. I did switch to Microsoft's Launcher, which by the way is simple to do and it changes the whole personality of the device. I did this because Microsoft is starting to put in place their integration with Windows in it and it has some useful features. You can't do anything like this with iOS... you are stuck with springboard for good or bad.

Thanks for the very good insight mate. Cheers.
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In less words, you are calling me ignorant, which may be true in some cases. With regards to iOS releases, I have been on this site since before iOS and Android, and recall quite a few heated discussions regarding software bugs on previous versions of iOS, The bugs outlined in iOS 11 are lesser, and less impactful than some previous releases.

With regards to platforms, both have been improving in different areas since 2007 - 2008. The features added to both have coincided with advances in hardware on the devices as well. Both have also had a fair share of bugs within new releases, this includes Oreo, and iOS 11.

UI has improved greatly on iOS, pick up a device with iOS 7, and compare it to today. Or better yet, iOS 4. Similar can be said about Android. I don’t see vast differences between both platforms in that regard. Quite honestly, I thought older versions of Android were quite stable, depending on what software / bloatware was on any given device.

Once I stripped the Moto and carrier crap off of my first long term Android phone and updated it to 4.0 in (Droid X for the record), I found that Android was a great and stable mobile OS. Mind you, this was running an unsupported version of Android on that device. Regardless, stock android of that day featured lots of the items I liked on my Jailbroken iPhone 4, stock. It also had great battery life, and less reception problems in some areas I frequented for my photography business.



I am really sorry to hear about the purchasing situation in Australia. With that though, if you are on the fence about a new phone, are you able to swap sims into a friends, or a 2nd hand Android device without impacting your Contract? I still feel that giving the device a good daily drive is a worthwhile experience.

Had I not done that years ago, I would likely still be an Apple Zelot that thinks Android is a load of crap .

No issue with swapping sim into any unlocked lhone. I have a fair idea how android runs, I hate a Note 3 4 years ago and as I said in an ealier oost, if it's not a Note, I won't be switching to any other device.

Ihone or Note or bust lol.