On the Fence Note 4 vs iPhone 6 Plus

[corriewf]

Wanted to see how many other people are on the fence with the new iphone 6 plus and note 4. My contract is finally up and although I've been absolutely loving my nexus 5, its time to upgrade.

My logic is simple, my budget is $299 and my min memory required is 32 gig.

I dont really see much of an advantage or disadvantage to ios/android other than memory. Ios 8 have given android loving a quasi file system with iCloud drag and drop. Although I would love Apple to match Google in free drive space, 5 gigs is enough to play around with.

I'm really hoping Apple decides to kill the 16 gig versions as they did the 8 gig versions after the iPhone 3GS. It seems time to move in that direction in the industry, even if you are trying to sell more iCloud space.

What are your thoughts? Anyone holding out like me?

 

[McCool71]

Not holding out, but remember that there are manufacturers out there like Samsung that give you 50GB of free Dropbox for two years when you buy one of their higher end phones.

Might be something to add to the equation if you are a heavy user of that kind of services

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I have too many files that I might need to pull up on the fly, for work and personally reasons. I can't chance a dead zone or occasional spotty slow data. So the iCloud improvement means nothing to me. And I'm able to organize an actual file system better.

As far as the Cloud goes, Dropbox is still the most reliable and user friendly in my experience. And works better cross platform than iCloud. Plus Dropbox announced free 50gb with the Note 4. I already have the free 50gb from a ROM I flashed back when I had the S3 and it's expiring next week, so this is perfect timing. Dropbox will also have improved integration with Samsung devices.
https://blog.dropbox.com/2014/09/dropbox-doing-even-more-with-samsung/

 

[corriewf]

If the rumored battery size for the iPhone 6 is true...2900( est ) then it could be a absolute beast lasting days.

Connectivity has never been an issue for me however pictures are. There is not enough space given with iCloud to back up pictures and apps.. Google + backs up all my data and never complains. I like that! Android apps actually seem more polished.

With that said, touchwiz sucks. Although it can be replaced, you lose a lot of functionality with s-pen etc.

Really interested to see how the note 4s battery life pans out. Samsung claims a 7% boost over the note 3 if im not wrong on that percent.

 

[The Game 161]

Apple need to bring out some good features to match what the note can do to me. Can't see apple getting it completely right in their first attempt.

 

[Savor]

I was talking to an Oppo vendor the other day. He pretty much has been a seller of nearly every company out including the Chinese ones that includes Oppo and Lenovo. He almost convinced to get a Find 7a. Very smooth and knowledgeable seller. I asked him what does he think is the best smartphone right now? He said go for the Galaxy Note series. I always felt that way even though I had little interest with Samsung. Forget the Galaxy S line. The Note series is generally one of the best all-around Android/phablet smartphones out there. It has the most updated SoC, nearly class-leading battery life, and an S-Pen which hasn't really been duplicated successfully from other companies like Asus or LG.

Reviewers will generally tell you HTC One (M8) is the best Android but the Note series is generally the #1 choice for business users. It sells out much faster and has a higher resell value than anything from HTC, LG, etc. Very few weaknesses except for maybe TouchWiz/hardware aesthetics. We are comparing Gen 4 phablet vs a Gen 1 phablet. I would go for the more mature revision even though I believe 6 Plus is the better iPhone over the 4.7 inch iP6. But if you love iOS more, than 6 Plus becomes an easier pick to choose.

 

[Oohara]

I'm on the fence too. I love the Note series but hate TouchWiz. Haven't cared about any new iPhone since the 4S but the 6/iOS 8 looks promising. Especially since I just bought a Mac for the first time in ages. I still need to use Windows a lot of the time for work though, and don't think a Win partition on the Mac will be able to handle it all.

So, kind of a complex situation for me in terms of computer > phone interaction, and I do like Android a lot, in particular because of how simple things are when it comes to email attachments, micro SD card, etc etc.

My plan: I will go all in on the 5.5" iPhone 6 (please god let it be real) and just see how that goes. Meanwhile I'll keep my Note 2 for those "oh ****" moments with important work email attachments that I need to use on my PC in a no connection zone. If things work out, I'll likely get a good 8" Android tablet to go along with my Mac/iPhone setup (an up-to-date 8" Galaxy Note tablet would be optimal) so that I always have that option when iOS' limitations give me grief.

If things don't work out, I'll just sell the iPhone 6 at a good resale price and get me a Note 4. Or the new Nexus, if it actually comes out with an at least 5.7" screen.

 

[Twixt]

I am in same situation except I need 128 GB minimum.
I will also consider LG G3 as its price may drop within few weeks.

 

[GadgetSN]

The iPhone 6 plus is just for IOS lovers who would otherwise go Android for a big screen. It will just be a bigger iPhone.

Iphone 6 plus will be better designed hardware wise, be classier and have the same simple smooth UI.

The Note 4 is for people who want S pen functionality or Android but are happy to put up with an uglier, cheaper feeling phone that will likely be less smooth given touchwiz.

Ive owned the Note 1, 2 and 3 because I wanted a large screen above everything else. If the iPhone 6 was available many years back I would have stayed with apple.

Nowadays the 5.5 inch size is too small but is the only option for the latest spec phone as Sony do not appear to be planning an Ultra update.

For me the Note 4 will have to be cheaper for me to consider it over the iPhone plus. Regardless of RRP I have always managed to negotiate flagship Samsung devices cheaper than iPhones on release date.

 

[The Game 161]

The iPhone 6 plus is just for IOS lovers who would otherwise go Android for a big screen. It will just be a bigger iPhone.

Iphone 6 plus will be better designed hardware wise, be classier and have the same simple smooth UI.

The Note 4 is for people who want S pen functionality or Android but are happy to put up with an uglier, cheaper feeling phone that will likely be less smooth given touchwiz.

Ive owned the Note 1, 2 and 3 because I wanted a large screen above everything else. If the iPhone 6 was available many years back I would have stayed with apple.

Nowadays the 5.5 inch size is too small but is the only option for the latest spec phone as Sony do not appear to be planning an Ultra update.

For me the Note 4 will have to be cheaper for me to consider it over the iPhone plus. Regardless of RRP I have always managed to negotiate flagship Samsung devices cheaper than iPhones on release date.

Actually the note 4 new look feels and looks great from all reports.

Sticking with the note is more than just s pen but it's like anything. If you use all the features or not.

Tw isn't as good as iOS but I would never pay what I do just because of the OS. It has to have better features to be worth it. So apple just having a bigger screen with the same features as 4.7 isn't enough for me.

 

[Shanghaichica]

The iPhone 6 plus is just for IOS lovers who would otherwise go Android for a big screen. It will just be a bigger iPhone.

Iphone 6 plus will be better designed hardware wise, be classier and have the same simple smooth UI.

The Note 4 is for people who want S pen functionality or Android but are happy to put up with an uglier, cheaper feeling phone that will likely be less smooth given touchwiz.

Ive owned the Note 1, 2 and 3 because I wanted a large screen above everything else. If the iPhone 6 was available many years back I would have stayed with apple.

Nowadays the 5.5 inch size is too small but is the only option for the latest spec phone as Sony do not appear to be planning an Ultra update.

For me the Note 4 will have to be cheaper for me to consider it over the iPhone plus. Regardless of RRP I have always managed to negotiate flagship Samsung devices cheaper than iPhones on release date.

So apparently the note 4 feels like a premium device now that it has a metal trim. Also the latest version of touchwiz that I'm using on the S5 is very smooth. To be honest I don't find that ios 7 on my ipad air is any smoother or faster.

Anyhow I'm sure all those people on the fence will be able to decide after the keynote today. I think Apple would have to do something really special to pull me away from the note 4. The note time I've had to look at ios 8, I've now come to realise that it won't really solve any of the issues I've had with ios. I think the only thing it really addresses is third party keyboards, which is quite low down on my list of gripes.

 

[The Game 161]

So apparently the note 4 feels like a premium device now that it has a metal trim. Also the latest version of touchwiz that I'm using on the S5 is very smooth. To be honest I don't find that ios 7 on my ipad air is any smoother or faster.

Anyhow I'm sure all those people on the fence will be able to decide after the keynote today. I think Apple would have to do something really special to pull me away from the note 4. The note time I've had to look at ios 8, I've now come to realise that it won't really solve any of the issues I've had with ios. I think the only thing it really addresses is third party keyboards, which is quite low down on my list of gripes.

I'm the same, just can't see iPhone adding what I want out of a phone needed. Think would miss certain things such as back button, sd card, removable batteries, widgets far too much.

Plus I have all Note devices plus a watch so I've invested Alot.

 

[Oohara]

So apparently the note 4 feels like a premium device now that it has a metal trim. Also the latest version of touchwiz that I'm using on the S5 is very smooth. To be honest I don't find that ios 7 on my ipad air is any smoother or faster.

Anyhow I'm sure all those people on the fence will be able to decide after the keynote today. I think Apple would have to do something really special to pull me away from the note 4. The note time I've had to look at ios 8, I've now come to realise that it won't really solve any of the issues I've had with ios. I think the only thing it really addresses is third party keyboards, which is quite low down on my list of gripes.

Ya, I will most likely get the i6 on release but I hold it as a very real possibility that iOS 8 won't bring enough as compared to what Android phones offer. 3d party keyboards has been a big reason for me to stay on Android though, and that one I think Apple realise that they have to get it right so there I don't expect to be disappointed.

But we shall see... The good thing with buying an iPhone is that a good resale value is pretty much guaranteed

One thing I will really miss A LOT is Google Keep. Apple's Notes still looks quite hideous and the iCloud online interface is very clunky. I have not found one single other note taking app that is as simple and good looking as Keep, not on Android nor iOS. I honestly don't know if I can live without it.

 

[t0mat0]

OS?
It's like doing laptops on price - when one of the first decisions should be OS - do you want Mac/iOS or not?

 

[GadgetSN]

The Note 4 still has its horrible plastic back.

Having said all that, if the iPhone plus only comes with 1gb of RAM it wouldn't even be on my short list.

 

[The Game 161]

The Note 4 still has its horrible plastic back.

Having said all that, if the iPhone plus only comes with 1gb of RAM it wouldn't even be on my short list.

The back is actually a nice feel plastic or not. It's now finally a premium looking device.

I can't see any way apple keep it at 1gb of ram. Not on a bigger device

 

[maflynn]

I think the battle of the phablets, and it boils down to what platform do you want.

 

[spinedoc77]

I never understood why people say the Note 3 felt cheap, it doesn't. It's very solid, no flex or creaking. The plastic backing is solid and feels premium, it serves a purpose both to be removable and provide the functionality of changing the battery/SD card and also to provide grip and resilience so you don't need a case. The only aspect of the Note 3 I thought was cheap was the chrome surround, and that is mostly a question of aesthetics not quality.

I'd put the Note 3 up against the iPhone 5s in terms of build quality ALL DAY LONG. The Note 4 is going to be that much better.

As for touch wiz, I don't get it. Why the big hate? You can replace the launcher and that's most of it. The whole lag thing is a bunch of complete and utter BS. I don't get the hate at all.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I never understood why people say the Note 3 felt cheap, it doesn't. It's very solid, no flex or creaking. The plastic backing is solid and feels premium, it serves a purpose both to be removable and provide the functionality of changing the battery/SD card and also to provide grip and resilience so you don't need a case. The only aspect of the Note 3 I thought was cheap was the chrome surround, and that is mostly a question of aesthetics not quality.

I'd put the Note 3 up against the iPhone 5s in terms of build quality ALL DAY LONG. The Note 4 is going to be that much better.

As for touch wiz, I don't get it. Why the big hate? You can replace the launcher and that's most of it. The whole lag thing is a bunch of complete and utter BS. I don't get the hate at all.

I think it's become the cool thing to do, hate on Samsung and moan about lag and how horrible Touchwiz is.

Now I'm 100% sure I'm getting the note 4. The only thing that kept me in the Apple ecosystem was the content in terms of TV shows. Now that amazon have just released an app for their streaming service/store for android that makes both android and apple equal in terms of ecosystems IMO.

 

[corriewf]

Its easy to hate touchwiz coming from a stock nexus 5 experience. Touchwiz looks dated to me graphically. I'm sure its fine for doing tasks etc...not really worried about lag. I would simply replace it, but you lose a lot of functionality that Samsung has baked into it.

Ram is a big issue too. Apps reload constantly on my iPad. That gets super annoying super fast. Its not really multitasking if the moment you switch back to an app it has to reload. That simply doesn't happen on my nexus 5.

I don't think this is as much an iOS vs android is choice either.. They are both so neck and neck that outside of maybe timely updates.. Its hard to argue one is better than the other without some form of counter.

So for me it comes down to hardware.

 

[sk1wbw]

The Note 4 still has its horrible plastic back.

Having said all that, if the iPhone plus only comes with 1gb of RAM it wouldn't even be on my short list.

My iPhone 5C has 1 gig of RAM. I closed out 50 backgrounded applications and there wasn't a single performance hit with all those apps being open.

 

[Cnasty]

I just got my OPO and I will tell you I am shocked how much better it feels than the Note 3. Especially with the backing and the lightness of the device. It feels like night and day.

I am not a TW fan so I picked up the OPO but also have a leg in the water to see what the IP6 is going to do as I have an upgrade saved to use it on.

I really love the Cyanogen running on the OPO though as it feels stock and quick but with nice added perks.

 

[AX338]

The 'big' iPhone looks to have very wide top and bottom bezel areas, looks ugly.

Note 4 will go with the Gear VR too!...mmmm!

 

[Switchback666]

Im sorry Note 4, but a big fat iPhone 6 plus sounds better for me

 

[Cnasty]

Literally just got my OnePlusOne yesterday but after today's announcement I have some thinking to do whether to go the iPhone Plus.