Phones Samsung Breakthrough (10 Series and Beyond)

[Tsepz]

What's so impressive about this thing? Is the S-pen as good as Apple Pencil? Can I sketch with it? Can it keep up with my handwriting? If not it's not going to be that useful. And the software Samsung has always had to support it has been half baked, slow, and inconsistent.

If I were to get a Samsung phone it would be the S10e, that's the limit on what I'm willing to spend for a Samsung or even an Android phone, and even then I'd be making compromises with Android.

Hardware on modern phones is generally very good across the board and the designs have all stagnated at a similar look. Hardware will never be a reason why I switch from iPhone to Samsung or anything else.

The SPen is brilliant and the best part is that it charges in its silo, no need for awkward placement, it’s also great for sketching and a lot of other stuff when multitasking.

The SPEn functions have long been advanced, since the Note 2, Samsung have just improved them with each iteration.

 

[Wide opeN]

I have owned most Samsung Flagships from Galaxy S2 up until the Galaxy Note8, all of which were fantastic.

Samsung really work in their on silo in Android , they bring features long before Google brings them natively to Android and in that way it makes it easy to bare the fact that you will not get more than 2-3 OS updates with a particular model.

My Galaxy Note8 was bought via Vodacom (Vodafone South Africa) on launch in 2017, and in thoroughly enjoyed that beast, to this day it’s still a top device, with little to no compromise. I gave it to my mother who uses it alongside her Apple iPhone X.

The Galaxy Note8 is now 2 years old and still gets monthly Security Updates, however at some point it will be dropped to Quarterly updates.

If you want to get a good idea of Samsung support have a look at the link below, Samsung are still supporting the 3 year old Galaxy S7 range but have dropped them to Quarterly updates now:
https://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_has_..._for_the_galaxy_s7_and_s7_edge-news-38546.php

So expect around 3 years worth updates, from there you can if possible root your Android and start exploring with Custom ROMs to keep it running fast and running the latest OS, as that point it will be out of warranty, you can try all sorts of ROMa and Kernels to see what suits your needs.

Most people in this forum do not keep their Androids more than a year, there are folks in this part of the forum that will own every Android flagship in a year, keeping each for a few weeks to a few months maximum, you just need to look at some of the 2018/2019 Android Phone threads to see that most don’t stick to their Droid for too long, but the few that do tend to be quite happy.

My Galaxy S7 Edge is still around somewhere, need to get it out and update and see how it runs

This is good insight into the mind and logic of an Android user. Thanks for that! As usual, your explanation was palpable, and easy to understand.

While the nerd in me wants to try every flagship that comes out, I simply don't have the time or circumstance. I do want at least 1 solid Android device (to supplement my iPhone) that I can keep, and upgrade every 3 to 4 years.

See all of my family have iPhones, my 3 school age daughters, and my ex. So to break that link, I wouldn't say is crucial, but slightly inconsiderate. With whatsapp though I feel more confident. Even though there's no sub for Screen Time.

Even still, switching back and forth requires time I don't have, plus I have Dual Sim setup on my iPhone. And even as I typed that, I realized no carrier purchased Android would be getting a chance soon. I'd have to get the OEM version of whatever phone because Dual Sim is a MUST!!! I hope Pixel 4 makes it as seamless as it is on iPhone.

Thanks for the insight again.

 

[Tsepz]

This is good insight into the mind and logic of an Android user. Thanks for that! As usual, your explanation was palpable, and easy to understand.

While the nerd in me wants to try every flagship that comes out, I simply don't have the time or circumstance. I do want at least 1 solid Android device (to supplement my iPhone) that I can keep, and upgrade every 3 to 4 years.

See all of my family have iPhones, my 3 school age daughters, and my ex. So to break that link, I wouldn't say is crucial, but slightly inconsiderate. With whatsapp though I feel more confident. Even though there's no sub for Screen Time.

Even still, switching back and forth requires time I don't have, plus I have Dual Sim setup on my iPhone. And even as I typed that, I realized no carrier purchased Android would be getting a chance soon. I'd have to get the OEM version of whatever phone because Dual Sim is a MUST!!! I hope Pixel 4 makes it as seamless as it is on iPhone.

Thanks for the insight again.

Not at all a problem.

And as you said, switching between devices is quite a chore, I find it hard to switch between my iPhone XS Max and Huawei P30 Pro, sometimes I just leave the one without a sim for a while until I gather the strength to move to the other, knowing I will lose some WhatsApp chats it’s really hard, TBH. But like you, I love my tech and I am enjoying going between both OSs.

So I guess it’s up to you.

You are lucky you can get a Pixel, I’d have to import the thing if I wanted it. If you do want to try Android it may be worth just getting a Pixel 4 when it arrives and see how much you like Android in its “pure” form.

HOWEVER, if you want top hardware plus the kitchen sink, Galaxy Note10+ is the one.

 

[valinda]

It’s easy for me to switch between my iPhone and my new s10 plus. Just take my sim out of one and put
into the other, then restart phone. I don’t use what’s up app, and I’m not dependent on iMessage. I use
Verizon’s Message plus, so all text messages are on all my devices.

 

[Roadstar]

The Galaxy Note8 is now 2 years old and still gets monthly Security Updates, however at some point it will be dropped to Quarterly updates.

If you want to get a good idea of Samsung support have a look at the link below, Samsung are still supporting the 3 year old Galaxy S7 range but have dropped them to Quarterly updates now:
https://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_has_..._for_the_galaxy_s7_and_s7_edge-news-38546.php

So expect around 3 years worth updates, from there you can if possible root your Android and start exploring with Custom ROMs to keep it running fast and running the latest OS, as that point it will be out of warranty, you can try all sorts of ROMa and Kernels to see what suits your needs.

While I’d prefer monthly updates all the way, it’s still better to have quarterly updates instead of no updates if that brings a longer supported life for the device. For after all, the OS updates aren’t only source for security updates as Google’s been moving many potentially vulnerable parts under Google Play Services which currently supports devices down to Android 4.1, so that support is highly likely to outlive whatever hardware you buy.

 

[Roadstar]

See all of my family have iPhones, my 3 school age daughters, and my ex. So to break that link, I wouldn't say is crucial, but slightly inconsiderate. With whatsapp though I feel more confident. Even though there's no sub for Screen Time.

Is Screen Time for your daughters? For that there’s Google Family Link. However, that would require your daughters to use Android, so it won’t be a direct help in your case. While you can’t (unsurprisingly) manage iOS Screen Time from an Android device, the Family Link parents’ app is available for iOS too, so it’s possible to manage kids’ Android devices from an iPhone.

I think my son is on his first and last iPhone as the prices are getting ridiculous and the supply of suitable used devices is getting narrower unless Apple comes up with a new TouchID solution of some kind. I don’t want my kids to have a FaceID only device, not right now at least. So I just replaced an ancient iPad 3 my daughter was using as a video player with a discounted Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 to get familiar with how Google Family Link works compared to Screen Time.