Phones Samsung Galaxy S8

[noobinator]

In my experience with standby on the S8+ (s8 might be a bit worse) you will lose more on standby while on the cell network (no wifi). At home I lose barely anything overnight since I'm on WiFi (1-3%) but at work it goes down maybe 1% per hour on cell network only if not being used.

 

[co.ag.2005]

So I ended up buying a brand new unlocked S8 off Craigslist for $520. I love it but I'm a little concerned about the battery life after having the 7 Plus. Is losing 9 percent after 6 hours of standby time with the always on display on normal?

The regular S8 can't match the iPhone 7 plus in terms of battery life. At least, that's my experience. But my S8 seems to get poorer battery life than others here on this forum.

 

[jamezr]

Quick question for all of you in the US that have bought the unlocked S8 or S8+. I tried ordering from Samsung directly but they are out of stock on the S8+ with no in stock date.
Amazon has the international unlocked and US version for about $100 difference. Has anyone used the international in the US? How did it do in the US for you?
I am going to use it on T-Mobile so GSM only isn't a concern.

 

[co.ag.2005]

Quick question for all of you in the US that have bought the unlocked S8 or S8+. I tried ordering from Samsung directly but they are out of stock on the S8+ with no in stock date.
Amazon has the international unlocked and US version for about $100 difference. Has anyone used the international in the US? How did it do in the US for you?
I am going to use it on T-Mobile so GSM only isn't a concern.

I'd imagine you won't get VoLTE or VoWiFi on the international version but will on the US unlocked variant. You can buy the unlocked US S8/S8+ brand new for a good deal on Swappa.

 

[noobinator]

I'd imagine you won't get VoLTE or VoWiFi on the international version but will on the US unlocked variant. You can buy the unlocked US S8/S8+ brand new for a good deal on Swappa.

Probably no Samsung pay either but I'm not positive.

 

[jamezr]

I'd imagine you won't get VoLTE or VoWiFi on the international version but will on the US unlocked variant. You can buy the unlocked US S8/S8+ brand new for a good deal on Swappa.

The international models on Amazon say no warranty but are $100 cheaper. But warranty is big concern for me cause you just never know whats going to happen

 

[co.ag.2005]

The international models on Amazon say no warranty but are $100 cheaper. But warranty is big concern for me cause you just never know whats going to happen

very good point.

 

[nviz22]

What am I missing in the US unlocked version with the S8+ on T-Mobile? I don't see advanced messaging right now.

 

[noobinator]

What am I missing in the US unlocked version with the S8+ on T-Mobile? I don't see advanced messaging right now.

Advanced messaging and video calling.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Probably no Samsung pay either but I'm not positive.

I think you should be ok as soon as you put the sim in it will reset the CSC code to country specific which I noticed when swapping sims between UK/Thai/UAE in the first sim tray slot

 

[nviz22]

Advanced messaging and video calling.

Never used video calling plus better apps out there for it. Advanced messaging is alright and all, but I could get the Samsung White Pages feature for spam protection, which is infinitely better.

 

[noobinator]

Never used video calling plus better apps out there for it. Advanced messaging is alright and all, but I could get the Samsung White Pages feature for spam protection, which is infinitely better.

I went back and forth between the unlocked and T-Mobile firmware and much prefer the unlocked. I don't miss the messaging or video calling. The less bloat is nice as is no tmobile splash screen when booting up. I get band 12, wifi calling, and VoLTE.

 

[andyx3x]

The regular S8 can't match the iPhone 7 plus in terms of battery life. At least, that's my experience. But my S8 seems to get poorer battery life than others here on this forum.

Oh yeah I knew that already about the S8 and iPhone 7 Plus.

In my first day overall with the S8, battery life seems to be OK except for the standby drop with the always on display. After like 11 hours of mostly standby, I dropped about 15 percent. I'm gonna fully charge it before I go to bed and turn it off and see what happens overnight.

 

[jamezr]

So i got out of my jump on demand line with T-Mobile and bought a unlocked S8+ from Samsung. They have a $200 rebate in the form of a Visa virtual card. So that brings the price down to $625. Not a bad deal.
One thing I noticed...the unlocked is on the June security patch while my TMO S8+ was still on May.
Hope fully it will get the July patch soon too.

 

[andyx3x]

So i got out of my jump on demand line with T-Mobile and bought a unlocked S8+ from Samsung. They have a $200 rebate in the form of a Visa virtual card. So that brings the price down to $625. Not a bad deal.
One thing I noticed...the unlocked is on the June security patch while my TMO S8+ was still on May.
Hope fully it will get the July patch soon too.

Just curious, how did you get out of your JOD? Didn't you get your phone when it came out?

 

[jamezr]

Just curious, how did you get out of your JOD? Didn't you get your phone when it came out?

Yes had it since day one preorders. I jumped to the Galaxy S8 since there is no cost involved. But any phone will do. Then the next day I returned it and paid the restocking fee. Called CS and canceled the line.

 

[Zackmd1]

So I just got my S8 up and running and I am loving it so far! Went ahead and installed Nova launcher beta with Google now integration and have it set up just like my pixel. Disabled bixby (tried it first and was not impressed) using BK disabler along with a few other useless apps and certainly noticed increased fluidity with the UI. My only wish now is to find a way to completely replace the gallery app with Google photos...

 

[mackie8]

any ex pixel user? how do u find s8 or s8+ ?

 

[Zackmd1]

any ex pixel user? how do u find s8 or s8+ ?

Ex pixel user here... As in the post above I am loving the phone. Lots of useful added features over the pixel like being water proof, wireless charging, and that display. The stock launcher sucks IMO but that is easy to change with Nova Launcher. I have my home screen setup almost identical to my pixel including the search pill and weather widget. Disabling bixby is well worth it and Nova launcher allows for Google Now integration to replace it. My only gripe is I now have a dead button that I can not remap since all currently available apps need bixby running in order to function.

Can not comment on the battery life yet but it seems as though it's better then the pixel. We shall see how it fairs through my normal day today.

 

[epicrayban]

any ex pixel user? how do u find s8 or s8+ ?

I find the S8 a significantly better overall experience than the Pixel.

Hardware-wise, the S8 has nearly everything of the Pixel beat. The conveniences of wireless charging, waterproofing (I literally wash my S8), and the ergonomics while still getting the "big screen" experience are advantages that really go the distance. I find the S8's camera better and faster to use, too (auto-focus is wicked fast).

And software-wise, the S8 is comparable to the Pixel's speed, but also provides more features and customizations. When I had the Pixel, it baffled me that simple things like sound profiles didn't exist. The Pixel is too stock, if you will. And Samsung seems to be keeping up decently well with security patches, but will unquestionably lag behind full software updates compared to the Pixel. I don't find that a deal breaker considering the software is already so good and feature-rich in its current state anyway. I go as far to argue that getting day-one software updates is both overrated and more bragging right than actual good considering first round bugs. If you feel similarly, you'll be more than fine with the S8's software.

Ultimately, though, you won't get a bad phone with the Pixel. Far from it. It's camera is tremendous, Google gives you full backups with Photos, and you get the latest software updates directly and quickly from Google. None of that is bad.

There's no way to make a mistake here; I just think the S8 experience trumps the Pixel experience overall. Happy to go into more details if you have questions.

 

[mackie8]

I find the S8 a significantly better overall experience than the Pixel.

Hardware-wise, the S8 has nearly everything of the Pixel beat. The conveniences of wireless charging, waterproofing (I literally wash my S8), and the ergonomics while still getting the "big screen" experience are advantages that really go the distance. I find the S8's camera better and faster to use, too (auto-focus is wicked fast).

And software-wise, the S8 is comparable to the Pixel's speed, but also provides more features and customizations. When I had the Pixel, it baffled me that simple things like sound profiles didn't exist. The Pixel is too stock, if you will. And Samsung seems to be keeping up decently well with security patches, but will unquestionably lag behind full software updates compared to the Pixel. I don't find that a deal breaker considering the software is already so good and feature-rich in its current state anyway. I go as far to argue that getting day-one software updates is both overrated and more bragging right than actual good considering first round bugs. If you feel similarly, you'll be more than fine with the S8's software.

Ultimately, though, you won't get a bad phone with the Pixel. Far from it. It's camera is tremendous, Google gives you full backups with Photos, and you get the latest software updates directly and quickly from Google. None of that is bad.

There's no way to make a mistake here; I just think the S8 experience trumps the Pixel experience overall. Happy to go into more details if you have questions.

Are u using normal s8? Not the plus? How is the battery life?

 

[epicrayban]

Are u using normal s8? Not the plus? How is the battery life?

Yes, normal S8. I found the Plus too tall and big for me. I'm a "small phone" kind of guy -- got the regular Pixel when I had it, own the regular 6S, and have always generally kept in the 5" range of phones. I've never been a phablet guy for it's physical size, so to gain the advantages of a 5.8" phone that is still ergonomically friendly and comfortable for one-handed use is a big deal to me. That's the true beauty of the edge panel. With that design and technology, Samsung has cornered the market for ergonomic phablets.

The battery life has been great in my experience. I have Always on Display and have no issue making it through long days. But the majority of the time, I'm nearby my wireless chargers, so my battery is always being topped off. Anytime I'm not using the phone, I set it down on my charging stand (not pad, so it's actually upright. I can see and interact with my phone that way). Sometimes I leave work with 100% battery life. As you can see, it's not so much about not having to deal with wires per se; the advantage is more about never thinking or worrying about battery life or things like Screen on Time because you're simply topping it off anytime the device is idle.

Fast charging is also excellent during a pinch.

The S8 is the most worry-free phone I've ever had, and part of that is never thinking about battery life. It's been great.

 

[HiDEF]

Yes had it since day one preorders. I jumped to the Galaxy S8 since there is no cost involved. But any phone will do. Then the next day I returned it and paid the restocking fee. Called CS and canceled the line.

If you don't mind me asking, why did you leave JoD?

 

[nviz22]

If you don't mind me asking, why did you leave JoD?

Probably not worth it if you don't want to upgrade phones.

 

[macfacts]

I've found this thing called a phone ring holder and it makes my s8plus a one handed device easily.