Samsung Galaxy S9

[4RunnerHeaven]

• If price wasn't an issue, I think the iPhone X was the best phone I have owned in the last 6 months.
• I love the feel in the hands and I agree it's really stylish.
• With the Wi-Fi/Airplane mode combo on either phone, I feel like the iPhone standby time edges out the Galaxy.
• It's hard to compare the Note 8/S9+ as those are bigger than 5.8".
• FaceID is good, but I agree it's not as reliable as TouchID since FaceID adds an extra step. However, it overcomes sweaty or wet fingers though and it's only a first gen system.
• iPhone charge times are a joke out of the box with either system. Fast charging should be supported straight out of the box. My 29W charger works fast enough for me though w/ the 8+.
• Apple support might be the best on mobile OS, but it also is a double edged sword. You are hindered by iTunes, Siri, and other aspects of the "walled garden." Samsung improved its repair timing with "UBreakIFix" locations. However, I understand you cannot always visit the repair facility in person and wait the appropriate time they may request. Apple provided me an option to wait 5-7 business days for a MBP battery replacement. Normally, I would take it. However, I need my laptop for three major projects for class and use it also for the basis for day to day affairs.
• Android is what you make of it. It is hardware ubiquitous and can be such a great experience. I like Pure Android's clean nature and flexibility to be tailored. The OP6 allows the bootloader to be unlocked and expands the phone's longevity due to the nature of the dev community. You can minimize lag on a Galaxy and still get a bevy of features.
• I definitely would go back to the iPhone X if I could afford it. Especially when I could trade in my 8+ to a carrier at a later part in the year if the device was on tremendous clearance pricing. I liked FaceID, the OLED display, the new gestures, the camera, the ergonomics. It was finally the first relevant hardware design from Apple in quite some time.
• My leading candidate for my next phone is the OP6 since it's more affordable and within my budget. However, I might go the stopgap phone route and look to sell it within 5-6 months to go after a Pixel 3 since that's my top of the list ideal phone coming out later this year. Gotta get my Android fill w/ timely updates, smooth performance, a major brand, and the best camera on the market.

Yeah, we have no Samsung repair places within 200 miles. So I was forced to send it off. Same with Apple.
[doublepost=1528038494][/doublepost]

I also have a quick question about isyncr.

One of the biggest issues that keeps me going back to iOS is that I have so many iTunes purchases. Over 100 movies and even more important, the entire Twin Peaks series.

Although I don’t watch movies or tv on my phone often (I usually use the Apple TV for that), I like having the option. Will isyncr give me the ability to access those purchases? And if so, could I even download them to an sd card?

If not, any other advice on how to access iTunes purchases on android without having to purchase it all again?

I've never tried that software, but I have 1000s of songs in iTunes, and I just copied them to my android SD Card, and I am done. Movies, I am unsure how that will work honestly. Hopefully someone can help here.

 

[nviz22]

Yeah, we have no Samsung repair places within 200 miles. So I was forced to send it off. Same with Apple.
[doublepost=1528038494][/doublepost]

I've never tried that software, but I have 1000s of songs in iTunes, and I just copied them to my android SD Card, and I am done. Movies, I am unsure how that will work honestly. Hopefully someone can help here.

Chances are you're going to have to deal with long waiting times if you don't have an Apple Store or UBreakIFix nearby. Google does do 2 day air replacement devices, but the advanced exchange still has you without a device for two days if the device is totally unusable.

I am wondering OnePlus does their services now that it's been two years since I last used their device. My friend had the 3 and had it take a week or so to repair the screen.

 

[Michael Goff]

The sun is bright, the grass is green, the sky is blue, and Samsung is doing bad at updating their devices.

https://www.droid-life.com/2018/06/06/samsung-is-failing-to-update-the-galaxy-s9-and-s9-in-the-us/

 

[kkh786]

The sun is bright, the grass is green, the sky is blue, and Samsung is doing bad at updating their devices.

https://www.droid-life.com/2018/06/06/samsung-is-failing-to-update-the-galaxy-s9-and-s9-in-the-us/

I beg to differ.. Samsung have been pretty good with the security updates.. I'm on the May patch at the moment.. still waiting for 8.1 though!?

It must be a regional thing in the US with the security patch delays as per the article.

 

[Fernandez21]

I beg to differ.. Samsung have been pretty good with the security updates.. I'm on the May patch at the moment.. still waiting for 8.1 though!?

It must be a regional thing in the US with the security patch delays as per the article.

Yeah, I'm on at&t and still have the Feb. Security patch.

 

[Michael Goff]

I beg to differ.. Samsung have been pretty good with the security updates.. I'm on the May patch at the moment.. still waiting for 8.1 though!?

It must be a regional thing in the US with the security patch delays as per the article.

If getting updates depends on your region, that’s a bad thing. We wouldn’t be okay with this if Windows or desktop Linux did it. We definitely wouldn’t be okay with this if Apple did it.

 

[nviz22]

The sun is bright, the grass is green, the sky is blue, and Samsung is doing bad at updating their devices.

https://www.droid-life.com/2018/06/06/samsung-is-failing-to-update-the-galaxy-s9-and-s9-in-the-us/

Good thing I am not on Samsung now because it’s a complete disservice to their paying customers.

 

[jamezr]

I beg to differ.. Samsung have been pretty good with the security updates.. I'm on the May patch at the moment.. still waiting for 8.1 though!?

It must be a regional thing in the US with the security patch delays as per the article.

as a whole Samsung has been pretty good with security updates. But lately they have fallen a little behind....

 

[raqball]

Yeah, I'm on at&t and still have the Feb. Security patch.

Same.... 4 months behind and counting..

 

[torana355]

Im on the April security patch here. But i honestly don't care about slow updates. If i did i would not have got a Samsung phone.

 

[yui4]

May update here. Not overly bothered either way but certainly not falling behind badly, at least in my case

 

[sunking101]

Im on the April security patch here. But i honestly don't care about slow updates. If i did i would not have got a Samsung phone.

My N8 is on the May update but I don't care either.
My last phone, a Sony, got Oreo and I never bothered. I kept it on Nougat after reading of bugs on the Sony forums. Missing security patches didn't do me any harm.

 

[Gilligan's last elephant]

My N8 is on the May update but I don't care either.
My last phone, a Sony, got Oreo and I never bothered. I kept it on Nougat after reading of bugs on the Sony forums. Missing security patches didn't do me any harm.

Can I get links to sites which document harm that has occurred to Android users who use a phone without latest security updates?

 

[Fernandez21]

Not having the latest security patch is annoying, but not a big deal to me. However, being a version behind the latest version of Android, and knowing we probably won't get P until sometime next spring is what really bothers me. Not enough to avoid getting Samsung phones, but that along with bloat are probably the things that bother me the mostl about them.

 

[sunking101]

Not having the latest security patch is annoying, but not a big deal to me. However, being a version behind the latest version of Android, and knowing we probably won't get P until sometime next spring is what really bothers me. Not enough to avoid getting Samsung phones, but that along with bloat are probably the things that bother me the mostl about them.

I think that phones are only good for one major software update/new Android release. Whenever I have done the second one, ie Lollypop throught to Nougat it has dealbreakingly slowed the phone or dramatically affected battery life. That's why I updated my old Sony to Nougat but not Oreo. I will take performance and battery life every single time over software upgrades which always bring very little to the table.

 

[Gathomblipoob]

I tested a Galaxy S9 Plus a few weeks ago during my exodus from AT&T to Verizon (Verizon's signal is much better where I live and work). I'm an iPhone user, but I've tried several Android flagships over the years. If I hadn't forgotten that I'd recently bought an Apple Watch Series 3, I would have kept the S9 Plus.

This was the first time that all the important apps I used on my iPhone worked well on their Android versions. I really missed iMessage, especially for sending video content, but I used Hangouts (I know it's not the most current choice out there) and it worked great for that purpose.

Build quality with the S9 Plus was outstanding, and the UI was very quick and smooth. The display was great. The first thing I do with any Android phone is invoke Developer Options and turn the animations completely off, something I wish I could do on an iPhone (and no, Reduce Motion is not completely turning off the animations).

I still love using my iPhone, but I may go back to the S9 Plus at some point, especially as I'm about to try to sell my Watch.

 

[Macalicious2011]

Build quality with the S9 Plus was outstanding, and the UI was very quick and smooth.

Yes. The S9 Models have a lovely pebble stone feel to them thanks to the rounded corners and curved glass. From a design and build quality point of view they are y favorites.

 

[Harthag]

I tested a Galaxy S9 Plus a few weeks ago during my exodus from AT&T to Verizon (Verizon's signal is much better where I live and work). I'm an iPhone user, but I've tried several Android flagships over the years. If I hadn't forgotten that I'd recently bought an Apple Watch Series 3, I would have kept the S9 Plus.

This was the first time that all the important apps I used on my iPhone worked well on their Android versions. I really missed iMessage, especially for sending video content, but I used Hangouts (I know it's not the most current choice out there) and it worked great for that purpose.

Build quality with the S9 Plus was outstanding, and the UI was very quick and smooth. The display was great. The first thing I do with any Android phone is invoke Developer Options and turn the animations completely off, something I wish I could do an iPhone (and no, Reduce Motion is not completely turning off the animations).

I still love using my iPhone, but I may go back to the S9 Plus at some point, especially as I'm about to try to sell my Watch.

How do you keep the options you choose in Developer Options enabled? Every time I change something it reverts back to how it was, even if I keep the Developer Options window open in the background.

Lack of security updates is a minor annoyance, I accepted it when I bought it. I don't do shady things on my phone and don't install random apps either. Samsung web browser + AdGuard is awesome. As is native support for full screen immersive mode. Samsung Pay rocks. Speakers are the best I've heard on any smart phone...better than my old iPhone X and 8.

The positives far outweigh the negatives on the S9, I've been using the S9 as my daily driver since March. I've tried the LG V30, Pixel 2, Pixel 2XL. The V30 was crap in every way (to me), no need to expand on that. Pixel 2 has deal breaking black crush issues and you need to use a 3rd party app just to regulate auto-brightness. Pixel 2XL had the bright screen flashing issues that apparently have finally been resolved (only took Google 7 months) with the June update, among other weird issues like earpiece speaker clipping, bush league screen.

8.0 on the S9 is a much more complete experience than 8.1 on the Pixels. Nothing I can't do on 8.0 that I could do on the Pixels. Pure Android is great but at times it is "too pure / vanilla." Combine all of the above with a fantastic / ergonomic form factor and equally fantastic screen with no notch, and I have a winner in the S9. Verizon just got the May update so that's fine with me. Headphone jack and SD card slot are gravy.

When Android P drops in the fall, I'll just buy a Pixel 3. And if history repeats itself it'll be a miss rather than a hit (I really hope Google hits one out of the park finally), and I'll buy the S10 next spring. Around and around we go.

 

[Gathomblipoob]

How do you keep the options you choose in Developer Options enabled? Every time I change something it reverts back to how it was, even if I keep the Developer Options window open in the background.

I never had the options revert on any Android phone I've used.

 

[Harthag]

I never had the options revert on any Android phone I've used.

I had issues with blue tooth settings sticking and sRGB mode sticking. Tried again, disabling animations does stick. So it is setting by setting I guess.

 

[Klyster]

I was surprised to read the S9 is the best selling phone globally, out-selling the X recently!

Not bad Samsung..

 

[Fernandez21]

I was surprised to read the S9 is the best selling phone globally, out-selling the X recently!

Not bad Samsung..

It's an awesome handset. While I like the iPhone X better, at the price you can find the S9 these days, it's very hard for me to recommend the X over the S9.

 

[4RunnerHeaven]

I was surprised to read the S9 is the best selling phone globally, out-selling the X recently!

Not bad Samsung..

Probably because they already had to discount the new phones to get them to sell. Apple didn't need too.

 

[sunking101]

Probably because they already had to discount the new phones to get them to sell. Apple didn't need too.

Apple shoot themselves in the foot with pricing. Phones like any other tech should come down in price the longer they are on sale. How many sales do Apple lose because people don't want to pay full price for a phone that has been out 8/9/10 months already?

 

[Fernandez21]

Apple shoot themselves in the foot with pricing. Phones like any other tech should come down in price the longer they are on sale. How many sales do Apple lose because people don't want to pay full price for a phone that has been out 8/9/10 months already?

This is why iPhone sales fall off after a couple of months, since at that point people would rather wait and get the newest model for the same price. It's also why there is huge demand at launch, there is no advantage in waiting.