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three

Cancelled
Jan 22, 2008
1,484
1,225
I looked around my Best Buy this morning and they didn't have the phones out yet... Maybe next time I'm around that area (which will be tomorrow).
 

spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,488
5,413
most of the bloat can be disabled. i will miss titanium dearly with the note 4...will have to rely on helium to migrate from note 3.

Why no titanium? that's the first thing ill install on my N4.

I saw one at BB today, freaking amazing, surpassed all my expectations.
 

Zwhaler

macrumors 604
Jun 10, 2006
7,267
1,965
I looked around my Best Buy this morning and they didn't have the phones out yet... Maybe next time I'm around that area (which will be tomorrow).

Maybe... also they are for stores with the "Samsung Experience Shop"
 

tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,467
5,097
Why no titanium? that's the first thing ill install on my N4.

I saw one at BB today, freaking amazing, surpassed all my expectations.

Doesn't Titanium require root? Unless you're using a T Mobile model, that could be problematic, at least initially.
 

SteelBlueTJ

macrumors 6502
Apr 2, 2012
445
67
USA
I saw it today and it was amazing. I never had an Android phone so I'm a little hesitant to jump into the waters. My upgrade date is fast approaching and I'm now having trouble deciding between the 6 Plus or the Note 4. After seeing the Note 4 today, I am seriously considering it over the 6 plus. Only downside would be easily syncing with my iMac. Do Android phones work with macs very well? Can I still put all my iTunes music and movies on them?
 

sotorious

macrumors 6502a
Aug 11, 2010
655
46
Played with the note 4 today and damn that thing is sweet. Really wish the icons would take from vanilla android. The iphone 6 plus just looks like a mess. Like the icons are just plastered on the screen vs my 5s if I was going to go iphone again it would be the regular 6. This 6 plus just looks "stretched".

I think I am def getting the note 4 unless the nexus line gives me some info before the release of the note. I need to keep my iPhone handy though as I am releasing an app here in the next couple weeks for testing and such before I port the app over to android.
 

ItHurtsWhenIP

macrumors 6502
Aug 20, 2013
409
28
'Merica!
Can I still put all my iTunes music and movies on them?

Google's music service can be set up to stream your iTunes library. To listen offline you have to download each file..

http://www.androidcentral.com/how-get-your-itunes-music-your-android

I use a MacBook and an android phone (was on android long before owning a Mac), Google is pretty easy to handle, but I rarely connect my phone to a computer...most things are app based and most have apps on both platforms.
 

lavrishevo

macrumors 68000
Jan 9, 2007
1,864
204
NJ
Already pre-ordered mine. Ships the 14th. Whoohoo. :D

I was going to get the 6+ but decided on the Note 4 instead.
 

Rangomango

macrumors member
Jun 25, 2012
94
2
Got some hands on time today at Best Buy, here are my $.02

Beautiful screen, like really nice!
Very surprised about no animation lag (dat 805 dough)
Rear speaker is about as loud as the s5, audio quality sucked (why does samsung keep cheaping out here??)

Touchwiz looks a lot better, but is still pretty similar to last year's note. In recent apps, things were taking a second or two to load once clicked. Even with retail mode on, this thing should still zip through apps.

Front cam, even though its a higher megapixel count, still "ehh" on the quality.

I think I may stick with the g3 for now...

Thanks for reading!
 

lavrishevo

macrumors 68000
Jan 9, 2007
1,864
204
NJ
One thing I don't understand is that people who don't like Touchwiz don't have to use it. There are all kinds of launchers out there. Nova Prime is what I love. It's not like you are stuck with Touchwiz no matter what Samsung device you have.
 

Rangomango

macrumors member
Jun 25, 2012
94
2
One thing I don't understand is that people who don't like Touchwiz don't have to use it. There are all kinds of launchers out there. Nova Prime is what I love. It's not like you are stuck with Touchwiz no matter what Samsung device you have.

I wish it were this easy, touchwiz is a framework, not just a launcher. Its heavily baked into the OS.
 

tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,467
5,097
I wish it were this easy, touchwiz is a framework, not just a launcher. Its heavily baked into the OS.

Thank you. Anyone who thinks a launcher alone removes all elements of TW has no idea what they're talking about.
 

lavrishevo

macrumors 68000
Jan 9, 2007
1,864
204
NJ
I wish it were this easy, touchwiz is a framework, not just a launcher. Its heavily baked into the OS.

Yes, but some of the lag in the launcher is what everyone seems to complain about. Nova Prime gives you all kinds of great configuration options and uses less ram in my test. Fantastic launcher with great configuration options.
 

ItHurtsWhenIP

macrumors 6502
Aug 20, 2013
409
28
'Merica!
Thank you. Anyone who thinks a launcher alone removes all elements of TW has no idea what they're talking about.

What stays when you disable it? I disabled it on my Tab Pro and don't notice any remnants now that I'm using Nova launcher or Google launcher.

The health apps? Dialer?
 

SHNXX

macrumors 68000
Oct 2, 2013
1,901
663
I saw it today and it was amazing. I never had an Android phone so I'm a little hesitant to jump into the waters. My upgrade date is fast approaching and I'm now having trouble deciding between the 6 Plus or the Note 4. After seeing the Note 4 today, I am seriously considering it over the 6 plus. Only downside would be easily syncing with my iMac. Do Android phones work with macs very well? Can I still put all my iTunes music and movies on them?


No it doesn't play well with it.
Everything will require some pain in the ass new junky application and workarounds.
I have a note2 and gave up on it except when I'm traveling (it's unlocked vs Verizon iPhone locked).
 

tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,467
5,097
What stays when you disable it? I disabled it on my Tab Pro and don't notice any remnants now that I'm using Nova launcher or Google launcher.

The health apps? Dialer?

Doesn't change any of the Notification panel, any of the Samsung apps or settings. Don't believe the Magazine UI (or whatever it's now called, powered by Flipboard) can be removed.

I opened up the Task Manager on a Note 4 today and closed all available apps and processes--still said 1.7 GB of RAM was being used. What the hell takes so much RAM?
 

Oohara

macrumors 68040
Jun 28, 2012
3,050
2,423
Got some hands on time today at Best Buy, here are my $.02

Beautiful screen, like really nice!
Very surprised about no animation lag (dat 805 dough)
Rear speaker is about as loud as the s5, audio quality sucked (why does samsung keep cheaping out here??)

Touchwiz looks a lot better, but is still pretty similar to last year's note. In recent apps, things were taking a second or two to load once clicked. Even with retail mode on, this thing should still zip through apps.

Front cam, even though its a higher megapixel count, still "ehh" on the quality.

I think I may stick with the g3 for now...

Thanks for reading!

That sucks about the speaker, though I'm not surprised. Strange that Samsung doesn't get this. Audio is important for such an incredible media consumption device.

Sad that they can't streamline TW more in terms of performance. Again, not surprised. In the end it's a tradeoff that I've come to accept but honestly it still irritates the beshizzles out of me.

Thank you. Anyone who thinks a launcher alone removes all elements of TW has no idea what they're talking about.

One up mate. You can change the face of the thing but every time you open notifications, settings, the dialer (unless you find a good alternative) etc., that trademark Sammy snot green/fugly design will be there to punch you right in the face.

I swear, Samsung just hire a competent design team already and stop being so god damn stubborn about your UI :confused:
 

Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,725
13,245
UK
Doesn't change any of the Notification panel, any of the Samsung apps or settings. Don't believe the Magazine UI (or whatever it's now called, powered by Flipboard) can be removed.

I opened up the Task Manager on a Note 4 today and closed all available apps and processes--still said 1.7 GB of RAM was being used. What the hell takes so much RAM?

It can be removed on the S5 and Note 3 so hope the note 4 follows suit. I've also managed to neutralise it on the tab pro 10.1.
 

cdmoore74

macrumors 68020
Jun 24, 2010
2,413
711
Being a Note 3 owner that got an 4.7" iPhone 6 here are my impressions.

1. The phone looks and feels very solid. I agree with Samsung by taking away USB 3.0; it was a hassle to use and the phone looks cleaner at the bottom. And I tend to use WiFi transfer much more anyway. I personally don't like the white model with the white side trim. They should have left the metal it's natural color. Not sure how the black one will look.

2. The screen overall is brighter and is approaching the brightness of iPhone 6. I just couldn't make out the high resolution difference vs my Note 3 but with Gear VR you need that higher resolution. No complaints in the screen department.

3. The speed difference is not noticeable when launching apps. Some apps open faster on the Note 4 and some open just as fast on the Note 3. I have never complained about the slowness of my Note 3.

4. You still have TouchWiz but it does look new. I just wish Samsung would have went the Motorola way by adding in their special features with the stock look of Android. That rain drop sound effect drives me crazy and I prefer the stock Android switches and menus. Maybe they should give more advanced users the choice to go stock look within a menu setting.

5. But my biggest negative is that I have owned the Note 2 and Note 3 for 2 years now. After 20 minutes of playing with the phone I felt "bored" because I've been a Note owner for some time now. It's the reason why I got the 4.7" iPhone 6; I want something fresh. But when you play with the iPhone it's more about the limitations that draw me back to using my Note 3.
If I go from the Note 3 to iPhone 6 it feels fresh because I haven't used iOS and it's a smaller phone. If I go from iPhone 6 to Note 3 it feels like I'm upgrading. But when I play with the Note 4 it feels like I'm in for the same ride. I'm basically in smartphone purgatory.

But I can say for sure that if you never owned a Android device or if you're coming from a Note 2 you will be very happy with the Note 4. After the landscape mode on the iPhone 6 plus all you have left is a huge iPhone. But coming from the Note 3 the decision is very difficult. The Note 3 is still a very capable phone and if you're not interested in Gear VR it's not a major upgrade. I truly feel that the Note 3 beats the newer iPhone 6 plus. With the Note 4 there is no contest.
 

Oohara

macrumors 68040
Jun 28, 2012
3,050
2,423
Being a Note 3 owner that got an 4.7" iPhone 6 here are my impressions.

1. The phone looks and feels very solid. I agree with Samsung by taking away USB 3.0; it was a hassle to use and the phone looks cleaner at the bottom. And I tend to use WiFi transfer much more anyway. I personally don't like the white model with the white side trim. They should have left the metal it's natural color. Not sure how the black one will look.

2. The screen overall is brighter and is approaching the brightness of iPhone 6. I just couldn't make out the high resolution difference vs my Note 3 but with Gear VR you need that higher resolution. No complaints in the screen department.

3. The speed difference is not noticeable when launching apps. Some apps open faster on the Note 4 and some open just as fast on the Note 3. I have never complained about the slowness of my Note 3.

4. You still have TouchWiz but it does look new. I just wish Samsung would have went the Motorola way by adding in their special features with the stock look of Android. That rain drop sound effect drives me crazy and I prefer the stock Android switches and menus. Maybe they should give more advanced users the choice to go stock look within a menu setting.

5. But my biggest negative is that I have owned the Note 2 and Note 3 for 2 years now. After 20 minutes of playing with the phone I felt "bored" because I've been a Note owner for some time now. It's the reason why I got the 4.7" iPhone 6; I want something fresh. But when you play with the iPhone it's more about the limitations that draw me back to using my Note 3.
If I go from the Note 3 to iPhone 6 it feels fresh because I haven't used iOS and it's a smaller phone. If I go from iPhone 6 to Note 3 it feels like I'm upgrading. But when I play with the Note 4 it feels like I'm in for the same ride. I'm basically in smartphone purgatory.

But I can say for sure that if you never owned a Android device or if you're coming from a Note 2 you will be very happy with the Note 4. After the landscape mode on the iPhone 6 plus all you have left is a huge iPhone. But coming from the Note 3 the decision is very difficult. The Note 3 is still a very capable phone and if you're not interested in Gear VR it's not a major upgrade. I truly feel that the Note 3 beats the newer iPhone 6 plus. With the Note 4 there is no contest.
Thanks for another balanced and useful perspective. :)

On the brightness, I have not tested the N4 myself but I think you need to enable auto brightness to reach the full brightness potential in strong light surroundings, according to DisplayMate the N4 has a lot higher max brightness than the 6/Plus.

The upgrade from N3 is incremental sure, but at least for me personally it is kind of huge as I am a bit OCD about design. That tiny change to length/width ratio of the whole device footprint makes such a huge difference IMO.
 

Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,725
13,245
UK
Thanks for another balanced and useful perspective. :)

On the brightness, I have not tested the N4 myself but I think you need to enable auto brightness to reach the full brightness potential in strong light surroundings, according to DisplayMate the N4 has a lot higher max brightness than the 6/Plus.

The upgrade from N3 is incremental sure, but at least for me personally it is kind of huge as I am a bit OCD about design. That tiny change to length/width ratio of the whole device footprint makes such a huge difference IMO.

The camera upgrade is huge.
 

Zwhaler

macrumors 604
Jun 10, 2006
7,267
1,965
I saw it today and it was amazing. I never had an Android phone so I'm a little hesitant to jump into the waters. My upgrade date is fast approaching and I'm now having trouble deciding between the 6 Plus or the Note 4. After seeing the Note 4 today, I am seriously considering it over the 6 plus. Only downside would be easily syncing with my iMac. Do Android phones work with macs very well? Can I still put all my iTunes music and movies on them?

You can sync music and videos as you please, as long as there isn't DRM. I dragged my music library on to the SD card using my computer and it transferred.

----------

Touchwiz looks a lot better, but is still pretty similar to last year's note. In recent apps, things were taking a second or two to load once clicked. Even with retail mode on, this thing should still zip through apps.

Try enabling developer mode and disabling all animations.
 

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
I was told last week the demo would be out Friday. I have no intention of getting one, not even remotely, but I will check it out.
 

spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,488
5,413
Doesn't Titanium require root? Unless you're using a T Mobile model, that could be problematic, at least initially.

Some features do. I was initially going to get the Tmobile note 4 for use on ATT, but I've heard from a lot of users that it had issues with reception and LTE. I don't think I have a choice, I have to eat the locked bootloader of the ATT version. It's not a huge hit, the only rooted things I used were Xposed modules and titanium.
 

lavrishevo

macrumors 68000
Jan 9, 2007
1,864
204
NJ
I played with the Note 4 today at Best Buy. Very nice indeed. No lag at all no matter what I did. Lovely front and rear camera and the screen looks incredible. The S pen was nice too. Can't wait for my preorder to ship. Very nice phone.
 
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