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Went to Note 3 for a week, back to iOS 7 and iPhone 5S.
- Thread starter Jinzen
- Start date
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Same here. No random reboot or hang. I have more than 150 apps and games installed. I dont care about free RAM like some people here do. Since I got the phone 3 weeks ago, I have never restarted it and it still performs without lag. And in that time, I have run most of the apps I installed. Many of the apps are service-based apps running in the background - whatsapp, line, facebook, g+, skype, twitter, viber, chaton, tasker, battery monitor widget, s-health, yahoo stock, accu weather and quite a few others.
I also went from Android back to iOS. But I was also fair about it and listed the pro's of Android and the cons of iOS, and vice versa.
When you only make criticisms, it makes you sound pretty biased.
I question if you really used a Note 3 because I can run a boatload of apps at once without experiencing any slowdown whatsoever.
----------
Actually he bought a Samsung device expecting it to behave like a Nexus device.
I went from and iPhone 5 to GS4 back to an iPhone 5S.
The reasons are numerous but very simply I wanted the more refined and polished platform as a daily driver
You only learn this by experimenting and hands on experience.
The reasons are numerous but very simply I wanted the more refined and polished platform as a daily driver
You only learn this by experimenting and hands on experience.
Yes, like I would waste my time posting such things.
The Note 3 would have been a great device if it was only a Nexus Note 3 (available on Verizon).
The OP is obviously biased and total troll :roll eyes:
I went from Samsung GS2 -> iPhone 5 and now back to JB 4.3 Galaxy Note 3 and for the 15 days of extensive use, I have to tell you apple hipsters there's no way in hell it is even comparable to an iPhone 5; that is the iPhone 5 looks like a 1990 cell phone in comparison to a note 3.
* 3GB RAM - I've not had one app crash due to low memory. In fact, with JB 4.3, it's the most stable and smooth lag free OS from android ever. This is the very first device I have to say that really, really surpasses my expectations
* 5.7" super AMOLED full HD 1920x1080p - say what you will about AMOLED, but it's fantastic. A phablet sized screen vs. a compact iPhone 4" screen? Well, of course the 4" screen is much more portable but then again, the 5.7" designed on this Note 3 is really not too bad at all.
* Simultaneous VOICE AND DATA on VERIZON; you can't even begin to hate the iPhone without thinking about not being able to do voice and data at the same time. On the note 3, you just use it while on calls works flawlessly.
* S-Pen - pressure sensitive precision pen that just works wonderfully. I was very surprised but the fact it works so so well, I'm sold on it.
* Expandable memory storage: 64GB SDXC card I am using giving me over 90GB of space. You can't even imagine being locked onto a non-expandable device anymore.
* Removable battery/ REPLACEABLE battery - so significant because at the full unsubsidized pricing, I expect this to last a few years and with a replaceable battery i can add on ZeroLemon batteries and simply keep this thing running for a long time. My ipHone 3GS the other day just exploded - the battery bulged so badly and completely separated the chassis and backing.
* LAG FREE fully customizable UI - you don't have to deal with the same old same old like iOS 7 - seriously, nearly 7 years and this is just lipstick on a pig. Don't like a web browser, go ahead and try a different one. Don't like ads? Adblocker plugins. Don't like the way apps are arranged, use a different launcher. The possibilities are just endless and it's not difficult to do. You don't even have to root anything.
* OPENVPN support; full VPN support. Always on VPN. Man, you can't even get this on an iOS device, pathetic at best on iOS when your wifi drops, so does you're VPN.
* Samsung camera options, my god, there is just way too many features:
720p Slow motion, 60fps 1080p, 4K video recording which is NOT a gimmick, LED flash that looks just as good as the iPhone 5S if not even better. All these video recording features! Dual video camera recording simultaneously; full digital stabilization for BOTH front and rear cameras. 13MP rear camera, 2MP front camera. Custom WB, selectable exposure settings, face detection, action mode, 360 panorama mode, HDR, self timers, ISO control, burst shot mode, you name it it's got it. There's no way anyone will say the NOTE3's camera sucks or it's features/options suck vs an iPhone 5S. Sure the 5S maybe a lot better at low light but the note 3's camera does not suck not even close
* NFC with NFC Secure Element SIM for tap and pay. Bluetooth 4LE plus all advanced BT modes. Wireless WIFI direct. Wireless AC/N/G/B/A 5GHz supported.
* LTE cat 4 support!
* adaptive voice filtering dsp while on calls; also has 3 microphones
* GPS features that actually work great!
* audio profiles, can use almost any audio format you want, any ringtones you want, LED notification lights, LED rear flash alerts
* GLOVE mode; super sensitive capacitive touch mode where eyou can wear gloves and still use the device!
* 3200mAH battery; seriously good battery life!
* any type of keyboard you want to install is available!
* JB 4.3 notifications!!!! Everything is done with a swipe, notifications of incoming messages, etc all easily accessible unlike iOS' notification
*the list goes on and on and on; Samsung hit the ball out of the park for performance and for features. It's quite outstanding
The BAD:
* complicated UI if coming from iOS; obviously iOS is really dumbed down but in a good way for noobs to come and use a smart phone.
* plastic body is a 5/10 for me, iPhone 5 is a 10/10!
* faux leather stitching on back cover and faux metal rim around phone is a real turn off but case covering whole phone to the rescue!
* super AMOLED; potential screen burn in issues but that's to be seen
* not all LTE bands supported unlike iPhone 5S where it's truly global LTE device
* price tag for a plastic phone! I paid $700+
* android 4.3 upgradeable; to be seen considering how pathetic android is when it comes to updates. Apple will always mop the floor with android when it comes to updates.
* quirks and possibility to wipe entire OS from phone if you don't know what you are doing.
* Viruses/malware potential problems on this platform. With this much computing power and openness, it's guaranteed to attract these sorts of problems.
* Too big for one handed use even if it includes a one handed mode where it will shrink screen to allow for one left or right hand use.
* Samsung branding. I guess if you are a hipster and want luxury, you don't want anything except apple branding of course!
Seriously, this note 3 is the best smartphone I've had in a long long long time. In fact it's ridiculously good, I gave up my iPhone 5. After having tried iOS 7 since beta 1 and being so disappointed, I decided it was time to move on. I'm not gonna wait for a 5" iPhone but then even if it were to come out, it's still iOS.
Don't get me wrong, apple is great at software/hardware optimizations to make their devices fast as heck but it's like they have these new A7 processors but seriously gimp their performance by including 1GB ram. And don't even say it doesn't matter because it does. Constant crashing to springboard do to low memory and overall you can argue the 1GB is befitting for an iOS device because well, it's just not very good compared to a real computing platform like android thus android needed more memory is a must.
You cannot fault this device because it's either you have not really used it extensively to review all the features or you are just unwilling to give up apple's ecosystem. Do you know what I feel nowadays about the ecosystem?
Google+ with hangouts (multi user FaceTime features; I conferenced 4-way video call with some friends and it's fantastic! Whenever someone talks, it shows their screen! I can do messaging, everything as well. There is no limit to upload capacity if you upload images at 2048x2048. Google will allow you to upload full max resolutions. Even 4K video if you must. You have full 360 panorama images to view, you can basically do everything apple does but 10x better. 15GB is free!
Now on to iTunes match: sure you think google music doesn't have it? WRONG: they give you 20,000 songs to upload FOR FREE! it also scans the tracks and matches with their music service as well. Of course it's no where close to apple's iTunes deletions but guess what, I can upload all my iTunes tracks onto google music and get it streamed for FREE!
There's just so much google has to offer that it makes apple's ecosystem really pale these days. To top it off, it's all free and with paid subscription you get a ton more space vs apple's paid options.
Seriously folks, apple is just resting on their laurels and if you really think this note 3 sucks, then you are really an apple biased iSheep. I hate to tell you but there's no way in hell I would go back to the iOS iPhone ever. Their tablets, well, that's a different story; they are unmatched at the moment due to the apps!! Android tablet apps are so bad and so little
But android on phone is just unparalleled. No way in hell apple can match up.
On a last note, would I recommend this note 3 for people like my mom? Or my relatives? absolutely NOT. Because android is such an open and powerful computing platform, they will just have issues from time to time for I have encournted numerous problems such as google now eating up my battery, having to disable a ton of bloatware, things of that nature attached to every android device.
I would still recommend an iPhone IF they don't want to learn how to use android or if they just want a phone that is basic in features and just don't want to muck around when problems happen. But that 4" screen and iOS 7 for me is just too weak. I'm sorry apple, it's time to stop the hand holding; everyone knows how to use a smartphone now and I can only see how much more power android is going to get.
For tablets, I would still recommend iPads period. The apps and experience on a tablet is just phenomenal. Sure the specs suck but because of the lack of apps on android and the polish isn't just there yet, i would recommend iPads.
But in 2014, you will see how much more value android tablets will give you vs. any iPad. Mark my words, apple will not stay on top for long because people are starting to see the value they get from their iDevices vs the competitors. Build quality can only get you so far.
I went from Samsung GS2 -> iPhone 5 and now back to JB 4.3 Galaxy Note 3 and for the 15 days of extensive use, I have to tell you apple hipsters there's no way in hell it is even comparable to an iPhone 5; that is the iPhone 5 looks like a 1990 cell phone in comparison to a note 3.
* 3GB RAM - I've not had one app crash due to low memory. In fact, with JB 4.3, it's the most stable and smooth lag free OS from android ever. This is the very first device I have to say that really, really surpasses my expectations
* 5.7" super AMOLED full HD 1920x1080p - say what you will about AMOLED, but it's fantastic. A phablet sized screen vs. a compact iPhone 4" screen? Well, of course the 4" screen is much more portable but then again, the 5.7" designed on this Note 3 is really not too bad at all.
* Simultaneous VOICE AND DATA on VERIZON; you can't even begin to hate the iPhone without thinking about not being able to do voice and data at the same time. On the note 3, you just use it while on calls works flawlessly.
* S-Pen - pressure sensitive precision pen that just works wonderfully. I was very surprised but the fact it works so so well, I'm sold on it.
* Expandable memory storage: 64GB SDXC card I am using giving me over 90GB of space. You can't even imagine being locked onto a non-expandable device anymore.
* Removable battery/ REPLACEABLE battery - so significant because at the full unsubsidized pricing, I expect this to last a few years and with a replaceable battery i can add on ZeroLemon batteries and simply keep this thing running for a long time. My ipHone 3GS the other day just exploded - the battery bulged so badly and completely separated the chassis and backing.
* LAG FREE fully customizable UI - you don't have to deal with the same old same old like iOS 7 - seriously, nearly 7 years and this is just lipstick on a pig. Don't like a web browser, go ahead and try a different one. Don't like ads? Adblocker plugins. Don't like the way apps are arranged, use a different launcher. The possibilities are just endless and it's not difficult to do. You don't even have to root anything.
* OPENVPN support; full VPN support. Always on VPN. Man, you can't even get this on an iOS device, pathetic at best on iOS when your wifi drops, so does you're VPN.
* Samsung camera options, my god, there is just way too many features:
720p Slow motion, 60fps 1080p, 4K video recording which is NOT a gimmick, LED flash that looks just as good as the iPhone 5S if not even better. All these video recording features! Dual video camera recording simultaneously; full digital stabilization for BOTH front and rear cameras. 13MP rear camera, 2MP front camera. Custom WB, selectable exposure settings, face detection, action mode, 360 panorama mode, HDR, self timers, ISO control, burst shot mode, you name it it's got it. There's no way anyone will say the NOTE3's camera sucks or it's features/options suck vs an iPhone 5S. Sure the 5S maybe a lot better at low light but the note 3's camera does not suck not even close
* NFC with NFC Secure Element SIM for tap and pay. Bluetooth 4LE plus all advanced BT modes. Wireless WIFI direct. Wireless AC/N/G/B/A 5GHz supported.
* LTE cat 4 support!
* adaptive voice filtering dsp while on calls; also has 3 microphones
* GPS features that actually work great!
* audio profiles, can use almost any audio format you want, any ringtones you want, LED notification lights, LED rear flash alerts
* GLOVE mode; super sensitive capacitive touch mode where eyou can wear gloves and still use the device!
* 3200mAH battery; seriously good battery life!
* any type of keyboard you want to install is available!
* JB 4.3 notifications!!!! Everything is done with a swipe, notifications of incoming messages, etc all easily accessible unlike iOS' notification
*the list goes on and on and on; Samsung hit the ball out of the park for performance and for features. It's quite outstanding
The BAD:
* complicated UI if coming from iOS; obviously iOS is really dumbed down but in a good way for noobs to come and use a smart phone.
* plastic body is a 5/10 for me, iPhone 5 is a 10/10!
* faux leather stitching on back cover and faux metal rim around phone is a real turn off but case covering whole phone to the rescue!
* super AMOLED; potential screen burn in issues but that's to be seen
* not all LTE bands supported unlike iPhone 5S where it's truly global LTE device
* price tag for a plastic phone! I paid $700+
* android 4.3 upgradeable; to be seen considering how pathetic android is when it comes to updates. Apple will always mop the floor with android when it comes to updates.
* quirks and possibility to wipe entire OS from phone if you don't know what you are doing.
* Viruses/malware potential problems on this platform. With this much computing power and openness, it's guaranteed to attract these sorts of problems.
* Too big for one handed use even if it includes a one handed mode where it will shrink screen to allow for one left or right hand use.
* Samsung branding. I guess if you are a hipster and want luxury, you don't want anything except apple branding of course!
Seriously, this note 3 is the best smartphone I've had in a long long long time. In fact it's ridiculously good, I gave up my iPhone 5. After having tried iOS 7 since beta 1 and being so disappointed, I decided it was time to move on. I'm not gonna wait for a 5" iPhone but then even if it were to come out, it's still iOS.
Don't get me wrong, apple is great at software/hardware optimizations to make their devices fast as heck but it's like they have these new A7 processors but seriously gimp their performance by including 1GB ram. And don't even say it doesn't matter because it does. Constant crashing to springboard do to low memory and overall you can argue the 1GB is befitting for an iOS device because well, it's just not very good compared to a real computing platform like android thus android needed more memory is a must.
You cannot fault this device because it's either you have not really used it extensively to review all the features or you are just unwilling to give up apple's ecosystem. Do you know what I feel nowadays about the ecosystem?
Google+ with hangouts (multi user FaceTime features; I conferenced 4-way video call with some friends and it's fantastic! Whenever someone talks, it shows their screen! I can do messaging, everything as well. There is no limit to upload capacity if you upload images at 2048x2048. Google will allow you to upload full max resolutions. Even 4K video if you must. You have full 360 panorama images to view, you can basically do everything apple does but 10x better. 15GB is free!
Now on to iTunes match: sure you think google music doesn't have it? WRONG: they give you 20,000 songs to upload FOR FREE! it also scans the tracks and matches with their music service as well. Of course it's no where close to apple's iTunes deletions but guess what, I can upload all my iTunes tracks onto google music and get it streamed for FREE!
There's just so much google has to offer that it makes apple's ecosystem really pale these days. To top it off, it's all free and with paid subscription you get a ton more space vs apple's paid options.
Seriously folks, apple is just resting on their laurels and if you really think this note 3 sucks, then you are really an apple biased iSheep. I hate to tell you but there's no way in hell I would go back to the iOS iPhone ever. Their tablets, well, that's a different story; they are unmatched at the moment due to the apps!! Android tablet apps are so bad and so little
But android on phone is just unparalleled. No way in hell apple can match up.
On a last note, would I recommend this note 3 for people like my mom? Or my relatives? absolutely NOT. Because android is such an open and powerful computing platform, they will just have issues from time to time for I have encournted numerous problems such as google now eating up my battery, having to disable a ton of bloatware, things of that nature attached to every android device.
I would still recommend an iPhone IF they don't want to learn how to use android or if they just want a phone that is basic in features and just don't want to muck around when problems happen. But that 4" screen and iOS 7 for me is just too weak. I'm sorry apple, it's time to stop the hand holding; everyone knows how to use a smartphone now and I can only see how much more power android is going to get.
For tablets, I would still recommend iPads period. The apps and experience on a tablet is just phenomenal. Sure the specs suck but because of the lack of apps on android and the polish isn't just there yet, i would recommend iPads.
But in 2014, you will see how much more value android tablets will give you vs. any iPad. Mark my words, apple will not stay on top for long because people are starting to see the value they get from their iDevices vs the competitors. Build quality can only get you so far.
^^ wow, nice unbiased review. I agree with pretty much everything and I have both a Note 3 and iPhone 5.
Very well said.
Very well said.
Note 3 vs IP5s categorized. There are so many things that Note3 can do that Iphone5s can't. This really shows how far behind iphone5s is behind.
HARDWARE
========
- Bigger 5.7inch + AMOLED + Gorilla 3 glass screen. Some may say AMOLED is not as good as IPS screen on IP5s but if you have compared both screens side-by-side, the IP5s screen looks so dull and washout compared to the vibrant AMOLED with its deep black and high contrast. I bet 9/10 people would like the AMOLED more. Even sunlight legibility is as good as the brighter IP5s screen. And the Note3 screen is very tough as shown in this video.
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Drop...er-Samsung-Galaxy-Note-3-vs-iPhone-5s_id48199
- Internal storage up to 128GB (64 + upto 64Gb microSD) + Free 50GB drop-box. You want to strangle someone looking at the cut-throat price Apple charge for extra storage (32Gb extra costs $100 whereas an equivalent external microSD costs $20)
- Removable battery for the extremely heavy users. Or just pop in a new battery when the current battery EOL without needing to send your phone in to repair center. Also, Note 3 has such long battery life which can lasts 7 hours of screen on time over a 24 hours period.
- Camera with so much more capabilities than IP5s - higher pixel for both front and back camera, front/back shot, cinema shot, 4K video, stereo recording etc etc.
- USB To Go (direct connect to portable drive, keyboard, game controller, usb-hub etc). You can plug your portable/usb drive directly to phone and it will show up as a disk in the phone. You can then watch movie or copy huge files directly from the portable drive. The phone can power the portable drive hence you don't need external power source.
- unrestricted BlueTooth/Wifi-Direct/USB3 file transfer. Most devices (except Apple) have this. To transfer huge video files to phone via USB ==> just plug-in phone to ANY PC and drag and drop files to phone. Compared this to the horrendous ordeal you have to go thru to get huge video files into Iphone 5S - get itunes a/c, install itunes (works only on that one PC - totally useless for adhoc situations) and finally wait and wait for itunes to covert the video files into internal format. Some of you may say they use iCloud. That's even more tedious with long wait time to load to icloud and then wasting battery/data to stream to phone and not to mention the limited icloud storage space.
- NFC - direct beam, automate phone tasks with TecTiles, NFC payment, screen sharing etc. And the support of DLNA (stream to DLNA-enabled TV/devices without needing costly adapter).
- Screen Mirroring: MHL/HDMI cable allows showing phone screen on ANY TV without needing to lug around bulky and expensive AppleTV box. Very convenient for holidays or just playing a video at your friend place/meeting room etc. Wireless screen mirroring (aka airplay) is also supported via a cheap All-Cast dongle or the new Samsung homelink box. Some newer Samsung TV may have direct support hence no need to pay extra for tv box/dongle.
- Standard USB port (no need for proprietary and expensive cables like iphone). High transfer rate for faster copying of files into phone with USB3 standard.
- Replaceable back cover - dont need to use unsightly external protective case to protect against scratches like the scratch-easy IP5s metal casing. If cover is scratched just buy a new one - no need for expensive repair.
- Sensors galore. Supports more sensors including temperature/humidity/IR sensors. You can use Note3 as pedometer without add-ons-can't do that on IP5s. You can turn on hand gesture when touching phone is not convenient. You can use phone with gloves on.
-S-Pen - this capability brings a host of capabilities not available for IP5s incl. pressure sensitive hand writing, hover view, pen-window etc.
- multi-color LED indicator for missed calls/sms/notifications without turning on screen. This is one of the can't-do-without.
-IR Blaster - with bundle watch-on app it becomes a full tv-guide/remote. Or as a general universal remote control to control all the devices in your home directly. You can even pin the IR remote app to the lock-screen for each access.
- 3GB of RAM to ensure smooth operation and multi-tasking. The phone never lags even with many apps running at the same time. In fact, I have not been able to make the phone lag (or app closed because of low RAM) no matter what I do.
PHONE
=====
- One touch direct dial/sms (via desktop/folder shortcuts), keypad speed dial, contact thumbnails, grid-view for favorites, unlimited call log, comprehensive call/data statistics (incl. notification when call/data usage is about to exceed), contact sync/integration with fb,tw,skype,google+,whatsapp,line (in fact any 3rd party apps). Initiates call/video call/sms directly from contact app to any of these 3rd-party service providers.
- Standard WCDMA cellular 3G-standard video calling. Why iphone does not support this does not make sense. You can make video calls to ANY 3G phone (even dumb/feature phones). In quite a few countries, cellular 3G video call minutes is billed as part of bundled minutes.
- Smart Features: Smart-Stay is so useful when reading without the annoyance of needing to keep touching the screen to keep it on. Smart-rotation is also nifty i.e. screen rotates based on the orientation of your face. Other useful features are flip over to silent phone, vibrate when pickup phone if there are missed call/sms.
- Fully accessible File System. You can organize your files in the phone anyway you want without restrictions. You can copy files to the phone and those files are assessible to any apps. On Iphone5s you waste time/space as you need to make copies of the same file for each app that uses it. And the horror when you uninstall the app, those files are also deleted which is pretty stupid.
-File Format : Note 3 supports lots of media file format. You can install your own codec for even more file format support. This means you can download or open any file type in the phone as long as you have installed the codec. And file can be open from anywhere like the browser, file explorer etc (and not just from the app like in iphone5s). On iphone5s only limited support and you can't expand support with installation of codec.
- Email: able to attach all types of files unlike iphone5s which is restricted to photos. If you need to attach any files to email in Iphone5s you have to go thru tedious workaround.
-Keyboard with multiple words prediction for less typing. You can type any words with 3 keypress (2 to show a list of predicted words and one tap to select). And with next word prediction, typing can be so much faster. And keyboard learns new words unlike Iphone5s. Also include T9 keyboard and continous/swipe input. And Note3 pen input is really good in translating your handwriting. Voice input is also much better and faster with support of offline voice module (unlike iphone5s which needs to access the Internet to translate you voice).
-Better Wifi hotspot support. You can continue to use your phone and the wifi hotspot still functioning in the background (unlike Iphone5s where the hotspot stops working once you move away from the hotspot screen)
- Non-centralized settings. Iphone centralized settings can be a pain to use since you need to exit the app, change settings and then re-enter the app (so many confusing steps). Furthermore, it can get difficult to look for settings in Iphone5s as the list can get pretty long if you have many apps installed)
-Sharing of data on Note3 is light-years ahead of Iphone5. With android capability, you can share information via ANY MEANS AVAILABLE. You can share to any cloud/social network or directly beam data via BT/Wifi-Direct or just plain-old-plug-in-usb-cable-copy-files. You can initiate sharing from anywhere in the phone unlike Iphone5 where you need to open the corresponding app.
-Phone call recording capability. Records both-way phone conversation (may not be legal in some countries)
-Overall better and more useful system information - call duration, data usage (with notification), battery usage information.
-Ringtone. Something simple that everyone wants. On Note3, you can select any files in the storage as ringtone easily using file explorer. Adding ringtone in Iphone5 requires you to follow a series of complicated steps.
-Misc: home button to answer call (or power button to end call), pattern/facial lock, haptic feedback
User Interface
==============
- Various desktop launchers UI to cater to any taste (personalization). You can move icons anywhere on screen . You can change icon image, font style. You can create shortcuts to any file/photos/url/apps and place them anywhere on the desktop or in the folders.
- Ability to hide (or disable) unwanted applications. No need to create a separate folders to hide them like in iOS. Also, you can have the same app icon appear in multiple folders unlike Iphone5.
- Widgets (one-glance for essential info). Widgets are so useful for quick glance without opening apps. You can have all essential information (weather,logs,birthdays,to-dos,events,fb) aggregated on one screen. This beats having to open app after app to get all these essential information.
- Much useful Lock Screen where you can put any widgets of your choice. 3rd party Live Wallpaper (unlike on Iphone5 which is limited to what's provided by Apple).
- Back button for easier back navigation (+ reduces screen space wastage). On iphone5, you have to use the task mgr which is more tedious to jump back. And depending on apps the placement of back button is also not consistent in iphone5s - you have to make consious effort to locate the button.
- Better and more natural kinetic scrolling. iOS scrolling seems stunted - no matter how long or fast you flip it always scroll the same short distance. It is just crazy apple didnt fix this for 7 years. On Note3, the distance and scrolling speed varies depending on how you swipe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH1GDLunomY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dn-8aR_Ht4
- Full Multi-Tasking (true concurrently running apps). Apps can run automatically based on events. Two windows multi-tasking allows 2 apps to run simultaneous in 2 separate windows. Plus running simultaneous apps in floating windows really make multi-tasking much more powerful and productive on Note 3.
- Web-broswer supports text reflow at specified viewing/zoomed font size - you do not need to side-scroll like in iOS browser. This is better than "reader mode" in iOS as this leaves the webpage layout intact. Also you can set user agent (i.e. always fetch desktop version of the webpage). The browser integrates with download manager allowing you to download and save any files from website into phone internal storage.
APPS
=====
- The ability to download/buy apps from the browser and have it sync to phone is so much easier and faster. You can open multi-tab to view/compare apps (unlike the appstore in iOS which allows only viewing of one app details at a time). Also, if you have many devices, you can select which devices the app will sync to. Accounts handling is also better in Note3/Android. On Android, you can setup multiple accounts and purchase different type of apps with separate accounts. On the device, you just specify which accounts you want to sync apps.
- Better Google-based services/apps which tightly integrate to OS. Map, Hangout, Google+ etc are all seamless integrated into the OS
- Default App - You can seamlessly replace built-in apps with 3rd party ones. You can even have multiple apps that perform the same thing together.
- Open With... capability. You can open any files/data by selecting the app. For example, when you click on an attach file in an email you will be prompted with apps that are capable of opening the file.
- Automation-type apps (all not possible on Iphone5s)
o automaticly send sms or switch phone settings (vol, bt, wifi etc) based on events/calendars/GPS/nfc. For example, you can have phone auto-send sms to predefined numbers when you are in a certain vicinity (very good if you do pickup regularly).
o advanced call manager to filter/record/re-direct calls automatically
o NFC tasks (using tectiles) - e.g. tap to call/sms directly or change phone settings
o schedule auto send sms/email (birthday, meeting reminders, location etc)
o auto check-in to social services, auto upload photos/info without need to open the opp like in Iphone5, scheduled cloud backup
o etc etc
HARDWARE
========
- Bigger 5.7inch + AMOLED + Gorilla 3 glass screen. Some may say AMOLED is not as good as IPS screen on IP5s but if you have compared both screens side-by-side, the IP5s screen looks so dull and washout compared to the vibrant AMOLED with its deep black and high contrast. I bet 9/10 people would like the AMOLED more. Even sunlight legibility is as good as the brighter IP5s screen. And the Note3 screen is very tough as shown in this video.
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Drop...er-Samsung-Galaxy-Note-3-vs-iPhone-5s_id48199
- Internal storage up to 128GB (64 + upto 64Gb microSD) + Free 50GB drop-box. You want to strangle someone looking at the cut-throat price Apple charge for extra storage (32Gb extra costs $100 whereas an equivalent external microSD costs $20)
- Removable battery for the extremely heavy users. Or just pop in a new battery when the current battery EOL without needing to send your phone in to repair center. Also, Note 3 has such long battery life which can lasts 7 hours of screen on time over a 24 hours period.
- Camera with so much more capabilities than IP5s - higher pixel for both front and back camera, front/back shot, cinema shot, 4K video, stereo recording etc etc.
- USB To Go (direct connect to portable drive, keyboard, game controller, usb-hub etc). You can plug your portable/usb drive directly to phone and it will show up as a disk in the phone. You can then watch movie or copy huge files directly from the portable drive. The phone can power the portable drive hence you don't need external power source.
- unrestricted BlueTooth/Wifi-Direct/USB3 file transfer. Most devices (except Apple) have this. To transfer huge video files to phone via USB ==> just plug-in phone to ANY PC and drag and drop files to phone. Compared this to the horrendous ordeal you have to go thru to get huge video files into Iphone 5S - get itunes a/c, install itunes (works only on that one PC - totally useless for adhoc situations) and finally wait and wait for itunes to covert the video files into internal format. Some of you may say they use iCloud. That's even more tedious with long wait time to load to icloud and then wasting battery/data to stream to phone and not to mention the limited icloud storage space.
- NFC - direct beam, automate phone tasks with TecTiles, NFC payment, screen sharing etc. And the support of DLNA (stream to DLNA-enabled TV/devices without needing costly adapter).
- Screen Mirroring: MHL/HDMI cable allows showing phone screen on ANY TV without needing to lug around bulky and expensive AppleTV box. Very convenient for holidays or just playing a video at your friend place/meeting room etc. Wireless screen mirroring (aka airplay) is also supported via a cheap All-Cast dongle or the new Samsung homelink box. Some newer Samsung TV may have direct support hence no need to pay extra for tv box/dongle.
- Standard USB port (no need for proprietary and expensive cables like iphone). High transfer rate for faster copying of files into phone with USB3 standard.
- Replaceable back cover - dont need to use unsightly external protective case to protect against scratches like the scratch-easy IP5s metal casing. If cover is scratched just buy a new one - no need for expensive repair.
- Sensors galore. Supports more sensors including temperature/humidity/IR sensors. You can use Note3 as pedometer without add-ons-can't do that on IP5s. You can turn on hand gesture when touching phone is not convenient. You can use phone with gloves on.
-S-Pen - this capability brings a host of capabilities not available for IP5s incl. pressure sensitive hand writing, hover view, pen-window etc.
- multi-color LED indicator for missed calls/sms/notifications without turning on screen. This is one of the can't-do-without.
-IR Blaster - with bundle watch-on app it becomes a full tv-guide/remote. Or as a general universal remote control to control all the devices in your home directly. You can even pin the IR remote app to the lock-screen for each access.
- 3GB of RAM to ensure smooth operation and multi-tasking. The phone never lags even with many apps running at the same time. In fact, I have not been able to make the phone lag (or app closed because of low RAM) no matter what I do.
PHONE
=====
- One touch direct dial/sms (via desktop/folder shortcuts), keypad speed dial, contact thumbnails, grid-view for favorites, unlimited call log, comprehensive call/data statistics (incl. notification when call/data usage is about to exceed), contact sync/integration with fb,tw,skype,google+,whatsapp,line (in fact any 3rd party apps). Initiates call/video call/sms directly from contact app to any of these 3rd-party service providers.
- Standard WCDMA cellular 3G-standard video calling. Why iphone does not support this does not make sense. You can make video calls to ANY 3G phone (even dumb/feature phones). In quite a few countries, cellular 3G video call minutes is billed as part of bundled minutes.
- Smart Features: Smart-Stay is so useful when reading without the annoyance of needing to keep touching the screen to keep it on. Smart-rotation is also nifty i.e. screen rotates based on the orientation of your face. Other useful features are flip over to silent phone, vibrate when pickup phone if there are missed call/sms.
- Fully accessible File System. You can organize your files in the phone anyway you want without restrictions. You can copy files to the phone and those files are assessible to any apps. On Iphone5s you waste time/space as you need to make copies of the same file for each app that uses it. And the horror when you uninstall the app, those files are also deleted which is pretty stupid.
-File Format : Note 3 supports lots of media file format. You can install your own codec for even more file format support. This means you can download or open any file type in the phone as long as you have installed the codec. And file can be open from anywhere like the browser, file explorer etc (and not just from the app like in iphone5s). On iphone5s only limited support and you can't expand support with installation of codec.
- Email: able to attach all types of files unlike iphone5s which is restricted to photos. If you need to attach any files to email in Iphone5s you have to go thru tedious workaround.
-Keyboard with multiple words prediction for less typing. You can type any words with 3 keypress (2 to show a list of predicted words and one tap to select). And with next word prediction, typing can be so much faster. And keyboard learns new words unlike Iphone5s. Also include T9 keyboard and continous/swipe input. And Note3 pen input is really good in translating your handwriting. Voice input is also much better and faster with support of offline voice module (unlike iphone5s which needs to access the Internet to translate you voice).
-Better Wifi hotspot support. You can continue to use your phone and the wifi hotspot still functioning in the background (unlike Iphone5s where the hotspot stops working once you move away from the hotspot screen)
- Non-centralized settings. Iphone centralized settings can be a pain to use since you need to exit the app, change settings and then re-enter the app (so many confusing steps). Furthermore, it can get difficult to look for settings in Iphone5s as the list can get pretty long if you have many apps installed)
-Sharing of data on Note3 is light-years ahead of Iphone5. With android capability, you can share information via ANY MEANS AVAILABLE. You can share to any cloud/social network or directly beam data via BT/Wifi-Direct or just plain-old-plug-in-usb-cable-copy-files. You can initiate sharing from anywhere in the phone unlike Iphone5 where you need to open the corresponding app.
-Phone call recording capability. Records both-way phone conversation (may not be legal in some countries)
-Overall better and more useful system information - call duration, data usage (with notification), battery usage information.
-Ringtone. Something simple that everyone wants. On Note3, you can select any files in the storage as ringtone easily using file explorer. Adding ringtone in Iphone5 requires you to follow a series of complicated steps.
-Misc: home button to answer call (or power button to end call), pattern/facial lock, haptic feedback
User Interface
==============
- Various desktop launchers UI to cater to any taste (personalization). You can move icons anywhere on screen . You can change icon image, font style. You can create shortcuts to any file/photos/url/apps and place them anywhere on the desktop or in the folders.
- Ability to hide (or disable) unwanted applications. No need to create a separate folders to hide them like in iOS. Also, you can have the same app icon appear in multiple folders unlike Iphone5.
- Widgets (one-glance for essential info). Widgets are so useful for quick glance without opening apps. You can have all essential information (weather,logs,birthdays,to-dos,events,fb) aggregated on one screen. This beats having to open app after app to get all these essential information.
- Much useful Lock Screen where you can put any widgets of your choice. 3rd party Live Wallpaper (unlike on Iphone5 which is limited to what's provided by Apple).
- Back button for easier back navigation (+ reduces screen space wastage). On iphone5, you have to use the task mgr which is more tedious to jump back. And depending on apps the placement of back button is also not consistent in iphone5s - you have to make consious effort to locate the button.
- Better and more natural kinetic scrolling. iOS scrolling seems stunted - no matter how long or fast you flip it always scroll the same short distance. It is just crazy apple didnt fix this for 7 years. On Note3, the distance and scrolling speed varies depending on how you swipe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH1GDLunomY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dn-8aR_Ht4
- Full Multi-Tasking (true concurrently running apps). Apps can run automatically based on events. Two windows multi-tasking allows 2 apps to run simultaneous in 2 separate windows. Plus running simultaneous apps in floating windows really make multi-tasking much more powerful and productive on Note 3.
- Web-broswer supports text reflow at specified viewing/zoomed font size - you do not need to side-scroll like in iOS browser. This is better than "reader mode" in iOS as this leaves the webpage layout intact. Also you can set user agent (i.e. always fetch desktop version of the webpage). The browser integrates with download manager allowing you to download and save any files from website into phone internal storage.
APPS
=====
- The ability to download/buy apps from the browser and have it sync to phone is so much easier and faster. You can open multi-tab to view/compare apps (unlike the appstore in iOS which allows only viewing of one app details at a time). Also, if you have many devices, you can select which devices the app will sync to. Accounts handling is also better in Note3/Android. On Android, you can setup multiple accounts and purchase different type of apps with separate accounts. On the device, you just specify which accounts you want to sync apps.
- Better Google-based services/apps which tightly integrate to OS. Map, Hangout, Google+ etc are all seamless integrated into the OS
- Default App - You can seamlessly replace built-in apps with 3rd party ones. You can even have multiple apps that perform the same thing together.
- Open With... capability. You can open any files/data by selecting the app. For example, when you click on an attach file in an email you will be prompted with apps that are capable of opening the file.
- Automation-type apps (all not possible on Iphone5s)
o automaticly send sms or switch phone settings (vol, bt, wifi etc) based on events/calendars/GPS/nfc. For example, you can have phone auto-send sms to predefined numbers when you are in a certain vicinity (very good if you do pickup regularly).
o advanced call manager to filter/record/re-direct calls automatically
o NFC tasks (using tectiles) - e.g. tap to call/sms directly or change phone settings
o schedule auto send sms/email (birthday, meeting reminders, location etc)
o auto check-in to social services, auto upload photos/info without need to open the opp like in Iphone5, scheduled cloud backup
o etc etc
Android needs about twice
as much RAM and CPU than iOS. It is because of this that Android devices get bigger, as they need bigger batteries. So screen sizes have to increase, causing a vicious circle. As consumers don't realize this, they run after the "superior" Android model and then think that Apple, Nokia and Blackberry lag behind. The opposite is true: Android is a resource hogger that will do its own bit of global warming. Windows Phone 8 can easily run sweetly on a quarter to a third of the resources that Android will need and iOS needs about half. I hope this perspective helps a bit.
Oh, having said that, my own iOS experience is not good and my Apple ecosystem is buggy, unreliable and updates generally seem to break more than they fix. Being an Apple newbie but a seasoned ICT veteran going back three decades, I think that the grass really is greener on Microsoft's side of the fence.
I could forgive my iPhone 5 for having a very dumb camera that only works when light is really good, for having a GPS that displaces North twenty times a day, etc. What I cannot forgive it for, is a battery that is constantly drained after updating from iOS6 to 7.xx, for sync services that fail, for data that gets corrupted/lost into cyberspace, etc. It is very unreliable and I had to do rescue work every day over the past two weeks.
Android with its terrible security is something to avoid. Some apps will report 1,000 times every 24 hrs to 350 servers globally, leaking your sensitive personal/financial/contacts data without your knowledge or consent. Approved apps flirt with alien servers and your data is never safe. Why people even use Android, is beyond me.
In my country, Nokia outsells any other brand six to one and we have Blackberry tagging along securely in second place. Apple has 6% market share and they seem intent upon losing that. Android is being taken up mostly by average consumers with little ICT knowledge. The geeks and wizards use Apple, BB or WP8.
about as far of this thread as I had to read to know something smells wrong. I have a note 3 running Nova Launcher and several widgets and it never grows beyond 1.4gb of RAM. How you pull down 2.38 is beyond me.
Exactly...
When I had my note 3 it routinely had near 1gb free memory wise and that's with around 9 apps open and everything else syncing in the background.
Hence my comment that at any given point you would likely have more memory free / available on the note 3 than the iPhone regardless of iOS being more optimised ...
Yes clearly the note 3 is still consuming more memory than the iPhone, but it still remains that as an argument against it - it still has more memory free / available than an iPhone - so that doesn't stack up as something that should be against it.
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Android needs about twice
.
Read my comment above .... You misconstrued my point.
For the record, my experience on the Note 3 is so good, I wouldn't even consider adopting an iPhone in it's current iteration. Once you become accustomed to the freedom of Android, and the larger form factor of the Note series, you just can't revert back to the iPhone.
Have to take threads like this with a pinch of salt.
Performance issues and Note 3 just doesn't compute. Especially considering that my older and less powerful S4 running 4.4 and Nova Launcher over Touchwiz is super smooth.
If it wasn't I'd have replaced it with something else by now.
Performance issues and Note 3 just doesn't compute. Especially considering that my older and less powerful S4 running 4.4 and Nova Launcher over Touchwiz is super smooth.
If it wasn't I'd have replaced it with something else by now.
For the record, my experience on the Note 3 is so good, I wouldn't even consider adopting an iPhone in it's current iteration. Once you become accustomed to the freedom of Android, and the larger form factor of the Note series, you just can't revert back to the iPhone.
^^ this.
It's bigger brighter and needs more resources but in the end it's still bigger and brighter and lasts longer in terms of usable life during the day. Sorry but I do call that superior.
Windows Phone 8 can easily run sweetly on a quarter to a third of the resources that Android will need and iOS needs about half. I hope this perspective helps a bit.
and a lightwieght 2 seat sports car is quick but in the end, I have a 5,500lb SUV that is more of a resource hog, but has 10x more in features and is way faster. Again, I'll take a beefy Note 3 that also uses more resources but offers way more in terms of usable every day features.
Paranoid much?
^^ Came in handy this week while my father was in the hospital. They have very nice LG HD TV's with USB Ports on them but the hospital won't provide the remote so I can plug in a USB Drive/Movie. They stick you with the old-school hospital bed remote.
No cares given as I simply downloaded a universal remote, selected LG TV and bam, was able to plug in the USB Stick and easily adjust every aspect of the TV. Hospital IT team can suck-it
Gotta love the IR Remote capabilities.----------
Part of it is also that iPads served as a great launching pad for many in terms of introducing them to the technology and educating them. Now that so very many of them are in the market, people are bound to outgrow them. Especially given Apple refuses to really do anything groundbreaking or beyond their same old same old locked-down experience. People will naturally move on to something better and more versatile.
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My biggest complaint with Samsung has been all the bloatware and god awful touch wiz. Glad to see the S5 with a lighter version of touch wiz and from the reviews people seem to like it better. So I can only hope that in the next Note they can take a note from the S5 (no pun intended lol).
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because they is no way on an iPhone to go back none what so ever
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because they is no way on an iPhone to go back none what so ever
My Magazine
I love My Note 3 EXCEPT for "My Magazine" popping up when you are on the main Home screen, and press the home button, and home screens are fixed at only 4 rows of 4 icons. Of course, it is drop-dead simple to get around:
- Sign up with My Magazine, and give away all of your rights as a human being. That only fixes the My Magazine problem.
- Install Nova Launcher, and make it your default launcher. (Free version, skip the paid) You will no longer get My Magazine when you press the home button and it defaults to 5 x 5 grid on your home screens instead of 4 x 4.
The reasons I love TouchWiz:
Unlike the other launchers, I can:
- Organize the app drawer any way I like, instead of a sea of apps in alphabetical order in the app drawer.
- I can group apps in the app drawer into folders. Even from the factory,there are folders for Verizon, Google, Amazon, Samsung, etc.. That makes it easy to know where an app is from. You can make your own folders, and assemble whichever apps you want into them, and even populate the entire folder, with apps, on a home screen.
- I can separate apps in the app drawer by page, and pages do not need to be full.
Why I don't like the Nova Prime Launcher:
Nova launcher makes a huge mess out of your app drawer. It organizes all of the apps alphabetically and has no capability to use folders to organized the apps in the app drawer, nor can you separate by page. The only thing you can do is make empty folders in your app drawer, that you can drag to home screens, and then pull apps into home screen folders. Home screens are for your frequently accessed apps. There is much less need for folders there. Imagine this:
- You go to your office, and take all of the papers out of all of the file cabinets.
- Next, you sort them by the first character in the document, then the second character, and so on, and then you put them all in the same drawer. That's Nova Prime.
Summary
Other than My Magazine, and TouchWiz having a fixed 4 x 4 rows that doesn't allow you to add rows and columns for big screens, I wouldn't trade the Note 3 phone for anything. Flash works fine on it. I can plug in a OTG USB cable, and plug anything into it, and it just works. I got the Note 3 with KitKat 4.4.2 NC4 when I saw the curtain closing on root access. NC4 is the last version that is both rootable, and unrootable. Now that I have root, I must say that about the only mileage I get from it is being able to block over the air updates, which is difficult to say if it is a blessing or a curse. The recording calls with Bluetooth that I was supposed to be able to do with root turned out to be a myth. I do wish they would fix the Bluetooth call recording problem. The clever attempts by 3rd party developers end up causing other problems on the phone. Bluetooth call recording per se, is not a problem. It has worked flawlessly on Windows Mobile since 2003. Concerning backup programs, the ones without root are just as good or better, and the advantages of the root-only backup programs are not useable when it comes to restoring to new hardware.
I love My Note 3 EXCEPT for "My Magazine" popping up when you are on the main Home screen, and press the home button, and home screens are fixed at only 4 rows of 4 icons. Of course, it is drop-dead simple to get around:
- Sign up with My Magazine, and give away all of your rights as a human being. That only fixes the My Magazine problem.
- Install Nova Launcher, and make it your default launcher. (Free version, skip the paid) You will no longer get My Magazine when you press the home button and it defaults to 5 x 5 grid on your home screens instead of 4 x 4.
The reasons I love TouchWiz:
Unlike the other launchers, I can:
- Organize the app drawer any way I like, instead of a sea of apps in alphabetical order in the app drawer.
- I can group apps in the app drawer into folders. Even from the factory,there are folders for Verizon, Google, Amazon, Samsung, etc.. That makes it easy to know where an app is from. You can make your own folders, and assemble whichever apps you want into them, and even populate the entire folder, with apps, on a home screen.
- I can separate apps in the app drawer by page, and pages do not need to be full.
Why I don't like the Nova Prime Launcher:
Nova launcher makes a huge mess out of your app drawer. It organizes all of the apps alphabetically and has no capability to use folders to organized the apps in the app drawer, nor can you separate by page. The only thing you can do is make empty folders in your app drawer, that you can drag to home screens, and then pull apps into home screen folders. Home screens are for your frequently accessed apps. There is much less need for folders there. Imagine this:
- You go to your office, and take all of the papers out of all of the file cabinets.
- Next, you sort them by the first character in the document, then the second character, and so on, and then you put them all in the same drawer. That's Nova Prime.
Summary
Other than My Magazine, and TouchWiz having a fixed 4 x 4 rows that doesn't allow you to add rows and columns for big screens, I wouldn't trade the Note 3 phone for anything. Flash works fine on it. I can plug in a OTG USB cable, and plug anything into it, and it just works. I got the Note 3 with KitKat 4.4.2 NC4 when I saw the curtain closing on root access. NC4 is the last version that is both rootable, and unrootable. Now that I have root, I must say that about the only mileage I get from it is being able to block over the air updates, which is difficult to say if it is a blessing or a curse. The recording calls with Bluetooth that I was supposed to be able to do with root turned out to be a myth. I do wish they would fix the Bluetooth call recording problem. The clever attempts by 3rd party developers end up causing other problems on the phone. Bluetooth call recording per se, is not a problem. It has worked flawlessly on Windows Mobile since 2003. Concerning backup programs, the ones without root are just as good or better, and the advantages of the root-only backup programs are not useable when it comes to restoring to new hardware.
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You can get those options enabled if you purchase Nova Prime. I don't remember how much it was, I bought it a couple of years ago, but if you go to nova settings than drawer you'll see an option for drawer groups and you can organize by page and folders. Its kind of a pain though, not quite as easy as drag and drop, but the option is there.
You are correct. I was wrong. With the combination of Groups/Tabs and Folders, it is doable, and possibly viable, I might add. The Folders and Group concept is not nearly as nice as TouchWiz's Page and Folder concept, but unlike TouchWiz, it does provide control over the number of rows and columns on the screens and it does get rid of the cursed My Documents popping up when you press the home button while on the default home. I will set something up to see if it is tenable for me. While Nova may be dead, it only has to get me past these major annoyances until TouchWiz can add the rows and columns, and there is away found around My Magazine.
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