Iphone user, have questions about the Note 9

Deeds500

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Hi Note 9 lovers, this is my first post and I have some questions that I would really appreciate your feedback on.

But first, a bit of background so you can appreciate where I'm coming from. Sorry in advance for the long post

I too am a Note 9 lover, except I don't own a Note 9, I use an iPhone 6 Plus. Yep, 6 Plus, as in the year 2014 6 Plus.

You see, nothing Apple released in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 has compelled me enough to want to upgrade to a newer iphone.

For a brief period in 2013, I jumped from the iphone 4S to the Note 3. I was impressed with the tips and tricks videos and reviews about the N3 on youtube so much that I got the N3 through a 2 year contract with my carrier Optus (Australia). Luckily I kept the 4S as a back up because I quickly regretted the decision. As a forever iphone user, watching videos about the N3 and then using it as a daily was like night and day. I had it for 6 weeks. Many things about the N3 spooked me. The plastic backing, I honestly felt like I was going to break the little plastic lip when I took it off to replace the battery. It just felt cheap and nasty. I would get notifications telling me that certain apps were trying to dowload things, can't remember what ecactly but it gave me the creeps. The N3 came pre-installed with the Facebook app yet when setting the device up, which took a while, I got a suggestion notification that I should download the android app for Facebook for a better user experience. So I did and then had 2 Facebook apps on my device, WTF. I was miserable about the cheap and nasty apps found on the Google playstore (though I did like the refund policy if you wanted to return a paid app within 15 minutes). I was confused as all hell with all the different stores/markets you could get apps from. Sometimes too much choice can be overwhelming. I was annoyed with the Optus bloatware I could not get rid of. I was concerned about malware and inadvertently downloading viruses. And being an ios user, the interface was confusing to use. And of course the messages app was no where near as good as imessage. I was like a boy from the city being released into the jungle alone and having to fend for myself. It was a terrible experience. As a result, I put my sim back in the ip4S and sold the N3 to a friend. About a year later I bought the iphone 6 Plus and have had it ever since.

Yes the i6P bores me, and yes I'm frustrated due to having the same phone for 4 years, but at least I have not had to endure buyer's remorse like I did with the N3 and in turn I have saved a bit of coin in the process. But I want to upgrade. I so want to upgrade. But as I said above, nothing has compelled me in the last 4 years to want to upgrade. Apple's feature adding is as regular as the olympic games and I'm still burnt by my N3 experience.

Notwithstanding the N3 experience, I have always said, the only phone I would ever leave the iphone for is the Note. Not interested in the Galaxy, not interested in the Pixle or other devices, it's either iphone or Note.

It took me about 3 years to get interested in the Note line again. In 2016 I started looking at reviews of the N7 and got curious. I was impressed with the premium look (no more cheap platic backing) but unfortunately the battery problem arose. In 2017 I went to a Samsung store here in Melbourne (Australia) and played around with the N8 for about 3 hours. And wow, what a device. Honestly I nearly bought it outright there and then. The Only reasons I didn't were because:

1. 64 gig local storage would not be enough for me. I know you can increase storage with an SD card but expandable storage cannot store apps, I was told.

2. I was not thrilled with the position of tne FPS.

3. I still hadn't completely gotten over the N3 experience.

4. I wanted to see what the iphone X, being the 10 year anniversary iphone, would bring. I got caught up with the hype and how it was going to be exponentially better than any prior iteration. And as I watched the keynote, it quickly dawned on me that it was just another boring iphone as they spent most of the X discussion during the keynote talking about Face ID. In other words, the new killer feature was one biometrich replacing another biometrich. No customisation, no split screen multitasking, no ability to put widgets on the home screen, just the same UI with the same boring grid of apps with no home button. So I thought, next year.

And here I am now, 13-14 months later, writing this message.

I went to the same Samsung store a few weeks ago and played with the N9 and loved it more than the N8. But I'm still holding back. Think standing by a swimming pool on a hot day, wanting to get in, but you don't want to get in because the water is cold. That's how I am at this point.

I have a few questions and would appreciate any feedback.

Q1. Do you expect the N10 to live up to some rumours that it will be significantly better than the N9? I have already heard a rumour the headphone jack may not be in the N10. In other words, if you haven't upgraded at this point, would it be worth waiting for the N10? I've waited 4 years, so what's another 10 months?

Q2. If I was to get the N9, would I experience similar weird issues that I had with the N3, such as being advised by the phone to download Facebook for android when the phone comes pre-installed with Facebook, being notified that apps are trying to download stuff, carrier bloatware if I get the phone through a carrier plan, etc?

Q3. This is specifically for former long time iphone users who made the switch to a Note phone. How did you find the switch? Is android all that bad? Do you miss imessages? Is it easy to navigate around the Note?

Q4 How real is the threat of catching viruses on the Note or any android for that matter? Tim Cook mentions it from time to time. Does the Note come with pre-installed anti virus features or are you on your own and have to make a decision about what security app to get? Even though I'm frustraded and bored with my pre-historic iphone 6 Plus, I do feel safe using it. I can download any app, open any attachment via email or through imessages, I could even go to the dodgiest porn site there is, and I would feel perfectly safe. Do you feel a similar sense of safety on the Note 9 or do you have to treat with a degree of caution?

My heart is saying get the Note but my head is saying don't. I'm really torn and undecided.

Thanks.
 

note1note9

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I was a long time iPhone user, having owned the 3GS, 4, 6 and 7!
And I understand where you're coming from as my first note device was a note 1, and I also didnt really enjoy my experience as I felt android back then was still not really polished. However now I have been using the note 9 for 2 months plus and I am loving it much more than any iPhone I have owned.
 

dannejanne

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I think you still would find the switch a little overwhelming because specially in the beginning when you start using the phone the system will give you various annoying notifications from time to time suggesting you to do this and that and frankly that is pretty annoying to be honest. But that kind of stuff tends to go away after you have used the phone for the initial period and have set things up your way. Carrier bloat could also be something if you're in the US.

Virus is a non-issue if you ask me. I've never heard of a actual case of anyone getting virus on their phone. iOS or Android.
 

Deeds500

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I was a long time iPhone user, having owned the 3GS, 4, 6 and 7!
And I understand where you're coming from as my first note device was a note 1, and I also didnt really enjoy my experience as I felt android back then was still not really polished. However now I have been using the note 9 for 2 months plus and I am loving it much more than any iPhone I have owned.

Thanks. So far so good.
 

Gayle Lynn

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I use N9 and iPhone X. Great combo. My last iPhone was 6S Plus.

I always have a "backup" and couldn't resist Essential One $299 to play with. Same size as X, 4/128 and sturdy. I do like the X for being light weight with a nice screen.

Rogue apps, adware etc can happen if you run risky apps or web sites, but vote N.O. on a/v.

Disable Facebook and it's associated apps if it's pre-installed.

I like FaceID but on Note I eventually turned off Iris with Face in favor if FPS which is so much better than on my N8.

Note 10 is likely 11 months away. Trade up.

Oh, and you'll really like it.

Maybe in a year the iPhone Max 2.0 will have it's issues straightened out, and if it had a stylus I'd look at it, too.
 

Carrie Greicar

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I have solely owned Android for over 10 years and I have never had a virus on any of my phones. (Knock on wood that I didn't jinx myself)

As for the Note 10....sure it might be better but it might be similar with minor upgrades. If you keep waiting for the next best thing, you will always be waiting.
 

iGalione

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Having been a note user from day 1 and having had each iteration, except for the Note 9 (cant get the 512 configuration in black or silver yet), I can assure you that you won't have anything to worry about... I currently use a Note 8 and an iPhone X (really for synching with my mac products and people who only know how to respond or use iMessage) but the Note is my daily and regular phone.

In terms of anti viruses, it isn't need for your phone, the only time you can run into an issue is if you purposely download from an unknown website or source and install from anywhere other than a certified app store (google play, samsung apps, amazon apps) is where you can potentially run into virus issues.

As another user stated for waiting for the note 10, if you buy the phone outright then you can always trade up and get the new one at a reduced price.

In terms of weird apps and nuances like that, samsung has gotten a lot better so that dual apps dont have to be installed (their variants as well as google apps of the same type). The new android operating systems also help curb that. Plus the samsung secure folder option can allow you to use multiple accounts for the same app (should you choose, app specific).

Due to switching there is a small learning curve, just figuring where everything is... all the settings aren't centralized like apple, except many apps have their own settings from within. Also due to many of the borrowed features that iOS has from android, it is very familiar and should take no time fully switching should you choose to do so.

To get similar experiences allo and duo gives a great challenge to iMessage and facetime, only thing is, it has to be used on each end... apple was smart on making ios to ios interactions closed where people are reliant on their technology and services making it the most seamless experience on any type of device... but once you break away from that simplicity and get a taste of customization, you truly can make an android (in this particular case, the note 9) truly your device.

I hope I didnt go far off and made sense to what you were asking.
 

anon(9918034)

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I switch back and forth between iPhone and Android. While I really liked the iPhone x. I hate everything about iOS it is full of bugs especially iOS 12. I beta tested iOS 12 and was not impressed at all. When the note 9 came out I jumped all over it and gladly gave up my iPhone X.

The note 9 is a work horse of a phone, I have my full work office 365 set up in the secure folder. The multi functionality is amazing. Dex is also really good and I use that for my online classes, just plug the phone I to my TV and connect my keyboard and mouse. Battery life is also outstanding for me on this phone. I put it on the charger 3-4 times a week and that is all I need to do. At first I missed iMessage, but now I could honestly careless. I use the stock Samsung app which is nice. I use it to schedule text messages for work related purposes so I don't forget to send critical messages.

I could go on and on, you won't be disappointed with the note 9. What I can say is that it is an overwhelming switch for people. That's why this forum is here and we have a load of information for people like yourself!
 

mustang7757

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Since you've seen what the iPhone had to offer And didn't like it , I think your ready for a New Note 9 experience.
 

frederickdawg

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Hi Note 9 lovers, this is my first post and I have some questions that I would really appreciate your feedback on.

But first, a bit of background so you can appreciate where I'm coming from. Sorry in advance for the long post

I too am a Note 9 lover, except I don't own a Note 9, I use an iPhone 6 Plus. Yep, 6 Plus, as in the year 2014 6 Plus.

You see, nothing Apple released in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 has compelled me enough to want to upgrade to a newer iphone.

For a brief period in 2013, I jumped from the iphone 4S to the Note 3. I was impressed with the tips and tricks videos and reviews about the N3 on youtube so much that I got the N3 through a 2 year contract with my carrier Optus (Australia). Luckily I kept the 4S as a back up because I quickly regretted the decision. As a forever iphone user, watching videos about the N3 and then using it as a daily was like night and day. I had it for 6 weeks. Many things about the N3 spooked me. The plastic backing, I honestly felt like I was going to break the little plastic lip when I took it off to replace the battery. It just felt cheap and nasty. I would get notifications telling me that certain apps were trying to dowload things, can't remember what ecactly but it gave me the creeps. The N3 came pre-installed with the Facebook app yet when setting the device up, which took a while, I got a suggestion notification that I should download the android app for Facebook for a better user experience. So I did and then had 2 Facebook apps on my device, WTF. I was miserable about the cheap and nasty apps found on the Google playstore (though I did like the refund policy if you wanted to return a paid app within 15 minutes). I was confused as all hell with all the different stores/markets you could get apps from. Sometimes too much choice can be overwhelming. I was annoyed with the Optus bloatware I could not get rid of. I was concerned about malware and inadvertently downloading viruses. And being an ios user, the interface was confusing to use. And of course the messages app was no where near as good as imessage. I was like a boy from the city being released into the jungle alone and having to fend for myself. It was a terrible experience. As a result, I put my sim back in the ip4S and sold the N3 to a friend. About a year later I bought the iphone 6 Plus and have had it ever since.

Yes the i6P bores me, and yes I'm frustrated due to having the same phone for 4 years, but at least I have not had to endure buyer's remorse like I did with the N3 and in turn I have saved a bit of coin in the process. But I want to upgrade. I so want to upgrade. But as I said above, nothing has compelled me in the last 4 years to want to upgrade. Apple's feature adding is as regular as the olympic games and I'm still burnt by my N3 experience.

Notwithstanding the N3 experience, I have always said, the only phone I would ever leave the iphone for is the Note. Not interested in the Galaxy, not interested in the Pixle or other devices, it's either iphone or Note.

It took me about 3 years to get interested in the Note line again. In 2016 I started looking at reviews of the N7 and got curious. I was impressed with the premium look (no more cheap platic backing) but unfortunately the battery problem arose. In 2017 I went to a Samsung store here in Melbourne (Australia) and played around with the N8 for about 3 hours. And wow, what a device. Honestly I nearly bought it outright there and then. The Only reasons I didn't were because:

1. 64 gig local storage would not be enough for me. I know you can increase storage with an SD card but expandable storage cannot store apps, I was told.

2. I was not thrilled with the position of tne FPS.

3. I still hadn't completely gotten over the N3 experience.

4. I wanted to see what the iphone X, being the 10 year anniversary iphone, would bring. I got caught up with the hype and how it was going to be exponentially better than any prior iteration. And as I watched the keynote, it quickly dawned on me that it was just another boring iphone as they spent most of the X discussion during the keynote talking about Face ID. In other words, the new killer feature was one biometrich replacing another biometrich. No customisation, no split screen multitasking, no ability to put widgets on the home screen, just the same UI with the same boring grid of apps with no home button. So I thought, next year.

And here I am now, 13-14 months later, writing this message.

I went to the same Samsung store a few weeks ago and played with the N9 and loved it more than the N8. But I'm still holding back. Think standing by a swimming pool on a hot day, wanting to get in, but you don't want to get in because the water is cold. That's how I am at this point.

I have a few questions and would appreciate any feedback.

Q1. Do you expect the N10 to live up to some rumours that it will be significantly better than the N9? I have already heard a rumour the headphone jack may not be in the N10. In other words, if you haven't upgraded at this point, would it be worth waiting for the N10? I've waited 4 years, so what's another 10 months?

Q2. If I was to get the N9, would I experience similar weird issues that I had with the N3, such as being advised by the phone to download Facebook for android when the phone comes pre-installed with Facebook, being notified that apps are trying to download stuff, carrier bloatware if I get the phone through a carrier plan, etc?

Q3. This is specifically for former long time iphone users who made the switch to a Note phone. How did you find the switch? Is android all that bad? Do you miss imessages? Is it easy to navigate around the Note?

Q4 How real is the threat of catching viruses on the Note or any android for that matter? Tim Cook mentions it from time to time. Does the Note come with pre-installed anti virus features or are you on your own and have to make a decision about what security app to get? Even though I'm frustraded and bored with my pre-historic iphone 6 Plus, I do feel safe using it. I can download any app, open any attachment via email or through imessages, I could even go to the dodgiest porn site there is, and I would feel perfectly safe. Do you feel a similar sense of safety on the Note 9 or do you have to treat with a degree of caution?

My heart is saying get the Note but my head is saying don't. I'm really torn and undecided.

Thanks.
My story is the opposite of yours. I too had an iPhone 4s, then changed to Note 3 at the time and never looked back. It was the damn large beautiful screen that did it for me.
 

Antmf

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Had all of the iPhones latest one was 8+ and switched to the note9 wasn't even due for and upgrade lol. But man am I happy I did the iPhone although it's a nice phone is like a child's toy compared to the note 9. Get it t I will guarantee you will not be disappointed.
 

ven23

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After being a happy iPhone user for the last 10 years, I also made the switch to the Note9.

For the life of me, I don't know why I didn't make the switch to Android years ago.

It's honestly brilliant and such a fun system to use.

It can be a little daunting at first but after 3 weeks of using it, I'm so pleased I switched.

It's the simple things that make it awesome.

The customisation is outstanding - literally everything can be changed, you just need to do a little research.

And I was always a massive WhatsApp user so I don't miss iMessage at all.

Do it!
 

dsignori

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Neither myself, nor anyone I know has ever gotten malware on their Android phone. I suppose it's not as secure as an iPhone, but unless you[re doing some funky stuff, I would say you have nothing to worry about.
 

Gayle Lynn

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If you include adware and malicious pop up ads, then I've definitely in the past read of issues on Android with apps here on AC. Rogue adservers perhaps, too. Some would display on home screen, not just Amazon ads that come with their phones like BLU.

Games, fake flashlight apps, photo touch-up apps... I'm sure you can find reports.

Even a router can be compromised.

Unlikely. But never never?