S21+, Ultra - Battery, heat, screen?

[onewomanarmy]

I've got a Note 8 that has been giving me trouble, and we're beyond our usual time between upgrades. At this point, I can't even use my phone in the sun (even winter sun), in minutes, it overheats and shuts down - no warnings, nothing on reboot (other than the occasional "Moisture detected..." when I try to plug it in), and it often takes some time to get it to the point where it doesn't crash immediately on start up after this has happened.

It also happens away from the sun, same type of quick heat (always seems to be in the area of the screen and on back close to the Bixby button) and down it goes. Seems MAYBE this happens more so where page is regenerating images - playing games, scrolling quickly through twitter, etc. Never a warning of the phone getting hot, but obviously hot to the touch.

Tried booting in safe mode, went back out in the (evening sun, not even full) sun and it still overheated and shut down. So it feels like hardware to me? Haven't factory reset - I have been saying for a year that if I'm going to go through all the time setting a phone back up, it's going to be a new one. Then COVID hit, not traveling, working from home, and here I am.

So, looking at the Ultra or S21+ but concerned about heat and battery life. Also, I've been REALLY happy with the screen on the Note 8 - I'm assuming that newer screens will be just as good, but notice specs are lower than the Note 8 screen specs. I'll admit, I've obviously not been keeping up with the tech as much anymore (I mean, still using a Note 8!), so I realize the numbers may not be truly comparable.

I realize this not being able to use my phone in the sun is probably a fluke - but it's been SO frustrating, I think I've got a little hesitancy on Samsung, but I don't see anything else that strikes me. I'd appreciate hearing from those who've got 21s and how they feel about both heat and battery life, as well as how the screens look.

Thanks!

 

[GrumpyMomofMacR]

I've had similar experiences with iphones. I can be indoors but I have skylights in my house and if light hits the phone for even a minute it heats up alarmingly and I have to sit somewhere else. I've had this with an iPhone 7 plus, and my former 11 pro. I never found out the cause because I tend to upgrade annually and just grit my teeth and bear it until I upgrade. I'm sorry I know that's not helpful to you.

I have had mixed experiences on overheating Samsungs. I've had an s7 I had to return. My other one was fine. So far my s21 Ultra has been an absolute joy to use. I also have an iPhone 12 Pro Max and came from an S20 to compare against the s21 Ultra and the S21 Ultra is my favorite. I am pleased with the display and the sound. It runs cool enough on the apps I use and even under the skylight so far. I think the silicone case tends to hold in more heat. My Samsung black rugged case allows what little heat there is to dissipate better. And I've just switched to a clear hybrid TPU and clear hard plastic back case. It's cool so far.

My S Pen is on backorder so I can't say how the experience might compare against the Note series. I had a Note 10 and I like my S21 Ultra much better than that Note.

I think given your issues with your Note that you're going to love the S21 Ultra. I do have the snapdragon version. I'm not too sure on how the Exynos version is faring in terms of overheating. I've heard there has been talk of a problem with some phones. I don't know how widespread that issue is. It may even have been fixed.

The cameras work well. I get some bad shots from time to time but when I replicate the attempt on my 12 Pro Max, the results will generally also be poor. I think Samsung has finally got its act together with the cameras. Having monster zoom capabilities has been fun. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[GrumpyMomofMacR]

Oh I forgot to answer you on battery life. It's been an all-day phone for me and most other people I've talked to online. But I've been very busy so I haven't really been keeping track too closely. I also switch off between this phone and my 12 Pro Max. So I hope someone with a usage more similar to yours chimes in.

 

[Gayle Lynn]

Factory Reset and clean install solved my issue with battery running à 40°C

Only took a couple hours. Highly recommend. I skipped signing into Google and Samsung until after I'd done everything I could. Not using SmaŕtSwitch.

 

[Johnson21x]

I didn't have that exact issue but i had some. Especially if im trying to use my s9 or s7 in the sun with the camera mostly. It would get really hot and the battery would die quickly. But you know thats just how it goes. Even with the new s21 series im sure it would do that at some point in its life cycle. But a Note8 Im sure the batteries life has had it with you, that much heat all the time definitely brought the battery down on that thing. If you dont want to upgrade just replace the battery.

But the Galaxy s21 series got great trade in deals. And battery life has been way better then i thought on my s21+. I get about 6-8 hours of SOT with some heavy gaming in. Not heavy intensive games tho. But most days i get about 6 hours with light to medium usage with still 40-50% battery life left from 8am to 10pm.

I hear the galaxy s21 Ultra has even better life in certain situations like web browsing and stuff.

Screen, is not a big concern for me. I can do with 1080p which is what the s21plus has. still looks good and crisp. great colors, nice viewable angles. Its Samsung S series they always got great screens.

Heat wise with the s21plus, i have felt heat right next to the camera, while using the camera and charging sometimes. but it was too extreme and hasnt happened very often. when i first got it yea, while i was testing everything while google was restoring and what not. But day to day minimal heat if any, but i would say in direct sun with the brightness on auto which pushes it to the max and using something intensive is going to make the phone very hot.

 

[onewomanarmy]

I appreciate everyone's replies - I knew heat has been an issue for some time but it's interesting to me how quickly the phone just gives up when it's in the sun, even when in a cool environment. I'm sure you're right Johnson21X, it has to have taken a toll on my battery. Luckily, with working from home for the last 10 months, it's not been an issue. I tried to find schematics for the Note 8, interested to see what was in the area where it gets so hot, and found so many different layouts of the guts claiming to be Note 8s, I wasn't sure which was accurate (for my phone). Some were obviously not even the right phone but labeled as.

GrumpyMomofMacR, thanks for your comments re your issues with the iPhones - I had been wondering if this is something that happens across different makers or just an unlucky Samsung thing. It seems like, maybe the phone before the Note 8, a week within purchase I had to take it back in to exchange because of how hot it was getting. This was also a Samsung. And then this with the N8. I realize these phones are packing a lot of power/battery/screen into a very small space, so heat is to be expected at times, it's good to know it's not just Samsungs that do struggle with that. I agree with you re the cases - some seem worse than others, I'll be more mindful of that on my next case.

I think I might try factory reset this weekend, appreciate the tips Gayle Lynn. Might as well see what happens. In the off chance we ever get sun here again... :-\
i think with what I'm reading, I'll still be updating to one of the S21s, but at least until I do that, I'll have a more reliable phone if that works.

Again, thanks for all the details in your replies, very much appreciated!

 

[Emig5m]

S7 was the worst for heat ever, literally felt like it was burning my hand brand new out of the box. It's the only phone to shut down from overheating (I was filming a indoor concert). Got a replacement after the battery expanded and blew the back cover off and it was just as bad.

The S10 and beyond never had the overheating problem.

You don't truly appreciate the new 120Hz display until you use it for a few weeks then go back to 60Hz. I can literally see the screen flicker and jitter when scrolling on my Tab S6.

The S21 Ultra feels even snappier and quicker than my S20 Ultra, especially after the latest update. It feels like a high end PC in my pocket. It makes using my Tab S6 a drag because of the speed and smoothness difference. Wish they made a S21 Ultra 512gb level tablet because the tablet sucks to use after experiencing the performance of the S21 Ultra...it's like going back to a S7....lol.

I will say that the Tablet handles heat far better than the phones. Gaming on the tablet the back doesn't even get warm. If you want something just for farting around the house a lot and heat is a concern, get a tablet.

 

[Gayle Lynn]

I bought S7 and it died on say #3 from heat with a black screen. If course that was around March, before we learned about the Note7 which I was planning to buy as well in August.

I had battery problems with 2011 Note II bulging and swollen.

That was when I turned to Blackberry and PRIV.

 

[Tabbiel1989]

I upgraded from the Note 8 to the S21 ultra and I'm very happy I did. The performance and battery life is great and you still have the ability to use a s-pen. It was definitely well worth it for me.