Deciding between Note 8 and Pixel 2

[Face_The_Raven]

Yes, it's early days yet but my old phone is just creaking along, the decision making process is complicated, and I don't have many opportunities for thorough research. I'm hoping people here can help me find the right phone for work and play.

I use the Note 4 but I'm not a TW fan, not at all. Except for the S-Pen and S-Health, I use only the Google apps instead of Samsung's "me too" imitations. Those two exceptions are very useful though and the S-Pen seems to be unique. Otherwise the TW environment is a huge negative.

I'm also not a fan of Samsung's obnoxious level of bloatware. I'm constantly having to delete files as the phone's memory fills up, so being unable to delete useless TW crapware is truly offensive It's going to be even worse in the Note 8, especially with MS paying to install apps that can't be deleted.

The inability to use one button for anything but Bixby is really offensive too. I don't currently use an assistant but if I do it will be Google's version, a decision I made even before Bixby's bad reviews came in.

OTOH, the Note's hardware is awesome and the S-Pen irreplaceable.

Pixel 2: love the ecosystem, the ability to customize (and delete!), and the freshest security updates. Downsides are no S-Pen and rather less impressive hardware, from what I've seen to date.

Questions:
- Is there an Android counterpart to the S-Pen?
- Any chance of a dev-edition Note 8 so I can delete useless apps, maybe install an ad-blocker?
- I'm not sure I'd want to root the 8, even once that becomes possible, for security reasons. How long has it taken to root the last few Note releases roughly?

Thanks!

 

[LeoRex]

Well, there really isn't anything that compares to the S-Pen on any platform to be honest... there are similar type things, like the Apple Pen and Microsoft's thing, but nothing is as integrated into the phone's software as the S-Pen.

Dev edition? Fat chance. The closest thing we got to that was the S4 Google Play Edition, which was a S4 with a stock, Nexus-like build of Android. But Samsung has not come back to that since, nor do I suspect it will anytime soon.

Root? Hit or miss... it all depends on the route Samsung takes... They've gone all Lord Torquemada on a few of the variants (mostly the Snapdragon models) and they were never reliably rooted because no one ever was able to get through the bootloader locks. Others were rooted not long after launch. Looking around XDA at the moment, they are still talking about rooting the S8 Snapdragon models ... some chatter that it works on some models but a whole lot of frustration everywhere else... and a lot of people having bowl after bowl of nutritious bootloops. But its not a stretch to say that whatever does happen with the Note 8, it most likely won't be easy, certainly not as easy as a Pixel (as long as its not a Verizon Pixel, because Verizon is evil)

 

[Face_The_Raven]

Thanks for that, especially the VZW Pixel warning. I hadn't looked into it but had planned on buying through Google if I went that direction. I hope that's still an option for avoiding the worst of the bloat.

 

[LeoRex]

Thanks for that, especially the VZW Pixel warning. I hadn't looked into it but had planned on buying through Google if I went that direction. I hope that's still an option for avoiding the worst of the bloat.

Well, there's no bloat in the Verizon model, they just locked it down a bit. If you want to play around with the software, that's a consideration.

 

[robishere]

I personally prefer the pixel from the point of view from software alone, I love stock android and even though samsungs interface has become less intrusive over the past few years I still much prefer stock android

 

[Morty2264]

I definitely understand your conundrum, OP! The Pixel 2 and Note 8 are expected to be brilliant devices. Choosing between them will be no small feat.

I'm sorry, I don't know anything about rooting - I'm kind of accident prone with technology lool, so I steer clear of those types of customizations! - however, I know first hand, after owning a Nexus 5, that stock Android is amazing. The Pixel 2 is a great option for sure. I think its leaks look more impressive than the Pixel, but I guess we'll see what happens!

I've never owned a Samsung device before (but have fiddled with relatives' phones); but I know from reading the forums here that there is no equal to the S Pen. If you want to give it and the Note 8 a shot, I say go for it! Samsung is very reliable and I think their customer service is top notch, especially after what happened with last year's Note 7.

Let us know what you decide!

 

[Face_The_Raven]

What I've seen about the N8 and speculation about the Pixel 2 XL have me leaning strongly toward the N8 at this point on hardware alone. The S-Pen is the killer feature; my unconfirmed impression is that the bump in storage more than compensates for the space wasted by Samsung's worthless "me too!" apps; and Google doesn't appear to have put any real effort into making the Pixel anything beyond a software flagship.

The inability to delete Bixby or remap the button is an FU to Samsung's customers, as well as a tacit admission Samsung believes they would move away from it in significant numbers if permitted the choice. With my N4 still chugging along and hating to reward bad behavior, I'm very tempted to respond in kind by waiting for price breaks to kick in. When do those typically kick in vis a vis the annual Apple releases and going into Black Friday?

 

[recDNA]

What I've seen about the N8 and speculation about the Pixel 2 XL have me leaning strongly toward the N8 at this point on hardware alone. The S-Pen is the killer feature; my unconfirmed impression is that the bump in storage more than compensates for the space wasted by Samsung's worthless "me too!" apps; and Google doesn't appear to have put any real effort into making the Pixel anything beyond a software flagship.

The inability to delete Bixby or remap the button is an FU to Samsung's customers, as well as a tacit admission Samsung believes they would move away from it in significant numbers if permitted the choice. With my N4 still chugging along and hating to reward bad behavior, I'm very tempted to respond in kind by waiting for price breaks to kick in. When do those typically kick in vis a vis the annual Apple releases and going into Black Friday?

If you were a Note 7 owner you'll never beat the current trade in discount. VZW also has a sort of trade in discount that is hard to beat if you want to keep the phone for 2 years. I never want to be stuck for 2 years.

 

[Ry]

If you think your choices are Note 8 and Pixel 2, I'd wait for the Pixel 2 is actually announced.

 

[Face_The_Raven]

Waiting isn't a problem as long as the N4 keeps plugging along. I briefly played with an N8 today and wasn't really impressed, though the specs are impressive on paper. The silo form factor may take a bit of getting used to aesthetically too.

 

[Face_The_Raven]

Update: It's possible to disable Bixby and remap the physical button to better uses (e.g. camera), so my earlier objection is moot.