Never owned a Samsung phone. I have some questions.

[RavenSword]

So I have decided that I'm more than likely going to be getting the galaxy note 4. But I've never owned a Samsung phone and I have some questions/concerns for those who have used them for a bit:

1. How good are Samsung with updates? Do they have a good track record of supporting their devices? How quick are they usually?

2. I've heard some say that after a few months Samsung phones tend to get slow or the battery life drops off a ton. Have you found this the case with past Samsung phones?

3. Can most of the Samsung stuff be disabled or ignored? Honestly, I don't really want to use their services. I'd rather use googles?

4 and I'm just curious how performance of Samsung phones holds up in general? Since im gonna be keeping the phone for the next two years or so I want to make sure it'll atleast hold up well.

 

[anon(469638)]

1. How good are Samsung with updates? Do they have a good track record of supporting their devices? How quick are they usually?

...Their about as okay as the others. In the US, the carriers are the ones who actually slow down the update process.

2. I've heard some say that after a few months Samsung phones tend to get slow or the battery life drops off a ton. Have you found this the case with past Samsung phones?

...Never have I experienced this. And if you ever have a battery issue, you can easily swap it out yourself.

3. Can most of the Samsung stuff be disabled or ignored? Honestly, I don't really want to use their services. I'd rather use googles?

...Yup. Almost everything they add can be disabled. Note that some things you may disable affect other apps.

4 and I'm just curious how performance of Samsung phones holds up in general? Since im gonna be keeping the phone for the next two years or so I want to make sure it'll atleast hold up well.

...I think performance will be fine. As with any mobile device, a factory reset near the two year point should help out any bugs or hiccups that you may experience.

I personally try to avoid updating as updates can bring unwanted bugs and such. I buy a phone for what it does now, not what it may be able to do because of an update.

The Lollipop Update that will come is one I may avoid for a while until others have tried it out and report on the flaws it brings.

 

[Nakrohtap]

So I have decided that I'm more than likely going to be getting the galaxy note 4. But I've never owned a Samsung phone and I have some questions/concerns for those who have used them for a bit:

1. How good are Samsung with updates? Do they have a good track record of supporting their devices? How quick are they usually?

2. I've heard some say that after a few months Samsung phones tend to get slow or the battery life drops off a ton. Have you found this the case with past Samsung phones?

3. Can most of the Samsung stuff be disabled or ignored? Honestly, I don't really want to use their services. I'd rather use googles?

4 and I'm just curious how performance of Samsung phones holds up in general? Since im gonna be keeping the phone for the next two years or so I want to make sure it'll atleast hold up well.

Just my opinion...
1. It's more carrier related regarding the delays. Typically a few months after a major update. You don't buy Samsung phones for quick updates. If that's one of your priorities, go with Motorola.
2. Samsung phones don't slow down any more than any other brand. It's like a computer...the more crap you have running in the background, the slower it will be. Personally, I have not had this issue with any Samsung phone except the Galaxy Nexus.
3. I can't speak to this one. They're really unobtrusive. I only disabled the Samsung push service. It seemed to be waking up my phone too much. Basically, if you don't like the apps, don't use them. I don't think they need to be disabled for the most part.
4. My Note 3 stood up fine for the year I had it. The Galaxy Nexus was a little long in the tooth after 2 years and I was ready to throw it at a wall. I feel that the hardware has finally caught up and the Note 4 should have no problem lasting 2 years.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[RavenSword]

thanks for the feedback guys. Main reason I wanted to go with the note 4 was due to its battery life and screen. Also, id like to start having a phone with a good camera. However, theyre dosent seem to be a stock android phone with all three of those things. So, I thought the note 4 would be a good choice. even though I dont think touch wiz is my favorite skin and im a little worried about updates to the OS and not getting them.

 

[Halofury]

Best Samsung I've had by far, the Note 4

Posted via Android Central App on Note 4

 

[kami8586]

I love my note 4. Although I did drop it on a spigen aluminum case..it seems to be fine but a tiny scratch on the screen. Waiting for my tempered glass tomorrow

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[dragonsamus]

The Note 4 is my second Samsung phone. Note 3 was the first. I love these phones. Love the big screen and cameras. I also love how easy it is to root them and install custom roms so updating the rom is pretty easy for me. I also love the removable battery and SD cards.

 

[jrsharp70]

If I weren't a huge S Pen fan and mus of the specific Note functions, I'd own a Droid turbo.

No way I'd choose an s5 over the new Motorola phones. But I love the note functions.

Oh, and if new features come out, you will never get them. I've had a Note 2, 3, 4, 18.0 and 10.1 2014... it isn't like apple, the S Pen functions you get with the device are the ones you keep for the life of the phone.