Anyone else still planning on keeping their Note 4 awhile longer?

[RadeonHD4250]

Yes, I am extremely happy with my Note 4 after my modifications. (Rooted, ZeroLemon Battery, Battery friendly kernel)

I've yet to move to an S8 based ROM just yet because I'm loving the speed and stability of the Note 7 one I'm on.

It's a shame Android handles updates differently than iOS because the Note 4 handles the latest OS features PERFECTLY.

I'm holding on to this bad boy until it's completely dead. Custom support for Note 4 is still strong.
I can be happy with the Note 7 base for the rest of the phones' lifespan, but I may try the S8 base after a the kinks are ironed out.

 

[svtcobra]

I still have 2 mint Note 4s. 1 white 1 black. And a gazillion accys. I'm thinking of going to the Note 8. We will see about a month in, how other people test it first! I've never traded or sold any phone that I bought new. #cellOholic

 

[MrMELTDOWN]

Assuming you go with a Note 8 or other sealed battery device, can a repair facility or the factory replace the battery after it degrades?

 

[natehoy]

Assuming you go with a Note 8 or other sealed battery device, can a repair facility or the factory replace the battery after it degrades?

Yes. Well, at least that has been possible in the Note 5 and 7 models. Replacement is possible, if not trivial. It can even be a do-it-yourself job if you have the time and bravery for it. LOL

Example: Note 7

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung+Galaxy+Note7+Teardown/66389

The major highlights being, of course, that you might bust the waterproofing, it's a rather delicate and time-consuming operation, OEM is unlikely to offer batteries to consumers and it's going to be fairly spendy, and of course warranty voided instantly.

 

[starbuckk]

Note 4 does all I need it to do. Why blow 1000 bucks on fluff?

 

[Paradroid01]

I wanted to use it much much longer, but it died. Motherboard damage like so many others.

 

[JohnMcL7]

I'm very split about my Note 4 as it's an odd situation when the phone is nearly three years old and new phones seem to offer more of a downgrade than upgrade. My Note 4 is a bit sickly as it seems to have problems switching cellular bands which leaves it offline when I go out of the town centre, I can't use 4G any more and I've been caught a few times not realising the phone was offline which is an issue as I spend a lot of time on call for work. There's also some minor damage from an accident (pink blemish on screen and the frame is bent) and the rear cover has become brittle leaving it to start flaking apart and cracking. I can't seem to find a genuine replacement.

It's also not running well with marshmallow as it's more sluggish and batterylife has suffered.

I'm waiting to see what the LG V30 offers (LG's past performance in Europe doesn't give much hope) and also considering the Note 8, I'd definitely like a bigger screen (still use the 6.44in Z Ultra for a drone controller and the Note 4 seems small) but I dislike the curved screen, fixed battery, USB-C (I realise that's the standard now but micro USB is more convenient for me) and fragile build.

 

[eshropshire]

The Note 4 has been my favorite smartphone. I don't change very often four phones since 2009. I have preordered a Note 8. Time to move to phone 5. Great deals on the Note 8 if you look around.

 

[Brew Swayne]

I intend on upgrading to the Note 8 about a month or so after it gets released....gotta make sure they aren't blowing up or anything. Love my Note 4 but I've had it over 2 years now and it's time for something new. Somehow I've managed to burn the keyboard into the screen. It's not terribly noticable unless the background of what I'm looking at is mostly white/light colored. The usb port also seems to have a bit of wiggle in it so I'm sure that could break basically any day now. Just need it to hold out another 6-8 weeks.

I guess I lied. Got an email today from Sam's club offering a free Galaxy Gear 360 camera or wireless charging station and a 128gb Samsung Evo Pro MicroSD card if you pre-order by 9/24.

But wait!!! There's more!!!

They're also throwing in a $200 SC gift card for pre-orders until 9/24.

AND....

If you pre-order between 9/15 - 9/17 they'll also waive your activation fee.

So yeah, looks like I'll be pre-ordering between 9/15 - 9/17.

 

[Coraya]

I long for the day they make another Note as good as the Note 4. No silly curved screen, IR blaster and just a sturdy workhorse. Phones have become fashion statements, I think that's the problem. I don't have my Note 4 anymore because I had bad luck with the. 3-4 replacements in one year and I was concerned about the warranty. But it was still one of the best smartphones I have ever ever owned.

 

[Keith White Jr]

I just bought a new Note 4 from amazon after many many years on Windows phones, and so far I am loving it. Any tips I should know?

 

[natehoy]

I just bought a new Note 4 from amazon after many many years on Windows phones, and so far I am loving it. Any tips I should know?

That's a huge list.

I'd say the very first thing to do is to disable some of the built-in software like Peel Remote (there are better free apps on the Play Store if you decide to use your phone as a TV remote control anyway) - Peel is really bad about popping up ads, and that's just going to be frustrating and give you negative vibes from the get-go. No one wants that to happen.

Second, take out yon S-Pen and start playing around with it. It's one of the huge things that makes the Note series unique, and a lot of us will give up our S-Pen when you take it from our cold, dead hands. It's the primary reason I (a self-admitted heavily addicted phonehopper since the Blackberry Pearl) have carried the Note 4 for coming up on three years now. Everything else feels so painfully inaccurate, and the partial screen capture and some of the other neat tricks are very useful (to me - your mileage may vary).

 

[Jon Duval]

i had the note 4 untill i received my note 8 and im telling you its a HUGE HUGE step up you WILL NOT regret upgrading its so much better

 

[natehoy]

i had the note 4 untill i received my note 8 and im telling you its a HUGE HUGE step up you WILL NOT regret upgrading its so much better

I'm watching the Note 8 forums to see how things look in a few months. I realize that it is better in every way in terms of speed, camera, screen, new features, etc etc. But my last two sealed-battery phones didn't last a year each before battery life started degrading, and the iFixit teardown on the Note 8 is pretty iffy in terms of ease of swapping batteries.

 

[huntnyc]

I am training my kranich 9600 math battery now hoping it will give me 2 days or more battery life. Love Note 4 battery options.

 

[Isaiah Peterson]

I think the note 4 was the peak phone of the note lineup. It was where they struck the best balance of various competing design challenges. The current option just doesn't have the same near perfection to me.

Maybe the screen is marginally better now, but I'm perfectly happy with the screen on the Note 4 still.

They took away the removable battery to give waterproofing, and a premium look and feel both of which are almost entirely useless to me. The back looks better now? So what, it's hidden by a case for me and the vast majority of users, so the look of the back is a totally pointless advantage.

You know what every user likes? Being able to turn the phone on because it has a charge. That was more reliably achieved with the "dated" design.

Waterproofing? Its a fun novelty to take swim videos, but the rare occasion where I take advantage of that didn't make up for the loss of knowing I'm always 30 seconds away from having a fully charged phone. The s5 was waterproof with a removable back so that wasn't even a totally necessary change anyway.

What they did do with the 4 that elevated it to a new place compared to its predecessors was the metal body instead of plastic. That was the good kind of focus on a premium build where function wasn't sacrificed.

I really want to want the note 8, but losing the IR blaster and replaceable battery feels like such a loss. As much as Iike the edge screen on my S8 I think I would almost prefer a fully flat screen for the note.

The top and bottom bezel minimization on the current generation is absolutely a big improvement with the current generation, but that is the only way that the design has improved in my eyes. In basically every other way the design has regressed and become less functional over all. Notes really should be about bringing as much functionality to the table as possible.

 

[Coraya]

the sealed battery doesn't really bother me anymore because I believe water resistance can really save your butt God forbid you drop it in a toilet (me), drop it outside in a snow puddle and not noticing until hours later (dad) or drop it in a pool? Given my G6 will still work if anything like that happens, I'll gladly give up the removable battery. IR blaster is cool though and I don't understand why they don't include it. I'm thinking about the Note 8 but it just seems so damn expensive.

 

[Sammuel1973]

I'm watching the Note 8 forums to see how things look in a few months. I realize that it is better in every way in terms of speed, camera, screen, new features, etc etc. But my last two sealed-battery phones didn't last a year each before battery life started degrading, and the iFixit teardown on the Note 8 is pretty iffy in terms of ease of swapping batteries.

FYI, I am back to my N4 from my N8, after a week of use, because it's still more convenient battery wise with my N4.

 

[natehoy]

FYI, I am back to my N4 from my N8, after a week of use, because it's still more convenient battery wise with my N4.

In my case I've been having mobile data lag issues with my Note 4. My wife just upgraded her S7 Edge to an LG G6, and I decided to factory reset her S7 Edge and try it exclusively for a week to see if it helped.

Sadly, it did. And I realized how much inadequacy I have been dealing with in terms of the fingerprint scanner and how much Nougat-based TouchWiz has really brought to the table... :mind_blown: - they even replaced about 2/3 of what I had previously been using S-Pen for with functions that don't require an S-Pen (cropping screenshots, that sort of thing).

I haven't touched the Note 4 in a week except to power it up to check something for the forum here.

I'm still not ready to pay money for anything that has a sealed and hard to replace battery. I know the S7e will start losing battery life before too much longer and it'll become a "tethered to a charger" addict and/or I'll have to brick it up by adding a battery case.

But it does make me sad all over again that no one is building a modern flagship with a swappable battery any more.

 

[Keith White Jr]

That's a huge list.

I'd say the very first thing to do is to disable some of the built-in software like Peel Remote (there are better free apps on the Play Store if you decide to use your phone as a TV remote control anyway) - Peel is really bad about popping up ads, and that's just going to be frustrating and give you negative vibes from the get-go. No one wants that to happen.

Second, take out yon S-Pen and start playing around with it. It's one of the huge things that makes the Note series unique, and a lot of us will give up our S-Pen when you take it from our cold, dead hands. It's the primary reason I (a self-admitted heavily addicted phonehopper since the Blackberry Pearl) have carried the Note 4 for coming up on three years now. Everything else feels so painfully inaccurate, and the partial screen capture and some of the other neat tricks are very useful (to me - your mileage may vary).

Thank you! I am loving the pen!! I show it off to my WP and iPhone using friends. All are amazed lol