Pixel 2 Refugees - How's the Note 8?

[billykac]

I have a Pixel 2 XL on pre-order, but am on the cusp of cancelling it and going with a Note 8.

I had a N5 that I loved, got the N7, lived through that debacle and ran for the Google hills a year ago. My Pixel XL has not been such a good purchase (endless BT issues) and now with all of the Pixel 2 XL issues, I am thinking Note 8.

If you've made the move, let me know what you're finding.
I may be right behind you!

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

I'm not a "Pixel 2 refugee", but my last phone did run very close-to-stock Android with a flagship spec sheet (SD820, 4GB LPDDR4, 64GB UFS storage, QHD AMOLED display, etc.).

I've been using my Note8 for a month now.

All I can say is that I don't know what in the world Samsung did to the UX but it feels and performs so much better than the S8. The S8 wasn't "bad", but it also didn't perform as well as it should. The Note does, and quite honestly, feels almost as smooth as my last phone, which is quite high praise from me.

Is it Pixel smooth? Probably not, but is it closer than ever? I don't think it's too far off the mark.

Of course, you're giving up update speed and consistency. Samsung is not great when it comes to OS upgrades and while they are decent at security updates, they're a bit more inconsistent than I'd like although they do tend to come frequently.

 

[DMarie04]

I have a Pixel 2 XL on pre-order, but am on the cusp of cancelling it and going with a Note 8.

I had a N5 that I loved, got the N7, lived through that debacle and ran for the Google hills a year ago. My Pixel XL has not been such a good purchase (endless BT issues) and now with all of the Pixel 2 XL issues, I am thinking Note 8.

If you've made the move, let me know what you're finding.
I may be right behind you!

Coming from Notes 4, 5 & now the 8 and it's a Badass phone (IMO!) I CAN'T see you regretting a Note 8 purchase!

 

[Old g]

my opinion the note 8 was the better phone before the issues. plus right now there's crazy deals ....save yourself some money an get the note 8 . spend the extra $200 on Xmas gifts

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

Let me tell you a few things that you might miss if you're used to what the Pixel has;

• OS upgrades - Google is king here, without a doubt. If updates are a priority, Google is your only choice when it comes to Android. Samsung isn't too bad with security patches, and while they do come regularly, they're more inconsistent than I would have liked. As for OS upgrades, expect a few months' wait from when Google officially releases them.
• HDR+ - There is a tweaked camera app that's pretty popular right now which allows any Snapdragon-touting device to utilize HDR+, and I have no doubt the 835 in the Note8 will be supported. Just that it won't give you that "native" experience.
• Fingerprint sensor - Yes, I'm going to say it. You will need to train your muscle memory to know where the sensor is. I don't find it too hard now but it did require some training when I first had it.

 

[billykac]

Thanks for the feedback so far.

I am deep in the Google ecosystem, and still, regarding OS updates, it's really no big deal. My family members all have S8's and Samsung's slow update cycle and their phone experience is A+. I have the fast-updated Pixel and my phone experience is not-so-great. For me, fast updates do not overcome the other shortcomings of owning a Pixel. Looking at potentially extending that not-so-great experience for another year, at a premium price point, is not so enticing.

I do love my Pixel photos, but from what I've read, DxO rates the N8 better than what I have now, and I believe 1 point lower than the Pixel 2. Will I really see that 1 point? Not sure. I don't use fingerprint readers due to really dry skin, so that's totally a non-issue for me. Retina scan on my N5 was excellent.

Regarding the "crazy deals", the only one that I can find that'll work for a T-Mo customer is the $200 off. That's not bad, but maybe not so "crazy". Am I missing something here? Going for an N8 will involve me using Swappa to sell my Pixel, so there's that variable for me to consider. Not sure if that'll be a PIA or not.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

Thanks for the feedback so far.

I am deep in the Google ecosystem, and still, regarding OS updates, it's really no big deal. My family members all have S8's and Samsung's slow update cycle and their phone experience is A+. I have the fast-updated Pixel and my phone experience is not-so-great. For me, fast updates do not overcome the other shortcomings of owning a Pixel. Looking at potentially extending that not-so-great experience for another year, at a premium price point, is not so enticing.

I do love my Pixel photos, but from what I've read, DxO rates the N8 better than what I have now, and I believe 1 point lower than the Pixel 2. Will I really see that 1 point? Not sure. I don't use fingerprint readers due to really dry skin, so that's totally a non-issue for me. Retina scan on my N5 was excellent.

Regarding the "crazy deals", the only one that I can find that'll work for a T-Mo customer is the $200 off. That's not bad, but maybe not so "crazy". Am I missing something here? Going for an N8 will involve me using Swappa to sell my Pixel, so there's that variable for me to consider. Not sure if that'll be a PIA or not.

Maybe wait for a better deal.

The festive season is closing in, and there will be more deals coming in soon.

 

[galaxyfive]

Just a quick response to the fingerprint reader on the Note 8. I was originally concerned about the placement because of all the discussion on it. I have averaged sized hands and I honestly cant imagine why there is any controversy at all. My finger falls naturally on the reader after locating the position for the first time. I do use a Samsung case.
IMO a perceived issue not worthy of all the press it's received.

 

[billykac]

Maybe wait for a better deal.

The festive season is closing in, and there will be more deals coming in soon.

Agreed.

I just cancelled my Pixel 2 XL order. There's a lot of us. Nearly 40% have bailed so far.

I still may pull the trigger this week on a N8. I can get a decent price for my OG Pixel on Swappa (approx $400) and T-Mo is offering $200. That's $600 I can put toward financing, which may be a good-enough deal for me.

Plus, I'd love to have a functional BT connection. Listening to frustration-free music would be awesome.

 

[zavandiver]

I have had a Moto X 13, X 14, Nexus 6, 6p and Pixel XL. The Moto 13 was my first Android after years of iPhone. I was a little leery of Samsung and its UI, but everything I read said it was much improved and closer to stock Android than previously. The Note 8 hardware is gorgeous, and the S-pen is interesting. I loaded my Nova Launcher setup from my XL and have never looked back. Samsung adds a few tweaks that are great, like Device Maintenance.
I don't think you will be disappointed by the Note 8.

 

[jejb]

I went from an S5 to a Nexus 6P, because it was getting harder and harder to root Samsung Verizon phones. The 6P was a good phone for me, but the design was always kind of meh. I got an N7 after the first recall, returned it in the 2nd recall, and wound up with an S7E. I was very happy to get back into the Samsung family. Screen is so much nicer, and the design just blows flat front phones out of the water, at least to me. My N8 is just a continuation of my great Samsung experience.

I never notice any of the much talked about lag in one phone vs the other. Nor do I notice Touchwiz degrading my experience. Heck, if you didn't tell someone a Sammy phone was using a different launcher, I bet almost nobody would notice. Many of the Samsung and Verizon preloaded apps are useful and work well. What I don't want, I uninstall or disable, not a big deal.

I've found I don't really need root anymore either. The main reason I rooted was TiBu and ad blockers. But you can do backups to Google now, and there are good ad blockers that run on non-rooted phones, like Block-This, although they have to be side loaded. I don't miss not being rooted at all. Sure makes taking updates a LOT less painful, too.

For me, the only reason I'd go back to a Google phone, at least with the current state of design, would be if I really, really needed root for some reason.

 

[Old g]

Thanks for the feedback so far.

I am deep in the Google ecosystem, and still, regarding OS updates, it's really no big deal. My family members all have S8's and Samsung's slow update cycle and their phone experience is A+. I have the fast-updated Pixel and my phone experience is not-so-great. For me, fast updates do not overcome the other shortcomings of owning a Pixel. Looking at potentially extending that not-so-great experience for another year, at a premium price point, is not so enticing.

I do love my Pixel photos, but from what I've read, DxO rates the N8 better than what I have now, and I believe 1 point lower than the Pixel 2. Will I really see that 1 point? Not sure. I don't use fingerprint readers due to really dry skin, so that's totally a non-issue for me. Retina scan on my N5 was excellent.

Regarding the "crazy deals", the only one that I can find that'll work for a T-Mo customer is the $200 off. That's not bad, but maybe not so "crazy". Am I missing something here? Going for an N8 will involve me using Swappa to sell my Pixel, so there's that variable for me to consider. Not sure if that'll be a PIA or not.

So your saying you can't just return a phone you just purchased. Heck if that's Google policy I wouldn't buy anything from them I'm the frist place.

 

[billykac]

So your saying you can't just return a phone you just purchased. Heck if that's Google policy I wouldn't buy anything from them I'm the frist place.

No - didn't mean to mislead you. You can return Google phones - no problem, with the exception of the time and cost to do so. BT was totally dysfunctional on my Pixel XL for a year. I was in close touch with Google all that time, but it was easy to see that for everyone that had the BT problem and returned their phones, it never fixed the problem. It was inherent to the hardware. I never returned mine.

Regarding the N8, I pulled the trigger yesterday and I am really glad I did. From every perspective - from the N8 being such a superior phone to not having to worry about all that Pixel 2 drama - it's a breath of fresh air to be out of that space.

Very glad to be here.