How "future proofed" do you think the Note 9 is?

[RadeonHD]

We live in a world where the latest and greatest is always right around the corner.

You buy a new phone today that becomes obsolete tomorrow.

I finally upgraded from a Note 4 this weekend. I skipped the 5, 7 and 8 because the 4 held it's own within those 3 years. Needless to say, it's truly shown its age and has been decommisonrd to iPod / Remote detail.

Now the latest and greatest is Note 9. With a powerful Snapdragon and 8 GB of RAM, how long do you guys predict this phone to stay relevant?

How long do you keep your phone before benching it? Do you upgrade out of need or pressure because everyone else is doing it?

If I had a jump or whatever program it is now, I guess I wouldn't care. But I don't, I have to buy my phone outright in order to keep my corporate discount on my phone bill, so upgrading every year is totally out of the question.

Seeing how the S7 and S6 to a lesser extent are still somewhat relevant handsets, I should be able to squeeze 5 years out of it. Hopefully. I want to put this 8 GB of RAM to use, but something tells me the most use I'll get it is the need of never closing apps. Most people do that already and let the OS handle the rest.

 

[felloffthetruck]

It's good for about 1 year.

 

[Mr Segundus]

I should be able to squeeze 5 years out of it.

No way you'll get 5 years out of it. The technology in today's device won't even be able to keep up in three years.

 

[Gayle Lynn]

Its... a Note! Not just a. S9+ even.

I paid ~$1000 minus what I got on trade in.
I am happy not having splurged on top end. Which I wouldn't really use or need. Not now. Not in 3 years.

So out of pocket was more like $US600. Not $1400+.

 

[Dooki]

hardware wise, very. durability, ehh. the glass back and curved display are prone to breakage and the new gorilla glass is easily scratched.

there real issue being Samsung's update policy. they release a new flagship with a year old operating system but brag about giving three major updates. basically, a phone that should have been released with P was released with O, and should get S will only get R. monthly updates are good on 1-2 year old phones but they basically go quarterly after that. They also do not give older devices UI upgrades that are more than capable of running them.

Samsung has gotten far better about updating their devices, but as a person who has spent a lot of money on their phones and tablets, still have both a note 8 tablet and note 10.1, and various phones in between, hardware still keeps up, but software is a shame.

 

[anon(3641385)]

@RadeonHD the note 9 will take you as far and as long as you want to go.

Use it for as many years as you feel comfortable, and ignore all the diatribe and 'slick' marketing that suggests otherwise.

Works for me

 

[BlackZeppelin]

I came similar to you, from a Galaxy S5 and finally upgraded to the Note 9. No one can say it was any external pressure to have the latest that led me to upgrade.

In my case it was a combination of factors. I was wishing a larger screen phone for more than a year, before the Note 8 and my S5 was running slow. I couldn't stand the fingerprint placement of the Note 8. The S9 plus was a great phone with a properly positioned fingerprint scanner but I thought if you're going to get a flagship, then get a Note.

So for me it was either the Note 9 or wait for the Note 10. The specs of the Note 9 took me by surprise. 512 GB storage, 8 GB RAM, 4000 mah battery, Bluetooth S pen etc. I couldn't resist.

The software update wasn't really an issue for me. I had Android marshmallow and was stuck on that. It was really of no concern. I'm more interested in security patches than the latest software OS.

I think you are asking the wrong question. It's not a case of how long before the Note 9 gets outclassed. That will happen soon with the S10, like any new phone.

The proper question is how long can the Note 9 last reliably doing everything well? With its high RAM and storage, excellent cameras and the 10nm processor, I'm betting it can last 4 years plus for those wishing to keep it so. With or without the latest OS.

My S5 was always running about 300 MB RAM as an example and still lasted me 4 years, albeit a bit slow. If the Note 9 runs at about 4 GB plus free RAM it's a no brainer it'll last years reliably.

 

[RadeonHD]

I only asked this question because other devices like laptops don't become as obsolete as fast. Laptops from 2012 still work fine. I don't see many people rushing in line to buy a new PC or MacBook each year, so I'm curious to why we are "expected" to upgrade every year, or a device becoming "obsolete" after 18 months.

All of these technological advancements, yet we still can't make proper phone calls on these things. lol.

5 years is a long time in technology world, but if a Note 4, S5 can hold down the basics for 3 years, I would assume something of today should last well into 2023.

Look at the iPhone 6S. 3 year old handset that is still competing with the top dogs with not even a sign of breaking a sweat yet. Sure it's a different platform, but what's to stop other manufacturers from engineering a phone of that caliber?

Why can't Samsung give us that kind of engineering? It's so bad how conditioned we are to wasting so much money on tech. If anyone owns or had an S6, how does it run on the latest OS? S6 was the direct competitor to the 6S.

I am going to be upset if my iPhone 6S outperforms this Note 9 in 2020. Lol

I didn't upgrade my iPhone because it literally has gotten faster since iOS 12, and compared to 7, 8 and X, there really isn't much different in real world performance. I was hoping the Note 9 can be the first "iPhone" of the Samsung world, but it seems people have little faith of the performance of this device just even after one year.

Interesting to see the different views, though.

 

[Mooncatt]

I saw members here talking down the Note 9 leading up to the release for not being 5G capable. So if you ask them, it was apparently obsolete before it was even released.

 

[EuroDriver]

I bought the Note 9 on a similar rationale that you did. However as far as future proofing, devices with 5G will be released next year. Even though they will be available, I'm hoping to get a solid 2-3 years out of my Note while they work out the kinks in 5G.
The other question will be whether the snapdragon 845 processor and 8gb ram will be sufficient for future Android version releases. Finally, durability vs future proofing (besides glass breakage) will largely depend on how soon the battery degrades.

 

[RadeonHD]

I saw members here talking down the Note 9 leading up to the release for not being 5G capable. So if you ask them, it was apparently obsolete before it was even released.

That's not even a Note 9 specific flaw, that's every phone up to this date. It'll probably be a disaster at launch if history repeats itself.

Then again, it is a valid complaint. Just wanted to see how everyone else felt.

I don't upgrade every year for reasons stated. So the jump from Note 4 to Note 9 was good enough as is. I went all out now so I don't have to worry about it later.

 

[RadeonHD]

I bought the Note 9 on a similar rationale that you did. However as far as future proofing, devices with 5G will be released next year. Even though they will be available, I'm hoping to get a solid 2-3 years out of my Note while they work out the kinks in 5G.
The other question will be whether the snapdragon 845 processor and 8gb ram will be sufficient for future Android version releases. Finally, durability vs future proofing (besides glass breakage) will largely depend on how soon the battery degrades.

Likewise. I feel the 845 and 8 GB should be sufficient enough. I mean, 8 GB of RAM. If a version of Android can't run on one of the strongest flagships there is out there, but in iOS there is a phone there that can not only one run their latest, but run it BETTER than the previous system with just 2 GB of RAM, I just need to bite the bullet and say Android sucks. Lol.

But I won't. These specs should be fine for Android Pie and Android Quiche. If not, we have a serious problem.

 

[Mooncatt]

That's not even a Note 9 specific flaw, that's every phone up to this date. It'll probably be a disaster at launch if history repeats itself.

Then again, it is a valid complaint. Just wanted to see how everyone else felt.

Oh I get it, and it's not the only phone I've seen get that complaint. But in the general sense of how long until obsolete, it's getting to the point that if a manufacture announced a new breakthrough today, I wouldn't be surprised to see people claim it's obsolete because "version 3 will be coming" and they want THAT. Lol

Regarding 5G, yeah, that seems overblown to me. I've asked what makes it so special to have such a cult like following already, but no one could give me a straight answer. 3G was still viable for years after 4G came out, and I suspect 4G will still be plenty for several more years as well.

I'm using my 2 year old V20, and it still runs like a champ. Combine that with extra features not found on most phones today (including their newer versions), and I still think it's the best total package you can get. So for the Note 9, I can easily see it being usable for 3+ years unless a real game changer comes and disrupts the market.

 

[EuroDriver]

4G speed is typically between 4-12mb/sec. 5G is supposed to be 30mb/s and up to 100mb/sec - comparable to a mid-high end home connection, making connected devices (such as smart cars) controllable through a phone - thus the hype

 

[Knightmayre90]

I'm one of those that has to upgrade every two years, have been that way for about the last 4 phones. I think this may be the one that will see me through 2 years. unless something happens that radically shakes up the market, this phone has all i need. but knowing me....

 

[Mike Dee]

We live in a world where the latest and greatest is always right around the corner.

You buy a new phone today that becomes obsolete tomorrow.

I finally upgraded from a Note 4 this weekend. I skipped the 5, 7 and 8 because the 4 held it's own within those 3 years. Needless to say, it's truly shown its age and has been decommisonrd to iPod / Remote detail.

Now the latest and greatest is Note 9. With a powerful Snapdragon and 8 GB of RAM, how long do you guys predict this phone to stay relevant?

How long do you keep your phone before benching it? Do you upgrade out of need or pressure because everyone else is doing it?

If I had a jump or whatever program it is now, I guess I wouldn't care. But I don't, I have to buy my phone outright in order to keep my corporate discount on my phone bill, so upgrading every year is totally out of the question.

Seeing how the S7 and S6 to a lesser extent are still somewhat relevant handsets, I should be able to squeeze 5 years out of it. Hopefully. I want to put this 8 GB of RAM to use, but something tells me the most use I'll get it is the need of never closing apps. Most people do that already and let the OS handle the rest.

Hardware wise it's got plenty of future but it depends on what future software brings to the table and how far you want to go. I would say 3 years easy, but of course the battery won't be top notch by then. Assuming you can replace the battery it will go further but 5G will probably be in full swing.

 

[Richard Stewart79]

I would say 2 years but might be able to get 3 but that's pushing it

 

[EuroDriver]

Assuming you can replace the battery it will go further but 5G will probably be in full swing.

There's a few articles out there commenting on the fact that they glued in the battery so heavily that it will be nearly impossible to replace without destroying the device

 

[Blues Fan]

I will be buying the note 10!

 

[Mike Dee]

There's a few articles out there commenting on the fact that they glued in the battery so heavily that it will be nearly impossible to replace without destroying the device

That's a damn shame if it's true