Anyone here switching to the One or S4?

[YankeeMike]

If so why?

 

[vr002sh]

Nope, this is the first phone I have ever had that I am totally satisfied with (and I have been using smart phones since the very early BB days). I will wait for the Note 3, or if I can get a Note 8, with phone radios, maybe that one. The Note 2 will get most of the S4 features. Not interested in an HTC phone (I have had several and the build quality is great, I am not sure they will be around, and want to know I can get support and updates).

 

[PittiesRule]

If so why?

A better question is how many times will you ask this question before you get the answer you're seeking?

Sent thru cyberspace by my Samsung Galaxy Note 2

 

[zkSharks]

A better question is how many times will you ask this question before you get the answer you're seeking?

His threads are similar, yes, but they're not duplicates and discussion is being generated in them. If I were looking to plan my upgrade route, I'd want to hear advice and opinions from those using different devices so I could think about it from their perspectives.

I don't get to use my Note 2 very often (it's always at a local studio being used as a development device), but if I were using it as my 'daily driver', so to speak, I'd probably look towards the inevitable Note 3 or the One for the upgrade. The S4 doesn't do as much for me as I had hoped.

 

[SpiralBorg]

After Months of trying to find the perfect phone, friends a d family loaning, going into carrier shops, I have to get the S4.
I had a Nokia N950, which is clearly dying out, so a upgrade wouldn't hurt.
At all.

Sent from my XOOM.

 

[SpookDroid]

I'm still torn between the two. I won't make up my mind until I actually use them BOTH, preferably side by side. I like the HTC One's build, but let's face it, we'll cover it up with a case anyway. HTC is in VERY bad shape, and I fear they won't be around much longer if things keep going the way they are. Samsung, on the other hand, is not going away anytime soon and sure, although late, even their Galaxy S2 has been upgraded to JellyBean with a lot of software features coming from the Note 2/GS3, so I'm sure that the year-or-so my new phone would last in my hands, is enough to be up to date. But then there's the fact that the GS4 is a near-twin of the GS3, so unless the screen REALLY blows me away and the camera is better than my Note 2's (slow shutter of hell!) or the HTC One (ultrapixels my a##, samples I've seen look really dull if they're not in low lighting), I won't be jumping to that ship just yet.

 

[YankeeMike]

I'm still torn between the two. I won't make up my mind until I actually use them BOTH, preferably side by side. I like the HTC One's build, but let's face it, we'll cover it up with a case anyway. HTC is in VERY bad shape, and I fear they won't be around much longer if things keep going the way they are. Samsung, on the other hand, is not going away anytime soon and sure, although late, even their Galaxy S2 has been upgraded to JellyBean with a lot of software features coming from the Note 2/GS3, so I'm sure that the year-or-so my new phone would last in my hands, is enough to be up to date. But then there's the fact that the GS4 is a near-twin of the GS3, so unless the screen REALLY blows me away and the camera is better than my Note 2's (slow shutter of hell!) or the HTC One (ultrapixels my a##, samples I've seen look really dull if they're not in low lighting), I won't be jumping to that ship just yet.

Do you love the Note2? what are pros and cons?

I have huge hands, and the Iphone keys just too small. I also like that S2 isn't Pentile.

 

[SpookDroid]

I definitely love my Note 2, but some features I thought I'd use when I first bought it, are really just gimmicks... For instance, I rarely use the Stylus and MultiWindow features (the latter mostly because of a lack of support from the apps I REALLY use).

Screen real estate and color and resolution are great. I've seen the GS3 screen and it looks like crap compared to the Note 2. It's also pentile, but not really hehe it's a modified version and it's really not noticeable AT ALL like it was on the GS3. It won't compare to an iPhone's PPI, though. Speaker volume is great, but I regret the placing of the speaker: it's on the bottom, so it's too easily blocked, muffling the sound immediately.

The stylus, I guess it's a neat feature, but like I said before, I seldom use it anymore. MultiWindow is also undermined by the lack of good apps that can use it (I probably only use the PopUp Browser and it's more just to use it than because I need to).

The camera is good as long as there's good lighting. Low light shots suffer from a VERY slow shutter, even in situations where you think light is quite bright, turns out they come out blurry if the subject is moving.

The phone is big, so it won't fit standard pockets without being noticed. Also, unless you have a big head, you'll look funny while talking, but since most of us really don't use our phones for talking anymore hehehe it's not such a big deal for me.

Battery life is great, but it was greater. The latest updates from Samsung seemed to break battery life and now the phone lasts a few hours less than it used to, but it'll still hold on for a day with moderate/heavy use.

 

[1812dave]

Note 2 size is just right for me. the only thing I'm not keen on is the lack of brightness, relative to a few other very bright phones. It's darn hard to see the screen in sunlight. Other than that, I'm super pleased with this phone. will be keeping it for a while.

 

[jdub1981]

Note 2 size is just right for me. the only thing I'm not keen on is the lack of brightness, relative to a few other very bright phones. It's darn hard to see the screen in sunlight. Other than that, I'm super pleased with this phone. will be keeping it for a while.

I have to agree with you on the brightness. Its just fine indoors which is where I use mine most of the time. Even on max brightness outdoors I can barely see the screen. Plus the screen is highly reflective so that makes it even harder.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 8.0 using Tapatalk

 

[jdub1981]

9

I definitely love my Note 2, but some features I thought I'd use when I first bought it, are really just gimmicks... For instance, I rarely use the Stylus and MultiWindow features (the latter mostly because of a lack of support from the apps I REALLY use).

Screen real estate and color and resolution are great. I've seen the GS3 screen and it looks like crap compared to the Note 2. It's also pentile, but not really hehe it's a modified version and it's really not noticeable AT ALL like it was on the GS3. It won't compare to an iPhone's PPI, though. Speaker volume is great, but I regret the placing of the speaker: it's on the bottom, so it's too easily blocked, muffling the sound immediately.

The stylus, I guess it's a neat feature, but like I said before, I seldom use it anymore. MultiWindow is also undermined by the lack of good apps that can use it (I probably only use the PopUp Browser and it's more just to use it than because I need to).

The camera is good as long as there's good lighting. Low light shots suffer from a VERY slow shutter, even in situations where you think light is quite bright, turns out they come out blurry if the subject is moving.

The phone is big, so it won't fit standard pockets without being noticed. Also, unless you have a big head, you'll look funny while talking, but since most of us really don't use our phones for talking anymore hehehe it's not such a big deal for me.

Battery life is great, but it was greater. The latest updates from Samsung seemed to break battery life and now the phone lasts a few hours less than it used to, but it'll still hold on for a day with moderate/heavy use.

Wow,some of your complaints are my fav things about this device. To each his/her own I guess.

1. I use my stylus almost everyday, not for writing mind you but sometimes i prefer it precision for just simple things like web browsing. When visiting non mobile sites that have tons of ads sometimes inbetween sections of articles or it just easier to use its hover scroll function instead of maybe accidentally tapping on ads. This is just one thing that i use my stylus for. Its really only a gimminck if you dont try to use it with everyapp, because it really does have some amazing hidden features.

2. Speaker volume is great like you say but I also love its placement as well. Maybe its the type of case you use that partially covers it up. I use the Seidio Surface case and whenever i am playing music I lay the phone flat on its back. That may sound weird but hear me out. The sound is reflected of the hard surfaces of the counter top or my wok desk and somehow this amplifies it while making it feel richer. The case also has a kickstand and when listening in that mode I get the same results.

3. Multiwindow...Multi window kinda does suck in its stock form. Rooted however makes it terrific. 3 Words. Multi Window Control. A mod that when rooted allows any app to be used with multiwindow. Recently I traveled on buisness for several weeks, and I am also a college student. With the help of multiwindow and galaxy smart dock I was able to output my phones content to my hotel tv to do homework. Polaris Office and Internet Browser saved me on the trip.

5. Battery life is great and it was absolutely better before the 4.1.2 update.

4. Point 4, thats a big one cuz that seems to stop alot of people from even buy this phone. Im not sure what kinds of jeans you wear but I wear relaxed fit. My phone is no more noticeable than my previous Iphone. Im gonna show you something and when you see it you might want to consider the fact that you wear skinny jeans.

That is not my galaxy note 2. That is a galaxy note 8. Yes its a tablet equivalent to ipad mini in size and it does infact fit into my left front pocket.

 

[SpookDroid]

I do NOT wear skinny jeans And it does fit into my pockets, but it's not as comfortable FOR MOST as it is on a 'normal' phone, that's why I wanted to point it out. You can't deny it does add bulk to the pocket and you can't really stuff more things into it like keys or gum without making a really embarrassing look for your jeans or risking damage to your phone. I use my right pocket for keys and stuff and leave the left one entirely for my Note 2. You can notice it especially when you sit down, something you don't if it were, say, a Galaxy S2 (I came from one before the Note 2). And a phone this size, a holster wouldn't be a good option.

As for the speaker, that's exactly my point: You need a case. If you just lay your phone flat, the speaker is covered up. With a case, the extra layer lifts it up and, unless you're on a bed, the hard surface WILL act as an amplifier. But front placement would have been much better as you're seldom covering the screen up when watching something with audio.

The stylus part, yeah... I'm not going to debate that, it is great for some, useless for others... turns out, it's useless to ME

 

[Jude526]

Note2 is the best I have ever owned. I sold wireless. Was a BB user then made the switch. 3 HTC devices. Now my beloved. NOTE2. Very happy

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note2

 

[jneusch]

I really love my Note 2, however it is a tad too big for me. I rarely use multi-view, although I see the potential. The stylus is awesome, but it doesn't get used enough. All in all I am very happy. I did look at the One at an AT&T store and the build quality seems solid, but I was surprised at the differences in the skin. No toggles in the pull-down notification bar was odd to me. I am one of the rare people that actually like to physical home button and I think I would miss it. I would also be a bit concerned with battery life with the One.

Chances are, I will check out the S4 when it comes out. If the size is right I might make the switch. I am considering a carrier change anyway, so they might coincide.

 

[cdf3]

Note 2 size is just right for me. the only thing I'm not keen on is the lack of brightness, relative to a few other very bright phones. It's darn hard to see the screen in sunlight. Other than that, I'm super pleased with this phone. will be keeping it for a while.

The screen brightness issue was the main reason I was skeptical of getting the Note 2. I liked everything else it had to offer, therefore I ended up getting it while trying to overlook the brightness issue. Other than that, it's a great device.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II using Tapatalk

 

[karsdroid]

I love my S pen and won't go without ever again multi window is much more functional and more apps are supported on the note 8, which i also adore. I'll be waiting to see what the note 3 looks like, otherwise i'll be hanging with my 8 and 2....together they are an awesome team.

 

[Analyss14]

I bought the HTC One but I don't plan on using it as a daily driver. This is going to sound really horrible but even though I am buying it for my younger brother as a surprise gift, I plan to tinker with it a little first before I hand it down. Honestly I haven't been able to keep a phone for two full years and when I bought the Note 2 after owning the S3 for only a few months I promised myself that I would stop seeking the next best thing as long as my current phone still serves all my needs. At this point, it does everything I want and more and I usually don't go for the more gimmicky things Samsung hypes which is why the S4 hasn't appealed to me as much.

I've gotten a full 5 days with about 5-6 hours of onscreen time but then again as a hardcore gamer I don't really use my cellphone for much more than casual games but that's my bias. I have a kick stand case and I love to experiment in the kitchen. We used to have a small under cabinet tv in the kitchen but when we renovated we didn't replace it. I like to put my phone on stand and play tv shows while I cook. The screen size makes viewing angels great from anywhere in my relatively small kitchen.

It's great for a lot things, I honestly haven't met anyone who uses it in exactly the same way. If I left now it would be for a HTC One. The S4 doesn't excite me but I'm holding out for a Note 3 or maybe a Note 4 next year. As long as Samsung improves the phone without making it larger in the hand.

 

[FitMomXtine]

You guys make me miss my Note 2 more and more.. (and it doesn't help I keep coming back here even though I no longer have it)..

It's such a tough decision for me to decide between the note 2 and the GS4 .. I honestly didn't use multiwindow so I probably won't use it on either phone.. I thought maybe if i use a stylus on my iPad to doodle/draw notes and stuff It would suffice because I didn't have the Note 2.. well I can tell you it's SOO not the same..

The only thing I really am looking forward to is the "nicer" screen display, faster processor (but seriously am i really going to tell the difference?).. as well as I know for sure I will not use group play.. (because out of my family and friends with iPhones, i'll be the only samsung s4.. and i'm sure you can only use it with other SG4's.. and the main thing is the dual camera.. but i keep thinking.. am I reaaaaaaally going to use it? I just want an awesome camera to take quick pictures of my kiddos..

The thing I like about the Note 2 is the size (as well as I don't like it because it is rather big, but i'm willing to "work" with it =D) I love, love, love the S-pen.. it is not like any other stylus I have used and it just made things so much more fun even though I was still getting use to it..

so it's going to be a toughy for me for awhile

 

[jdub1981]

Ive got group play on my note 2.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 8.0 using Tapatalk

 

[Droid_Evo_8]

I love my Note 2. Definitely the BEST phone I ever have yet. Battery life is phenomenal, nicely sized screen, and can't complain about the quad core processor either. 3 of the most main things/reason that I bought the Note 2 for. Might wait for the Note 3 if it tickles my fancy.