Hey everyone!
My current daily driver is a KEYOne. I like that phone very much, especially the PKB. But I don't need the PKB all the time. When I am on trips, or just tooling around I started to notice that the small screen size was a bit annoying. Also, the older processor meant that it was a bit laggy at times and apps just take a bit longer to open than I would like.
So I started to look for another device that I could use in addition to the KeyOne. I discovered the Mate9 from a friend who had one. He raved about it, and so that stuck in my mind.
I went to BestBuy this morning looking at the Galaxy S8+. I have bad memories of Samsung products though. Both my S6 and S7 started life off well enough, but within a few weeks of getting it -- the stutters and lag were just too much.
So I was looking for something much faster. And looking at the S8+ in the store brought back the stutter memories as I watched a slow frame rate S8+ display model do its thing. It was more fluid than my S7 but still not great compared to the Mate9 I had observed. Coupled with the $200 difference between the phones clinched it. I got the Mate9. I also didn't like the tall display. When looking at things in landscape, sites got funky. Sites without good mobile optimizations still work decent on a 16:9 screen so I often go into landscape for those kinds of sites. This seemed terrible on the S8+. It was also awkward for me to hold. I also do read eBooks, and so the tall screen ratio doesn't seem to work well for me.
But I have been pretty impressed with the Mate9 so far. I'm still trying out the camera, that seems to be where the phone might let me down. I hate the phony "wide aperture" mode. The zoom is nice, but the images seem a bit grainy. This is where the Samsung seems to have the Mate9 beat. Oh well, can't win them all (right now).
But the performance is excellent. Reminds me of an iPhone but with the power of Android. The dimensions are good -- and it even came with a little case and a screen protector which surprised me. All of the packaging materials were excellent. The charger took no time to charge it from 50% -> 100% even while doing updates in the background.
For $449 this thing is a bargain.
I don't think the Google keyboard is very good (okay, I hate it), but that could also be the PKB residue in me. Anyone got a good keyboard recommendation?
I'm also looking forward to the IR blaster! Good to have that on a phone again.
I'm just enjoying a nice (what appears to be) 60fps smooth experience with Android after my Samsungs. Hope it lasts!
My current daily driver is a KEYOne. I like that phone very much, especially the PKB. But I don't need the PKB all the time. When I am on trips, or just tooling around I started to notice that the small screen size was a bit annoying. Also, the older processor meant that it was a bit laggy at times and apps just take a bit longer to open than I would like.
So I started to look for another device that I could use in addition to the KeyOne. I discovered the Mate9 from a friend who had one. He raved about it, and so that stuck in my mind.
I went to BestBuy this morning looking at the Galaxy S8+. I have bad memories of Samsung products though. Both my S6 and S7 started life off well enough, but within a few weeks of getting it -- the stutters and lag were just too much.
So I was looking for something much faster. And looking at the S8+ in the store brought back the stutter memories as I watched a slow frame rate S8+ display model do its thing. It was more fluid than my S7 but still not great compared to the Mate9 I had observed. Coupled with the $200 difference between the phones clinched it. I got the Mate9. I also didn't like the tall display. When looking at things in landscape, sites got funky. Sites without good mobile optimizations still work decent on a 16:9 screen so I often go into landscape for those kinds of sites. This seemed terrible on the S8+. It was also awkward for me to hold. I also do read eBooks, and so the tall screen ratio doesn't seem to work well for me.
But I have been pretty impressed with the Mate9 so far. I'm still trying out the camera, that seems to be where the phone might let me down. I hate the phony "wide aperture" mode. The zoom is nice, but the images seem a bit grainy. This is where the Samsung seems to have the Mate9 beat. Oh well, can't win them all (right now).
But the performance is excellent. Reminds me of an iPhone but with the power of Android. The dimensions are good -- and it even came with a little case and a screen protector which surprised me. All of the packaging materials were excellent. The charger took no time to charge it from 50% -> 100% even while doing updates in the background.
For $449 this thing is a bargain.
I don't think the Google keyboard is very good (okay, I hate it), but that could also be the PKB residue in me. Anyone got a good keyboard recommendation?
I'm also looking forward to the IR blaster! Good to have that on a phone again.
I'm just enjoying a nice (what appears to be) 60fps smooth experience with Android after my Samsungs. Hope it lasts!
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