Considering switch from GS3 to Note 2

[PDADoctor]

I've been using the Galaxy S III for a year now, and I'm very happy with it, but now that I'm getting older (and got my first pair of glasses), the larger screen is looking more and more appealing. I'm just wondering, though, what kinds of trade-offs I might encounter, if any. I was going to get an S4, but with some of the issues I've read about in my research, I'd just as soon pass, especially since there doesn't seem to be a huge difference over what I have now.

Any input is appreciated!

 

[PDADoctor]

Wow, no one??? All these people with the Note 2 and nobody wants to share their personal input?

 

[HypoDest]

Hi, I saw your post yesterday but didn't have time to reply till now. I had an S3 before switching to the note 2 last year.

The note 2 is surprisingly pocketable since its very thin and retains the 16:9 aspect ratio. You get used to the size very quickly (took me about a week).
One handed use can be tricky for some, but I use it one handed regularly with not much issues. On the plus side, two handed typing is much better than on smaller phones due to the bigger size keyboard!!! (the stock keyboard even has a dedicated row of number which is excellent) .

The biggest and most noticeable differences are the screen size and battery life.

The screen is brighter, and better quality, so text is crisper and nicer to read. The larger screen makes things like web browsing, reading, YouTube, videos, gaming a much better experience. Multiwindow and note taking is great.
The spen is a great well integrated feature.

The resolution is still 720p on this larger screen, so it doesn't match up to the screen clarity of the new 1080p phones. However, individual pixels are barely/non noticeable at decent reading distances. If the s4 screen didn't really win you over, note 2 is a fine choice.

Battery life is a big leap over the S3, and makes you wanna use the phone far more often and more freely. It has really long standby time as well, loses only about 2-3% overbight. The phone also charges very quickly because of its 2amp tablet charger, ~2-3 hours, so no more overnight charging needed. If S3 gives 4 hours screen time, S4 would be 5 and note 2 is 7.

The speaker is louder than the S3 which is a plus.

Things like the camera and processing have no noticeable difference.

Touchwiz interface is smooth and lag free. Regularity of updates would be about the same as the S3, i.e. usual delays by Samsung and the carriers.

Looking back at the S3 (gave it to my dad actually ) is almost surreal, the phone feels way to small now, I don't think I could go back to something smaller, and I've found this is a view shared by many other note users.

I hope that was helpful. If you have any other more specific qns, just fire away

Sent from my GT-N7100

 

[PDADoctor]

Hi, I saw your post yesterday but didn't have time to reply till now. I had an S3 before switching to the note 2 last year.

The note 2 is surprisingly pocketable since its very thin and retains the 16:9 aspect ratio. You get used to the size very quickly (took me about a week).
One handed use can be tricky for some, but I use it one handed regularly with not much issues. On the plus side, two handed typing is much better than on smaller phones due to the bigger size keyboard!!! (the stock keyboard even has a dedicated row of number which is excellent) .

The biggest and most noticeable differences are the screen size and battery life.

The screen is brighter, and better quality, so text is crisper and nicer to read. The larger screen makes things like web browsing, reading, YouTube, videos, gaming a much better experience. Multiwindow and note taking is great.
The spen is a great well integrated feature.

The resolution is still 720p on this larger screen, so it doesn't match up to the screen clarity of the new 1080p phones. However, individual pixels are barely/non noticeable at decent reading distances. If the s4 screen didn't really win you over, note 2 is a fine choice.

Battery life is a big leap over the S3, and makes you wanna use the phone far more often and more freely. It has really long standby time as well, loses only about 2-3% overbight. The phone also charges very quickly because of its 2amp tablet charger, ~2-3 hours, so no more overnight charging needed. If S3 gives 4 hours screen time, S4 would be 5 and note 2 is 7.

The speaker is louder than the S3 which is a plus.

Things like the camera and processing have no noticeable difference.

Touchwiz interface is smooth and lag free. Regularity of updates would be about the same as the S3, i.e. usual delays by Samsung and the carriers.

Looking back at the S3 (gave it to my dad actually ) is almost surreal, the phone feels way to small now, I don't think I could go back to something smaller, and I've found this is a view shared by many other note users.

I hope that was helpful. If you have any other more specific qns, just fire away

Sent from my GT-N7100

Yes, it was most helpful, thanks; this is just the kind of info I was looking for, real-world insight from someone who doesn't run a blog.

Just one last thing: are there any glaring bugs that you have noticed?

The one thing I would have to give up is my Mophie Juice Pack, but if the battery life is better I shouldn't miss it too much. I'm really on the fence here; the battery life and larger keyboard alone is swaying me, but still hesitant about the screen resolution on that larger screen.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S III using Tapatalk.

 

[HypoDest]

Yes, it was most helpful, thanks; this is just the kind of info I was looking for, real-world insight from someone who doesn't run a blog.

Just one last thing: are there any glaring bugs that you have noticed?

The one thing I would have to give up is my Mophie Juice Pack, but if the battery life is better I shouldn't miss it too much. I'm really on the fence here; the battery life and larger keyboard alone is swaying me, but still hesitant about the screen resolution on that larger screen.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk.

There aren't any glaring bugs on my international version. The software (and its performance and stability) are very similar to the S3, except for a few note specific addons. If I had to compain about something it would be that the spen doesn't work on the capacitive menu and back buttons.

I found 1080p is noticeably better than 720p when looking at small white text on dark backgrounds. But videos, pictures, icons, dark text (even grey or off-white text) on light backgrounds have no noticeable difference.
It may help to compare the note 2 and s4 screen directly at a showroom or something. Have you considering the note 3 as an option?

 

[PDADoctor]

There aren't any glaring bugs on my international version. The software (and its performance and stability) are very similar to the S3, except for a few note specific addons. If I had to compain about something it would be that the spen doesn't work on the capacitive menu and back buttons.

I found 1080p is noticeably better than 720p when looking at small white text on dark backgrounds. But videos, pictures, icons, dark text (even grey or off-white text) on light backgrounds have no noticeable difference.
It may help to compare the note 2 and s4 screen directly at a showroom or something. Have you considering the note 3 as an option?

I did, briefly, but I am noy due for an update until late 2014, and I can't afford it outright. That's why I'm looking at the Note 2, figured it would be cheaper now that a newer model is coming.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S III using Tapatalk.