Current M8 owner:Is Note 4 a worthy purchase if the S-pen is never used?

[orangeman]

I currently own the HTC One M8 and am considering the Note mainly for the large beautiful screen. I don't realistically see myself ever using the pen, or very little at best. It is worth going down this path if I don't use the pen?

As an aside, anyone familiar with the speaker on Note and M8, I'm sure the Note 4 is a step down in terms of quality, but is the Note 4 at least comparable in volume? It's tough to compare speakers in the store. Thanks in advance.

 

[Rukbat]

If I had a Note 4 (I have a Note 3), the only 2 reasons I wouldn't immediately swap it for an M8 are the pen and the non-removable battery. I use my pen all the time, and I always carry a spare battery with me. But I love most of the rest of the M8 (including the way HTC does business).

 

[rogerlcobb]

As someone who moved from an M8 to a Note 4, the Note 4 is a huge step up in nearly every way. True, the speaker is not as good as the beats boomsound version I had, but in every other way the phone is better. Display, battery life, overall phone quickness, and yes, the metal frame actually feels as good as the M8 build quality. Definitely a great upgrade.

 

[estebancam]

You will use the s pen as time goes on. At first you won't, and only because you haven't had it to use. I own an M8 as well as a note 4 and it did take me a while to use the s pen, but when I did, I started using it more.

The speaker is by far the thing I like least on the Note 4. In my household there is a Sony xperia z3, an LG G3, an M8, and a Note 4 (for phones...) and the note 4 has by far the worst speaker.

I miss the speakers on the m8. In fact, I miss everything that has to do with sound. The note 4 also has lower volume limits for music and anything that comes through a set of headphones.

I haven't had to do the little "cup the hand on the speaker" thing for years. Now I have to do it so I can hear the sound from Note 4.

As I said, it is the phones biggest disappointment in my opinion.

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[nugj]

Yours is an interesting take on the topic. My second choice to N4 was the HTC..... a great phone I think. But to me the thing that separates the N4 from everything else is the S-pen. I would not have tossed aside the HTC for the N4 screen. But everybody is different.

I tend to think about audio performance for these kinds of mobile devices in terms of earbuds or headphones....something like that. As great as the HTC speakers are, I just can't think in terms of audio coming from those speakers making my decision for me.

The speaker on the N4 is pretty loud. However I have known people to blow out the HTC speakers. They are using them that often and that loud. Lets face it, that means that at least for them, they are that impressed with the speakers. But I can't think about a mobile device audio performance in those terms.

 

[Jdane07]

I installed a new ROM today which raises the speaker volume by 10dB and "enhances" the sound... I'm actually pretty impressed. It's not as full sounding or as rich as the M8, but it's loud as hell. I'm just worried about blowing the speaker now lol.

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[Tkbredx]

Hmmm. If you're looking for a beautiful screen, amazing camera, and decent speaker, look no further. S Pen is great. The more you play with the device I think the more you'll use the S Pen. I didn't think I would use it that much either but I do. It has some practical uses.

 

[orangeman]

Thanks to all that replied, this was really helpful feedback. I think I need to look a little deeper as to the likelihood of my using the pen. That seems to be to be the key in getting the Note 4 rather than keeping my M8.

 

[billbrobaggins]

Thanks to all that replied, this was really helpful feedback. I think I need to look a little deeper as to the likelihood of my using the pen. That seems to be to be the key in getting the Note 4 rather than keeping my M8.

Not sure if the UI is as fluid as sense 6.0, but there's always Nova/Nova prime

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[JAG21979]

I made the move from the M8 to the Note 4 and I've been satisfied with the Note. I don't always use the S-pen but there have been times when it comes in handy. You will have to spend time with the S-pen to enjoy its functionality. I miss the boom sound speakers and the fluidity of sense 6, but I've installed Nova Prime and the Note has been flawless. They are each great, but aren't comparable because they offer different features. The size of the M8 is perfect in terms of ergonomics, and the Note 4 is a two handed use devices. Good luck with your decision.

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[pantlesspenguin]

I too moved from the M8, and the Note 4s speakers are a LOT better than I was expecting. I'd even go as far as to say if the speaker was in front it would be quite comparable to the M8s speakers. Getting used to the size was easy to do. Now phones with 5in screens seem tiny! I don't use my S Pen often, but I do use it for jotting out grocery lists and when scrolling through some web pages with tiny links (like Reddit). It used to be that I'd have to zoom in on the link to open it, but the S Pen is very accurate so I can just tap the pen on the tiny link without zooming first.

 

[DaEXfactoR]

I currently own the HTC One M8 and am considering the Note mainly for the large beautiful screen. I don't realistically see myself ever using the pen, or very little at best. It is worth going down this path if I don't use the pen?

As an aside, anyone familiar with the speaker on Note and M8, I'm sure the Note 4 is a step down in terms of quality, but is the Note 4 at least comparable in volume? It's tough to compare speakers in the store. Thanks in advance.

I would say yes. The phone by itself is so good even without the pen. And once you see how good the S-Pen really is you're usage will probably increase more than you would have thought. I wondered the same thing before buying mine. The S-Pen was more of an afterthought, a nice addition that I would barely use. Boy, was I wrong. I use it all the time now. Action Memo alone makes it an awesome option. Being able to jot down a number and then save it to your contacts right there on the spot or later if you choose is crazy useful. And that's just one of several legitimate use cases.

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[brucedbr]

I've never had an M8, but I can tell you, I don't use my S-Pen very often either, but I still LOVE my Note 4. The screen is incredible, I love the size of the screen...and love just about everything about the phone. Yeah, the speaker does kinda suck though. I have to crank it as loud as I can just to be able to hear the GPS when I'm in the car. But other than that, this thing is awesome!

 

[fragologist]

I currently own the HTC One M8 and am considering the Note mainly for the large beautiful screen. I don't realistically see myself ever using the pen, or very little at best. It is worth going down this path if I don't use the pen?

As an aside, anyone familiar with the speaker on Note and M8, I'm sure the Note 4 is a step down in terms of quality, but is the Note 4 at least comparable in volume? It's tough to compare speakers in the store. Thanks in advance.

I got the Note 4 after having an S3 for 2 years. I told myself I would probably never use the Spen. The Spen Seemed more like a gimmick but then I started using. The S pen has come in handy more than I thought. If you get the Note 4 you will use the Spen. I actually wrote this post with the Spen.

I am in the process of making my Note 4 self aware.