Honest Opinions Appreciated: Note 8 vs. Pixel XL

[anon(5506951)]

Hey folks!

So, as the title suggests, I'm trying to decide between getting the Note 8 and the Pixel 2 XL. The first and only Samsung phone I ever had was a secondhand S3 that's now collecting dust in the drawer. Now, I currently have a Nexus 6P, which still runs great, despite a degrade in battery capacity.

While I consider myself a light to moderate user (which contributes to the excellent condition of my 6P), and I love the fluidity and snappiness of stock Android, I can't help but be bored by it. That's of course, because there's virtually nothing to stock Android. And while I enjoy being on the bleeding edge of OS updates, that's about the only "excitement" I get out of it.

Having said that, I've also seen how bogged down with settings Samsung phones are. It honestly overwhelms me. Granted, I'm sure a lot's changed for the better since the S3. In fact, I bought my mother a brand new Note 4 ( for the removable battery) which she loves, and I was just wowed by how many settings it has.

Anyway, as Note 8 users, I'd appreciate some opinions as to your phones, and your experiences. Although I'm not a heavy user in terms of graphics-intensive gaming or photography, battery life is of main importance, with sound quality (I love the dual stereo speakers on my 6P) and screen quality being second and third, followed lastly by performance. Of course, we all know number three on my list is no problem whatsoever, but I am interested in knowing about the other three ( the dreaded "Samsung lag"?)

I'm waiting for official reviews of the Pixel 2 XL to come out before proceeding, but while I wait, I'd love your feedback, especially if you've had experience with both phone series. Thanks in advance!

 

[anon(5506951)]

Edit: Also, how much usable space is available for the user in a 64 GB model?

 

[sdsubball23]

Edit: Also, how much usable space is available for the user in a 64 GB model?

I think around 53gb. I thought I saw one of the newer phones at 64gb storage say 53gb usable storage. Unsure if it was the note 8 or one of the other newer Android phones.

 

[Amele]

I have no info on the PIxel 2 but stock android drove me nuts with the Pixel XL. I ended up downloading a ton of extra apps to try and get back stuff that was built into the Note 7s I had to return. I had a 128 gb model and still missed the sd card, and now they've gone and removed the headphone jack. I can honestly say that the Pixel Xl was the least favorite phone I've ever had, not helped by being overpriced, and that it had the worst connectivity to both wifi and LTE of any phone ever. I would wait for reviews though I read reviews of the Pixel XL and they all seemed to be reviewing a different phone, I may have had a lemon but a lot of people had the connectivity issue and nobody ever addressed it. Maybe google did better this time.
I think the Note 8 is fabulous.No lag. Yes, a lot of settings so you can make it how you want it. There are no shortage of reviews on it.

Hope you get whatever phone will work best for you.

 

[ahiqar]

"battery life is of main importance, with sound quality (I love the dual stereo speakers on my 6P) and screen quality being second and third, followed lastly by performance. Of course, we all know number three on my list is no problem whatsoever, but I am interested in knowing about the other three ( the dreaded "Samsung lag"?)"

For my Note8: Battery life for me as a moderate user has been excellent. I'm at 40-55% at the end of the day usually. One heavy use day (for me) I was at 33%. I don't know much about the pixel's battery, though I heard it might be slightly bigger...
Sound quality out of the single speaker is fine for a single speaker, but nothing amazing. It's loud and clear enough for me. The sound through the headphone jack is good, but I have some nice headphones so most phones sound good to me.
The screen is amazing. Best I've ever seen. You will be blown away.
Performance right now is amazing even after one month. I think the 6 gb ram makes a difference from my s8 which was also a very good performer.

You do have the 14 day return period if you want to try the Note (or the Pixel).

 

[jejb]

We looked at a Pixel 2 XL yesterday at the local Verizon store. My wife wanted to check it out as a maybe for her next phone. I have a Nexus 6P that I used for a year, so am not very excited about the Google phones anymore. Works well, but a boring phone. Since there's no reason for me to want to root anymore, I'm just happier with the Samsung experience. Much nicer display and just a more fluid experience. Yeah, you have to disable/uninstall some bloatware, but that's not a big deal. The expandable memory and head phone jack are just icing on the cake.

Battery life has been excellent on my N8. Much easier to manage than it was on my 6P. Seemed like every update on that phone made some apps become battery drainers, until the developer got them fixed. That's the bloody side of being on the leading edge of Google's Android releases that you don't hear much about.

 

[dlgus]

Edit: Also, how much usable space is available for the user in a 64 GB model?

Just had Bixby optimize. I am using 21.7 gb, with 42.3 gb available. Have a 32 gbsd card installed.

 

[sdsubball23]

We looked at a Pixel 2 XL yesterday at the local Verizon store. My wife wanted to check it out as a maybe for her next phone. I have a Nexus 6P that I used for a year, so am not very excited about the Google phones anymore. Works well, but a boring phone. Since there's no reason for me to want to root anymore, I'm just happier with the Samsung experience. Much nicer display and just a more fluid experience. Yeah, you have to disable/uninstall some bloatware, but that's not a big deal. The expandable memory and head phone jack are just icing on the cake.

Battery life has been excellent on my N8. Much easier to manage than it was on my 6P. Seemed like every update on that phone made some apps become battery drainers, until the developer got them fixed. That's the bloody side of being on the leading edge of Google's Android releases that you don't hear much about.

What do you mean by a more fluid experience? Do you mean it was more smoother without lag than the Nexus 6p or pixel 2 xl?

 

[Momof9Blessings]

Battery life is may not be as good as my Pixel XL (seems like it goes down faster) - BUT the N8 charges really fast to 50%. So it is NOT a problem. I have not really had to charge it much during the day - unless I wake up to it being low. I also learned with my Pixel XL to NOT keep it on the charger overnight. So I am doing the same on my N8.

Bloatware you can delete - I have done some. I do think it is very fast! I compare the 2 phones side by side.... Pixel XL sound is a lot quieter than the N8. Screen is more vivid on the N8. I actually had them synced on the same youtube video - comparing side by side. Of course this is with last years Pixel XL.

I just played with opening apps between both devices - they are about even. Some opened faster on the N8, some opened faster on the Pixel XL with Oreo. Whites are brighter and clearer on the N8 - I noticed that right away.

I loved my Pixel - don't get me wrong. But I missed my sPen - I use it a lot! I also LOVE the larger screen (I missed that as well). I was not looking forward to the Samsung lag - but the N8 does not seem to have that issue. I did do a factory reset recently me to my Pixel XL since it is now our "Home" phone. It does not have much apps on it either. I have only taken off some of the apps on my N8.

I also have them set to bright screen - well not the N8 (it says you should not view it at the brightest screen for too long). So it even gets brighter....

 

[jejb]

What do you mean by a more fluid experience? Do you mean it was more smoother without lag than the Nexus 6p or pixel 2 xl?

Sorry, just seeing your question. I mean that everything works together better. You have to work at it more with a Google phone. Most of the stock apps it has are pretty rudimentary, so you have to find something on the Play Store that works better. Where on the Samsung phones, most of the pre-loaded apps (for like messaging, email, contacts, etc) work great for my needs. Some of those are carrier based apps too. I got my Nexus from Google. Maybe the Pixel's from Verizon have better stock apps on them.

 

[mackie8]

Planning to switch to note 8 also...
I hate the BT on the pixel XL

 

[kj11]

Hey folks!

So, as the title suggests, I'm trying to decide between getting the Note 8 and the Pixel 2 XL. The first and only Samsung phone I ever had was a secondhand S3 that's now collecting dust in the drawer. Now, I currently have a Nexus 6P, which still runs great, despite a degrade in battery capacity.

While I consider myself a light to moderate user (which contributes to the excellent condition of my 6P), and I love the fluidity and snappiness of stock Android, I can't help but be bored by it. That's of course, because there's virtually nothing to stock Android. And while I enjoy being on the bleeding edge of OS updates, that's about the only "excitement" I get out of it.

Having said that, I've also seen how bogged down with settings Samsung phones are. It honestly overwhelms me. Granted, I'm sure a lot's changed for the better since the S3. In fact, I bought my mother a brand new Note 4 ( for the removable battery) which she loves, and I was just wowed by how many settings it has.

Anyway, as Note 8 users, I'd appreciate some opinions as to your phones, and your experiences. Although I'm not a heavy user in terms of graphics-intensive gaming or photography, battery life is of main importance, with sound quality (I love the dual stereo speakers on my 6P) and screen quality being second and third, followed lastly by performance. Of course, we all know number three on my list is no problem whatsoever, but I am interested in knowing about the other three ( the dreaded "Samsung lag"?)

I'm waiting for official reviews of the Pixel 2 XL to come out before proceeding, but while I wait, I'd love your feedback, especially if you've had experience with both phone series. Thanks in advance!

You're right about stock Android being boring. All being on the bleeding edge of updates actually gets you is more or less things that Samsung has been doing for years.

Don't base your Samsung experiences in the S3 and Note 4. Those things are fossils at this point. The Samsung experience now it's fast and smooth and much less cluttered.

Battery on the Note 8 has been outstanding for me as well. Screen quality is another win for the Note. We haven't even talked about the SPen yet...

I know people do, but I don't know how people can compare the two. Note 8, hands down is the choice.