Phone Longevity

[muwu]

Thinking of getting the Note 4 later this month, and it will be my first time with a Samsung device. I'd like to ask all the Note 3/4 users or current users of older Samsung phones how well their devices fare with time. How much does performance suffer after a year or two after a couple of software updates?

 

[zkyevolved]

I had the note 2, lasted 23 months. Still worked perfectly but I don't like to stay that long with devices. It was a present from my significant other. Hardest phone to get rid of. Ever since you can see how many other devices I've had. There's nothing like a note. Solid device that will age well. You can always do a factory reset to have it like new. Refuse updates as well. I never formated and I accepted updates. Over two years it did get slower but that's because it had received several updates. I'd say give it a go. Awesome device. I'm quite happy with the note 4

 

[WeAreAllUnique]

Thinking of getting the Note 4 later this month, and it will be my first time with a Samsung device. I'd like to ask all the Note 3/4 users or current users of older Samsung phones how well their devices fare with time. How much does performance suffer after a year or two after a couple of software updates?

In my experience, not much at all. I still have a Galaxy S3 running KitKat just fine. My Note 4 has not shown any slowdown, actually it has gotten faster.

Note in my house!

 

[jwt873]

Like zkyevolved, I also have a Note 2 that I had for two years... It still works fine. I updated to the Note 4 only for the extra features and the fact that I like 'new stuff'.

 

[zkyevolved]

Like zkyevolved, I also have a Note 2 that I had for two years... It still works fine. I updated to the Note 4 only for the extra features and the fact that I like 'new stuff'.

It certainly is a vice, isn't it? Haha. After I changed from the Note 2, I had Xperia Z2, LG G3, Lumia 930, and Lumia 1520... I just got rid of my Note 2 about 6 months ago! LOL! I must say, Windows Phone is a GREAT OS! I liked it a lot! Its interface is, as I believe, far superior to Android's. But ... Android is FAR more functional than WP... Just not as pretty... Lol. Oh well, the note 4 is an awesome little bugger

 

[GregMargie]

I had a Note 2 and skipped the Note 3 because I was still in Love with the N2 and saw no reason to spend the extra $$$. I got the Note 4 in Nov. 2014, which I LOVE, it is an Awesome device and it had a lot of enhancements over my N2! I use the Spen for everything......which is why I will stay with the Note line (hoping Samsung never takes away the removable battery and SD card slot from the Notes) and by the way, my Note 2 is still in perfect condition, runs very smooth and I keep it as a backup!

 

[natehoy]

Got a buddy at work with a Note 2, the headphone jack doesn't work any more and he had to replace the battery, and that's about it. Had another who had one slip out of his shirt pocket onto a concrete floor and shattered the screen. Continued to work fine for a couple of months until he decided to replace the glass and ended up damaging the digitizer. They seem like pretty decent beasts.

 

[KahneFan]

I would still be using my N2 if I hadn't switched carriers. Great line of devices.

On a side note, I was ready to get rid of my N2 because of slow performance. However, shortly before I stopped using it, I did a factory reset and it was perfect again. It's probably good to do that now and then (year+) just to clean out the "junk" we tend to accumulate.

 

[Alex Wetzel]

I've only had mine for about a month, but it hasn't shown any signs of slowdown. Still as fast as when I got it.

 

[anon(9144744)]

I have my awesome Note 3 still. It's still so amazing I really would have no need at all to upgrade. But of course I have shiny ball syndrome and I know I'm gonna want that Note 5 when it comes. But my Note 3 does everything I need and more. It's actually gotten better with time and tweeks

 

[exmeaguy]

I have had the Note 2 for 25 months and like the others, I question why I want to get the Note 4 now when the Note 2 is still perfect as it was on day one. It is a beast.

 

[berdinkerdickle]

I have had the Note 2 for 25 months and like the others, I question why I want to get the Note 4 now when the Note 2 is still perfect as it was on day one. It is a beast.

Me too.
I'm going on 2 years with the Note 2.
I even had the Note 4 in the Verizon website Shopping Cart. All the way to entering my credit card info to 'Click to Complete'. I then shut my browser down to think a couple more days on it.
That was over a month ago.
I don't use a case. I've dropped it so much I've lost count. It's still going strong.

 

[GregMargie]

I have had the Note 2 for 25 months and like the others, I question why I want to get the Note 4 now when the Note 2 is still perfect as it was on day one. It is a beast.

Me too.
I'm going on 2 years with the Note 2.
I even had the Note 4 in the Verizon website Shopping Cart. All the way to entering my credit card info to 'Click to Complete'. I then shut my browser down to think a couple more days on it.
That was over a month ago.
I don't use a case. I've dropped it so much I've lost count. It's still going strong.

I agree with you guys as my Note 2 was still awesome, but I upgraded to the Note 4 for a couple reasons. I was actually doing some updates on my husbands Note 2 the other day and only then did I realize how much faster and more feature rich my Note 4 was.
1. Faster processor
2. Many Newer Spen functions (small thing, but I love that I can hit the back button now, couldn't on the N2)
3. I don't like to stay to many models behind
These are just a few reasons I made the choice to upgrade. These Expensive items seem to be so disposable these days, it's really sad. So I do try to make the most of items I buy.

 

[21stNow]

I've had every Note phone and the Galaxy S phones 1-4. My mother still uses my Vibrant that I purchased in September 2010. My original Note has battery drain issues. Other than those two, I actually still use all of the other phones as side devices on a daily basis. My rooted and ROMed Galaxy S III has some glitchiness and my Captivate Glide burns through the (small) battery pretty fast. However, they are still very usable devices.

I honestly think that the Note II was the best phone that Samsung ever built, both for the internal and external hardware. I'm not saying that the other phones are poorly built, but I agree with the other posters here that have said that the Note II was a great device and we really didn't "need" to upgrade from it.

 

[WeAreAllUnique]

I've had every Note phone and the Galaxy S phones 1-4. My mother still uses my Vibrant that I purchased in September 2010. My original Note has battery drain issues. Other than those two, I actually still use all of the other phones as side devices on a daily basis. My rooted and ROMed Galaxy S III has some glitchiness and my Captivate Glide burns through the (small) battery pretty fast. However, they are still very usable devices.

I honestly think that the Note II was the best phone that Samsung ever built, both for the internal and external hardware. I'm not saying that the other phones are poorly built, but I agree with the other posters here that have said that the Note II was a great device and we really didn't "need" to upgrade from it.

The Note 2 was the first time I thought that there was an Android device better than the iPhone.

Note in my house!

 

[21stNow]

The Note 2 was the first time I thought that there was an Android device better than the iPhone.

Note in my house!

That happened for me with my first Android device!

 

[WeAreAllUnique]

That happened for me with my first Android device!

My first Android phone was the HTC Hero. So not better than the iPhone. The Nexus S was close. But then the Note 2 came out and I was convinced.