Switching to Note 8

[bhatech]

Honestly, if I would have not preferred pure google experience and latest OS/security updates then I would have kept the Note 8. If these two things are not important then yes Note 8 is an awesome choice and IMO the best choice.

 

[xxaarraa1983]

I have the Note 8 and Pixel XL 2. Note 8 is a far better phone. Far better.

Qi, samsung pay, IP68, a second lens, stylus, microSD and a screen that is miles ahead. TouchWiz on the Note 8 is very toned down and I find many of the 'features' to be quite useful including Bixby's ability to open up any and all settings menus even obscure ones. It is no contest, the Note 8 wins hands down as a better overall phone for the price.

I still got the Pixel because of the main camera and Google's magical post processing. There is no better full auto shooter than the Pixel, though the Note 8 comes real close. See the comparison shots I posted in the picture thread.

 

[dannyar11]

I currently have both phones as well and anyone who tells you the note 8 feels just as fast as the pixel xl 2 is just lying to you. Its noticeable right away jumping in and out of apps and overall system navigation. you don't get the occasional drags that the note 8 gives you or the slight delay after touching an app for it to open.jumping in and out of things just feels way better on the pixel xl 2. Im holding on to mine, screen isn't an issue in everyday use and if I do get burn in then I have 1 year warranty with google where they will have since fixed the production issues and I will get a new replacement with no issues. I can deal with the screen problems till they resolve it in exchange for its amazing camera, battery life and UI.

 

[rog152]

Why not the S8+. It's more like the Pixel. Why does people compare with a phone with a pen which the Pixel does not have...is it because it just came out and the other phone been at 4 months?.

 

[quietlybrilliant]

I have the Note 8 and it has precisely two problems IMHO.

1. Samsung is *heavily* pushing their annoying apps and cloud ecosystem on users. It's overbearing to say the least. For instance, I can't remap the ridiculous Bixby button on the side of the phone to camera or anything else. Also, I can't sync my handwritten S-pen notes (I love the S-pen) with any cloud service that is not samsung. Want to integrate your notes with GDocs or Dropbox or anything else? Nope. They even got rid of Evernote integration. Another nuisance is that the photo app doesn't play well with Google Photos, which is my primary tool for editing, storing, and sharing photos. If I can't do that with any photos I just took without closing the Samsung app and opening the Google one, it's a deal breaker.

2. The non-existing side-bezels are unpractical design overkill. I hate hate HATE the stupid 18:9 overly long screens everybody is going with now for no good reasons, and the Samsung one is even longer (at 18.5:9) and the lack of side bezels but with top and bottom bezel make it an awkwardly morphed device. I wouldn't care if it just looked bad, but it's physically difficult to hold and type on because it's so narrow and fingers holding it protrude over the text and keyboard.

 

[AustinIllini]

Enjoy your new device, OP! If you're a member on this site, I expect you won't have any problems

 

[quietlybrilliant]

Just to add one thing about the Note 8, the *quality* of the screen (not the aspect ratio, see above) is unbelievable. It's so satisfying to look at and pleasant on the eyes, I find myself reading or watching things on it for very long stretches of time when my much larger laptop screen is right in front of me going unused. It's that damn good. Really in a different league from any other screen I've ever seen. And 1200 nits when the sun is shining on it? Amazing.

 

[gregg37]

As a very happy Project Fi customer, I wish I had more device choices. I instead switched my Panda2XL to the regular size Pixel. Just too much uncertainty right now with the Pixel 2XL for me to invest that much money in. Hopefully later this year I'll see Google's fixes/improvements and can upgrade to a Panda2XL.

 

[paradroid]

For some reason I bought the note 5 edge. It was the first samsung with the sloping side. I can say, the curved edge is more of a pain than it is worth. Also, I only used my stylus a few times, couldn't figure out what it was good for.

 

[Pixelfan56]

note 8 in month 1 or 2 wont be as laggy as note 8 in month 6
I had a note 4 and it has a great display but i much prefer my 1st gen pixel XL for the reason most prefer clean android software
Im not sure my note 4 ever got an update through verizon, maybe 1? ive gotten used ot the apple-esque instant updates on the pixel
I also like unlimited cloud storage and integration with my google ecosystem (gmail, etc)

i know the Note 8 is great though just not what "I" want in a phone anymore

the pixel 2 XL should have a better display though no doubt, its disappointing and i hope they will address and correct it for us when the timne comes

 

[xxaarraa1983]

I have the Note 8 and it has precisely two problems IMHO.

1. Samsung is *heavily* pushing their annoying apps and cloud ecosystem on users. It's overbearing to say the least. For instance, I can't remap the ridiculous Bixby button on the side of the phone to camera or anything else. Also, I can't sync my handwritten S-pen notes (I love the S-pen) with any cloud service that is not samsung. Want to integrate your notes with GDocs or Dropbox or anything else? Nope. They even got rid of Evernote integration. Another nuisance is that the photo app doesn't play well with Google Photos, which is my primary tool for editing, storing, and sharing photos. If I can't do that with any photos I just took without closing the Samsung app and opening the Google one, it's a deal breaker.

2. The non-existing side-bezels are unpractical design overkill. I hate hate HATE the stupid 18:9 overly long screens everybody is going with now for no good reasons, and the Samsung one is even longer (at 18.5:9) and the lack of side bezels but with top and bottom bezel make it an awkwardly morphed device. I wouldn't care if it just looked bad, but it's physically difficult to hold and type on because it's so narrow and fingers holding it protrude over the text and keyboard.

Agree with your first point. It's not ideal, but you can remap bixby button with a few small hacks. I have it mapped to flashlight on double click and camera on single. Oh, you can also place a shortcut inside the camera app to go directly to google photos. And Samsung's OEM gallery app has its uses as it lets you annotate / write-on photos without having to take a screenshot and instantly compress the photo into a low res version.

Cannot say I agree with your second point. I think the taller aspect ratio is finally making multitasking practical on phablets. I often have two apps open to compare photos, or transfer information from one to the other. And I personally have no problems with typing on phones with curved edges, maybe its the size of our hands that's the differentiating factor.

 

[xxaarraa1983]

As a very happy Project Fi customer, I wish I had more device choices. I instead switched my Panda2XL to the regular size Pixel. Just too much uncertainty right now with the Pixel 2XL for me to invest that much money in. Hopefully later this year I'll see Google's fixes/improvements and can upgrade to a Panda2XL.

I am a fellow Project Fi user as well and couldn't be happier! Have been with them for a year and love it.

Just FYI - you can use non-supported phones on Fi once the SIM is activated inside a google phone. I regularly do, though I also have the original Pixel and now the XL 2 as well.

 

[gregg37]

Just FYI - you can use non-supported phones on Fi once the SIM is activated inside a google phone. I regularly do, though I also have the original Pixel and now the XL 2 as well.

Yea, that's what I hear, but I also hear that the experience (mostly multi carrier coverage and switching) can be hit or miss. I think if this 2XL firestorm ends up putting a dent in their customers, we may see more support for other phones. Maybe in the end, the negative 2XL buzz could be what opens the door for Fi to expand hardware choices. We can only hope.

 

[AustinIllini]

Yea, that's what I hear, but I also hear that the experience (mostly multi carrier coverage and switching) can be hit or miss. I think if this 2XL firestorm ends up putting a dent in their customers, we may see more support for other phones. Maybe in the end, the negative 2XL buzz could be what opens the door for Fi to expand hardware choices. We can only hope.

I think it's more likely Google recalls phones than they start supporting other ones. They are playing the long game on hardware.

 

[polbit]

Well, the deed is done... Just got the Note 8 at lunch. Now I have 14 days to experience all the good and bad of Note 8 world, and ***** about it over in the Samsung forums!

My "expert" evaluation after playing with it non-stop for 3 hours - screen rocks, interface has about 95% of speed of 2XL so far, and Samsung app duplication/overload is exhausting. This phone will take a long time to set up just right, but that's 1/2 the fun!

 

[JoePa2624]

Well, the deed is done... Just got the Note 8 at lunch. Now I have 14 days to experience all the good and bad of Note 8 world, and ***** about it over in the Samsung forums!

My "expert" evaluation after playing with it non-stop for 3 hours - screen rocks, interface has about 95% of speed of 2XL so far, and Samsung app duplication/overload is exhausting. This phone will take a long time to set up just right, but that's 1/2 the fun!

Good luck! I'm still torn on which direction to go.

 

[Ca_lvn]

Well, the deed is done... Just got the Note 8 at lunch. Now I have 14 days to experience all the good and bad of Note 8 world, and ***** about it over in the Samsung forums!

My "expert" evaluation after playing with it non-stop for 3 hours - screen rocks, interface has about 95% of speed of 2XL so far, and Samsung app duplication/overload is exhausting. This phone will take a long time to set up just right, but that's 1/2 the fun!

Hopefully you got the unlocked version with no bloatware

 

[lucidlyseen]

I'm coming from a 6P which just died (boot loop) on top of power off at 30% battery, so I had to get a new phone right away. I have a 2XL still on order, but I picked up a 8+ (unlocked) from Amazon a few days ago and I gotta say, I'm loving this thing. Screen is ridiculous, it's super responsive and coming from the 6P I'm actually liking some of the things Samsung has baked into the OS. I'm super close to canceling my 2XL order and just sticking with the 8+, but I was going to wait until I had both in my hands to make that final decision, but now after all the screen talk, I may just stick with the 8+. Hopefully you like the Note!

 

[thunderup]

Well, the deed is done... Just got the Note 8 at lunch. Now I have 14 days to experience all the good and bad of Note 8 world, and ***** about it over in the Samsung forums!

My "expert" evaluation after playing with it non-stop for 3 hours - screen rocks, interface has about 95% of speed of 2XL so far, and Samsung app duplication/overload is exhausting. This phone will take a long time to set up just right, but that's 1/2 the fun!

I'm very interested in hearing more comparisons between the 2 as I'm debating whether I should return my 2 XL and move to the Note. I see pros and cons with both phones and I'm really torn on what to do. Ive had the 2XL since Thursday and I'll probably take the full 2 weeks Verizon gives in order to make a decision.

 

[bcolton]

The main reasons for preferring the Note 8 are:

1. S PEN, enough said (my employer uses Office 365 and allows BYOD, OneNote is amazing with S PEN)
2. Build, Look, Water Resistance Rating all better. Note 8 is sexy (for a phone), Pixel 2/2XL is more Scandinavian look. I prefer the Note 8.
3. Bigger, better screen. Best on the market / no debate
4. Camera system is more versatile with zoom. DXO, for those that care, rated the photo score (not overall) higher than pixel 2
5. Headphone jack, and it’s located on the bottom! Almost deal breaker for me, I video a lot of family events and use small rode video micro attached and supported directly to phone (#nodongles).

Missing?

1. Stock Android Updates – For me, Meh. I’ll get Android 8.0 on the Note eventually; however, I don’t keep a phone longer than 18MO so I don’t care as much about receiving future updates. So much of Android is updated via the Play Store, and what I missing in stock android doesn’t overtake the S Pen and the above mentioned benefits.
2. Speed – I don’t notice lag, it’s fast enough & nova launcher is always an option.