The first note I won't buy? (all discussion about lack of microSD and removable battery must go here)

[Aquila]

Re: The first note I won't buy?

The only problem I have with the Note 5 is the lack of SD card. People keep saying Google Drive or some sort of cloud storage but the problem with doing that is placing my videos on there and wanting to watch them, which means streaming, which means burning through my data. I usually have 2-3 movies on my SD card for when I get stuck somewhere, fly or just have some down time. If you're going to remove the SD card why not at least compensate by offering a 128GB storage option? I really hope a 128GB version comes out in the next few months, my contract is up around January and if one isn't out by then I'll either keep the Note 4 or go with another manufacturer... seriously alienated potential customers by doing this.

One thing that many people don't realize is that you can pin your movies, songs, etc to your device. That eliminates the streaming portion and makes it a one time download.

 

[mavrrick]

One problem with the SD card concern is that so many people don't think ahead. Good example and the biggest reason for my concern is 4k video. If I use my phone to record a few events for my daughter in 4k it wouldn't take much at all to even fill the 64GB phone. With 160GB in my note 3 it at least takes longer. I created at 4k 5 min video on my note 3 it was 1.68GB for 5 min. If the note 5 creates 4k video at the same rate then even the note 5 will only get a combined amount of about 2 hours. 2 hours of total record time could go quick. That is also if nothing else is on the phone. Then pics as the phone continue to get higher megapixel cameras also get bigger the pics on my Note one were less the 1mb. My Note 3 pics appear to average around 2.5MB.

Fortunately I use the camera upload functionality in plex to create my own kind of cloud. So I don't have to worry about google screwing with the quality of my videos or pictures.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[mavrrick]

A little confused. How does pinning content support not needing a SD card. The effect is the same thing.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Aquila]

A little confused. How does pinning content support not needing a SD card. The effect is the same thing.

Posted via the Android Central App

Pinning content means that you don't have to rely on streaming, it doesn't comment at all on SD cards - as you can pin content to internal or external storage.

 

[rushmore]

Pinning content means that you don't have to rely on streaming, it doesn't comment at all on SD cards - as you can pin content to internal or external storage.

Mav's point is with sd you already have it all stored rather than preloading specific items you might want to use. I prefer calling pinning, media juggling. Folks that like the storage have their reason and folks that like the cloud have their reason. User preference Samsung killed that though as far as the Note 5

The Note 4 is a crowd pleaser'. You want the storage? Great, get a card! You want to use the cloud and the heck with card storage? Great, don't get a card! The Note 4 as a device was more about choice than the Note 5.

 

[infinityshock]

The battery access is a dilemma in that now I cant:
- remove the battery when I want to assure the phone is off. (Ive turned multiple cell phones 'off' at 100% battery then turned them back on a few hours later to find the battery at 90%-ish...only a slightly higher charge than if the phone was 'on.' What was the phone doing? I have a samsung-something smartphone from before the Note model came out that would burn as much, if not more, battery life when shut down as compared to when it was on.
- I find myself in situations with zero electrical grid access, AC or DC, and the ability to swap a previously charged battery for a low/dead battery is critical to having any functionality. No, solar chargers arent acceptable due to size limitations
- Ive had several phones whos batteries died yet the phone itself was fully serviceable. Once the battery was replaced the phone was completely functional. The lack of ability to replace a battery dooms a functioning phone to the e-trash heap before its time. So much for concern for the environment....but that isnt unusual in todays environment of engineered-obsolescence

The lack of removable storage is a deal killer no matter what other features the phone has and I will never own another device that lacks the ability. I miss some of my older phones (treo) that had a card that was removable from the top with no other rituals needing to take place. Whomever invented the idea of removable storage being buried within a device to such an extent that virtually a complete disassembly is required needs to have their mouth sewn shut and every time theyre hungry their food needs to be directly inserted into their stomach via having their abdomen surgically opened, underlying tissue pulled out of the way, then their stomach itself accessed via scalpel. Yea...stupid idea.
- I store all photos and videos on the card. When there are large-quantities, going to multiple other destinations, it is easier to remove the card and off-load the images than to connect a USB cord. Along the same lines, transferring large PDF or other large documents from multiple other devices onto a smartphone is made easier with a removable card
- I do not use the cloud for anything, at all, under any circumstances, nor will I ever.
- I have too much experience with smart phones arbitrarily and randomly 'dying' to trust important info to on-board storage. Ive had a smart phone (some model by HTC) 'lock' itself when no lock password had ever been selected then no way to access the phone without a factory-reset. Ive had several phones freeze to the point they were unrecoverable with any solution other than factory reset.
- Most importantly, when retiring an old phone and bringing a new one into service, having all necessary info on a removable card makes the transition more functional

Samsung: considering the price youre charging for these things, and their physical sizes, there is no reason a removable battery and SD card cant be engineered into the device. Ive been using samsung phone/smart phones since the late 90s. Eliminate the features I find most useful and you will be eliminating the usefulness of your devices to me.

 

[rushmore]

The good news though for the Note 5 is Samsung did a good job making the display even more efficient- impressive,considering how good the Note 4 already is. Moto X Pure will be real interesting. I will buy the 64GB version- that is unless reviews come out before launch stating the battery life is bad.

Would turn off rapid charging though.

 

[mavrrick]

Mav's point is with sd you already have it all stored rather than preloading specific items you might want to use. I prefer calling pinning, media juggling. Folks that like the storage have their reason and folks that like the cloud have their reason. User preference Samsung killed that though as far as the Note 5

The Note 4 is a crowd pleaser'. You want the storage? Great, get a card! You want to use the cloud and the heck with card storage? Great, don't get a card! The Note 4 as a device was more about choice than the Note 5.

Actually beyond that it was also about how in my case I can choose the quality I want to sync from my plex server as well. I am willing to put money that it is of higher quality then what we get from google and such.

Ultimately what this is going to do is just drive me(and probably others) away from using my phone or android devices as my primary media devices. I guess my Dell Venue 8 Pro Tablet with windows 10 will inherit the 128GB card and i will just ditch android as a media device.

 

[monsieurms]

Re: The first note I won't buy?

The problem is what qualifies as plenty of storage. I guarantee you if the max storage was 256GB instead of 64GB almost no one would complain.

Posted via the Android Central App

You underestimate our ability to complain.

But seriously--these points have been made, but at current prices, how much would a Note 5 with 256gb of storage cost? $1100? $1200? I'm out at those price ranges. If it existed it would not be realistic, which is likely why it doesn't exist. And when we change phones, we incur the extra cost each time and buy that space over and again. So, you're not just getting slaughtered once. They keep making you buy the same storage over and again. And, finally, how much time will it take to set up that much storage (versus flipping a card in)? Even mere copying will take some effort at that size.

(Latest AC poll--11% put removable storage as most important feature; 8% removable batteries. No one cares? 676 votes for removable storage as the most important feature. A minority, as conceded, but a large enough slice of a market intensely wanting a feature to be the difference between success and failure in a tough market, perhaps.)

There is really nothing more efficient and cost-effective than an SD card solution. Someone should invent the concept and explain it to Samsung. In fact, based on another poster's comment, I just sent these comments direct to Samsung, for whatever use it may have. Venting here is nice, but these threads have long since started to repeat themselves. Everyone should send feedback to Samsung and then vote with their dollars when the next upgrade time comes.

 

[DDRundo]

I'm not a Note user. I never have been and probably never will be. But here is the thing that really pisses me off about this whole situation....

Identity.

Samsung used to be THE go to manufacturer for a killer Android device. They had some things about their devices that some didn't like (TouchWiz anyone?), but they made really good devices that had great marketing and a great fan base. Now they took that away and they are changing to something that has already been done (ala Apple). If I want an iPhone, I'll buy an iPhone.

I used a Galaxy S Epic 4G and had a Galaxy S4. I dropped my S4 by accident a few times (without a case) and it never shattered the screen. The body is dinged up, but that's ok. Now I use an S6. I love the device, it's awesome, but FFS Samsung, don't decrease the battery size and make the device so slim that it is uncomfortable to use. Also, slippery glass on the back? WTF were you thinking? Quick charging is awesome, but it doesn't beat all day battery life with heavy usage.

I don't want to rant too much. Samsung is doing a lot of things well, but also screwing up a ton of stuff that I really liked about them. The Note5 is not an upgrade, I don't care what you think. A less durable build, same screen and camera quality, no option for removable storage or battery (which doesn't bother me but they are subtracted features), and added software features. That's what Apple does on their S iterations for their devices. That isn't you, Samsung.

The point of my comment: I will not be buying anymore Samsung devices. As a matter of fact, and I mean this, I would rather use a Moto G 2015 (2/16, of course) than use my S6. The build quality, the feel in hand, UX, and the battery life are worth it to me. Unfortunately, I cannot do that because I am on VZW. I will not stand up to paying out the wazoo anymore for a device that upsets me. I hope others feel the same and hop off of the bandwagon of buying the latest device so it can be a fashion accessory.

 

[A895]

I'm not a Note user. I never have been and probably never will be. But here is the thing that really pisses me off about this whole situation....

Identity.

Samsung used to be THE go to manufacturer for a killer Android device. They had some things about their devices that some didn't like (TouchWiz anyone?), but they made really good devices that had great marketing and a great fan base. Now they took that away and they are changing to something that has already been done (ala Apple). If I want an iPhone, I'll buy an iPhone.

I used a Galaxy S Epic 4G and had a Galaxy S4. I dropped my S4 by accident a few times (without a case) and it never shattered the screen. The body is dinged up, but that's ok. Now I use an S6. I love the device, it's awesome, but FFS Samsung, don't decrease the battery size and make the device so slim that it is uncomfortable to use. Also, slippery glass on the back? WTF were you thinking? Quick charging is awesome, but it doesn't beat all day battery life with heavy usage.

I don't want to rant too much. Samsung is doing a lot of things well, but also screwing up a ton of stuff that I really liked about them. The Note5 is not an upgrade, I don't care what you think. A less durable build, same screen and camera quality, no option for removable storage or battery (which doesn't bother me but they are subtracted features), and added software features. That's what Apple does on their S iterations for their devices. That isn't you, Samsung.

The point of my comment: I will not be buying anymore Samsung devices. As a matter of fact, and I mean this, I would rather use a Moto G 2015 (2/16, of course) than use my S6. The build quality, the feel in hand, UX, and the battery life are worth it to me. Unfortunately, I cannot do that because I am on VZW. I will not stand up to paying out the wazoo anymore for a device that upsets me. I hope others feel the same and hop off of the bandwagon of buying the latest device so it can be a fashion accessory.

I am in a different siutation but I feel the same way. The Note series was always about being the biggest and best and having every feature you could want. I have never bought a Note, but even I am disspoointed in Samsung in getting rid of removable storage and battery in their Note 5. That was like one of the biggest positives for having a Note. It WAS the phone for any power user. If anything it gave people the choice. Taking choice away is silly. I mean for petes sake, MOTOROLA went back to removable storage for their flagships and the last time they had a flagship with removable storage was back in 2012. Outside of Apple, everyone has removable storage in their phones, but now Samsung is literally being like Apple in this aspect. Seriously bad move.

Currently I am rocking an LG Lancet Windows Phone and I have very little complaints I still want to use my upgrade in December. But so far not one manufacturer has shown me something good (good performance, battery life and a nonphablet). The only thing that comes close is the freaking Moto G 2015 and that is a low end phone. I am sitting this year out it seems. Unless the iPhone 6S is really compelling. I may get that.

 

[mavrrick]

Re: The first note I won't buy?

You underestimate our ability to complain.

But seriously--these points have been made, but at current prices, how much would a Note 5 with 256gb of storage cost? $1100? $1200? I'm out at those price ranges. If it existed it would not be realistic, which is likely why it doesn't exist. And when we change phones, we incur the extra cost each time and buy that space over and again. So, you're not just getting slaughtered once. They keep making you buy the same storage over and again. And, finally, how much time will it take to set up that much storage (versus flipping a card in)? Even mere copying will take some effort at that size.

(Latest AC poll--11% put removable storage as most important feature; 8% removable batteries. No one cares? 676 votes for removable storage as the most important feature. A minority, as conceded, but a large enough slice of a market intensely wanting a feature to be the difference between success and failure in a tough market, perhaps.)

There is really nothing more efficient and cost-effective than an SD card solution. Someone should invent the concept and explain it to Samsung. In fact, based on another poster's comment, I just sent these comments direct to Samsung, for whatever use it may have. Venting here is nice, but these threads have long since started to repeat themselves. Everyone should send feedback to Samsung and then vote with their dollars when the next upgrade time comes.

Actually I do know that some would still complain. I believe I said most.

The prices you mentioned would be a problem but I would contend that it shouldn't reach those levels. Think of it like this. A 120MB nand SSD for a computer is less the $100. A 256 GB SSD is less then $200. The capacities should be 64, 128, 256. None of the phones with those sizes should be should be above $900. I would probably say between 64 and 128 should be $50 and another $100 to go to 256.

They probably would only need to make about 5-10% of all the phones with the max capacity. 15-20% at 128 and the rest 64 GB base.

What is foolish about all this is the least complicated and cost impacting solution is simply allow an SD Card.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[mavrrick]

Samsung's own M-Sata drive for laptops and such at 250GB is only $185 on Newegg currently.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[wkm001]

Re: The first note I won't buy?

Except for the people that wouldn't want to pay for a 256GB version...

What qualifies as plenty of storage? This is directly comparable to the amount of mobile data you use each month. If I have a 10GB data bucket and never go over 5GB, then I essentially have unlimited data. If you use 32GB of storage on your phone, then 64GB is virtually unlimited. For those of us that know what a gigabyte is and how much storage we already use, we likely won't keep the phone more than a year. It isn't hard to predict how much storage you will need on your device for a period of 12 or less months.

If you shoot 4K video, sure you might need lots of space. But who shoots 4K video occasionally? Not many, if you shoot 4K video you are doing it frequently. At that point you are already moving video files off your phone regularly. Isn't having excessive storage on a phone all about future proofing yourself anyway? Sure some people have huge music collections. Upload it to Amazon Music or Google Play Music and be done with it. It is really convenient to ask my Amazon Echo to play a song rather than getting my phone out. Sometimes I want to stream music to my PC and Google Play Music makes that easy and free. Carrying my entire library of music just isn't needed anymore!

What we want and what we need are different. We are losing the ability to tell the difference.

Sure, someone will probably read this and say "I need 256 gigabytes of storage on my phone." Lets imagine you do, you are part of a group that is less than .01%. Manufacturers that sell millions of phones aren't making phones for you.

 

[rushmore]

The card business is far too huge and correlates directly with the growth of Android devices to be just .01 of a percent. The card business would be stagnant and there would not be hundreds of millions in investments with fitting more storage in micro sd and faster sd releasing early next year.

The mix is at least 15% to fit the marginal growth of micro sd storage. The Note 5 will be a good litmus for this estimate. I think people that want the storage will move on and Samsung's changes are not going to lure hardly any iPhone users- that is unless they can still use all their apps media and iTunes. Most Apple users actually like iTunes and only Android ex-patriots tout the freedom of drag and drop.

Notice please I do not speak in absolutes or impose my standard on others, not unlike some folks posting here in the name of the Incredulity Police

 

[kmarx]

Samsung will probably come out with a Note 5 + or other variation soon. But remember this video. Samsung forgot why people liked their phones.

 

[monsieurms]

Re: The first note I won't buy?

The prices you mentioned would be a problem but I would contend that it shouldn't reach those levels. Think of it like this. A 120MB nand SSD for a computer is less the $100. A 256 GB SSD is less then $200. The capacities should be 64, 128, 256. None of the phones with those sizes should be should be above $900. I would probably say between 64 and 128 should be $50 and another $100 to go to 256. They probably would only need to make about 5-10% of all the phones with the max capacity. 15-20% at 128 and the rest 64 GB base.

I'm not that optimistic considering what prices are right now ($700, T-Mobile, 32gb and $779 for 64gb). That's an $80 uptick for the easiest part, for just 32gb to 64gb. It would seem to make your numbers look very optimistic for 64 to 128. If you're talking about what it SHOULD be, I understand. What it's likely to be... That's another issue.

For one thing, miniaturization always seems to cost extra when you get into rarified air...and when, as you indicate, there will not be many devices made at the higher level, there is less ability to amortize costs with quantity of sales. (The old Henry Ford dictum that if you can sell a lot, you can sell them for less money and make your money off of volume rather than profit margin.) Then, too, is the theory some have that Samsung quite deliberately sees this as a great way to ramp up profits, but that's another story.

Anyone have an actual number right now on the actual difference between 64 and 128 on the 5 at a USA carrier?

Even so and in any event, we're talking about adding a significant sum to an already pricey phone. Add accesories, etc. There are suddenly lots of choices.

What is foolish about all this is the least complicated and cost impacting solution is simply allow an SD Card.

Exactly. Of course, as noted, that assumes they want to give a cost effective solution.

 

[rushmore]

And in spite of the poor battery life Apple held on to their customer base and grew even more. More to the point the device is not as important as the Apple ecosystem to those consumers. Samsung is not going to lure people away from the iPhone by being more like the iPhone.

 

[monsieurms]

Samsung will probably come out with a Note 5 + or other variation soon. But remember this video. Samsung forgot why people liked their phones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-qeFszcfFo

Yes, when people ask why we're excited about this, we point out that it was Samsung that taught us to be excited about it. They can't have it both ways.

 

[ncc1701p]

Same reasons why i skipped the S6. Hello LG.