To Pen or Not To Pen from a Note User

[SHIVA77]

First things first, weren't we all getting tired of every phone looking exactly the same. The iPhones and Androids looked so similar you couldn't tell them apart at a glace any more. IMO that was the problem with Google's last phone, Pixel. Too generic looking.

Then Samsung came out with the Edge screen and that IMO differentiated their phones from all others. I got the Note Edge because it was so damn different and still is. I agree with above that the current edge screens are not useful and are just a visual gimmick.

And I still think S8 for people who want elite phones is a killer product and looks good too. And I also get Samsung catering to women by making the phones narrower but women seem to have no problem with iPhone +. I see them use it on street all the time. That's one popular phone.

The S8+ has 500 more mah battery capacity than S8 (3000 vs 3500) that alone would win me over the S8. But it seems the Note 8 is going to have a 3300 battery. But why? Larger phone, more features, less battery?

So if between the S8/S8+ I would get the + and since the Note 8 is basically going to be looking like the + but with a pen and couple of more options, to me it would make sense to just get the Note 8 and continue being a Note user. We'll know in about a month or so.

 

[SHIVA77]

Samsung's dual camera on the Note 8 sounds interesting too and it's different from its competitors. It has two 13 mp chips, one in color and the other in B&W. Both lenses take the shot simultaneously and then combine the image.

Look forward to the sample shots.

 

[pduffer]

I got the S8 a few days ago. Already missing the s-pen. I do like the size better than the Note 5.

 

[iGalione]

I think the only Note device that I didn't get was the Note 10.1 2014, as well as the Note tablet (windows edition)... Samsung did something different with the Note when they originally made it. All the naysayers were saying to me, Ah man, that phone is too big, or next you're going to have a tablet to your face, what is this windows phone?! LOL...

Now all of the manufacturers are doing something similar, even LG with their sub par LG Note...

If Microsoft had a phone with a stylus and had awesome app support, I would jump ship in a heartbeat... but Samsung has been holding me down (through good and bad) as oh the last iterations...

The Note 8, even though it will resemble, awfully a lot, the S8/S8+, it will have something to differentiate (other than the S-Pen), can't wait to see what they do with the camera...

 

[SHIVA77]

I agree. I'm keeping it in the family and I am on board on Note 8. It would be time to swap the Edge after 3 years when it hits on VZW. No other phone has made me want to switch so far, but some of the images of the Note 8 I see look great and I also like the double lens camera.

 

[SHIVA77]

This is beginning to look great!

 

[stanglifemike]

I hope these rumors are false and Samsung puts a decent sized battery in it! What I REALLY want is manufacturers to go back to removable batteries, but I know that's not gonna happen. The Note 8's battery size wouldn't be nearly as important to everyone if it was just removable.

 

[SHIVA77]

4K means almost nothing to 99.99% of elite phone users.
also the higher the resolution the more battery drain.

speaking of battery, it seems we have been stuck in the 3000 mah range for a long time. We need a battery breakthrough and it doesn't seem to be happening.

My Note Pro 12.2 tablet has a 9500 mah battery but because of the size and the hi-rez of the screen even that monster of a battery lasts only a few hours on intense use.

Ultimately we're looking at very minor differences between the S8+ and Note 8 battery (200 mah). I wish they can jam 5000 mah in these elite phones but we are clearly not there yet.

 

[pduffer]

They could easily do it if they simply made the phones a little thicker. The drive for thinner and thinner phones is coming with a trade off the average user would probably exchange for better battery life. Especially on a workhorse like a Note common sense choices should prevail. Of course trying to go too thin while getting as large a battery as possible is what caused Samsung and its customers grief last year with the Note 7.

 

[SHIVA77]

They could easily do it if they simply made the phones a little thicker. The drive for thinner and thinner phones is coming with a trade off the average user would probably exchange for better battery life. Especially on a workhorse like a Note common sense choices should prevail. Of course trying to go too thin while getting as large a battery as possible is what caused Samsung and its customers grief last year with the Note 7.

Makes sense. Thanks!

 

[SHIVA77]

A 4K Display IS what Elite Phone Users and High Tech Aware Users are expecting. It's a real improvement and a step up to real VR.

But of course, the mid range buyer who does not know much about phones and think themselves as "elite" may be lost in a fog of ignorance and think that a shiny screen with a fingerprint scanner under it is nice.

Our duty? Illuminate them!

I call that pure horse manure. What you want is display that no one wants (99.99%), just to satisfy your own VR fetish. That's not what elite buyers want.

What you meant to type is this. "Us VR users who are too cheap to buy real VR gear are hoping the phone makers provide on demand 4K spec on our phones but do not charge us for the premium."

Stop the BS.

 

[Mike Dee]

Can someone explain to me what advantage there is to having a pen?
I'm not knocking the feature in any way shape or form but I've never had one. I tried a Note 7 in the store but other than a more precise touch, what do I gain? It was great having a stylus back in the day of the Palm Pilot with their shorthand. I recall Nitendo DS made games that were designed to work better with a stylus. Are their apps that work exclusively or better with the pen?

 

[Mike Dee]

A 4K Display IS what Elite Phone Users and High Tech Aware Users are expecting. It's a real improvement and a step up to real VR.

But of course, the mid range buyer who does not know much about phones and think themselves as "elite" may be lost in a fog of ignorance and think that a shiny screen with a fingerprint scanner under it is nice.

Our duty? Illuminate them!

Therefore a perfect Thread from the XDA Forums explains the advantages of a 4K display:

https://forum.xda-developers.com/note-7/how-to/4k-display-phones-underestimated-4k-vr-t3630213

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Also most of unaware Phone Users don't realize that a 4K Display doesn't have to render in 4K all the time, and it can be optional for VR. Or you could even change the resolution of your phone whenever you want thanks to something called "Settings". So the "battery" argument is just some guy who lived in a cave for 100 years may push forward. But not someone who knows what "settings" are.

I have a 4k TV and laptop. I see the advantage clearly on the TV. The laptop also is very nice in 4k except that certain apps appear too small at that resolution. What I'm asking is 4K on a phone really noticeable close up on a small screen or their something else like refresh rate that makes it better?

Edited: oops.. I should have checked out the link you posted. Maybe my answer is there.

 

[Nakrohtap]

Can someone explain to me what advantage there is to having a pen?
I'm not knocking the feature in any way shape or form but I've never had one. I tried a Note 7 in the store but other than a more precise touch, what do I gain? It was great having a stylus back in the day of the Palm Pilot with their shorthand. I recall Nitendo DS made games that were designed to work better with a stylus. Are their apps that work exclusively or better with the pen?

You're right in that it provides a more precise touch. Most people won't use it every day. It's good to have it though, but at what price?
You can doodle notes instead of typing. Office type apps are more user friendly. I also used mine for photo editing apps. To me, it's not convenient to just whip out the s-pen to do something quick on the go. But, if I'm sitting around, the quick menu makes it easier to navigate and play around with.

 

[Mike Dee]

You're right in that it provides a more precise touch. Most people won't use it every day. It's good to have it though, but at what price?
You can doodle notes instead of typing. Office type apps are more user friendly. I also used mine for photo editing apps. To me, it's not convenient to just whip out the s-pen to do something quick on the go. But, if I'm sitting around, the quick menu makes it easier to navigate and play around with.

So if I understand correctly it just makes things you are already doing easier.

 

[debdroid1a]

Can someone explain to me what advantage there is to having a pen?
I'm not knocking the feature in any way shape or form but I've never had one. I tried a Note 7 in the store but other than a more precise touch, what do I gain? It was great having a stylus back in the day of the Palm Pilot with their shorthand. I recall Nitendo DS made games that were designed to work better with a stylus. Are their apps that work exclusively or better with the pen?

When I was new to the Note series, I asked that here. Here's the link, with a look to the Note 4 spen uses as well. A few ideas.
https://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-note-5/570573-new-note-user-s-pen.html

 

[Mike Dee]

When I was new to the Note series, I asked that here. Here's the link, with a look to the Note 4 spen uses as well. A few ideas.
https://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-note-5/570573-new-note-user-s-pen.html

Thanks I'll check it out.....I heard that the S pen was more useful in older models but not sure what that means

 

[Nakrohtap]

So if I understand correctly it just makes things you are already doing easier.

Pretty much. It's one of those things where if you never used it, you wouldn't miss it. Once you use it for a while, it does come in handy sometimes.

 

[Preach2k]

Can someone explain to me what advantage there is to having a pen?
I'm not knocking the feature in any way shape or form but I've never had one. I tried a Note 7 in the store but other than a more precise touch, what do I gain? It was great having a stylus back in the day of the Palm Pilot with their shorthand. I recall Nitendo DS made games that were designed to work better with a stylus. Are their apps that work exclusively or better with the pen?

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...share_fid=4950&share_type=t&share_pid=5876130

I used the pen all the time for business. I use it to take in meetings, edits, Electronic signatures. Also with credit card transactions. So I am a power user who uses the Pen. So I say pen! If you a......

https://youtu.be/btoITuEIOFA

 

[jimd1050]

Pretty much. It's one of those things where if you never used it, you wouldn't miss it. Once you use it for a while, it does come in handy sometimes.

Exactly Nakrohtap! I have been without it since they took away my Note 7 (If I weren't so stubborn, I could be using my Note 5) and using a Galaxy S7 Active daily - do I miss it? I always say yes but do I really? I think once I put a Note 8 in my hands, it'll all come back! Like you, I have a couple of image editing apps and an Electronic Circuit Design App that I used it for regularly. Can't do any of them with your finger for sure! So Mike Dee, that should help I hope?