Your Experiences So Far

[JoeInCT]

I'm interested in everyone's experiences so far, especially those on Verizon Wireless. I previously had the Note 2, so my expectations were high.

In my opinion, this phone is NOT an upgrade (actually a downgrade) for the following reasons:

1) Call quality is VERY poor and I have problems hearing due to garbled and popping sound from the other end. I tried a factory new replacement but it seems even worse. It is not confined to any one location or one phone. It is bad.

2) The camera is no where near the quality of the Note 2, especially in anything less than sunlight.

I am hoping that a software upgrade will fix these problems. But for me, these two problems are major and I cannot recommend this phone. The garbled voices are a deal killer and if an update doesn't come out soon, I may have to go back to my Note 2.

What's your experiences so far?

 

[AuburnGrad]

Ever now and then I have the electronic garble still. On my second phone, but it is no where near as bad as my preordered phone. Hopefully either a update will come, or it will get replaced via insurance when it craps out.

Love the size and barrety life. Camera works well for me, not sure why so many complaints in that department. Not DSLR quality, but I have gotten good photos in low light and sun light.

 

[GtoJon]

Sound is great with No Garble, Camera is great, better than my Note 2 was, Battery is fantastic, S-Pen features have improved a lot, More memory, Faster, Screen is better in the sun, Higher resolution & I like it ..... that's all that counts

Cheers, Jon

 

[Dirtdawg57]

So far call quality has been good. I haven't really got to use the camera too much but it seems ok. Haven't liked the battery life but am still working on it. My Droid bionic had an extended battery and did better.
There are some little things that bug me, like the home screen not displaying in landscape, something I use all the time with the ultimate rotation tool. I had to switch to ADW launcher to fix it. It also has a lot of choppiness and lag sometimes. Not a lot but I really thought it would be better with 3gb ram and the 800 in it. Hopefully it can be improved. I have literally lock down what seems like half the phone to get rid of all the bloat and goofy features. Root came in handy. I feel like I have got it feeling pretty good right now and more like stock android. I will continue to carry my Droid bionic for all the extra features I don't get with this like the lapdock.
Over all I would say it is still very good and will probably get better with updates. But I just don't feel as blown away as I had hoped for.

 

[GtoJon]

Sorry this is not to knock anything you have done with your phone & just want to understand. You have rooted & stripped all the bloatware out & your having problems with lagging & battery life? Why did you strip & debloat? I and many other have no lagging or problems battery life at all Help me & others understand how this has helped you!

Thanks for your understanding, cheers, Jon

So far call quality has been good. I haven't really got to use the camera too much but it seems ok. Haven't liked the battery life but am still working on it. My Droid bionic had an extended battery and did better.
There are some little things that bug me, like the home screen not displaying in landscape, something I use all the time with the ultimate rotation tool. I had to switch to ADW launcher to fix it. It also has a lot of choppiness and lag sometimes. Not a lot but I really thought it would be better with 3gb ram and the 800 in it. Hopefully it can be improved. I have literally lock down what seems like half the phone to get rid of all the bloat and goofy features. Root came in handy. I feel like I have got it feeling pretty good right now and more like stock android. I will continue to carry my Droid bionic for all the extra features I don't get with this like the lapdock.
Over all I would say it is still very good and will probably get better with updates. But I just don't feel as blown away as I had hoped for.

 

[Dirtdawg57]

Sorry this is not to knock anything you have done with your phone & just want to understand. You have rooted & stripped all the bloatware out & your having problems with lagging & battery life? Why did you strip & debloat? I and many other have no lagging or problems battery life at all Help me & others understand how this has helped you!

Thanks for your understanding, cheers, Jon

I didn't actually erase anything, I use the app turn off that Android provides. There are many apps that I didn't need at all and turning them off keeps them from running in the background or opening themselves. I did have to use root access to lock a few down but nothing that would slow it down. The lag and bad battery life was there before I did all this and I think it has been improved by these lock downs. And when I say lag, like I said, it is not a lot but I guess I was just expecting less. Nothing intolerable though. The battery life I wouldn't say is horrible either, but I can't make it through the day so unless I can find a fix I guess I will have to go for an extended battery which I didn't want to do because it is hard to find cases for. Nothing I have locked down should have hurt the battery life and if anything helped it, because of less programs running and less processor load. I do have a question in the bad battery thread that if I could find an answer to might help. The battery graph say my Gps is on even though it's not, I am not sure what is going on there.

Edit- Also I would call it more choppy sometimes than lag. That is more what I meant. I have seen this on a couple review sites as well but they said the S4 had the same problems but it was solved in a update.

 

[ccpopham]

The battery life is because it is a high powered quad core which sucks battery when it is firing pretty hard. The battery is also supporting a larger screen at a higher resolution which also sucks battery. My phone has not been choppy and the voice quality has been fine. Tgis is the fastest phone I have ever owned. I have no complaints and I have not even rooted yet.

Sent from my SM-N900V using AC Forums mobile app

 

[TheMaskedMamba]

I haven't had any major problems with my phone..... Knock on wood. I'm on my first Verizon pre-ordered unit. I have not experienced garbled or choppy calls. The phone is quick and I came from an N2. I screen is bright and clear. Battery life has been on part with the N2. Its getting better now after the newness has worn off and I can put it down for a while.... LOL

Aside form some features that the N2 had and they decided to leave (ie Page Buddy), I'm totally satisfied.

Sent From "The Beast"

 

[Haalcyon]

My phone has been liquidy sliquidy fast and continues to be trouble free, just like this Note 10.1. I just the developer of my favorite game would update the game so it works on higher res screens and not just up to 1280x800. Come on EA, you can do it and you know what game I'm talking about.

from a '14 Note 10.1

 

[ZarathustraHead]

I'm on my third Note 3. I had no problems with the phone reception on my first Note 3. The second and third Notes have had poor reception - even worse than the S3 and much worse than the Note 2. But the second and third Note 3's seem to take slightly better pictures than the first. It's like something changed. None of the Note 3's take pics as good as my Note 2.

sent from my Note 3

 

[Preach2k]

I have had no problems at all!!! This phone is great and has been running like a champ!!!

My Precious GNote3​

 

[wrich2005]

My first note 3 the screen stopped working on the 14th day. I'm on my replacement unit and I've had no problems

Posted via Android Central App

 

[climb]

My note 3 has been wonderful. My experience has been trouble free. The processor is unbelievably super fast and silky smooth, the camera takes great pics for the photos I take, the screen is amazing ( and I came from the higher pixel DNA ) , I use a tempered glass screen protector which really accentuates the screen interaction compared to a mushy ZAGG feel, my call quality ( Verizon - Denver ) is even better ( and the changes in the radio technology doesn't drain the battery constantly finding 4G ), the battery is pretty good and made all the better by the 3.0 USB surprisingly super fast charging. The size of the phone has never been an issue as I am a tall guy with large manly hands. This is my first stroll through the Samsung ecosystem and I am amazed at how much I use the S pen and software.....big surprise there......

I can say without equivocation this is the most amazing device I have ever used I can't wait to see what the Note 4 brings!!!!

 

[JoeInCT]

After another few weeks of use, my opinion on the call quality and camera has not changed.

I went to dinner last night with a friend and tried to take a pic of her with my Note 3. I took 8 pics and gave up. I took a few with her S3 which came out good, and we're comparable to my old Note 2. I was a little embarrassed about my "new and improved phone".

Without question, the camera and phone quality are poor on the Note 3, especially relative to the Note 2 and S3. It makes me question the reviews on here to the contrary. Fyi, I'm on my second Note 3, so these problems are not specific to one phone.

Photos and call quality are important to me, so I have no choice but to go back to my Note 2 until a software upgrade comes out. Hopefully the Note 3 will be fixed soon.

 

[dkettel]

Only had my note 3 for a week now but I'm coming from an I phone 4 and this phone makes the I phone look like a rotary dial phone. I absolutely love this thing!

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Johnny Umphress]

Best phone I've ever owned. Sound quality fantastic, loud and clear. And I'm kind of hard of hearing. And the camera is the most. I no longer carry my JVC camera that I paid a fortune on because the Galaxy is far better.

 

[msndrstood]

I installed a few apps and had some FC, uninstalled the apps, problem resolved. Otherwise, it's the fastest phone I've ever had and I have the Note 2. I think those 3 gigs of RAM make a big difference.

Sent via The Big, Bad, Beautiful Note 3

 

[dcooper830]

I think I'm lucky because I got a good one.

Camera is just as great as on my Note 2. Sound and call quality is just as great. It's extremely fast except for a rare 1/2 second lag here or there.

My only minor complaint is S-Note. The eraser is pathetic. And it doesn't have the cool page turning effect like it did on the Note 2.

But overall I'm extremely happy with mine. I see lots of reports of problems though... I'm glad I'm not experiencing any myself.

 

[Johnny Umphress]

The erase on my S-note works very smoothly. In fact I was very impressed with the ease of erasing because it takes whole letters or words instead of having to rub back and forth to get all the little bits. I only wish the page selected that has the check box list were real check boxes where it would strike through the line when you checked the box.

 

[TheMacs]

You should call your carrier (edit - assume your on Vz) and push for a new Note JoeInCT. They can defect the phone back to Samsung. The poor call quality is definitely an issue for more than a few users and is well documented. I swapped out two. The third has been flawless.