Galaxy Note 2/HTC One.....who has one?

antihero

antihero

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I'm due an upgrade in a couple of weeks and am currently doing my own head as what to get.

I've narrowed it down to either the Note 2 or the HTC One. Love the build quality of the HTC 's over Samsung, but like the idea of the bigger screen and pen of the Note.

Seen a video of them side by side and speedwise there isn't much in it.

Just looking for thoughts of any owners to help me make my mind up!
 
Having sat every day and watch my wife drool over her note 2 since she upgraded and having had a shot I would say it's the knee.
The big screen is nice, using the same pen feels very natural and it's highly intuitive.
 
I've not used the Note 2 but I've just upgraded from a Galaxy S2 which had shocking battery life from day one. The build quality is so much better than the S2, runs very smoothly. I like the camera on the One, it performs brilliantly in low light. One thing I would say with the One is that you should hold it and use it before making your mind up. I miss the power button on the side that the S2 had (my hands aren't that big so I have to shuffle the phone down to switch it on and off), also, the placement of the back button is a bit weird but I'm used to that already.
Battery life is really good too, I haven't put on any of the battery saving features apart from the auto brightness (which actually works well!), I do a fair bit of mobile browsing, I get push notifications from most of my apps, I stream at least an hours video in bed and I generally have more than 30% remaining after all that. Really impressed. Speakers are brilliant too! Is quite slow to charge though but I don't really mind that! I would try both of them in the hand before pulling the trigger (though I never did!).

I was pretty much convinced by Linus through these videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRUaa2aCsBs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrtLB6nENjI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwI5uytum2c
 
Thanks for the input so far guys... A bit more food for thought.

Actually using it as a phone, ie holding it up to my ears is probably the thing I do least, so size isn't an issue. I'm using a desire hd at the moment, so am used to HTC s sense interface and must admit to preferring it over touchwiz on the Samsungs. Then there is the small issue of the Kies software. Not sure which is worse.... Kies or iTunes!

Might nip into town at the weekend and have a nosey:-)
 
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could be wrong about the exact model so please check, but a work colleague has the HTC and it has a sealed battery, his was not charging well after a month, so it has to be sent away cos he cant replace the battery.
I have a HTC HD7 so i know what you mean about HTC being a good phone, but you might want to check the battery thingy as smart phones eat em
 
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Yeah it's a sealed unit with no option the change the battery. I've heard rumours of the chinese model featuring a removable back with a micro SD slot, but even that doesn't allow the battery to be replaced. Steve, I'm not sure if your colleague has the HTC One as that became available at the end of March this year (depends on how recently he had this issue) but I'm hoping that HTC one have got things right with the battery as it doesn't look at all possible to replace :(
 
rssmrry said:
Yeah it's a sealed unit with no option the change the battery. I've heard rumours of the chinese model featuring a removable back with a micro SD slot, but even that doesn't allow the battery to be replaced. Steve, I'm not sure if your colleague has the HTC One as that became available at the end of March this year (depends on how recently he had this issue) but I'm hoping that HTC one have got things right with the battery as it doesn't look at all possible to replace :(
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yeah you could be right, it is very new, but not entirelly sure it is the one you'er looking at.
On my HD7 i'm on my third battery in 2 yrs and it lasts anything from 2 hours intensive use to 2 days of standby.
Put me off another one until some new fandango battery technology comes out. (really its just an excuse to not get another as i hate them now)

but good luck with yours.
 
Gr8Shot said:
yeah you could be right, it is very new, but not entirelly sure it is the one you'er looking at.
On my HD7 i'm on my third battery in 2 yrs and it lasts anything from 2 hours intensive use to 2 days of standby.
Put me off another one until some new fandango battery technology comes out. (really its just an excuse to not get another as i hate them now)

but good luck with yours.
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I managed to fry the USB port on my Desire HD so bought an external charger and spare battery off ebay...no more having to plug the thing in now! Once it's flat it's just a minute to swap over to a fully charged battery!

It might be an early release HTC One, as I did read some early reviews that slated the battery, but more recent reviews say the battery life is pretty good!!

Wish more would go down the wireless charging route though , a la Nokia Lumia.
 
me, I did a thread about it as I got one to replace my iPhone5
 
antihero said:
Thanks, interesting read...link is here if anyone else is interested.

Are you still happy with it?
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Very much so. I will upgrade to the note 3 when it comes out. A lot of things are not as intuitive as on ios but you can find it in the end. Split screen for example isn't dealt with particularly well but you get there.

Software updates are supposed to be automatic and easy but there is a tiny upgrade from the model I have and the software just says mine is up to date. That might be the case but it says on the Internet that the new one fixes a few bugs.

Overall I am still really pleased.
 
I have a HTC one x pile of poop. On my 3rd one since November. Real issues with screen messing up. When it works its a great phone. But in arguments with t-mobile business as they have none left in stock and won't swap it for anything else.
 
joker2006 said:
I have a HTC one x pile of poop. On my 3rd one since November. Real issues with screen messing up. When it works its a great phone. But in arguments with t-mobile business as they have none left in stock and won't swap it for anything else.
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thanks for that, but completely different phone to the "One"
 
I switched from nexus4 to note 2...
Considered HTC one and new s4 but went for big note.
Love it!!
Big at first but only for a while.

Battery is brilliant
11h on battery today and just about 2 hours screen on time leaves 68% battery left!

If you don't mind size get note:)
 
I went from a S2 to iPhone5 and now Note2..

I really like it, battery life is brilliant, very speedy to use lovely big screen and the pen adds a few very useful elements to my day to day life. it has left not needing the tablet, screen size is more than enough when away from the computer.

the panorama feature(something I used all the time on the iPhone5) is not as slick but I feel it produces a better picture.
 
Thanks guys....scales are leaning towards the Note at the moment!

The note 3 is rumoured to be out in September and have a flexible screen!
 
I have the Note 2, had for about 9 months now. As battery life goes it's decent, get 2 days out of it with normal use. I like that it can act as USB host so can connect up a Compact Flash card, download pictures ot the phone, use an app to edit and then share online. QUite handy and avoids having to have a tablet or laptop etc.

Screen is nice, big and bright. Big at first but after 48hrs everything else seems small lol. Fits in pocket. Still downside is in direct sunlight - no phone has a screen that you can actually see properly.

Hope that helps anyway. My 2P :)
 
Just had a very quick play on the HTC, and although it's undoubtedly a fantastic phone, responsive, and very well made, I can't help thinking that I would wish I'd gone for the bigger screen of the Note.

I have another week or so yet so I'll no doubt change my mind again.!
 
I used the note as a satnav yesterday and found it worked better than the actual satnav. I still think the iPhone5's camera is better and the screen is easier to read in bright sunlight.. I was having difficulties seeing the note's screen outside.
 
Note 1 user here. I've rooted mine to android 4.2 and its so smooth. I love the Sat nav and have ditched the car Sat nav in favor of it.

Google now is awesome when it builds up a picture of who you are. Freaky, but if you don't mind Google knowing what you like it is just unreal.
 
antihero said:
Thanks for all your input, pretty much decided on the Note.... Stroll on Friday!
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Friday ?

after using mine with protective case for a while and taking it out from it, it actually feels small and thin :)

screen was big at first but is normal now ;)

still playing with mine to set it to what I want...

mine in summer setting ;)

8704104318_e8c846fdee_b.jpg
 
Friday is upgrade day!

Hopefully casemate make one of their barely there cases for it. Really thin, but highly durable.
 
Aumz said:
That is a nice look. ...
I found the problem with Android is because you can customise it as much as you want it is very difficult to choose a theme or look that you like... that is what I am finding anyway
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If that's a problem then you must have easy life lol
I would like to swap mine for yours:)
 
upgrade sorted for Friday...should have it early next week :)

what cases are people using on theirs? apparently the "barely there" case for it has a rubber insert making it quite chunky
 
samsung protective
covers all sides - many cases leave top and bottom uncovered
 
Aumz said:
That is a nice look. ...
I found the problem with Android is because you can customise it as much as you want it is very difficult to choose a theme or look that you like... that is what I am finding anyway
Click to expand...

Not a problem I have! Here's my latest home screen layout.
Note the custom TP shortcut button 2nd from the bottom


Untitled by Stuart Pardue, on Flickr
 
Took delivery of my Note 2 today. Love it. The screen is a thing of beauty, and it doesn't seem that big at all. Slapped the protective case on straight away (bargain for £5 off ebay, official case too!) which replaces the original back. Having been used to HTC's Sense and MIUI roms for the last few years, the TouchWiz interface is going to take some getting used to but shouldn't be an issue!

Happy camper!
 
My note had an alert on it this morning saying that a new software update was downloaded and ready to install. A couple of presses later and a short wait and it's back up and running on 4.1.2 I'm not sure what it's fixed or updated yet I'm just about to have a look.
 
Hmm..

Some of the Enhancements in the new Jelly Bean Update:
- Android 4.1.2 – Build JZO54K
- Buttery Smooth Performance & Great Stability (Thanks to Project Butter)
- Multi-View (Multi Windows Multitasking, same as in Note II)
- Multi-View can also be disabled
- Page Buddy
- Notification Panel can now be customized
- New Additions in Notification Panel
- Smart Rotation (Screen Display adjusts to your angle of sightings)
- Continues Input in Samsung Keyboard (Like Swipe or Android 4.2 Keyboard)
- Samsung’s Cloud services
- Features like Direct Call, Smart Stay and Pop-up Play
- New Widgets From the Galaxy S III
- 2 Home screen modes
- New Notifications bar
- Google Now
 
How does every one get on with the note 2?

I'm toying with changing my S3 for one.
From the stats it looks like a big S3 with a pen.
 
eeyore said:
How does every one get on with the note 2?
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I have not picked up a tablet since I have had mine, love it, yes screen is too big for a phone but everything else, awesome; I am a total pen convert, adding sound/video/pics to notes is a breeze, also my handwriting isn't the best but the recognition software pretty much nails it everytime.

not a device for everyone I'm sure but for me and my use its the best all in one I have had.
 
had mine since the release date had the note 1 before that purely for my old failing eyes

reading all the posts above I must try the pen lol
 
Cheers guys gonna have a play on one and see if the hooves are big enough. :)

Do any of you guys use it for light editing of pics or things like that?
 
Had mine a few weeks now and really love it. Screen size is perfect....now just to get into using the pen!
 
I had a little go on one... i think its possible the best phone for these hooves :)

STAFF EDIT: Classifieds is the place for buying, swapping and selling
 
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