Samsung Note - Real world views

markrichardson

markrichardson

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I'm contemplating upgrading my phone to a Samsung Note - I find the prospect of having the stylus appealing (thinking back to the old XDA models I had as a teenager) for note taking etc. Also the screen looks great quality.

My only concern is whether it is too big. I usually carry my current phone (HTC Desire Z) in my trouser/jean pocket - would that be at all feasible with a Note?

I think what I ideally want is to trial a Note for a week to see how I like it - but I can't see any shop agreeing to that!
 
I have just bought a galaxy note
should be here any day now
bit concerned about the size myself she said lol
might be a question of is that a galaxy note in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me
I remember the days when having the smallest phone was the in thing now it seems to be a question of who has the biggest
 
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Wife has just got a Galaxy Note - It is not something you can just slip in your pocket, unless you have big pockets!

I would say it is just a tad smaller all round than a standard sized paper back book.
 
I have the Galaxy Nexus and I think it is too big, let alone the Note. I have managed to crack the screen by having it in my pocket :(
 
Thanks guys...not a ringing endorsement then!

Shame there isn't anything a bit smaller with a stylus!
 
I've had a Note since November last year and I'm quite happy with the size. That's the main reason I bought it, plus the general spec overall. Since mostly I wear cargo pants it's a non issue for me. Before purchase, never having seen one in the flesh other than on YouTube, I mocked something up from a bit of card so I could get a proper impression of the size and whether it would be acceptable. It was.

If you want a 5.3" phone I think it's the only game in town. If you want something smaller then buy something smaller. There is no earthly point in grumbling that it is too big if you want something smaller. It is what it is.

I bought mine SIM free from Amazon.de where it cost me £468 back then and has dropped by over £100 since. Today we got the official ICS upgrade released for the German phones over Kies. As for the stylus, it was an attraction for me (having used WinMo 5 in the past), but in practice I really haven't made any use of it. YMMV.
 
I've had this for 2 days on Vodafone, looking forward to the ics upgrade.

I love it. I've always preferred Android due to the freedom so I was off in minutes. This is going to take my organisational aspects of my photography business up a notch.

Oh and the multi tasking is amazing on it.
 
no problems here with my galaxy note it's a man's phone
no issues with fitting in my pockets either as they are empty now lol
wish I'd bought it earlier instead of the galaxy s2
 
After six months of ownership today I finally bothered to change the DPI setting on my Note. Wow! What a revelation. Now that extra large screen can really be put to good use to display lots of "stuff" at once. Here's my home screen....

2012-05-16%252018.50.04.png
 
hmm... have had a note for a couple of months....

how do you change the dpi resolution????

it will easily fit into a pocket...

the one low down for me, is the wifi reciever is a bit crap!!!
 
Had a Note a few weeks as well, fits most of my pockets no problem. Even a shirt pocket, it's a tight perfect fit (less likely to fall out).

It's not really that much bigger than a SGS2 or HTC OneX.
 
Lynton said:
how do you change the dpi resolution????

the one low down for me, is the wifi reciever is a bit crap!!!
Click to expand...

My method was to root the phone and then use ROM Toolbox Lite to change the DPI value from 320 to 240.

Touchwiz doesn't scale to suit the new DPI so a replacement launcher is in order. As I'm now on ICS I'm using Apex Launcher. The Samsung phone app doesn't scale properly either, so grab a third party dialer from the market such as Dialer One. You'll also lose some Samsung Widgets if you drop Touchwiz, which for me is no hardship. I can't say I've noticed any other negatives, and I'm happy with the change.


Personally I've had no problems with WiFi performance.
 
samsung s3 is out is out at the end of the month at 4.8 inches its inbetween the s2 and note sizes ?
 
A sudden surge of comments here, particularly positive ones. Which is good as I have one arriving tomorrow morning!

Interesting to hear about the dpi change - has it caused you any issues with the market saying apps aren't compatible?
 
markrichardson said:
A sudden surge of comments here, particularly positive ones. Which is good as I have one arriving tomorrow morning!

Interesting to hear about the dpi change - has it caused you any issues with the market saying apps aren't compatible?
Click to expand...

I've just tried it, and it needs more work. The standard launcher isn't compatible, and neither is the phone dialler. It would also need something like Go Launcher and a workaround for the dialler.

And the phone needs to be rooted....
 
I haven't installed any apps since changing the DPI and everything I have downloaded and tried has worked perfectly. I'm no expert, but I would be surprised if changing the DPI would prevent apps being downloaded. I though the OS and the phone model were the big barriers to certain apps being available.
 
tdodd said:
I haven't installed any apps since changing the DPI and everything I have downloaded and tried has worked perfectly. I'm no expert, but I would be surprised if changing the DPI would prevent apps being downloaded. I though the OS and the phone model were the big barriers to certain apps being available.
Click to expand...

It's certainly an issue for other devices (for apps which are fixed dpi), but maybe in ICS it's not an issue anymore.

Try searching for a few apps and see what shows!
 
markrichardson said:
It's certainly an issue for other devices (for apps which are fixed dpi), but maybe in ICS it's not an issue anymore.

Try searching for a few apps and see what shows!
Click to expand...
I've just clicked on random apps in the market, including several games, and none have come back as incompatible.
 
tdodd said:
I've just clicked on random apps in the market, including several games, and none have come back as incompatible.
Click to expand...

I don't think you will see incompatible apps, the Market only shows you apps that it views as compatible for your device.


There do seem to be problems, but as I only tried it out in temp mode I didn't even try any apps, the launcher and dialler were slightly screwy so I just rebooted back to stock for now.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1491520&page=4
I was using 285 pitch for 2 months, but got sick and tired of market saying app not compatible all the time, so now I prefer the pitch at 240, many more apps are compatible like that and am enjoying the overall look and feel of it more than at 285.
Click to expand...
 
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The market will show incompatible apps, but it is not so easy to find them for the Note. There are plenty which are not compatible with my Blade, no doubt mostly due to feeble CPU and GPU. Here's one which is compatible with neither, but I'm pretty sure it's to do with things other than the DPI, such as no compliance testing with the Note, yet. It was incompatible back on GB with the DPI at default too.....

20120516_232102_.JPG




The issue with the Samsung phone app is only with the keypad tab. Everything else that is part of the phone app, like the contacts list, call history and so on works (scales) perfectly. The keypad problem can be overcome by switching the keypad to one handed operation. It's not pretty, but it is usable. But then how often do you enter a number digit by digit rather than picking from the contacts list? It's a small price to pay for the benefits in pretty much every other aspect of the phone's operation, IMHO.

As for the launcher, given how inflexible TW is, including no rotation to landscape, I'm not sure it is a handicap to find a replacement. Plenty of people do, regardless of DPI changes.

Nobody is forcing anyone to change DPI, but I've done it and I'm seeing a lot of benefit and really very lilttle downside - none at all that troubles me. It's a change that really seems to capitalise on the capabilities offered by the Note's glorious screen. YMMV :)
 
Tim, isn't that screenshot from the web Market? I meant the market app in the phone.

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea, I just wished it was a little more polished. It should improve, it seems like XDA are still developing it.
 
Yes, that's from the PC/Browser market. I just tried searching for Nova 2 on the phone and it does not show, but that still doesn't mean that the DPI is the issue, only that the app is not compatible, which was already the case. Apart from some (and by no means all) of the Samsung apps, which were no doubt coded very specifically for the device as supplied, I have found nothing at all that has been affected negatively by the DPI change, and I've got around 50 third party apps installed, plus the ones that came with the phone. Mind you, it's still only day one of the change. :)


As for XDA, it has nothing to do with them and there is nothing for them to "improve". My Rom is stock Samsung, downloaded and installed via Kies, but rooted. The DPI change is effected simply by changing a value in build.prop, which ROM Toolbox Lite facilitates. It would be a stretch to call it any kind of "development" that needed improving.

If anything needs improving it would surely be down to Samsung to make TW more functional - really, why can't it rotate to landscape or change the number of rows and columns- and to tweak the odd app/widget to handle variable DPI. But other than some Samsung widgets becoming unavailable, I would say there is little to be lost and quite a bit to be gained by switching to another launcher such as ADW EX, Launcher Pro or, as I am now using, Apex.
 
Keith W said:
Yeah right!

I have both the SSG2 and the Note and the Note is significantly much bigger
Click to expand...

I had a SGS2 late last year, never physically compared them, but in the pocket, bag, hand it doesn't feel much different (other that noticeably wider).

I actually did compare it against a OneX last week and the difference isn't that great. It's only about 1cm wider and 1cm taller than the OneX.
 
The Note vs some oldies but goodies....

20120517_082349_1536_LR.jpg


20120517_083122_1537_LR.jpg




I should have removed the gel case from the Note, as it is adding bulk, but really, while it appears large at first glance, you (well I) do get used to it very quickly and then anything else just seems like keyhole surgery after that.

OK, I caved. There you go....

20120517_084317_1539_LR.jpg
 
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hmmm, interesting thread, our phones are due upgrades and whilst I had pretty much decided on HTC OneX, I was handed a note yesterday to look at some pictures [great quality compared to my 2yr old Desire] and had an 'I WANT' moment. Pocket size unimportant to me as I generally carry in a handbag.
 
I've been really pleased with mine since I got it. The screen quality is great for displaying photos (not used the camera on it much yet).

Really love being able to jot down notes on it with a 'pen' - I've bought a full-size weighted stylus that feels like writing with an actual pen (much better than the small but convenient built in stylus).
 
fantastic phone, had it for 4 days now and its brilliant, and like has been said if you are worried about it fitting in your pocket, buy a smaller phone, simples :),
but it fits in my pockets no problem. beats the iphone hands down and i have had them all.
 
I don't know how many owners here have upgraded to ICS, but I wasn't impressed with Samsung's first release (for my German Note) and have returned to Gingerbread for the time being. In fact I tried it once and returned to GB, then tried it again, but it's temperamental and has wakelocks and randomly high CPU consumption with various apps or system processes, which spoils battery life. Even putting on the charger can cause it to get into a state which causes fast discharge. These problems are not present on Gingerbread. I'd recommend waiting until the second wave of upgrades at least before worrying about ICS. There is also the small matter of bricking potential with Samsung's ICS kernel.

Just visit XDA forums to see the responses to Samsung's ICS for the Note - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1347

It's still a terrific piece of hardware, and it works very nicely with the right ROM on it. So, very much recommended, but hold off on ICS upgrades for now IMHO.

Cheers,
Tim.
 
I've updated to the UK ICS (from rooted GB using Mobile Odin to retain the root into ICS). My battery life has almost doubled since the upgrade, with GB I was lucky to make a full day on a charge (around 18-20 hours), since the ICS update I easily get 2 days and a night on a charge (charging every second night now). From 20 hours to 36-40 hours is a big plus to me.

7170423307_c89e65ce6d_b.jpg

Over the weekend, even with some gps/satnav use I got 36 hours.
 
tdodd said:
I don't know how many owners here have upgraded to ICS, but I wasn't impressed with Samsung's first release (for my German Note) and have returned to Gingerbread for the time being. In fact I tried it once and returned to GB, then tried it again, but it's temperamental and has wakelocks and randomly high CPU consumption with various apps or system processes, which spoils battery life. Even putting on the charger can cause it to get into a state which causes fast discharge. These problems are not present on Gingerbread. I'd recommend waiting until the second wave of upgrades at least before worrying about ICS. There is also the small matter of bricking potential with Samsung's ICS kernel.

Just visit XDA forums to see the responses to Samsung's ICS for the Note - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1347

It's still a terrific piece of hardware, and it works very nicely with the right ROM on it. So, very much recommended, but hold off on ICS upgrades for now IMHO.

Cheers,
Tim.
Click to expand...
As I understand it, as long as you only upgrade to the official ROM and don't use alternative kernels, there shouldn't be a problem.

Having said that, I'm using a custom ICS ROM and kernel and a GB radio - and I'm getting good battery life.
 
According to the techies, of which I am not one, the stock Samsung ICS kernels can potentially brick the phone if you wipe (factory reset). You may get away with it once, or a dozen times, or a hundred, or it might bite you the first time you try. It's due to the firmware bug on the memory chip which can go tits up on receipt of a specific "wipe" command. Some kernels issue that command (Samsung official ICS kernels and leaks) while others (Gingerbread and some custom ICS ROMs) are engineered not to.

LINK

I have had good battery performance with ICS, for a day or two, but sooner or later it all starts to go a bit weird and the frustration levels increase as your trust in the phone to behave itself diminishes. I've had the Samsung keyboard consuming obscene amounts of CPU time, or the system itself, or other things going into overdrive. The phone becomes very hot as the CPU is stuck at 1.4Ghz. The trigger can be leaving it on charge a bit too long or removing it from the charger or just looking at it a bit funny. There seems to be a bit of hoop jumping required if you want to try to avoid these problems, but I was getting tired of it all. Under GB these issues do not exist. Under ICS, more than once, these random irritants kept rearing their heads. I've tried freezing all sorts of surplus apps/services with Titanium Backup, but when crucial stuff like the keyboard app misbehaves you're a bit stuck, and I tried switching between Samsung, Swipe and Swiftkey, all to no avail. The best solution I found was to reboot the phone with nothing attached to the USB/charging port, but quite honestly that's unacceptable. It should all just work properly, as it did with GB. I should be able to stick it on charge and remove it again, when fully charged, without having to think about it.

I did briefly try going fully UK with my phone by putting on a UK GB ROM, changing the CSC to XEU and then trying an update to ICS through Kies, but since Kies refused to acknowledge the existance of an update I decided to abandon that strategy and returned to German GB, wiped, upgraded to German ICS OTA and had a couple of successful days of harmony before the rot set in.

Maybe the UK version of ICS is much improved, but the German one is definitely quirky. I can easily afford to stick with GB until an ICS 4.0.4 ROM turns up form Samsung. It's not even though I feel as if I'm missing something by holding fire. The ICS update didn't seem to bring much with it, not least because it's been Samsunged by Touchwiz and other non vanilla "enhancements". It was actually pretty much a damp squib as far as I could see.
 
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