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My Note 4 thoughts

I figured it might be a good idea to share my thoughts on the Note 4, since I always put a lot of research into smartphone buying and someone might find it useful There are some of you that are still leaning toward different flagships all of the time (like I did!), so I hope this helps.
First of all I would like to mention that about a month ago I made up my mind to give up my LG G2 and switch to a new smartphone.
The Xiaomi mi4 came up first.
I liked the design, UI, price, specs. Everything about the mi4 is just above average, but thats about it. It didn't have that even slightest "wow factor" that I needed to push me to buying one. It's a very good phone, but the warranty would require me to send the phone far into the unknown in case something was wrong, I wasn't sure If I would pay tax as well. Nobody had the 64 gb model either (16gb and no card expansion, really?!). I decided that this would probably be a wise choice but it didn't offer anything more than what I already had on the G2, and in some cases, it was worse (camera). I passed.
My second choice was the LG G3.
So like always, I started researching, checking out different variants and prices, digging through the specs, looking for its strong sides and flaws. I liked the quad hd display at first, the SD 801 SoC, good camera with laser autofocus. The UI was a nice upgrade from the LG G2's cartoonish look. The 32 gb model seemed a good option with its 3gb of ram (although I didn't like the design as I wanted something different from the G2).
As I started to dig deaper though, I noticed that the display isn't all that awesome, as there is more to it than just resolution. I think they might have made the phone much better if they sticked to a 1080p panel and focused on other aspects like color reproduction, brightness, power consumption. I found out that the 801 chip is stretched to its limits (even over them..) with that display, which caused overheating, throttling and lagging in demanding tasks and games. I believe a smartphone should be able to handle anything you throw at it so I dumped the G3 from my plans.
Then the Z3 came up.
So again- researching, digging, looking at the cons and pros. I liked the design a lot better than the G3 (besides the plastic corners, although I can justify the reason they used them for). The display was beytter than the Z2, with very good brightness and color reproduction after making some adjustments to the stock settings. The audio quality is superb as well, the whole phone is waterproof and its battery life was very well above the current smartphones.
The camera in the Z3 is top of the line, but I didn't like how it overheats. Making the phone thinner wasn't necessary in my opinion and sony might have thought about the component allocation in the device, as putting everything in the top part of the phone wasn't too smart of a choice. The UI was something that I didn't like the most though. I know I could throw a custom ROM at it in a while, but I wasn't sure how that would work with the camera, battery life and other features sony offered in the stock ROM.
I almost made my mind up on the Z3, as it had everything I wanted and I could live with its cons but then the price came into my mind: 515 pounds including tax.
Thats the part the note 4 came into play.
I watched the Note 4 presentation: the phone impressed me in overall, I liked the design, UI, hardware etc. So I started digging again.
I've always wanted the best out of my phone, no matter if I was going to use all of the functions it had or not. I used my phone for calling, texting, making notes in google keep, gps, playing games, listening to music, browsing the web, taking pictures. Usually I endep up rooting it and putting a stock like ROM on it (although I used the stock LG G2 ROM all the way). The design of the phone was always important for me, thats why I had an iphone 4s and 5 for a month before ditching it cus of the awfully simple and boring OS.
The Note 4 seemed to be a very good phone that offered what I wanted and much more beyond that:
1. The display
It's resolution could have been not increased. Samsung could have stayed with a 1080p panel. But thats not whats important about this panel. This is what the DisplayMate test results are:
"The Galaxy Note 4 delivers uniformly consistent all around Top Tier display performance: it is the first Smartphone display to ever get all Green (Very Good to Excellent) Ratings in all test and measurement categories (except one Yellow for a Brightness Variation with Average Picture Level) since we started the Display Technology Shoot-Out article Series in 2006, an impressive achievement for a display. The Galaxy Note 4 has again raised the bar for top display performance up by another notch. "
The display is a window through which you interact with your phone, and it is a component that must be top of the line. There should be no compromise here. Samsung exceeded my expectations in this matter.
2. Performance
There are 2 variants of the Note as most of you know. I'm still having a hard time with both of them. At first I thought the Snapdragon is an obvious choice considering it was superior to all of the other chips last year.
But then the 64-bit affair came into place. Anyone would like their phone to be futureproof, and a 64-bit SoC would be a wise choice. The exynos and snapdragon chips offer pretty much the same performance. I tried looking at the benchmarks, real world usage, gaming, but one outpaces the other in different things and it is very hard to tell the difference. I believe the fluidity of the UI and overall performance must be taken into consideration the most, as I believe both chips will handle anything you throw at them when apps and games are optimized. The choice is either taking the 20nm exynos and hope for better battery life and 64-bit support OR the snapdragon one and expect better dev support.
I wanted the Exynos for the wolfson chip, as I like good quality music from my phone. I'll be using good headphones and PowerAmp so I figure I wouldn't notice much difference anyway. At least not enough to pay extra and import the exynos variant.
I'm pretty much set on the Snapdragon 805 as I believe the battery life should be good on both (the andreno 420 is powerful with lowered power consumption). Like I mentioned earlier I might change the ROM after a while if something good comes out. It's a matter of personal taste- NOT performance of the chips. Thats my opinion on the matter.
3. User Interface
Touchwiz was out of the question for me up until I saw the Galaxy S5 UI. I actually liked the flat style and functions it offered. The note 4 UI is pretty similar. I really like the S-Pen experience, it should be a great change for people who haven't used it before. I love taking notes and I'll use it often. I like the functions it offers, the selection in different UI elements, the ease of copy/pasting, more precise touch input.
Touchwiz has a lot of useless apps that I might not like, but I'm sure it will be possible to get rid of the ones you don't like later on, the dev community in here will surely help. I could go on about the stamina mode, multi-window, the ability to resize apps etc, but you've all seen that on videos. The most important fact for is that touchwiz had been improved, it is eye pleasing, smoother and faster than ever. It is the best custom android OS you can get atm.
4. Camera
On paper both of the cameras looked really good to me, but I wanted to wait and see the real world results. I wasn't disappointed. there were some early comparisions done, but some of them were pictures or videos not taken with the note 4, so getting a correct view at the performance was quite hard. We have these results now and the note camera is a top notch performer. I find day pictures top of the line, the details are there, colors are popping, OIS helps as well. 4k shooting isn't all that important to me but its a nice addition. The camera seems to be very capable and will perform great in a day-to-day user's hands as well in an experienced person ones.
You may find the night shots worse than of the lumia or z3, but thats just terribly trying to find a flaw to me. Come on- who the hell is going to photograph a piece of paper in the dark of the night!? insane. There are pictures taken with the note at night, i like how the lights aren't blurred and everything seems very crisp and detailed. Do remember what you'll be using the phone camera for, and the Note 4 delivers more than I want in those terms.
5. Battery life
Many people find this very important. I thought the Note 4 might get bad results cause of that screen so I checked out some vids of the LTE-A Galaxy S5 with the higher res display. The results were the same as the standars S5.
I am not sure if its the chip that is more power efficient, some power saving changes in the OS, or the screen, or maybe all of these at once, but the results people are having on the Notes they recently picked up are very pleasing to me.
Final words
I probably shouldn't, cause its so ridiculous, but I'll mention the gap gate as well- I don't give a crap about it. I wont even notice it. Especially with the case I'm going to put on the phone. And its something that samsung probably addressed already in the new batch of phones. There are other things I should maybe mention, but these 5 are most important for me. I really like the performace of the Note 4, its UI, functions, metal frame design, micro SD storage expansion, camera, battery, IR blaster and everything else that seems to be a full package that many will find good enough to put their money on. I surely will. On the black one of course

You have really done some good work digging up info and comparing them.

Just to add couple points to OP's excellent write up:
The battery life concern in #5 is actually addressed in already mentioned DisplayMate article, right towards the bottom it clearly states that the new screen, despite having larger number of pixels is more power efficient than 1080p screen of Note3 (0.05W for 50% and 0.2 W for 100% brightness), about 5 to 10% more efficient and Note 3 has proven itself to have very good battery life already.
The gap between screen and frame around might be by design, due to combination of plastic, glass and metal having different expansion rate due to temperature changes. My thinking is that if the phone was brought from very warm room into very cold outside, metal frame would cool and shrink much faster than the rest and could even possibly crack the glass, doing so. The gap possibly allows for contraction/expansion without doing any damage. Either way, outside of aesthetics, it doesn't affect anything and it's a non issue. Probably blown out of proportions as an attempt to shift attention away from bendgate.

pete4k said:
The battery life concern in #5 is actually addressed in already mentioned DisplayMate article, right towards the bottom it clearly states that the new screen, despite having larger number of pixels is more power efficient than 1080p screen of Note3 (0.05W for 50% and 0.2 W for 100% brightness), about 5 to 10% more efficient and Note 3 has proven itself to have very good battery life already
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he was referring to the increased GPU load due to the higher resolution which is a valid concern.
But as it has already been said, even the S5 LTE-A with its Snapdragon 805 and QHD resolution has the same battery life as the regular S5 with Full HD and Snapdragon 800.
Still, it would be interesting to see the battery life on a Snapdragon 805 device with only a Full HD display.

I would prefer the note 4 to have a 1080p panel with the same characteristics. But how many people actually use their head before buying a phone? It's a spec war for android phones..

han4mi said:
I would prefer the note 4 to have a 1080p panel with the same characteristics. But how many people actually use their head before buying a phone? It's a spec war for android phones..
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Click to collapse
Normally I would agree that FHD 1080p would be more than enough. However, since the GN4 is going to host the Gear VR, with magnifying lenses, I'm happy it went for the QHD
Sent from my Surface Pro 3 using Tapatalk

Audio Quality
Thanks for taking the time for the write up.
One area I would really like to know about is the quality of the rear speaker.
The sound quality is much more important to me than the placement (and sometimes the rear placement actually helps when you put it on a flat hard surface). I ruled out the Note 3 because its speaker was worse than the Note 2 which is still my current phone. The Note 2's speaker is actually pretty decent if the 4's is equal or better I would be thrilled.
Any input?

ymmp said:
Thanks for taking the time for the write up.
One area I would really like to know about is the quality of the rear speaker.
The sound quality is much more important to me than the placement (and sometimes the rear placement actually helps when you put it on a flat hard surface). I ruled out the Note 3 because its speaker was worse than the Note 2 which is still my current phone. The Note 2's speaker is actually pretty decent if the 4's is equal or better I would be thrilled.
Any input?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same question, ´cause I am afraid, that speeker-quality will be on low level and I am used to fantastic stereo sound of my current htv one m8.
I think, the price for Note 4 ist extremly high. Meanwhile Samsungs flagships are playing in the same €-league with the latest iphons. So I want to hold it in my own hands first before buying it. In center of Europe the Note 4 will be available in about 2 weeks.
Maybe the new Nexus 6 has a better balance between price and specs. We´ll check it out.

Just read Phone Arena's review. Here's a quote:
"Unfortunately, the audio portion of the media experience isn't so spectacular. The single speaker of the Galaxy Note 4 is rather quiet and lacking any depth, making it sound thin and weak. It's not too bad, but it's far from the best we've heard"
How disappointing! The new Moto X is supposed to have an amazing front speaker. I just wonder if it is more like the Note 2 or 3.

I believe the speaker will be good enough to play the ringtone I choose. I prefer earphones+ Poweramp for my music. Like I said, it depends what you're expecting to use the phone for. The Note 4 meets my demands in key aspects and thats why I'm going for it. I don't want THE BEST PHONE. Such a phone does not exist. All of the flagships have their strenghts and weaknesses and a smart person would take the one with the most personally suitable set of features.

Some Guys 24-Hour Review: Nokia 9 Pureview

PURPOSE
So 1st and foremost, the plan here is to give you my first 24-Hours experience with the Nokia 9 PureView compared to some other recent flagship phones I have tried. Granted, I have only used the Nokia 9 for about 24-Hours now and can say I have yet to fully break it in to find everything that may or may not be right / wrong with it. However, this will be a unbiased look and comparison. I'm neither a fanboy or sheep. No brand affiliation. Not a programmer either, just a pro-sumer Senior Member of XDA willing to get trolled, flamed, etc. for sharing a look at this phone. Hopefully, I can give "the everyday guy / gal look" without getting bogged down in stats, variables or benchmarks. Here goes...
MY BACKGROUND
No one special. Just a guy that likes the latest tech... phones being at the top of the list. I am a nerd. No doubt about that. I think anyone that knows about XDA probably is to some extent. No brand loyalty. I have had the privilege to try out the following phones:
1. Samsung S10 128GB / 8GB
2. Google Pixel 3 XL
3. Xiaomi Mi 9 Global Version 64GB / 6GB
4. iPhone XS Max
5. Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro Transparent Global
And probably some more, but these are the most recent. Does that make me qualified to make a review... Maybe. It does make me an idiot that likes new phones, though. I am always looking for something that meets my needs but also is a good phone. Currently with TMobile but have been with ATT, Verizon & Sprint at some point 20 years of using cell phones.
MY NEEDS
I drive about 45 miles each way everyday to work (yes, my work week is currently 7 days a week with a few occasional days off). So, with this in mind and where I drive. I need the minimum requirements:
1. Can Stream Music
2. Android Auto / Apple CarPlay Compatible w/ My 2018 Honda
3. An equalizer of some sort since I have only switch out my new cars speakers for better ones and don't plan on changing or adding a better sound system.
4. Decent pictures when needed
5. Relatively not laggy - will sometimes do some ROM-ing or some customization but since I tend to get rid of the phones quickly I try not to void warranties or make it too non-stock
THE COMPARISON
I am looking at my experience with the Nokia 9 and the other flagships under/around these requirements and some normal stuff like battery, screen, snappiness, camera & software. Here goes:
BATTERY
This has been a hot topic as of late as the larger phones continue to dominate this field (duh... larger phone mean more room for larger battery), however 3340 - 3800 mAh batteries seemed to be the "standard" for phones the size of the Nokia 9. During setup, from 100%, I tortured it setting up all my apps from scratch while on AC-wireless connection... then after all the app downloading, logging apps in and setting up further. I would say a good 5 to 6 hours of heavy use on Wifi drained it to 56% battery... decent performance given the amount of hammering on it I was doing. If normal day away from home is 12 hours with normal use, I feel it goes the distance... Is it a battery champ like the iPhone XS Max, no. Is it one of the better phones in its group like the S10 and Xiaomi Mi 9... you bet. I feel Android One has everything to do with it... More on Android One later.
SCREEN
At a 5.99" OLED at 18:9 aspect, I do feel that the forehead and chin on the phone is a little circa 2017 - 2018. With that said, I do feel it is more pleasant than "Mein Fuhrer" mustache going on with the Pixel XL 3... so much so I had to toggle no notchiness in the developer settings. The "Little Mac" swing and a miss punch out on the Samsung S10 is definitely not my cup of tea ... I found it annoying for one and the fact that they have graphics to swirl around it to make that much more noticeable is even more unsettling. As for the actual screen itself, the colors, brightness and clarity is awesome albeit small especially if you toggle down the screen size in settings... with that, it is a little difficult to manage photos properly with the size of screen. Not impossible but it can try your patience... but the screen itself is definitely better than the Xiaomi Phones and the Pixel 3 XL... the S10 still has the nicest screen but Samsung is getting me annoyed with the continue elongation of the phone... soon it will have a 76:5 aspect ratio... and will look like a Hershey Bar... btw Samsung, don't take design cues from a candy bar company... just sayin'
THE FINGERPRINT SCANNER
Probably the most controversial item on the Nokia 9. Yes it is not great.... I would place it below the scanner in the S10 & Xiaomi Mi 9 but better than the Mi 8.... Pixel 3 XL , you don't count with your don't rock the boat rear sensor... which of course is super fast. Honestly, this tech is not ready for prime time on any of these phones. The S10 comes with a plastic screen protector that makes it hard at first to register the scanner. I felt like I pressing my finger through the display. It did start working decently at about a 90% success rate, after programming fingers a few different time. The Nokia 9 is definitely 75% at best with just one scan of each of my thumbs... as mentioned in different threads, going to add a second scan of each thumb to see of that improves... I feel though that Nokia HMD will patch it to make it slightly better. With facial recognition available, although not as secure, helps for getting into the phone and really the finger print is only needed for the different apps requiring. There's a learning curve for sure to get it to work well but the same goes for the S10... Definitely, not the "deal breaker" everyone's trying to paint... it's the price of new technology
SOFTWARE
Android One to me, besides the Pixel 3 XL and the iPhone XS Max, is in a class of android that Samsung and Xiaomi can't touch. Vanilla Stock Android (for the most part) is a breath of fresh air. Everyone is creaming in their pants that One UI is so much better TouchWiz for Samsung. When your yardstick is the garbage that was TouchJizz, saying One UI is better without qualifying it further is not a great state of affairs. I personally did not find it "that much better" and was immediately looking to replace the launcher with the pixel launcher or similar iteration immediately. I feel as soon as they take away the google assistant screen to the left on the homepage, its a failure... that's of course is a personal preference. Bixby blows... kill him/her off Samsung... and have Bixby take Siri with them... Google Assistant, the swipe left news screen should NEVER be removed... if it happens, then google and android lose a customer for life... just saying... can't wait for timely security updates that will never come to Samsung. Xiaomi on their own do a great job to update. not much to say about their interface other than like most Xiaomi phones... notifications can sometimes be a pain to get to work right due to aggressive battery savings. Xiaomi also does not have the assistant screen to the left :crying: replaced easily with pixel launcher... the S10 was not as easy... could not just use pixel launcher from apkmirror and had to buy action launcher to mimic. The experience of as close to vanilla android on the pixel 3 xl and the nokia 9 just can't be touched. The 6GB phone rocking the 845 performs IMO better than the 855 8GB S10. Even the Xiaomi Mi 9 feels faster than the S10, 845 or 855.
CAMERA
Ok, camera... or as you all know cameras when speaking about any of these phones except you, you "one-eyed monster" pixel 3 xl. Although I haven't put it through the regiment of use cases, The Pentacular camera explosion that is the Nokia 9 is something I'm digging. If your looking for a point and shoot and send master class phone, get the iPhone 8 XS Max, Google Pixel 3 XL or the Xiaomi Mi 9 in that order. For me, Samsung always supposedly has good cameras in their phones but being a person that went to photography school, shot professionally and still cares about the pictures they take... the software non-sense that the S10 does with pixel smoothing, HDR, etc., etc. makes everything no genuine. The other phones too suffer from this at times as well. Don't get me wrong... Night Shot on the Pixel 3 XL is a feet of software magic... quite frankly, google needs to share this tech with other OEMs to make the sustainability of Android that much better. But if your looking for a genuine picture with great image detail and the ability to adjust in-box, the Nokia 9 excels. Yes, you pay for it in processing time. Are you going to want to take this phone to Monaco to caught a F1 car in motion... hell no, but if you want on par caliber shots with a DSLR with RAW Images on outdoor, standard to semi-low light situations... I don't believe there's a camera that compares... for the price... and that leads to...
VALUE FOR YOUR DOLLAR
Although not the cheapest phone, at $600 USD (pre-sale pricing, $700 now), you get a lot of phone for the dollar. The only better value is you just want to go the point, shoot and send route is the Xiaomi Mi 9 at about $530 USD. As always, Samsung at over $800 is not worth it. Not worth it for camera, not worth it for software, design, etc. Samsung Pay to me is the only thing Samsung uniquely has that I wish every phone did. The Pixel 3 XL which I was able to get around $550 was a good value too, but is barely worth it north of $600 buying new. Yes it has the best single shooting camera of practically any phone in its class, but I feel it doesn't run as smoothly as the Nokia 9 with the extra 2GB RAM increase. Of course, Apple cost to value is in a different class... yes the phone is $1100... but you'll also be able to probably sell it in 2 years for $600 as well. Try that with an android phone and you'll get laughed at that it retains 60% value after 2 years. The Nokia 9 packs the right amount of stuff to make it a great value IMO. It would be a slam dunk of course if it had a SD 855 as opposed to 845 but it would be probably $100 more expensive without adding much value. Android One is wonderful and a great choice. Wireless charging (OnePlus, you can't add wireless charging, are you just dumb or what at this point?) The 5 cameras is a great gimmick and works as advertised. Everyone expecting the world out of a $600 phone... it has a better camera then phones $200 - $500 more than what it costs. Can you shoot in a pitch black room... no? Why are you? You creep... you spying on me... it is a little weird
OVERALL
The Nokia 9 is not the phone for everyone. It's the phone for a person that want great value in a phone capable of taking amazingly detailed photos in its price category. Can you point, shoot, send... sometimes. Does the fingerprint reader work ok? Sometimes. Is it a phone pushing some new hardware envelopes in a cost affordable package? Always! The fingerprint reader hate is just that... hate without a 100% justification. Is it an annoyance, it can be... does it overshadow the value of this phone for those of us wanting more from their phone cameras, absolutely not. It is also by no means cutting edge on design... but it doesn't have to be sporting 5 cameras... chins and foreheads are nice when done tastefully (look at Angelina Jolie... maybe not 2019 Angelina maybe circa 2005 Angelina :highfive: ) It not an ugly phone is all I'm saying. Can the big boys in the cell phone game learn something from the once dominate Nokia (actually HMD) is that innovation is needed to remain relevant... think if Apple put 5 cameras on its next phone (would never happen) but what if it did. They'd be like "The Job-biness is Back at Apple" "Apple, the innovators again" and a multitude of other stupid headlines. Lets face it, this phone has a gimmick, a fairly great one but gimmick nonetheless. Will it catch on? Is it years ahead of its time? It just maybe. As always, this is just Some Guys 24-hour Opinion....... :good:

Great first 24 hour impressions

Camera question
Thanks for the review, mine arrives March 18 and looking forward to the camera. The processing time has been mentioned all over the place but I am still unclear as to whether the processing time prevents you from taking the next shot. For example, I would most likely always shoot raw with the full depth turned on. I am more interested in being able to take the next exposure quickly than looking at the last shot on the phone's screen. So, wondering how quickly one can take the next shot.
Thanks!

jhw61032 said:
Thanks for the review, mine arrives March 18 and looking forward to the camera. The processing time has been mentioned all over the place but I am still unclear as to whether the processing time prevents you from taking the next shot. For example, I would most likely always shoot raw with the full depth turned on. I am more interested in being able to take the next exposure quickly than looking at the last shot on the phone's screen. So, wondering how quickly one can take the next shot.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From experience it doesn't keep you from taking the next shot... I haven't done it with say more than 2 or 3 shots though... don't know how far it will let you go and tell you it can't process anymore. The processing is not unbearable either.... its just kids nowadays, if it isn't ready in 1.5 seconds, time to troll Nokia on a phone that is at least trying to change things up.... :victory:

Overall love

Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

Samsung galaxy note 20 ultra
Yes this is great phone i already using it great company

So far I have to say this phone is on its way to becoming the New GOAT. Build quality is stellar, i don't mind the camera bump, small sacrifice for a better shooter. Plus I always rest my finger against it. But that being said, it's pretty much the perfect phone IMO.
The display, the smoothness, the cameras. If I can get 6h + SOT on top of that it'll definitely become my GOAT Samsung phone. Dethroning the Note 7 who dethroned the Galaxy S4 Google play edition but I digress.
I don't see myself moving to another phone any time soon.
Sent from my SM-N986W using XDA Labs

Initial thoughts after final setup:
Going from a A20 ultra to a Note 20 ultra, I think this phone just looks and might even perform better. The feel in the hand, the fingerprint reader, everything seems to run smoother. I'm loving it so far.
My main concern is the battery life with heavy use. I've tweaked the settings a bit, so I guess I will have a better idea after a few days of use. But so far so good! :good:

I just received and configured my Note 20 Ultra. It's so similiar to Note 10+ but faster. Software looks almost the same. I already have 1 software update with security patch from 1st of August
edit: what is annoying is that pen is from the other side it's inconviniet if you are using right hand to operate and hold your phon in your left hand

It's an incredible phone. So much smaller than my first mobile phone 35 years ago. How far we have come since Palm first put a PDA and mobile into the same unit. Luv, Luv, Luv.
PS. The Beans are wonderful. So nice to not have a bud sticking into my ear canal.
PPS. Now I have to wait all over again for my Tab S7+.

advocate2 said:
It's an incredible phone. So much smaller than my first mobile phone 35 years ago. How far we have come since Palm first put a PDA and mobile into the same unit. Luv, Luv, Luv.
PS. The Beans are wonderful. So nice to not have a bud sticking into my ear canal.
PPS. Now I have to wait all over again for my Tab S7+.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, I remember those. My first phone was a brick phone with a battery that lasted an hour if you were lucky, and a hand calculator sized screen. Times have changed indeed. It's amazing.

a Lefty's dream!
duchian said:
I just received and configured my Note 20 Ultra. It's so similiar to Note 10+ but faster. Software looks almost the same. I already have 1 software update with security patch from 1st of August
edit: what is annoying is that pen is from the other side it's inconviniet if you are using right hand to operate and hold your phon in your left hand
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have waited on the Note series for a while. What finally took my commitment was finding out the s pen is on the left. As a lefty, this is the most convenient placement I can imagine.
Anticipate that the placement will change back to the right in the next iteration after feedback from rightys.

If the s-pen was on the right, it would be perfect. Fingerprint scanner is brilliant now, screen is unreal, battery life is phenomenal, speed is beyond belief... Perfection. Good luck topping this, Samsung

Love this phone! It's definitely my favorite phone ever. It just barely beats my love for the OnePlus 8 Pro. I like the form factor of this phone better with less display curves. Plus all the tons of software features. However the colors and brightness on the OnePlus 8 Pro are better.

AndroidPurity said:
Love this phone! It's definitely my favorite phone ever. It just barely beats my love for the OnePlus 8 Pro. I like the form factor of this phone better with less display curves. Plus all the tons of software features. However the colors and brightness on the OnePlus 8 Pro are better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you elaborate further on the brightness? Everything I've read says the Note 20 Ultra has a brighter screen than the OnePlus 8 Pro, and the rated nits value is quite a bit higher. It might only go up to highest brightness in adaptive mode and being outside? IDK, but you're the first person I've seen say this.

Roland Deschain said:
Can you elaborate further on the brightness? Everything I've read says the Note 20 Ultra has a brighter screen than the OnePlus 8 Pro, and the rated nits value is quite a bit higher. It might only go up to highest brightness in adaptive mode and being outside? IDK, but you're the first person I've seen say this.
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==========================
This is the best way I have of describing my N20U screen brightness.
On a no cloud sunny day, I can take my phone out and see the screen perfectly. No more having to turn to use my body for shade and my hand to see the screen.
I am 69 with mild Adult onset Macular Degeneration. This phone is fantastic for me with auto brightness enabled.
I hope that helps.

duchian said:
edit: what is annoying is that pen is from the other side it's inconviniet if you are using right hand to operate and hold your phon in your left hand
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't agree more. After owning note 2,3,4,7,8, and 9 with the pen on the right it will take some getting used to.
Battery life is also a bit meh coming from a Poco F2 Pro but it's good enough to get me to the end of the day so I can live with it.
Apart from those two factors I love this thing. Even at 60hz the screen is very bright and vibrant. It's very responsive, plenty quick enough for day to day tasks, and I've got the inferior Exynos model since that's all my country gets.
Camera is also beast. Low light isn't quite as good as my P30 Pro but it's still pretty impressive compared to a lot of smart phones out there. One thing it does have over the p30 is that it's much faster to grab focus so much better for quick snaps.

great phone, super screen, great that the diagonal has become larger, very convenient !!!

I bought note 20 ultra it is most bs phone i ever use it

No complaint in the overall experience

I've had Note 1, Note 3, S7, S10+ and now N20U from HK with Snapdragon. I've only had it two days, but I'm very happy with the phone. Big £ savings vs UK Exynos are icing and a cherry on top of the cake.

Having pre ordered the phone and having used Notes 3,4,7, 8 and now the 20 Utra 5G with 512gb internal storage; I wanted to wait to make a judgement call but I can say while there are things I like about the phone, I don't think it is what I expected and I am done with Samsung products.
I mean they have tried un-successfully to get rid of the micro sd card slot so then they go after the head phone jack. They skimp on the 120Hz display at full resolution. I mean there are a number of things for a flag ship $1549 phone that just say crap. I was interested in a watch and a tab s7 also. but that isn't going to happen.

I've owned a number of Samsung devices in the past, including Notes 8 and 9 as well as an S10e provided by my company. The Note 9 is, to me, an icon and the last no holds barred, everything but the kitchen sink, no compromises, Note. I do a lot of mobile photography and have always gravitated toward devices that had impressive camera/audio/video capabilities as well as feature-filled in other areas. I wanted to get my hands on the Note 20 Ultra but wasn't willing to relinquish my still pristine Note 9 for the pre-order trade in discount. So I waited for the software problems to get sorted out and the prices to come down. I regularly scanned the Offer Up and Swappa websites until I was able to a factory unlocked 512GB model from a good seller at a great price. This device is a juggernaut of power, form, function, features and fun. I found it not to be too much larger than my Note 9 which fits oh so nicely in hand in its Caseoloy Paraxell case. The camera and video set up is a mobile photographer's dream. I've utilized Google Pixel software apks (GCam) on all of my devices going back to my LG V20 and the stock cameras work so well that I have found no need to port one this time out. This is just overall a top notch piece of tech that does so many things and does them well. It is a quality, powerful, feature-filled piece of technology that will fulfill your needs, whether it's mobile photography, work productivity or content consumption/creation and everything in between. I'm glad I added it to my lineup.

Hardware is great ! With a few greed related exceptions, ( Like Non-Removable Battery, No Audio Port,etc... ) Scamsung's Locked Bluetooth codec really burns my ars !
It could Do/Be so much more/better if they would just fix the Hardware/Firmware lockdown BS.
Coming from a Rooted Note3, this is a really bad experience trying to do anything with this thing, Nothing works without agreeing to some sort of sketchy user agreement. No one is making any usable apps any more, Most of the Best Developers have quit bothering with Android. Even simple widgets don't even work anymore
I DO NOT OWN this over priced phone, They Do ! And they do/steal what ever they want to/from it !
They forced Assdroid 11 in the middle of the night with a corrupt image, I was forced to send it back to them to get it re-flashed. Now None of the apps I was using on version 10 will work on ver. 11.
I will NEVER buy another assdroid, scamsung again. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone either.
Sad that almost all the hardware/software makers are using these creepy/greedy tactics to spy,steal & dictate what you should do. No other choices out there any more ...
Soon you will have to log in just to wipe your ass ! & they Will be counting your turds.

General Offloaded my S21 U.

Gonna miss the camera though, but sadly that's pretty much it for a $1300 device. Most of my frustration lately regarding this phone is about an excessive amount of advertising on part of Samsung.
I was getting constantly interrupted with adds prompting me to do this or that or, to consider some of their(Samsung) ideas with apps that would “enhance my Samsung experience” etc...etc... I mean, what is this? They don't own my phone, I paid for it so why do they think they're entitled to push all that crap on me over and over again? They're using all kind of tricks like a mandatory permission requests and if they don't get it then they would cripple your device like a smartwatch for example, depriving you of the watch ability to function normally.
That's OK, the lesson learned – I'm going to use my active watch 2 at the minimal capacity now, w/o the Health app - what's left on the watch is good enough for me, I'm still able to monitor my heartbeat rate to know if I can push myself harder while biking or 'power' walking.
Anyway, right now I'm flagships free! Yay! I'm left with my Pixel 4a5G which I'm liking a lot but I'll be looking for some other high end, quality phone. Galaxy S21 U is a superior device right now no doubts about it, though it has some issues: battery life and a lack of sufficient heat dissipation – those are the two top negative ones imo. Will see, but right now my hope goes to 2022 with better than 888SOC.
Experia 1 III/5 III at first looked promising then the pic samples came in and killed it for me, same SOC and it runs hot as well, supposedly.
Too bad that Sony, a camera powerhouse makes so disappointing phone cameras, it's a shame. I'll tell everyone who feels offended by my above opinion: go take a good look at the low-light pictures.
ps.Got a really good money for my 16/512GB S21 U that puts me way ahead of the usual Samsung trade-in quotas, apparently it's a hot item right now, considered to be a “rare find”.

mzsquared said:
Gonna miss the camera though, but sadly that's pretty much it for a $1300 device. Most of my frustration lately regarding this phone is about an excessive amount of advertising on part of Samsung.
I was getting constantly interrupted with adds prompting me to do this or that or, to consider some of their(Samsung) ideas with apps that would “enhance my Samsung experience” etc...etc... I mean, what is this? They don't own my phone, I paid for it so why do they think they're entitled to push all that crap on me over and over again? They're using all kind of tricks like a mandatory permission requests and if they don't get it then they would cripple your device like a smartwatch for example, depriving you of the watch ability to function normally.
That's OK, the lesson learned – I'm going to use my active watch 2 at the minimal capacity now, w/o the Health app - what's left on the watch is good enough for me, I'm still able to monitor my heartbeat rate to know if I can push myself harder while biking or 'power' walking.
Anyway, right now I'm flagships free! Yay! I'm left with my Pixel 4a5G which I'm liking a lot but I'll be looking for some other high end, quality phone. Galaxy S21 U is a superior device right now no doubts about it, though it has some issues: battery life and a lack of sufficient heat dissipation – those are the two top negative ones imo. Will see, but right now my hope goes to 2022 with better than 888SOC.
Experia 1 III/5 III at first looked promising then the pic samples came in and killed it for me, same SOC and it runs hot as well, supposedly.
Too bad that Sony, a camera powerhouse makes so disappointing phone cameras, it's a shame. I'll tell everyone who feels offended by my above opinion: go take a good look at the low-light pictures.
ps.Got a really good money for my 16/512GB S21 U that puts me way ahead of the usual Samsung trade-in quotas, apparently it's a hot item right now, considered to be a “rare find”.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wish you all the best buddy. Hope you find a device you like. The Pixels are just around the corner so they may be worth waiting for. Every other flagship is running on the same nuclear reactor.

You just have to know what options to select in order to avoid any advertising.
I have a US unlocked-from-samsung S21U and I don't see any ads because I when setting up the device and when going to samsung.com (my account page), I made sure to turn off all ads and marketing. Plus, I went to their CCPA page to turn everything off as well.

mzsquared said:
Gonna miss the camera though, but sadly that's pretty much it for a $1300 device. Most of my frustration lately regarding this phone is about an excessive amount of advertising on part of Samsung.
I was getting constantly interrupted with adds prompting me to do this or that or, to consider some of their(Samsung) ideas with apps that would “enhance my Samsung experience” etc...etc... I mean, what is this? They don't own my phone, I paid for it so why do they think they're entitled to push all that crap on me over and over again? They're using all kind of tricks like a mandatory permission requests and if they don't get it then they would cripple your device like a smartwatch for example, depriving you of the watch ability to function normally.
That's OK, the lesson learned – I'm going to use my active watch 2 at the minimal capacity now, w/o the Health app - what's left on the watch is good enough for me, I'm still able to monitor my heartbeat rate to know if I can push myself harder while biking or 'power' walking.
Anyway, right now I'm flagships free! Yay! I'm left with my Pixel 4a5G which I'm liking a lot but I'll be looking for some other high end, quality phone. Galaxy S21 U is a superior device right now no doubts about it, though it has some issues: battery life and a lack of sufficient heat dissipation – those are the two top negative ones imo. Will see, but right now my hope goes to 2022 with better than 888SOC.
Experia 1 III/5 III at first looked promising then the pic samples came in and killed it for me, same SOC and it runs hot as well, supposedly.
Too bad that Sony, a camera powerhouse makes so disappointing phone cameras, it's a shame. I'll tell everyone who feels offended by my above opinion: go take a good look at the low-light pictures.
ps.Got a really good money for my 16/512GB S21 U that puts me way ahead of the usual Samsung trade-in quotas, apparently it's a hot item right now, considered to be a “rare find”.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish I could disagree with you on more points, but for the most part you nailed it.
Not getting any kind of ads here, cleaned most of the garbage with adb, fiddled with power saving and the likes until I'm at a point where I can live with this phone long term.
It all depends on your use case...so far it fits mine,but that doesn't mean it doesn't drive me insane for not being able to get my trusty email client check my work mail every 30 min during day. It does it at 31, 45, 56.....anyone's guess between 30-59 min. That's with an app excempt from battery management, no power saving, etc.
So yea...far from perfect for 1200$....fortunately I paid a lot less so that lessens the pain.

enigmaamit said:
Wish you all the best buddy. Hope you find a device you like. The Pixels are just around the corner so they may be worth waiting for. Every other flagship is running on the same nuclear reactor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I am fine w/ 4a5G, was using it more then S21U as a phone, but for pics & vids there is no comparison between these two with the range of things cameras could do. Will see what kind of a promise they'll paint for us in a bright colors before new models release and how it's going to look like in the real life.

nixnixnixnix4 said:
You just have to know what options to select in order to avoid any advertising.
I have a US unlocked-from-samsung S21U and I don't see any ads because I when setting up the device and when going to samsung.com (my account page), I made sure to turn off all ads and marketing. Plus, I went to their CCPA page to turn everything off as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ipse_Tase said:
I wish I could disagree with you on more points, but for the most part you nailed it.
Not getting any kind of ads here, cleaned most of the garbage with adb, fiddled with power saving and the likes until I'm at a point where I can live with this phone long term.
It all depends on your use case...so far it fits mine,but that doesn't mean it doesn't drive me insane for not being able to get my trusty email client check my work mail every 30 min during day. It does it at 31, 45, 56.....anyone's guess between 30-59 min. That's with an app excempt from battery management, no power saving, etc.
So yea...far from perfect for 1200$....fortunately I paid a lot less so that lessens the pain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was blocking some of that but they(Samsung,Google) have their sleeves full of tricks anyway. If I didn't have the watch I would probably never go to Samsung store. With the watch and their sh**load of widgets and apps they get you to visit that store anyways like 'a must go to the XIX Century company store'.

Samsung has really taken a dumpster dive this year, obviously following Android Android 11's lead in a full afterburner high G flat spin, crush depth crash dive down the perverbial toilet.

mzsquared said:
Gonna miss the camera though, but sadly that's pretty much it for a $1300 device. Most of my frustration lately regarding this phone is about an excessive amount of advertising on part of Samsung.
I was getting constantly interrupted with adds prompting me to do this or that or, to consider some of their(Samsung) ideas with apps that would “enhance my Samsung experience” etc...etc... I mean, what is this? They don't own my phone, I paid for it so why do they think they're entitled to push all that crap on me over and over again? They're using all kind of tricks like a mandatory permission requests and if they don't get it then they would cripple your device like a smartwatch for example, depriving you of the watch ability to function normally.
That's OK, the lesson learned – I'm going to use my active watch 2 at the minimal capacity now, w/o the Health app - what's left on the watch is good enough for me, I'm still able to monitor my heartbeat rate to know if I can push myself harder while biking or 'power' walking.
Anyway, right now I'm flagships free! Yay! I'm left with my Pixel 4a5G which I'm liking a lot but I'll be looking for some other high end, quality phone. Galaxy S21 U is a superior device right now no doubts about it, though it has some issues: battery life and a lack of sufficient heat dissipation – those are the two top negative ones imo. Will see, but right now my hope goes to 2022 with better than 888SOC.
Experia 1 III/5 III at first looked promising then the pic samples came in and killed it for me, same SOC and it runs hot as well, supposedly.
Too bad that Sony, a camera powerhouse makes so disappointing phone cameras, it's a shame. I'll tell everyone who feels offended by my above opinion: go take a good look at the low-light pictures.
ps.Got a really good money for my 16/512GB S21 U that puts me way ahead of the usual Samsung trade-in quotas, apparently it's a hot item right now, considered to be a “rare find”.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you first the get phone you can opt out of all advertising from Samsung / Google. You can also go to the settings and stop the advertising as well if you didn't opt out.
I also have 0 ads on my S21 ultra 512gb

blackhawk said:
Samsung has really taken a dumpster dive this year, obviously following Android Android 11's lead in a full afterburner high G flat spin, crush depth crash dive down the perverbial toilet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, each generation of 'flagships' brings new wave of marketing hype stirred up by manufacturers being quick to avertise upcoming developments in technology. No doubt a progress is happening, but the end products based on those new advances don't always deliver the goods as promised: “oh yes, this year we'll put a fantastic SoC into your phone, 5nm node – lightning fast and able to run at 20% less power then the previous one” --- wait a minute, that's great but you said exactly same words about 7nm and 10nm before that. So, comparing the power usage demands, S21 should be using only about 40% of the required CPU power needed to run Galaxy 8? Why are the batteries bigger now but lasting less and why can't you get a better control of devices heat?

chungdae said:
When you first the get phone you can opt out of all advertising from Samsung / Google. You can also go to the settings and stop the advertising as well if you didn't opt out.
I also have 0 ads on my S21 ultra 512gb
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How often do you go to the Galaxy Store?

mzsquared said:
How often do you go to the Galaxy Store?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Every morning to update apps. I don't have any ads beyond that. Same as the Google play store

mzsquared said:
Yup, each generation of 'flagships' brings new wave of marketing hype stirred up by manufacturers being quick to avertise upcoming developments in technology. No doubt a progress is happening, but the end products based on those new advances don't always deliver the goods as promised: “oh yes, this year we'll put a fantastic SoC into your phone, 5nm node – lightning fast and able to run at 20% less power then the previous one” --- wait a minute, that's great but you said exactly same words about 7nm and 10nm before that. So, comparing the power usage demands, S21 should be using only about 40% of the required CPU power needed to run Galaxy 8? Why are the batteries bigger now but lasting less and why can't you get a better control of devices heat?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's faster memory and CPU but it's weighted down by the useless scoped storage and a more bloated OS. The MS/Intel paradox
My Note 10+ running on Pie get about 8%@hr battery usage on it's 4300mAh battery when browsing, 10% streaming vids.
No scoped storage so even with it's slower hardware... how much slower is it? It probably uses less battery as well. In actual use the 10+ doesn't lag and runs fast without getting hot unless it's a really CPU intensive task.
It's 96F out and I'm in the shade with a fan; my battery temperature is 95F. It's at least 92F where I'm sitting.
I can't afford the liability of a hot running device throttling back because it's system is a hog running needless CPU cycles to emulate Apple's lame scope storage ideas.
Gookill Android, the new green Apple

mzsquared said:
How often do you go to the Galaxy Store?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do it once every month or two. I'd never do it if the Galaxy apks didn't "time out". Sometimes Samsung screws them up with their lame graphics. Idiots.

mzsquared said:
How often do you go to the Galaxy Store?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use the shortcut to update your apps. Don't go to the main store.

never had a heating issue with mine and battery alot better than rivals as i have oneplus 9 pro and that what you call heating issues the phone disables itself till it cools down, for me best phone out there is s21u although i have 512gb 16gb version

mzsquared said:
Gonna miss the camera though, but sadly that's pretty much it for a $1300 device. Most of my frustration lately regarding this phone is about an excessive amount of advertising on part of Samsung.
I was getting constantly interrupted with adds prompting me to do this or that or, to consider some of their(Samsung) ideas with apps that would “enhance my Samsung experience” etc...etc... I mean, what is this? They don't own my phone, I paid for it so why do they think they're entitled to push all that crap on me over and over again? They're using all kind of tricks like a mandatory permission requests and if they don't get it then they would cripple your device like a smartwatch for example, depriving you of the watch ability to function normally.
That's OK, the lesson learned – I'm going to use my active watch 2 at the minimal capacity now, w/o the Health app - what's left on the watch is good enough for me, I'm still able to monitor my heartbeat rate to know if I can push myself harder while biking or 'power' walking.
Anyway, right now I'm flagships free! Yay! I'm left with my Pixel 4a5G which I'm liking a lot but I'll be looking for some other high end, quality phone. Galaxy S21 U is a superior device right now no doubts about it, though it has some issues: battery life and a lack of sufficient heat dissipation – those are the two top negative ones imo. Will see, but right now my hope goes to 2022 with better than 888SOC.
Experia 1 III/5 III at first looked promising then the pic samples came in and killed it for me, same SOC and it runs hot as well, supposedly.
Too bad that Sony, a camera powerhouse makes so disappointing phone cameras, it's a shame. I'll tell everyone who feels offended by my above opinion: go take a good look at the low-light pictures.
ps.Got a really good money for my 16/512GB S21 U that puts me way ahead of the usual Samsung trade-in quotas, apparently it's a hot item right now, considered to be a “rare find”.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your Pixel 4a can also easily install CalyxOS, which you might like if you value privacy and never want to see an ad again

Thank you all for kind words, I owe you an update on this subject: I've re-loaded!!! I'm back with a new s21U, I really need the camera on me, I spend a lot of time outdoors observing Nature(the only and truly positive result of covid) and there is no substitute for this phone camera ois zoom, I have decent 'regular' camera but can't use it for calling/texting/music etc... this phone pretty much does it all.
I'm trying to get rid of the bloat annoyance , didn't even sign-up to my Samsung account on this phone, though I've been using Buds pro and watch active 2 - everything works(w/ limitations - that's ok) I'll check for updates once a month maybe and that's all. I de-bloated most of Samsung related apps, no need to be spreading all the permissions more then once after Google already has it.
So, my current Samsung status reads: Underground

Google phones don't even support native dual / parallel apps. Rubbish.

Question A bit underwhelmed

Had the pixel 7 for 4 days now and not that impressed with it
Actually thinking about going back to my OnePlus 7 Pro
The charging is poor on it and generally scrolling on webpages menu etc its no better than my oneplus
Dont know maybe I will persevere with it and it will get better
Got the pixel 7 on a killer deal with 5g coming from 4g with EE - I literally got the phone for free but not feeling it
Anyone else not buying into the hype?

So I've had the phone for the better part of a month and my takeaway from owning the device is that whilst is not the best or does it have any killer features that stand out above any other phone I've used. It does everything that it does really very well
The auto brightness is basically perfect.
The camera is reliable, it's not the best. The video is a bit lacking, but everything else about it is very good.
Is probably not the fastest at navigating between apps and multitasking but when I use the device it's reliably smooth in operation.
The battery isn't as good as my previous device, Poco F3, however, it gets me through the day and it's reliable in battery drain.
Notifications work unlike MIUI
Signal is much better compared to my 7T Pro
I can use speaker phone in my car and the other side can hear me clearly, couldn't do this on the 7T or F3
The screen is accurate and well balanced
I could go on
The phone doesn't have anything amazing that will make you want to go out and buy it or talk about how amazing it is, but once you just use it day in day out as the tool phones are now, it becomes the best phone I've used as a package.

roughavoc said:
So I've had the phone for the better part of a month and my takeaway from owning the device is that whilst is not the best or does it have any killer features that stand out above any other phone I've used. It does everything that it does really very well
The auto brightness is basically perfect.
The camera is reliable, it's not the best. The video is a bit lacking, but everything else about it is very good.
Is probably not the fastest at navigating between apps and multitasking but when I use the device it's reliably smooth in operation.
The battery isn't as good as my previous device, Poco F3, however, it gets me through the day and it's reliable in battery drain.
Notifications work unlike MIUI
Signal is much better compared to my 7T Pro
I can use speaker phone in my car and the other side can hear me clearly, couldn't do this on the 7T or F3
The screen is accurate and well balanced
I could go on
The phone doesn't have anything amazing that will make you want to go out and buy it or talk about how amazing it is, but once you just use it day in day out as the tool phones are now, it becomes the best phone I've used as a package.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thing is my oneplus is a better phone than the pixel
I am not trying to downplay the pixel its just for a new phone/upgrade its not what I thought it would be
If it works for you great and I genuinely mean that
Going to give it a few more days but I can honestly see myself switching back I miss the fluidity and charging speed of my oneplus

I only got the P7 because the carrier I'm with would only give me a better deal if I got a new phone. It's been nearly 3 months and still haven't used it other than to take pictures and see how it runs lol. It's a quirky thing.
I do have plans for it down the road, once it's rooted with a custom ROM, but won't be using it as a primary device. 128 GB without an SD card slot was what killed it for me. I know most phones don't have the slot these days, but with specs similar enough to my S10 with 512 GB and the card slot, I've just stuck with using that. I know the P7 has a better battery and charges faster, but the extra storage is more important for what I need. Not bad as a back-up device though.

I have a pixel 7 after almost 3 years with the OnePlus 7pro and I was the same... OxigenOS have a lot more stuff than pixel except for the exclusive stuff. I was missing my OnePlus a lot and hold this P7 for a month or more... After that I went back to the OnePlus and noticed the quality of the phone. OnePlus felt so cheap in my hand and idk, it was not the same. So yes I understand your feeling about OP7pro it was a hell of a phone but , I think pixel 7 is just more premium feeling and a "mature OS" nut fun but mature.

Oneplus have a great deal on the 11 at the moment I can get £180.00 trade in on the 7 pro plus - free buds plus if I link my device and a 5% student beans I have got the price down £400 very tempting

I went from the OnePlus 6t to the pixel 6 and I kinda felt the same way. I knew it was a better phone in theory with higher specs and all, but the 6t had a better screen to me and seemed faster in charging and smoothness at first. However, the camera on the pixel was waaaay better and I was happy with that trade off. Fast forward a year and I got a good trade in deal from the pixel 6 to the 7 and it is a way better screen than my 6. Not much else other than slightly lighter in the hand with better weight distribution (6 was top heavy). It is a much better overall experience though and I love a couple of features I've only found on pixels like the ability to copy text from your recent apps slider, amazing speech to text, and I will say the scrolling speed/smoothness has gotten way better with time. I think the software needs a bit of time to smooth out.

I came from the OP8. I did like the phone, but got really tired of the hit or mostly miss camera. I know there are better camera phones than the P7, but I'm not buying a phone I can't root plus I really like the smaller size. The OP11, IDK, like another said, my P7 does everything I want and does it really well. Also there's the whole Chinese and Spyware thing.

I get what everyone is saying!! I came from a Pixel 3XL. The 7 didn't blow me away, but works very efficiently. At least I can unlock my bootloader now.

roughavoc said:
or does it have any killer features that stand out above any other phone I've used.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That depends on if you use your phone as a phone, once you get used to not receiving spam calls and having call screening there is no going back.
Also the speech recognition is faster and more accurate than any device on the market.
Thing is phone's have been fast enough for years and you won't notice a huge difference between modern devices.

gap30 said:
Had the pixel 7 for 4 days now and not that impressed with it
Actually thinking about going back to my OnePlus 7 Pro
The charging is poor on it and generally scrolling on webpages menu etc its no better than my oneplus
Dont know maybe I will persevere with it and it will get better
Got the pixel 7 on a killer deal with 5g coming from 4g with EE - I literally got the phone for free but not feeling it
Anyone else not buying into the hype?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was in the same situation, upgraded from my oneplus 7 pro. I agree that the screen was better on the oneplus and looking at a spec sheet it is obvious that it is the better screen. Other than that and charging speed everything is better on the pixel 7. The NFC is more reliable, better sound quality, better networking, camera and so on. I think it is worth the upgrade if you do not mind the screen. I rarely ever used the dash charge and mostly stuck to slower charging for over night so I do not have issues with the charging and the battery lasts me the whole day anywaay.

gap30 said:
Had the pixel 7 for 4 days now and not that impressed with it
Actually thinking about going back to my OnePlus 7 Pro
The charging is poor on it and generally scrolling on webpages menu etc its no better than my oneplus
Dont know maybe I will persevere with it and it will get better
Got the pixel 7 on a killer deal with 5g coming from 4g with EE - I literally got the phone for free but not feeling it
Anyone else not buying into the hype?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had my pixel 7 since late November, and I'll never buy another. I regret trading in my Galaxy S20fe for this turd of a phone. Google has locked down so much of the stock OS it's ridiculous. Very Apple -like. If I want that garbage I'll just buy an iphone.
But by far the most miserable part is the awful--and I mean TRULY, epically horrifically bad--fingerprint sensor. It's hands down the worst I have ever seen on any phone.

jasongw said:
I've had my pixel 7 since late November, and I'll never buy another. I regret trading in my Galaxy S20fe for this turd of a phone. Google has locked down so much of the stock OS it's ridiculous. Very Apple -like. If I want that garbage I'll just buy an iphone.
But by far the most miserable part is the awful--and I mean TRULY, epically horrifically bad--fingerprint sensor. It's hands down the worst I have ever seen on any phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't comment on the OS because I just got the phone and rooted it right out of the box, but Samsung phones are fairly limited themselves IMO not to mention with tons of bloat. I went from an Honor View 10 to an S10(because ATT blocked my V10 from service last year) and the s10 is crap in comparison and has very restrictive OS.
Do you have a screen protector? Did you rescan your fingerprints after? Lots of issues have been reported for those who haven't rescanned after a screen protector install, even changing brands I would recommend it.
GL

I bought this in December after accidentally destroying the screen of my OnePlus 7 Pro. It's everything I loved about that phone, with the bonus of NOT having a curved screen. Best phone ever? Nah. But a damn good and reliable phone? Absolutely.

You need to give Pixels some time, as the software is supposed to be intuitive and adapt to your usage. Also, I think some people coming from a different OEM don't realize Pixels are pure android with no frills, so they don't always "wow" you right out of the box. Pixels aren't for everybody, but those of us who love our Pixels tend to be happy with them and enjoy special features that others may not get due to carrier software manipulation, etc.
At the end of the day, all devices are subjective and it just depends on what you're looking for. Don't like the Pixel? Cool. There are thousands of other options out there. Go find your happy place.

Pixels can run grapheOS, others phones can't. That's me reason to keep pixel phones.

I regret trading in my P3 for this phone

The OS is cleaner and it has some nice functionality, but even my Xiaomi mi 10 that I traded from feels like a better phone. And the battery life, which was the only reason I gave up the mi 10 (which had dropped to 60% battery), is **** on the pixel 7.

cannot talk about the OS, i immediately switched to LineageOS as i'm used to that.
i tend to agree to the general feeling, underwhelming it's a good summary for this device.
in my overall experience, it's a barely good device which could've been great if they wanted to.
Screen: 5/10
mediocre screen... it only looks good on darker colors, lighter ones look terrible with visible rainbow effects at very little movement.
minor, almost imperceptible, flickering on static images.
i completely fail to understand why pixel 7 has so many positive reviews about the screen.
thankfully xda and other reviewers made interesting insights about this issue, sadly we as the customers got a indecent panel.
Battery life: 8/10
usually allows me to do 5h of screen usage with ~50%, which is more than enough for me, just in time to put in charge for the next day.
Camera: 7/10
i expected more, considering the reviews.
i've tried it a few days on stock and gcam but i really don't see why all the praises.
anyway it delivers more than i actually need and care.
front camera is actual ****, really bad for video calls.
About the rest:
fingerprint sensors, odd enough, works ok for me: it always recognize my fingerprint. it's just a tad slow which isn't great.
stereo audio balance is weird.
i'll always complain about 3.5" mm audio jack lack.

57op said:
i'll always complain about 3.5" mm audio jack lack.
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It also doesn't have digital to analog conversion, soost USB-C to 3.5mm converters won't work.