JoeInCT

I am hoping to get my hands on the new Verizon branded Samsung Galaxy Note 2 tomorrow (Thursday, November 29) and am interested in everyone else's experience with the VERIZON Note 2 - the good, bad and ugly.

Will post my first impressions as well.

Last edited by JoeInCT; November 28th, 2012 at 11:11 AM.

h1r0ll3r

Good - pretty much everything so far. Battery life is good, screen is awesome, very quick and speedy.

Bad - Nothing really. Not trying to sound like a fanboy but I haven't really come across anything that was bad/negative about this phone.

Ugly - the Verizon branded Note 2. If the leaked pics are true then it'll be the ugliest Note 2 on the market.

Harplayr

I suggest some duct tape to cover that big honkin Samsung logo on the front

Digital Controller

Yeah i want this phone but that branding is going to be awful

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you2

Please pay special attention to 3g and 4g reception; the galaxy s 3 for example had decent 4g reception but folks said it really sucked in fringe area. This phone has a completely different chipset so who knows what sort of reception so please report in detail !!! (I'm kind of with hope that the larger form factor allowed for better antennae.

Harplayr

Then don't get it.

I couldn't care less if there's a tiny logo on the case or button. Just about everything I own is branded in some way. I'll be spending my time looking at the beautiful display rather than obsessing about a tiny logo on the home button.

Typing this on my Logitech branded keyboard while looking at my Dell branded laptop screen and clicking send with my Logitech branded mouse dressed in my Levi branded jeans, Nike branded shoes and fruit of the loom branded skivies.

Last edited by Harplayr; November 28th, 2012 at 04:49 PM.

Alice Kaye

I feel much the same way. Everything has a brand on it. Would I have preferred they keep their branding to the back of the phone? Yes. But I can deal with it. I'm looking, currently, at a Logitech-branded keyboard, gamepad, mouse and headset, with Acer and Dell monitors, Gigaware speakers, a Toshiba Scansnap and a Western Digital external drive. They ALL have large branding on them.

Quite frankly, I don't think I ever thought about stuff being branded until the Note 2. :P

But I can certainly see why people get upset about it being on the button. It really was an unnecessary addition to the phone. I'll just be ignoring it when I get it and excited as hell to play with something that ISN'T an Apple iPhone 4s. That sucker is going up on eBay as soon as I get my Note 2!

geekaren

This is my interest as well. 3g/4g data reception, as well as any call quality issues (voice break-up, etc).

Harplayr

Yup,
it's hard to find anything these days that DOESN'T have branding.

It's funny that all these people are so up in arms about a tiny logo on a single button when I haven't seen any complaints about the huge "Samsung" on the top.

To be honest I wouldn't have noticed the tiny logo until I read all the bashing about it on the forum. I've had my DX for well over 2 years and didin't notice the Verizon logo on it until this "issue" came about.

allwoods5

I have a DX as well and feel the same way. I never remember a time where I was disgusted or hated my phone simply because of the Verizon logo on the front. Most of the time it was covered up by my thumb or I was looking at the screen.

Harplayr

I wonder how many of us are upgrading to the N2 from the DX?
While I've been tempted by other phones in the past, this is the first one that I saw as a big enough leap to want to pay the $$ to upgrade.

xpnsvtoys

x2

Serpentine

Me too. DX to N2. Still like my DX, but the bigger screen and speed of the N2 really caught my eye.

Only Con: I had to give up my unlimited G plan for the new Nationwide 2G plan (for the same price) or be charged $29 extra per month for the N2 hot spot chip activation and service on my unlimited plan.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Never mind the loyal customer anymore. VZW's market share is theirs to lose.

Anyone know what they are doing with their old DX? Is there a good reason to keep it, or are you going to trade or sell it?

.

roy5000x2

Coming from the DX2 here, but close enough :P

ThelVlaster

Add me to the DX -> GN2 band wagon. it's funny... The Android gods must have known I was upgrading soon because this DX really started crapping out on me...

battery life is like 6 hours with limited use and 3 hours if I actually use it. I lost the battery door, the system has tons of hang ups and it's all in all a bad Android experience.

Fyi, I really rooted and rommed my phone, including overclock and tons of flashing. Then I found a ROM I liked and haven't flashed in 8 months. Needless to say I'm going to be keeping the GN2 on stock Android

serpa4

x4
DX was good, but now just a pile of crap: restarts, hang ups, laggy, battery is shot, etc.

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serpa4

Is there a persistent wifi notification in the pull down like on the S3? VZW screwed that up only for the VZW S3.
What about pop up windows for connecting to WiFi?
Does the notification bar have a toggle for WiFi, or did VZW remove that also for the permanent notification you cannot dismiss or get rid of?
I can live with the button branding (don't care for it), but those WiFi issues are going to give me a headache till root and removal like on the S3.

IamReady

Persistent WiFi notification: Check
Pop up windows for connecting to WiFi: Check
No toggle for WiFi in notification bar: Check
Permanent notification for WiFi: Check

All in all though, these are annoyances...the device itself is absolutely awesome so far!

AustinTech

I don't think anyone has complained that Samsung puts their name on the device, you know, since they made it. Verizon didn't. And they put their branding all over the thing. How would you feel if Logitech put a giant LOGITECH logo on your keyboard's Return button? Ugly huh...

The Verizon button thing bothers people because it's another step in the direction of advertising saturation. People are sensitive because in all aspects of 1st World lifestyle, it's getting to be too much.

Or we could just ignore it, not complain, and when everything we own looks like a NASCAR racecar, just live with it...

Harplayr

If Logitech did that it wouldn't bother me at all. As it stands my "return" key is labled "enter" yet somehow I can still type on it just fine.

For those of you that want to whine about a tiny logo on a small button that most won't even notice, you have other choices.

After you get your "ugly" phone, show it to some firends. I'm willing to bet that they'll ooohhh and aaaahhh over the beautiful screen and smooth operation rather than recoil in horror over that tiny logo on the home button.

JoeInCT

Got mine first thing this morning...

While I only have 1 hour of use so far...

1) For some odd reason, the phone defaulted to the lowest screen brightness level during setup. To fix, I simply went into setup and put it in Auto brightness mode.

2) Feels a little warm to my ear during call. Could be just because of the heavy use over the first hour in setting it up.

4) It seems faster during web browsing than the SIII.

That's it for now.

SeanPlunk

I'm in the same boat as you, the battery life on my X has been terrible lately...

manddarran

Can you check and see if it has an FM Radio? I use the FM radio on my Bionic to listen to sports during games all the time.

Serpentine

Thanks for the update. Do you all charge these before set-up, or is it good to go as received?

ogwilson

What happened to #3?

mitsuko

question which is the main reason im holding on buying:
is it quad band gsm for world use also?
the vzw website says global ready... but for phones like the razr it states all the bands (LTE, CDMA, GSM)... for the note it just says "global ready"

thanks in advance!

merrill77

Based on posts like the above, I was expecting something horrid. But in reality, it is quite subtle and maybe even tasteful (?). Not as much so as my Droid, but close. I think I'd used my GN2 for over an hour before I even noticed the VZ logo on there. I think you're over-reacting.

jms493

I am interesting in upgrading to this or the DNA. The size intimidates me on this thing. The main reason is I would get this would be to not get another tablet type device. This would be my all in one phone/tablet.

Otherwise I would go DNA and then get a Nexus 7 Tablet for around the house browsing and such.

I wonder about 4G radio, speed, and web browsing. I love to browse the web on my commute.

JohnMcClane

I cannot stand the flip protective cover...

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JohnMcClane

I would take a look at this to decide:

HTC DROID DNA vs Samsung Galaxy Note II

I went from the razr maxx to the note ii and so far the size has not been an issue for me at all... I was intimidated about it at first... but so far so good...

dave1812

the size is precisely the thing that I like so much about the N2. upon seeing it today, I realized it is NOT as gargantuan as I expected it to be. typing on it is a BREEZE!! i have a heck of a time typing (even swype) on my little bionic. I saw the DNA too--i have issues with the edges of the screen being grayish (on white backgrounds) and the sound quality is subpar IMO. I just used the N2 for a phone call (earpiece) and music via the speakerphone speaker--both were excellent--better than my bionic.

Alice Kaye

Yeah, I am 5'3", I have little kid hands (that's how I usually describe them) but for the first time ever I feel so comfortable using swype and a phone in general. I can SEE everything so easily on it and there is enough room everywhere to be very comfortable typing, swyping, drawing, etc.

After spending the last year or so on an iPhone 4s, I am so glad I made the move to this thing. It's already changed the way I use a phone and I've only had it a day!

Harplayr

Got mine at 1:00, been playing with it since then.
WOW I'm impressed with this gizmo!

Browsing the internet is just amazing, and it does do text reflow so I can chuck those reading glasses

Using it as an e-reader is fantastic!

Navigating and general operation is so smooth and typing on it is a breeze.

I gotta get the hang of the S-Pen...that's tomorrow's game.

bfeels

I just picked mine up this morning. I have to say its probably the best phone I have had. I am coming from an iphone 5. I just got bored with apples same ways. So I decided to switch it up and I cant come up with 1 thing that I don't like about this phone.

ne0lyfeism

So I finally got my hands on my white GN2 last night after work (was shipped to the house around 3:15pm EST or so - well before the initial 7pm delivery time), and I have to admit it - this thing is big. There's no getting around it. The good thing is that I'm 6'3" with huge hands, so one handed operation for me is damn near perfect. The craziest thing I noticed after nearly 3+ hours of playing with it was how quickly I began to think of my 4.3" Droid RAZR screen as small. Fits easily into both my pants and jacket pockets and the s-pen works as advertised. Put on the Mercury White TPU case (which doesn't add ANY real bulk - awesome!!) and I'm absolutely loving the classy look of all white on my device.

This might come as a surprise, but I actually like the home branded VZW button. The silver they used accents the silver border around the phone quite nicely. The hardware on this phone is AMAZING! - No lag whatsoever. It just works! I initially tried setting up my homescreen as shown in the ColdFustion video and hated it. I actually prefer TouchWiz more - just more responsive IMHO.

The camera is 1000x better than the one on my Droid RAZR - I mean, it is just leaps and bounds better. This thing seriously comes very, very close to iPhone camera quality. I know people were asking about the battery, and from the 3+ hours I was messing with it (every single toggle was on), I still had 30 something percent left (the battery in the original packaging had less than a 50% charge). I'm so not worried about the battery life on this thing anymore! - according to one of my widgets, I have 20 hours of battery left!

I'm still getting adjusted to the S-Pen and had the phantom writing issue some people had raised. A quick few taps to the side of the pen on a table fixed that problem right up. I'm amazed at how well it can recognize my handwriting - and once I get the hang of using the pen for its other uses, man oh man is it going to be fun using this phone!

Tried using some of the motion features on this thing, but they've been hit or miss so far. I'm going to chalk that up to user error than a device issue.

So far, I'm thoroughly enjoying this thing. My wife couldn't get over how big it was and still thinks I'm crazy for getting it. Will add more posts as I get more real world mileage out of this thing.

**Update as of 11/30/12 @ 2:00pm EST**
Just had a 30min phone call on the phone and the sound quality (when held to the ear) is phenomenal! I wasn't thrilled with the call quality on my Droid RAZR. But the ear piece and speakerphone volumes and sound are really nice - pleasantly surprised when compared to my Droid RAZR.

**Update as of 12/3/12 @9:26AM EST**
I really tried to temper my expectations with this phone - it's so easy to get caught up in the "pixie dust" factor for a new phone. But man, I have literally thrown everything I can at it from the different ways I would use it and I can't be more impressed. The battery life is phenomenal. I literally had a 2 hour drive from PA to upstate NY on 12/1 with bluetooth audio streaming in my car (and all of the other toggles were ON mind you), had my daughter play games on for it for a bit, did that 2 hour drive back to PA and was only down to 40% by 11pm EST - I was off charger for nearly 16 hours!! I have never had a phone that didn't require me to recharge at least one during my normal course of usage during the day. Yesterday (Sunday, 12/2) I was at over 20 hours off charger before plugging it in for the night (which was actually at 3am this morning), and when I went to plug it in it showed 40% remaining. A big shout out to ScandaLex because she was right on about lowering the screen brightness and not having it be an issue. I think I have it down to 30% and have no issues viewing wise.

Last edited by ne0lyfeism; December 3rd, 2012 at 08:33 AM. Reason: Added some detail around call quality; more real world usage

dlcpa

Until one of the carriers makes you where a hat or gloves that say Verizon, AT&T, etc, in order for your phone to work, why do you care?

lylisdad

One thing is change is to allow the two soft buttons at the bottom of the phone to be usable with the s pen.

Lucidmike

I really liked reading your review. Hearing how you liked the logo on the button made me laugh. The size was a bit hard to swallow when I first got my hands on the device, but I quickly adapted to it. It doesn't look big anymore. It just looks normal.

One funny thing that I've encountered was that I went from a 3.5" screen to a 4.5" screen, and I found a 3.5" screen unusable. But when I went to the 5.5" Note 2, and then I played around with a 3.5" screen, it seemed alright because maybe I wasn't looking at it like a smartphone. I was looking at it as a backup phone that I can make calls with and not much else.

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virodeath

I am loving my Note 2. I upgraded from the S3 and gave the S3 to my wife. This thing makes the S3 look tiny.

I was worried it would be too big but after a day with it the only size issue I have with it is it won't fit in the built in holder in my car for a phone (oh well).

S-pen annoying issue is the pen does not work on the back or menu buttons so I have to slide my finger up to hit it. Not a big deal but breaks the flow.

It is very fast and has no lag what so ever. Next to the S3 this is the best phone I have ever used. I would NOT want anything bigger, this is perfect.

The resolution is wonderful. I have found the the Lenovo pen that you would use on the x220 works better than the s-pen. more of a crisper line when writing.

It is a lot thinner than I would have thought. My only concern is if I put a protective case on it, it will be to thick. I wish Samsung changed the way they made flip covers, I tried three on my S3 and they kept peeling apart.

On a side note, I moved my SIM card into the Note 2 and upon starting the Note 2 and registering it pulled all of the apps I was using on the S3 right over onto the Note 2. I was pleasantly surprised.

Viro

ne0lyfeism

I know it probably sounds crazy to most people who read my post, but I really think the way VZW branded the home button was very tasteful. In fact, I would argue that it looks way better than the crappy branding I had on the bezel of my Droid RAZR.

Alice Kaye

I'm not going to go as far as saying I like the Verizon logo on the button, but it certainly doesn't bug me at all.

htom

+1

you2

How is 3g and 4g reception ?

virodeath

I live in the diamond shaped area between four cell towers and typically have issues with certain brands of phones.

Nexus 4G = very poor (no bars 3g or 4g dropped calls constantly)
Galaxy S3 = above average (2 bars 4gdropped calls every now and again)
Galaxy Note 2 = above average (3 bars 4g(no dropped calls yet)

The bar thing is just a graphical representation, but the call quality sounds a bit better than my S3 did. Only time will tell for me.

Viro

dylane

Can anyone check whether a SIP client is integrated into the phone application? On the international version you're supposed to be able to:

virodeath

I am not seeing an option for Internet Call Settings under call settings.

Viro

dwagner88

Reception for me so far has been excellent. I put it side by side with my wife's razr maxx, and it always matched or exceeded the razr's signal strength. It consistently pulled down faster LTE speeds, but slower wifi speeds (not by much though).

rivera02

Reception has been great so far. Even better than my s3 which was already really good for me.

ceva321

ok so i went today to the Verizon store at Grand Central here in NYC. I was really expecting to hate that freaking logo on the home button......BUT guess what? it really is not that bad....... Honestly i thought i was gonna hate it but after a few minutes playing with the phone I totally forgot about that ugly logo LOL


the phone would be better looking without that ugly logo.............i took some pics enjoy...


20121130_140148 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr

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20121130_135619 copy by Ceva321, on Flickr

Harplayr

I found the reception to be very good.

I returned my S3 due to bad reception, dropped calls and the inability to get 4G at home. The N2 has not dropped a call and gives solid 4G at home.

Reception was my biggest worry, and hapily it's not an issue.