Experience from switchers from iPhone 4S to Galaxy Note please

[hajimeabc]

Hello, I am considering to buy either the iPhone 4S or the Galaxy Note. For switchers from iPhone 4S to Galaxy Note, do you have regrets? Any features that you like on the 4S but not available on the Galaxy Note? Anything that you feel glad that you have switched to the Galaxy Note? Thanks

 

[biker74]

I would say Android is more fun and customizable. The screen size is superb, couldn't go back to a small iPhone screen. Its not retina, but it still does the job. Bit pixelated in dark scenes when watching videos. Hopefully the new Android update will bring other improvements.

If I'm being honest; if the new iPhone sported a 4.5 upward screen, I reckon I'd go back. Perhaps wait until the new iPhone comes out before changing.

 

[RocketMan007]

Hi. My impressions on the switch. I'm 52. I switched to the Note from an iPhone 3gs. Have had the Note 2 weeks today. Had the iPhone 2 1/2 years. The iPhone was the 1st smart phone I had. Didn't text prior to the iPhone.

Oh yea...I use it primarily for business. I'm in sales, on the road. Today, for example, I rec'd 23 and sent 13 emails. Most had PDF or DOC attachments. Sent & rec'd 3 or 4 texts.

The things I don't like about the note compared to the iPhone. The XT9 language (or whatever) text is very different from the iPhone. The predictive text really caused me problems for a while. After 2 weeks I'm getting in the swing, but it was a tough transition for me. I guess it will be OK after I use it more, but the iPhone was easier in IMHO. The Note overall isn't as smooth as the iPhone. It kinda lags or is jerky...just a wee tiny bit. Don't get me wrong, its smooth...but not as smooth as my ole iPhone. That's about it on the negative side.

What I like better is a much, much longer list. Please keep in mind I had never used an Android prior to getting the Note. Steep learning curve for an ole fart like me.
I love not having to going thru iTunes for everything. Your computer reads it as a drive. Effortlessly set up multiple folders & sub-folders . Transfer anything w/ease. Removable micro sd card. Bought an adapter that will allow it to read a thumb drive. Try any of that with an iPhone. The note pad/pen kicks butt. Calibrated the pen and I use it all the time. The screen size simply is awesome. I think you can customize gobs of stuff I don't even know about yet.


My ole iPhone was a great phone too...but I won’t be back. Android seems better for me and the Note is a great phone IMHO.
Although I was frustrated at 1st...I'm liking the Note more everyday and do not have any regrets. I'd do it again.
Good Luck.


Just my 2 cents...

 

[hajimeabc]

Thanks for the replies. On the internet, I read that some (many?) users have screen problems such as very poor images when playing videos with dark scenes, dead/stuck pixels, etc. They said that Samsung does not admit the problems. The users even set up a facebook page on it. Do you have these problems?

I tried the Galaxy Note is a showroom. I also noticed the lag. How likely will the new Android 4 software update solve these problems?

 

[d33th]

@hajimeabc

Yes it is true, on dark screens you get pixels. I was on the same boat as you whether to choose ip4s or note. I ended up owning the note(happy owner) although my wife is using an ip4, she seems happy and contented with her phone.

You might want to wait for Galaxy S3. It's just around the corner(May).

 

[frdmspoplr]

Thanks for the replies. On the internet, I read that some (many?) users have screen problems such as very poor images when playing videos with dark scenes, dead/stuck pixels, etc. They said that Samsung does not admit the problems. The users even set up a facebook page on it. Do you have these problems?

I tried the Galaxy Note is a showroom. I also noticed the lag. How likely will the new Android 4 software update solve these problems?

Android 4.0 adds hardware acceleration and in my limited experience with it on my current device, it's as smooth as iOS.

 

[bailysgirl]

I just picked up the Note today I am trying and I stress TRYING to use it. I have had smart phones since they were introduced and have used Palm, Blackberry and most recently and for the longest time IPhone. I'm fairly tech savvy but this is kicking my butt!

 

[zc1]

I just picked up the Note today I am trying and I stress TRYING to use it. I have had smart phones since they were introduced and have used Palm, Blackberry and most recently and for the longest time IPhone. I'm fairly tech savvy but this is kicking my butt!

Keep trying. It's worth the effort. If all else fails, go on YouTube and watch an Android tutorial video.

Android isn't intuitive but it's powerful and versatile. With enough time and effort you can make the phone any combination of functional, elegant, fun that you want.

Where it differs from other OSs is that:

-there are a LOT more options as far as things that you can do to the phone (tremendously customizable)
-you probably know a ton of people with iPhones and had used an iPhone or iPad or iPod before buying one. You had people all around you who were using them, and learned from them as well.
-you probably knew a ton of people with BB phones and had help there, as well.

YouTube and forums are great resources, especially if you don't have a resident Android-phile nearby.

 

[flmgrip]

i havn't even touched the surface of possiblities with android... i'm coing from a iphone 4 (and my wife has a iphone 4s)

my wife phone looks like a joke next to my note...

4G LTE, screen size and SWYPE ! that's enough for me to never look at an iphone again...

SWYPE i dare anyone to write faster on a fruity phone than i do with SWYPE! end of story...

don't be afraid, just because you have been brainwashed by apple doesn't mean you won't be able to use an other smartphone...

you will never look back...

 

[RocketMan007]

Thanks for the heads up on Swype.
Man, that is just what I was needing!
Thanks!

 

[ifb-online]

I think choosing between an iPhone and a Galaxy Note is very strange One is very small (the iPhone 4 screen is one of the smallest on a smartphone these days) and the other (Note) is huge. If you are considering an iPhone, wouldn't a Galaxy SII be the more comparable choice - or maybe even a HTC One X, although that's bigger.

A thumbs up for Swype from me - have been using it for nearly two years on my HTC Desire and the latest version is brilliant. Even as a conventional keyboard it works well, and it's free.

Ian

 

[mattdouglaschambers]

I just finished by second day after switching from iPhone (and Sprint) to the Note (and AT&T) and I have only one minor complaint and that's that since the note is thinner than the iPhone the vibration feels weaker to me, even on full. But other than that it's perfect.

 

[radiomatts]

I just purchased my Note, because after 4 iPhones, I just wanted something different. Since I have 30 days to keep or return the Note to Best Buy, I really want to give it a chance. I've realized that the iPhone is the far more intuitive device. My impression is that the open architecture of Android makes for some cheap looking apps. I also hate that I need so many work arounds vs. iPhone, and that doesn't even begin to discuss my frustration with syncing material to it. I LOVED iTunes and the simple coordination. I've played around with third party apps and software to sync music. I wish there was an Android iTunes to simply sync everything to. I have more to say as time goes on, but I'm brand new at this Android thing, but I still do want to give it a shot.

 

[johnb41]

Thanks for the heads up on Swype.
Man, that is just what I was needing!
Thanks!

I recommend SwiftkeyX... it predicts what your "next" word will be as well as what you are currently typing. When you get used to this concept, typing is very fast.

This is one of the great things about Android... you can choose the keyboard that works best for YOU. On the iPhone, if you didn't like the keyboard, then tough sh**!

 

[johnb41]

I just purchased my Note, because after 4 iPhones, I just wanted something different. Since I have 30 days to keep or return the Note to Best Buy, I really want to give it a chance. I've realized that the iPhone is the far more intuitive device. My impression is that the open architecture of Android makes for some cheap looking apps. I also hate that I need so many work arounds vs. iPhone, and that doesn't even begin to discuss my frustration with syncing material to it. I LOVED iTunes and the simple coordination. I've played around with third party apps and software to sync music. I wish there was an Android iTunes to simply sync everything to. I have more to say as time goes on, but I'm brand new at this Android thing, but I still do want to give it a shot.

I find you have to do too many workarounds with the iPhone! For example, in the iPhone gMail, you can't even attach a file (maybe that has changed recently). The only thing you can attach is an image, but you have to do that starting from the photo gallery. I love how you can send any file to most any compatible app for further work. Android is just so flexible and can do so many things iPhone just cannot do.

 

[zc1]

I just purchased my Note, because after 4 iPhones, I just wanted something different. Since I have 30 days to keep or return the Note to Best Buy, I really want to give it a chance. I've realized that the iPhone is the far more intuitive device. My impression is that the open architecture of Android makes for some cheap looking apps. I also hate that I need so many work arounds vs. iPhone, and that doesn't even begin to discuss my frustration with syncing material to it. I LOVED iTunes and the simple coordination. I've played around with third party apps and software to sync music. I wish there was an Android iTunes to simply sync everything to. I have more to say as time goes on, but I'm brand new at this Android thing, but I still do want to give it a shot.

There are some cheap-feeling apps and some that are the complete opposite.

The reasons for Android not being intuitive include: (1) after owning 4 iPhones, iOS is intuitive to you and anything else will not be; (2) Android is far more customizable than iOS and gives you more options as far as things that you can do.

I suspect that the 'workarounds' you allude to are a result of trying to make Apple products (eg. iTunes music, video, etc.) work with a non-Apple product (Galaxy Note). If all of your music, videos, etc. were purchased from Amazon, for example, rather than iTunes then it would be a completely different story.

I gave up on iTunes after I realized that 3/4 of my library was DRM-protected and couldn't be played on anything other than Apple products unless I forked out the money to convert it all. If you're happy with staying with the Apple ecosystem then it works great. It's when you try to get out of it or try to mix-and-match that the trouble begins. It's easier to stay with Apple than to get into a different boat, and that's exactly the way the folks at Apple want it and designed it to be.

You can make Android work almost exactly like an iPhone, with a mass of icons and folders and fifteen steps required to turn wifi and bluetooth on and off, if you like, but it also gives you the option of making things work exactly (or closer to) how you would like them to work. The caveat, though, is it takes some (or a lot of) effort on your part. As an example, if I swipe down anywhere on my screen, I get access to toggles for wifi, bluetooth, syncing, etc. If I swipe up anywhere on my screen (except the right edge) it launches my email inbox. If I swipe up or down on the right edge it adjusts the volume. If I swipe left-right on the top edge it adjusts the brightness. All of those controls are just gesture-based and set up that way because I fancied it. I had the choice to do so. With iOS, that's not an option (unless you jailbreak).

Lots of people will give up on Android because they have no interest in spending the time to make it work for them. The way it comes out of the box on most phones, it doesn't really work well for anyone.

I'm glad you're giving yourself a good month to see if you can get it sorted.

If you really want to, you can make your Android phone far more functional and easy-to-use and the interface much more beautiful than that of the iPhone. If your music's trapped in iTunes there are ways around it, but I didn't have the time or interest. I was happy to just let my iPhone (and relationship with Apple) become a thing of the past.

If you need online storage there are several options including DropBox and Google Drive. If you need music, there's Google Music (if you live in the USA) as well as several online sites such as rdio/slacker/tune-in, etc. If you need suggestions for apps to do x, y or z, there are many people here who would be happy to help you out.

Part of the issue with Android, and a huge contributor to the steepness of the learning curve, is not knowing where to find stuff, or even if there is 'stuff' that can do what you want.

I'm sure you didn't figure out *everything* about your iPhone all by yourself (including apps to do specific tasks). Don't expect to be able to figure Android out all by yourself, either.

 

[JunBringer]

I just purchased my Note, because after 4 iPhones, I just wanted something different. Since I have 30 days to keep or return the Note to Best Buy, I really want to give it a chance. I've realized that the iPhone is the far more intuitive device. My impression is that the open architecture of Android makes for some cheap looking apps. I also hate that I need so many work arounds vs. iPhone, and that doesn't even begin to discuss my frustration with syncing material to it. I LOVED iTunes and the simple coordination. I've played around with third party apps and software to sync music. I wish there was an Android iTunes to simply sync everything to. I have more to say as time goes on, but I'm brand new at this Android thing, but I still do want to give it a shot.

Glad to see you giving it a real shot dude. Once you get used to it I feel that it's a much better interface than iOS. You can make it just like iOS if you'd like, or the complete opposite, and for me, a lover of options, that's perfect.

 

[gbaird]

I bought my Note a few days after it was released in the U.S. I was using an iPhone 3gs prior to that. Prior to the 3gs I had the first Droid. I ended up with the iPhone because we switched from Verizon to AT&T due to mysteriously rising bills. At the time of the switch, AT&T did not have an Android phone worth spending the money on so I went with the iPhone.

I said that to say this. I have been from Android to iPhone and now I am glad to have an Android phone again. The Note has far exceeded my expectations and it, in my opinion, can only get better once ICS is pushed out.

The iPhone was a great device. It did a lot and it did it easily, however, I had to jailbreak it in order for it to do what my Droid did out of the box. I agree there is a learning curve with Android but there really is nothing that cannot be answered by any one of a number of forums.

The Note has been a challenge for me, even though I have used Android before, however, there have been several updates since my experience. After the initial learning process I have found the Note to be incredibly intuitive and there are so many "shortcuts" to simplify its use.

I can do nearly everything from my Note that I can do from my desk. In addition, I can fill out and sign forms from my Note, something I cannot do from my desk. I remember reading the initial reviews about it and most of the "professional" reviewers had high praise for its performance but would really bash its size and say people will make fun of you. Well, I can say none of that has happened to me and I tell people up front that it is not for everyone. There are those who will have a legitimate need for a device like the Note and others who won't. I caution people against buying it out of novelty and to take one for a "test drive" first.

All things considered, I have been far more satisfied with my Note than I ever was the iPhone. My wife has the iPhone 4S and in my opinion, the Note is superior hands down.

 

[davidcyc]

I moved from iPhone 4 after 4s came out. I was hoping for a large screen from Apple after all the rumours / predictions. Screen was most important as zooming in and out was very time wasting. I realised the screen was most important after moving from 5" Samsung Nexio to 3" Toshiba G900 to 3.5" iP4. I missed the 5" and snapped up the Note when Apple failed to even touch 4". In the interim I had seriously considered but bypassed the Dell Streak because of poor specificattions besides the screen. The larger the size the more legible without zoom and without high density pixels - I still have the Nexio to attest to this.