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Note 3 or Note 4

Jore

Android Enthusiast
Feb 9, 2011
424
19
California
I have the Note 3 and love it. My wife's note 2 is on the fritz and she is due for an upgrade anyway. The note 4 isn't even going to be released until 10/17/14 (from what I've read). I know the note 4 has a better screen and upgraded processor but is it lights ahead of the Note 3? The size appears the same at 5.7". I'm just debating on if I should just go get her the Note 3 now or try to hang on for as long as she can until the Note 4 release.
 
I have the Note 3 and love it. My wife's note 2 is on the fritz and she is due for an upgrade anyway. The note 4 isn't even going to be released until 10/17/14 (from what I've read). I know the note 4 has a better screen and upgraded processor but is it lights ahead of the Note 3? The size appears the same at 5.7". I'm just debating on if I should just go get her the Note 3 now or try to hang on for as long as she can until the Note 4 release.
I'd try to hold on for as long as possible. 10/17 is right around the corner.
 
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Better camera but there's the downside of no temp or humidity sensor (so that's your pocket weather station gone) and the speaker's on the back which is pretty crap.

The screen is better but the pixels are so small you can't see them anyhow so I don't really see what difference it will make.

I'm really trying to get excited about the note 4 but aside from the camera upgrade I don't see anything worth having and I like the weather data.
 
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Yes, the camera is the main upgrade in the Note 3, along with the updated digitizer which most people won't notice or care about. Most serious artistic types will use a Note Tablet for that, not a phone, or simply pay for a Surface 3 and keep their Note 3 for that matter.

If you don't take many low light images, then the camera upgrade isn't that huge of a selling point either.

The software may be a bit upgrade over what's on the Note 3, but it most of it may just be general UI changes. Different look and feel. There is slightly more duplication on the 4. It gains yet another Memo App and another useless Samsung Messaging/Sharing Service called AllTogether that turns your Wi-Fi and Hotspot off :-( Ugh, Samsung just bake ChatON IM into Messages and dupe iMessage already...

The 3 is still fabulous. Wait 4-6 months and if you still want to upgrade, you'll likely get it at a discount by then.
 
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Following...

My GS3 is near end of life, and I have started watching Swappa for a Note 3. Looks like a good condition one with charger runs about $350. However, with the Note 4 release just around the corner, and I have an upgrade available in November... Upgrade price will be $300, I think. Hummm...

The downside to Note 4 would be the new contract, and losing my unlimited data. and waiting till Thanksgiving...
 
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Following...

My GS3 is near end of life, and I have started watching Swappa for a Note 3. Looks like a good condition one with charger runs about $350. However, with the Note 4 release just around the corner, and I have an upgrade available in November... Upgrade price will be $300, I think. Hummm...

The downside to Note 4 would be the new contract, and losing my unlimited data. and waiting till Thanksgiving...

Upgrade Price is $300 with a contract. For $370 you can get a Galaxy Note 3 from an Auction Site and not have a Contract.

If you're on Verizon Wireless, then their Note 3 is Factory Unlocked with Quad Band GSM/HSPA+ so if you choose to leave you can still use it on T-Mobile or AT&T with at least HSPA+ speeds until you decide which new phone you want (if you want a new phone, since HSPA+ is more than good enough for many people). All you have to do is switch the SIM Card.

That kind of carrier "mobility" is worth a lot. I'd also check reputable sellers on eBay. You may be able to get an even cheaper price, and the price will certainly drop if you wait until after the Note 4 has been on the market about a month or so. You can buy Note 3's on Craigslist around here for about $300, and many sellers are honest and more than willing to complete the transaction in the carrier store where you can make sure the device is legit and get it activated on the spot.
 
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Following...

My GS3 is near end of life, and I have started watching Swappa for a Note 3. Looks like a good condition one with charger runs about $350. However, with the Note 4 release just around the corner, and I have an upgrade available in November... Upgrade price will be $300, I think. Hummm...

The downside to Note 4 would be the new contract, and losing my unlimited data. and waiting till Thanksgiving...

I would see if there's anyway your upgrade date can be moved up to take advantage of the Samsung promotion where they'll give you $200 for your eligible trade in towards the note 4...it would bring the upgrade price down to $100 for you..
 
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I would see if there's anyway your upgrade date can be moved up to take advantage of the Samsung promotion where they'll give you $200 for your eligible trade in towards the note 4...it would bring the upgrade price down to $100 for you..

I doubt they will. My account is still on the old 'family data and text unlimited' plan that was a promo years ago. Every time I do anything to my account, I have to jump thru hoops to keep it. And now that I think about it, I would not just lose my unlimited data, but probably the $20/month credit for having a data line... Humm... Used Note 3 is sounding better. :turtle:
 
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The Note 3 is still a great device, even one year in... That's what I have and I am more than satisfied... On the other hand, the 4 has some substantial upgrades to it. Faster SOC, much higher pixel density, arguably better build quality. I don't know whether I will be upgrading to the 4 or a different device all together but all I know is I'm very happy with my Note 3!

☺
 
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The Note 4 really brought nothing to the table. A shame since all previous generations including the 3 were massive improvements over the last, all bringing many neat software features and larger screens while keeping it pocket friendly.

I wanted the Note 4 but only if it had a 6" screen, ultra power saving mode (tired of coming home with 20%) and the water resistance. But unless the demo model goofed on the spec sheet and Samsung hid the ultra power saver where I couldn't find it, they just made the Note 3 prettier and gave it Quad HD, which looks hideous given their over saturated AMOLED panels that cause eye strain.

Also I never grasped this asinine love of metal or equating it to premium build quality. Ever since the iPhone antennagate issue I've been against metal phones. Metal is an RF shield, a Faraday cage.
 
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I doubt they will. My account is still on the old 'family data and text unlimited' plan that was a promo years ago. Every time I do anything to my account, I have to jump thru hoops to keep it. And now that I think about it, I would not just lose my unlimited data, but probably the $20/month credit for having a data line... Humm... Used Note 3 is sounding better. :turtle:

I just picked up another used one on Craigslist for my boy. $220 :) Excellent condition !

Beats the hell out of the upgrade struggle when having an older grandfathered in plan ;-)
 
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I have to say it again- I loved the camera on the Note 2; on the 3- not so much. Now the new iPhone.....all I can say is WOW! Pics on that thing are stellar--so much so, that I'm actually questioning whether I really want the Note 4 or not.


I'm in the same boat. I dislike apple as a company and have been on android for 4.5 years now with note 3 since its release but I will seriously look at the 6plus when I am due for an upgrade.
 
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The Note 4 really brought nothing to the table. A shame since all previous generations including the 3 were massive improvements over the last, all bringing many neat software features and larger screens while keeping it pocket friendly.

I wanted the Note 4 but only if it had a 6" screen, ultra power saving mode (tired of coming home with 20%) and the water resistance. But unless the demo model goofed on the spec sheet and Samsung hid the ultra power saver where I couldn't find it, they just made the Note 3 prettier and gave it Quad HD, which looks hideous given their over saturated AMOLED panels that cause eye strain.

Also I never grasped this asinine love of metal or equating it to premium build quality. Ever since the iPhone antennagate issue I've been against metal phones. Metal is an RF shield, a Faraday cage.

Note 3 -> Note 4 is a smaller upgrade than S4 -> S5, IMO.

Once the illusion of the spec pumping and talking points wears off, you're left with a device that's upgrading a device that still isn't getting pushed by the software out there right now, with a screen resolution bump that most people are unlikely to even notice if you put both screens side by side. I didn't even bother to think about pixel peeping when I played with the Note 4 because the screens looked so similar in sharpness that I guess I just assumed they were the same resolution... or something.

The OIS in the camera is a nice bump and the focus speeds are very fast. But I took image samples where the Note 3 was noticeably better than the Note 4, which was aggressively Noise-Reduced and way more Noisy than the Smart Stabilized Image out of the Note 3.

I personally don't think any of Notes past the Note 1 were pocket devices, unless you're counting my back jeans pocket. However that depends on how big your pants are, doesn't it?
 
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