Interesting Review of Galaxy Note 4

[phillymonster]

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 better than iPhone 6 Plus in some ways - Los Angeles Gadgets | Examiner.com

The author sounds torn between Galaxy Note 4 and iPhone 6 Plus. I can see where he is coming from. The Galaxy Note 4 has better specs, but the iPhone 6 Plus does have a better operating system.

 

[rushmore]

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 better than iPhone 6 Plus in some ways - Los Angeles Gadgets | Examiner.com

The author sounds torn between Galaxy Note 4 and iPhone 6 Plus. I can see where he is coming from. The Galaxy Note 4 has better specs, but the iPhone 6 Plus does have a better operating system.

Different ecosystems and user preferences, so can not say one is better than the other IMO.

 

[AnonGuy]

There are objective criteria where one can be said to be better than another.

I think the 6+ is the more polished product, and if you have a Mac then it almost isn't worth considering the Note 4 over the iPhone 6 Plus.

I plan on getting a MacBook Pro next month, but still giving myself some time to consider the Surface Pro 3 and wait to see if Google announces some changes to their services before I change my daily driver. If I get the Surface Pro 3, I'll keep my Note 3 or maybe consider upgrading to the 4. If I get the MacBook, I'm getting the iPhone 6 Plus - it's a no brainer with the Continuity and Handoff Features, as well as FaceTime and iMessage which works on both devices, flawlessly and without 3rd party apps or plug-ins.

Having an M8 and a Note 3, I don't think the actual device matters as much as the ecosystem backing the device, and how well it integrates with the PC Operating system - that's where most of my productivity gains are to be had (which is why I tend to use Microsoft Services on my Note 3 - I can start editing in Office on my PC and when I open it on my Note, it goes to the same place where I left off on my PC, etc.).

Both devices (M8, Note 3) are practically on par with each other and I don't see the Note as being more productive than any other device because the form factor is terrible for Note Taking and very very few 3rd party apps aren't optimized for the S Pen or Data Sharing APIs - which relegates the Note to nothing more than a slightly larger LG G3 with a stylus to poke around and draw in certain apps, in the grand scheme of things.

I really think that I need an Actual Tablet if I'm going to take Stylus Notes on the Go (which is why I'm considering the Surface Pro). That, or just give up on that idea and use a decent laptop with a good developer ecosystem and an OS that integrates flawlessly with my smartphone.

You can get Wacom Tablets for a Windows or Mac Laptop for < $100, anyways...

 

[zombdroid]

The Galaxy Note 4 has better specs, but the iPhone 6 Plus does have a better operating system.

ios is not a better operating system than Android. ios is what Apple wants you to have, a controlled, locked down, propitiatory experience that is exactly the same for everyone.

This is why they will not allow other manufacturers to make hardware for their OS and at the same time, limiting growth of technology. Android came up quickly because many talented programmers were allowed to flex their talents without limits imposed by the OS developer.

How about an OS that does not use open formats for their music, such as itunes? Why not? It is about the control.

How about the sPen?...built into the device! Split screen mode? Devices with SD cards? Replaceable batteries. Devices with dual screens, 3d screens, bent screens, 3.5, 4,5,6 inch screens, waterproof, bend resistant ...variety in all aspects of the experience. Competition between like manufactures creating aggressive pricing and new technological innovations. This is the tech world I want to live in, not what Apple is limiting to their customers.

I am bias as a person that strongly believes in the principals of Open Source, so when someone comes here claiming ios is better than Android, I just say BS to that.

Concerning Note taking with the sPen, I use a Samsung Note 10.1 2014 edition in the office. I no longer have to carry a paper notebook. The sPen is great for grabbing information off a web page and forwarding to a college. I don't think most people don't get the full potential of their Note devices because they don't know how to use them. YouTube! Great resource for learning the Notes capabilities.

 

[stevehoffman]

For those raising issue about audio quality from Note 4, here's what that review says:
"One of the main problems with Samsung devices has always been the lack of truly strong audio drivers like the ones found in Apple's products. We are glad to say that Samsung has listened to its customers and the music capabilities have improved. We tested three different music players and were able to get almost the same exact quality through our Bose headset that we do with the iPhone. One may have to spend time finding the right settings with each music player, but it's worth it in the end." (this is from Part 3: Galaxy Note 4 review - Los Angeles Gadgets | Examiner.com )

 

[dontpanicbobby]

The reviewer claims less battery life than the Note 3? That's regrettable.

 

[blkbeltkid17]

The reviewer claims less battery life than the Note 3? That's regrettable.

how can they say that it a hair bigger??? makes no since

 

[AnonGuy]

The reviewer claims less battery life than the Note 3? That's regrettable.

OEM battery life claims are made off of fairly unreasonably odd use compared to what people actually do with the phones. So it doesn't surprise me if that ends up being the case due to the screen resolution. The Note 3 can probably do things at a lower clock speed with less GPU stress than the Note 4 due to the lower screen resolution.

 

[blkbeltkid17]

OEM battery life claims are made off of fairly unreasonably odd use compared to what people actually do with the phones. So it doesn't surprise me if that ends up being the case due to the screen resolution. The Note 3 can probably do things at a lower clock speed with less GPU stress than the Note 4 due to the lower screen resolution.

you have a point but I would never think that the screen resolution would affect the battery I know the brightness could drastically change your battery performance

 

[DarkUncle]

I actually don't mind iOS at all. Yes it is a closed system but not nearly as much as it used to be. You can have most Google services running on the iPhone now and you can purchase and play music from many sources now not just iTunes. So really in that respect is only as closed as you want it to be.

A couple good things about it is none of this carrier bloatware is permitted by Apple. Also, being that every iPhone is more or less running on the same platform you will not find inconsistencies and incompatibilities nearly as much as android because of all the different devices and operating systems that phone manufacturers layer onto the android platform.

But the 2 things that are absolute deal-breakers for me with apple is no removable battery and storage. I mean come on now. They ever fix those 2 issues than I might be very tempted. But it's doubtful to ever happen.

 

[AnonGuy]

you have a point but I would never think that the screen resolution would affect the battery I know the brightness could drastically change your battery performance

Screen resolution determines how much pixels the GPU has to push, which affects it's workload, which affects it's power requirements. A lower resolution is less work for the CPU, meaning it can run at a lower average clock rate that has a lower average power requirement.

It affects battery life.

 

[AnonGuy]

I actually don't mind iOS at all. Yes it is a closed system but not nearly as much as it used to be. You can have most Google services running on the iPhone now and you can purchase and play music from many sources now not just iTunes. So really in that respect is only as closed as you want it to be.

A couple good things about it is none of this carrier bloatware is permitted by Apple. Also, being that every iPhone is more or less running on the same platform you will not find inconsistencies and incompatibilities nearly as much as android because of all the different devices and operating systems that phone manufacturers layer onto the android platform.

But the 2 things that are absolute deal-breakers for me with apple is no removable battery and storage. I mean come on now. They ever fix those 2 issues than I might be very tempted. But it's doubtful to ever happen.

Cheaper 64 GB SKU fixes the storage issue. Battery is not an issue the 6 Plus is at least as good as a Note 3 which I never battery swap with (despite owning a second battery) and when it starts to degrade you take it to the Apple Store and fix the issue cause who buys an iPhone and doesn't have Apple Care (no one I know).

Samsung is starting a similar warranty program and may extend support via their Best Buy shops in the future.

The entire Google services ecosystem can be practically replaced with Apple and/or Microsoft services on any platform. It's not quite the selling point it used to be, and not something I would personally base a purchasing decision on at the moment. There is Google Now, but it worthless if you turn off Location reporting/history and search history; which I always do both to save battery and retain as much privacy as I can.

 

[Baalbamoth]

Got mine yesterday and love it... mostly. The GUI though leaves a lot to be desired. Bitch of a time trying to even create folders, and accidentally removed a page of apps when removing my finger from the screen... took me a half hour to re drag em all. BUT the stencil (action note, various art apps, evernote, etc) is hawesome, i know its going to be one of those things I ask myself "how did i ever live without this?!?"

 

[LaTuFu]

The reviewer claims less battery life than the Note 3? That's regrettable.

I feel like this complaint has been made about successive generations of any device, since the first complaint about smartphones is the battery life.

Once people have time to set up the device, tweak preferences, and use the device in their daily life, suddenly the battery life settles in to what it has been before, +/-.

That's been my experience through the successive Galaxy S devices I've had going back to the S1. The S1 had a truly horrible battery life, it was much improved with the S2, then the S3 and S4 showed nominal or virtually unnoticeable differences to me.

 

[AnonGuy]

Not really. The battery life is better on newer devices due to the hardware being better. Sometimes the software can equalize the battery life, which is what I think the S4's did compared to the S3, though.

The major issue is that people use different apps, accounts and services at different times and even on different devices and that's a lot of variables they tend to forget when they complain about battery life.

No one mentions their 5+ home screens full of widgets that auto refresh, 20 Play Store apps with a bunch of services and the tons of apps they have that involve Internet connections and data transfer on their phones, decreasing battery life.

If you keep all of that under control, I find devices aren't typically as bad as many make them out to be in many (not all) cases.

 

[LaTuFu]

Some of that is certainly true to an extent.

I have used pretty much the same core apps on my last 3 devices, and the battery life has been pretty consistent across the board.

As the OS has been improved and the screen resolutions improved, they have been consuming more energy accordingly. The batteries have been adapted accordingly.

I completely agree with you about the widget farms some people maintain, not realizing the drain on resources that they represent.