[OFFICIAL] The "I Got Mine" and First Impressions Thread

[soy.lor.n]

I must say, I am impressed with the earbuds we got this time!! The AKG's are nice. The last couple of phones came with ones that just don't stay in my ears and wasn't up to snuff on the sound quality.

I haven't used them yet, but I did try them on and they felt sooo much better than the ones that came with the s7

 

[mike2518]

Best phone ever hands down bar none. Beautiful screen, camera is ridiculous, live notes are incredible... smooth, fast, great battery... way better than note 7 was and made the wait even sweeter!!!

This!

I have the s8,s8 plus, and note8. Both s8s are laggy, slow, glitchy with reboots here and there, can't keep more than 5 apps open. Note8, which was loaded using smart switch, is the same exact copy of the s8 app wise, but it's a beast. Smooth af, flys thru everything, keeps all apps open, it's a beast. Ram is not the only thing helping in this, software and tuning is way different on the note8. I've been using Android since 12 years, so many phones, this is finally the best flawless phone I've ever used!

 

[Marcus Allen]

I'm loving it so far. Everything from the size to the smooth movements of the swipes. A lot of my friends been asking me do I have an IPhone because of the picture quality. Like the camera is amazing and I don't usually take pictures but with this phone oh better believe that I will be using it more often. Haven't tried out the side panels too much yet but I'm sure those will work amazing since I'm basic when it comes to screen backgrounds. Only problem I have so far is the stock messaging app flickering when I receive a text sometimes.

 

[mike2518]

I'm loving it so far. Everything from the size to the smooth movements of the swipes. A lot of my friends been asking me do I have an IPhone because of the picture quality. Like the camera is amazing and I don't usually take pictures but with this phone oh better believe that I will be using it more often. Haven't tried out the side panels too much yet but I'm sure those will work amazing since I'm basic when it comes to screen backgrounds. Only problem I have so far is the stock messaging app flickering when I receive a text sometimes.

Never flickers on mines. Can u describe it?

 

[UP2NoGooDJ]

I been raving about this phone since I got it Monday. Note 8 is a beautifully designed masterpiece with hardware to make it a rock star. I've been using it none stop since Monday and the more I use it the more I love it. The screen is as clear as it gets. I've never seen a phone with such rich color, depth, and detail. The camera is out of this world with crisp and smooth pictures. The battery is pretty much a shocker to me and many I have heard from on forums. My biggest worry was that 3300 number given the size of the phone and everything else under it. But, wow is this thing going above and beyond my expectations. I am still gathering info and testing things but so far I'm calculating about 24hr + battery life on normal use and can easily squeeze 48hrs with light use. Normal use I mean playing games, calling, texting, taking notes and much more. I don't use it every minute but on and off every hour or every other hour for sure. Only issue I had was the slippery feeling when I first got it. I was so scared I was going to drop it that I paid for overnight case shipping just to protect this thing and give it some grip. But, now with a nice case all is good and by far the best phone in the market.

 

[Auronda40]

I'm coming from an iPhone 6s plus but I've had every Note before this and man this is definitely my favorite!! Loving my Note 8! I'm locked into a two year contract and that was scary and first, I almost panicked and ordered an iPhone but I knew I would miss this phone way too much! Enjoy your Note 8's guys!!!

 

[michalkolcun]

6 days of using so far ..greatest phone ever

 

[Ferryv]

Love the Note8 so far. I upgraded from the Note4 and am really impressed with the design and performance of the phone. Creating you own Gifs with Live Messages is fun and will impress the receiver. I love the Always On Display, and the camera is awesome.




The design of the phone is wonderful, but coming from the Note4 with its anti-slip backpanel ,I have to get used to the sleek, smooth feel of the Note8.




Battery life is good for me: it will last a full day with 20% to spare. That includes a continuous sync via Bluetooth with my Fitbit, AOD switched on and a lot of 'new user' usage of the phone. That is my only concern for this phone: the battery can't be swapped by the user, so what will battery performance be like a year from now?


I am pleasantly surprised by how well unlocking the phone works with the iris scanner. It's really fast, much better than what I expected, to be honest.


Bottom line is that it's a truly wonderful piece of technology that not only performs great, it's a beautiful phone on top of that.

 

[The_Chief]

I suppose I should name this post 'Last Impressions'. I'm sending this Note 8 back to Samsung.


Before you completely freak out, let me tell you why.

Spoiler

I'm on Verizon. I pre-ordered the Verizon Note 8. And I love the phone... I absolutely HATE what Verizon has done to it, though. Apparently they have little regard for their customers and think we're all stupid. Verizon forced Samsung to dumb down the settings, then loaded up the phone with their Verizon crapware - along with the bloatware (I'm sorry... 'featured apps') that they always stick on their smartphones.


The last straw, though, was that Verizon disabled the free 15 GB Samsung Cloud and replaced it with their own 5 GB Verizon Cloud (which I absolutely refuse to use).


After confirming with Koki here (thank you!) and Samsung that an unlocked, unbranded Note 8 will work on Verizon, I requested an exchange. Samsung is preparing my return labels. I'll move back to my emergency reserve phone (Moto X Pure) and ship it back. When Samsung confirms receipt and credits my account, I'll order the new one.


Problem is, I also ordered the GearVR and Gear 360 with it. Since they can't split up an order, I'll have to return everything and order it again.


Yes, I'll be without a Note 8 for awhile - but that's how furious I am that Samsung allowed Verizon to so screw up their flagship.


Sorry for the novel, but I felt it important to express what I'm doing and why.


But who knows? Maybe by the time this all settles down and my new Note is set up, my freaking Alcantara case will show up!

 

[TrueFangz]

@The_Chief I completely agree with you. I use Google Drive, so could care less about Samsung or Verizon cloud. But what gets me the most is that they've dumbed down the device maintenance. My wife has T-Mo, and her device maintenance is so much better than mine side by side. They can optimize battery easily, kill tasks, clear memory, etc. I don't know why VZW felt the need to take those things away. I'm sure there are other things I am unaware of also.

I'd exchange mine in a heartbeat if it wasn't tied to a corporate account. Sadly since we use VZW, we have to get our phones directly through them to get our company discount. After taxes and other BS, we end up paying $488 per Note. There's no way they'd let me order directly from Samsung at $960 or whatever.

 

[major2112]

Chief...SHEESH

 

[marctronixx]

VZW has been known to do Mickey Mouse stuff like that. Sorry to hear of this but on the bright side you get a newer build , and your alcantara case will be waiting for you.

Respect your patience bro.. I don't think i could wait (i would , but it would be difficult! )

 

[TrueFangz]

I'll move back to my emergency reserve phone (Moto X Pure) and ship it back.

You sure you don't want to go back to your Note5?

 

[The_Chief]

I can't - I traded it in for this one!


Which brings up a mind-disturbing question... will Samsung make me pay full retail for the unlocked phone since I no longer have a trade-in? If that's the case, I'll cancel the return and deal with it. I'll just know to never buy a Verizon-branded Note again.


EDIT:

Guess what? I can't get another discount or trade - I'd have to pay full retail for the 2nd Note8. So, lesson learned. I'll pre-order the Note9 UNLOCKED.

 

[major2112]

<span style='font-size:14px';>The_Chief </span>

<span style='font-size:14px';>I'll move back to my emergency reserve phone (Moto X Pure) and ship it back. </span>

You sure you don't want to go back to your Note5?

Note 5? Lol,.

 

[The_Chief]

Well, the Note 5 is the most recent Note before the Note 8 for certain... reasons...

Bad news is that I have to keep this Verizon Note 8 unless I want to pay full price for its unlocked replacement. Good news is that I FINALLY got a tracking number for my case!

 

[major2112]

I know chief, being sarcastic as I know how we all felt about the anticipation of the Note 6..errrr... forget it... lol

 

[kokiangel]

Love the Note8 so far. I upgraded from the Note4 and am really impressed with the design and performance of the phone.

This is a whole new world for you then. Enjoy your new Note8. Even though the Note 4 was a great phone they've come a long way since it was released.

@The_Chief sorry about the return problem but YAY! about the case.

 

[TrueFangz]

Note 5? Lol,.

LOL, Not sure if you've seen all his rants, but he hated that phone!

Guess what? I can't get another discount or trade - I'd have to pay full retail for the 2nd Note8. So, lesson learned. I'll pre-order the Note9 UNLOCKED.

I don't understand this. Why won't Sammy just let you exchange the VZ model for the unlocked model like a part to part swap? You're still in your 15 day trial period aren't you? Or does that only work through VZ directly?

 

[The_Chief]

Part of the terms & conditions for the Note 7 trade-in allowance is that you HAVE to turn in your trade phone within 15 days... and if you return the Note 8 or otherwise cancel the deal, you don't get your traded phone back and you can't use the allowance again. It's a one-time deal. I read it: I was just being optimistic.

 

[major2112]

<span style='font-size:14px';>major2112 </span>

<span style='font-size:14px';>Note 5? Lol,. </span>

LOL, Not sure if you've seen all his rants, but he hated that phone!

I have seen them, that's why I posted that.. as sarcasm.

 

[TrueFangz]

Yeah, that all makes sense, but you're not exactly returning the 8 per-say, you'd be exchanging it. What's the problem? Sheesh. Oh well. The good news is that you still have a Note 8, and regardless of VZW's poor doings, it's still a Note 8!

 

[Redeye]

Chief, I'm really sorry about your debacle and wish you the best of luck. I got my 'shipped' notification from Samsung on my 2 cases. I really want their convertible charger though and haven't heard anything about that except my application for charger/memory was approved.

I'm sorry if this a sore subject, but is there anyway you could root your phone and not do anything with it except for Samsung's original O/S? Not sure if this is possible. If so, and it needed warranty service, all they would see is regular Samsung s/w. Not sure...

Best,

Redeye

 

[The_Chief]

Well... more like a Note 7.99995

But I know what Note 9 to order next year! The foldable, flexible screen Note 9 - see you in that forum next year!

 

[The_Chief]

I'm sorry if this a sore subject, but is there anyway you could root your phone and not do anything with it except for Samsung's original O/S? Not sure if this is possible..

It IS a sore subject! I was almost over it and you triggered me again! AAAUUUUUGGGGHHHHH



To answer your question, Redeye, Verizon requires Samsung to encrypt the bootloaders on their branded phones. It is impossible to root a Verizon Samsung phone. I wouldn't do it anyway, because many apps won't work on rooted devices. Like Android Pay and Samsung Pay (which I use almost daily).