Back to samsung with a new S8 Plus. Questions?

[Papamalo]

Hello all. after 4 glorious years with a motorola Moto X pure, (MXPE), it is time to move on. (Boo Hoo)

Questions:

1: With my motorola Moto x pure, I was able to program a custom voice phrase to operate the phone.
Can I do that with Bixby or s-voice? I don't want to have to say "Hi Bixby" or "Ok Google" all day long.
With my previous phone I used the name of an old french sweetheart I met during the resistance. That was cool.

2: I will be backing up my nova launcher settings, but when I fire up my new phone, I'd like to not have to reactivate all my paid apps, like avast, and Min icons. Is there a way to transfer the accounts over to the new phone?

3: I am very interested in the wireless charging pads. Which ones are highest recommended?

The best price I was able to find for the US version with the Snapdragon 835, and 4GB RAM was $539.00 seen here:
https://www.n1wireless.com/samsung-...MIi73tmq3K2gIVFKrsCh1wgwD5EAYYBCABEgLsfvD_BwE

4: Are there any US versions with options for greater RAM?

5: I see people in XDA talking about odin and TWRP for this model. I have used both for older samsungs, but will I need to root this Phone to get rid of bloatware? Or is the TWRP/Odin discussion simply about custom ROM's? I was really hoping for a phone I didn't have to root if I could avoid it.

Any other misc. advice?

I'm about to pull the trigger, and thought I ask for your opinions and help! Thanks!

PM

 

[El Presidente]

I'm sorta in a rush, so I can expand on these later, but here's a short version.

1. To my knowledge no, Google won't let you do this and Ive disabled Bixby.

2. I'm almost 100% certain Samsung's own smart switch app will do all this for you.

3. Unsure, I'm actually looking at wireless charging pads myself, once I find my favoured option, i can let you know.

4. No, they're only in the Asian variants I believe.

5. TWRP is only available for the Asian Snapdragon devices. There is a root method for the US variant but it limits charging to 80% iirc. If you don't like bloat though are you sure you want a Samsung?

Apologies for the brevity, but anything you want me to expand on, let me know and I can reply when I get home.

 

[Papamalo]

Thanks presidente! It's been so long since I've had a Samsung, I had (Obviously in error) assumed that they had addressed the bloatware problem, especially at the price. I had opriginally thought about getting a new Motorola, but they made so many models, with some much useless stuff, and all at a premium price, that I decided to take a look at my high school sweetheart, the Galaxy series. You are saying I'd have to root it like my old Galaxy III to remove the bloatware? Yikes.

Here's my current scenario.
I was completely happy and content with my motorola moto x pure (MXPE) because it had customizable voice activation, and a really pure android platform, where I could easily strip it down to what I needed. It's just falling apart, and probably time to move up.
That being said, if they sold a moto x pure "Plus", "mark II", or something like that that had all the same specs but 6-8 GB RAM I'd buy it right now.
Basically here's what I want in a phone.

1: Large screen (At least 5.7 '')
2: 4-8 GB RAM minimum
3: microSD Memory Card Slot
4: Octa-Core Snapdragon 835 Chipset or comparable
5: 12MP, f.1.7 camera or better with bangles and jingles
6: Under $700
7: Able to be used with MetroPCS
8: 3200 mAh or better. (This was the achilles Heel for the MXPE
9: Ability to remove all bloatware without a lot of hassle
10: Customizable voice activation, so I can say something other than "Hi Bixby" all day long.

Sorry for rambling, and thank for your reply.

UPDATE: Gosh darn it, I used phonescoop, a comparison site, entered all these specs, and guess what it came up with? You guessed it. A Galaxy Note 8 Or Galaxy S8 plus.
Looks like I am headed back into the Odin panel world and the joys of rooting. Lol.

Another site (https://www.productchart.com) has a number of phones as comparable, including:
Huawei Mate 10
Huawei Mate 9
Huawei P10 Plus
Sony Experia XZ Premimum
LG V30 Plus
Samsung Galaxy Note 8

PM

 

[mikedt]

UPDATE: Gosh darn it, I used phonescoop, a comparison site, entered all these specs, and guess what it came up with? You guessed it. A Galaxy Note 8 Or Galaxy S8 plus.
Looks like I am headed back into the Odin panel world and the joys of rooting. Lol.

Another site (https://www.productchart.com) has a number of phones as comparable, including:
Huawei Mate 10
Huawei Mate 9
Huawei P10 Plus
Sony Experia XZ Premimum
LG V30 Plus
Samsung Galaxy Note 8

PM

I've got the Huawei Mate 10, and I can say it does tick all the boxes. However I'm pretty sure it's not officially distributed in the US, apart from "international version", i.e. a grey import from some Amazon vendor.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076H8QVK...Ly&pd_rd_r=5835BZZ5FW4RBFFNSNJN&pd_rd_w=ECq7v

FWIW Huawei has had some difficulties in getting with the US carriers.
https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/09/huaweis-richard-yu-is-really-pissed-at-us-carriers/

 

[Papamalo]

Last minute dark horse contender, is the Xiaomi Mi 6, which after seeing this thoroughly OCD review, (I love German reviews. they are so damned technical) leads Me to believe that this may bea Galaxy S8 plus killer for me.
When I was looking for a phone in 2014, I was originally going to get a galaxy, but then for nearly half what they were charging, I found the Motorola Moto X Pure.
It had high specs and good reviews,. So does this one. I am going to investigate it. Thanks for the heads up on the Huaweis. This "international version" stuff is aggravating.

PM

 

[tweak4]

For charging pads, there's really not much difference. Just make sure you get something that says it supports "Fast Wireless Charging", as opposed to the older, slower standard. Then, as long as you plug it into a fast-charge charger, you'll get the accelerated rate for your wireless charging too.
I've got several and have never had any problems with any of them, but the one next to me at the moment is a Choetech I picked up on sale at Amazon: http://a.co/8nM0avn