I am planning to buy Note 4 but I wonder if the specs & longevity will still be supported after 2-3 years? As I usually use my phone up to 2+ years and get it on contract, so I really want to convince myself this is a correct investment for me as this will be my first Smartphone. Thank you for any help in advance.
if the specs & longevity will still be supported after 2-3 years?
- Thread starter roevon
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Teegunn
Android Expert
2 years - absolutely. 3 years, it should still be working fine. But ANY smartphone will be on the downside of tech after 3 years. This one is at the top of the tech heap right now. Only things that could hurt it is lack of 64 bit support. But hell, we've been talking about 64 bit on PC's for about ten years. IMO, 32bit/64bit is not a deal killer - how many apps are coded 64 bit?? Mobile tech is all 32 bit and that will take many years to change. This phone is sporting the top of the line hardware - you can't realy find a device better suited to last 2 to 3 years and still run strong. The Note 2 is two years old and is still a VERY capable device for instance. Futureproof wise, the N4 is as good a bet as you can find IMHO.
thirstypirate
Well-Known Member
I agree with Teegunn, there is no other phone that is more future proof than the Note 4, unless you wait for the Note 5 or Note 6, etc. I hope you really enjoy entering the world of smart phones.
Owning a Note 3 I can clearly say the Note 4 isn't worth an upgrade, so, my Note 3 has run an year and will till next 1 or 2. Note 4 having same and better specs than the Note 3 will definitely secure your future of 2-3 years with the phone. Note 4 is a high-end smartphone and definitely worth it! Anything else added to the Note 5 won't really make a difference, a retina-scanner perhaps? A better S-Pen? Isn't the Note 2's working well anyway? Tech keeps coming and older phones get the bump down, mostly design-wise in the Note series. Note 4 is future-proof for sure!
If you get the exynos variant ,then you may get 64 bit support after android L releases.
Teegunn
Android Expert
Yes, that would be nice. But is the exynos variant going to be available through Verizon? IDK, but it seems the US usually gets the lower spec variants. It would be nice to have 64 bit support, but I doubt it will make real world difference within 1 to 2 years. I upgrade every year actually so it is not that big of a deal for me, although I always like to have the option of being the most futureproofed as possible of course.
question729
Android Enthusiast
Sounds like we are dealing with a car.
The galaxy s3 is being updated to 4.4.4, so I don't think there's a question that the note 4 will still be supported for a few years to come. My brother just did a factory reset on my old note 2 (needed it after a couple major system updates,) and he said it feels like a brand new phone.
Teegunn
Android Expert
AnonGuy
Android Enthusiast
Someone mentioned 3 years. The S3 is just over 2 years old and 4.4.4 is going to be it's last official update. In a year and change Samsung will forget the Note 3 and at around 2 years they'll do the same with the Note 4. They do not support phones much past two years.
As far as support between FW updates, they are pretty bad at that. You rarely see them update the components in the phone even when bugs are present. It's hey their SMS client is still broken.
Yea the s3 is almost 2 and a half years old and still being supported..The op said he keeps his phones for 2+ years so it should still be supported by the time he gives up the n4. This life cycle is pretty standard (even good) for android manufacturers. Btw, I don't think Samsung has come out and said the s3 won't get android L, have they?
Bug fixes seem to differ pretty greatly between US carriers. I swear every time I turn around an AT&T Samsung phone it's getting a bug fix, but Verizon has been terrible in this regard.
I believe Samsung only support the phones for 24 - 30 months (2-2 1/2 years) which is good for NZ users as we either get the phone on $100 a month for 2 years or pay $1049 minimum for them off contract.
And for the Exynos version that is usually only the international version going by the older phones Samsung have released
And for the Exynos version that is usually only the international version going by the older phones Samsung have released
AnonGuy
Android Enthusiast
Yes it's horribly inconsistent, and that's a problem.
The international S3 is EOL. The US variants were released later so your timetable is a bit off 😉
Teegunn
Android Expert
3 years is forever in a smartphone lifetime. No use complaining about something that is at the EOL anyway. I've got a droid X and droid X2 that are both used by kids on my Verizon plan. They work, but they are slow and laggy. But they work. I don't blame Motorola or Verizon for them not "being supported" anymore, I doubt that would make much difference in how they work at this point. Not many Droid X's out there anymore. They are so far behind the tech curve in hardware already, and of course the manufacturers and carriers want you to get a new phone every couple of years or more.
andy roddy
Lurker
My Note 2 is 2 years old, and it can still run just about any app in the Play Store. You should be ok with a Note 4 in 2016/7 if you need to wait that long.
Don't forget that you have a replaceable battery, so you don't have to worry about it degrading over time.
Don't forget that you have a replaceable battery, so you don't have to worry about it degrading over time.
AnonGuy
Android Enthusiast
Apple supports for 3 years. The Lumia phones will get close to that.
EOL matters cause its when devices stop being supported by the manufacturer. It also matters if you like to resale your devices. Brands with better support tend to fetch a bit more, and that's part of the reason why iPhones retain value so well.
I never said anyone was complaining - don't put words in my mouth. The term EOL is pretty self explanatory in the context of this conversation.
The Samsung KK update for US S3 has been done for a while. It's just delayed due to the carriers - often the builds they push out are the same as leaked builds from months earlier and it's been that way since the OG Galaxy S. The time table the other person mentioned is inaccurate.
I don't think I said the phone stops working. I said it won't be supported to 3 years. I believe the thread asks that question, no?
Don't see what your old phones have to do with it. People are using iPhone 4 and old BlackBerry devices just fine still. We know that. That was the question the OP asked.
Teegunn
Android Expert
I should have clarified my response better I will say this - some carriers are horrible releasing updates to OS's, I agree. Verizon for one. A disadvantage to android is with so many phone variants and so many difference UI skins, that updates are not consistent. By default, a locked down ecosystem with very few yearly new devices like Apple will have a much more consistent OS update service and likely longer EOL on their devices. Although a 3 yr old iPhone is pretty far behind the curve to ios8 I believe. As far as resale - I think that is a very minor concern. The resale on any 3+ yr old smartphone is so little what is a 10 or 20 bucks difference at that point??
Wasn't trying to put words in your mouth, apologies. Was just pointing out that 2.5 to 3 years IMHO is enough to "support" with OS updates on phones. Most consumers move on to a different, upgraded phone by that time. 3 years is an eternity in a smartphones lifecycle, the hardware itself has fallen behind to the point where upgrading the device is much needed, and daily use of a phone for 3 years - most phones are very much worse for wear at that point. Most 3 year old phones won't benefit much from OS upgrades that far from what the hardware was meant to use anyway. My daughters S3 is 2 years old however, and she has kept it in almost perfect condition. It runs very well and I expect to be using that phone as a hand me down to my other daughter for at least another year. (it will replace the Droid X she uses now) So it really depends on the phone model itself (some are futurproofed better than others) and the how the phone has been treated for a 2 or 3 year span. I would say the S3 is a pretty good device that has been out in the US, for 2 and a half years now? I would call that very good longevity for a phone that still works very smoothly and likely will for another 1 to 2 years.
Sorry if my previous post seemed critical of you, was not my intent. Hope this follow up post clarifies.
Just looking back on the Note's I've own I can see the Note 3 lasting for another year or 2. But the Note 2 was slower before being replaced by the Note 3. I personally would not use a Note 2 today. It still works but I rather have the best experience if I'm using a device on a daily basis.
And if your a Note 2 owner the Note 4 is a massive update. I can't think of one positive that a Note 2 would have over a Note 4. I almost forgot; the Note 2 has a unlockable bootloader so maybe that's one benefit over the Note 4. That's it.
And if your a Note 2 owner the Note 4 is a massive update. I can't think of one positive that a Note 2 would have over a Note 4. I almost forgot; the Note 2 has a unlockable bootloader so maybe that's one benefit over the Note 4. That's it.
NeoGrandizer
Android Expert
I'm a Note 2 owner and think the OS is going backwards with the SD card permissions. Not worth the upgrade for that alone for me. I use the SD card alot and this is a deal breaker. I don't root or install custom ROMs. My Note 2 is still working fine. Yes it does have a few quirks, but what device doesn't?
I think hardware wise, my Note 2, will still last me another year or so before it's rendered completely obsolete.
Lastly, nothing is future proof. I don't know who came up with such a term in technology. It simply does not exist. If it did we wouldn't need to upgrade for our entire existence.
Google has definitely got me seriously thinking about Windows as an alternative.
I think hardware wise, my Note 2, will still last me another year or so before it's rendered completely obsolete.
Lastly, nothing is future proof. I don't know who came up with such a term in technology. It simply does not exist. If it did we wouldn't need to upgrade for our entire existence.
Google has definitely got me seriously thinking about Windows as an alternative.
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