A year after evaluating my Note-1/S2 relationship at http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-note/465479-just-cant-break-up-my-s2.html, I'm encountering a similar situation with my Note-2/S3 combo. The slightly different proportions of the Note 2 compared with the Note 1 make it much more ergonomic. What's more, a good gesture programming app like GMD Gesture Control has allowed me to make my Note 2 convenient to use with one hand by putting as much functionality as possible under the swipe range of my left thumb. I again want to dis developers who completely disregard one-handability by putting toolbars and menus at the top of the screen because there's just no way to access them one-handed, even on the smaller S3.

Despite my Note 2 being almost as comfortable and one-handable as my S3, I've found recently that I really like returning to the S3--it's just that much more ergonomic. The Note 2's S-Pen is cool, but I don't really have any use for it. The Note 2's significantly superior battery life is great, but it's not too big a deal to carry an extra S3 battery (though, yes, it sucks to have to power off to swap batteries). Having the same resolution, the Note 2's only real advantage is that I can hold it farther from my face and still be able to read the same content. But, now that I've configured my two phones identically and with the same OS version (4.1.1), the convenience of the S3's smaller form factor seems to outweigh the Note 2's marginal performance gains. I mean, regardless of the processor specs, I perceive my S3 as functioning exactly as smoothly and fast as the Note 2. All things being roughly equal, of course the smaller form factor is going to trump the larger when you're out moving around and traveling all day. And when the S4 comes out, I would think higher resolution and battery life are going to overwhelm any of the Note 2's advantages for me. In that case, how could I possibly be wowed by the Note 3 like I was with the Note 2?

I'd be curious to hear if anyone substantially prefers their Note 2 to their S3. Unless, of course, you create graphic stuff with the S-Pen, in which case you certainly have to prefer the Note 2.

 

When do you love the size of it? For me, I'm starting to think that the larger screen doesn't make enough difference (maybe if we got better resolution with the size bump). Do you watch a lot of videos? I used to, and then the Note would obviously be better. But for text and web pages, the larger size doesn't make a huge difference. All things being equal, the S3's smaller form factor is preferable because it's more one-handable (though the Note 2's not bad) and fits in the pocket better (though, again, the Note 2 isn't a disaster in the pocket). If I carried my phone in a bag, I think the Note 2 would be better. But for fast whip-outs from the pocket and one-handing in a crowded place, I've been going back to my S3 the last couple of days after two months of using the Note 2 exclusively.