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Just got Note 4, but wanting to go back to Note 3

michaelqian88

Newbie
Apr 23, 2015
26
15
Hello all,

I just got the Note 3 a few days ago. While I'm enjoying the new Note 4 and its features, but when I pick up my Note 3 I can't help feeling that I want to switch back.

While the Note 4 is undoubtedly more advanced, I feel that the Note 3 is a more comfortable device to use and overall a better design effort from Samsung.

Here are some reasons that make me want to switch back:

1 - The Note 4 is approx 1mm thicker and 2mm taller. The top and bottom bezels I feel are unnecessary tall, perhaps to accomodate the fingerprint scanner? In anycase it feels more clumpsy than the Note 3

2 - The main button at the bottom is very large and appears unsightly.

3 - The control of the Note 4 makes it much more difficult to use 1 handed. The "Option" that used to be on the bottom left corner is now at the top right hand corner. This makes it impossible to reach with your left hand when holding the phone. I'm sure we all use the Options button a lot more than the Task Manager.

4 - Samsung moved the controls in the Internet Explorer and now it is also difficult to use one handed. Previously the Bookmarks, Back, and Forward button were all near the top, this made browsing the web easy with just your left hand. Now the Forward/Back buttons are at the bottom and the Bookmarks button is at the bottom right hand corner, requring two hands if you don't want to risk dropping the phone.

5 - In the Note 3 I used the Action Memo quite a lot, and found it convenient to place an empty Action Memo on the home screen, and vertically scroll through them. On the Note 4 you can no longer place empty Action Memos on the home screen, and scroll through them.

6 - The side buttons stick out too much and very easy to press accidentally. This improves with a case but still is a problem sometimes.

Some of these points are just my personal opinions but I do feel that #3 and #4 are major let downs.

Just wondering if anybody else feels the same way?

Now debating with myself if I should really go back to the Note 3.
 
For #3, just hold down the task switch button and you'll get option/menu.

This partially solves the problem, however the actual menu still appears at the top right hand corner.

Another problem is syncing Gmail using the Stock Email app. I can't never get it to sync properly. It will always show a large number of unread emails (which were already read), and stop syncing at a certain number of emails. I don't have this problem on my Note 3.

Now I'm forced to use two separate Email apps. Stock Email for work, and GMAIL app for personal.

Has anybody else encountered this problem and found a solution?

It also works on my Galaxy Note 10.1 2014.
 
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This partially solves the problem, however the actual menu still appears at the top right hand corner.

Another problem is syncing Gmail using the Stock Email app. I can't never get it to sync properly. It will always show a large number of unread emails (which were already read), and stop syncing at a certain number of emails. I don't have this problem on my Note 3.

Now I'm forced to use two separate Email apps. Stock Email for work, and GMAIL app for personal.

Has anybody else encountered this problem and found a solution?

It also works on my Galaxy Note 10.1 2014.

I like to keep them separate so I use the gmail app for personal, and the stock one for work. You could try the Google Inbox app. I think that will do both.
 
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