NFT: Android Phone Discussion: Note 4 = huge disappointment

and I will never buy another Samsung phone. Touchwiz and bloatware (native Samsung apps) is abyssmal. Eats up almost 40% of storage. My phone is two years old, and I cant get basic updates bc I have no storage left due to the utterly useless and invasive bloatware.

but I've never liked Samsung's additions to the OS.

I'm plotting to replace my 2013 Moto X soon, and I'm getting rather irritated that nobody seems to be making a high-spec android-based phone that fits in a freaking pants pocket anymore. Everything's got these silly 6-inch screens.

I still have the S3 and I can say without a doubt I will definitely never buy another Samsung phone again as well. I've been trying to decide on what phone to get next for a while now after having this piece of shit for so long.

I want a Windows phone because I plan on getting more windows products in the future like the surface but the lack of apps is the only thing holding me back.

I've heard a lot of good things about the HTC phones though so I may have to just go with one of them. If anyone has any experience with either I'd appreciate any opinions.

I may be switching to an iphone soon, the 5s not the new one, as its the only phone out there that isn't like holding a baking sheet in your hand.

In comment 12393440 BTNasty said:

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I still have the S3 and I can say without a doubt I will definitely never buy another Samsung phone again as well. I've been trying to decide on what phone to get next for a while now after having this piece of shit for so long. I want a Windows phone because I plan on getting more windows products in the future like the surface but the lack of apps is the only thing holding me back. I've heard a lot of good things about the HTC phones though so I may have to just go with one of them. If anyone has any experience with either I'd appreciate any opinions.

Windows is a great OS, but I've read that Nadella is not totally behind it.

Because I'm on a contract, if my phone broke tomorrow, I'd get an LG G4. I just like the interchangeable battery and SD card. The new Samsung Galaxy doesnt let you switch SD cards and batteries anymore.

To go off contract unlocked, I'd consider first Nexus 5 (I love that phone) if available, Moto X, Oneplus 2... did I leave anything out? Also, I think the new Nexus phone, being built by Huawei, will be coming out soon.

In comment 12393464 NoPeanutz said:

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In comment 12393440 BTNasty said: Quote: I still have the S3 and I can say without a doubt I will definitely never buy another Samsung phone again as well. I've been trying to decide on what phone to get next for a while now after having this piece of shit for so long. I want a Windows phone because I plan on getting more windows products in the future like the surface but the lack of apps is the only thing holding me back. I've heard a lot of good things about the HTC phones though so I may have to just go with one of them. If anyone has any experience with either I'd appreciate any opinions. Windows is a great OS, but I've read that Nadella is not totally behind it. Because I'm on a contract, if my phone broke tomorrow, I'd get an LG G4. I just like the interchangeable battery and SD card. The new Samsung Galaxy doesnt let you switch SD cards and batteries anymore. To go off contract unlocked, I'd consider first Nexus 5 (I love that phone) if available, Moto X, Oneplus 2... did I leave anything out? Also, I think the new Nexus phone, being built by Huawei, will be coming out soon.

Exactly, the removable battery and SD card slot were the two things I definitely wanted in a smart phone, and only the Note 4 and G4 offered the capability. I told myself that I'd get an extended battery, a qi enabled back, and a wallet case, but I haven't bought any of it yet. I also heard that wallet cases don't work well with Note devices because the magnet creates a dead zone for the battery.

I was anticipating the G4 for months, really bummed I couldn't use my upgrade on it.

I'm thinking about rooting the Note 4, but:

a) I heard that with the latest OTA update, you ca't root the Verizon Note 4 anymore, and
b) I don't want to lose all of the stylus capabilities (and a few other bells and whistles I actually use on the Note 4).

It really sucks that with all this horsepower, this phone cannot do basic things without lagging.

I just want a premium smart phone that can give me all of the features I want without bloatware. SD Card, removable battery, IR Blaster, and Qi Charging. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR??? =( =(

it's rumored that a new Blackberry is going to be running a hybrid version of their OS combined with android, solving Blackberry's app problem completely.

Their new devices are extremely fast and have the specs but the app gap has basically prevented the company from making any headway in the consumer market.

The new device is expected to be a slider with the patented physical keyboard hiding beneath a 5 inch touchscreen, with a big battery as well as removable memory slot. Now, I'm a blackberry loyalist so take the enthusiasm with the bias clearly present, but if I were someone on android looking for a more business capable phone, I'd keep a very close eye on this development.

Until then, I can't recommend this guy enough:

is getting stellar reviews. But it doesn't have any of those afformentioned traits I listed.

Seems like its probably G4 or bust for me. I'm actually worried that the next iteration/generation of Android devices won't have any phones that have a removable battery and SD card slot. I cannot understand, for the life of me, why manufacturers are taking away this option completely. I get that some flagship phones don't need these features, but it'd be nice if phone makers could give us one premium device that had those capabilities and was still a flagship phone.

but they've been compensating for that by putting in pretty powerful batteries.

There are very few days where I have to charge my phone throughout the work day and I use my phone for work A LOT. Phone is usually off the charger around 6 and has about 40% left by the time I leave work around 5 or 6.

In comment 12393541 GMenLTS said:

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but they've been compensating for that by putting in pretty powerful batteries. There are very few days where I have to charge my phone throughout the work day and I use my phone for work A LOT. Phone is usually off the charger around 6 and has about 40% left by the time I leave work around 5 or 6.

That's some great battery life. Yeah, theres usually ways around it, and fast charging has also helped keep my battery charged (I forgot to include that on the list of my personal must-have features for a phone).

I'll have to check out the new battery. I still miss having a physical keyboard. I swear I can type like 80 WPM on a physical keyboard.

guy, but was just curious whether there was any way to "jailbreak" an android phone and delete the "bloatware?"

But have this horrible luck that right after I do upgrade, they immediately announce the new version of the phone I just bought.

What're the current leaders for the Android market? I've heard good things about the G4, the Moto X Play looks good, the S6 is one of the best-sellers still, so I'm a little unsure which direction to go in.

Anyone have any good experiences with new phones in the last few months or know if there's a must-have coming out shortly?

TIA.

By family and friends about still using a BlackBerry but I tend to usually have the last laugh watching everyone else clinging to their chargers, having to always be hugging a wall somewhere while I keep plugging away.

And the apps issue is fairly minimal for anyone that knows how to manipulate electronics at a basic level. I have the entire Google play store on my device and the majority of apps work thanks to bb's android runtime on their OS. Only ones that don't work are apps requiring Google services but there's even some rudimentary workarounds for that.

No typical consumer wants to deal with that though which is why the android hybrid rumors are very intriguing. With the company stabilizing their finances through the software division, if they can somehow eliminate the perception of the app gap by offering every Google app without any set up or issues running them, they could have an answer for the business consumer. Anytime strangers ask about my phone they always mention missing their physical keyboard.

In comment 12393569 Metnut said:

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guy, but was just curious whether there was any way to "jailbreak" an android phone and delete the "bloatware?"

Strictly speaking, I believe so.

The 5s "all of a sudden" started experiencing severe battery drain. I brought it to the genius bar and they ran some tests and the results were that my gyrometer or something is misfiring. It is a hardware issue and costs $200 to fix! Conveniently this is just around the time the 6S will be coming out (end of September) so I think it is a part of involuntary obsolescence.

My S6 is good, but I am so meh about cell phones now a days. I just want one that works, works well all the time and is going to last me for two years. I feel like I will be perpetually disappointed with what is on the market.

instead since Verizon was finally offering a Nexus product. This phone is amazing! The front facing speakers just have aweomse full sound. The phone is very fast, 3GB of RAM and a Quad Core Spadragon. Being a Nexus it's pure android no carrier or manufacturer bloat. The screen is QHD amazingly crisp and I'm getting almost 2 days in between charges. I'm glad I didn't go with the Samsung, I think they are rushing these phones out at this point and quality is starting to suffer.

In comment 12393530 GMenLTS said:

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it's rumored that a new Blackberry is going to be running a hybrid version of their OS combined with android, solving Blackberry's app problem completely. Their new devices are extremely fast and have the specs but the app gap has basically prevented the company from making any headway in the consumer market. The new device is expected to be a slider with the patented physical keyboard hiding beneath a 5 inch touchscreen, with a big battery as well as removable memory slot. Now, I'm a blackberry loyalist so take the enthusiasm with the bias clearly present, but if I were someone on android looking for a more business capable phone, I'd keep a very close eye on this development. Until then, I can't recommend this guy enough:

I just got rid of the BB 10. It was the WORST phone I have ever used. The OS is terrribblleee

Its a great phone, good battery life, very fast. It is large though, but i quickly got used to the size.

In comment 12393637 tbonfig said:

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In comment 12393530 GMenLTS said: Quote: it's rumored that a new Blackberry is going to be running a hybrid version of their OS combined with android, solving Blackberry's app problem completely. Their new devices are extremely fast and have the specs but the app gap has basically prevented the company from making any headway in the consumer market. The new device is expected to be a slider with the patented physical keyboard hiding beneath a 5 inch touchscreen, with a big battery as well as removable memory slot. Now, I'm a blackberry loyalist so take the enthusiasm with the bias clearly present, but if I were someone on android looking for a more business capable phone, I'd keep a very close eye on this development. Until then, I can't recommend this guy enough: I just got rid of the BB 10. It was the WORST phone I have ever used. The OS is terrribblleee

Which phone did you have, just curious? My Q10 had some issues after a year and a half but my passport has been such a beast in all aspects of usage. I understand someone not liking the OS if it's a slower phone or you need certain apps but I'm genuinely curious what you didn't like because literally the only complaint I have with BB10 is the app situation.

In comment 12393656 brandozilla said:

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Its a great phone, good battery life, very fast. It is large though, but i quickly got used to the size.

Yeah, the size went from being too big early on to being the best feature of the phone. I love the screen size, once I got used to it I'm not sure I can go smaller at this point.

and lag seemed to get worse with Lollipop

I even had the thing fall into a toilet and submerge for a few seconds. Dried it out and all was fine. I know someone with a 4 and haven't heard of the time lag issues but we all have different experiences.

My biggest issue was the lost of a couple of features that I regularly use when the new Lollipop OS came out. I'm due for a new phone I was going to go for the new Note 5 but was disappointed to hear the new model was going to no removable battery.

and I too have noticed lag and a general decrease in performance. I also have a frequent issue where my browser windows just closes and I need to relaunch it.

I had such a terrible, traumatic experience with a Samsung Epic years ago that I swore I'd never trust Samsung again. Well, I did, and I'm starting to think I shouldn't have broken the promise I made to myself.

I might root it but try other ROMs but Jesus, what an annoying thing to do.

In comment 12393827 santacruzom said:

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and I too have noticed lag and a general decrease in performance. I also have a frequent issue where my browser windows just closes and I need to relaunch it.

the problem HAS to be their terrible software that they force on their customers. Boggles the mind.

that's what bogging down the phone. Guarantee you root and throw on an AOSP (Cyanogenmod) and it'll be like a brand new phone.

I'll never buy anything but a Nexus phone again. The Nexus 5 2015 should be out very soon because the release of Android M is slated for Q3, not Q4 like all other Android OS have been in the past.

My Nexus 5 still runs buttery smooth, it's the best phone I've ever had.

In comment 12393569 Metnut said:

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guy, but was just curious whether there was any way to "jailbreak" an android phone and delete the "bloatware?"

Yes and it's extremely easy to do.

The Moto X 2014 is a bad ass phone (camera is 'eh' in low light) but it runs stock android and the battery life is stellar.

The OnePlus 2 is going to be a great phone, but who the hell knows how long an invite will take to get.

and that is what holds back phones getting timely updates too. Motorola finally went to mostly stock android after their motoblur crap; htc sense sucks, touchwiz is brutal. The best android experience is on a nexus device or a moto device due to using mostly stock android.

Looks like I made the wrong choice. The damn stylus is what got me.

In comment 12393986 GMENGianni said:

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that's what bogging down the phone. Guarantee you root and throw on an AOSP (Cyanogenmod) and it'll be like a brand new phone. I'll never buy anything but a Nexus phone again. The Nexus 5 2015 should be out very soon because the release of Android M is slated for Q3, not Q4 like all other Android OS have been in the past. My Nexus 5 still runs buttery smooth, it's the best phone I've ever had.

yeah, I was going to root it, but I heard the latest OTA update broke the root exploit for vzw.

I also don't want to lose all stylus functionality. I heard that there's a mod somewhere that's TouchWiz based but much smoother once there is a way to root this phone, I'm going to def do it. I can't take this anymore. Even my S4 ran well for a longer time initially. I've only had this phone since april

In comment 12393680 GMenLTS said:

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In comment 12393637 tbonfig said: Quote: In comment 12393530 GMenLTS said: Quote: it's rumored that a new Blackberry is going to be running a hybrid version of their OS combined with android, solving Blackberry's app problem completely. Their new devices are extremely fast and have the specs but the app gap has basically prevented the company from making any headway in the consumer market. The new device is expected to be a slider with the patented physical keyboard hiding beneath a 5 inch touchscreen, with a big battery as well as removable memory slot. Now, I'm a blackberry loyalist so take the enthusiasm with the bias clearly present, but if I were someone on android looking for a more business capable phone, I'd keep a very close eye on this development. Until then, I can't recommend this guy enough: I just got rid of the BB 10. It was the WORST phone I have ever used. The OS is terrribblleee Which phone did you have, just curious? My Q10 had some issues after a year and a half but my passport has been such a beast in all aspects of usage. I understand someone not liking the OS if it's a slower phone or you need certain apps but I'm genuinely curious what you didn't like because literally the only complaint I have with BB10 is the app situation.

I had the Q10. I loved my curve that I used forever but couldn't get comfortable with the email client on the new OS.