Anyone interested in the Galaxy Note 8 instead of iPhone X?

[TripleOne]

Returned mine today and picked up an iPhone 8 to replace it. Then I ordered the XL 2

That was fast
Will you be getting the X too?

 

[MooMooPrincess]

That was fast
Will you be getting the X too?

I’ll have to see honestly, after I saw the xl 2 and then learned note 8 has a locked boot loader I returned it. LOL, I’ll have to play with the x to see how I like it first. Not a big fan of this small size

 

[Ipheuria]

Glad to hear that you are using both. As someone that is constantly switching back and forth between both OS's I understand the both have their pros and cons, but I find the both being equal, but in different ways. With that being said, I swear that I want to punch somebody square in the face every time I hear the " I am tied into the ecosystem blah, blah, blah" Do you realize how stupid that sounds?

It sounds stupid to you that doesn’t make it stupid for everyone. It’s called choice and preference. Just like you might have a favorite car, beer, camera, clothes brand. I think it’s stupid when I hear people switching between the platforms constantly because I think it’s a big waste of time and money. But that is my personal feeling and means nothing to anyone but me.

 

[Rob Phillips]

It sounds stupid to you that doesn’t make it stupid for everyone. It’s called choice and preference. Just like you might have a favorite car, beer, camera, clothes brand. I think it’s stupid when I hear people switching between the platforms constantly because I think it’s a big waste of time and money. But that is my personal feeling and means nothing to anyone but me.

I agree, and the headache of switching is only compounded when you add more users and devices. For instance, I have family sharing set up with my wife and two kids. This includes purchased apps, movies, TV shows, music, and iCloud storage, and a bunch of devices. In this case the cost to switch ecosystems would be astronomical, and that’s not including the time and energy involved in the process.
Every use case is different. What might be considered an easy switch for one user could be a whole lot of work for another user (like me).

 

[Rob Phillips]

With that being said, I swear that I want to punch somebody square in the face every time I hear the " I am tied into the ecosystem blah, blah, blah" Do you realize how stupid that sounds?

It’s not stupid at all, actually. Smartphone manufacturers put a lot of effort into “locking” users into their ecosystems. Maybe switching is easy for YOU, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy for everyone else.

 

[Ipheuria]

It’s not stupid at all, actually. Smartphone manufacturers put a lot of effort into “locking” users into their ecosystems. Maybe switching is easy for YOU, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy for everyone else.

You know what it’s like when I’m sitting on the train and someone is going on and on about how great Android is. Then they start on about how stupid iPhone users are and how they are mindless sheep blah blah blah. I’ve used an iPhone since the very first one. My mother in law, father in law and sister in law all use Android and I helped them buy the phones. It’s simple to use, in their budget and it makes them happy. I could care less if it’s Android or an iPhone. I shake my head and think “Yeah iPhone users are sheep and what are you? going on and on about how much you love one particular device”. It’s all about choice to me. If you aint paying for my phone then don’t tell me how smart or stupid I am to get it.

 

[paulxxwall]

I’m on the fence as well. Most of my family use android except my fiancé and her family. The note 8 looks like it would be an awesome phone but I have to admit as boring as iOS is it works. The iPhone x sounds like it will be delayed for month and I could use an upgrade now but not an iPhone 8. I’m in the 6s and to me looks more like an 6sss. Note 8 are in stock ready for me. Not sure what to do

 

[Auronda40]

I’m on the fence as well. Most of my family use android except my fiancé and her family. The note 8 looks like it would be an awesome phone but I have to admit as boring as iOS is it works. The iPhone x sounds like it will be delayed for month and I could use an upgrade now but not an iPhone 8. I’m in the 6s and to me looks more like an 6sss. Note 8 are in stock ready for me. Not sure what to do

Do...it..you know...you....want...to! LoL. But seriously it's the greatest phone. You'll love it

 

[swimbikemom2]

I think about it often ..... I would definitely switch if I did not have the Apple Watch .... I’ve had Samsung’s in the past and have lived them!!!!

 

[Auronda40]

So here I am stuck wanting the Note 8 and the iphone X

So are you gonna grab both or just the iPhone X or the Note 8? You gotta get this Note 8 i love it. I do wish I could also grab a new iPhone and have both though.

 

[mogelijk]

I haven't been that interested in the Note 8, I like devices I can get updates on for more than a year or so. OTOH, I'm somewhat tempted by the Pixel XL, seems like a really nice phone.

 

[Shanicenicolle]

I can’t say that I’m not tempted but it’s just not worth the bother for me. I like being able to use iMessage for text messages as well on my MacBook and you lose that functionality moving to android

 

[iN8ter]

I have a Note 8 and I’ll just say that if I could get iMessage on it I probably wouldn’t reach for my iPhone again.

Yea, I'm contemplating rejoining Facebook just to remove iMessage/FaceTime as a barrier to switching platforms...

Facebook basically replaces both of them. Almost everyone I know has an account there, but some do not own Apple devices.

I think iMessage is less of an issue than Continuity/HandOff and SMS/MMS relay if you own a Mac, though.

A lot of iPhone users with Macs use apps that are available for iOS and macOS (and sometimes no where else), which work well via iCloud Synching and Handoff/Continuity... Apps like Tweetbot, Airmail, Flashcard Hero, Things, Notability, Pixelmator, Day One, etc.

If you remove the phone from the equation, then the desktop apps becomes a lot less usable, since in many cases there isn't an Android version available.

---

Personally, I'm just tiring of big phones. I no longer feel I need phone with such a large physical size. I want something that is smaller, lighter, and less physically ungainly. However, I don't want a phone that feels like a Hershey Bar. I find typing two handed on a Galaxy S8 impossible. The phone is so narrow, that I'm fumbling to try to hold it securely while activating all manner of unintentional taps on the "sides" of the screen.

I really hate those curved screens. They've single handedly removed Samsung as an option for smartphones - for me.

 

[iN8ter]

Seriously?...I really didn't say "bigger", even though 5.8" is larger than 5.5" anyway you slice it, at least the last time I looked at a ruler (simple measurements). If I'm not mistaken, I wrote "the iPhone X will have a smaller form factor with a big screen, the best of both worlds", nothing about it being bigger. To be honest, I love the size of the 6/6s/7/8 Pluses SCREEN, just not the large BEZELS. Over the years I just got use/adjusted to the large bezels because I like using the Apple iPhone.
I really don't think a lot of people will be disappointed in the iPhone X screen size...the 5.8" screen on a bezeless device will give the illusion of a much larger screen on a smaller device especially since we've had the same model iPhone with HUGE BEZELS for the last four iterations of the iPhone 6 Plus. With the exception of two of my Blackberry devices (I forgot the name/numbers) which went from a TrackBall to a Trackpad, all of the devices that I've owned the screen ratio/size changed. This is common practice when upgrading and I personally welcome the change.
Honestly, I'm just hoping Apple gets everything else right on the iPhone X, I'm totally happy with the screen size on a bezeless device.

It's not a 5.8" screen. They measure from corner to corner, and you're missing a fairly large cutout at the top of the screen. The corners are also rounded. The amount of viewable screen area is less: Apple even states this on their website...

The iPhone X display has rounded corners that follow a beautiful curved design, and these corners are within a standard rectangle. When measured as a standard rectangular shape, the screen is 5.85 inches diagonally (actual viewable area is less).

The screen is about as big as the iPhone 8 Plus, except it's narrower...

That's great if you spend your day in the Twitter or Facebook App. Not so good if you want to look at images, video, PDF/Document files, or read an eBook because the narrower screen will cause the content to zoom out.

I'm still ignorant as to WHY manufacturers are moving to this aspect ratio, because I see absolutely no advantages to doing so. It seems to be driven more by aesthetics than practicality.

 

[Eddster]

Yea, I'm contemplating rejoining Facebook just to remove iMessage/FaceTime as a barrier to switching platforms...

Facebook basically replaces both of them. Almost everyone I know has an account there, but some do not own Apple devices.

I think iMessage is less of an issue than Continuity/HandOff and SMS/MMS relay if you own a Mac, though.

A lot of iPhone users with Macs use apps that are available for iOS and macOS (and sometimes no where else), which work well via iCloud Synching and Handoff/Continuity... Apps like Tweetbot, Airmail, Flashcard Hero, Things, Notability, Pixelmator, Day One, etc.

If you remove the phone from the equation, then the desktop apps becomes a lot less usable, since in many cases there isn't an Android version available.

---

Personally, I'm just tiring of big phones. I no longer feel I need phone with such a large physical size. I want something that is smaller, lighter, and less physically ungainly. However, I don't want a phone that feels like a Hershey Bar. I find typing two handed on a Galaxy S8 impossible. The phone is so narrow, that I'm fumbling to try to hold it securely while activating all manner of unintentional taps on the "sides" of the screen.

I really hate those curved screens. They've single handedly removed Samsung as an option for smartphones - for me.

That's true. I do love me some Tweetbot and iCloud syncing too.

 

[mpshah]

So are you gonna grab both or just the iPhone X or the Note 8? You gotta get this Note 8 i love it. I do wish I could also grab a new iPhone and have both though.

I’m definitely getting the X but till then I landed up getting the 8+. I’m too invested in the iOS ecosystem so didn’t go the Note 8 way.

 

[o4liberty]

I got the note 8 and I am not looking back! I think the new X will have issues in the beginning I would wait until the next year or get the 8 instead. This is the first year for the X and the OS is somewhat different then the 8 and there is bound to be issues with the new device and I don't want to be a beta tester. The note 8 runs great with zero issues and awesome specs. The 6 gig of ram really makes the note fly and run super smooth.

 

[Auronda40]

I’m definitely getting the X but till then I landed up getting the 8+. I’m too invested in the iOS ecosystem so didn’t go the Note 8 way.

Awe dang

 

[Auronda40]

I got the note 8 and I am not looking back! I think the new X will have issues in the beginning I would wait until the next year or get the 8 instead. This is the first year for the X and the OS is somewhat different then the 8 and there is bound to be issues with the new device and I don't want to be a beta tester. The note 8 runs great with zero issues and awesome specs. The 6 gig of ram really makes the note fly and run super smooth.

How do you like it so far? I just can't put it down!!

 

[iN8ter]

I expect the Note 8 to have a better camera than the iPhone X. It already has a better camera than the 7 Plus or 8 Plus - by a hefty margin. I was very impressed, earlier this evening, when I went in to try out different phones (Pixel XL, Note 8, etc.).

What's even more impressive, is that the RAW (unprocessed) photos you get out of the Note 8 are sometimes comparable to the processed JPEGs you get out of the iPhone 7/8 Plus, while the iPhone's RAW Output (from Camera+ or ProCam.. I tried both) is almost unusable in the same lighting conditions... Both in terms of detail as well as Noise Level... Those were the unprocessed RAW files, under fairly mediocre mixed lighting in the Verizon store.

I'm almost tempted to buy the Note 8 simply because the camera is so freaking fantastic. Then I remember the video analysis apps on Android are kinda poopy. Oh well...

Samsung also did the right thing and put a toggle for RAW + JPEG in the camera settings? That takes courage...

On the flip side, I really hate the screen aspect ration - particularly with the curved screen. The phone is way too narrow. It's like trying to type on a Hershey bar. I don't find this design practical, even if it may look nice in marketing material.

The fingerprint scanner placement is beyond awful. I am not sure why Bixby exists. Half the things she does requires a slide show. This looks nice at first, then you realize it's actually takes quite a long time to get the job done... ...

You won't find a tempered glass screen protection that can offer full coverage on this screen, and case designs are fairly mediocre, as well (due to the design).

This phone... Really... It's just too damn big for me.

On the flip side, I don't expect the iPhone X Camera to be a huge improvement over the 8 Plus, and I really don't care about talking cartoons... So the price premium is not well accounted for in that device...

I'll probably go into the Verizon store again within the next week to try out the Note 8 again, though. If I can convince someone else in the household to upgrade, I can keep thier iPhone 6 Plus and use that [only] at the training facility, which would free up my daily driver to be a non-Apple device.