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Galaxy Note 3 (The Perfect Phone?)

AX338

AX338

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 20, 2013
153
8
London
Have to say having had all the iPhones up to iP5 and now having had the GN3 for 6 months I'm really pleased with it.

I swapped primarily because I wanted a bigger screen to watch films on and couldn't be bothered to wait for the iP6.

Now its out and so is the GN4 I can't justify the expense of 'upgrading'. The screen size more than satisfies, the camera and video quality is superb and I love the size.

Having spent years of upgrading I'm thinking I'll stick with this for quite a while..

Anyone else really impressed with their slightly older phone and sticking with it?
 
It is an amazing device. Best I've ever had but I will be upgrading to the note 4 which is a good upgrade to the note 3. I'm due to start a new contract but yes when the Note 4 arrives it arrives It's not like i'm in a rush to lose my Note 3...it's a great device with amazing features and the great S pen of course.

I'm a note man now afterall.
 
AX338 said:
Have to say having had all the iPhones up to iP5 and now having had the GN3 for 6 months I'm really pleased with it.

I swapped primarily because I wanted a bigger screen to watch films on and couldn't be bothered to wait for the iP6.

Now its out and so is the GN4 I can't justify the expense of 'upgrading'. The screen size more than satisfies, the camera and video quality is superb and I love the size.

Having spent years of upgrading I'm thinking I'll stick with this for quite a while..

Anyone else really impressed with their slightly older phone and sticking with it?
Click to expand...


Loved the note 3, found it just a hair too big and heavy (always stuck out of my pocket)

Was hoping they would at least make the note 4 lighter, but not the case.

So got an s5 to try out and its front cam sucks, on a lg g3 now and I love it except for the occasional lag. I like samsung's over saturated screens, but the g3 does everything else better.
 
It is the most amazing phone I have ever used and I have used almost all of them, the 4 will be even better
 
Incredible phone. The functionality it offers is matched by NONE. I don't blame you for being hesitant to upgrade to the N4. I'm upgrading mainly due to things like OIS for the camera, the nicer frame and being able to say goodbye to the horribly ugly chrome surround on the N3, and also maybe the curved glass if I decide to get the edge.

My wife hates her 5s more and more each day and has fallen in love with my Note 3, so I know it's going to find a good home. Just the other day I showed her a widget which was a live feed of our daughter in her daycare, she was completely floored.
 
spinedoc77 said:
Incredible phone. The functionality it offers is matched by NONE. I don't blame you for being hesitant to upgrade to the N4. I'm upgrading mainly due to things like OIS for the camera, the nicer frame and being able to say goodbye to the horribly ugly chrome surround on the N3, and also maybe the curved glass if I decide to get the edge.

My wife hates her 5s more and more each day and has fallen in love with my Note 3, so I know it's going to find a good home. Just the other day I showed her a widget which was a live feed of our daughter in her daycare, she was completely floored.
Click to expand...

What widget is that? Video widget?
 
The Game 161 said:
What widget is that? Video widget?
Click to expand...

IP Cam Lite, it's pretty awesome. It doesn't seem to eat much battery, plus with the Note's huge battery I don't think I'd care if it did. It interfaces with the network cams the daycare has installed.
 
I picked one up on Ebay for $300 a few days back. It got delivered yesterday and looks to be in very good condition.

Any recommendations for a slim case? Are there any screen protectors that work with the s-pen?
 
viskon said:
I picked one up on Ebay for $300 a few days back. It got delivered yesterday and looks to be in very good condition.

Any recommendations for a slim case? Are there any screen protectors that work with the s-pen?
Click to expand...

I run mine naked and it's totally spotless, that's one of the advantages of the plastic back.
 
Shanghaichica said:
That's a really good widget.
Click to expand...

This is the kind of stuff that iOS just cannot match, having so much information at a single glance. On my home page I have LIVE feeds of my calendar, email, text messages, Google voice messages, OneNote notes, Google now headlines and cards, and a live feed of my kid at daycare. I can see all of that information at a single glance.

With iOS I could see it was sunny and 73 EVERY single day of the year, lol.
 
spinedoc77 said:
This is the kind of stuff that iOS just cannot match, having so much information at a single glance. On my home page I have LIVE feeds of my calendar, email, text messages, Google voice messages, OneNote notes, Google now headlines and cards, and a live feed of my kid at daycare. I can see all of that information at a single glance.

With iOS I could see it was sunny and 73 EVERY single day of the year, lol.
Click to expand...
Couldn't have a phone without widgets now.. Have about 7-8
 
spinedoc77 said:
This is the kind of stuff that iOS just cannot match, having so much information at a single glance. On my home page I have LIVE feeds of my calendar, email, text messages, Google voice messages, OneNote notes, Google now headlines and cards, and a live feed of my kid at daycare. I can see all of that information at a single glance.

With iOS I could see it was sunny and 73 EVERY single day of the year, lol.
Click to expand...

This is it isn't it. I also have a full page widget of my Calander, google now, s-health pedometer, YouTube, news and various other widgets. When I switched back to the iPhone 5S for 28 days earlier this year widgets were one of the things I found were a deal breaker for me. I understand that iOS 8 will bring widgets but since they are in the notification panel and not on screen they are a no go for me. I think the widget you describe of your child at daycare is priceless.
 
Agree the Note 3 is the ultimate phone. Even forgetting the spen it's leagues ahead of most other phones in terms of features, specs, battery life and performance.
I like the look of the Note 4 and will most probably pick one up when the price drops. I wonder when the best time would be to get the best price for my used Note 3 and the lowest price for a new or second hand Note 4??
 
Markyboy81 said:
Agree the Note 3 is the ultimate phone. Even forgetting the spen it's leagues ahead of most other phones in terms of features, specs, battery life and performance.
I like the look of the Note 4 and will most probably pick one up when the price drops. I wonder when the best time would be to get the best price for my used Note 3 and the lowest price for a new or second hand Note 4??
Click to expand...

I'd say immediately as the Note 4 although announced, probably isn't on many peoples minds since it's not in stores or being marketed yet.
 
My Sony Ultra is better to me than my Note 3. Less lag and no touch wiz to spoil the OS.
 
GadgetSN said:
My Sony Ultra is better to me than my Note 3. Less lag and no touch wiz to spoil the OS.
Click to expand...

Nearly picked one up as well--shame it has such an awful camera with no flash, was ultimately the deal breaker for me. Loved the prospect of being able to use anything as a stylus--how well does that work?
 
I'm no Samsung fan but actually agree with the OP. There is no perfect smartphone to me, but the Galaxy Note 3 comes pretty close as an all-around performer. The Galaxy Note 4 is only an incremental upgrade. It has the metal frame but Samsung might be sacrificing battery life for a 2k display. As seen from the LG G3 and Oppo Find 7, having a 2k display is becoming a step backwards on battery if they keep the capacity nearly the same. Sony was smart with the Z3/Z3C.

Based on hardware, GNote 3 comes pretty close and it is a 2013 flagship. An excellent and still serviceable 1080p display. Excellent battery life which can be replaced for longevity. Expandable memory. Still fast and efficient Snapdragon 800 with 3 GB of RAM. Higher resell value than the S-line. It's weaknesses might come from the faux metal frame which is no big deal and perhaps TouchWiz aesthetics/bloat which could be a big deal to many.

Only reasons why people didn't put GNote 3 at #1 last year was because it was "too big" and the many haters that Samsung generates from other rabid fanbases. Being called copycats and such. With more people eating their own words after iPhone 6 Plus sales and realizing phablets were ahead of the game all along, perhaps GNotes should now be regarded higher and be considered more as a smartphone eliminating the phablet label altogether. If you own a great 2013 flagship, there generally is no need to upgrade to a 2014 flagship. I have no urge to get HTC One (M8) or Xiaomi Mi 4 as their predecessors are still great to use.
 
Savor said:
Only reasons why people didn't put GNote 3 at #1 last year was because it was "too big" and the many haters that Samsung generates from other rabid fanbases. Being called copycats and such. With more people eating their own words after iPhone 6 Plus sales and realizing phablets were ahead of the game all along, perhaps GNotes should now be regarded higher and be considered more as a smartphone eliminating the phablet label altogether.
Click to expand...

It will be interesting which of the new iPhones out performs the other in sales. I remember all the "hype" about the 5c.
 
Savor said:
I'm no Samsung fan but actually agree with the OP. There is no perfect smartphone to me, but the Galaxy Note 3 comes pretty close as an all-around performer. The Galaxy Note 4 is only an incremental upgrade. It has the metal frame but Samsung might be sacrificing battery life for a 2k display. As seen from the LG G3 and Oppo Find 7, having a 2k display is becoming a step backwards on battery if they keep the capacity nearly the same. Sony was smart with the Z3/Z3C.

Based on hardware, GNote 3 comes pretty close and it is a 2013 flagship. An excellent and still serviceable 1080p display. Excellent battery life which can be replaced for longevity. Expandable memory. Still fast and efficient Snapdragon 800 with 3 GB of RAM. Higher resell value than the S-line. It's weaknesses might come from the faux metal frame which is no big deal and perhaps TouchWiz aesthetics/bloat which could be a big deal to many.

Only reasons why people didn't put GNote 3 at #1 last year was because it was "too big" and the many haters that Samsung generates from other rabid fanbases. Being called copycats and such. With more people eating their own words after iPhone 6 Plus sales and realizing phablets were ahead of the game all along, perhaps GNotes should now be regarded higher and be considered more as a smartphone eliminating the phablet label altogether. If you own a great 2013 flagship, there generally is no need to upgrade to a 2014 flagship. I have no urge to get HTC One (M8) or Xiaomi Mi 4 as their predecessors are still great to use.
Click to expand...
The galaxy S5 LT-A model showed that they can have a 2K display and retain good battery life. It also showed that they can implement a 2K display properly (cough, cough) . I have every confidence in Samsung to get this right. Anyhow as with the LG G3, the note 4 has a removable battery so it's a moot point.
 
Hardly. My N3 camera takes good pics in bright light but dim light was awful. Camera function very laggy as well, missed a lot of shots due to this. Gallery view for photos often crashes the app. App crashes in general were common but I blame KK more than the N3 for that.

Worst complaint on N3 is radio and voice quality. At least on Verizon. Hundreds of complaints on Verizon support forums about N3 dropping calls, voice and data quality so it's obvious the CDMA N3 wasn't engineered well.

I'll keep it as a spare phone but it's been a disappointment overall.
 
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