Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Galaxy Note 3

maximus96 said:
does the neo hybrid make the phone more slippery? that seem to be one of the complaints, that and the added bulk...i'm currently using a Supcase and i'm really liking it because the side is much more grippy...the back of the supcase, however, is slippery hard plastic but i don't ever hold it that way
Click to expand...

The back is not slippery since it's silicone. The sides are a bit slippery since the frame has a glossy surface finish, but not too bad. What I don't like is the bulk and weight it adds.

On the plus side, it's very well made with a proper fit, good tolerances and cutouts in all the right places. I like the side buttons too. All said, a great case except for the weight and bulk.

Using the phone without a case actually provides the best grip due to the ridged sides and textured back, not to mention, the featherlite weight... but I am too scared to use it like that lol.
 
kenknotts said:
Well after 6 days with the Note 3, I have returned it and gone back to my 5s. It is a fantastic device and probably the best Android phone on the market IMO. For those interested in why I returned it, keep reading. One of the main reasons I kept the 5s was Apple releasing Mavericks last night. Its added some great new features that tie in your iPhone to your Macs even more now. Seeing as I have an iMac, Macbook Air and an iPad Mini, keeping the 5s made more sense. Another reason is hardware. The Samsung radios are still subpar. I would drop into 3G or even 1x on Verizon in places where my 5s got LTE just fine. I prefer the 5s camera over the Note 3, and by quite a bit. The AMOLED displays are still not as good as the IPS on the iPhone, even though it is a higher resolution. Lastly, its just too big to be an everyday phone. I work from home, so if I want to watch movies, play games or something where a larger screen is a benefit, I'll do it on my TV, iMac, Macbook or Mini. I would recommend the Note 3 to pretty much anyone wanting a big screen, non iOS device, its just not for me.
Click to expand...

I notice this on the radios in my note 2. anyway my ipad and iPhone 5 pull down 50mbs yet my note 2 never gets past 25. I feel Samsung uses sub part wifi and call radios or in my case anyway. Anyone else experience this or did Samsung fix this in the note 3?
 
narutoninjakid said:
I notice this on the radios in my note 2. anyway my ipad and iPhone 5 pull down 50mbs yet my note 2 never gets past 25. I feel Samsung uses sub part wifi and call radios or in my case anyway. Anyone else experience this or did Samsung fix this in the note 3?
Click to expand...

Actually I've noticed this on almost all androids, at least all of them that I have used and that's quite an extensive list. I've always been able to get better mobile reception on my iPhone's, less jumping from 2G to 3G when in a poor cell area and WiFi has always been more consistent with higher Mbps down & up. It's just another advantage iPhone has over Android. Hopefully OEM's will recognize this in the near future.
 
Tried the Note 3 today in a store.

Really nice phone. Web browsing and video playback was excellent. Very very smooth. Didn't see any lag or stutter. Very light.

So what are the drawbacks? Only the low speaker? Also difficult to root due to Knox?

Also saw the LG G2, but wasn't on. It seemed a little bit heavier, but much sturdier than the Note 3. Also much smaller.
 
http://m.gsmarena.com/5_million_samsung_galaxy_note_3s_sold_in_the_first_month-news-7093.php

3 million units sold in 1 month! Not bad for a niche product; well-deserved for such an excellent device.
 
Finally got my Spigen Bounce case. It's not too bad. I think the fit is great once you got all the holes lined up. I also like the fact that it has a lip on the front to protect the screens from a face plant. It doesn't add a whole lot of bulk but you can clearly feel some extra weight and width. But again, not a whole lot. All in all I recommend it to anyone wanting something simple and not too bulky. Here's a few pics with for comparison with my wife's without a case.

Bounce-1.jpg


Bounce-2.jpg


Bounce-3.jpg


Bounce-4.jpg
 
PollyK said:
Finally got my Spigen Bounce case. It's not too bad. I think the fit is great once you got all the holes lined up. I also like the fact that it has a lip on the front to protect the screens from a face plant. It doesn't add a whole lot of bulk but you can clearly feel some extra weight and width. But again, not a whole lot. All in all I recommend it to anyone wanting something simple and not too bulky. Here's a few pics with for comparison with my wife's without a case.

Image

Image

Image

Image
Click to expand...

I really like the Spigen bounce, looks beautiful.I just got the Spigen neo hybrid in last night and so far I'm having mixed feelings. Now don't get me wrong, it looks beautiful, but my gosh, it makes the phone so slippery and feels like it offers very little protection if dropped. Other than that, it's a perfect fit and the cut outs are well placed with a nice premium finish.

I actually prefer the cheap iblason case I got despite it's flaws (loose rubber molding on top & bottom) because it has a much better grip and offers better protection. Plus it feels lighter than the neo hybrid. I guess cheap rubber does that :D

Anyways, here are some pictures.


apababap.jpg


eqy4a9uj.jpg


ru5ajujy.jpg


numu6ezy.jpg
 
Dontazemebro said:
I really like the Spigen bounce, looks beautiful.I just got the Spigen neo hybrid in last night and so far I'm having mixed feelings. Now don't get me wrong, it looks beautiful, but my gosh, it makes the phone so slippery and feels like it offers very little protection if dropped. Other than that, it's a perfect fit and the cut outs are well placed with a nice premium finish.

I actually prefer the cheap iblason case I got despite it's flaws (loose rubber molding on top & bottom) because it has a much better grip and offers better protection. Plus it feels lighter than the neo hybrid. I guess cheap rubber does that :D

Anyways, here are some pictures.
Click to expand...

I almost got the neo hybrid as well, but decided for the cheaper bounce case to hold me over. Only because of some of the complaints I read on the Xda forums. I'm gonna wait and see what comes out in the following month. There should be a lot more options by then. But gotta say the neo hybrid sure looks nice.
 
Dontazemebro said:
I really like the Spigen bounce, looks beautiful.I just got the Spigen neo hybrid in last night and so far I'm having mixed feelings. Now don't get me wrong, it looks beautiful, but my gosh, it makes the phone so slippery and feels like it offers very little protection if dropped. Other than that, it's a perfect fit and the cut outs are well placed with a nice premium finish.

I actually prefer the cheap iblason case I got despite it's flaws (loose rubber molding on top & bottom) because it has a much better grip and offers better protection. Plus it feels lighter than the neo hybrid. I guess cheap rubber does that :D

Anyways, here are some pictures.
Click to expand...

I just got this exact case, and while it's not bad, it seems really slippery. It also seems to add a lot of added bulk. I guess this one will hold me over until something better is released.
 
Samsung needs to step up their Game with Updates.

Im probably going to wait to get this phone next year when its cheap and value drops. Sadly android phones don't hold value well but in this case its to my benefit. However, Im really disappointed in Samsung with the speed of their updates. My note 2 is still on 4.1.2 for the longest time and it gets annoying. You could flash AOSP ROMS but you lose the Samsung Features. Now 4.4 is out and even the Note 3 is on 4.3 and will take a while before it sees 4.4. The note 2 may never even see 4.4 or it will take a long time. Starting to think of other manufacturers in the future if this continues.:(:( But I love the S-Pen !!!

HTC on the other hand seems to be stepping up their game.
http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/31/htc-one-android-kitkat/

In my opinion Samsung needs to step up their game. What do you guys think about the speed of updates from Samsung ?

Comments on Android phones holding value also welcome.
 
Last edited:
ChrisTX said:
I just got this exact case, and while it's not bad, it seems really slippery. It also seems to add a lot of added bulk. I guess this one will hold me over until something better is released.
Click to expand...

Yep, that heavy duty rubber does make it weighty. It's quit deceiving at first until you actually hold it with it on. Hopefully something nice comes along just like the neo but with better grip and less weight
 
Dontazemebro said:
Yep, that heavy duty rubber does make it weighty. It's quit deceiving at first until you actually hold it with it on. Hopefully something nice comes along just like the neo but with better grip and less weight
Click to expand...

I just wish the back was texturized, or a little grippier. I can deal with the weight but the slickness is a definite concern. I'm hoping Element Case releases a Note 3 case, as they are rumored to be working on one.
 
narutoninjakid said:
Im probably going to wait to get this phone next year when its cheap and value drops. Sadly android phones don't hold value well but in this case its to my benefit. However, Im really disappointed in Samsung with the speed of their updates. My note 2 is still on 4.1.2 for the longest time and it gets annoying. You could flash AOSP ROMS but you lose the Samsung Features. Now 4.4 is out and even the Note 3 is on 4.3 and will take a while before it sees 4.4. The note 2 may never even see 4.4 or it will take a long time. Starting to think of other manufacturers in the future if this continues.:(:( But I love the S-Pen !!!

HTC on the other hand seems to be stepping up their game.
http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/31/htc-one-android-kitkat/

In my opinion Samsung needs to step up their game. What do you guys think about the speed of updates from Samsung ?

Comments on Android phones holding value also welcome.
Click to expand...

Can you tell me what you can do on 4.3/4.4 which you can't on 4.1.x. And I am talking about something essential that you can't do without.

From what I see most of the core apps are now detached from OS so even those with 4.1 has the same core apps as 4.3/4.4. I just don't see any earth shattering drawbacks if you are on 4.1.x.
 
mib1800 said:
Can you tell me what you can do on 4.3/4.4 which you can't on 4.1.x. And I am talking about something essential that you can't do without.

From what I see most of the core apps are now detached from OS so even those with 4.1 has the same core apps as 4.3/4.4. I just don't see any earth shattering drawbacks if you are on 4.1.x.
Click to expand...

4.3 introduced Bluetooth 4.0, and Project Butter had improvements made to how much resources it took to keep animations smooth, it was mostly under the hood improvements, along with in-built tools to help devs.

4.4 looks like they've slimmed down Android to use much less resources to run, so it can be put onto Budget handsets to compete with the low-end Nokia devices.
 
mib1800 said:
Can you tell me what you can do on 4.3/4.4 which you can't on 4.1.x. And I am talking about something essential that you can't do without.

From what I see most of the core apps are now detached from OS so even those with 4.1 has the same core apps as 4.3/4.4. I just don't see any earth shattering drawbacks if you are on 4.1.x.
Click to expand...

Mostly the little things. But lock screen widgets is really important for me. Plus graphics support. Also then we have a better chance of porting the Note 3's features
 
Just got the Spigen Silver Neo Hybrid. Like most have mentioned it's slippery. I think just need to get used to it. Other than that it feels, fit and looks great!
 
Help what does this mean?
 

Attachments

  • uploadfromtaptalk1383383280388.jpg
    uploadfromtaptalk1383383280388.jpg
    65.5 KB · Views: 120
That's strange the past week i've been getting that message too. I thought it has to do with Look Out Security
 
Well, I returned it. Got tired of the two phone thing. I'm hoping the iPhone 6 has a much bigger screen. Like 4.8-5". I loved Swype, I loved the screen. Other than that, Android is just not for me. Blah.
 
mib1800 said:
Can you tell me what you can do on 4.3/4.4 which you can't on 4.1.x. And I am talking about something essential that you can't do without.

From what I see most of the core apps are now detached from OS so even those with 4.1 has the same core apps as 4.3/4.4. I just don't see any earth shattering drawbacks if you are on 4.1.x.
Click to expand...
Lock screen widgets and graphics support, like naruto said above. Especially the lockscreen widgets is something I've been hoping to get for a long time now. I'm on a Note 2.

Being this far behind with updates is making me seriously think twice about getting another Samsung device. I love the S-features and all, but I have to admit this is quite frustrating.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back