Well, the camera setup alone can be pretty significant based on personal preferences. I’d trade in the marginally adequate ‘telephoto/portrait’ shooters on the iPhone and Note for a good wide angle lens in a heartbeat, but that’s just me.
Beyond that, I find the form factor much more appealing as the display under the curves on Samsung’s phones are a huge waste (the distortion drives me nuts and yes, I’ve seen it in person) and both the Note and S8s feel awkwardly narrow/tall. Alex Dobie speaks to it directly at about the 2:50 mark of his V30 review and the side-by-side in the video illustrates it well. The fingerprint sensor is another big point of contention as Samsung’s might as well not even be there. If aesthetics matter, the blacked out camera area on the Note looks awful. And there is also no Bixby nonsense to deal with.
If the S-Pen is a significant factor in one’s purchase decision, the Note clearly is a compelling choice. Take that away though and I personally think the V30 may be the better overall phone, not even taking into account price difference.
