Well, pulled the trigger and bought two Note 8 phones. $750 each, one for me and one for my wife.
First time using anything other than stock Android. Let's hope I don't regret it.
Yes, but Google doesn't give me anything for using it.
That's the key. Samsung gives me rewards on top of my usual rewards for my credit card.
I kind of wonder if Android Central was on the take. Their review tried to bury the new challenger phone.Ok, full day of usage of the razer phone. The phone is not dim. It was as usable outside in the sunlight as my Xperia XZP and iPhone. The only really usable phones outside are the samsungs with over drive brightness. Battery life is also decent and better than the Xperia. Won't trust Android central again.
I don't like the stockish skin, never did. It's pretty much stock android with green fetish. Don't like the placement of the volume button. The phone is kinda wide and harder to hold. Fast charger is fast but no faster than other fast charger. The phone is a dust magnet and gets ugly fast.
The finger print reader and power button was stolen from the xperia, it's like identical, so it very good. Camera is garbage even with the Google hdr app. Speaker is really loud but doesn't have richness..Needs boom sound lol.
Like I said before 120hz is legit and clearly obvious. Makes android smooth as an iPhone, maybe a lil better. I feel like the iPad pros is a lil smoother.
Well, pulled the trigger and bought two Note 8 phones. $750 each, one for me and one for my wife.
First time using anything other than stock Android. Let's hope I don't regret it.
eBay.
What date did you order the phone? I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on an order, hoping that having waited longer I might luck out and get one with a newer build date and hopefully better QC.My experience after 2h with the Pixel 2 XL.
My first impression was, that the white body is more yellowish because the box of the phone is way more white than the phone (and Google always puts the back on top of the box). Second impression was great. It doesn't feel like plastic, has some grip to it. But it also doesn't feel like made from a massive block of aluminium.
Now you have to know that I used a 50€ phone for a couple of weeks, but this thing flies! The animations, the download speeds, dat stock Android (Blackview feels like 3G=Edge lol).
After turning it on for the first time, I checked the screen. I heard about the first impressions at the Google event that some thought it feels sunken in, but I am the exact opposite. The black shiny bezels made it stick out a bit to me. 3D incoming!!1
My Pixel 2 XL was manufactured on 6. November and the screen looks totally fine, even good. There is the blue tint, but I never cared for that and still don't as long as I'm using it 98% of the time looking straight at the front. Other phones I had were similar, but this is the most from what I remember. Still nothing deal breaking for me. No dead Pixels.
After the initial setup I looked at the phone. The always on display is WAY dimmer than I thought watching a lot of Pixel 2 XL videos on youtube. I hated it because of possible burn-in, but this is so dim that I will probably use it turned on. Then I looked for grain on the notifications and man, that screen is fucking plastered with grain! I pushed the lockscreen notifications up and down - grain everywhere ;( Then I noticed something strange in the grain ... lines? What? OMG, I remembered that the notifications get transparent the more I push them to the top and Google already restored my old grainy wallpaper. LMAO! I don't see much grain on mine, and no uneven lit screen.
I'm totally happy with it (for the first time since the iPhone 3GS). I don't know if Google and LG upped the quality control because my phone was manufactured last week or if I'm just lucky this time. Look at it on the store or order one and send it back if you don't like it, I'm happy! No problems and I didn't even install the updates. It showed 2 updates simultaneously, let's see what they are.
Internet has overblown this stuff quite a lot, so I'm glad that I don't believed the Internet for every shitstorm but waited to see it with my own eyes.
The only downer for me is that Deutsche Telekom forgot to send me my free Google Home mini ;(
My first contract phone since the 3GS and I never used a phone for more than a year after that. I hope the Pixel 2 XL will get me through the 2 years.
T-Mobile is selling them BOGO. https://www.blackfriday.fm/adscan/tmobile/page/3eBay.
There are two sellers selling the device that are very trustworthy (Reddit and XDA recommends them). They sell the unlocked Exynos Dual SIM version for $799 each. The sellers are qd_us and never-msrp.
In fact, the seller never-msrp is selling the phones for $789, but they ship from TX, and my shipping address is in TX, so they charge me taxes. Android Police frequently recommends this particular seller; see link here.
The seller qd_us ships from Taiwan, and sometimes from LA, so no taxes for me. Plus, eBay is offering a 20% coupon (valid until November 20) with a maximum of $50 USD discount, so I paid $750 total. The coupon only works with certain sellers, and qd_us is one of them (never-msrp doesn't take the coupon).
They offer free expedited shipping; I ordered the phone on Thursday and the phone is arriving this Monday via DHL.
The only disadvantage with the seller qd_us is that they only have the Orchid Gray and Maple Gold colors; they don't have the Midnight Black one (which is fine by me, because I will be using a Spigen case).
You can find the phone I bought here and the coupon details here(it's on eBay's front page).
Not unlocked and you need a contract. Or am I wrong?T-Mobile is selling them BOGO. https://www.blackfriday.fm/adscan/tmobile/page/3
What date did you order the phone? I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on an order, hoping that having waited longer I might luck out and get one with a newer build date and hopefully better QC.
I kind of wonder if Android Central was on the take. Their review tried to bury the new challenger phone.
I kind of wonder if Android Central was on the take. Their review tried to bury the new challenger phone.
The curved edges are the reason why I preferred the Note 8 over the OnePlus 5T. It makes the phone have even less bezels.I was hoping to get a pixel XL 2 or a V30 but seeing the screen in person made me reluctant. I had the V20 and I really like it, but it started having burn ins! If LG can make their LCD to have really bad burn ins, I definitely won't trust their OLEDs.
I really wanted a note 8 and I think it's almost perfect, BUT I can't do curvy edges, just never liked it. Why can't they just a normal bezel less screen. People seem to complain about the notch on the iPhone X but to me the curves on the galaxy is more distracting.
Xperia XZ premium is one of the best phone I ever had and I think it has one of the best screen ever. The performance on it is still smooth as butter after a couple of months. Funny cause I hated the Z5 premium and thought it was straight garbage, and made me swore to never get another Sony phone. But now my next phone will be the XZ1 premium when it comes out.
But yeah the Razer will be my primary phone, the ZXP as my secondary and iPhone as my back up phone that I use when there's wifi.
Is it more ok than mate 9?
The curved edges are the reason why I preferred the Note 8 over the OnePlus 5T. It makes the phone have even less bezels.
But I think the new 5T would be perfect for you.
As right as you are, I bet most oems don't think it's worth the effort/cost considering that public opinion thinks Samsung does it bestI wish some other company besides Samsung would make a flagship phone with a stylus.
Not yet. Not until we get phones capable of providing at least 1 week of battery life.Phones these days rarely have any innovative functionality between the last few generations, the lines between a chinaphone (cheaper than it's packaging) and a "flagship" phone are getting finer each year. There is only the cycle of tossing and purchase caused by conspicious consumerism, planned obsolescence, exclusive software updates and slightly-thinner casings.
Have we reached smartphone plateau?
Just keep in mind that the Note 8 curves are way less pronounced than the S8/S8+ phones. Maybe you should try one in person first.5T is only 1080p..first world problem.
No doubt the note 8 has a beast of a screen, the curves just bugs me. Like I said earlier, it's like how some people gets bothered by the notch on the iPhone.
nobody wants free moneyI wish some other company besides Samsung would make a flagship phone with a stylus.
That is true! i did a lot to increase my G5+'s autonomy, can't get it better than 4 days right now. maybe if i would disable my openvpn tunnel.Not yet. Not until we get phones capable of providing at least 1 week of battery life.
I mean like who else would you want to?I wish some other company besides Samsung would make a flagship phone with a stylus.
LGI mean like who else would you want to?
A more stock iteration would mean the stylus feature would be heavily gimped.
This chrome book plus I got has a stylus where barely anything works.
Then Google needs to put in the work for ChromeOS and Android to have better native stylus support. Hopefully the Pixelbook is the start of that, but I doubt it. It'd just be nice to have more options. I want every OEM to offer a Note-like device.I mean like who else would you want to?
A more stock iteration would mean the stylus feature would be heavily gimped.
This chrome book plus I got has a stylus where barely anything works.
Then Google needs to put in the work for ChromeOS and Android to have better native stylus support. Hopefully the Pixelbook is the start of that, but I doubt it. It'd just be nice to have more options. I want every OEM to offer a Note-like device.
I know there's support, but what I meant is that I wish they'd build out a feature set for this stuff. For everything you listed. I want them to do more than just the bare minimum.There is native stylus support, and native mouse support, and native external monitor support, and and native keyboard support, and native wireless display support, and native theme support, and native sd support.
It's just that google waits for an OEM to do it, steal it, and them messes it up. Then ignores it until someone comes back and fixes it.
I give up, what's wrongIt's android central, what do you expect?
Tell me if you spot what's wrong with this image:
Well, for starters, it's iOS.
I don't get it. The notch is still visible in that picture...They, for some reason filled in the notch with the wallpaper image but managed to clip the earpiece in.
Which is thinking.gif
e: They apparently also photoshopped the black border out too. LOL
There's no "graphics" on the notch unless you're talking about the reflection?I over exposed the zoomed in image. That entire are should be black with no graphics on it.
Are you talking about those bright stripes? You sure those aren't just reflections?I over exposed the zoomed in image. That entire are should be black with no graphics on it.
they do the bare minimum to sell you phones... why would they do more than the bare minimum for a free OS?I know there's support, but what I meant is that I wish they'd build out a feature set for this stuff. For everything you listed. I want them to do more than just the bare minimum.