Related
I thought I would create this post for others who might be considering moving to the Note 2.
I was previously using an Evo 4G. It was a decent phone after it was rooted, but battery life was still poor. After a lot of research and back-and-forth, I made the plunge and upgraded to the Note 2.
Here are my observations after having been using the Note 2 now for a week:
1. The size factor goes away quickly.
I was prepared to have a hard time adjusting to the size of the Note 2. The screen is larger than my entire Evo 4G! But after using it for a day, I was used to it and really liking it. Like I have read in so many other posts, I don't think I could ever go back to a small phone again. The size is really great.2. TouchWiz takes some getting used to.
TouchWiz is the layer Samsung puts on top of Android, like HTC uses Sense. Before blowing away my stock rom on the Evo, I had been using Sense, and thought it was decent. Then I upgraded my rom on the Evo to a Jellybean AOSP rom, and really liked that much better.
TouchWiz is similar to the AOSP, with some peculiarities that take some getting used to, but over all I think it is superior to HTC's Sense. I don't know how much of it is the software and how much of it is a beast of a phone, but there is very, very little lag or stutter ever on the Note 2. It's just a joy to use.
The homescreen clock, however, is atrocious and was quickly replaced. I'm currently running WPClock 2 live wallpaper and like it much better, but still not quite what I'm looking for.3. The camera is amazing
For either stills or video, for a phone camera this takes truly awesome photos. It's not up to the level of my Canon T2i, but for something that slides into my pocket, it comes pretty darn close. A whole 'nuther level from where the Evo 4G was. Not even in the same league. And the burst mode - just hold the button and it rattles off 6-frames-per-second. Again, not prosumer level, but for a phone it's pretty sweet.4. Speaker phone is great
I have found myself actually using the speaker phone, and the people I'm talking to can't believe that they are on speaker.5. Did I mention the screen is gorgeous?
Every time this past week I have needed to use the phone, it's made me smile. It's just a joy to look at. I know others will talk ppi and resolution and AMOLED etc, but from a sheer usability standpoint the display is just lovely. Bright, crisp, vibrant. It is just that good.There are other things I'm sure I'll think of once I close this post.
But if you are looking for a new phone and are considering the Note 2, stop it and go get one. I don't regret it for a minute.
Great observations. I'm shocked you didn't mention the battery life though!
Here are some tips and app suggestions for you:
S-Pen Toolbox - this lets you customise an app menu when you pull out the S-Pen
SwipePad + recent apps add-on - the best multi-tasking-app launching - app swithching program available
My script calculator - maths with pen and paper -sort of
Smart Screen Off - excellent if you have a flip cover or wallet style case
Now some tips:
The S-Pen is not only for taking notes, retouching photos and being artistic! It is veryeuseful when web browsing. The hover function works like "mouse over". It interacts with pull down menus on many web pages and enlarges thumnails!! Not many people know that!
As you seem to like photography I can also recommend:
PhotoshopTouch
PicsPlayPro
Snapseed
TouchRetouch
Afterfocus
Pro HDR Camera - wipes the floor with the stock camera HDR
If you don't have a case, get one. If you want a screen protector avoid the syrupy soft plastic ones. They do not look very nice -fter a few days with the S-Pen. I use cheap hard plastic ones that you can pick up for between $5-$10 for two. I change these every two months or so.
Enjoy you Note
Great post! (both of you, actually).
I concur with #1, absolutely. I think thats the biggest "hesitation" for most folk. And after a few days of using it, it didn't feel ridiculously big, as I feared, or others had mentioned. Weirdly, I think it looks smaller with a case on it. *shrug*
And yes, for once, I have a battery that I NEVER have to worry about.
Dmwitz said:
Great observations. I'm shocked you didn't mention the battery life though!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I'm still exploring the battery life. I was a little surprised that I didn't experience the kind of battery life that others reported, and am experimenting with the reasons. Map was eating my battery, which I couldn't figure out because GPS radio was turned off, and I had not used the map app. Turns out it is actually Google Services through map and it automatically tracks your location, so now that I have turned that off, my battery is lasting longer.
Dmwitz said:
Here are some tips and app suggestions for you:
S-Pen Toolbox - this lets you customise an app menu when you pull out the S-Pen
SwipePad + recent apps add-on - the best multi-tasking-app launching - app swithching program available
My script calculator - maths with pen and paper -sort of
Smart Screen Off - excellent if you have a flip cover or wallet style case
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great recommendations! Thanks!
Dmwitz said:
Now some tips:
The S-Pen is not only for taking notes, retouching photos and being artistic! It is veryeuseful when web browsing. The hover function works like "mouse over". It interacts with pull down menus on many web pages and enlarges thumnails!! Not many people know that!
As you seem to like photography I can also recommend:
PhotoshopTouch
PicsPlayPro
Snapseed
TouchRetouch
Afterfocus
Pro HDR Camera - wipes the floor with the stock camera HDR
If you don't have a case, get one. If you want a screen protector avoid the syrupy soft plastic ones. They do not look very nice -fter a few days with the S-Pen. I use cheap hard plastic ones that you can pick up for between $5-$10 for two. I change these every two months or so.
Enjoy you Note
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just picked up a flip cover from Samsung, so will be really interested to see how well Smart Screen Off app works with it. I have also ordered the Sena case leather pouch.
As for screen protectors, I prefer to not use one. I know some are worried about scratching their screen. I think like this. In my generation, (grew up in the 70's) a lot of grandparents put plastic set covers on the seats of their cars. They were cheap looking, uncomfortable, and squeeky. But the people who bought their car used had awesome seats! I would rather enjoy the screen as designed instead of covering it up. Just me.
Dmwitz said:
As you seem to like photography I can also recommend:
PhotoshopTouch
PicsPlayPro
Snapseed
TouchRetouch
Afterfocus
Pro HDR Camera - wipes the floor with the stock camera HDR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One thing he didn't mention (and I agree with just about all of those suggestions) is Vignette. It is the only camera app I use, for actually taking pics. Its GUI isn't all happy-pretty-insta-filter-dumbed-down, but it hands-down takes some of the best pics I have ever seen on a phone.
Sorry!
kingdazy said:
One thing he didn't mention (and I agree about all of those suggestions) is Vignette. It is the only camera app I use, for actually taking pics. Its GUI isn't all happy-pretty-insta-filter-dumbed-down, but it hands-down takes some of the best pics I have ever seen on a phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Vignette was the first photo-filter-camera app I bought!! And I use it alot for the Illford black and white which is really incredible.
I have over 30 camera and retouching apps installed as I write so forgive me for missing that one.
Now after checking how many I have installed I need to mention:
Aviary - the best sharpness filter I have found and also allows you to rotate images for hand to get the horizon…well horizontal
Pixlr -
Paintersque
Little Photo
connman said:
I thought I would create this post for others who might be considering moving to the Note 2.
I was previously using an Evo 4G. It was a decent phone after it was rooted, but battery life was still poor. After a lot of research and back-and-forth, I made the plunge and upgraded to the Note 2.
Here are my observations after having been using the Note 2 now for a week:
1. The size factor goes away quickly.
I was prepared to have a hard time adjusting to the size of the Note 2. The screen is larger than my entire Evo 4G! But after using it for a day, I was used to it and really liking it. Like I have read in so many other posts, I don't think I could ever go back to a small phone again. The size is really great.2. TouchWiz takes some getting used to.
TouchWiz is the layer Samsung puts on top of Android, like HTC uses Sense. Before blowing away my stock rom on the Evo, I had been using Sense, and thought it was decent. Then I upgraded my rom on the Evo to a Jellybean AOSP rom, and really liked that much better.
TouchWiz is similar to the AOSP, with some peculiarities that take some getting used to, but over all I think it is superior to HTC's Sense. I don't know how much of it is the software and how much of it is a beast of a phone, but there is very, very little lag or stutter ever on the Note 2. It's just a joy to use.
The homescreen clock, however, is atrocious and was quickly replaced. I'm currently running WPClock 2 live wallpaper and like it much better, but still not quite what I'm looking for.3. The camera is amazing
For either stills or video, for a phone camera this takes truly awesome photos. It's not up to the level of my Canon T2i, but for something that slides into my pocket, it comes pretty darn close. A whole 'nuther level from where the Evo 4G was. Not even in the same league. And the burst mode - just hold the button and it rattles off 6-frames-per-second. Again, not prosumer level, but for a phone it's pretty sweet.4. Speaker phone is great
I have found myself actually using the speaker phone, and the people I'm talking to can't believe that they are on speaker.5. Did I mention the screen is gorgeous?
Every time this past week I have needed to use the phone, it's made me smile. It's just a joy to look at. I know others will talk ppi and resolution and AMOLED etc, but from a sheer usability standpoint the display is just lovely. Bright, crisp, vibrant. It is just that good.There are other things I'm sure I'll think of once I close this post.
But if you are looking for a new phone and are considering the Note 2, stop it and go get one. I don't regret it for a minute.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great summary of first impressions. Very to the point. I came over from an evo 3d and I can say that even tough I liked sense I have grown to like touchwiz even more. The biggest plus of course is the battery life. Although I don't get the same life as some on here say they get I can use my phone from 7am till about 5pm on regular days. On my 3d I could barely make it to 12pm. All I can imagine is how great the note 3 will be or even this one once we get more updates.
Sent from my Amazing Galaxy Note 2!
This device is a amazing Peace of Technology.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
I agree as of about 3 hours ago
It truly is incredible. I mean coming from the epic touch I knew I was getting an awesome upgrade but until you have it in your hands and are using it you really have no idea how good it's going to be.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
This device is amazing. I had gotten the iphone 5 three days ago and took it back today and exchanged it for the Note 2. Soo glad I did that. This screen is amazing....dont know what I was thinking picking the iPhone 5 over this AMAZING device.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
llfloyd79 said:
This device is amazing. I had gotten the iphone 5 three days ago and took it back today and exchanged it for the Note 2. Soo glad I did that. This screen is amazing....dont know what I was thinking picking the iPhone 5 over this AMAZING device.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know what you were thinking either but at least you came to your senses lol. Welcome home!
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
Thanks lol.
Sent from my Galaxy Note II
Impressions - Update
I'm now 2 weeks into my Note 2 upgrade, so thought I would give some additional observations.
Battery life is simply amazing.
After a couple of charge cycles, battery life with moderate usage easily lasts all day without giving it a thought. Depending on usage, might last 2 days. 2. Days. Incredible.The screen continues to "wow" me.
The size is fantastic. Years ago, I was the proud user of the very first PDA called "Newton." It was by Apple and was way ahead of it's time and had a very large screen. Over time PDA screens became smaller, and phones followed that trend. Finally, there is again a screen big enough to actually use for more than making calls without me having to take my glasses to see the tiny display.
Also, the color and resolution are just incredible. I still smile each time I go to answer a call or text.Camera continue to impress
Like I mentioned earlier, it's not fair to compare the camera on the phone to a stand-alone prosumer model, but for a phone I think it is about the best I have ever used. Controls are simple, autofocus is fast, color reproduction is accurate, and resolution is very nice.I'm still not using the S-pen often, but think that is just getting used to having it available.
Overall, the only thing that I would change is I wish I could have upgraded sooner. There is no comparison from where I was with an Evo 4G. I'm a Mac guy, and enjoy the ease of use the Mac OS offers. With that said, Android on this device has the feel Apple has built its reputation on. It's fast, beautiful, ease-of-use (while not totally a function of the phone) is tremendous, TouchWiz interface is perfect for this device, and over all it's just a joy to use.
Truly great design doesn't hinder usage, it makes it intuitive and easy to do complicated things. That's Android, TouchWiz and this device.
Agree with most of what's been said here, I've moved to Note 2 from an old Nokia, MUCH smaller, and now I've got used to making sure it's secure when I'm working, I have to admit to liking it a LOT.
The screen and camera are both excellent, and once I've got used to turning off things that are not needed, the battery life is OK.
there are a few app and android issues, it would be nice to be able to do things like have sounds selectable by time of day, so the alarm can be left active, but ringing and other notifications can be turned off, and I've just posted a Q re being able to run more than one Text to Speech app concurrently.
The only thing I'd change on the hardware side is the position of the On/Off switch, it's altogether too easy to catch it when holding the phone, especially if it's fitted with the flip cover, which mine is.
I've also found an "interesting" issue, but not investigated it yet, when running off a 2.1 A capable 12 V charger unit in the car, with GPS active and other apps in background, the charger appears to be unable to keep the battery charged, so over a longer journey, the battery is being significantly discharged. That may be down to a poor charger cable, but without an app to show battery current, I have no way to know if it's the phone that's eating power, or the lead that's not allowing full charge current to flow.
Have to admit, having resisted the move to a smartphone for some time, now I've bitten the bullet, I am very pleased indeed with the Note 2, and I'm still only just discovering what the thing is really capable of.
Irish Steve said:
Agree with most of what's been said here, I've moved to Note 2 from an old Nokia, MUCH smaller, and now I've got used to making sure it's secure when I'm working, I have to admit to liking it a LOT.
The screen and camera are both excellent, and once I've got used to turning off things that are not needed, the battery life is OK.
there are a few app and android issues, it would be nice to be able to do things like have sounds selectable by time of day, so the alarm can be left active, but ringing and other notifications can be turned off, and I've just posted a...
Have to admit, having resisted the move to a smartphone for some time, now I've bitten the bullet, I am very pleased indeed with the Note 2, and I'm still only just discovering what the thing is really capable of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Boy, for your first smartphone, you've set the bar high. I'd be curious to see how your opinions change re: size and function over the next three years.
As far as your "time of day, and sounds" issue, you might want to look into an app called "Tasker", Very Powerful application, you might find it's daunting at first to wrap your head around, but it's exactly what you're looking for.
Sent from my calculator watch.
kingdazy said:
Boy, for your first smartphone, you've set the bar high. I'd be curious to see how your opinions change re: size and function over the next three years.
As far as your "time of day, and sounds" issue, you might want to look into an app called "Tasker", Very Powerful application, you might find it's daunting at first to wrap your head around, but it's exactly what you're looking for.
Sent from my calculator watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the one redeeming feature for me is over 40 years working with one sort or another of computer, so the learning curve isn't so steep. Tasker will indeed be worth reading up on, as it may well be the answer for some of the things I'm looking for, certainly on some of the sounds on or off issues.
have to admit, it's making me think seriously about the longer term upgrades that I will be doing, the old concept of a desktop or a laptop are starting to look very different in the light of the capabilities of the Note, and I have to say I like being able to look at "full size" web sites with the Note, as there is just so much real estate on the screen, and despite being the wrong side of 60, I can still (just about) read it without going looking for reading glasses, which does help, though some fonts are getting challenging.
I am also wondering about the viability of using Android on a PC or desktop, there are certain aspects of the way it works that appeal a lot more than Windows right now, but that might be me being biased
Thanks for the pointer, that's the good thing about fora like this, the knowledge gets spread around and helps everyone
Cheers
Steve
Loved reading this thread! I'm a very happy LTEvo user, but my wife's E4GT is starting to show its age (she's very rough on devices). I bought a Note 2 via Ebay a couple of days ago. The plan right now is for her to get my LTEvo and I get the note. I'm compelled by the pen. As a long time WinMo user, the only feature I miss from those days was the ability to take quick notes and drawings. I tried capacitive pens, but they generally suck for writing notes as even the finest resolution is still way too large and they're a separate item easy to forget/lose. Can't wait to start playing!
jph8tr said:
Loved reading this thread! I'm a very happy LTEvo user, but my wife's E4GT is starting to show its age (she's very rough on devices). I bought a Note 2 via Ebay a couple of days ago. The plan right now is for her to get my LTEvo and I get the note. I'm compelled by the pen. As a long time WinMo user, the only feature I miss from those days was the ability to take quick notes and drawings. I tried capacitive pens, but they generally suck for writing notes as even the finest resolution is still way too large and they're a separate item easy to forget/lose. Can't wait to start playing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're gonna love the device. It's incredible. I don't use the pen a whole lot but one awesome feature is you can have it set so when you pull it out a notepad pops up. Which is great if you're on a call and need to jot something down in a hurry. No need to look for a pen and paper anymore!
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
I agree on all points, this phone really is the pinnacle of smart phones right now. Not a big fan of TWiz myself but there are some incredible ROMs on this site. I have soft bricked mine quite a few times and have been through probably 90% of the ROMs on this site with mine and it is just so easy to get it working again.
I've been using a Galaxy Tab 10.1 since June of 2011. It's a little long in the tooth in speed and version of Android. And, it has no SD card slot.
So, I went over to my Best Buy and bought a Note 12.2. There's a lot to love about the Note but there are some things I'm disappointed in.
Things I like...
- It's bigger. Nice to have a larger screen for some of the apps it's a godsend, for others it just more awkward white space.
- Battery life is better than the Tab 10.1 even though it has to drive more pixels.
- Micro-usb. The Tab had a 30 pin connector which was a pain in the butt.
- Camera is a lot better but who takes photos with a tablet? Only iPad nerds do that.
- Speed. It's very, very snappy compared to the Tab but with 8 cores, all of which are faster than the Tab's 2 cores, that's to be expected.
Things I don't like...
- The launcher. (not the Magazine UX part). It's no different than the Tab. In fact, there are no more icons on the screen, they're just larger. With all those pixels I was hoping to have icons at least as small as the Tab. And more of them on the screen. It looks like an interface built for the elderly. Kinda like those telephones with huge buttons. I know, I know, I can use another launcher but then I will lose the Magazine UX.
- Magazine UX. I was really looking forward to this. But, alas, it has so very few apps and widgets available that I find I never use it.
- The weight. It's only 4 ounces more than my Tab but it turns out that is a lot. I find my left thumb aching after a while while holding it. It's not really convenient.
- The Zagg case. I bought the Zagg case as I have a similar full keyboard case by Logitech for the Tab. It's nowhere near as nice as the Logitech case. It's hard to remove and feels very cheap and flimsy compared to the metal keyboard by Logitech. They key placement for special keys isn't very well designed either.
All in all I'd say I'm disappointed in the Note 12.2. I'm still within the 15 day return period for Best Buy and am on the fence about returning it. The problem is that the one I would replace it with is the Tab Pro 10.1 with 32 gig of memory. But, I can't find that anywhere. 16 gig yes, but 32 gig is no where to be found.
Help me out here. Are there features that are compelling that I haven't found? If so, push me into keeping this tablet.
You criticize Magazine UX + Launcher. Well, you´re completely right. But what does it matter ?
You criticize the weight. Yes, it´s "heavy". But hey, it´s the largest screen ever. Anything has its price.
And we should not forget: 750g are not too much. Just put your iPad Air in a regular leather case and you will be very close to 1000g.
The Zagg case .. well... that´s the case. But not the Tab...
Just get another launcher, another case ...
I would complain about other stuff:
- First the yellowish color at the cam-border.... Don´t know if this is just normal or I got a bad unit.
- The pixel density could be better . This is no "Retina" Display anymore since you can clearly see the dots.
- Performance issues ? WTH is this stuttering again and again ? Are 3GB + 8 cores still not enough ? iPad is running on 2 cores / 1GB RAM and is much smoother.
As you say the launcher is a disappointment, therefore I´ll try AWD, should solve it up.
Positive:
- Big, big display, wonderful for movies and especially comics
- No navigation bar at the bottom is great for apps not supporting immersive mode. (SmartQ-Reader!!!)
- Then pen is doing a good job.
Missing:
- Still not intensively tested her battery life and speakers.
Seems a though most of these things could have been seen on a review or playing with it in store before buying it.
You are both correct. I could have see much of this in advance. I really wanted the Tab Pro for $100 less. I have a Note 3 and, before that, a Note 2, and never take the stylus out. It's a non-starter. I believe that the Tab Pro will be out next month so I essentially paid $100 to get the larger Note Pro a month early.
I was running KitKat 4.4.2 on my original Tab 10.1 so immersion is nothing new. In fact, on the ROM I was running it was a toggle. I preferred it to be toggled off as it hid the status bar at the top.
I don't read comics and I watch movies on my 52" TV, not a 12" tablet so those things don't excite me. However, I do watch TV via Slingbox when my wife is watching something else on the large TV.
I'm using Apex as my launcher now, it's been my standard on my phones and tablets for years. I'm able to shrink the icons and fit more onto a screen. In effect I've turned the 12.2 Note Pro into just a larger version that runs smoother than my Tab 10.1. That's nice, don't get me wrong, but it's not a dramatic upgrade, just an incremental one.
I wish that it allowed all apps to be run in multi-window view. That's one thing the ROM on my Tab 10.1 made available. Yeah, some don't look right but then you learn which ones not to use in that mode.
I'm getting used to the Zagg case. I like the larger keyboard as I'm a touch typist. It also shuts off the screen when attached and turns on the screen when removed. Must be a magnet thing.
One thing I've found that I'm not fond of is the hard home button and back button in the center of the screen. I'm used to being able to put those anywhere on the bottom of the screen closer to one of my hands. Turns out that I miss that a lot from the Tab 10.1 maybe the most.
I have to say that the volume from the speakers is significantly better than the original Tab. Very loud and clear. I'm enjoying that quite a bit.
Battery life is very good. I can almost go two days.
It took a week or so for me to get used to the size of the Note 2 when I first got it. Once I got used to it, though, I'd never go back to a smaller screen. It appears that I'm getting accustomed to the 12.2 display also. I'm leaning more and more toward keeping it.
Hi,
I've just got my G3 - switched from a Nexus 4, and before that I've had a range of budget Android offerings. I'm loving the device so far, but one thing was really bugging me. We have a huge resolution - great, for me thats best put to use by displaying more information on the screen (Hi def youtube videos are all well and good, but not of that much interest to me) - so why isn't it using it?
A bit of fiddling revealed that for some reason it was set to use huge fonts - why did they do that? Turning it down to minimum helps with the search/browser issue, but still the rest of the interface doesn't seem to be scaled to take advantage of all those pixels.
I'm using Apex launcher - been using it since the early days when you really needed a third party launcher so have go used to it, but that lets me use a much bigger grid, and scale the icons to something more appropriate.
Is there anything else I can do though? I'd rather not have to fiddle with build.prop, or have to install Paranoid Android (If that ever becomes an option). The notification area seems very chunky in particular.
I guess maybe it is all a design decision - Windows has gone for big chunky controls, probably showing my age. More of a command line guy!
Carl
agree on the notifications especiallly
I just came from an M8 and this screen is bigger, much higher res, and yet less information on the screen. Seems very daft.
So it's time to change my old phone to the new one. I want to buy Pixel 2 XL but I'm so frightened because this phone has launched with a poor screen quality. Did someone buy this phone in february or in march and could tell me something about Pixel 2's blue-shift, burn-in or grain?
I think the screen it's good I don't have a lot of blue shift, but I think you must pay attention to the 4gb of ram , I have 4 mobiles and 3 of them are 4 and 3 GB of ram and they suffer a lot on multitasking.
And now I have a one plus 5t with 6gb of ram and that's much better.
By the phones are , Google pixel 2 xl, s8+ , ipx .
But the rest you're be good with pixel 2 XL , speed , fast updates, by the way the android P its right on the corner
I purchased the pixel 2 xl 15 days ago and yes, it has blue shift, but no more defects or burn in. My aunt has a S8 and I'd recommend the pixel 2 over the S8.
In my opinion, blue shift is overrated. Burn in issues seemed to be solved. Only the first batch at launch seem to be affected. Plus Google gives you a 2 year warranty so that should give you some peace of mind.
My girlfriend has the iPhone X and my roommate has the Note8. I highly recommend the Pixel 2 XL over both the phones.
Goog1e Phone said:
In my opinion, blue shift is overrated. Burn in issues seemed to be solved. Only the first batch at launch seem to be affected. Plus Google gives you a 2 year warranty so that should give you some peace of mind.
My girlfriend has the iPhone X and my roommate has the Note8. I highly recommend the Pixel 2 XL over both the phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed about the blue shift. Way over criticized. I only notice it when... I read someone post something about it then I go look, say to myself, yep, its there, then continue on like nothing at all.
However, if I was buying a phone right now, I would hold off until I can hold the S9+ in my hands. With most sites saying its just a refreshed S8+ I would prolly pass and stay with Pixel.
This phone is top notch. Switched from the S8+. No looking back.
I'll weigh in:
I just got mine last week (third week of Feb '18) via a Best Buy deal. The phone was built in Oct of '17. I was coming from a Note5 which I really loved.
Lots of things to like, a few things to niggle naggle about and a few things to really hate.
Likes:
Oreo 8.1+
Squeeze Assistant
Fingerprint reader gestures
Google Lens - It's amazing.
Camera. Just wow.
Lots of things you can customize without root (via ADB)... You can move the nav buttons around, etc...
Battery life is simply great. I get 4+ hours of screen time and can go 8+ hours while sleeping and only loose a percentage or two. It's quite amazing actually.
Dislikes:
Not a fan of the fingerprint reader on the back... to use it, you always have to pick up the phone... on other models where the reader is on the front, you can unlock the phone while it's flat on the table or work desk or whatever. Having it on the back does have some upsides though... so this one isn't a big deal.
Not a fan of the power button and volume keys all being on the same side and so close together... I find myself pressing one when I mean the other.
Rounded corners on the screens... seems like a good idea aesthetically but you actually loose a fair amount of real estate... for example, the status bar icons are moved in a fair amount to compensate for the rounded corners so you get a lot of black space to the left and right of the ends in the status bar... I would never sacrifice function for form like that. Dumb.
Blue shift. It's there... not a big deal but it's there.
Hate:
Extremely long charging times. Just to go from 90 to 100% is like an hour++. This is in NO way a quick charging phone.
No charging LED indicator. Boo. I did load an app for that but Boo.
No wireless charging. Boo and boo.
Double Hate:
Screen protectors are a nightmare with this device. I've never had such issues finding decent, inexpensive protector that doesn't curl, bubble, etc... and I can't find any quality tempered glass protectors. There are a couple liquid adhesive protectors out there but they cost 1 arm and 1 leg. Really?
I'm really hoping the charging time issue can be fixed in a future OS update. It seems that this started happening after the Feb '18 update. We'll see.
I was going to give mine to try an iPhone X and then to come back to pixel but i have felt in love with this device.. Blue shift exists a little bit but I had forget that issue.. I agree with the charging time that sucks from 90-100% but overall it's an fantastic device.. On mine i have deleted nav bar, i use only gestures and its a pleasure all this huge screen with these nice rounded corners..
Jinthegodstyle said:
I was going to give mine to try an iPhone X and then to come back to pixel but i have felt in love with this device.. Blue shift exists a little bit but I had forget that issue.. I agree with the charging time that sucks from 90-100% but overall it's an fantastic device.. On mine i have deleted nav bar, i use only gestures and its a pleasure all this huge screen with these nice rounded corners..
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Can you give some details on your nav bar deletion decision? Do you have to root for that? What launcher, Nova? How to you get your recents, back, home functionality and map them to gestures?
simpsonr said:
Can you give some details on your nav bar deletion decision? Do you have to root for that? What launcher, Nova? How to you get your recents, back, home functionality and map them to gestures?
UPDATE: Oh, I guess in Nova you can just turn the nav bar off. Will it allow for all the proper gestures for recents, back, home?
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Yes I am rooted. I am using nova launcher but it doesn't matter. I used all in one gestures app from play store. The nav bar hide automatically if you don't use it. You can set it on premesive mode threw app. But now i have deleted at all nav bar with an command on build editor and i use only gestures.
Here I made a video month ago how I had it and how will work. (now it's totally different )
https://youtu.be/BA7jey09SXw
Jinthegodstyle said:
Yes I am rooted. I am using nova launcher but it doesn't matter. I used all in one gestures app from play store. The nav bar hide automatically if you don't use it. You can set it on premesive mode threw app. But now i have deleted at all nav bar with an command on build editor and i use only gestures.
Here I made a video month ago how I had it and how will work. (now it's totally different )
https://youtu.be/BA7jey09SXw
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Thx!
I purchased mine 3 weeks ago, it was produced in November 2017, and the screen doesn't have any of all the issues reported right and left.
It has a very slight blue tint maybe when you look at it at an angle... but you know what? My Galaxy S7 edge has it too. AMOLED displays HAVE blue shift, no technology is perfect.
I'm pretty happy with mine. I'm far from being your typical Google/Nexus/Pixel apologist, but after having Samsung flagship phones for years, I can honestly say the Pixel 2 XL is the best phone I've ever owned :good:
It doesn't have all the bells and whistles a Galaxy or Note has, but it works so great, without any issue. Everything with this phone feels silky smooth, without a single dropped frame. Everything you try to run looks "effortless" and easy for the Pixel. I'm amazed by that phone
simpsonr said:
Can you give some details on your nav bar deletion decision? Do you have to root for that? What launcher, Nova? How to you get your recents, back, home functionality and map them to gestures?
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Click to collapse
You don't have to root to get rid of the nav bar. There is a Substratum theme that changes the nav bar to any size you want including 0. I found it here on XDA. I'll see if I can find it and link to it when I get home.
*edit
Here is a link for the nav bar height
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ne...-height-changer-android-nougat-t3447956/page1
and here is one I use to fix the lock screen swipe issue
https://www.xda-developers.com/fix-lock-screen-swipe-gesture-issues-android-81-oreo/
I just sold my 7 plus and received my pixel 2 xl yesterday. The blue shift isn't bad, it's only noticable to the person on the side of you looking at your screen. Screen quality doesn't seem bad but colors may be dull to some. There is a Oreo colorizer app that will force the display in wide color gamut mode which richens up the color. Google does offer a new vivid saturated display mode but that app works way better. Only thing I don't like is how Snapchat looks like poo.. which it does on every Android but yeah.. this is probably the best camera quality you will get on Snapchat Android due to visual core enhancing the photos which does a pretty damn good job!
On a cold rainy cloudy dark Washington day, camera doesn't look as nice as what my iPhone 7 plus would've took with it's camera..
Got my Sunny Yellow one delivered this morning so been playing with it most of the day. Initial impressions are very good, some are listed below. Feel free to list your own.
The fingerprint scanner was a little off but after an update came in i deleted my fingerprints and re-did them and its been fine ever since. Couple of times it hasnt worked but i think thats because the screen is so smooth/slippery that my thumb slipped on the screen as it was trying to read it.
I dont have a 5g plan or even 5g signal where i am to test but so far 4g speeds are exactly the same as my pixel 2xl and oppo reno 2 ive come from.
I dont really like having the "internet" tile, id prefer having them seperate the wifi and mobile data tab. Just seems strange to add a further click to enable/disable wifi when i want to instead of just hitting the tab.
On the home screen if you make a folder then the apps slightly overhang the edge of the circle which just looks odd to me, i wish they were all within the folder.
I wish there was an option of disabling the big clock on the lock screen. I have a picture of my partner on my lock screen and when picking up the phone id rather see her than her face covered by a huge clock
The phone got very hot when setting up and transferring apps/data from my old phone but has been fine since.
I love the screen and how smooth everything flows. I dont see any issue with brightness personally. Ill see how battery life performs over the coming days
Hollow screen sound is a bit strange
Nova launcher crashes which is a shame because I don't like the search bar forced at the bottom of the screen on the pixel launcher.
Camera is brilliant
Power button is in the wrong place and should be swapped with the volume buttons is.
Lack of screen protectors available to get delivered is frustrating but not Google's issue.
It's fast, smooth and had a great camera. The rest I am still get used to. Prefer it to my S21 ultra, maybe not loving it as much as my Mi 10 Pro.
The camera hump on the back really exposes the glass to potential damage. If I were designing the thing, I'd make the entire back stick out higher than the camera glass, and fill in the space with more battery.
The rounded edge screen is pretty terrible. There are optical distortions along the sides. The radius of the edge should be reduced to around 1 mm.
A little more width on the screen would be nice. This is 71.5mm. Nexus 6 was 74, which was a lot nicer. 80 would be a dream.
A little bit of border around the screen would also be nice so you have somewhere to actually hold the thing. Function should be paramount, not form, and especially not goofy/ugly form like these have. A bit of border above the screen would make space to get the camera out of the screen instead of the ugly hole. I also hate the rounded corners on the screen. Software rounded corners are ok, because you can disable them, there is no reason to force it with paint on the inside surface of the glass.
96carboard said:
The camera hump on the back really exposes the glass to potential damage. If I were designing the thing, I'd make the entire back stick out higher than the camera glass, and fill in the space with more battery.
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feel the same way with filling up the space with more battery... but then you have ppl complaining about how fat the phone is
Love it so far, so fast and fluid. As mentioned above it gets real hot, and was still discharging while using old pixel charger.
Camera is amazing the details captured are stunning.
Phone is very slippery to hold and would be easy to drop with the top weight of the camera hump. Tried to buy a case for grip and protection, and was told that they can until tomorrow because that was the day the phone was supposed to be delivered, but because of our crap postal service they sent a day early so that people would or should get them by that date
Real time translation works very well, even with the new update still seems a little buggy
Screen for me is fine for brightness I have high brightness mode widget and it is much brighter than the 4xl
I could buy pixel charger which I might take back because it doesn't seem to charge an faster.
My wireless car charger for the pixel 4xl charges this phone at about the same speed as the old wall charger, need to see if it throttles for heat though..
dimm0k said:
feel the same way with filling up the space with more battery... but then you have ppl complaining about how fat the phone is
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I agree, but it also would be heavy
This is concerning "Nova launcher crashes which is a shame because I don't like the search bar forced at the bottom of the screen on the pixel launcher." Hopefully there will be an update to Nova soon.
All the negative feedback on the rounded edges are making me consider the Pixel 6 versus the Pro. I think the base RAM on the 6 is fine. Giving up the Zoom is tougher to consider.
danw_oz said:
I agree, but it also would be heavy
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There as a day when heavy meant PREMIUM and light meant junk.
My laptop (lenovo), not even old, actually had some weights added into it to make it feel more substantial.
And so what if its a little heavier as long as it isn't burdensome. You can easily carry around several pounds without it being burdensome.
swieder711 said:
This is concerning "Nova launcher crashes which is a shame because I don't like the search bar forced at the bottom of the screen on the pixel launcher." Hopefully there will be an update to Nova soon.
All the negative feedback on the rounded edges are making me consider the Pixel 6 versus the Pro. I think the base RAM on the 6 is fine. Giving up the Zoom is tougher to consider.
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If you were referring to the rounded CORNERS, there will be kind-of software solutions for the rounded corners. Right now you can run "wm size 1440x2890" to reduce the display area (persistently). This brings the display area past the camera hole and past the rounded corners. Now normally, there would be a system property available to adjust the corners, however this one has multi-radius corners which are set in a config for systemui, therefore will actually require a rebuild from source to fix, but once that is unset, it should have square corners.
However the side effect of course, will be a slightly smaller display area. Still wider than the non-Pro, but less than it is now. Not that you need all that height for any practical purpose.
And for that matter, you could use the same "wm size" command to reduce the display width to work around the rounded edges. "wm size 1300x3120" pulls the display area all the way into the flat part and eliminates the optical distortions. You could probably establish a better balance that lets it in just a little bit and probably gives the same width as the non-Pro.
ozzjim1 said:
Hollow screen sound is a bit strange
Nova launcher crashes which is a shame because I don't like the search bar forced at the bottom of the screen on the pixel launcher.
Camera is brilliant
Power button is in the wrong place and should be swapped with the volume buttons is.
Lack of screen protectors available to get delivered is frustrating but not Google's issue.
It's fast, smooth and had a great camera. The rest I am still get used to. Prefer it to my S21 ultra, maybe not loving it as much as my Mi 10 Pro.
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Click to collapse
Nova Launcher was crashing for me but it seemed to be a clock widget I had previously and it wasn't displaying it.
I deleted the widget and rebooted the phone and it has been perfect since and all day today.
My screen now looks like my 3XL only longer, faster, smoother
I can't find a was to Turn off Always on Display. Ist ist me, or isn't there an option?
Thanks for the tip on Nova, might rebuild my screen from scratch with it too ID the issue. The pixel launcher without some custom apps and grid sizes is a bit of a jarring experience. Search at the bottom is all wrong too.
magooo said:
I can't find a was to Turn off Always on Display. Ist ist me, or isn't there an option?
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settings, display, lock screen, turn off "always show time and info"
danw_oz said:
Screen for me is fine for brightness I have high brightness mode widget and it is much brighter than the 4xl
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Whoa! There's such a thing? Please, the name of it.
Not sure what is up with my unit but it as buggy as hell
Not impressed so far if I am honest
Keith W said:
Not sure what is up with my unit but it as buggy as hell
Not impressed so far if I am honest
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Have you gotten the small 70 MB Android update yet? Mine was buggy with Nova Launcher Prime, in particular, but after the update, all good.
I like the fingerprint reader better than the ultrasonic in my Note 10+. It's working much better and faster for me so far. Here's hoping that stays true.
Keith W said:
Not sure what is up with my unit but it as buggy as hell
Not impressed so far if I am honest
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id suggest resetting then. Working fine for most people
Keith W said:
Not sure what is up with my unit but it as buggy as hell
Not impressed so far if I am honest
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Could you describe what you mean by "buggy as hell"?
wekebu said:
Whoa! There's such a thing? Please, the name of it.
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Search play for high brightness mode or HBM software by @flar2 an amazing kernal and software developer
According to Goggle I have a defective unit and they are going to swap it out