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If anyone wants my opinion of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 on BYOD/Metro
- Thread starter the hulk
- Start date
Most reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 I've seen have been positive, has that been your experience?
the hulk
Android Enthusiast
having a note 2 before, then getting an s4, and going back to a note 2 lol, very positive, it has a much better battery life then my S4 did, better reception too.
I got about 14 hours on my full day and it still had 38% left at the end of the day, and I'm a heavy user.
Shabbypenguin
Extreme Android User
why not just put your experience in teh first post? then people dont have to ask?
the hulk
Android Enthusiast
true, I didn't think about it like that
Shabbypenguin
Extreme Android User
the hulk
Android Enthusiast
Overall,
If you guys want S4 power without S4 pricing, and don't mind a bigger screen, the note 2 is a really decent deal. It does everything the S4 does with no lag, the only thing I don't have that I personally don't use is the TV controller and air gestures. Other then that, same LTE speed, very fluid without any lag, and way better on battery life too. Plus, it's about $200 give or take, cheaper if you find the right deal. I'm still debating on the note 3, because that thing is a ridiculous amount of money.
If you guys want S4 power without S4 pricing, and don't mind a bigger screen, the note 2 is a really decent deal. It does everything the S4 does with no lag, the only thing I don't have that I personally don't use is the TV controller and air gestures. Other then that, same LTE speed, very fluid without any lag, and way better on battery life too. Plus, it's about $200 give or take, cheaper if you find the right deal. I'm still debating on the note 3, because that thing is a ridiculous amount of money.
the hulk
Android Enthusiast
regardless, the note 2 is a nice device. im sure any experience is great
I thought so too, that small system update(4.1.2) they pushed to it made all the difference in the world, just waiting for the 4.3 and I think the battery life will get even better.
Flaspeneer
Well-Known Member
Additionally, the Note 2 sounds much better than the S4. I have to use a DAC and OTG cable whenever I'm stuck somewhere listening to music because the S4's headphone out distorts at low volumes. I find it nearly unlistenable.
The Note 3 is supposed to be able to play 24-bit/192k flac files, but I've been hearing varying reports on that since Samsung's presentation.
The Note 3 is supposed to be able to play 24-bit/192k flac files, but I've been hearing varying reports on that since Samsung's presentation.
the hulk
Android Enthusiast
you lost me after the first sentence bud lol
Flaspeneer
Well-Known Member
"OTG": On-the-Go cable. A special kind of Micro-USB to USB cable (mini, micro or standard, depending on which you choose) that allows the S4's micro-USB port to be used as a digital out for music.
An OTG cable is used to send pure digital audio to an external converter and amp which are better than the ones in the S4. To get that signal from the S4 or Note 2, you have to enable it under Settings > My Device > Accessory > [X] Audio Output Mode.
"DAC": Digital Audio Converter. The device which converts the digital audio sent through the OTG cable to an analog signal which you can actually hear.
The cheapest and most portable option for the Galaxy S4 right now is the HiFiMeDiy Tiny DAC (Android model), which is an OTG cable and DAC built into what looks like a very short extension cable with a miniplug headphone out. It costs about $29 and uses the well-reviewed Sabre DAC chip. By itself, the Tiny DAC's sound's cleaner than the S4's, but you still need an amp to get the full benefit of deep bass, etc.
The most popular (and second cheapest) DAC for both models is the FiiO E17, which has a built-in amp as well as a DAC. FiiO is also about to release the E18 just before Christmas. It will able to charge your phone as well as convert the audio signal and it's said to be more compatible with other Android models.
With a capable external DAC, the audio is far cleaner than the S4's. This is because the Yamaha amp and DAC in the S4 are terrible. I can't listen to music from the S4 when it's quiet because I can hear distortion on everything from it -- even on classical music -- at relatively low volumes.
The Galaxy Note 2 has a Wolfson DAC (at least the international model that I was briefly given did), which (so far) is the best kind of DAC for a smartphone to have. All of the first-generation Galaxy S phones had some kind of Wolfson, which is why they sounded better than the Galaxy S2. The iPod 5G, which is considered to be the best-sounding device which Apple ever made, had one as well.
That's one reason why the Galaxy Note 2 sounds much better than the S4.
"24-bit/192k": 24-bit resolution, 192 kilohertz. That's the sonic equivalent of high-resolution video. For more on 192k, read this: Sample rates.
Until now, the best audio resolution we could get from a smartphone was CD quality, which was 16-bit/44.1k. The downside of high-resolution audio is that it takes much more space on your microSD card than mp3s or even CD-quality FLAC files do.
That changed with the LG G2, the Note 3 and a Meizu phone from Korea we're probably never going to see. All of them claimed to offer high-resolution audio at launch; Samsung's presentation claimed 24/192k.
In the field, and in teardowns of the Note 3, people aren't seeing those numbers (so far) and the theory is that Samsung decided not to implement the feature, possibly for copyright reasons. Reports have been that the Note 3 will play high resolution files, but people think they're being downsampled to mere CD quality.
Whatever all of that means to you, I can tell you this: I know from experience that the Note 2 is a much better sounding music player than the S4 -- unless you use the digital out, which requires an OTG cable and a DAC. If you own an S4, a small DAC/Amp is a good thing to have.
DACs that work well with the S4 and the Note 2 can be found here (search the page for your model): The Compatibility List
Head-fi member DanBa posts an updated version of that same list every five pages. So if you need to know about the newest developments between your android phone and compatible DACs (which my link shows for the moment), just go to the last post in the thread and page backwards until you hit it.
OcalaFlGuy
Android Expert
Yawn.
This is the FIRST I've EVER heard of Anyone saying the S4 sounded So Bad with music.
It's a damn phone. It's NOT going to sound like the Yamaha tube amp, Original Klipsh speaker set-up in your livingroom.
Bruce in Ocala, Fl
This is the FIRST I've EVER heard of Anyone saying the S4 sounded So Bad with music.
It's a damn phone. It's NOT going to sound like the Yamaha tube amp, Original Klipsh speaker set-up in your livingroom.
Bruce in Ocala, Fl
Shabbypenguin
Extreme Android User
Yawn.
This is the FIRST I've EVER heard of Anyone saying the S4 sounded So Bad with music.
It's a damn phone. It's NOT going to sound like the Yamaha tube amp, Original Klipsh speaker set-up in your livingroom.
Bruce in Ocala, Fl
says you. i found with just a bit of work and modifying how the phone looks we can achieve near perfect emulation.
Bard
Android Expert
Thank you for useful information.
If you don't mind answering, where did you get Note2 and how did you activate it?
Including phone price + BYOD price, what was the total amount you spent to make Note2 working @ Metro network?
Also have you used S3? My wife currently uses S3 but wants bigger screen. Do you think S3 -> Note2 would consider upgrading?
Thank you in advance
the hulk
Android Enthusiast
Thank you for useful information.
If you don't mind answering, where did you get Note2 and how did you activate it?
Including phone price + BYOD price, what was the total amount you spent to make Note2 working @ Metro network?
Also have you used S3? My wife currently uses S3 but wants bigger screen. Do you think S3 -> Note2 would consider upgrading?
Thank you in advance
I got it in a trade, and I'm a dealer/consult, so I activated it myself, price is all relative to condition of the device though, ebay is usually the safest route because you can return it provided the auction offers a return.
And yes I have used and s3, I've owned all of the major galaxy phones including the s4 as well too. In my personal opinion, the note 2 is superior to the s3 because of it's massive screen size and equally massive battery, plus its a quad core processor. I'm a heavy user and I easily pull 14 hours on a single charge and still have 40% remaining toward the end of my day. Hope that helps. And speed, just as fast as the s4 when it comes to data.
OcalaFlGuy
Android Expert
Though I haven't bought a phone there yet, I like the idea at Swappa that phones have to be serviceable, no water damage and clean ESSNs to get listed.
Both Swappa and Fleabay can really only help you if they can freeze your sellers Paypal account Before He can get his money out.
I'm not saying that with due diligence you can't get a good phone on Fleabay, I've sold clean phones there myself. I just like the "requirements" for a phone to pass muster for Swappa from a buyers side.
Bruce in Ocala, Fl
the hulk
Android Enthusiast
thanks for that, I forgot swappa started selling phones too
the hulk
Android Enthusiast
yup, just google att note 2 tmobile 4g/lte, need to get it unlocked first though.
the hulk
Android Enthusiast
4g should, like I said, google what I told you, and follow the directions, then you will have guaranteed 4G LTE on it if your in the LTE coverage
Gman9831
I'm no Senior
Depends is your current device a CDMA/LTE? If so you need to buy a SIM kit because the SIM (UICC) from that device won't work. If you already have a BYOD phone you'll need to go to a store so they ca n switch the IMEI in their system.
the hulk
Android Enthusiast
isn't it past your bedtime? lol
