Note 4 or Galaxy S6 or avoid Samsung at all?

[EarlyMon]

And actually I can use some words of wisdom here before I actually go and buy the phone. Apparently, different people have different opinions, some say the Li-ion batteries have the 'memory effect', some say they don't.
And I am really panicky about the battery, people using Galaxy S3 would understand.
So, the point is, what is the best way to:
1. First charge your battery as you unbox the phone?
The scenario here is you bought the phone, it is (suppose) at 50% battery level, so do you put it on charge right away or wait till it drains to say 15 or maybe 10% and then charge or let it get down to zero. Also, how long should be the first charge. I know manufacturers say the first charge should be around 8-10 hours (so that means you leave your phone plugged in even when it is fully charged) and does the first charge needs to be done with the phone switched off or it doesn't matter?

2. Maximize the battery life for standard usage?
I have read in some forums that you need to drain out your battery maybe once a month for a longer life but some people have different opinions.

3. And yes I have heard that keeping your phone plugged in when its fully charged has no negative effect on the battery (as the current to the battery is cut off), but is it advisable?

And last but not the least, is there any app (or rather any built in feature) which allows you to keep a track of the 'battery cycles'. I can understand that if there is no such built in feature, then installing such an app before your first charge will make sense. (something which I have heard iPhones have, I know my macbook has such a feature where you can check the battery cycles).

There is so much hokem and nonsense out there it's not even funny.

There's no pixie dust involved, just simple electrochemistry.

Here are your battery facts:

1. Most everything still alive in the way of battery advice is directed at technologies that have not been manufactured in years.

2. The lithium-ion batteries today are really a lithium/polymer. So -
* They have no memory.
* They do NOT benefit from being run down to zero or force-charged to 100% or any other schemes involving percentage-this or percentage-that.

3. It's still the same old story: metals + chemicals = current flow
* The metal in the battery consists of VERY tiny tubing.
* The real issue is HEAT - during use or charging, warm is ok, but very hot is not - because it leads to the metal tubes deforming. Once that happens, your battery life is degraded and will only degrade further - more heat=more metal deformation, less heat=less metal deformation.

4. Unless there's a defective charging safety circuit (and sadly, that has hit Samsung in the past), there is zero risk and zero gain from leaving your phone on the charger after it is full.
* Once it hits 100%, it cuts off the charger.
* Your phone will show 100% but will run off of the battery until around 96%, then the charger will turn back on.
* This leads to the myth: "Oh noes, I took my phone off at 100% and it lost 4% in 5 minutes! I must sprinkle pixie dust on my charging cycle and do funny resets to save my battery." Which - is not ever true.
* Your battery will never trickle charge - trickle charging would cause the battery to ignite.

5. Your calibration table will reset on every power cycle.
* Don't worry about it.

6. Two 50% charges = 1 charge cycle, a hundred 1% charges = 1 charge cycle


Avoid high heat, use your new phone in good health and don't sweat the battery.

 

[codezer0]

I've been using Samsung phones for a long time, in part because it was my first real exposure to the Android environment and ecosystem, but also because of the various manufacturers, they're one of the few where the majority of their phones are open enough to allow for add-ons like extended batteries and the like. I recently ended up dumping the Moto G and Xperia T2 Ultra in large part because of this.

Secondly, the ease of which to root these phones means that I can start running ad-free much, much sooner than if I had waited or tried to follow a guide that may not explicitly apply or even be compatible with another given phone make or model. While I am aware of such disruptive efforts like the OnePlus One and Huawei Ascend series, the truth of the matter is, when it comes to a phone, it's the ability to pick it up and run immediately that is a factor. A lot can happen waiting for the slow boat from China to get a phone past customs and the like, and even waiting 5 to 7 days for one to arrive at a store for me to get is just unreasonable for something I literally use every single day, and have come to depend on on a daily. As such, battery life is a factor, and as of yet, no phone with an integrated battery has yet to be able to last a full day of my usage patterns or be able to do everything I would like to do and still have battery left over to handle another day. Conversely, my prior S III with the Zerolemon 7500mAh battery - even in spite of Sprint screwing the towers enough to force me to switch away - gave me just about two full days of usage for everything I could possibly do - running apps, making calls, music, et al - and get home in time to be able to set it to charge and rest.

That said, Samsung as of late has not been flawless either. With the S III in particular I seem to have run into an inordinate amount of defects forcing the need to swap and replace much more often than I'd want to be doing in the usable lifetime for a phone. I have no need for Knox on anything - I get why it exists for those that are in enterprises and the like, but I have no need for it, and as such would prefer if it was never on the phone at all. What I do object to is the fact that it's now inextricably part of a boot-loader for the phone, and that even turning it off is enough to void any kind of warranty you have according to Samsung.

I will say this on the topic at hand. It came with a lot of research and thinking carefully when it came to me looking for my next phone. Yes, at first the notion of the Note 3 was the first on the short list of what I felt was my most likely to go with. that said, it does seem like my most viable alternative choice would have very well been the LG G3... if it were available in an unlocked form. It ultimately came down to that the Note 3 was available, right away, unlocked and at an agreeable price, than having to wait for a G3 to arrive via shipping.

All things fair, I've been very pleased with my Note 3, even if it isn't an LTE model. The fact it came with more storage and more RAM than initially expected likely factored into the kind of experience I've been having with the phone, and I'm basically checking off the days while I wait for its extended battery to Arrive from Amazon. That said, knowing then what I know now, I may have tried to push for a G3 as the viable alternative choice.

 

[sid.16]

I don't stick with any manufacture based on loyally and judge every phone individually based on the specs.

I advice you do you same, which means you need to wait and see what they release like the rest of us that don't have a crystal ball.

But there is nothing wrong with the Note 4, it's best of the current generation of Android devices.

I agree.. the best out there right now

 

[mbrazil05]

Absolutely. So, on a more personal note, how is your overall feel after making the jump from S3?
(I know this is a stupid question, upgrades are meant to feel better but how has been your experience thus far?)

There is no comparison really, it's night and day experience. Regardless of what others will claim or the next phone, i can say I got the premium state of the art phone and it is a beast!! you can't compare it to the S3, it's like comparing a lambo to a school bus. Sure they both are modes of transportation but how you get there is as much part of the experience as any other.

My experience has been greate and regardless of what comes out i'm going to enjoy this phone for the next two years. No need to keep up with the Jones, when you are the Jones! think about that. What i love about this phone is regardless of the app or feature this phone has it and then some so you are good to go for quite some time. Another way of looking at the phone is what technology that doesn't' exist today you would want on your phone? If it came into existence via an app, your phone could or more than likely be able to handle it so there is no downside.

In conclusion, STOP ASKING QUESTIONS! AND GET YOURSELF A NOTE 4 AND enjoy the new level you will be on for at least the next 2 years. Think about it myfriend. The Note 3 is still a premium phone compared to most other phones out there, so image what a Note 4 is about?

 

[codezer0]

Hell, even from an S III to a Note 3 is an appreciable jump. For one, the factory battery is actually quite respectable.

And as I type this, my 10k mAh zerolemon battery just arrived for it.

 

[sid.16]

Enjoying my Note 4

 

[icemanchilled]

Enjoying my Note 4

Congrats, it's a great phone.

 

[EarlyMon]

Congrats, it's a great phone.

Ditto!

 

[nuclearbullet]

You'll get some biased opinions seeing as how this is the Note 4 section in this forum... I'll give you mine:

I came from an iPhone 5 , and have never looked back. Seeing as how I'm signing up for another two year contract with my carrier, I researched long and hard. I was originally bent on getting the Droid Turbo cause it looked too awesome, Nylon backing, snapdragon 805, highest ppi screen, and etc. After doing side by side against the Note 4 and the Nexus 6, The Note 4 was clearly the winner of the three IMO:

Removable Battery
External SD to crank the storage to 128 + 32GB native

S Pen

Best overall quality AMOLED screen (ppi is just one factor of many for a quality screen)

removable battery

OIS - Optical Image Stabilization for my shaky hands

4K video!!!

I'm currently waiting for the 128GB evo micro sd from Samsung to drop in price. I have a 64GB evo in mine right now, and so far, it's big enough to hold all my songs and a huge chunk of movies to view offline...