Your galaxy note 10.1 2014 edition experience - pro's and con's - Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) General

Hello I created this thread to share each of our thoughts, opinions, and feelings about the device so far.
I'll start.
Pro's
So far I really like this device. The screen display is the best I've seen so far.
One of the best features is multi tasking. The screen size makes perfect sense for doing so compared smartphones.
The main reason I ordered this tablet is because of college. Reading articles and textbooks are great due to 1080p display and it's pixels per inch.
My magazine/flipboard is a great integration into touchwiz ui even thought it feels laggy at first.
Con's
Though this is branded as a high spec device, I did notice some minor lag which doesn't bother me to much. But for a high end device and it's asking price, it's unexceptional!
Missing certain note 3 features like nfc, usb3.0
Physical buttons personally isn't the best idea. When I use this device in portrait mode, my fingers sometimes might hit them.
Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

Anyone want to share your impressions and experience about the device so far?
Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

Pros
- SPen
- Multi Windows Feature
- Hardwarekeys
Cons
- very hot around the camera (in Potrait Mode its to warm for me, on the other side is the home button)
- lags are often (Chrome, Firefox extremly. other Browser ok but not for a tablet for this price)

Agree almost entirely with op. Hopefully custom toms get rid of lag.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

I'm coming from the TF700, so I'm in heaven.
My pro's, beside not having extreme lag like my Infinity, are the screen and, also, the feel. The TF700 used to dig into my hands when I was holding it between my thumb and forefinger. This device is smoother on my fingers; when I hold the device in the same way, the device doesn't cut into my hands.
My cons are basically using Touchwiz (this is my first Sammy-d, so I have to become adjusted and figure out where to go to adjust settings and what-not. I also don't care for the physical buttons, because I'm constantly changing from portrait to landscape, and vice-verse.
But, overall...I'm very happy; I'll put up with the little things as long as I have a tablet that will do what I tell it to do, instead of waiting for an eternity.
:laugh:

Pros: screen is awesome. S pen seems better than original, stock video player does better job with media server
Con's: Listening to all the people who probably do not even own the device talk about lag!
I propose that you have to prove ownership of note 2014 to post a complaint about lag AND show video proof.

Oh yeah!? Well....... I say anybody NOT having lag should also prove it with video and at least two ghost apparition sightings. It IS nearing Halloween

Just to let you know the resolution is higher than 1080P.
I agree with Most of your list though
Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk 4

Pros:
-Display (as everyone has already mentioned).
-Design is sleek and much more comfortable and easy to handle than the previous model. I love the hard buttons and it works well with me. One issue I have heard about though is that the main menu button isn't receded so sometimes when pressure is applied to a case around that area it will wake up the tablet. As I don't have a case yet I can't confirm that this is an issue, but I believe just be running my finger over the button.
-S Pen (for the most part)
-And despite what many have said this thing is generally very fast. It's only within some applications that it gets a little laggy and I'm hoping that this will improve with software updates.
Cons:
-Mainly the software. I hate the new S Note. So much in fact, that I purchased Lecture Notes without having received my galaxy perks (which I"m still waiting on actually). Also I was a little disappointed that the air command wasn't customizable as I had heard it would be (or maybe I just haven't figured out how to do that yet). Taking screen shots with the lasso and s-button seems slower than it was in the older model, but I love that there are more options to shape the outline more cleanly.I'd also really love to be able to uninstall or disable some of the bloatware, like mymagazines. I'm sure it's a great app, but I personally have no need for it.
-There are hardly any accessories out for this baby yet. I'd feel a lot more comfortable with a case.
-The back of the tablet gets a little warm, but not so warm to the point where I'd be concerned about it. I've had laptops that would get uncomfortably hot so maybe I've just been desensitized to this issue.
And the biggest problem I've had with this thing... the thing that has actually made me consider returning it is the customer service. I have not gotten my perks yet and contacted them several times only to get the run around. Each time I called back I found out that they had taken my information incorrectly and I honestly feel like they were toying with me. I spoke with one rep who seems more genuine than the others and said I should get them by Thursday so I'm holding out hope. There is no way I'll take this thing back, but if I dont' get my perks I may reach out to a friend who works for samsung in Korea. It'd be an awkward convo though cause I haven't spoken to the guy in years.... 대한민국!

May be off topic (I am not writing a review) but I think 'lag' in general on this device is unacceptable. If you're advertising a powerhouse piece of technology and it stutters in an internet browser then something is wrong. Using a different launcher to reduce 'lag' is also unacceptable as it shouldn't even be there in the first place! Hopefully new firmware irons out the kinks (I'm sure the lag isn't tablet-related as it just needs some optimization)

rushless said:
Oh yeah!? Well....... I say anybody NOT having lag should also prove it with video and at least two ghost apparition sightings. It IS nearing Halloween
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As someone with both the this device and an HTC one, I can say that the note certainly lags more. It's not something that's major, but it's certainly noticeable if your coming from something smoother.
Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk 4

rushless said:
Oh yeah!? Well....... I say anybody NOT having lag should also prove it with video and at least two ghost apparition sightings. It IS nearing Halloween
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recorded a video on my crappy iphone, but i can't transfer it and i refuse to install that memory hog of crap itunes to get to it. I should be getting a note 2 in the next couple of weeks so i'll take a video then. is there anything in particular that you wanted me to do on it?
I admittedly dont' do too much on it besides browsing and taking notes. The worst I've seen the lag is when I have a webbroswer open and I'm writing in lecture notes. the writing shows up a second after i've written something and that is a bit annoying. Over all though I think people are being too critical of the lag. It's not so bad that it's keeping me from working on it (with the exception of using split screen between lecture notes and the default browser.
Besides for this tablet it's all about the s pen. if it wasn't for that i wouldn't have bothered with a tablet at all. I think smart phones are good for when you're on the move and if i'm going to sit down to watch a movie or do some gaming... well that's what i've got my laptop for. I don't live in a big city with good public transportation, but i could easily see myself just using my phone to watch a movie on a train or bus. I wouldn't bring out a tablet for that even if I owned one.

Sitting next to my rooted S3 running AOSP 4.3 it's a bit laggier. That's undeniable, IMO, and I'd argue that it's because of Samsung's bloated OS additions. It's not a device problem, I don't think.
However... I could not possibly care less. It's attractive, feels AMAZING in the hands (why is everyone complaining about the back?? I don't even want a case!!), the speakers are burly, the screen is superb, the stylus with the art apps can make stuff that looks like it was tone with a Wacom tablet, the cameras are SURPRISINGLY solid, it multi-tasks more like a PC than any tablet I've ever seen, and it's just... a joy to use.

gina$zanboti said:
I recorded a video on my crappy iphone, but i can't transfer it and i refuse to install that memory hog of crap itunes to get to it. I should be getting a note 2 in the next couple of weeks so i'll take a video then. is there anything in particular that you wanted me to do on it?
I admittedly dont' do too much on it besides browsing and taking notes. The worst I've seen the lag is when I have a webbroswer open and I'm writing in lecture notes. the writing shows up a second after i've written something and that is a bit annoying. Over all though I think people are being too critical of the lag. It's not so bad that it's keeping me from working on it (with the exception of using split screen between lecture notes and the default browser.
Besides for this tablet it's all about the s pen. if it wasn't for that i wouldn't have bothered with a tablet at all. I think smart phones are good for when you're on the move and if i'm going to sit down to watch a movie or do some gaming... well that's what i've got my laptop for. I don't live in a big city with good public transportation, but i could easily see myself just using my phone to watch a movie on a train or bus. I wouldn't bring out a tablet for that even if I owned one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems a lot of us sometimes forget the TRUE bottleneck of Android: The byte code Dalvik layer. This type of coding is not exactly multithread friendly and IMO seems amazing as good as the current passive cooled chipsets can do what they already do. Case in point, I never would have thought back in the G1 days emulators would be as efficient (MAME, PSX, PSP, N64). Then again, those apps are designed to not be multi-tasked.
IMO the issue is not as much the hardware or OE rom, but the platform itself as far as having global impact to software. iOS is not much better and ALSO lags. Such is the price of balance: Platform security (iOS andDalvik constraints), passive cooled devices, battery efficiency, etc.

Pros: Beautiful screen
feel and weight in your hand (compared to the previous version - which wasn't bad either)
S-Pen is less laggy and the finer screen allows for more precise writing/drawing
Cons: S-Note. I want the old version back.
Physical buttons. I really miss the natural "awareness" of where they are as compared to the old one where they were always at the
bottom of the screen.
Battery life isn't as nice as the first (alot more pixels to push I guess)
Lack of accessories (I'd really like a case)
Lack of root. I REALLY miss the 'add anything' multiwindow support'
I've waited a long time for a note 10.1 with this resolution but I'm considering returning it

I returned mine to BB. For a high end device and the associated high price I didn't find the performance acceptable. Hoping for this or that doesn't cut it for me. If it doesn't perform up to expectations out of the box, it goes back. I'll keep using my better performing Nexus 10 until version 2 of that device comes out.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using XDA Premium HD app

Count me among the disappointed... I got mine on launch day, and it's slower than last year's note 10.1.
New S Note is inexplicable.
Occasionally it hangs up and is unresponsive for at least a minute. (Happened in my beloved Lecturenotes as well as others)
Try this for a demo of the lag, I use LectureNotes with double tap zoom mode... open a note, double tap to enable zooming, pinch to zoom to 200%. Now double tap again to zoom back to 100% and watch it stutter. You can keep double tapping to switch between 100% and 200% and see the terrible lag. Do the same on last year's note 10.1 to compare.
It's not good enough. I expected this to be an upgrade!
I love the display, I love the more compact form factor, and I'll get used to the new buttons eventually.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app

BigStuart said:
Count me among the disappointed... I got mine on launch day, and it's slower than last year's note 10.1.
New S Note is inexplicable.
Occasionally it hangs up and is unresponsive for at least a minute. (Happened in my beloved Lecturenotes as well as others)
Try this for a demo of the lag, I use LectureNotes with double tap zoom mode... open a note, double tap to enable zooming, pinch to zoom to 200%. Now double tap again to zoom back to 100% and watch it stutter. You can keep double tapping to switch between 100% and 200% and see the terrible lag. Do the same on last year's note 10.1 to compare.
It's not good enough. I expected this to be an upgrade!
I love the display, I love the more compact form factor, and I'll get used to the new buttons eventually.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Key words: launch day. I know it's ****ty that a new device gets rolled out with imperfect software, but that's what this is. An update or two and this will be perfect. The 10.1, by the time we all upgraded, had a lot of updates to it that ironed out its issues.

SomeGuyDude said:
Key words: launch day. I know it's ****ty that a new device gets rolled out with imperfect software, but that's what this is. An update or two and this will be perfect. The 10.1, by the time we all upgraded, had a lot of updates to it that ironed out its issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're probably right, but it's shameful that the new note is slower than the old one, launch day or not.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app

BigStuart said:
You're probably right, but it's shameful that the new note is slower than the old one, launch day or not.
Sent from my SM-P600 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a few culprits here.
1) Software just plain isn't optimized for all the cores. Think about the tech advances from the old G1 to now. Are our devices now as much faster, proportionally speaking, as they are more powerful? Not by a long shot.
2) Was the launch day 10.1 2012 faster? I don't think. But that goes back to what I said earlier.
3) I feel like the new OS is just bloated as all hell. The device isn't slower, the burly Touchwiz is. It's like getting a brand new laptop and it takes longer to start: the PC isn't the problem, it's the new Windows.

Related

To the owners, Is Note 10.1 worth buying?

To the owners, Is Note 10.1 worth buying?
Coming from SONY TABLET S !!!
Really didnt enjoyed good android experience on any of the tablets, do would u rate Note 10.1?
Why m hesitant is:
1. Nexus 7 price point
2. Love for Sony, Xperia Tablet coming
3. M'soft Surface, if priced well hell yeahh...
sent from seXperia S
xperiax10.awesome said:
To the owners, Is Note 10.1 worth buying?
Coming from SONY TABLET S !!!
Really didnt enjoyed good android experience on any of the tablets, do would u rate Note 10.1?
sent from seXperia S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since we bought it I would say we thought it was worth buying. I think the real question is do you think it is worth buying? That depends on what you plan to use it for.
Hell yes its worth buying to me. I would rate it a solid 8.75-9.0
I'm on a flight from Portland to Dallas writing this. I have the Note in portrait mode in multview connected to GoGo Wi-Fi. In the lower panel I have XDA open in a browser window and am watching a movie in the upper panel. No lag, no hiccups, pretty amazing.Try doing that on any other tablet. The guy sitting next to me (who's an ass) has an iPad and I can see him looking out of the corner of his eye in amazement. The more I use the Note the more impressed I am.
I am coming from TFP and it worth every penny.
Sony to Samsung
I was in the exact same boat as the OP. I had (still have) the Sony tablet and upgraded to the Samsung. Final verdict - Mixed bag.
The samsung is immediately and obviously faster than the Sony. The screen is of course slightly larger as is the tablet in general. The one thing you will be blown away by coming from the sony is the audio on the Note. The speakers are loud and placed directly on the front of the unit. I don't know if you are one of the people effected by the low audio problems with the Sony, but if you were you will be smiling from ear to ear.
As for all other aspects, the wifi signal strength is much improved, but the screen will be a mixed bag as well. While it is brighter, it will at first appear less crisp since it is essentially the same resolution of the Sony, but the Sony had those pixels squeezed into a smaller screen, so they were higher density. Does this cause any problems? Not in the least. The screen is still bright, crisp and easily viewed from a wide angle. I have read that Samsung "tweaked" the screen somehow so that it was not the same as every other screen out there in this resolution, and if so...it shows. Text is not as sharp as on the higher definition screens or the iPad, but it is sharper than it was on the Sony.
Web browsing is LEAGUES better than it was on the sony, and the apps that support the sPen are generally pretty decent. If you are using this for a multimedia device or games...look no further. The benchmarks for this tablet in those area are awesome. If you are a graphics artist or dabble in those things, the included photoshop is good, and I imagine will only get better with the first Samsung and Adobe updates.
Now the downsides...first, for the price, the screen really should have been better...but as I said, it's nowhere near being bad. The back of the unit is shiny plastic, so it's a fingerprint magnet...but it's upside is that since it's plastic, it has stronger wifi reception and gps. The pen that is included does NOT have the eraser you may have seen in some videos, but it does tuck away into the unit nicely and comes with several spare tips and a few varieties of them.
The biggest downside...and honestly for me it's 50/50. I started using my sony as a universal remote for every device in my home. The Samsung has such a remote, and in theory it should be FAR FAR better than the one on the sony....BUT...it only worked for the fist 30 minutes I set it up and never again. I searched online and only read more horror stories about that software (not the hardware...the note itself has no issues with its IR transmitter...only the included program). I updated the software and tried a thousand ways to fix this...but no joy. The built in software is supposed to not only control devices, but provide a visual guide of all the shows on TV, information about them, and learn your preferences much like a TIVO, but once it starts developing issues, they never seem to go away. But as with everything, YMMV, so take that with a grain of salt. I use ATT Uverse as my provider, so it may just be issues with them (although that would not seem to be the case online).
To sum it all up, I am happy with the purchase. At the moment, Amazon has a deal going on the 32GB version that is only $528 I believe, as opposed to the $549. The company providing it charges no taxes and only $8 shipping, so that's a HUGE savings. Would I purchase the unit again? Without hesitation. I picked mine up on the first day it was available, and only the 16gb version was available. I am planning on returning the 16gb and picking up the 32gb. So not only would I buy it again, but...I really am buying it again! LOL.
Hope that helped a little. If you have any questions, fire away
Totally
I had the tf300 and its not even close. The s pen is so useful and the software is much better than my last one. Highly recommended. I have not tried the tf700, but if outed like the tf300 this is the tab to beat.
As you already have a Sony tablet, I wouldn't buy the Note right now. Sony has their second attempt, Xperia Tablet, expected next month.
Wait and see how that plays out.
Hmmm, even the reviews are not very impressive considering the price tag..
sent from seXperia S
*Omnipresent* said:
Hell yes its worth buying to me. I would rate it a solid 8.75-9.0
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Click to collapse
I really like my Note. IMO, If you're buying it for some reason other than the active digitzer + stylus combo, you've probably bought it for the wrong reason. If you buy this tablet, you're buying it for productivity.
I took mine with me to class today, was able to write some very solid looking notes quickly and easily, while simultaneously recording audio. It has a few cons, like the cameras occasionally being terrible, and the back being made of what feels like a cheap plastic, but as far as I'm concerned the pros (digitizer + stylus, side-by-side app viewing, quad-core Exynos beast + 2GB RAM for multitasking) outweigh the cons by far.
Hell, the only reason I ever bought either the iPad or iPad2 was that I had this hope that I could somehow find a good, accurate stylus that would let me take notes in class and ditch my paper-and-pen notebook. With the Note 10.1, I've found that tablet. I already love it more than I ever loved my iPad(s).
Did I mention it's great for note taking?! :silly:
Many of us bought this for the pen. In this aspect it's peerless. Combined with this, it's also very good in most other ways.
People are complaining that it should have a higher resolution screen, I disagree. Reason: My eyesight isn't all that great, and to me the difference is minimal, and I would rather have the quad horsepower dedicated to the pen, and other functions rather than screen real estate.
In a year or so, the higher resolution tablets will be standard, but until then i'd rather have it this way.
Whatever. :laugh: The point is: this tablet is fairly perfect for what I wanted: A pen interface, in the iPad/Galaxy format.
xperiax10.awesome said:
Hmmm, even the reviews are not very impressive considering the price tag..
sent from seXperia S
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Click to collapse
I think it's really interesting how the "professional" reviews don't match up at all with the real world hands-on experiences of the people on the forums. The way I see it, I don't even bother with reading reviews anymore when you can get much more thorough and unbiased reviews from the good folks here on XDA.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
NessLookAlike said:
I really like my Note. IMO, If you're buying it for some reason other than the active digitzer + stylus combo, you've probably bought it for the wrong reason. If you buy this tablet, you're buying it for productivity.
I took mine with me to class today, was able to write some very solid looking notes quickly and easily, while simultaneously recording audio. It has a few cons, like the cameras occasionally being terrible, and the back being made of what feels like a cheap plastic, but as far as I'm concerned the pros (digitizer + stylus, side-by-side app viewing, quad-core Exynos beast + 2GB RAM for multitasking) outweigh the cons by far.
Hell, the only reason I ever bought either the iPad or iPad2 was that I had this hope that I could somehow find a good, accurate stylus that would let me take notes in class and ditch my paper-and-pen notebook. With the Note 10.1, I've found that tablet. I already love it more than I ever loved my iPad(s).
Did I mention it's great for note taking?! :silly:
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Click to collapse
I'm considering the upgrade of my tab10.1 to the note to use it taking notes in my classes as well. How the palm rejection works when you touch the screen with the hand who is writing? And, maybe it is the response at the first question as well, can i disable all the touch input excepting the active digitalizer of the s-pen? It would be perfect to me in that case :cyclops:
aNard said:
I'm considering the upgrade of my tab10.1 to the note to use it taking notes in my classes as well. How the palm rejection works when you touch the screen with the hand who is writing? And, maybe it is the response at the first question as well, can i disable all the touch input excepting the active digitalizer of the s-pen? It would be perfect to me in that case :cyclops:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Palm rejection is perfect, at least in the S Memo app that comes stock with the Note. Until other market apps are updated to support the Note, S Memi will probably be the one or two apps you'll want to use to take notes.. but it really is perfect. The app itself has a few quirks, but I'm sure they'll be ironed out over time. This morning when I was taking notes, it felt weird to leave my hand resting on the screen, and I was concerned my palm would get lots of grease on the screen -- but nope, everything was fine! It takes maybe 5 minutes to get used to. And yes, you can disable all touch input except the digitizer. There's a button for it in the note-taking app.
It really is that good for taking notes.
Thank you, I think you've settled the final word over my tablet upgrade with that post and your reassurances
Inviato dal mio Galaxy Nexus con Tapatalk 2
I didn't buy this for the pen.. I bought it cause it has the most powerful processor you can get in a tablet.
And that should last me quite awhile.
What is striking me as wierd is the mixture of reviews for the Note 10.1.
Gizmodo absolutely ripped into it and recommended against purchasing it while others seem to love it.
i the verge and gizmodo married they would make a new website called
ibiased.com
period.
It really comes down to what you want it for. I feel pretty sure they went with a less dense screen to improve speed, especially with the pen.
Browsing on this is as fast as with my laptop on Ethernet.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2
habs101 said:
i the verge and gizmodo married they would make a new website called
ibiased.com
period.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, cant they put their apple fanboy status aside.
Walt Mossberg I felt gave the note a very fair review. Given that he is an apple fanboy my opinion of him is even greater because the review was very objective.

The Tablet You Should Buy (at least Consider...)

I'm pretty savvy when it comes to technological purchases - Unfortunately, I am also WAY TOO anal when it comes to my devices and I like them to look, act, respond, and treat me right...Anyway, over the past several weeks, I have been incredibly torn about which new 10" tablet to purchase and would like to share my journey - Slightly condensed...
It all started with my giving away my beloved XOOM to a close friend - He needed a tablet, limited funds, does a ton of sh*t for me, so off it went - The XOOM Wi-Fi was perfect - A bit heavy? Yes. Kind of outdated with its dual core? Sure. Nevertheless, the screen was crisp, no light bleed, never rebooted itself, and only froze once in 6 months - Not bad.
I needed to buy a new tablet....
Seeing as the XOOM (essentially) isn't for sale, at least mainstream-like, anymore, I first tried....
The ASUS TF700T Infinity - Not bad (internally) but the QC over at ASUS must truly suck! Light bleed around all four corners and 2 sides at the main boot screen, a slight "squeak/creak" when the screen was depressed too firmly, you get the picture. It was fast (enough) for a quad core CPU running ICS, but I found the ASUS tweaks of the FW boring and, coupled with the QC horrors, it went back. I actually exchanged the unit for another, unopened TF700T in the hopes I just got a bad member of some ill-fated batch. WRONG! Number 2 was number 2. Screen/light bleed was actually worse and the screen rippled if I pressed the back of the stupid thing. Well, I have given up on the TF700T and, sorry to say, ASUS as a brand.
Second up was the SONY Xperia Tablet S - Not bad at all - Nice screen, cool tweaked FW out of the box, quad-core, etc., etc., etc. Only slight bleed from 2 corners while I watched a movie but wasn't too bad (even for someone as scrutinizing as myself). But, if you're like me, you NEED a screen protector. You NEED a nice case. So off to Amazon I went and ordered 3 cases, knowing I would return the 2 I decided against. I swear to you all - each case forced me to remove the unit from said case for charging. Nuts! I also started to hate the SONY "water-resistance" covers that I had to pry off to charge the thing (don't bite your nails) and change the full size memory card - The full size memory card was just kind of weird in and of itself...Anyway, while none of this is really SONY's fault (and I DO like their products), back it went along with the other accessories - Oh yeah, maybe it's me (doubtful though) but I could not get a quality screen protector on it to save my life - Bubbles galore!
A week went by....
Still no tablet....
Then I was fuc*i%g around with my Galaxy S II, a phone I have enjoyed for almost eight months and one that has NEVER given me the slightest problem whatsoever and I "remembered"....Hey man! Samsung makes tablets! Right? Hell yeah, they do, and a quick trip to my local BB introduced me to the G-Tab 2 7 and the Note 10.1. I LOVED the price of the 7" tab ($249) but really wanted to stick with a 10" screen. I fiddled with the note and was in love - Not with the $499 tag, but it all looked so damn cool (in the store). Well...Yes. I bought it, Amazon(ed) screen shields and a case from MoKo and off to the races...Again. But, now, with the S-Pen!
First, I was able to find a TON of accessories for the thing from screen protectors to cases. I ordered a 3-pack of the Acase anti-glare shields and the MoKo PU Leather stand case - Admittedly, I screwed up 2 of these protectors - But it's a 3-pack so I had one more shot. With a little more time taken, Scotch tape and compressed air, I got the perfectly cut third one on 100% - And YES! The S-Pen works perfectly with the shield in place. trust me!
Then I slid it into the thoughtfully crafted and well-designed case from MoKo/Amazon and was pleased to see that I didn't even have to open the magnetic flip cover to charge it - AWESOME!
Now...I needed to turn it on (after inserting a nice Class 10 16GB card of course)
Guess what? Screen boots with the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 text in white on a PITCH BLACK screen. yeah - It's black, like it should be. There isn't any light introducing from the corners nor ghostly images emanating from the side. It's just right. Simple, but right.
Like my GS2, it booted past the initial screen quickly and set-up was smooth sailing - An easy root, movie-watching test, quick benchmark (I won by the way) and I knew I had a keeper.
For what it's worth, SAMSUNG continues to earn MY business and will continue to (as long as they keep doing what they do). I don't give a rat's A## what others say is 'acceptable" concerning light bleed, creaking screens, etc. Let's face it. It's NOT acceptable at any level and, for $499 retail, it's also insulting. If one company can do it right, so can another one -
Sorry for rambling and thank me if this helps you buy your next tablet
PS - No! I do not work for nor am I affiliated with SS in ANY way!
I'm happy you found a new tab you like. Samsung GS2 user here as well. My phone is actually being fixed under warranty at the moment...
Anyways, wanted to reflect on my experience as well. After 4 weeks of using GN I plan on sending it back next week. I gave it an honest try but iust couldn't get past lag and stutter. I also tried a 2nd unit which had less lag , which was still there though, but had a less responsive pen. I decided to keep unit 1 hoping I can live with it. It's just too annoying to be dealing with random lag especially considering all the horse power this tab packs, so back it goes. I don't wanna take a chance with my $$$ waiting for JB to see if it fixes the lag.
Someone had said on this forum that there's no android tab out there under 500 with no lag. If so and considering GN specs I think it's gotta be android itself then. Hopefully JB fixes it. I'm gonna try Nexus 7 but don't have much confidence in that reading about all the QC issues. If that doesn't work out I may have to sit back and wait for android on tabs to mature a bit. I might consider larger screen on my next phone if it still not there.
I hope my experience is an isolated case. So enjoy your GN if all is working fine.
When i hear these comments about lag and stutter i just shake my ahead. Absolutely ZERO lag or stutter for me. Tablet is faster than my laptop.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2
There is lag and stutter?
Either you got a faulty tablet or you have loaded up some CPU hogging app.
Sent from my GT-N8010 using Tapatalk 2
@SM05
The issue is not typically Android - it's usually companies like Samsung or HTC or ASUS or whatever that change Android by putting on their "skin" that inevitably slows down and hinders Android. When running vanilla Android on phones and tablets alike, I've never seen lag. ICS, and especially JB, are just speed demons.
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
Great review... great story! You gave me the entire visual on that write. Thank you.
Got an S3 and a Note 10.1. Had Tab 10.1 previously. PErfectly happy with all of them.
mitchellvii said:
When i hear these comments about lag and stutter i just shake my ahead. Absolutely ZERO lag or stutter for me. Tablet is faster than my laptop.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree with you. Nothing wrong with mine.
O.P. Great review btw
Sent from my GT-N8013 using XDA Premium HD app
The only slight lag i ever noticed on mine was when changing homescreens with the standard clock/weather widget updating ....once i replaced it with HD widgets the lag disappeared...never noticed any lags in progs ...in fact from my point of view this tab is super fast ))
The only lag I have noticed is when trying to type in a website based forum. However I think that is more due to the websites slow servers than the tablet. Typing in Tapapalk is very responsive.
I just wish more of my favorite blogs used Tapatalk.
Good idea for an app. Make an app which allows a user to type into a pop up text box and when done, sends the text all at once to the blog text box.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
mitchellvii said:
Good idea for an app. Make an app which allows a user to type into a pop up text box and when done, sends the text all at once to the blog text box.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what Windows tablets do. It's called the Tablet Input Panel (TIP). One can make corrections and edit with pen strokes before committing the text to the text box.
mitchellvii said:
The only lag I have noticed is when trying to type in a website based forum. However I think that is more due to the websites slow servers than the tablet. Typing in Tapapalk is very responsive.
I just wish more of my favorite blogs used Tapatalk.
Good idea for an app. Make an app which allows a user to type into a pop up text box and when done, sends the text all at once to the blog text box.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its called copy and pastenlol
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app
TonyBigs said:
That's what Windows tablets do. It's called the Tablet Input Panel (TIP). One can make corrections and edit with pen strokes before committing the text to the text box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good idea. Will have go suggest that to Samsung.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
dr.m0x said:
There is lag and stutter?
Either you got a faulty tablet or you have loaded up some CPU hogging app.
Sent from my GT-N8010 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is in my case. Both tabs had it. I cannot imagine getting 2 "faulty" units in a row. Forgot to mention thst the 2nd unit creaked like crazy, which was another reason I decided to keep the 1st one, til now that is.
I install apps very conservatively. Been actually running the similar set of apps on my GS2 with no issues, on a custom GB rom to be fair though. Ftr, I've got: adobe reader, flash, kindle, color note, crackle, dropbox, engaged, imdb, skies air, shazam, stocks, timeriffic, weather channel, USA today + a few Google apps. Nothing fancy and nothing crazy running in the background. Home screen has 2 pages, Main 1 with 2 widgets like weather for instance, which is set to not periodically refresh and 1 more widget on another page. Some stutter occurs while scrolling in settings app for example and sadly is noticeable even after a full reset.
So it's gotta be a software problem, ie either android on tabs or Samsung's version of it. I simply don't see how such a high end specs and quality wise hardware could be a culprit. And assuming that's the case it can then be fixed. I hope GN will get better for the rest of you and ones with a similar problems. Enjoy your tab.
I enjoyed reading this article. Before purchasing my Note 10.1, I was a firm antagonist of tablets in general. I have a phone; I have a computer; why would I need some awkward middle device that lacked the power if a computer and the functionality of a phone? It wasn't until I was limited to my computer screen (which is a 50" tv in a room with no desk) when doing homework, due to my books being digital, that I knew I needed portability, and a phone is just way too small. I was holding out for a Surface device, but then saw the Note 10.1. After much debate (with the final justification being the price of school books being similar to the cost of this device, AND it would save me much money on paper, pencils and such) I ordered the Note 10.1 on amazon.
It wasn't available for demo in any local stores, so I played around with similar tablets, like the transformer. I was disappointed with the lag and the freezing, which worried me. I realised that that were demo units, so held my final verdict for my new Note when it arrived
Once I received it, I was blown away. Aside from the folder bug, it was flawless ( Samsung quickly came out with a small update ota to fix it within a day or two! ). It ran way fast, had an operational screen time 10 hours on a single charge with heavy use, and was feature rich. Best of all, this was all without any kind of root. Suffice to say, I kept it. Not only has it almost replaced my computer (still need it for Borderlands 2) but I barely use my phone anymore as well. You can now officially call me an android tablet advocate, with the Note 10.1 being my first recommendation.
I also have an iPad 2 which is really nice. But the Note is actually better in most ways. It's faster, and has a really good OEM case, something the iPad lacks, even though I have a very nice case for it (cases are important I think).
Anyway, it's the pen that trumps the iPad.
Got to Love Wacom.
I think i'll buy the LTE version if it ever shows up.
Thanks for a nice post on your experience, good to see others are enjoying their GN.
I've gotta also post a response here because I had to say that the performance of my GN is flawless, it is quite amazing how fast and smooth it is - I never expected it to be this good, as they should all be for that matter.
I was so close to ordering a TF700 but decided to wait for a GN.

note 10.1 full of lag? plus ipad comparison

Hey guys...
So I want to love the note and think the spen with a tablet is just awesome. So I went to best buy today to play around. Have any of you played with the note in best buy? I ask because wow it was laggy. Noticeable shutters While swiping home screens; delays after trying to close out multi screen display, etc. Yet everyone on here says its super fast... I even disabled home screen widgets. On the flip side I'm considering a used iPad retina. I'm kinda tired of android. Currently have a nexus 7 which is fantastic but I need more functionality. The iPad just seems so polished from the gorgeous retina display to the more polished apps. I know multitude of people sold their iPad after using the note so I'd love to hear those opinions. Thanks for the help guys... Fwiw I'm an android guy at heart but the fragmentation of android makes me really appreciate apple lately... Their stuff is just smooth.
dale_cooper said:
Hey guys...
So I want to love the note and think the spen with a tablet is just awesome. So I went to best buy today to play around. Have any of you played with the note in best buy? I ask because wow it was laggy. Noticeable shutters While swiping home screens; delays after trying to close out multi screen display, etc. Yet everyone on here says its super fast... I even disabled home screen widgets. On the flip side I'm considering a used iPad retina. I'm kinda tired of android. Currently have a nexus 7 which is fantastic but I need more functionality. The iPad just seems so polished from the gorgeous retina display to the more polished apps. I know multitude of people sold their iPad after using the note so I'd love to hear those opinions. Thanks for the help guys... Fwiw I'm an android guy at heart but the fragmentation of android makes me really appreciate apple lately... Their stuff is just smooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't base off your decision on BB's display model. I tried the same and it was super leggy.. I found gazillion things running and weird stuff people had tried on it or it could be anything but it was just unusable on the other hand iPad was normal (is it deliberate ?!?!) Anyhow, try buying one and play with it for about 2 weeks and then make a decision (you can always return it if you don't enjoy it - within X days policy)
dale_cooper said:
wow it was laggy. Noticeable shutters While swiping home screens; delays after trying to close out multi screen display, etc. Yet everyone on here says its super fast... I even disabled home screen widgets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't you think there would be a 100 page thread on the front page of the forum if that was true? There's a couple of user-made videos showing transitions, multiview in action, and multiple apps running that are floating around. Check those out. Below is a comparison review to the TF700 made by Lisa at MobileTechReview who's considered pretty thorough and unbiased. Personally I have over 100 apps loaded and have 30 widgets on my home pages and I don't have any lag. I will say when using S-Note in multiview there's a bit of lag when moving from the other open app to it but it's only noticeable because everything else is so fast comparatively. JB should fly on Exynos Quad with 2GB of RAM. Until the Nexus 10 comes out the Note is the fastest Android tablet on the market bar none.
On the flip side I'm considering a used iPad retina. I'm kinda tired of android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apples and oranges (no pun intended). If you're only interested in consumption, browsing, and gaming the Note's features probably aren't a big deal for you. An iPad or Nexus 10 would serve you better because of their displays. If all I cared about was consumption I'd probably get the Nexus 10. I'm not a big fan of walled gardens so nothing Apple makes is on my shopping list.
Op answered his own question really. New Ipad is the opposite of more functionality..lmfao you will get way less as IOS isn't as versatile as android. Apple is cool and alot of good apps bit Android is superior by far,IMO. My first tablet was an ipad1. Used it over 2 yrs. Back then Ipad was only real good device out. Android tabs were lacking. Now, Android tablets are tons more capable of various tasks than a mere Ipad. I gave my Ipad to my 2yr. Old daughter. I now have 2 Nexus 7's, Note 10.1, and ipad1. I use to have a transformer prime also. Once i went android, tablet wise, there was no looking back.
dale_cooper said:
Hey guys...
So I want to love the note and think the spen with a tablet is just awesome. So I went to best buy today to play around. Have any of you played with the note in best buy? I ask because wow it was laggy. Noticeable shutters While swiping home screens; delays after trying to close out multi screen display, etc. Yet everyone on here says its super fast... I even disabled home screen widgets. On the flip side I'm considering a used iPad retina. I'm kinda tired of android. Currently have a nexus 7 which is fantastic but I need more functionality. The iPad just seems so polished from the gorgeous retina display to the more polished apps. I know multitude of people sold their iPad after using the note so I'd love to hear those opinions. Thanks for the help guys... Fwiw I'm an android guy at heart but the fragmentation of android makes me really appreciate apple lately... Their stuff is just smooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I love iPads, have had every one usually on release day, same with iPhones, but I can also appreciate Android tablets, and while most Android tablets I've used to date have been disappointing (most recently the Asus Infinity), I have to say the Note 10.1 is a remarkable product. I haven't used the S pen much yet, but it does seem very capable. I'm running straight stock and don't notice much, if any, lag. The browsers could be a little faster at page rendering, but all in all from an overall perspective it's plenty fast.
I have to agree with you about iOS apps being more polished, they truly are, but android apps keep getting better and better. The nice thing I like about android is that it's a lot more flexible and I'm a geek at heart, so all the widgets and stuff are really cool. The Note takes that to a whole new level with the pop up apps, side by side windows and s pen functionality.
I also love the display, I think it's awesome, the front facing speakers are also a very unique feature. It's hard to compete with the audio quality out of an iPhone / iPad, but this Note's speakers are stellar.
My Note is a little on the creaky side, but I'll leave that for nit-pickers So far I love mine and the pro's far outweigh the con's.
kevroc said:
Well I love iPads, have had every one usually on release day, same with iPhones, but I can also appreciate Android tablets, and while most Android tablets I've used to date have been disappointing (most recently the Asus Infinity), I have to say the Note 10.1 is a remarkable product. I haven't used the S pen much yet, but it does seem very capable. I'm running straight stock and don't notice much, if any, lag. The browsers could be a little faster at page rendering, but all in all from an overall perspective it's plenty fast.
I have to agree with you about iOS apps being more polished, they truly are, but android apps keep getting better and better. The nice thing I like about android is that it's a lot more flexible and I'm a geek at heart, so all the widgets and stuff are really cool. The Note takes that to a whole new level with the pop up apps, side by side windows and s pen functionality.
I also love the display, I think it's awesome, the front facing speakers are also a very unique feature. It's hard to compete with the audio quality out of an iPhone / iPad, but this Note's speakers are stellar.
My Note is a little on the creaky side, but I'll leave that for nit-pickers So far I love mine and the pro's far outweigh the con's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really appreciate the thoughtful replies and not flaming me - started the thread while in the theater waiting for Argo to start (excellent movie by the way), realized I rambled a little bit.
Anyways, Demandarin - I never thought about that but it's really true, the ipad is a media consumption device for the most part while the note's hardware (and software) enable functional tasks to be performed.... So if I want functionality beyond really smart/polished apps (which iOs does have), note is the correct choice.
I had the first ipad, sold it cuase I didn't use it much. Had an OG transformer with dock, sold that cause I didn't use it much. I don't use my nexus 7 much but because it was so cheap I don't feel as bad. The problem is that my laptop is slim and portable so its always on the couch with me and I end up not using a tablet. The note though is advanced enough to where I think I would use it alot - in fact I want to get rid of my laptop (and have a mac mini as the "computer" in the house).
It was interesting as I was in best buy this older guy who had no idea about tablets was looking at the note vs the ipad. I'm thinking man there is no way that guy should get the note, there's just too much going on for the average user compared to the simplicity of the ipad . It's also interesting how the ipad runs in full demo mode practically, everything is locked down and apps are demo's - because of this its smooth and perfect. I figured the note was overloaded with crap as you guys said... its really a shame because if I was a general consumer like that guy, I would've been like man this note is a piece of CRAP (due to lag and the downright CLUSTER of widgets on the homescreens).
I'm gonna go ahead and try the note - the s-pen and split screen is so useful to me (I can see me doing both all the time).
You sound like compulsive gadget buyer.
Do you really need the note and not just want it?
makanimike said:
You sound like compulsive gadget buyer.
Do you really need the note and not just want it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol... does it matter?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
I dunno. For you to decide.
It's just that you have tried tablets three times, and three times you end up not using them.
Aa for the original question: I can confirm there is no lag on a non-abused note. I used apex launcher for two days but switched back to stock touchwiz cause for me apex was laggy
dale_cooper said:
the s-pen and split screen is so useful to me (I can see me doing both all the time).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's also a great device for people with ADD...
Could be bc it was plugged in...
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
gmfeny said:
Could be bc it was plugged in...
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A very good conclusion
Sent from my X10S using xda app-developers app
gmfeny said:
Could be bc it was plugged in...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know why some people are having touch response issues when their devices are plugged in. Mine doesn't act any differently one way or the other and it probably spends have the time I use it plugged in via the universal dock. A couple of people on the One X forum where having the same issue but they are way in the minority. It doesn't seem like something with the device itself; if it were I'd imagine we'd be seeing a lot more comments from owners.
I never realized it until it was mentioned here. I thought it was bc i have a screen protector.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
As long as I have unit plugged into a surge protector...no problems. Without surge, it acts differently. Not sure if this would make a difference but maybe try this and see if it helps those who are having issues.
It's really risky to try stuff at stores. Chances are that the device has been used by hundreds of people without a reboot, so RAM may be completely depleted and so much in the cache partition that would confuse the device. Apps in the background can for sure make it laggy. My advice is go back and ask them clear the RAM and reboot if possible. If the iPad ran perfectly, maybe it was because nobody was playing with it and and the most popular device was just exhausted
I've used iPads before and up to a month or so ago I had my iPad2. It's a very entertaining OS, but you get tired of it very quickly; I only had it for 5 months. I bought with the excuse that the apps on iOS have more development that its counterpart in Android. And to a point it is true, but the hype gets dull very quickly.
I will confess that I'm a sort of compulsive buyer and buy things without really needing them. Just this year I've had and sold about 3 tablets beside the 3 I currently possess. If you buy the Note 10.1, I don't think you will regret it. For the first time this year I see myself keeping this one for a long time. You will not miss the iOS exclusive like Infinity Blade and tweetbot, and better facebook and twitter apps. I will not lie to you, the iOS is butter smooth, Android doesn't feel like that yet; but that should not be enough reason for not getting all the other perks...
I'm gonna try to scoop one up on craigslist... however I'm VERY intrigued to see what the nexus 10 pricing will be.
My SGN10.1 was initially full of lag as well.
What I found works is this. If you snap off the back plate you will see what looks like a screw cap. Carefully unscrew that and pour the lag into an empty jar. There is a lot of lag in there so the jar may be about half full before you are done. Once you have poured out all the lag screw the lid back on the jar and dispose of it in a hazmat safe landfill. Lag is carcinogenic so please avoid touching it.
Many people do not realize this but SGN10.1 units which have been manufactured in colder climates actually add the lag as an antifreeze. It is supposed to evaporate once the tablet is exposed to a warmer climate but occasionally it does not and the owner must pour it out manually.
Hope that helps. Once the lag has been removed your SGN10.1 should perform much better.
mitchellvii said:
My SGN10.1 was initially full of lag as well.
What I found works is this. If you snap off the back plate you will see what looks like a screw cap. Carefully unscrew that and pour the lag into an empty jar. There is a lot of lag in there so the jar may be about half full before you are done. Once you have poured out all the lag screw the lid back on the jar and dispose of it in a hazmat safe landfill. Lag is carcinogenic so please avoid touching it.
Many people do not realize this but SGN10.1 units which have been manufactured in colder climates actually add the lag as an antifreeze. It is supposed to evaporate once the tablet is exposed to a warmer climate but occasionally it does not and the owner must pour it out manually.
Hope that helps. Once the lag has been removed your SGN10.1 should perform much better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before I go to the hazmat safe landfil, should I change the blinker fluid on my car? :laugh::good:
mitchellvii said:
My SGN10.1 was initially full of lag as well.
What I found works is this. If you snap off the back plate you will see what looks like a screw cap. Carefully unscrew that and pour the lag into an empty jar. There is a lot of lag in there so the jar may be about half full before you are done. Once you have poured out all the lag screw the lid back on the jar and dispose of it in a hazmat safe landfill. Lag is carcinogenic so please avoid touching it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine is a little too fast. Is it safe to pour some of the lag in?

10.1.2014 versus Sony Xperia Tab Z

I've seen lots of discussion comparing with the various iPads, but not much discussion on the Sony Xperia. I was pretty much sold on the Note originally as I LOVE my S3 phone, but I must admit I do see the reason behind all the negative Samsung reactions in terms of bloatware. Man do they put a bunch of junk on there! Luckily I have my S3 rooted and have successfully turned off bunches of bloat, and the phone is now massively faster . . . . . even on the stock ROM.
The more I play with the Xperia and read the reviews, the more I like it. The biggest 2 drawbacks in comparison are (1) lower screen resolution and (2) no S-pen. Neither one of those are deal brakers for me, but they do factor into the overall decision.
So, I know I'll get lots of pro-Samsung comments given the forum I'm in, but I'd like some honest feedback. Has anyone had lots of time with both tabs that can give some user level insight as to which way they would recommend? I have no doubt both are quality devices. Just trying to make a smart spend with my hard earned $. :fingers-crossed:
Thanks in advance.
~Vol
P.S. The new Kindle HDX is sneaking into the discussion, too. It has a *whopper* of a set of specs at a great price point. Root and install a well-built custom ROM, and maybe it kills all of them??
Vol4Ever said:
I've seen lots of discussion comparing with the various iPads, but not much discussion on the Sony Xperia. I was pretty much sold on the Note originally as I LOVE my S3 phone, but I must admit I do see the reason behind all the negative Samsung reactions in terms of bloatware. Man do they put a bunch of junk on there! Luckily I have my S3 rooted and have successfully turned off bunches of bloat, and the phone is now massively faster . . . . . even on the stock ROM.
The more I play with the Xperia and read the reviews, the more I like it. The biggest 2 drawbacks in comparison are (1) lower screen resolution and (2) no S-pen. Neither one of those are deal brakers for me, but they do factor into the overall decision.
So, I know I'll get lots of pro-Samsung comments given the forum I'm in, but I'd like some honest feedback. Has anyone had lots of time with both tabs that can give some user level insight as to which way they would recommend? I have no doubt both are quality devices. Just trying to make a smart spend with my hard earned $. :fingers-crossed:
Thanks in advance.
~Vol
P.S. The new Kindle HDX is sneaking into the discussion, too. It has a *whopper* of a set of specs at a great price point. Root and install a well-built custom ROM, and maybe it kills all of them??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love the resolution and feel of the 10.1 2014 but hate lack of root (0x0) and the physical button. S-Pen is a must for me or I would probably just go with the upcoming Nexus 10 refresh.
I really just wanted to say.....GO VOLS
Are you saying root and custom Roms won't be possible on the 2014? THAT would be a deal breaker for sure! Haven't looked much at the N10, but I guess I should. When is refresh product due out?
And on the Big Orange, I firmly believe Butch is the man to get it done. Our true freshmen have shown some "sparks" here and there. Just don't have the exp or conditioning to bring it for 60 solid minutes. I remain big time optimistic we are finally headed back up. Goodness knows we mist definitely bottomed out over the last few seasons. Wow.
ckelly33 said:
I love the resolution and feel of the 10.1 2014 but hate lack of root (0x0) and the physical button. S-Pen is a must for me or I would probably just go with the upcoming Nexus 10 refresh.
I really just wanted to say.....GO VOLS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what refresh? as far as i know nothing has been announced and rumors say there wont be another 10 inch nexus this year
The Xperia Tab Z was my first choice was as I have an Xperia Z1 phone, however I ended up returning the XTZ after a couple of days and getting the new Note 10.1.
The biggest issue with the XTZ for me was the video playback quality. When viewing 1080p movies it seemed to be dropping frames, and as well Netflix and Youtube playback was no where close to my iPad. I didn't want a situation where I was only able to use the tablet for some things and then had to go back to using my iPad for watching movies or reading ebooks. There is also the issue of the Bravia engine on the XTZ which seemed to be putting too much contrast and sharpening into all of the videos and images. I can understand why they are using Bravia as it does give the illusion of a slightly higher resolution display, but it's no where near iPad quality.
The XTZ is a great tablet though, and if the Note 10.1 didn't exist it would be the Android king without a doubt.
The best thing for me about the Note 10.1 is that it is capable of doing everything with pretty much state of the art quality. I've had a few jaw dropping moments with it where the display truly give the illusion of looking through a window. It's fantastic for video playback.
It's been a long time coming to finally get an Android tablet that matches or exceeds the iPad and I'm so far pretty thrilled with my 10.1.
30Seconds said:
It's been a long time coming to finally get an Android tablet that matches or exceeds the iPad and I'm so far pretty thrilled with my 10.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are your comments on the bloatware and all the built-in Samsung apps? Did you delete or disable a bunch of those? And I doubt I'll be doing much movie watching on the tab, but I do like to play some of the higher end games every now & then. Currently read a lot of e-books on a rooted Nook Tablet, but hoping the new device will ultimately replace that as well. And I agree that one of your obvious goals is one of mine. Use 1 tablet for pretty much everything outside of phone & texting with my S3.
I also remember now why I punted the Nexus . . . . . no SD card. That plus constantly changing connectors plus the "do it our way or not at all" mentaility is the main reason I moved away from Apple products. I used iPhones up through the 4 models, and then made the Android switch. Haven't looked back on that particular decision!
30Seconds said:
The best thing for me about the Note 10.1 is that it is capable of doing everything with pretty much state of the art quality. I've had a few jaw dropping moments with it where the display truly give the illusion of looking through a window. It's fantastic for video playback.
It's been a long time coming to finally get an Android tablet that matches or exceeds the iPad and I'm so far pretty thrilled with my 10.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Truth. The display is the best I've ever seen on a tablet. At full brightness it's absolutely incredible. The functionality of the SPen was the main draw for me with this tablet though. If you're a student or work in a setting that demands a lot of note taking then this tablet is the way to go. If I didn't need these functions, I would have waited for the new Nexus 10, which I'm sure will be superb as well. The ability to use this tablet as a virtual notebook for all of my classes made this the right choice for me though, even though it was quite expensive.
I currently own both of these tablets Samsung better screen better speakers and its faster I would go with the Samsung myself but the Sony is a nice tablet I have it running pacman ROM and it is very smooth
I am going to China on the weekend and was actually thinking of returning my samsung taking the Sony with me and then trying to find the 10.1 LTE version in Hong Kong on my way home so on a side note does anyone know how much the LTE version will cost in Hong Kong and a good place to buy it thanks
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium HD app
I loved my Z while I had it. My only complaint was that bad boy was a fingerprint magnet. I haven't yet tried a Note 10.1 2014 because there is no development for it or the Note 3.
golfinggino said:
I currently own both of these tablets Samsung better screen better speakers and its faster I would go with the Samsung myself but the Sony is a nice tablet I have it running pacman ROM and it is very smooth
I am going to China on the weekend and was actually thinking of returning my samsung taking the Sony with me and then trying to find the 10.1 LTE version in Hong Kong on my way home so on a side note does anyone know how much the LTE version will cost in Hong Kong and a good place to buy it thanks
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know, 10.1 2014 is not yet available in Hong Kong.
Vol4Ever said:
What are your comments on the bloatware and all the built-in Samsung apps? Did you delete or disable a bunch of those? And I doubt I'll be doing much movie watching on the tab, but I do like to play some of the higher end games every now & then. Currently read a lot of e-books on a rooted Nook Tablet, but hoping the new device will ultimately replace that as well. And I agree that one of your obvious goals is one of mine. Use 1 tablet for pretty much everything outside of phone & texting with my S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far all I have done is install Nova Launcher and turn down the animations to 0.5 in the developer settings. This makes it more than fast enough for me and I am not going to root or flash until we get a look at more finalized OTA firmwares. I know there are a lot of early reviewers that say this tablet lags, but since the first OTA update it has been running as quickly as one would expect it to.
I'm completely thrilled with this tablet, I can finally get rid of my IPad.
I've had the chance to own both for a while and there's pros and cons to each. The xperia was light, quick enough, NFC, DLNA, etc. Screen was good for movie watching. Expandable memory. Water proof. And it seemed less bloated although it really does have a crap load of Sony stuff on there. On the flipside, as one user said, it was a finger print magnet. It also felt extra long in portrait mode. Luckily it's a light tablet so it's not super uncomfortable but it does create a weird experience in portrait. Also, being a snapdragon s4 chipset, it's significantly slower during intense operations or even if you put a live wallpaper like ditalix live wallpaper on it.
The note has all the specs necessary, minus NFC. S pen is great just like my note 3. Screen in gorgeous. Relatively light in the hands. But again, as another user mentioned, the physical button is quite annoying in portrait mode and for a tablet so expensive, there should be no stuttering. Rooting is a fix for that though.
Although, neither was meant for portrait use, Web browsing feels more natural in portrait mode, much like the ipad. I still own both tablet, along side the ipad air. Note 10.1 2014 is my productivity beast at work and I travel with it. The xperia is my wife's favorite because she can read in the pool with it without a care, and takes it to the beach. The ipad is my favorite at home. Perfect for browsing the Web, chromecasting content, watching videos in bed, reading magazines, etc. Although, the note can do those things perfectly fine, it just doesn't have the same feel as the ipad for me when I'm in lazy mode.
Basically, if you u spend a lot of time outside with the tablet, xperia. If you need productivity first, note. If you want an all around great experience without all the bells and whistles, ipad.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
30Seconds said:
The Xperia Tab Z was my first choice was as I have an Xperia Z1 phone, however I ended up returning the XTZ after a couple of days and getting the new Note 10.1.
The biggest issue with the XTZ for me was the video playback quality. When viewing 1080p movies it seemed to be dropping frames, and as well Netflix and Youtube playback was no where close to my iPad. I didn't want a situation where I was only able to use the tablet for some things and then had to go back to using my iPad for watching movies or reading ebooks. There is also the issue of the Bravia engine on the XTZ which seemed to be putting too much contrast and sharpening into all of the videos and images. I can understand why they are using Bravia as it does give the illusion of a slightly higher resolution display, but it's no where near iPad quality.
The XTZ is a great tablet though, and if the Note 10.1 didn't exist it would be the Android king without a doubt.
The best thing for me about the Note 10.1 is that it is capable of doing everything with pretty much state of the art quality. I've had a few jaw dropping moments with it where the display truly give the illusion of looking through a window. It's fantastic for video playback.
It's been a long time coming to finally get an Android tablet that matches or exceeds the iPad and I'm so far pretty thrilled with my 10.1.
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To echo this, I would go into Best Buy to play with the tablets all the time, coming closer and closer to pulling the trigger to purchasing but stopping. When I read the specs of this tablet, I had to bite and I've been rewarded immensely for my purchase. I've had those jaw dropping moments as well. I ask it to do so much and it's almost like it's mocking me, tackling everything I throw at it with ease.
Between the Note and the Xperia, it all comes down to the screen. The Note wins, hands down.
I do like the whole waterproof thing, and it's a touch lighter than the Note. But the large bezels really make it feel clunky and less weildy in landscape mode. Samsung's decision to trim the bezels really pays off in usability. It feels closer to the iPad in portrait mode even though it's still the same 16:10 screen.
BTW, another area where the Note wins hands down is reading comic books. It's the closest thing to the printed page. I am awed by how great comic books look on the Note, even though the pages are less resolution than the screen itself.
I was looking at buying the xperia but decided to wait for this to come out. I tried both of them in a shop and the xperia was too bezzly for me and the screen of the Note was unreal. Anyways I just got my Note about an hour ago and the screen alone makes this awesome.
I have had a Xperia Tablet Z since it was released and its very nice. My wife loves it as well. The thing that is nice is that its extremely fast and has no lag. I am very impressed with the build quality, and battery life as well. I am not a fan of the case I have on it because it is a el cheapo leather case that is not that impressive. That doesn't detract from how happy I am with this tablet.
I am going to get a Note 10.1 2014 through work in the next week or so. When that comes in, I will give my wife the Xperia since she loves it. I think the Note 10.1 is going to be better for what I do than the Xperia. I am most worried about lag or response time with this device. I am going to use Nova launcher for sure, and root the device if possible.
One area where the Note beats the Xperia hands down is remote desktop. The MS app defaults to 1280 x 800 on the Note and is very fast. It defaults to 1980 x 1200 on the Xperia and chugs along with lots of tiling with tiny touch targets. The SPen allows you to hit touch targets too small for your finger and allows you to hover over links and menus. It's a fantastic rdp implementation on the Note but almost unusable on the Xperia.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2464769

Nexus 9 and Tegra based tablets are "Tablets to Avoid"

My nexus 9 recently started doing this...
Credit to Andrew Spyker
I've always had Nexus items.. First gen Nexus tablet, second, 3rd.. hell I have a nexus Q
So with this new issue I've run the gamut of Nexus 9 issues. Frisbee backplate, speed that, so you have a reference understandable to the human mind, ill describe as glacial. Charge to 100% eta. 2017. I got stuck on android 5.0.0 because.. who the hell knows. And now randomly my tablet has what I can only describe as seizures. HTC wants me to RMA it.. but you know what, I do not want to RMA it because then I'd be given another one and I would rather have the current one blow up in my face then to subject myself to the false hope of receiving a replacement and assuming, nay believing that all is well.
This is twice Nvidia has been contracted to put a processor in a Nexus and this is the second time the result has been total complete garbage. The entire Nexus9 experience has gotten me closer than I have ever been to buying an Ipad.. Google's and to an extent all Android tablet makers ability to get a tablet produced that even comes close to an Ipad in its ability to run the same way every day has been weighed and measured and found wanting.
The phones, which by all accounts are still their main focus have not suffered like the tablets so I will continue to enjoy them.
They seem to be unable to produce a table that is consistent or compelling and are thus going through the motions and just making a tablet because they have to.. So the Ipad decision is because quite frankly Apple does "going through the motions" better than Samsung/Google/HTC apparently can.
Maybe this will all change.. maybe it will not. At some point I will make the change these manufacturers will not. One thing I will not do is be suckered into a new tablet every 12 months.
More...
I'm not happy with my Nexus 9 either. It's lacking in both hardware and software.
Hardware:
- backlight bleeding
- too heavy
- flex in the back cover
- battery life is not that great
Software:
- random reboots / crashes
- RAM bug (causing chrome tab reloads for example)
- slow performance occasionally (probably caused by the RAM bug)
- software updates were rather slow for a Nexus device, we had to wait months for 5.1.1
I don't have any hope that Android M will fix any of the software problems. The Nexus 9 has been out for almost a year and there hasn't really been much improvement since the release.
I would like to buy an iPad mini 4 (never owned an iPhone or iPad, but I think there are no good Android tablets out there), the problem is that the Nexus 9 has a bad resell value (<250€) and the iPad mini 4 costs 389€ and I really don't feel like spending that much on a tablet again considering that I haven't even had the Nexus 9 for a year.
Asus zenpad 8.0 S. ... Love mine, sold my Nexus 9 to buy it. Super thin, great screen but get the CA version
I jumped on the bandwagon and bought the 32gb N9 from Google Play in December. After a month of use I felt it was an "okay" tablet. Last month I inherited an iPad Air 1st gen. The iPad gives a much more gratifying user experience.
I feel that Google really blew it with the N9, rushing to get a tablet out and winding up with a rush product at a premium price. I will be much more reluctant to go with another Google product in the future.
I don't know but I actually love my tablet... The biggest gripe I have with it is the tabs in Chrome refreshing, but besides that the tablet works great... There is a small light bleed but nothing as bad as my G3... Sorry to hear you guys had a bad batch, but what might have helped my tablet experience is that I rooted mine and running dirty unicorn...
Sent from my Nexus 9 using XDA Free mobile app
cables2590 said:
I don't know but I actually love my tablet... The biggest gripe I have with it is the tabs in Chrome refreshing, but besides that the tablet works great...
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Click to collapse
Same here. And my N9 is bone stock.
hardware is fine, but the drivers running it are crap. stutters, background task getting killed, refresh on tabs when browsing, touching the screen ramps up the processors (it's why the browser uses more power than the screen, each touch takes a crap-ton of power. a few updates back fixed it to 1/2 but still is too much. lowering it to 800 and it stutters, my other tablets only ramp up to 300 with no stutter)... as crappy as samsung is with support i'd have gotten a better tablet sticking with them. i've tried four different roms with the same results and was on stock/rooted for the longest with fire-ice kernel.
I assume you've done a full wipe and ruled out it being a software bug?
If the company is offering to RMA a defective unit in favor of a non-defective one and you turn them down how is that Nexus/HTC/Android/whomever's fault other than your own?
Other than the backlight bleed I don't have too many issues with my Nexus. And that was purchasing a refurb scratch/dent 32gb model from Amazon Warehouse for $290. Is it what I'd expect for a $290 tablet? Absolutely.
I'd consider an iPad Air 2, but those guys are $600 and won't sync up quite the same as all my other crap. Or alternatively the Mini 4 ($500).
Mine is on Preview M unencrypted. I really like it. My 10 is a fine tablet, as well. The 7's I've had I've never really liked.
The apple tablets I've tried seem no different to me. I've even changed my Window animation scale 1, Transition animation scale 1 and Animator duration scale 1.5 and it acts just like an apple tablet.
The freeze on OP's video is caused by an undervolt-powersave thing. It has been reported many times and only an RMA can save you from that.
The RAM deficiency is caused by the one and only Chrome that consumes a ****load of ram on any platform. It fills my G3's 3 GBs of ram in just 5 tabs.
Just use another browser.
ive got a sluggish n9, backlight bleed and a few reboots. battery life is weak...
love aspect ratio though and still think this is still a good tablet overall...
There is no way anyone that is happy with this tablet uses multiple profiles on a regular basis.
If you fresh boot and sign into one user things are ok... not horrible or super fast but ok. Sign in to an additional profile and the tablet goes to complete hell. Stutters, stalls, crashes, etc.
Really sucks because its shared between myself and my girlfriend. This has been the case since 5.0.1 through 6.0 preview 3.
People are never happy with what they have. Yes the tablet has a few issue here and there. Very little consumer grade electronics are "perfect" there will always be something that bugs you.
I like this tab, took a little tweaking, as it usually does with any device to reach the standards of a "current XDA'r".
But at the very LEAST i would disagree with this being a tab to avoid.
Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk 4
No offense but your optimism does not apply here. Get off the koolaid
osiris355 said:
No offense but your optimism does not apply here. Get off the koolaid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The incredible pessimism doesn't apply here, nor belong, either. Get off the juice.
RickInHouston said:
The incredible pessimism doesn't apply here, nor belong, either. Get off the juice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
His post is misleading and mine is not pessimism when its reality. Everyone knows this tablet has issues worse than typical bugs or hardware annoyances.
Edit: I just finished flashing 6.0. I can't believe I am saying this but it looks like google has finally fixed most of the performance issues. I can finally load up multiple profiles/chrome browsing and it doesn't start hanging/crashing. 1 year later and they finally got it right. Too bad it still heats up when gaming but that's not as big of a deal.
I love mine personally, there is a tiny hint of backlight bleeding but it's hardly noticeable. Battery life isn't that great, but that's the only downside for me. It always gets me through 2 days of use anyway since I have a phone for other functions. I also would gladly take a slight issue or two for the vastly superior sound setup for media consumption. Apple could maybe get my buck if they integrated FF speakers, and good ones at that. Until then the Nexus is the best for me. I was also thinking about the Asus 8.0 too, it looks good but it's too damned small. I actually think my Nexus is a bit small too, but it's the biggest and best tab I could get for under $300
I've had all sorts of issues with my Nexus 9. Software is better now than it used to be. But up until 5.1.1, multitasking made me want to kill kittens. It's more usable now with the latest 5.1.1 revision on the Pure Nexus ROM and Fire kernel. Except for Chrome, even XDA makes it choke. HD video performance is hit or miss, MX player with Tegra plug-ins was OK and other media apps stutter with high bit rates. I'm not on M now but when I tried it the battery life improved so there is that to look forward to.
The screen bleed on the bottom has gotten worse.
I learned my lesson and won't buy Nexus products again till they are on the market for a while and are thoroughly reviewed/patched.
Stock feels a little clunky on the Nexus 9. Installed CM and it feels much smoother. Overall, I am fairly pleased with mine.
Then again, I do not use Chrome, rather I use Firefox with Adblock+.
I have has both gen 7, and now the 9. I have also had iPads' and a Sony Tablet.
The 1st gen 7 was my favorite. Its form factor felt the best in my hand, the 2nd while faster was uncomfortable to hold. I'm not an Apple fan but work gave me an iPad 2. I rarely used it. Seemed okay. The Sony Z3 Tablet Compact has AMAZING quality. I just wish I could put AOSP on it, not a fan of the Sony tweaks, but over all its made from great materials and its very smooth to operate.
The 9 for me has been great so far. I did the following as soon as I got it, these are things I generally do to EVERY Android device when I get it.
* Change DPI to the screens native DPI (288 in this case)
* Added a line in build.prop to enable hardware UI rendering. <-- not sure if this is really needed anymore so I continue to add it until I'm told its not.
* Hard code the DNS used to the Google DNS servers
* Set all animation scales to .5
* Force GPU rendering to ON
I have never had any crashing or RAM management issues. I DO have the light bleeding issue, but not bad enough to really complain about.

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