Review My Phone Journey (I guess...)

As some of you already know, I got a Galaxy Note5 back on New Years Eve... and then I turned around and got a Nexus 6P a few weeks ago.

Background story:

My Note 4 was getting on my nerves because of jankiness, and reception problems. I actually had a problem with the camera this summer and I had to ship my phone to Samsung so they could repair it.

I was curious about iOS, so, I tried an iPhone 6s Plus. I was put off by the architecture and I just could not use iTunes. So, it went back. I guess my desire for control was too much for me to overcome. I got a Gold Platinum Note5 on Verizon. So far, it has been great. Reception has been better on it than the 4 I had before. Build quality is awesome, although I am nervous about all that glass. Phone survived a 2 foot drop the other day, though.

Positives:

• Solid premium feel
• Quicker software, despite not being on Marshmallow
• Camera takes awesome images
• fingerprint scanner is improved over the Note 4; I actually use it to unlock my phone
• size: I am always amazed how Samsung places a 5.7" screen in a reasonable size
• Calls have been great. Noise cancellation is awesome. people can tell when I go from Bluetooth/speaker to the handset.

Negatives:

• Capped memory. I have mostly gotten over this, but it stings. I am embracing mobile streaming and free Google backup. To top it off, the Verizon Gold Note 5 is only available in 32 GB. Shame on me for getting a gold phone lol
• battery: The Note 4 had a 3200 mAh battery; the 5 has 3,000 mAh. I am such a battery hog; I almost never put the phone down for long and the battery shows. I am topping the battery off at work (where reception is garbage) to get through the day.
• no IR blaster: I actually used it fro time to time. It is not a deal killer, just sad I don't have it anymore

All in all, I don't regret getting this phone, despite what is coming up on the horizon.

 

Nexus 6P:

I got a Nexus 6P a couple of weeks ago when the gold variant was marked down by $50. I have the 32GB Gold model.

I have switched between the Note and the Nexus a couple of times.

The 6P works great as a phone! I like how Google has integrated business information into the calling screen; if you call a known business, the business name pops up with the city/state. Reception is on par with my Note 5.

Positives:

• Phone feels nice and heavy. Nothing cheap feeling on this!
• Front facing speakers: what a novel thing. And they sound great.
• Up to date OS. That is indeed a breath of fresh air.
• Fingerprint scanner is the best I have encountered thus far.
• Google Bloat isn't outrageous. 27GB out of 32 awesome. My Note 5, on the other hand, I have ~24 out of 32GB.
• The browser is snappy! Moves quicker than Chrome on my Note. And it is easier on the eyes.
• Battery life is great. 3500 mAh is hard to kill. I got 18 hours on it and still had 10% remaining.

Negatives:

• I am not sold on the camera. Quality has been too inconsistent in my eyes. Perhaps I am spoiled by Samsung. If I don't get the perfect lighting on the 6P, the photos are too dark. While the camera launches quickly, if you use HDR, the phone takes a longer time to process the photo.
• Not sure whether it is my unit or a general bug, but there is this odd Bluetooth bug. I cannot control the volume of my headphone on my phone. I can turn the volume up on it, but I cannot turn it down.

After waffling between this and my Note5, I will stick with my Note. I am used to some accessibility settings on the Samsung. I actually like pressing the home button to answer the phone. Also, I have it set to answer by tapping the green icon (or reject by pressing the red icon). I hate swiping to answer the phone. The camera blows me away... and I like the extras in the Note bloatware. Not all bloat is horrible.

The Nexus 6P will remain as a back up device... It isn't bad, but I just prefer Samsung.

:drinks:

 

Thanks KJ. I never heard of these contraptions. I think I can survive the loss of the IR blaster. I can use the Comcast app to change the channel and my LG tablet to turn the TV off.

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I wasn't sure how this review would turn out, but I'm glad it ended well.

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Just wanted to add a Note about Samsung Pay.

It is pretty neat, once I get the hang of it. Looks like I have to be damned near perfect pointing the phone by the magnetic card reader.

I've used it 3 times, once at CVS, once at Walgreens, and the third time at a Square reader. Surprisingly, the Square transaction went through quickly, no problem. At Walgreens, I had to try again, but it was just as well because I almost missed out on a $5 coupon. But it went though.

Only thing I hate is that the number of cards that are supported. Not enough of them. Hopefully more financial institutions will get their act together. On Android Pay, you can add just about any card, even if the underlying bank isn't "supported".

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Yep. I primarily bank with a local credit union, so it'll be a while, if ever, before it is added. However, the CU supports Apple Pay. When I use Samsung Pay, the card you added gets a virtual number and you get a notification when a payment goes through. It is neat.

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In a neat twist, I discovered that I can use the Hotspot on the Nexus without a fee from Verizon. Typically, on a Verizon device, the system checks to see whether I'm able to hotspot. If the plan includes it (paid or its part of a plan), it turns it on. Otherwise, I get a prompt to call Verizon lol. Note 5 on top. Since I don't pay for hotspot, I get this message on the Note 5. On the Nexus 6, I was able to enable hotspot

 

Interesting. I couldn't believe that the hotspot worked without any kind of check. Maybe Verizon doesn't really care since they don't officially support it.

Verizon does have prepaid hotspot plans. Data is weekly, monthly, or every 2 months. The monthly plans with a credit check expire monthly like any other plan.

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@KevinJames, I'm not surprised at the last edit (S5 vs Note 3). From what I can tell, the Notes are just higher spec'd versions of then current S line. So, seeing the Note 3 was built off the S4, it wouldn't be a complete surprise that an S5/Note 4 would have better radios than the previous models.

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To the my shock, my Verizon Note5 how the Marshmallow treatment yesterday. The battery is better from my initial impression.

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You might as well at this point. You can get a few dollars by selling the Note 3. I have a low tolerance for buggy devices, so I advocate replace a buggy ASAP. When the Note 6 comes out, sell the S5 for a few dollars. The wallet hit may be painful, but getting a couple hundred softens the blow somewhat.

Either that, or find some cheap replacement device to tide you over for a few months.

I'd say most of us on a forum are cell phone geeks, some of us just don't want to say it out loud.

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Thanks Mike! I felt like I unleashed some cellular demons when I acquired the phones.

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Bluetooth observation: I haven't had any issues with the Bluetooth on my Marshmallow Note 6, so glitch has to be in the Nexus.

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When the Marshmallow update was sent to my Note5, Verizon threw in Wi-Fi calling. It only works when there is no cellular network available. Worked like a charm. So this phone has a leg up on the Nexus 6P on Verizon (no wifi calling, well not on Verizon).

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I had my wifi on the other day and I was able to experience wifi calling on the Note 5. Not too bad, I guess. Somehow, an incoming call was pushed over the wifi even though I had a cellular signal at home.

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