About to pull the trigger on the T-mobile Galaxy Note 3

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jyi786

Supreme [H]ardness
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I am about to buy this phone by this afternoon; going to buy it outright, no contract stuff. I am coming from a Nexus 4. My reasons are as follows:

1. Need faster speeds (LTE).
2. Want an AMOLED screen
3. Want a much bigger screen
4. Need better battery life than what I have now

I fully intend to root this device and put CM 11 on it.

Please let me know what are the negatives that I'm in for. I've read some things, but nothing definitive that someone can point out. It would be much appreciated for those who actually have the phone to chime in and let me know what shortcomings you have with it so that I can ensure I'm making a sound decision.

Thanks as always!
 
I have the Verizon version. The only negative I can think is it may be a tad too big for some people. Its all personal preference. I personally can't go to a phone any smaller than this. :)
Anxiously waiting for the Note 4 to buy that off-contract.
 
If AMOLED wasn't a "requirement", I would say that the One+ One would satisfy those wants. But I'm not sure of the availability of that phone at the moment.

Are you buying it brand new off contract? You get get them used in good/mint condition on Swappa for $450-$500 right now. I've kinda been waiting for a good deal to come by on one to upgrade from my Note 2, but I'm still pretty happy with it right now, so no rush. The only slight con to the Note 3 that I can think of is the speaker, which apparently is pretty mediocre compared to the Note 2's speaker.
 
T4rd said:
If AMOLED wasn't a "requirement", I would say that the One+ One would satisfy those wants. But I'm not sure of the availability of that phone at the moment.
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I agree, but OnePlus is playing games with the availability (doing stupid contests in order for someone to just get in line to get one), with general availability slated for August or even later. I'd want one before then.

T4rd said:
Are you buying it brand new off contract? You get get them used in good/mint condition on Swappa for $450-$500 right now. I've kinda been waiting for a good deal to come by on one to upgrade from my Note 2, but I'm still pretty happy with it right now, so no rush. The only slight con to the Note 3 that I can think of is the speaker, which apparently is pretty mediocre compared to the Note 2's speaker.
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Yes, buying off contract, but not from any retailer. I'm plan to get it off Swappa, so you read my mind there. ;)
 
Since CM11 is still nightly and not stable status I would suggest to stay on stock ROM at least long enough to get a baseline but disable carrier bloat and replace some of the Samsung services with, for example, Google text-to-speech. Also, consider buying the Smart Dock which is not only a charger but also transforms your Note 3 into a micro PC with HDMI out, USB keyboard/mouse and external storage.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Smart-Multimedia-Active/dp/B009QW3TBK
 
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Only downside I see is that it won't support the 700 Mhz A block spectrum T-Mobile states will be aggressively rolled out by year's end. They just got the green light from the FCC.
 
mi7chy said:
Since CM11 is still nightly and not stable status I would suggest to stay on stock ROM at least long enough to get a baseline but disable carrier bloat and replace some of the Samsung services with, for example, Google text-to-speech. Also, consider buying the Smart Dock which is not only a charger but also transforms your Note 3 into a micro PC with HDMI out, USB keyboard/mouse and external storage.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Smart-Multimedia-Active/dp/B009QW3TBK
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions.

No matter what, even if I don't use CM11 and have to use a different ROM, that's fine, but I will NEVER use that Touchwiz garbage. I had it before and it was pure hell.
 
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ajm786 said:
Thanks for the suggestions.

No matter what, even if I don't use CM11 and have to use a different ROM, that's fine, but I will NEVER use that Touchwiz garbage. I had it before and it was pure hell.
Click to expand...

I'm using CM11 Milestone 5 on my Nexus 4, and it's been very stable, only occasionally having issue with mobile 3g connection. Otherwise, it's been running like a charm.
 
arcturus said:
Only downside I see is that it won't support the 700 Mhz A block spectrum T-Mobile states will be aggressively rolled out by year's end. They just got the green light from the FCC.
Click to expand...

No phone will support it until its launched anyway
 
cwaffles said:
I'm using CM11 Milestone 5 on my Nexus 4, and it's been very stable, only occasionally having issue with mobile 3g connection. Otherwise, it's been running like a charm.
Click to expand...

I am actually using the latest nightly, and it's been nothing but stable. Kinda boring, actually. :D

Geronimo said:
I would wait for the Note 4 this fall.
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True, but the issue is you can say this for just about any piece of tech. It's an endless waiting game for the next thing, so I figure: buy what I need right now. If I want the Note 4, buy it then.
 
ajm786 said:
No matter what, even if I don't use CM11 and have to use a different ROM, that's fine, but I will NEVER use that Touchwiz garbage. I had it before and it was pure hell.
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LOL. I'm definitely on your side on this. I had to test GS5, and I give it to another employee after one evening with it.
 
Can't be worse than putting up with Sprint and I've been there.

My main devices from Nexus 7 2013 with stock 4.4, Note II with CM11 nightly and Note 3 with stock 4.3 are, for the most part, identical from perspective of UI, responsiveness, stability and features so I don't get the TouchWiz hate from people who own only one device.
 
mi7chy said:
Can't be worse than putting up with Sprint and I've been there.

My main devices from Nexus 7 2013 with stock 4.4, Note II with CM11 nightly and Note 3 with stock 4.3 are, for the most part, identical from perspective of UI, responsiveness, stability and features so I don't get the TouchWiz hate from people who own only one device.
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I actually had 3 Samsung phones, all with Touchwiz. The worst was my GS3. The difference in performance between the stock Touchwiz and CM11 on that phone was night and day.
 
Except for maybe the S5 you can't compare the previous S series to the Note 3. As far as CM11, it's still nightly status (not production ready) and occasionally I get a dud update that renders the phone useless where I can't even reboot or power off. In this regard, TouchWiz > Google Android > CM11. It's like having an issue with Toyota Corolla and hating on Lexus.
 
mi7chy said:
As far as CM11, it's still nightly status (not production ready) and occasionally I get a dud update that renders the phone useless where I can't even reboot or power off. In this regard, TouchWiz > Google Android > CM11.
Click to expand...

I'm sort of a crack-flasher, so I've learned to backup and update only when the changelogs show something worth updating for, unlike with my Nexus 4 where it's pretty much guaranteed to work if I flash any nightly.
 
N3 user here. First phone I kept stock. You won't have any problems with it.
 
I just bought the phone last night. If you don't count shipping (and the Swappa user fee), I actually got the device for $485. I plan to sell my Nexus 4 for at least $150, and that means I would have gotten a Note 3, mint (almost brand new) for $335. Not a bad deal at all.
 
I just picked up a Note 3 on VZW a couple weeks ago - loving it so far! I went to the 'edge' plan so I can go to Note4 this time next year.

I am loving the s-pen; as an artist there are tons of applications I can use it for. And compared to my old Razr-Maxx this thing just has a ridiculous number of features to play with. I still feel like I've just barely scratched the surface of what it can do. Battery life is also very good - while it's fairly easy to burn through it with gaming or watching videos, with light use it looks like it should be fairly comparable to my old Razr-Maxx.

I have only experienced a couple very minor negatives so far. I have to agree that the speaker on the Note3 isn't great - mostly just the way it's facing - it's very easy to hold the phone in a way that completely blocks it, but I'm mostly using blu-tooth to send audio to other speakers, and the blu-tooth works great, so I'm mostly ok with that. Hopefully the Note4 will have front-facing speakers like the ones from HTC. The only other negative I've found is I can't figure out how to map new functions to the Home key. By default if was launching the Magazine app when pressed while on the home screen, which is just completely stupid - there should be a way to map it to launch any app I want, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet.
 
ajm786 said:
I just bought the phone last night. If you don't count shipping (and the Swappa user fee), I actually got the device for $485. I plan to sell my Nexus 4 for at least $150, and that means I would have gotten a Note 3, mint (almost brand new) for $335. Not a bad deal at all.
Click to expand...

$200 price drop on Sony Xperia Z Ultra GPE edition ($450 + tax + ship from Google Store)

if you wanted an even bigger device (@ 6.4"... almost a tablet... nexus 7 is 7.02", but you could use a smartphone unlimited plan on the xperia ZU)

battery life of ZU isn't as good as the Note 3 though
 
Note 3 is the best phone hands down. Nothing even comes close. I am a firm believer that until the Note 4 comes out this thing is the undisputed king of phones.

The one+ seems nice and if you're willing to "test" it would be worth a shot. I think it's a lil bigger and has a slightly smaller screen.


I no longer have the Note 3 because I love the huge real estate of the MEGA. I use the MEGAFIRE ROM which was created by the same person that made the rom below. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as the MEGA FLIES with this rom


I use Kingo ROOT for the Samsung phones I have.


I HIGHLY SUGGEST TO FORGET CM AND USE THIS ONCE YOU GET THE NOTE 3.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2627234


Touchwiz blows

I use Smart Launcher, Lucid Launcher, Nova, Solo, Action Launcher, Launcher 8 free.


BTW Smart Task Launcher is the most used app I have. I love opening these apps at any time no matter where I am.
 
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Got the phone. Promptly rooted it, tripped Knox (didn't care), installed TWRP and CM 11.

Here are my thoughts.

1. The phone is HUGE. The problem is now, I'm afflicted with the Galaxy Note curse: all other phones look smaller in comparison, and I can't in good faith go back to them. :D
2. CM 11 is very stable; stable enough to be a good daily driver. The major issues I've encountered are as follows:

a. NFC doesn't work.
b. Sound coming out of the speaker is staticy/scratchy whenever there is another audio stream playing over top of it. For instance, when you are playing a Youtube video, and a notification comes in, the audio becomes scratchy for about 3 seconds and then returns to normal.

3. The phone likes to get stuck on 1190MHz as the lowest core speed.
4. In-call volume is slightly low. I'm sure this can be remedied by using some hacks, but I haven't gotten around to it.
5. Using the phone in direct sunlight can be a bit problematic, as the screen is not bright enough. It's not a big deal though, as you can still see the screen. This may just be personal preference.

Everything else about the phone is awesome. Screen size, quality of the device, battery life, weight (it feels lighter than my Nexus 4!), great call quality, and the fact that it's an AMOLED screen.

All in all, I feel satisfied for now. I'm certain most of the issues I described above will be fixed soon.
 
I feel like some of those issues are caused by CM. Samsung released an update a while back to address screen brightness, the screen literally burns my eyes on the max setting.
 
Trimlock said:
I feel like some of those issues are caused by CM. Samsung released an update a while back to address screen brightness, the screen literally burns my eyes on the max setting.
Click to expand...

This may be true. Before I rooted, when I was checking the device, I actually put it on the highest screen brightness, and I vividly remembering it searing my eyes. No kidding. :eek:
 
ajm786 said:
This may be true. Before I rooted, when I was checking the device, I actually put it on the highest screen brightness, and I vividly remembering it searing my eyes. No kidding. :eek:
Click to expand...

I know what you mean, I'm scared to select the brightest setting for fear I'll need eye glasses in 5 days.
 
Look at my previous post.

you may be able to fix the trip but I am Not sure. It also depends what version of the note 3 you have. I know the AT&T version is the worst because of locked boot loader.

I've used kingo root many times and have never tripped Knox
 
MC FLMJIG said:
Look at my previous post.

you may be able to fix the trip but I am Not sure. It also depends what version of the note 3 you have. I know the AT&T version is the worst because of locked boot loader.

I've used kingo root many times and have never tripped Knox
Click to expand...

With the Note 3 on the 4.4.2 bootloader, there is currently absolutely no way to install a custom kernel without tripping Knox.

http://www.kingoapp.com/help/samsung-knox-counter.htm

If the phone was on the 4.3 bootloader, I may have been able to work around it. Either way, I really didn't care about Knox to begin with, so tripping was no issue for me. The phone I bought was the T-mobile N900T, so it actually has an unlocked bootloader.
 
CHANG3D said:
LOL. I'm definitely on your side on this. I had to test GS5, and I give it to another employee after one evening with it.
Click to expand...

nova launcher
/launcher bashing for good

I like gpe i like the speed of touchwiz on my gs3 so i bought nova prime. Up until kit kat touchwiz based roms were faster now kit kat is just as fast. So this has shown me an example where the manufacture tweaks and drivers are generally best to a point but eventually 3rd party does catch up.

However the gs5 gs4 and note 3 all have locked down boot loaders except the t-mobile and sprint and gpe versions.

MC FLMJIG said:
Look at my previous post.

you may be able to fix the trip but I am Not sure. It also depends what version of the note 3 you have. I know the AT&T version is the worst because of locked boot loader.

I've used kingo root many times and have never tripped Knox
Click to expand...

You cant untrip knox it uses a fuse system that physically blows a fuse when it gets tripped and yes there is a specific trip that will brick the device by blowing fuses and they are some where in a microcontroller so pulling the board out and replacing a smd fuse is not an option.

When I read about this it said there was 8 of these fuses the common tripped one that just voids the warranty and disables other knox features. Then there are i think 7 others that if they get tripped the phone stops working...

honestly Knox is evil they should have never been allowed to implement it.
 
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MC FLMJIG said:
Note 3 is the best phone hands down. Nothing even comes close. I am a firm believer that until the Note 4 comes out this thing is the undisputed king of phones.

The one+ seems nice and if you're willing to "test" it would be worth a shot. I think it's a lil bigger and has a slightly smaller screen.


I no longer have the Note 3 because I love the huge real estate of the MEGA. I use the MEGAFIRE ROM which was created by the same person that made the rom below. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as the MEGA FLIES with this rom


I use Kingo ROOT for the Samsung phones I have.


I HIGHLY SUGGEST TO FORGET CM AND USE THIS ONCE YOU GET THE NOTE 3.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2627234


Touchwiz blows

I use Smart Launcher, Lucid Launcher, Nova, Solo, Action Launcher, Launcher 8 free.


BTW Smart Task Launcher is the most used app I have. I love opening these apps at any time no matter where I am.
Click to expand...


Not to threadjack, but can you please go into more detail about your experiences/thoughts about the Note 3/Mega? I checked this thread because I was thinking of getting a Note 3 and had stopped considering the Mega due to the non-HD screen (instead was kind of looking at the Note 3/S5). I'd like to hear what you thought of the Note 3/Mega, and whether you tried both the 5.7 and 6.3. I currently have the Note II and love it, but think a higher ppi screen would really set it off, also a bit more brightness in the sun at times would be nice.
 
CM 11? I thought the boot loaders were locked with an e-fuse on that device. Is there a developer edition that is not locked?
 
deadpool_ said:
Not to threadjack, but can you please go into more detail about your experiences/thoughts about the Note 3/Mega? I checked this thread because I was thinking of getting a Note 3 and had stopped considering the Mega due to the non-HD screen (instead was kind of looking at the Note 3/S5). I'd like to hear what you thought of the Note 3/Mega, and whether you tried both the 5.7 and 6.3. I currently have the Note II and love it, but think a higher ppi screen would really set it off, also a bit more brightness in the sun at times would be nice.
Click to expand...

I have the 6.3. I would not do the smaller ones.

I've seen videos on Netflix and they look good. I have no complaints but highly suggest you play a Lil with the Mega. Some people cannot get over the size. I love it. Only issue is the weak hardware. However with the Megafire Rom this is not an issue. I am super happy i sold the Note 3 and got this.

Battery is decent.
Ingress did look a Lil weird but i used xposed app to fix.
It has about 12gb usable after the "vx" version of the rom.

I do hope the Mega 2 will use a lil less bezel and better specs. Honestly, i wouldn't mind the 720 screen. Give more ram and less bloat.

Oh, the sound is a Lil inferior vs note 3 but not day and night.

I mean, note 3 is top of line. Mega is more for real estate.

Btw no issue in sunlight.
 
MC FLMJIG said:
Oh, the sound is a Lil inferior vs note 3 but not day and night.
Click to expand...

I'm actually quite surprised people said that this phone's weak spot was its speaker. Compared to my Nexus 4 (which was rooted and had its volume amped), not only is it much louder, but the sound is much fuller and is higher quality. I'm actually impressed.
 
ajm786 said:
I'm actually quite surprised people said that this phone's weak spot was its speaker. Compared to my Nexus 4 (which was rooted and had its volume amped), not only is it much louder, but the sound is much fuller and is higher quality. I'm actually impressed.
Click to expand...

It was compared to the previous model, which it did lose some speaker quality. But some people were basing it to hell and gone over it...
 
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