Samsung Reportedly Discontinuing Galaxy Note Series

[Endgame]

The last Samsung device I had was a note 3. I loved it at first, but between Samsung and Verizon, the bloat Ware really started to piss me off. The last straw was when one of the included apps kept trying to update, would crash, then try to update again. The preferred way to fix it was apparently to root the phone, and I just didn’t want to mess with that. Traded for an iPhone 6 and haven’t looked back. The best part? I moved my wife to an iPhone as well, and all of it seamlessly integrated with her MacBook and iPad mini. I no longer had to do any tech support, she just handled it all herself.

 

[Zarathustra]

When it comes to Samsung devices I have traditionally had two problems, now with the fold there are 4.

The Fold has well noted durability issues, and the asking price is absolutely insane.

The two original complaints are linked.

Samsung has always had pretty solid good hardware. (well, at least when it isn't bursting into flames)

Traditionally Samsung just tries to do too much to differentiate their devices in software, leading to a bloated Touch-Wiz (even though it doesn't go by that name anymore) trying to incorporate a bunch of proprietary Samsung bloatware no one wants (at least not me) when they would be better served by a vanilla Android experience, with a common launcher like Nova.

More importantly, the side effect of this is that they have so much **** custom code in their ROM's that they don't keep up with security patches. Even Googles on Pixel line is marginal in this regard, with Security updates only being updated roughly monthly. Biweekly should really be the target.

Surprisingly LineageOS (former Cyanogenmod) does the best here, with updated security patch levels every couple of days. Only downside it runs on fewer and fewer devices you'd actually wan't.

If I had my druthers, I'd have the latest gen Galaxy S device but with an unlocked bootloader and fully supported LineageOS.

Short of getting a device with an sdcard slot, quick swappable batterly, and audio out jack, that's probably about the best I can hope for these days, and even that will be a stretch.

Just as I finished typing that I went to check the LineageOS website for the first time in a while, and it looks like they have added support for my Pixel3. I might install it and get rid of as much as possible of googles forced nonsense I have to deal with today. Good riddance Pixel Launcher always in th ebackground even though I don't use it, and Google Assistant...

All of that said, I think if I were shopping today, I'd go for the Pixel 4a. I reminds me a lot of the good old Nexus phones. Decent price in a capable device, and it also still has analogue audio output and a fingerprint sensor.

I won't upgrade until my Pixel 3 support is ended by Google. At that time, I'm hoping there will be a good Pixel 5a along the same lines as the 4a. Cheap, good enough, close to vanilla android, with analogue audio and fingerprint sensor, so I don't have to unlock my phone with my face.


Side note, I was just poking around the fi store. Is this a good price for a Note 20?

 

[Grimlakin]

All of that said, I think if I were shopping today, I'd go for the Pixel 4a. I reminds me a lot of the good old Nexus phones. Decent price in a capable device, and it also still has analogue audio output and a fingerprint sensor.

I won't upgrade until my Pixel 3 support is ended by Google. At that time, I'm hoping there will be a good Pixel 5a along the same lines as the 4a. Cheap, good enough, close to vanilla android, with analogue audio and fingerprint sensor, so I don't have to unlock my phone with my face.


Side note, I was just poking around the fi store. Is this a good price for a Note 20?

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I would see what that 500 off really is. Do you have to do a monthly payment to get that discount or is it 100% 500 off if you buy the phone outright.

 

[Peter_Brosdahl]