[Q] Note 3 Most Common Faults

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niksssss

Senior Member
Jan 23, 2011
267
20
Sofia
Hey guys. I am going to buy a second hand Note 3 and I wanted to ask what are the most common faults ? I have been a HTC user and I am used to many faults with my devices (and honestly im sick of it) like Pink camera on my HTC One or Yellow dots on my One X screen. I heard that many Note's have a problem with the multitouch ? Is this true ? Any other commont faults ?
 

3vo3d

Senior Member
Feb 13, 2012
484
112
Crikey bro. Not to sure what to tell you. But I was a HTC fan having both the hd2 and the EVO 3d but since I moved to the note 2 and now the 3 I can't really recall any common faults.

I guess I'd call knox a fault but that's just me. Sorry I can't give you any better advice than perhaps try using the hidden menu to get into test before you buy?

Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
 

niksssss

Senior Member
Jan 23, 2011
267
20
Sofia
Crikey bro. Not to sure what to tell you. But I was a HTC fan having both the hd2 and the EVO 3d but since I moved to the note 2 and now the 3 I can't really recall any common faults.

I guess I'd call knox a fault but that's just me. Sorry I can't give you any better advice than perhaps try using the hidden menu to get into test before you buy?

Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app

Yes I will try it. I just wanted to know if there was something more common. For example every 1 of 3 HTC One has a faulty camera. I know 5 people that have HTC One and 4 of them have a faulty camera.
 

ewok666

Senior Member
Apr 4, 2006
551
53
GPS is crap on version 4.4.2 with no way to downgrade.....

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
 

ultramag69

Senior Member
Nov 6, 2007
5,994
1,080
Waratah
Ok I am starting to think that 4.4.2 is the worst update ever. It brings the unresetable KNOX, Problems with gaming and now GPS. If i get my phone with 4.3 should I update it ?

4.3 has the unresetable Knox too.. Once Knox has been triggered you're stuck with it, no matter what the Android version...
 

ewok666

Senior Member
Apr 4, 2006
551
53
You can root it and wipe it and flash 4.3 via odin if you really don't like 4.4.2

And how would I do that with a 4.4.2 bootloader?

---------- Post added at 02:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:31 AM ----------

Ok I am starting to think that 4.4.2 is the worst update ever. It brings the unresetable KNOX, Problems with gaming and now GPS. If i get my phone with 4.3 should I update it ?

I would NOT update it. Unless you're planning to root you will lose useful access to the external SD card. I do not know whether 4.3 GPS works flawlessly as I don't have access but I have yet to see a 4.4.2 Note that does not have the bug. I get locks for most of the day but somehow, and this is not very scientific, mostly between 15:00 and 19:00 I randomly lose the lock and it's almost like a GPS restart. From a full signal it goes down to zero and then back to a full signal. MOST annoying when you depend on it for navigation in the city where you easily miss a turn.
 

whymista

Senior Member
Jan 16, 2013
364
31
DFW
And how would I do that with a 4.4.2 bootloader?

---------- Post added at 02:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:31 AM ----------



I would NOT update it. Unless you're planning to root you will lose useful access to the external SD card. I do not know whether 4.3 GPS works flawlessly as I don't have access but I have yet to see a 4.4.2 Note that does not have the bug. I get locks for most of the day but somehow, and this is not very scientific, mostly between 15:00 and 19:00 I randomly lose the lock and it's almost like a GPS restart. From a full signal it goes down to zero and then back to a full signal. MOST annoying when you depend on it for navigation in the city where you easily miss a turn.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2466423
 

whymista

Senior Member
Jan 16, 2013
364
31
DFW
Pretty sure it can be I'm almost positive I've seen people ask about that and you just had to go back to stock and do it again
 
There are no serious faults to my knowledge. There are a few minor ones.

- The camera has flickering black likes when you turn on WiFi. (Similar to the ones you get on any camera when you point it at a screen or fluorescent lamp)
- The camera also tends to be highly, highly rubbish in low light at ISO Auto. Not a fault per se, just a result of the tiny sensor.
- On 4.4.2, some people have trouble with WiFi passwords not being saved. Still investigating that (people are not being very helpful) but it seems to be auto0backup or sync related.
- 4.4.2 has the irritating SDcard permissions. If you're going to root, not a problem. If you're not, some apps might not be able to write to it, depending on wether the developer updated the permissions.
- The homebutton is 'crooked', meaning it's a bit wibbly. Very, very slightly. Nowhere near as bad as the powerbutton on the S3, though. (You could wiggle that about to the point where it fell out or got stuck and turned off your phone.)
- Knox can be counted as a problem if you're outside the EU. (If you're inside the EU, your hardware warranty is still valid with 0x1.)
- Some people complain about GPS issues. I've personally not encountered them. But then I don't think there's a device where people don't complain about the GPS.
- There's also the Android System, Android OS and Mediaserver battery drain that affects every kitkat device (including the Nexus and S line.)
- Some people have complained about there being a small gap between the screen and the metallic(plastic) rim. Mine has that too, but it's not fatal, just annoying if you're a bit OCD. (Which, let's face it, we all are.)
- People have also complained about the metallic coating on the rim eroding quickly. That's related to the PH value of their skin and/or the case they're using.
- The Spen may need to be calibrated. Pop off the plastic button carefully (dn't break it!) with a small screwdriver (it jumps, careful not to lose it!) and twist the potentiometer closest to the pentip to increase or decrease the sensitivity. Or give it a good whack on a table, that often works too. (These are both fixes that apply for most Wacom pens. As an Intuos user, I've had to do the potentiometer tweaking fairly often.)
- The multitouch problems were mostly fixed in a few OTAs.
- There've been complaints about the speaker quality as well. But then, you can't expect Bose quality from a 1x0.2cm speaker in a plastic box. That's what they invented portable speakers for.

That's about it, I think.
 

niksssss

Senior Member
Jan 23, 2011
267
20
Sofia
Thanks for the detailed reply. I appreciate it. I live in EU and are you sure that I still have warranty with knox 0x1 ? And are the problems with the flickery camera on every device or its rarely seen ?
 

B3311

Senior Member
Feb 16, 2011
2,409
1,038
Gelderd End, 1974
There've been complaints about the speaker quality as well. But then, you can't expect Bose quality from a 1x0.2cm speaker in a plastic box.

True. The Note 3 speaker, however crappy, is a million times better than any Bose crap....

Bose are the Beats of the hi-fi world - their hype is so good that Joe Public thinks they're premium sound. Trust me - they are not.
 
Thanks for the detailed reply. I appreciate it. I live in EU and are you sure that I still have warranty with knox 0x1 ? And are the problems with the flickery camera on every device or its rarely seen ?

By EU Directive 1999/44/CE they are legally obliged to provide you with a full 2 year warranty, without additional costs to the customer, on defects covered by the original warranty unless they can provide evidence that your software modification caused the hardware defect.

The flickering lights are a software bug that occurs on every Note 3. Some 3rd party camera apps seem to lessen them to an extend, but the best solution is still to turn off WiFi and/or GPS. I've not seen them all the time on mine as I use 4 different camera apps and wouldn't know which ones had them (No wifi here so can't test), but they do happen.

True. The Note 3 speaker, however crappy, is a million times better than any Bose crap....

Bose are the Beats of the hi-fi world - their hype is so good that Joe Public thinks they're premium sound. Trust me - they are not.

Oh I know... My dad owns one of those. What a waste of money that was.

It doesn't even have a 3.5mm Stereojack. Not a single Bose set does. Ironic, because Bose sells headsets with a 3.5mm stereo plug.. :silly:

Personally I prefer AKG.
 
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Spere

Senior Member
Aug 7, 2013
491
183
I live in EU and if KNOX 0x1, warranty is gone. Period.

On some phones there have been problem with proximity sensor (http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2488031). Dust goes from earspeaker hole to under housing, and on top of sensor. Blowing to speaker's hole helps couple times, but then you have to took phone apart to clean that sensor. If you root, that can be fixed (http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=47248099&postcount=18) or maby you don't even got that problem. I have cleaned sensor two times in 6 months on my phone.
 

ewok666

Senior Member
Apr 4, 2006
551
53
I live in EU and if KNOX 0x1, warranty is gone. Period.

On some phones there have been problem with proximity sensor (http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2488031). Dust goes from earspeaker hole to under housing, and on top of sensor. Blowing to speaker's hole helps couple times, but then you have to took phone apart to clean that sensor. If you root, that can be fixed (http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=47248099&postcount=18) or maby you don't even got that problem. I have cleaned sensor two times in 6 months on my phone.

That is not true. Samsung will try to make you believe this and you may need to fight for your rights but from a legal standpoint they should not be able to get away with it. That said, if I had a hardware fault, I'd be more inclined to render the phone completely useless to save myself the time and pain.
 
I live in EU and if KNOX 0x1, warranty is gone. Period.

Maybe if you swallow whatever rubbish the shops tell you and walk away. But you have every right to stand up for what you're legally obligated to get.

You are going to have to sink your teeth in it and be stubborn. But they can't legally refuse it.
 
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Spere

Senior Member
Aug 7, 2013
491
183
That is not true. Samsung will try to make you believe this and you may need to fight for your rights but from a legal standpoint they should not be able to get away with it. That said, if I had a hardware fault, I'd be more inclined to render the phone completely useless to save myself the time and pain.

Yes it is true. This is again off topic and bs... I say only this to you talking about hardware warranty vs firmware tweaks.

Case 1: Custom ROM, custom kernel, overclocked (burnt) CPU = Hardware fault (and manufacturer should fix it for free?)
Case 2: You turn up the max level of phones speaker level and then play extra loud music from it - the speaker burns = Hardware fault (and manufacturer should fix it for free.)
Case 3....
Case 4....

That is why rooting, flashing ROMs etc.. voids warranty here even we are in EU. That was tested once with Samsung. And decision was rooted or anyway modded phone is out of warranty. Period.

And if KNOX is 0x1, you have flashed something unofficial to phone (root, ROM, recovery, something) and warranty is gone. I know KNOX warranty is not device warranty, but at same time it's unresetable indicator that warranty is void too. Since SAME actions that'll trigger KNOX, voids device warranty.
 
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    There are no serious faults to my knowledge. There are a few minor ones.

    - The camera has flickering black likes when you turn on WiFi. (Similar to the ones you get on any camera when you point it at a screen or fluorescent lamp)
    - The camera also tends to be highly, highly rubbish in low light at ISO Auto. Not a fault per se, just a result of the tiny sensor.
    - On 4.4.2, some people have trouble with WiFi passwords not being saved. Still investigating that (people are not being very helpful) but it seems to be auto0backup or sync related.
    - 4.4.2 has the irritating SDcard permissions. If you're going to root, not a problem. If you're not, some apps might not be able to write to it, depending on wether the developer updated the permissions.
    - The homebutton is 'crooked', meaning it's a bit wibbly. Very, very slightly. Nowhere near as bad as the powerbutton on the S3, though. (You could wiggle that about to the point where it fell out or got stuck and turned off your phone.)
    - Knox can be counted as a problem if you're outside the EU. (If you're inside the EU, your hardware warranty is still valid with 0x1.)
    - Some people complain about GPS issues. I've personally not encountered them. But then I don't think there's a device where people don't complain about the GPS.
    - There's also the Android System, Android OS and Mediaserver battery drain that affects every kitkat device (including the Nexus and S line.)
    - Some people have complained about there being a small gap between the screen and the metallic(plastic) rim. Mine has that too, but it's not fatal, just annoying if you're a bit OCD. (Which, let's face it, we all are.)
    - People have also complained about the metallic coating on the rim eroding quickly. That's related to the PH value of their skin and/or the case they're using.
    - The Spen may need to be calibrated. Pop off the plastic button carefully (dn't break it!) with a small screwdriver (it jumps, careful not to lose it!) and twist the potentiometer closest to the pentip to increase or decrease the sensitivity. Or give it a good whack on a table, that often works too. (These are both fixes that apply for most Wacom pens. As an Intuos user, I've had to do the potentiometer tweaking fairly often.)
    - The multitouch problems were mostly fixed in a few OTAs.
    - There've been complaints about the speaker quality as well. But then, you can't expect Bose quality from a 1x0.2cm speaker in a plastic box. That's what they invented portable speakers for.

    That's about it, I think.
    1
    Thanks for the detailed reply. I appreciate it. I live in EU and are you sure that I still have warranty with knox 0x1 ? And are the problems with the flickery camera on every device or its rarely seen ?

    By EU Directive 1999/44/CE they are legally obliged to provide you with a full 2 year warranty, without additional costs to the customer, on defects covered by the original warranty unless they can provide evidence that your software modification caused the hardware defect.

    The flickering lights are a software bug that occurs on every Note 3. Some 3rd party camera apps seem to lessen them to an extend, but the best solution is still to turn off WiFi and/or GPS. I've not seen them all the time on mine as I use 4 different camera apps and wouldn't know which ones had them (No wifi here so can't test), but they do happen.

    True. The Note 3 speaker, however crappy, is a million times better than any Bose crap....

    Bose are the Beats of the hi-fi world - their hype is so good that Joe Public thinks they're premium sound. Trust me - they are not.

    Oh I know... My dad owns one of those. What a waste of money that was.

    It doesn't even have a 3.5mm Stereojack. Not a single Bose set does. Ironic, because Bose sells headsets with a 3.5mm stereo plug.. :silly:

    Personally I prefer AKG.
    1
    I live in EU and if KNOX 0x1, warranty is gone. Period.

    Maybe if you swallow whatever rubbish the shops tell you and walk away. But you have every right to stand up for what you're legally obligated to get.

    You are going to have to sink your teeth in it and be stubborn. But they can't legally refuse it.
    1
    That is not true. Samsung will try to make you believe this and you may need to fight for your rights but from a legal standpoint they should not be able to get away with it. That said, if I had a hardware fault, I'd be more inclined to render the phone completely useless to save myself the time and pain.

    Yes it is true. This is again off topic and bs... I say only this to you talking about hardware warranty vs firmware tweaks.

    Case 1: Custom ROM, custom kernel, overclocked (burnt) CPU = Hardware fault (and manufacturer should fix it for free?)
    Case 2: You turn up the max level of phones speaker level and then play extra loud music from it - the speaker burns = Hardware fault (and manufacturer should fix it for free.)
    Case 3....
    Case 4....

    That is why rooting, flashing ROMs etc.. voids warranty here even we are in EU. That was tested once with Samsung. And decision was rooted or anyway modded phone is out of warranty. Period.

    And if KNOX is 0x1, you have flashed something unofficial to phone (root, ROM, recovery, something) and warranty is gone. I know KNOX warranty is not device warranty, but at same time it's unresetable indicator that warranty is void too. Since SAME actions that'll trigger KNOX, voids device warranty.
    1
    Lemon law?

    Sent from somewhere under the sky, at the corner of this rounded earth.

    ---------- Post added at 12:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:17 AM ----------



    It will all depends on the retailers.
    Different retailers and different countries might treat customers differently.


    Sent from somewhere under the sky, at the corner of this rounded earth.
    Here shops repairs nothing. In this country there is one viral repair center that is "honored" by Samsung (they got many other mobile device brands repair also). No matter where you have bought your device, they'll send it to that repair center or tell you send it by yourself. They'll fix it and sends back to you (or to shop you bought it if you bring it back there to have them send it).

    Only thing shop does is they'll pack device, put fault ticket with it and sends it to repair..