Any former Note 3 users?

donalgodon · Jun 7, 2014

I'm debating to move to the Z2 and I would very much appreciate any feedback from Z2 owners who have experience with the Note 3.

I am looking at the sound quality of the noise reduction in the headphones and the camera, which are two of the primary draws for me.

How does the sound and camera and overall speed compare in real world use?

stanley08 · Jun 7, 2014

donalgodon said:
I'm debating to move to the Z2 and I would very much appreciate any feedback from Z2 owners who have experience with the Note 3.

I am looking at the sound quality of the noise reduction in the headphones and the camera, which are two of the primary draws for me.

How does the sound and camera and overall speed compare in real world use?

Former Note 3 user here! In a nutshell, the Z2 is better.

Read my full honest review here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/mpxhmrbqc7dy6nk/Xperia Z2 FULL Review.txt

donalgodon · Jun 7, 2014

stanley08 said:
Former Note 3 user here! In a nutshell, the Z2 is better.

Read my full honest review here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/mpxhmrbqc7dy6nk/Xperia Z2 FULL Review.txt

Thanks for the response.

Does the 20.7 MP superior auto hack reduce the quality of the shots over the standard 8MP size superior auto mode?

Those gaps you mentioned in the review have me worried. I would have thought Sony would have that worked out by now, after the Z1 had the same problems.

How can anyone trust the water resistance like this?

christoph_2013 · Jun 7, 2014

stanley08 said:
Former Note 3 user here! In a nutshell, the Z2 is better.

Read my full honest review here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/mpxhmrbqc7dy6nk/Xperia Z2 FULL Review.txt

I will be picking this phone up tommorow, have you noticed any serious over-heating or 4K camera recording issues? i.e phone random rebooting while recording video?

Smartphoner · Jun 7, 2014

I was a former note 3 user and moved on to Z2.

A lot better software stability. More premium design and better handling regarding the smaller size compared to note 3. Unique amongst all samsung users. Waterproof mania and I've been using phones under water since xperia z. People informing they used it even with gaps and it's safe. Any pen stylus can be used and there is one made for sony (sony stylus es22). Camera is outstanding. 4k download is fun. Noise reduction is real. No need for opening flaps as magnetic charging does the job. Sound quality is really good inspite of the waterproof design. Only missing the IR blaster.
Overall u will never regret the switch!

Sent from my D6503 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

logzz · Jun 7, 2014

sevoflurane said:
I was a former note 3 user and moved on to Z2.

A lot better software stability. More premium design and better handling regarding the smaller size compared to note 3. Unique amongst all samsung users. Waterproof mania and I've been using phones under water since xperia z. People informing they used it even with gaps and it's safe. Any pen stylus can be used and there is one made for sony (sony stylus es22). Camera is outstanding. 4k download is fun. Noise reduction is real. No need for opening flaps as magnetic charging does the job. Sound quality is really good inspite of the waterproof design. Only missing the IR blaster.
Overall u will never regret the switch!

Sent from my D6503 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

yea I have both devices at the moment I will play around with both to see what I like most. but I think I will take the sony z2 over the note 3. The screen on the z2 is a lot better then the note 3 the colours are much better. The note 3 is a good phone but the z2 wins on a few more things then the note. As for the gaps tho on the z2 it is true you do get them I had to go through 3 of them before I got one with out gaps. But im very happy with it. And it is still waterproof even with gaps. But when paying 900 for a phone I do not expect there to be gaps between the frame and screen. Some people will be fine with it and some will not. But I can honestly say out of all the other phones I have had they have never had gaps between the frame and screen

HeartUnderBlade · Jun 7, 2014

donalgodon said:
TThose gaps you mentioned in the review have me worried. I would have thought Sony would have that worked out by now, after the Z1 had the same problems.

How can anyone trust the water resistance like this?

A lot of people with gaps of different sizes (including me) have taken the bullet and tested the waterproofing of the phone and we have all concluded that no gap has ever compromised the waterproofing. I've yet to see a report of someone saying the gap compromises the waterproofing of the phone. This is probably due to the construction of the phone as the plastic injection molding goes deeper into the phone and then sandwhiched by the glass.

christoph_2013 said:
I will be picking this phone up tommorow, have you noticed any serious over-heating or 4K camera recording issues? i.e phone random rebooting while recording video?

I personally have experienced over-heating only when recording 4k video for longer than 7 minutes. I think for most, if not all, of the over-heating cases the camera app just shuts off. I don't think anybody's phone ever rebooted due to over-heating from recording 4k.

stanley08 · Jun 8, 2014

christoph_2013 said:
I will be picking this phone up tommorow, have you noticed any serious over-heating or 4K camera recording issues? i.e phone random rebooting while recording video?

I have not tried 4K recording, because i know i don't need it. But TBH, i never use my Video recorder really. Lol.

sevoflurane said:
I was a former note 3 user and moved on to Z2.

A lot better software stability. More premium design and better handling regarding the smaller size compared to note 3. Unique amongst all samsung users. Waterproof mania and I've been using phones under water since xperia z. People informing they used it even with gaps and it's safe. Any pen stylus can be used and there is one made for sony (sony stylus es22). Camera is outstanding. 4k download is fun. Noise reduction is real. No need for opening flaps as magnetic charging does the job. Sound quality is really good inspite of the waterproof design. Only missing the IR blaster.
Overall u will never regret the switch!

Sent from my D6503 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Very well said. IR blaster would have been nice. But oh well!

donalgodon said:
Thanks for the response.

Does the 20.7 MP superior auto hack reduce the quality of the shots over the standard 8MP size superior auto mode?

Those gaps you mentioned in the review have me worried. I would have thought Sony would have that worked out by now, after the Z1 had the same problems.

How can anyone trust the water resistance like this?

Haven't tested this mod excessively but i believe it would be noisy. Will tell u when i test. And AFAIK, water resistance is ok even with gaps.

sharingspider · Jun 8, 2014

donalgodon said:
I'm debating to move to the Z2 and I would very much appreciate any feedback from Z2 owners who have experience with the Note 3.

I am looking at the sound quality of the noise reduction in the headphones and the camera, which are two of the primary draws for me.

How does the sound and camera and overall speed compare in real world use?

I am a former Note 3 user - Also reviews would differ depending on the Note 3 variant used.

I have used N9005 LTE and I wont say switch is great. Handset is having lots of issues as discussed by users worldwide. Software crashes which is a common problem and thats the reason Sony till date has real poor reviews for the same. Phone is surely bulky and heavy compared to Note 3. Battery life is pretty much equivalent so no dramas there. Note 3 never heats (N9005 only) even with an hour of game play - Z2 surely does with 5 min camera usage too. Sound Output of Note 3 is way louder compared to Z2. Camera Z2 has a real good one No doubts about that. Build Quality also is pretty superb.

Sent from my D6502 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Ryland Johnson · Jun 8, 2014

donalgodon said:
I'm debating to move to the Z2 and I would very much appreciate any feedback from Z2 owners who have experience with the Note 3.

I am looking at the sound quality of the noise reduction in the headphones and the camera, which are two of the primary draws for me.

How does the sound and camera and overall speed compare in real world use?

I owned the Note 3. Bitterly disappointed with it despite its being a very able mobile. It just didn't work for me. In terms of camera, cant help not my area of expertise. Now sound reproduction is another matter.

In terms of portable sound reproduction Sony started the ball rolling with their Walkmans decades ago. The quality of sound reproduction on most Sony mobile devices is above average to top quality IF one uses dedicated head phones. Here we go..........Headphones or speakers can only reproduce what the amplifier amplifies so the source and amplification are vital. Sony is a leading manufacturer in this area in terms of mobile sourcing and amplification, they have many years of experience and have more or less pioneered portable sound. To this end what we have in the Xperia range is very good amplification and when used with a hi-fidelity headphone those phones are able to take full advantage of the excellent source.

The Xperia Z2 comes with the Sony MDR-NC31EM noise cancelling head phones I am listening to them as I type this and yes they are more accomplished than the stock headphones bundled in most mobiles, better by far BUT..........There are far better still. I am not keen on ear bud type head phones. I prefer an over the ear 'open back' headphone like the Sennheiser PX-100-11. They simply amaze every time I use them and have become a reference point in reviewing other headphones despite their meagre price of around 40.00€ :good:
.
In terms of the ear bud type the Sennheiser CX-300-11 make the Sony ear buds sound amateur. Now if you can afford say 80.00€ the AKG K452 are designed for Android devices and are based on the award winning 450 and 451's They are also portable and come with their own carry case, they are closed back and not ear buds. The AKG can reproduce frequencies between 11-29500Hz, that's from very low base to very high treble! In comparison the Sony MDR's only manage 20-20000Hz meaning they cannot produce the full spectrum of sound frequencies the Z2 is capable off. I am generally not a fan of Sony headphones.

Please do accept that the type of sound you enjoy will not be the same as others. There are numerous brands of head phone and you are bound to find one that you enjoy. Main point is here the Samsung you mention on headphones produced a very decent sound BUT the Sony does produce a greater band width and more open stage to the music. As for the speakers or speaker on the phones themselves, neither are worth even listening to, having written that the Sony again leaves the Sammy dead in the water.

I hope I have been of some small help to you?

Best wishes, Ryland

Karnax_ · Jun 8, 2014

Well I went the other way, in that I bought a Z2 and gave it up for a Note 3. I will echo what everyone else is saying, the Z2 makes a mockery of the Note's sound, especially with those bundles headphones. Nothing I do to the Note will bring the audio close to the Z2's, I'd be very interested to hear from a Note user that managed to make good on the Note's audio.

The Z2's screen is better but I wouldn't say to a degree that I wouldn't let it impact on the decision to pick it up. We're talking about a significantly smaller screen with that damn navigation bar in place of the buttons. The camera on the Z2 is where it really shines for me. Photos and videos are simply phenomenal. If this matters to you then it's a no-brainer seriously.

It really depends if you're like me and stuck in your ways. I use the Note for work and constantly using the S-Pen for drawing layouts and switching to calculator, I also like my physical buttons. It didn't take me long to switch back for those reasons but I really struggled with the decision to give the Z2 to my girlfriend due to the quality of the audio and video/photo capture. The Z2 is a solid handset it just depends what you want to use it for I guess.

Ryland Johnson · Jun 8, 2014

Karnax_ said:
Well I went the other way, in that I bought a Z2 and gave it up for a Note 3. I will echo what everyone else is saying, the Z2 makes a mockery of the Note's sound, especially with those bundles headphones. Nothing I do to the Note will bring the audio close to the Z2's, I'd be very interested to hear from a Note user that managed to make good on the Note's audio.

The Z2's screen is better but I wouldn't say to a degree that I wouldn't let it impact on the decision to pick it up. We're talking about a significantly smaller screen with that damn navigation bar in place of the buttons. The camera on the Z2 is where it really shines for me. Photos and videos are simply phenomenal. If this matters to you then it's a no-brainer seriously.

It really depends if you're like me and stuck in your ways. I use the Note for work and constantly using the S-Pen for drawing layouts and switching to calculator, I also like my physical buttons. It didn't take me long to switch back for those reasons but I really struggled with the decision to give the Z2 to my girlfriend due to the quality of the audio and video/photo capture. The Z2 is a solid handset it just depends what you want to use it for I guess.

Indeed. It depends on ones prioritise and what one does with the mobile.
I was disappointed with the Note 3. My own fault, I made a pre sale purchase and was the first customer in this country to own one. What horrified me about the Note 3 was the plastic leather back with plastic stitching then the plastic chrome sides. No way could I live with the feel of that mobile despite its many other qualities.
Music is important to me and the Samsung on this occasion was awful. The original cost was 1100€ for the Sammy and the Gear watch. With that sort of outlay I expected better materials and construction than the Sammy offered.

If you need the S-pen the Sammy Note is THE phone to own. In that respect its rather unique.
I think when we purchase something we are going to use and hold every day we need to feel pride of ownership and with those plastics made to look like other materials no way could I stomach it. Maybe if the Note 4 is made from decent high end materials I would take another look at the Samsung range BUT as music is important to me it sort of rules out the present Samsung range.

Its great to have all this choice though :highfive: .

Ryland

donalgodon · Jun 8, 2014

Ryland Johnson said:
I owned the Note 3. Bitterly disappointed with it despite its being a very able mobile. It just didn't work for me. In terms of camera, cant help not my area of expertise. Now sound reproduction is another matter.

In terms of portable sound reproduction Sony started the ball rolling with their Walkmans decades ago. The quality of sound reproduction on most Sony mobile devices is above average to top quality IF one uses dedicated head phones. Here we go..........Headphones or speakers can only reproduce what the amplifier amplifies so the source and amplification are vital. Sony is a leading manufacturer in this area in terms of mobile sourcing and amplification, they have many years of experience and have more or less pioneered portable sound. To this end what we have in the Xperia range is very good amplification and when used with a hi-fidelity headphone those phones are able to take full advantage of the excellent source.

The Xperia Z2 comes with the Sony MDR-NC31EM noise cancelling head phones I am listening to them as I type this and yes they are more accomplished than the stock headphones bundled in most mobiles, better by far BUT..........There are far better still. I am not keen on ear bud type head phones. I prefer an over the ear 'open back' headphone like the Sennheiser PX-100-11. They simply amaze every time I use them and have become a reference point in reviewing other headphones despite their meagre price of around 40.00€ :good:
.
In terms of the ear bud type the Sennheiser CX-300-11 make the Sony ear buds sound amateur. Now if you can afford say 80.00€ the AKG K452 are designed for Android devices and are based on the award winning 450 and 451's They are also portable and come with their own carry case, they are closed back and not ear buds. The AKG can reproduce frequencies between 11-29500Hz, that's from very low base to very high treble! In comparison the Sony MDR's only manage 20-20000Hz meaning they cannot produce the full spectrum of sound frequencies the Z2 is capable off. I am generally not a fan of Sony headphones.

Please do accept that the type of sound you enjoy will not be the same as others. There are numerous brands of head phone and you are bound to find one that you enjoy. Main point is here the Samsung you mention on headphones produced a very decent sound BUT the Sony does produce a greater band width and more open stage to the music. As for the speakers or speaker on the phones themselves, neither are worth even listening to, having written that the Sony again leaves the Sammy dead in the water.

I hope I have been of some small help to you?

Best wishes, Ryland

Very helpful indeed. My question is this: Sennheiser CX-300-11 does not allow the noise cancelling features built into the device to function, but how do they compare in terms of noise reduction/isolation on their own?

The others are out of my price range at the moment, but the Sennheiser CX-300-11 might get me by.

Ryland Johnson · Jun 8, 2014

donalgodon said:
Very helpful indeed. My question is this: Sennheiser CX-300-11 does not allow the noise cancelling features built into the device to function, but how do they compare in terms of noise reduction/isolation on their own?

The others are out of my price range at the moment, but the Sennheiser CX-300-11 might get me by.

Let me put is this way. When my dear to my heart wife starts to tell me off..............I just pop those in and its bliss.

They come with several sizes of rubber ear bud. When they are in the ear you cannot hear a word outside.

Noise cancelling is not always a good thing. This means the source of the music is not pure. The less distortion your music has the more natural the sound. Processing the sound, as in noise cancelation, is not something I would consider its much like the use of graphic equalisers they just made a mess of the original sound. Sony produce a very good source so I would not want it processed.
The Sennheiser is a very respectable head phone and through me many of my friends and family now own them. I fail to see how one could go wrong with an ear bud that price? I think you will be rather surprised. :highfive:

Let me know what you decide to do.

Ryland

donalgodon · Jun 8, 2014

Ryland Johnson said:
Let me put is this way. When my dear to my heart wife starts to tell me off..............I just pop those in and its bliss.

They come with several sizes of rubber ear bud. When they are in the ear you cannot hear a word outside.

Noise cancelling is not always a good thing. This means the source of the music is not pure. The less distortion your music has the more natural the sound. Processing the sound, as in noise cancelation, is not something I would consider its much like the use of graphic equalisers they just made a mess of the original sound. Sony produce a very good source so I would not want it processed.
The Sennheiser is a very respectable head phone and through me many of my friends and family now own them. I fail to see how one could go wrong with an ear bud that price? I think you will be rather surprised. :highfive:

Let me know what you decide to do.

Ryland

I think I'll go for the Sennheiser CX-300-11 because it seems like a great option for me. I would prefer buds for portability. I wasn't aware of the model, but I do know and trust the brand.

How sensitive are they? I mean, can they be driven properly by the Note 3's sound hardware for the meantime while I decide what device (if any) to replace it with?

I'm torn between the LG G3, G Pro 2, or the OnePlus One, but the latter is not available without invite, and the former are rather expensive Korean imports at the moment.

charlie460 · Jun 9, 2014

I went from the Note 3 to the HTC One M8 (for a few days) to the Xperia Z2 and couldn't be happier. I feel it's a huge upgrade for me, notably not having to deal with TouchWiz. Sony's Android UI is far nicer in my opinion. Battery life seems to be better than my Note 3 as well.

sennheiserx · Jun 12, 2014

I came from the Note 2, but have used my friends' Note 3's extensively. Phone is really nice, the build quality, responsiveness, battery life, and stability are all nice. I did have a problem with my GPS in that it couldn't find my location once but restarting the phone fixed it. However, I will point out that the Note 2 and 3 are better for two handed texting, and the Z2 is great for 1 handed swyping. The speaker phone, because of the water proofing, is quieter and not as clear on the note 2, but has comparable quality to the note 3 speaker (although note 3 is louder). Z2 does get points for front facing speakers though, but flipping the note 2 face down while on speaker gave both parties better results.
Using the Neutron music app, (disgusting UI, but the BEST in sound quality) I found that the note 2 has better sound quality. There is a slight background noise, but that is diminished with moderate volume. Through hi-fi headphones, the note 2 has a better lows, the bass hits harder, with no bleed into the mid or high range. The Z2 has a bit of a bright but overall balanced sound. If you are a basshead then the note 2 is more preferable/fun to listen to but the Z2 is cleaner.
As for the UI, Sony has done a great job with keeping everything simple and clean. It's fast, responsive, and I have had no problems with lagging or hang ups. However, Samsung gives you more customization and even though it feels bloated some times, it lets me do what I need quickly and easily. Like changing the vibration intensity, blocking calls with acceptations, changing brightness in the notification area w/o going to the second tab, tapping the brightness icon, and then changing it. Stock Sony is limited, like stock Android.
Notification light under the speaker is sweet, I just wish it could be a little brighter/customizable. Screen is smaller and easier to reach across, but is lightly mitigated by the bezel size and ergonomics. The blacks are REALLY good for an IPS screen, and I don't notice much of a difference from the true blacks on the AMOLED screen, the colors are accurate yet still vibrant, which is great. The one thing lacking on the Sony screen is the viewing angles, which are OK and the screen is kinda reflective, but I can still see if I max the brightness under the brightest day.

Topics

Topics

Any former Note 3 users?

donalgodon

Senior Member

stanley08

Senior Member

donalgodon

Senior Member

christoph_2013

Senior Member

Smartphoner

Senior Member

logzz

Member

HeartUnderBlade

Senior Member

stanley08

Senior Member

sharingspider

Senior Member

Ryland Johnson

Senior Member

Karnax_

Senior Member

Ryland Johnson

Senior Member

donalgodon

Senior Member

Ryland Johnson

Senior Member

donalgodon

Senior Member

charlie460

Senior Member

sennheiserx

New member

Similar threads

Top Liked Posts

New posts