My Issue with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2

ehabheikal.net 

About 2 months ago, I purchased a used Galaxy Note 2 from eBay with the intent of falling in love with the 5.5 inch Super AMOLED display and saying goodbye to the iPhone 5 forever.  I do love the Note 2 and I do not regret the purchase for a second, but I can not let go of my iPhone 5. Here's why:

Build Quality:

reviews.cnet.co.uk

Along with the HTC One, the iPhone 5 is one of the most beautifully crafted phones ever. The aluminium casing and the precision laser cut frame make this device a joy to hold.  The same cannot be said for the Galaxy Note 2. Although it feels very good in the hand, despite the all plastic design and the massive size, there is not a feeling of pleasure from handling the device.  The glossy 'hyper-glaze' coating is to blame. I'm not quite sure why Samsung includes this on almost every smartphone these days.  It makes the phone slippery and collects fingerprints like nothing I've ever seen before. But the feel of a phone is not quite enough to sell me one way or the other. The software is even more important.

Software:

techcrunch.com 

I have tried to fall madly in love with Android Jelly Bean. It does some things much better than iOS, such as multitasking, quick settings and widgets. But it's biggest fault is in Google Play.  I just don't see the same quality in the applications compared to what I find in the App Store.  It's no longer a matter of quantity, but it is a matter of quality.  In the struggle between freedom and regulation, Apple and Google fall on opposite ends of the spectrum. Google believes giving more freedom to app developers will bolster creativity and encourage radical new ideas that could be the beginnings of the next 'must-have' application. Apple, on the other hand, believes regulation and oversight lead to more professional, well-conceived apps.  After my experience with both platforms, I am leaning towards the philosophy of Apple.  Fragmentation across hundreds of different smartphones using Android certainly plays a role in translating applications from Google Play to individual devices.  That is the price Google pays to have such a wide reaching grasp on the smartphone market.

www.ibtimes.com 

What I really want is for Apple to introduce a larger iPhone! But the best estimation is 2014 based on Tim Cook's comments from recent interviews.  He publicly admitted that there would need to be a complete overhaul of applications to accommodate larger screen sizes.  I begrudgingly accept this concern, given that some apps designed for iPhone 4 and 4S are still waiting to be updated for iPhone 5.

But Apple really should put an emphasis on increasing screen size before Samsung, LG and Sony saturate the market with 5.5-6.5 inch displays.  Very soon, the lure of a larger screen will start drawing Apple fanatics away from the iPhone 5 and towards almost any other phone being released this year, the vast majority having larger than 4 inch displays with the most advanced Android software available.  iOS 7 may stem the tide for a bit, but I will not get another iPhone until they increase the screen size...and go with a quad-core processor....and Infared communication....and better low light pictures.....

Getting back to the Note 2....The next generation needs to be thinner with a 1080p full HD screen and a better camera (the Note 2 camera is great, but there is always room for improvement).  But most of all, I need to see Android mature to the reliability, smoothness and usability of iOS, particularly with the selection of applications. Many Google lovers will argue vehemently that Jelly Bean is far superior to iOS 6 and even iOS 7.  My personal opinion is that iOS 7 will address many of the shortcomings of past operating systems and push the iPhone to even greater levels of popularity.