yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] planoman:
Depends on what you use you phone for. Processor or data? Gaming, multitasking, video editing etc the processor is key. If you are streaming, browsing, tethering, etc then LTE.

Without unlimited data, LTE could be expensive if you say screw wifi, my LTE is faster so I won't use wifi. I have unlimited but have not gone over 2.5 GB because wifi is everywhere. LTE is indeed fast and the signal penetration is better. With my GNote on hspa+ I do not find myself wishing for LTE again because of wifi everywhere.

The processor difference with the SGSII and skyrocket was minimal. With a 1.4 GHz exynos and a HD screen, it will be interesting to see if the snapdragon can keep up with the demands of the GNote vs the SGSII.

Of course if you are up for an upgrade it is an easier decision. I know many people are pushing unlocked etc on this issue but in reality 95% of people are going for what is less expensive period. The only time the unlocked versus locked matters is if you are buying with ATT off contract.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] ckyllr:
Exactly... I'm very price conscience and if AT&T did offer the Note for say $199 (highly unlikely..more like $299)...then the price between this and uncontract note is like $400 to $500 (closer to $500 since the price has been steadily going up in the last few days! yikes... better buy soon if I want the uncontract Note) and that makes a big difference especially if you were going to stay with AT&T regardless.

Or like the earlier poster said that you could get the iphone 4 or 4S to sell it and say it to recoup some of the cost for the international Note....hmmm...decisions decisions... I am leaning towards the international Note since I don't stream much and I'm on a tier plan so... that extra processor speed for games and HD movie watching can come in handy.

Regardless... thanks everyone for chiming in. I will make a decision by end of the day.... (Luckily I locked a Note on Amazon for $698 which hasn't shipped yet but can cancel anytime.)
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] Sennz:
i will trade my intl note for att note when it comes out in case anyone is interested.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] bigmout:
If money were not an object, I would prefer the better processor just because the screen is so large.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] Corriewf:
So do you think it is worth going through the trouble of importing the note and selling the iPhone?

I also think battery life is going to be a huge deal here as well. They did not increase the battery size for lte, that was disappointing. We could be looking at quite adifference in battery life with lte. I don't want another phone that is tethered to a charger like my current inspire. :(
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] Croak:
I will say that the APQ8060 is more power efficient in general than Exynos, before you factor in whatever LTE connectivity will cost your battery life.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] rnewton01:
I had and returned a Rogers galaxy s2 lte (same as skyrocket). It was not as smooth as my note. And you have to take into account that the note has 3 times as many pixels to push out compared to gs2.

Also, I had the captivate, which is Rogers/att's version of original galaxy s. While there was and still is decent dev support, it paled in comparison to the international version.

Sent from my GT-N7000
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] Jade Eyed Wolf:
No good thing in life comes for free. If you want something good, you have to work to get it!

Buying/selling an iPhone as a means of obtaining something more desired may be a hassle to some, but well worth the reward to others.

I suppose the degree of work one decides to go through to get what they want is an indicator of sorts for how lazy/apathetic they are. Like an AT&T iPhone. If you don't want to jump through any hoops to get one unlocked, and you just don't care enough about possibly making it better, then it's well suited to you. As for an unlocked Android, sure it may not be perfect right our of the box, but with a little bit of effort and care, it can potentially be even more perfect than the iPhone! It's all about what you're willing to work for.

American consumers are (mostly) too lazy and/or apathetic when it comes to our demands, our expectations, and what we're willing to do to meet those. That's why our subsidized devices suck compared to the rest of the world. That's why our rate plans are gouging us through the eyeballs for every little thing. Because not enough of us care to push back against the giants when they start screwing us over, because that'd be too much of a "hassle." We'd rather just roll over and put up with the higher costs for less service.

Buy hey, we get cheaper phones up front! They may not be as good, sure, but they're cheaper today!

Yeah we may be making up for the overall cost later on, but hey, they're cheaper today!

Sure, the carrier is loading CIQ, and other bloat onto my device that I can't (easily) remove... But it's cheaper!

I know I'm paying $80 or $100 or even more than that a month, when I really could be getting the same, or better level of service for ~$40 a month instead... BUT I GOT MY PHONE FOR SO MUCH LESS!!!!

*sigh* This sucks...
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] legion1911:
It is about your needs, about your pockets ($$$$) and about your local conditions.

Are you a bandwidth fanatic and are able to pay for it, or do you want a faster processor and 21 MBPS is enough for you?

Do not expect that your carrier gives you LTE for the same price as 3G.

Usually they ask more, much more for LTE speeds.

So do you need LTE and can you pay for LTE?

And what about LTE coverage in your area? Not all areas have LTE coverage or they have LTE coverage but it is not good. And how crowded is your LTE area?

If your local LTE network has too many users, the speed is slow as 3G.

Mobile bandwidth is always a shared bandwidth you share with everyone in your area.

And do you need very very fast internet on the move? Or do you need very very fast Internet only at home? If you want it at home it is cheaper and more reliable to take very fast cable internet, not LTE.

If you have no high speed internet options except LTE, and you do not need it on the move, it is smarter to get a LTE/Wifi router that takes the LTE and gives it to your Note as Wifi. In that case it is better to take the Note international version even if you want to use LTE, because you are not moving.

If you are a pirate that is downloading blu-rays from the net and are able to pay a lte contract and are constantly moving to escape the FBI and there is good LTE coverage in your area, take the Note i717. :)

If you are going to use the net just to surf and/or you can not pay for an expensive LTE contract and/or the LTE coverage in your area sucks and/or you do not need high internet speed on the move, buy the international version.

In Korea they are pissed off because most can not pay for LTE contracts, have 3G, but Samsung will not sell the non-LTE Exynos version there.

So they have to buy the LTE version but do not use LTE.

For most people, the international version is better. Faster machine with fast internet. Who needs 100000 kbps on his phone, on the move?

Is your life so short that you can not wait 5 minutes for a download to finish?

And you never really reach those high LTE speeds, they are theoretical max speeds that you usually do not reach in real life on the internet of today.

Internet speed is based on the speed of the weakest link. So if your connection to the local link is very fast but between you and the computer you want to reach there is a slower link (the normal situation today), your maximum speed will be the speed of that slow link.

Some will buy the LTE version because they think like this they are more "future proof". In other words their Note will still be valuable in some years when everyone uses only LTE.

That is not a good idea. In some years, when everyone uses LTE, your Note will suck because of AMOLED burn in and because Smartphones will be 10 times faster then today. So do not expect to use the Note for too long.

I know it is a long answer, but there are many variables as you see.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] gordec:
LTE is a big deal to those of us who are grand fathered into unlimited data and pay the same $30 per months for LTE. It's really nice for streaming music at work.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] PoisonWolf:
Unlocked phones are always better. That's understandable.

However, for some, even if money is not an issue, it's simply a question of whether it's worth it.

You're paying $600 ~ 700 for the phone. Your monthly phone rate doesn't change drastically. It's not like your plan is going to drop by $30 a month for using an unlocked phone.

I can get either the Amaze 4G or the SGS2 for free on T-Mobile. Getting it unlocked would cost me at least 4 ~ 5 benjamins. No matter how you spin it, after 2 years, even after denying the insurance, it's still more expensive to purchase an unlocked version of these phones.

So unless if using a carrier unlocked phone results in my monthly bill being substantially lower, unlocked phones will always be more expensive within the USA.

Your rationale as posted in the other general section only applies to countries where companies only provide the service and customers must obtain their own cellphones. I don't see this ever changing in the USA.

Moral of the story? Buy an unlocked cellphone if and only if you are really into cellphones. If you're just a casual user but enjoy using smartphones, there is very little significant pragmatic difference between a carrier branded and unlocked cellphone for all practical purpose in your life.

Lastly, you said it yourself. Don't expect to use your Note for too long. Then why pay more money over X phones that a user keeps switching to? Doesn't make any good economic sense to me.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] Corriewf:
What?!?! Maybe I need to sell what you're smoking and buy both versions. :) There is a difference between being lazy and being practical ok! I'm looking at leg work and fees to sell items. I'm also looking at a lack of warranty or one that is less practical. Its Samsung, their quality control is not great.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] ckyllr:
I should have also mentioned price as well. $199-$299 vs. $700 to $1000... Amazon just raised their price from $708 to $899 which I believe is retail. Obviously they don't have any in stock but that shows you that for some reason there is a greater demand for these right now.

I'm with AT&T for awhile so contract price or uncontract price means nothing to me. But at least I can get the iphone 4 (or 4s) and sell it to cover the difference above even though that would require more work on my part.

I think I'm going to take a chance and keep my order for the international Note.

Here are the reasons why:

1) I can have it now! versus whenever AT&T decides to release theirs.

2) Faster processor speed for my HD movies and games

3) Physical home button. I have the Captivate and I hate the capacitance buttons.

4) I don't need LTE speeds since I only use data to surf the web and email purposes since I don't stream movies or music. HSPA+ should suffice.

5) Bragging rights and showing off to friends before the AT&T version comes out since it will loose its appeal once it's available here in the states.

6) I can enjoy without bloatware crap and also faster updates as well. (My Captivate just got GB update...WTF? year and half later?)

7) Bigger dev community for custom roms and such and support from XDA.

8) This is speculations only but maybe better battery life? I hope AT&T and their LTE version will have sucky battery life and we can all laugh at their inferior Note.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] PoisonWolf:
The only thing I saw that was relevant was point 7).

Everything else seemed like self-justification rationale to me to have it now. Lawl.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] k1ng617:
I want to direct you to another thread that has some very good info

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1434845&page=12

It has some good links to Anandtech with CPU comparisons, that I will link below.

Keep in mind the comparisons were done with a GS2 clocked at 1.2ghz not 1.4ghz.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4686/samsung-galaxy-s-2-international-review-the-best-redefined/14

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4686/samsung-galaxy-s-2-international-review-the-best-redefined/17

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/505?vs=489

Hope this helps!

Update: After reading through one of the articles I saw this regarding the low triangle/geometry test scores for the Mali-400. "Luckily for ARM however, most mobile games aren't geometry bound - what we really need here is pixel processing power and that's something Mali-400 does deliver quite well."
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] ckyllr:
LOL... maybe so. But you know what they say about technology. I rather enjoy it for couple a month since you never know what's around the corner to dethrone the Note.

Well, I guess I can always sell it for about the same cost if I really want the AT&T version when it comes out which I highly doubt but since Data speed isn't too critical for me, I rather have the Note now and enjoy it while it's such hot item to have.

There are pros and cons for each version but for me, I think the international Note makes more sense. Until now, I never ever paid retail for a phone. Highest I ever paid was for $199 iphone 4 which I turned around and sold for $700 on ebay. Wish I could still get that much...hehe.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] roperband:
Yup, I'm in the same boat. I wish people weren't misinforming others by saying LTE "may" cost more on AT&T.

LTE does not cost more on AT&T.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] legion1911:
The question of the thread is:

"what is better, processor speed or data speed?"

He did not ask:

"Is it better to buy subsidized or unlocked?"

Those are different subjects.

Almost everywhere the carrier gives you a locked phone at a subsidized price.

Not only in the US it is like this. Always funny how Americans often think in the US everything is different from everywhere else.

If a carrier gives you the contract you want with a good subsidized phone then take it! If he does not give you a Note but an Iphone then sell the Iphone and buy a Note with it.

But I understood his question is:

Should I buy a Note International or a Note i717 with my money (or the money i got from selling my Iphone)?

If you are on a carrier contract already, and take an expensive additional contract from your carrier, just to get a Note for a bit less, then it is a good idea only if (price of subsidized phone + time of contract * price of monthly fee =< price of unlocked phone).

If you do not have the money for an unlocked phone and can only pay the price of a locked phone or you take the locked phone and consider the mobile contract like an expensive but necessary loan, then take the locked Note i717.

If you have no options then you have no options.

But he asked about choosing between two options:

Note International with fast CPU or Note i717 with LTE but slow CPU.

---------- Post added at 10:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:01 PM ----------

If they give you 5 times the speed at the same price then take it as long you still can!
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] Mr. Droid:
I recently sold my Galaxy Note International version the moment I heard there will be a LTE version.

Reason being I love LTE love the fast data speeds emailing high quality pictures instantly.

Streaming or downloading movies and tethering, i tether a lot.

I had the galaxy s2 lte from rogers and i truly miss the data speeds but hated as there was no developing!

i bought my note brand new sealed for $600cdn sold it for $720cdn

If i get another deal for $600 i might just stick to the international version i love the one click button to power on the screen.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] planoman:
And right now the LTE plans cost the same as hspa plans. Do not know if that will continue but for right now they are the same.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] planoman:
Do not underestimate #5! It is great! Especially for your friends with iPhones.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] legion1911:
Does an At&t 3G flat rate unlimited data plan exist?

---------- Post added at 11:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:51 PM ----------

You mean 600 CAD?

Where? From a shop?
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] Mr. Droid:
yes 600 CAD and no from a guy from Kijiji, going to get another one next week and might just keep it! i dunno the developing is really making me not want lte but ill miss the fast speeds
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] planoman:
Unlimited data plans 3G or LTE exist if you had them when they did away with the unlimited plans a few years ago, essentially grandfathering you into unlimited data as long as you are with ATT.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] Corriewf:
In America the rate you pay per month doesn't change regardless of being in a contract for a phone or not.

Although, he asked what he asked, I'm simply adding the variable of cost in relation to performance.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] Jade Eyed Wolf:
Except that it's not really unlimited, because AT&T has been throttling "Unlimited" LTE users since October. So far, they've only been doing this on the LTE apn, not the HSPA apn. Another reason to say "screw LTE!"

I know I haven't been throttled on the HSPA apn, because since October, I consumed 17GB on my SGS2 in November, and again another 19GB on my Note in December. So far I'm at 12GB usage, and I haven't noticed any kind of slow down on HSPA.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] foxbat121:
AT&T is throttling HSPA+ as well. Just go to AT&T GS2 (i777) forum and you will see plenty of posts/threads about this. It's not about how many GBs you use. It's about how much everyone else in your area uses. If you stick out as top 5% in your area, you will be throttled, LTE or HSPA+.

However, in my area, even if AT&T throttles me, I have no way to know. My HSPA+ '4G' speed is mostly 100kbps.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] Jade Eyed Wolf:
Well, who knows. Maybe I've been lucky so far. Or maybe they're only throttling certain APN's, and not others... yet...

All I know is that I regularly use way more than the purported ~2-3GB that people have been running into before getting throttled on LTE, and I have yet to experience any kind of slowdown on the "Phone" APN.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] planoman:
It is called unlimited and ATT would say that it refers to amount not speed. They do not stop the flow of data only the speed.

As one with LTE unlimited, I have not been throttled, but I think for them to reduce LTE speeds to 100 kbps is unethical. I understand they are safeguarding their bandwidth against "hogs" and with LTE you can really run some data if left unchecked. That said, they should increase limits before throttling and when they throttle to HSPA+ speeds for those that abuse the data amounts on unlimited plans. But then again, I am sure it is their business objective to get rid of unlimited plans in the long run.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] mokokawi:
I like the buttons,better proc,better support of the internatiknal one......but I do alot of streaming from my slingbox.....and I can tether my phone to tv,and have alot better pic with 4 or 5 meg or better connection.....which you dont usally get from wifi....considering you have the upload from home.....i also can view my PTZ ip cams at home remotetly with alot better pic on lte....so for me ide rather have the lte one......but wouldnt it be great if the carriers didnt mess it up in the first place with all their power co.trol locking things up and changing stuff.....i.e. Buttons

Update: btw im still on the grand fathered unlimited plan.....thank God,But they really need to bring it back with lte here especially

sent from my pimped out dell
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] Jade Eyed Wolf:
Which is why, as I have mentioned, I find LTE completely pointless.

I mean, here's a wireless technology that pretty much gives my Comcast service (yeah I know...) a run for its money, in terms of speed. So, with that in mind, unless and until AT&T reintroduces truly unlimited data for LTE, or at least limits which are similar to wire-based technologies like cable, FiOS, DSL, etc. (such as 250GB per month or something), I'm simply not interested.

---------- Post added at 08:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:36 PM ----------

Again, what's the point of having LTE, when I'm only going to be able to enjoy its speed for maybe a few days before I get throttled anyway (or start having to pay overage charges out my nose)? It's stupid.

Someone once argued that speed does not necessarily correlate to more usage. I respectfully disagree.

More speed = capability to to more stuff in less time.

Doing more stuff = more data consumption.

If I can't do more stuff with the extra bandwidth I have, then my extra bandwidth is rendered irrelevant.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] rockky:
My Note on ATT hspa+ is significantly slower on the speedtest app, BUT consistently downloads graphic heavy sites as fast if not faster than the Skyrocket... Quit using speedtest markers. Go to an ATT store and check it out. (clear cache on both first).

My Note has received 3 updates to date from Samsung (good luck getting that in a year with ATT.

I am month to month and can bail anytime, or sell this and get the Note 2 etc anytime.

The choice is obvious......if $ in the short term isn't an issue
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] ckyllr:
Thanks for the feedback everyone. Your help is much appreciated. Anyway, I decided to get the international Note and I have no regrets. I think it's a better choice for me.

Now I just have to be patient till my Note arrives next week. It's going to be a long weekend! At least I have this forum to keep me busy till I get my hands on it.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] Jade Eyed Wolf:
Congratulations! You made a good decision getting the international Note ;) Enjoy it to the fullest! :)

P.S. If you have already, you should read/post something on my other thread about why buying unlocked is so important for American consumers in particular! ;)
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] planoman:
Congrats! Amazon has some cases and screen protectors if you are looking. I got the S line TPU case for $7 (until Seidio makes a case) and the SGP oleophobic screen protector (which is quite good) for $15 for 2. Once you see that screen you are going to want to protect your new GNote fully!
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] mrpiggae:
Great choice.

I had both the regular AT&T GSII and the Skyrocket, and that experience alone is what led me to purchase the international Note. People can say all day long that the Skyrocket was just as good as the GSII, but to my eyes and fingers the Skyrocket lagged when used side by side with the GSII. Even with a static wallpaper, the Skyrocket had jitters and lags in its general operation, things that I never saw in the GSII unless I was using a CPU-heavy live wallpaper.

Samsung's processor, in my personal and non-professional, solely phone-junkie based opinion, is just a smoother machine.
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] rockky:
Amen. 10char
[Galaxy Note GT-N7000 General] legion1911:
LTE without unlimited is a trap.

LTE throttled to GPRS speed is useless.