[HTC Droid DNA] uppon2:
This is my honest take on this topic.

I can see a lot of arguing and people saying this and that. I understand this, we all debate and like to prove why or why not we like or choose a certain product. I really do think that people that have yet used all of the devices really need to take a seat and stop being so defensive or just plain arrogant. If you have used all 3 devices than you do have the experience to voice a valid opinion over them. Go right ahead, but if you have only used 1 or 2 of these devices, then you can tell us what you like about them. If you are going to sit here and criticise a device before even using it than you're an idiot and I hope in the future you get slightly injured in a funny skiing accident.

I also notice a lot of people talking about he Note 2 not being in the same category as the others. Throughout my thesis below, I explain this in further detail. Thanks for reading! Before I begin I will mention that this is all my personal experience and opinion. I have personally owned the SGS 3, Nexus 4 and used a Note 2 for a week. I borrowed my Brother In-laws DNA over last weekend also. My Droid DNA has since been purchased and is in the mail and will arrive in a week or so. I will start like this:

*NOTE* Throughout this analysis I don't mention graphic design / drawing and art because that can be controlled by software. Yes I understand the screen is bigger on the Note 2 but it is not as high quality and detail so this could be said the DNA is better even without the larger screen, it's best to just drop this argument*

Let's begin:

I like my Nexus 4 for the software but to be honest I downgraded screen real estate going from the SGS 3 to the nexus 4 due to the On Screen Keys. It felt like I was getting the same viewing area as my SGS 2. And yes I did run AOSP and adjust the size of it but it was not good enough for me. I wanted something bigger. I really didn't think it would be this much of a problem but it was. So in this comparison to me the only real competition is the Note 2 and the DNA

Now, I agree with all of you to some level that the DNA and the Note 2 are and are not in the same line up. They are only in the same market because the Note 2 is a hybrid. It's used even by people who NEVER intended to use the S-Pen or any app used with it. The reason why is because it is still a very powerful device and provides excellent browsing, gaming, movies, music and general use (Which caters for a large portion of the public) Not to mention it has a massive screen and great battery life. If you can deal with it's size then you are set, it's perfect for you and would be hard to move away from it.

But this all comes with a sacrifice. The Note 2 is a large device and it is a phablet and was specifically designed to be a phablet, no matter which way you slice it that's the truth. In saying that, the device is pushing it to be classified as a phone only and that is fine, because it was never intended to be. If this was the 1990s/2000s it would be called a PDA and in my honest opinion it still is. Back then we would all be running around still trying to get the smallest phone possible. We would have never EVER considered the note 2 as a phone. It would be a PDA and it's as simple as that. But as you know, we are now headed in a different direction.

The DNA crosses over to a phablet in the eyes of some users, simply because of it's large screen and somewhat large size (Which would still be classified as a massive phone in the early 2000s). However, it would not be called a PDA. The DNA wasn't designed as a phablet by HTC and never was it intended to be. I dare say it can be used as a hybrid but it is not a phablet.

I do understand why some Note 2 users might be looking at the DNA. If you exclude the S-Pen, larger screen, Micro SD Slot and bigger batter then you can safely say the DNA does everything the Note 2 can do outside of these exclusions and in some cases can do it all better as it is using a better CPU/GPU, also has a 1080p higher quality screen with more realistic skin tones, lighting and overall colours and natural saturation (very debatable I know) but still fact technically speaking.

Also the DNA audio and speakers are incredible in comparison. The device is gorgeous to look and touch and I can understand anybody including Note 2 users having interest in the DNA. Another reason why the DNA crosses over in to phablet territory is simply because of the screen size being larger than anything else on the market. You wouldn't call an SGS3 or a Nexus 4 a phablet would you? Well guess what, the DNA is almost identical to the sizes of these phones. When you have them all side by side and handling them all day, then and only then can you have the right to make this decision. Until then it's purely speculation and following what other people say.

I bet right now people are saying, well hang on. I think my Samsung screen is better and I love over saturated bright colours on my AMOLED screen. Well, I can totally see your point. I used to agree with you. (I have owned SGS 1,2,3) and I can see why. When looking at my friends HTC Desire HD, I used to think it look washed out and lifeless and never really gave anything else a chance, until I got my Nexus 4 and how very wrong I was.

This is very easily done simply because the AMOLED screen has more vibrancy and darker blacks. This doesn't mean it is better. In fact I have actually grown to dislike AMOLED since using my Nexus 4 which doesn't have an AMOLED screen. Now when I pick up SGS 3 it seriously looks like a cartoon or something. It is very hard on my eyes until I get used to it, once I'm used to it again, I look at the Nexus 4 screen and it again appears to be duller but overtime more realistic the more you get used to it. You can see how this pattern can repeat itself right?

However, even going backwards and forwards, I can safely say that the shock of going from Non AMOLED to AMOLED is way more drastic than the other way around and I 100% feel confident in saying that I like non AMOLED screens better now. However, it is still a matter of opinion which looks better to the user. Now remember up until now there was no 1080p, there is even more detail and pixel population on the screen of the DNA then any other released handset. It's a perfect time to try a non AMOLED screen out even if you think it is dull and flat. Trust me you really need to get used to it. Stop being stubborn and try, you might just like it :)

This is my honest take on it. I believe both devices are as good as each other. I would score them at a TIE. There is no such thing as an UPGRADE over one overall. If you have always been a Samsung user then I can honestly tell you now, after using Samsungs for so long I really wanted to try another brand. I was honestly bored of my SGS 3 the same day I bought it. It just felt like my SGS 2 but bigger.

When I buy a new phone I guess I want to feel like it is different to my last right? Well I didn't feel that from the upgrade from the SGS2 to the SGS3 and I was worried the same thing would happen with the Note 2. After thinking about it, I thought no hang on. Samsung have been great to me over the years, I will give the Note 2 a shot. It is completely different, has a stylusand offers a different user experience. So I swapped phones with my brother in-laws Note 2 for the week.

To be honest with you. I think it is too big for me. It was a bit difficult to use one handed and it just didn't feel right to hold for one handed use. It really did feel strange. Not the type of strange going from a small phone to a big phone feels, it felt strange like holding a little tablet. I did however appreciate the one handed keyboard feature, but hated browsing the web and forums. This is where the stylus works so well. It really is great to use with the stylus.

But I did not want to have that feeling where sometimes you MUST use 2 hands for extended periods of time. I thought the screen was a MAJOR improvement over the SGS 3 and I was having lots of fun with it for the first few days and was baffled by the battery capacity. However, I did not feel the need to continue using the S-Pen. I honestly just felt like it was a completely pointless being there for me. I also didn't think much of the native software included for the S-Pen, I honestly thought it was pretty average in comparison to what is available on the market. (Which can still be downloaded and used but I would never use it anyway)

The only other real feature left from the software is multiview...... I really think the screen is still not big enough to really utilise this feature to what it is worth. It is an incredible feature but it just doesn't feel right having 2 tiny windows open, or 1 big 1 small etc. In some instances it was useful to do very basic tasks like taking down a note while I was on a forum, but even then I would only have it open for the length of the note and then would close it. I had already had this feature on my SGS 2 and 3 anyway and never used it for the same reasons. This phone in the end lost all of it's extra features to me and simply become a larger version of the SGS 3. Which was the entire reason I wanted to try something new in the first place!

So I was at a junction. I felt like it wasn't a new phone to me and the features that make it different would ultimately be pointless to me. The 2 features that were more appealing to me over my other phones where the screen is larger yes but so is the phone. The battery is incredible on the Note 2, however I always have a charger around me, in my office, house and car so I'm not scared of charging it every night. I have been doing this with every phone I have ever owned anyway! To be honest with you, I think the DNA battery is the same as my SGS 3 and Nexus 4 which is all I would ever expect out of a phone anyway. If I was comfortable with the size of the Note 2 then I might have stuck with it for longer. That was the biggest factor of them all. Maybe I would have got bored of it like I did with my SGS3, after all it is a Samsung phone. Maybe I wouldn't have though. I will never know because it is simply too large and comfort should never be excused over anything.

So now I am back where I started, going to give the DNA a chance to win me over. On paper and for the weekend I used one it already has, but things might change once I use it for a long time but I doubt it.

To Summarise:

Galaxy Note 2:

Pros:

Massive Screen

Better for PDA use and has more PDA software

Removable Battery with an incredible capacity

Micro SD Slot

Great camera

Cons:

It's a large device. It does not feel or look like a phone

(If you can honestly get past this and you will use the S-Pen and all of the apps for it. You would not be making a mistake by getting the Note 2)

Droid DNA:

Pros:

Highest quality screen on any released phone to date (First with 1080p)

Extremely good looking and feeling phone

Build quality is outstanding

Unbeatable audio and speakers

Cons:

Very little development to date

No SD Card Slot for extra storage

Camera is pretty average

Non removable and an arguably small battery

(If you don't mind having no expandable storage then the only thing to really worry about is the development, which does look to be picking up and does have some fantastic developers on board. I only see these 2 Cons because the battery and camera are just as good as the majority anyway. I do agree that they should be better for a next generation phone but they are good enough and certainly not a deal breaker)