yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy Note 3 General] tompika72:
If not Note3, Note2?

On the other hand, i think the best alternative for the Note3, is still the Note 2.:laugh: After checking all the possibilities, i have to say, none of them seems better enough (or better at all...), to get rid of the Note2. Still an awesome handset, and don't forget the unbelievable custom development support. And, of course, the prices go down, when i bought my Note2, i paid 600 euro for it, now u can get the 4G version for about 450, brand new.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] JCM800:
I agree, I have a n2 and a new n3, I've posted a thread already about it being a disappointment, especially note 3s audio compared to note 2.

Im really thinking I'll sell the n3 and stick with my n2 for now.

Note 3 has a lovely display, but that's not enough for me, I made a mistake buying it.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] systoxity:
Idk, maybe the z1? Whenever that releases? no stylus smaller screen but waterproof and better camera?
[Galaxy Note 3 General] JCM800:
Sony mobiles don't appeal, they have poor viewing angles usually, and more importantly for me, crap external speaker volume. Note 2 is great and the best around in that respect, imo. Ok, the HTC One is also good if not better for audio, but it's too small.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] tompika72:
Well..

I'm planning to buy the Note3 also, but only if they will be available in stores, here in Cannes. I don't wanna order it online, as lot of others did. I wanna hold it in my hands, try it, whatever, and if i won't like it, i'll stick with Note2. Better to be precautious, as i saw a lot of comments from owners, whom actually regretted the buy.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] 67srbell:
Actually, I've owned the AT&T Mega for a couple of weeks now and this thing is exceptionally peppy. In fact, I checked out the demo Note 3 in my local at&t store and didn't thing that it was any faster (if at all) than my Mega.

My biggest concern is that we may never see a Mega 2 if sales aren't good enough.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] JCM800:
Yep, take your time and also listen to the external speaker, I find it loud, but way too thin. It might not bother you, but it did me.

I regret my purchase.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Oh_wow:
The development for the Note 2 has been awesome..really made a difference in how my i605 has functioned. I'm watching to see who will tackle the Note 3 ( Adam Outler has said he doesn't do Qualcomm). However, I have to add that the Note 3 looks really amazing without any modding and after watching a few videos, I think I'm in love...
[Galaxy Note 3 General] mingkee:
I'd stay with Note 2 for now or get G Pro.

G Pro is indeed an amazing phone.

Too bad T-Mobile is not selling it.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] rushless:
Considering size, internal storage and having an sd slot for media, seems the N3 is in a class of it's own for media fans.

Unlike cloud, local content has 100% "signal" coverage, no data caps and much better with battery use.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] redpill2016:
You're becoming a broken record, dude.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] tompika72:
"Yep, take your time and also listen to the external speaker, I find it loud, but way too thin. It might not bother you, but it did me".

No, i guess it wouldn't bother me, as i never use it. The main reason i wanna stick with the Note (either 2 or 3), is the S-Pen. Strangely enough, i haven't used that much, and i only noticed how useful is that, when i used a phone (Huawei Ascend Mate), without it. And of course, the software develpoment, I love custom ROM's on Note2, some of them are truly a lot better than the stock.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] BarryH_GEG:
Great strategy. That way you can make your own determinations based on what's important to

you

. One correction though. It's not "a lot of comments from owners;" there aren't really enough N3's in people's hands to draw any real conclusions. It's more "a lot of comments from the same few owners." And ironically most are N2 owners. It's no different then when BMW and M-B introduce a new generation of the 3 or C. While the newer versions are always superior to their predecessor the forums are flooded by former-generation owners swearing the older version is better. If that were true BMW and M-B (and Samsung) would be out of business. There may some features of the N3 that aren't as strong as the N2 but there's no question the N3 is the far superior device in almost every metric. And while I love my N2 it's far from perfect also.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] willstay:
There is no alternative to Note if you need S-pen.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] tompika72:
Well, i see your point. I should've said, i could hardly find N3 owners, whom were completely satisfied with their new toy. Some of them weren't happy with the plastic materials Samsung used, some of them weren't happy with the camera, and so on.

---------- Post added at 05:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:22 PM ----------

Well, this is what i was affraid of.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] cwalker0906:
Some people are just never happy and will always find something wrong....its human nature
[Galaxy Note 3 General] BarryH_GEG:
[QRCODE][/QRCODE]

I've been on XDA for a while. Here's how new phone launches go:

Pre-Release Euphoria - Everyone looks at the fantastic specs and features on paper and salivates over the upcoming God of mobile.

Early Recipient's Comments - This can go either way. The first group of people can be either idealists or pessimists and post unrealistically "happy" propaganda or harp on their own personal let downs. The early recipients here are clearly from the latter camp. You can tell because none of the reviews and pre-reviews mirror their comments.

General Consensus - Once a device is in quite a few people's hands the "good" and "bad" start to bubble to the surface and you start to see trends. The forum also starts to self correct and the vocal early recipient's comments, whether overly positive or negative, get tamped down by the more vocal majority.

With the N3's release in the U.S. next week you'll start to see a greater volume of comments and that volume will help folks better figure out how people's comments on features, performance, and design affect them individually. I can't wait to get broader and more objective commentary than what's been posted so far.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] tompika72:
Of course, i'm not a teenager, so i know how human nature works. :) And, besides this, i'm an XDA-member for four years now. This is in a way, why i said, i have to see, hold, experience the Note3 before i decide to buy one, or not.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Andrewtst:
If you can get Asian set, they is no any SIM lock issue.

As for Z Ultra, I am ex owner. I no regret switch to Note 3.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] jgaviota:
Great comments all :D

Here's what I'll end up doing for the time being. I'll get the Note 8 today, I need it ASAP for a trip. Then I'll wait to see how everything else goes, I'll end up either with the HTC One Max or Note 3 depending on development and community support. Also, when I had my original Note I didn't use the SPen very much, but I like to have the option. With me it's really all about options and I don't like having them taken away (In this case the rooting, gray importing etc)

I was really disappointed that Sony put a scratchable plastic on the Xperia Z Ultra.

I'll also look into all other recommendations in this thread! So Thanks! And keep posting alternatives :D
[Galaxy Note 3 General] nitrowing:
Acer Liquid S2

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/mobile-phone/3467536/acer-liquid-s2-hands-on-review/

This looks like the baby for me :cool:
[Galaxy Note 3 General] ShadowLea:
I wonder if people are going to praise that design. What with it being identical in shape to the (much hated) round S3&S4 design... ;)
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Logic717:
Is it even going to be available in the US?
[Galaxy Note 3 General] nitrowing:
As long as I can buy it in Saudi Arabia and use it in the UK and Brazil, then it beats the N3 for me. :laugh:

Samsung can go ride it's self.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] redpill2016:
Says in that review the Acer only has 16GB internal storage? There won't be much left after the OS is installed...
[Galaxy Note 3 General] nitrowing:
I already have a 64GB microSD and this Acer accepts 128GB :laugh:
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Jonphinguyen7:
No Digitized Pen = No Alternative.

All these huge HD displays are great, but being able to sketch and draw and make awesome hand-written notes make the Note great.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] redpill2016:
That's good, as long as there's not a lot of restriction on what you can put on the SD card. I've never used one myself but plan to with the Note 3 eventually.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] darthmaul40:
If I had to buy an alternative in today's market it would definitely be the Sony ZU
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Dumbo53:
I'm waiting to read a review of the Acer after its release - in particular of the camera. The real deal breaker for me (I fear) will probably be lack of US LTE support. I like having the stylus but use it so seldom - once a month? I'd trade the s-pen for a slightly bigger screen, an unlocked bootloader, and no Knox.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Logic717:
I'm waiting on the one max to make a decision. Its that or the optimus g pro for me. The note 3 is a gorgeous device, can always change the back cover lol but the bloat is too much for my needs/wants.

As much as I like the speed and size of aosp stock android roms, stability is hard to come by and thats why having a light stock rom is important to me.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] staryoshi:
The S-Pen is the main reason I bought a Note 3 (The top-end specs helped persuade me, of course). I actually like Touchwiz in this implementation, too. The N3's software feature set is a strong selling point.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] CrashTestDroid:
Each Note user wants an indispensable feature that doesn't exist on competitors. Yours is the S-Pen, mine is AMOLED screen and beefy battery.

So instead of waiting for something equivalent that may not arrive this year I'm moving to Nexus 5 instead and inviting a bunch of compromises to get an unlocked bootloader & carrier unlock that won't stab me in the back. It's just a phone and we must vote with our dollars for the things that really matter.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Dumbo53:
I agree that Samsung has done a great job of churning out new features; that's something I've really admired in them, though some are kind of gimmicks that don't age well. However I still use touchwiz on my Note 2 as I like having the options, and there are some I like alot.

If they keep at it, I think eventually they'll get it right and really innovate something I won't be able to do without. That is what's so disheartening about the Note 3. I eagerly awaited it my expectations high, then learned about Knox (not as an option, mind you but forced on the user). Then the Region lock. Then various other little disappointments as I realized I'd pay a high price for what looked more and more like an incremental upgrade.

It begins to feel so like what happened to Microsoft, in the sense that I can see the company already shifting its focus away from providing new services to their users, towards locking down and preventing them from doing what they want so as to squeeze the maximum amount out of their product in the shortest time possible. It works for a while until it all goes horribly wrong and becomes a bloated unusable mess. I wouldn't say the die is cast, but let's just say the indications are troubling.

That's why just now I would seriously consider a good alternative. The problem is we all have a personal list of important features and the manufacturers don't know whose to use. Then there is the awful problem for them of which carriers to support (or which radios to use). And for me, the fact that with the Note series, Samsung has chosen well, perhaps better than its competitors, in what balance to strike.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317
[Galaxy Note 3 General] RazzTick:
Glad I saw this topic. I wanted the N3 since I have an upgrade available but after this I may wait for a the HTC One Max or hopefully the Acer Liquid.

This is so disappointing since I have always liked Samsung phones. I was thinking how awesome it would be to have what was essentially a king-sized S4 with an S pen.

One big concern now after Googling about Knox is that this is also being implemented on the S4 which was my former first choice. I live in the U.S. and have Sprint. Will the S4 also face these issues?

Enjoying the flavor of the day.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Dumbo53:
Unless they make an amazing about face, it would appear so.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317
[Galaxy Note 3 General] designgears:
There really is no alternative to the SPen and Wacom sensors.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] RazzTick:
What is up with Samsung turning into an M$ clone? I can understand Knox on a business phone but to push it on consumers is ridiculous.

From what I have read up on one can still root the phone but that would trip the flag that would report warranty void.

I hope between now and the release of the Max there are some developments to defeating or bypassing these annoyances. Samsung software has become too bloated for my taste.

Enough of that rant.

Seems like the Acer Liquid S2 is gsm only so it is not an option for me and there is no news of a U.S. release ATM. I envy European users right now.

The LG G2 has some awesome specs but no microsd slot is a deal breaker. My only other hope right now is the Nexus 5.

The Oppo N1 looked impressive but again it is a gsm only phone for now.

Enjoying the flavor of the day.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Barff1984:
Samsung are definitely making the same mistake HTC did and then learned from about 2 years ago.... Sense became far too bloated so they admitted it and decided to cut back on it...... Hopefully Samsung will get it right too but I'm sure it won't be until they get enough complaints. Knox is a waste of time and ask the S apps just take up memory.

I've got an s3 and am struggling to decide what to get next.... I had a good tablet (transformer prime) until I dropped it so at the moment I don't know what to do.... Keep my s3 until next years range of phones and just get a nexus 7, or get a knew phone now such s the note 3, one Max, nexus 5 or one of the new to tier Samsung's that are being rumoured.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] dr.m0x:
I guess it all depends what you want from a phone. For me there is not any really good reason to move on from the Note 2 apart from the bling factor of a new device. Likely it will be at least another year before I look at "upgrading" as I feel most every device coming up in the near future is a side grade at best, even the Note 3 offers as many disadvantages as it does improvements.

If I had to upgrade though I'd be taking a serious look at all those phones to be honest but the Oppo is particularly juicy thanks to the Cyanogenmod option.

Sent from my GT-N7100
[Galaxy Note 3 General] lmike6453:
I'm waiting to see confirmed specs on the HTC One Max before getting the Note 3. If it has the Snapdragon 800 instead of the 600, I'll go with that since its 5.9 bigger screen
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Cruze712:
I have a GN2 and being quite satisfied of course I was thinking of getting a GN3, even if I stick to the GN2 and update to Andriy 4.4 I will be having the same problems, so if I want an updated device it's going to be a Nexus, just hope Samsung will understand that they will lose faithful customers like myself

GALAXY NOTE II.... WHAT ELSE?
[Galaxy Note 3 General] nitrowing:
As I have never wanted or used the stylus and find it a great waste of space that could have been used for something more useful like decent speakers or FM transmitter - I'm leaning very heavily towards this Acer S2
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Barff1984:
Why, in 2013, would anyone want fm radio?
[Galaxy Note 3 General] RazzTick:
Because they can! :)

Besides, I imagine some people want an alternative if they are somewhere with no data or WiFi.

Enjoying the flavor of the day.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] BarryH_GEG:
What you're excluding is what makes a Note a "Note." If it weren't for those things I wouldn't buy it so between you and me Samsung's net zero. What you and a lot of others want isn't a Note without a pen it's a Mega with S-800.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] nitrowing:
I bought the Desire HD because of the screen size, same with the Note 1 and 2 - the Note 3's improved screen is what I want but there's too many negative points for me to put my cash down on one.

I looked at the Mega but it was a backward step in performance from the Note 2.

That's why the Acer Liquid S2 seems like the best device to me - stereo speakers and a 6'' screen, fast CPU etc
[Galaxy Note 3 General] jgaviota:
Pantech upcoming phablet?

Aaaaaarrrrrrrrggg

Why couldn't Samsung stay rooting friendly? :crying:
[Galaxy Note 3 General] RazzTick:
I feel your pain. Part of the problem, unless I did not understand this properly, isn't just the rooting but that stupid flag that gets tripped if you root it. I recall someone posting that even by flashing official firmware the flag was tripped!

This is a major setback for me since I held off on using my upgrade once I heard about the Note 3. It will be a matter of time but I believe it can be overcome. The PS3 security was considered impossible to breach yet it was.

Enjoying the flavor of the day.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Dumbo53:
I also looked at the Mega. After a lot of back and forth, I reached the point where I was almost ready to trade the stylus and better performance for the larger screen (which I really wanted).

Then I read about the Mega's overheating screen issues and visited my At&t store where their Mega is turned off unable to boot (for several days). Coincidence? I told them about the problem two days in a row but it sits there still with a black screen.

I'd rather wait for the Mega 2 than risk such a dubious trade off, but that's a long way off. Plus there's Knox and the locked bootloader on the Mega anyway.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317
[Galaxy Note 3 General] 67srbell:
Chose the Mega over the N3 for the exact same reason - I value the larger screen size over a silly s-pen and specs that won't even been fully utilized on a day to day basis. I haven't had ONE issue with my Mega and could not be happier. Do yourself a favor and go to a different AT&T store and check one out. You'll see.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] rushless:
..... The poster is saying they do not like the mega due to heat, so not exact same ;)
[Galaxy Note 3 General] 67srbell:
Okay. Well, I have absolutely zero heat related issues with my Mega as well.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] shaungregg:
Samsung was smart throwing the Mega into the mix for people that will never use the pen and could care less about having the highest end specs and just want something decent with a monster screen.

I can't see how anyone can say the Note 3 is ugly or cheap looking or feeling, I think it looks sexy and the fake leather actually looks good and the texture makes for a good grip and non slip surface. I also like the metallic look around the phone and I'm learning to forgive their being a physical home button. I really liked the G2 but the on screen navi took away too much real estate and I didn't like the app alternatives to use smaller ones or gestures. G2 would have been great with capacitive buttons but regardless it lagged like crazy just scrolling up and down in settings.

I really like the look of the Sony and waterproofed, I don't mind no flash but yea that sucks still had the Ultra been in the store the decision may have been more difficult. I like the Oppo as well, I googled best Chinese Android phones and of course the Oppo turns up on the list but man they have so many other really nice devices there with great specs and innovations at Nexus prices but no LTE.

I am loving the Note 3, can't believe T-Mobile had no cases for it on launch day, the LG G2 had 9 cases on display at the store days before release day. There were however a dozen people that walked in within 5 minutes of opening time all to get this phone.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Dumbo53:
I'm glad you don't! As of now I assume it's a rare problem. As matter of fact, I did check it out at that same At&t store before it burned out and I was dazzled by the large screen. (Want it!) Today I dropped by again but it was a thoroughly dead duck. It burned out.

I also mentioned Knox as a downside of the Mega though. Normally, a rare hardware issue wouldn't really come up on my radar, but since I really would have to root it :D and that would cause the Knox flag to flip and void my warranty, these little "rare" problems become more relevant and worrisome.

That is the reason many of us who were automatically going to get the Note 3 are now scrambling for alternatives.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317
[Galaxy Note 3 General] d12unk13astard:
Sticking with my awesome note 2 for now until they figure out how to crack knox and have custom recoveries. Main selling point for me is root and flashing roms, only other thing I like about the note 3 is the 32gb (25gb usable) internal storage, compared to my note 2 16gb (11gb usable). But thats ok for now since I do own a sandisk 64 extsd.

I truly dont believe the note line will have a true competitor until maybe 2014 but even by then samsung will be already working on the note4 to own all over again.

Sent from my note 2 ya bish!
[Galaxy Note 3 General] 67srbell:
Okay. I don't root, so that really doesn't matter to me much. I just really believe that the Mega offers a better overall experience than the Note 3 if you value screen size over the s-pen.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Onemoa:
If the rumors are true about the new Note 2 leaked ROM. I think the Note 2 will remain a very very good phone until the Note 4 is released in a few months..

If it really does have all the new function of the S4 and N3.

Of course the Note 3 is a great device and I would love one. I just can't afford it right now and I'm still very happy with my Note 2. I just hope the update to 4.3 is good.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] uvaman:
You mean a year not several months ;)

Or you were thinking G5.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] RyanNL:
an alternative not mentioned yet

The alcatel one touch hero looks promising with its 6inch screen.

Some cool add-ons:

E-ink flipcase cover, dock with built in pico-projector

http://www.slashgear.com/alcatel-one-touch-hero-hands-on-06296858/

unfortunately no details on the quadcore cpu, very likely to be a mediatek a7 model
[Galaxy Note 3 General] Kazimali786:
Hi, I'm currently using Note 2. I think that the best alternative is the Nexus 5.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] xenkato:
Four good alternatives for Note3 , more cheaper, but are for chinese and korean (meaning no warranty in other countries)

BBK VIVO XPLAY about 400 euros , PANTECH VEGA LTE & PANTECH VEGA No 6 400-500 euros ,LENOVO K900 400 euros.
[Galaxy Note 3 General] jgaviota:
So,

I got the Note 8

First thing I did? Root it, unlock it, flash a German Rom on it (local roms in Central America are NEVER upgraded), installed an app from Note 10.1 as a system app, modified the Multiwindow list...

None of this would be possible on the Note 3 without tripping either knox or unofficial status. I really like modifiable phones. And I also LOVE the latest and greatest, Samsung used to be the BEST on both accounts, they are no longer tincker friendly :( :D

Thanks to all for all the responses and keep them coming!
[Galaxy Note 3 General] sehooo:
here you are all alternative to note 3 in my opinion

my considerations are :

( big display 5-6' + ram > 2g + core > 4 + camera > 12 + alot of other option + fair price ) = all in one phone

note 3 - note 2 - s4

acer liquid s2

alcatel one touch hero - alcatel one touch scripe pro

xperia z1

htc one max

oppo n1

lg g2 - lg optimus g pro

nokia 1520

lenovo k900 - lenovo vibe z

i ve been searching for 3 months ago and theses my rivals, now i have note 1 and ill upgrade to one of them but to be honest Note 3 have most software option that you wouldn't get at any other rival + it is the most phone that will get support from developers
[Galaxy Note 3 General] jgaviota:
The Alcatel One Touch Hero seems great, it's a pity no wacom for the pen. though