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Review: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 for AT&T

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Still At A Loss.

Slammer

Oct 15, 2014, 8:53 AM
I don't get the hype on the materialist nature of what these devices are made of. Before Steve Jobs, no one gave a crap about how mobile phones were made of. This includes editors of tech sites.

I understand that these are handheld products and how they "feel" plays a certain part in purchases by some people. But, in the same principle, they are also mobile devices that are subject to almost unlimited elements of destruction and 95% of users tend to use a case on the phones. This inherently negates the "feel." All the excuses in the world don't change this fact.

As the author pointed out, you can bend the rear panel and not have it break. Isn't this important for durability? To me, this says millions on what punishment a device can...
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Doom Wolf

Oct 15, 2014, 8:59 AM
You deserve a medal, Sir.
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kpeterk

Oct 15, 2014, 10:13 AM
I believe part of the issue is that people like to feel like they got their money worth when paying upwards of $700 for a phone. It doesn't quite feel right to pay that much for a phone made of cheap plastic. However, adding premium materials (metal, wood, etc.) with an elegant design helps to remedy this. I understand that plastic is more durable, but it is also cheap - and this should reflect in the price.
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acdc1a

Oct 15, 2014, 10:35 AM
How much of the price do you feel is derived from the housing?
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Slammer

Oct 15, 2014, 10:50 AM
That is an excuse that most people like to use. But, if I pay top dollar for a device, I want the most functions and options possible whether the company feels I need them or not. Technology changes day by day as well as implemented trends. Near Field Communication is a practice I have been using whether Apple or the market deemed "popular." It is nice knowing my money spent on the available function is well spent. I like this better than something that might feel a little better but doesn't offer a current technology.

Cost is the deciding factor in what is offered in the most functional options vs a better feel.

As it was with computers and why Apple almost failed in my generation, we decided that we wanted the most options possible...
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kpeterk

Oct 15, 2014, 2:22 PM
I'd have to disagree. It's like shopping for a car. Any car can get you from point A to point B - but there is also something else involved for many people. How the car looks, how the steering wheel feels, and the value of using higher quality materials. It's the whole experience. A Porsche is not equal to a Ford Fiesta - but you pay a premium for a car engineered to higher quality standards and using premium material.

Right now in the phone world, people are paying a premium for phones that are made with cheap material regardless if you think it's more durable. You also don't have a high perceived value when you pick up a plastic phone. At that point you're using the device like you would a car that gets you from point A to B - not in ...
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Slammer

Oct 15, 2014, 4:34 PM
---"A Porsche is not equal to a Ford Fiesta - but you pay a premium for a car engineered to higher quality standards and using premium material."---

So, you're saying that a Porche Carrera GT made mostly of hybrid plastic materials, is more premium than the steel that the Ford Fiesta has. Interesting. I also find the ride in my neighbor's Porche seems rather stiff(suspension) vs my Wife's Chevy Impala. The Porshe may offer a better high performance factor, but as you can see, the materials are indeed plastic. I think this only validates my point.

We must becareful when comparing.

For the price you pay on a flagship phone, it should include as many amenities as possible for the price. Not leaving out things just for the sake of pro...
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arox413

Oct 15, 2014, 11:46 PM
You're making an "apples to oranges" comparison there. Yes, I see your point of plastic in both but they don't mean the same thing and I think you know that. High end performance cars use those materials to be able to get the "most bang for their buck", while maintaining the same feel and look as their steel counterparts.

The stiff feel of the suspension of a Porsche is by design and wanted by someone who is looking for performance over the comfort offered by an Impala.

The overall point being that Samsung has long had a reputation for cheap feeling phones, that while high end spec wise feel no better than a junky pantech phone and for the price we pay, case or not, many people like to have that feel of something high end as well.
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ungibbed

Oct 17, 2014, 2:26 AM
I also have had several phones before smartphones had become mainstream. Even the last (legacy) BlackBerry I owned was far more expensive than the subsidized iPhone 3G and some of the early Android phones that were still running "Cupcake"...

I've had my variety of premium phones over the years and it was also a time that many of the best in class feature phones really felt worth the price. Two examples of my previous devices that had amazing bang for the buck and were very well made. The first was also a Samsung which surprisingly used a partial metal chassis that also had built-in stereo loudspeakers. It's covered here as the D807 but in the USA, it was a T-Mobile exclusive under the model number T-809.

best in class display for it's...
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BarnettJr2

Oct 18, 2014, 10:19 PM
I don't know about u guys, however I do not consider polycarbonate a cheap plastic. From SIII on up seems to me Samsung phones had a good feel & look as any other phone. Of course the particular case u purchased
also enhances the appearance. But if u don't have the power under the hood, what good r looks? Why do u think Jags, Benz, Equss, Lexus & other high end vehicles have V-8's starting @ 385 HP+. My Equss has 429 standard. So not only does it have looks & quality, its got HP under the hood. Also quite a bit of premium polycarbonate components, same as Benz & Jags, which I have owned several of each. Few reviewers express objective opinions or actually get their information correct. Usually just there personal view. U don't sell million...
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arox413

Oct 18, 2014, 10:52 PM
The material used in them may not be cheap or perform cheaply but that doesn't mean it didn't feel cheap. I've owned an SIII and spent time with both the note 2 and 3 and honestly build wise they don't come close to feeling as "high-end" as any iPhone I've owned, or my LG G2 for that matter. Samsung has put the "horse-power" under the hood in their phones for a while now but I think you would be hard pressed to find many people who would argue that their phones felt high end.
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bluecoyote

Oct 15, 2014, 1:56 PM
Before Steve Jobs along, plenty of people cared about the feel and look of their phones. See: The Wildly popular Motorola RAZR, the Motorola v60, the Sony Ericsson T610, the Nokia 3390, etc. Maybe you've heard of them.

The second fallacy is that using cheaper materials ≠ durability. Samsung's cheap plastics crack as they age (especially the white ones), the silver paint rubs off, and the screens were historically more prone to cracking due to body flex (probably not true with the iP6+)

The side plastic frames on the Galaxy Note series was extremely prone to stress fractures around the buttons- even when used gingerly.
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BarnettJr2

Oct 18, 2014, 10:23 PM
Gee I've had Note II & Note III with NONE of u're mentioned problems 😉
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bluecoyote

Oct 20, 2014, 5:07 PM
Then they must not exist wow ur a genius!
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T Bone

Oct 20, 2014, 11:06 PM
You're getting grouchy, must be getting close to the time to change the candles on your Steve Jobs shrine, remember, the moment your candles go out, all your Apple products stop working.
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