What do you think about Samsung and Sony's new phones?

[MrRockliffe]

I'm talking about the Note 4 (and Edge), Z3 and Z3 compact.

What are your thoughts?

Personally, they're all behind of what they should be. There's no reason that the Sony's couldn't have used the 805 (considering the massive price tag of the Z3) and they're now made of plastic?!?!?! The Z2 price will drop significantly which will mean a phone with the same specs but better build quality will cost less? I'm not sure where they were going with that...

Samsung - they've not released anything mental or groundbreaking really. The edge is an experimental product and isn't really bringing anything new to the table. The Note 3 brought 4K video. They're bigger, lack of USB3, higher res screen, more power hungry components and don't have bigger batteries? C'mon!

The only phone I fancy out of them is the Z3 compact - but the plastic construction yet high price tag puts me off. At least before you were paying 550 pounds for a metal phone as opposed to 550 for plastic (in the case of the Z3)...

Honestly guys, have they learned nothing?

[kalniel]

Z3 compact is the only one that has my interest out of that lot, but cost is annoying. Plastic construction is absolutely fine for me, and with the specs it might even be worth the price. Have to see what the actual battery life is, but looks like it is quite a step up from the Z1c.

[MrRockliffe]

I think battery size is up from 2300 mAh to 2600. Plus the 801 is a more efficient CPU than the 800. These combined should give it an even better battery life.

If you're looking to get it cheaper, I suggest this site: http://www.expeditelectronics.com/

It's legit - there's a big thread about the site over on AVForums. Prices are ridiculously good.

[AETAaAS]

I was preparing for too-good-to-be-true prices but they kinda landed where I expected. Then again I browse hotukdeals.com daily.

I think the Note 4 was a logical step forward than any leap. SoC got bumped from the Snapdragon 800 to the 805, and display went up to 2560x1440 (not that I can complain about the 1920x1080 on my current Note 3). Camera got bumped from the 13 to 16MP shooter and the addition of Optical Image Stabilization which is a pretty nice addition IMO.

I'm kinda interested in the Edge mainly because of the novelty, but I can definitely see the appeal of having the standard screen real estate and then having a little side bar for music control, some toggles or clock/weather when I'm in a full screen app like a game or document viewer. It could live or die depending on 3rd party support and curious ergonomics. :s

I've never really considered the Xperias after my bad experience with the Ultra Z. An awful factory screen protector which scratched extremely easily but near impossible to remove (even when they advertise you can use pencils on the screen and it would detect), an oleophobic coating (might be some other coating) which rubbed off after little over a month so you can feel the change in friction as you swiped your finger across the screen (and if you tilted the screen just right, you could see 'bald spots' where you swipe most often) and a near month long back and forth to repair a faulty touchscreen. Never again.

[MrRockliffe]

I've had 2 Sony phones already (both of which have become faulty) and soon to be on my 3rd

Note 4 also has a metal band around it rather than the plastic. Just seems as though they could have done more with it. As you say it's an evolutionary upgrade rather than revolutionary.

[rox0r]

I'm coming towards the end of contract with a Note II which I still love to bits and have been waiting for the the Note IV quite eagerly. I'm more than happy with the specs and will definitely be having one.

[MrRockliffe]

When the original note came out, it was a 5.3 Inch screen. Shame they couldn't keep around a 5.5 inch screen rather than go to 5.7 - it's just too big. The original note was the perfect idea - a phone with a bigger screen without looking silly when holding it up to your ear.

Shame that only Sony are able to put good specs into a 'small' body.

[AETAaAS]

I have to disagree, I pre-ordered the original Note because at the time, it was the phone that answered all my wishes; top of the line specs and most importantly: that big AMOLED display. I have said before, larger screens make everything better; games, watching videos, browsing the web, touchscreen typing and so on.

Then my parents gave me a Note 3 for Christmas. I found the Note 3 is much evolved ergonomically because the screen went from 16:10 to 16:9, making it narrower, the bezels shrank and the mid-body bulge disappeared. All of which made the Note 3 easier to palm. It was practically all of the extra screen without the extra girth. IIRC, the Note 3 is smaller and lighter than the original Note while being better in almost every respect, especially the S-Pen which was a little too thin and had a button which cramped your hand on the original Note, put on some much needed weight and became easier to use in later iterations.

[MrRockliffe]

I, among other friends, type better on a ~4.7 inch phone. I don't know what it is, but I can't type as quick on my Z1 as I can on the temporary phone I've got at the moment which is 4.6 inch I think.

I agree it makes it better - but my phone isn't used for media consumption. I don't care how much better it is, it's not as good as a tablet and I don't want to sacrifice portability for better video watching when most carriers in the UK have limited data anyway. Best of both worlds would be a 4.7 inch phone with a 7 inch tablet

[AETAaAS]

I must be a strange alternate version of you. I like my phones about one inch larger and tablets too. I had the original Nexus 7 but found it a tad small. Sold it and recently bought a Lenovo A8 which is as you might have guessed; 8 inches and have been happy with it.

Maybe I have larger hands or something. And you know what they say about people with large hands... Get checked by your doctor because acromegaly can adversely affect your health.

[sonyman]

out of those phones I would choose note 4 cus the Edge isnt officially bought out in UK, however if photo taking is more ur thing then I would suggest the Z3 cus the cameras on them are suppose to be the best out there.

Another major phone contender is the one plus one, heard great things about that phone so maybe that could be an option

[pp05]

out of those phones I would choose note 4 cus the Edge isnt officially bought out in UK, however if photo taking is more ur thing then I would suggest the Z3 cus the cameras on them are suppose to be the best out there.

Another major phone contender is the one plus one, heard great things about that phone so maybe that could be an option

Only if you know what you're doing. 20mp is only in manual mode, the rest of the time it will take pics at 8mp.

They're all good phones, they all have day (maybe even 2) worth of battery depending on usage scenario.