Samsung doesn't have any performance/high end device between 5.7inch and 8 inch , they should have gone bigger, if not with this one then with something else. They also need to get rid of the home button, it's wasting too much space.
As I'm teaching my father at present how to go from a dumb-phone, to the LG G2 that I just bought him, I am losing hair watching the buttons disappear as they phone hides them as it sees fit.
Try touching the screen where the buttons appear, I've never had them remain hidden. The only way I can see this being a problem is if the user has cognitive problems that cause them to forget the buttons exist.
Either way, on-screen buttons are absolutely NOT user friendly. The average consumer needs a *constant* point of reference in navigation to avoid confusion, and on-screen buttons and the way they appear and disappear aren't doing anyone a favor. They also take significant screen real estate when texting, browsing, and using non-full-screen apps.
The silliest thing about on-screen buttons on, say, a Nexus device is that there's still this huge bezel on the bottom as if there were supposed to be buttons there. So you lose screen area for no reason.
Exactly, if you talk about capacitive buttons they are no different than on screen buttons. The real difference comes down to phone design. If ANY company sells you a phone with on screen buttons that has a large bezel, then they are full of you know what and their only reason for doing that was to save their own costs and screw the customer. When ever a phone maker makes a phone with almost no bezel at all they have a right to use on screen buttons. Otherwise they are just ripping you off. If you are going to have a huge bezel at the bottom you might as well but either hard, or capacitive buttons in that space.
Also now that Samsung has shown that you can make a phone with a custom resolutions companies have little excuse not to add more pixels to make on screen buttons. Give us another 160 pixels at the bottom and you might have an argument. But screwing us with the same 1080p resolution but wasting the bottom part of soft buttons is a rip off.
Samsung's capacitive buttons turning off too quickly is actually far worse for a newbie than on screen buttons occasionally disappearing in a few apps like Photos.
I recently watched an iPhone convert basically never use back or the app switcher on his SGS5 because since he seldom saw them light up he never got in the habit. Basically worked it like an iPhone and pressed home for everything...
Thank God Samsung gives you the option to leave the capacitive button LEDs on, once I changed that it was a total revelation for the guy...
Then why don't you be a nice person and take 15 seconds to show the iphone convert how to go into the settings and set the capacitive buttons to always on. Then they are always on if the screen is on.
The beauty of the better android makers and options is they are not forced upon you. They decide on a basic set of defaults but give you the option to change them. In addition I wouldn't say he got in the habit when he always had that habit right?
The bezels are going away , if they get stuck with the button (like Apple) it becomes more and more of a problem. Most Android phones with buttons have capacitive buttons anyway , it's the same technology to detect touch as on screen so if there is a difference it's either a bad implementation or just a matter of perception. In pure theory they could have physical buttons under a flexible screen soon, guess that might make some happy but we won't get that all that soon. The shrinking of the bezels is a certainty and they have to keep up (they are bleeding share as it is) so they got to find alternatives. The fingerprint sensor is also a problem but they can put it on the back or on the side and in a few years it will be integrated in the screen.
I just don't like the kludge of a combination of a physical button and capacitive buttons. One or the other, on screen or 'off screen' capacitive or physical (I like the S-series 'Active' versions)
I think it should be all or nothing. If you're taking the bezel space to fit a button, put all 3 there. Otherwise just use onscreen buttons and either make the screen bigger or the device smaller. (Or steal a page from HTC's book and put a better speaker into the space I suppose.)
Except they didn't have to go to on-screen buttons to accommodate the speakers, as their own One M7 would show. Now there's just a blank space for the logo. Why did they take a step back here?
NO WAY. On screen buttons are eating away valuable screen estate, essentially making 5.2" screen 5.1". Just check the bezel sizes of samsung devices and other devices. Samsung actually have failly small bottom bezel, even with physical buttons.
The problem is not with the button per se, as you see there is enough room for 3 buttons, they can easily cut on the empty space below and above the button and make the device 1 cm shorter.
I actually prefer plastic, using metal on a phone makes no sesne to me (heavier, easier to mark, antenna issues...). Also, because the Note has hardware buttons, while the Huawei loses some of its screen to those buttons, in the end screen size is probably the same (except when you're hiding the soft buttons, which in my experience is only when playing long movies, ie, rare). I bought a Mate 1 because it was significantly cheaper than a Note. I'm a lot less convinced this time around.
Not all plastics are created equal. Maybe metal isn't perfect but it's a huge step up from what Samsung uses. Old HTC phones used to have excellent plastic. Also metal bodies are a double edged sword when it comes to RF. You can have larger apertures than plastic phones if you're clever. Also they act as a better heat sink so peak power can be higher (not necessarily a good thing). Above all else even scuffed and dented metal feels better to hold than cheap plastic.
The all metal mate 7, as well as devices like the ipad air, already prove metal doesnt have to be heavy. They are some of the lightest devices in their size category. Reception will actually be better with dual external antenna designs like the mate 7.
Aren't you just lying to yourself? You can handle a tablet and tablets are just big phones. Sure pocket size is a problem and voice calls can be ridiculous but voice is more and more of a vestigial feature for many. 5.7 inch is so widespread now that it's borderline not even a phablet anymore.When the Droid X came out with 4.3 inch few could imagine such a huge device , when the first Note launched most thought it won't sell at all. The limit is the size of the pocket not the hand.
That's the thing, the Note 4 isn't any larger than the Note 2. It's just a bit taller, but narrower and thinner. Samsung managed to increase the screen size while reducing the overall size of the phone.
Note 2: 151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4 mm Note 4: 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm (numbers courtesy of GsmArena)
If anything, the Note 4 should be easier to handle since it's thinner, narrower and more grippy. It just looks larger because the design is more squared off. Unless you're talking about the Mate 7, which I also believe is too big for a "phone", but others obviously disagree.
On the Note 4. Though the design seems kind of nice and i love the big screen its definitely a no for me. I will see what apple releases next Tuesday (if they release a 5.5 iphone then thats what i will be getting) but i will never get a Samsung android phone. Touchjunk is to heavy and bloated. My wife has the note 2 and i so much hate the interface. Also after you buy the phone samsung seems to forget about you as far as updates (yes its better since google pulled a lot of pieces into the google app store but its not good enough). I'f i'm not happy with what apple is offering then i will most likely get the just released motox (assuming its supported on verizon) though i do admit i would have to have a 5.7 phone with an S-Pen
"Samsung seems to forget about you as far as updates "
Actually, Samsung is doing the best job in updates as far as Android OEMs are concerned. My wife's Note 2 got updated to the latest Android version (4.4.2) via OTA, and the phone feels significantly faster with better battery life. Are you sure you have updates enabled?
That's a bit of an unfair comparison though because the Moto X was released during Moto's stint as a Google property. Having Motorola not release timely updates for their phones during that time would've been really weird.
We shouldn't assume that they'll stay that way now that they're under Lenovo, therefore those stats are no longer representative. This'd put HTC as the next best thing, which sounds pretty accurate.
"but it seems that this display employs one of the newer generation PenTile matrices and it was not as visible as I thought it would be"
See buddy? It's not all about the resolution ;) There's still room for lots of improvements even on the Alpha's screen. I bet this phone will be the best performing <5" screen Android smartphone for a good time to come with the Exynos 5430 pushing a 720p screen, and even more so with the next update to Android L. I'm really interested about battery life and can't wait to read an in-depth review. That said, here's to hoping the GS6 stays on 1080p with an even more improved display along with a 64bit Exynos :)
ps: I just realized this article was authored by Andre. Keep up the good work, and don't mind them grammar Nazis. Your work precedes you.
"...The difference in resolution between 1080p vs 1440p was quite noticeable to me..." Remind us since we stopped to worry too much about pentile/not_pentile issue lately, is 1440 display pentile? If yes then there us no difference with 1080. And if no then you can not see the difference without 3+ glasses to keep the phone at 12-15 cm anyway. What, are you eagleeyed or brainwashed by the Samsung logo? You can see the difference with 1080 pentile screen but I doubt Mate 7 is pentile. I write this message from 6" 1080 phone and use 3+ glasses for convenience AND, watch my lips, **I don't see damn pixels**. The only who benefit from 1440 are those who write with hierogliphes and virtual reality people. VR needs twice more, even more then 4k
It seems like you are a fan of SAMSUNG and i think thats wrong and not fair for HUAWEI because AnandTech meant to give the job to someone who is not fan to neither and hoNEST. nOT TRYING TO BE ABUSIVE BUT I HAVEN'T YET SEEN ANY SAYING OF ADVANTAGES OF MATE 7 INSTEAD ALL ABOUT NOTE 4
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43 Comments
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jjj - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
Samsung doesn't have any performance/high end device between 5.7inch and 8 inch , they should have gone bigger, if not with this one then with something else. They also need to get rid of the home button, it's wasting too much space.seanlumly - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
I have the exact same complaint about on-screen buttons. I'm not a fan of them on my Android devices.Notmyusualid - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
On-screen buttons make me want to kill myself!As I'm teaching my father at present how to go from a dumb-phone, to the LG G2 that I just bought him, I am losing hair watching the buttons disappear as they phone hides them as it sees fit.
So on-screen buttons for me = No Bloody Way.
JeffFlanagan - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
Try touching the screen where the buttons appear, I've never had them remain hidden. The only way I can see this being a problem is if the user has cognitive problems that cause them to forget the buttons exist.lilmoe - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
Either way, on-screen buttons are absolutely NOT user friendly. The average consumer needs a *constant* point of reference in navigation to avoid confusion, and on-screen buttons and the way they appear and disappear aren't doing anyone a favor. They also take significant screen real estate when texting, browsing, and using non-full-screen apps.mkozakewich - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
The silliest thing about on-screen buttons on, say, a Nexus device is that there's still this huge bezel on the bottom as if there were supposed to be buttons there. So you lose screen area for no reason.PubFiction - Wednesday, September 10, 2014 - link
Exactly, if you talk about capacitive buttons they are no different than on screen buttons. The real difference comes down to phone design. If ANY company sells you a phone with on screen buttons that has a large bezel, then they are full of you know what and their only reason for doing that was to save their own costs and screw the customer. When ever a phone maker makes a phone with almost no bezel at all they have a right to use on screen buttons. Otherwise they are just ripping you off. If you are going to have a huge bezel at the bottom you might as well but either hard, or capacitive buttons in that space.Also now that Samsung has shown that you can make a phone with a custom resolutions companies have little excuse not to add more pixels to make on screen buttons. Give us another 160 pixels at the bottom and you might have an argument. But screwing us with the same 1080p resolution but wasting the bottom part of soft buttons is a rip off.
Impulses - Saturday, September 6, 2014 - link
Samsung's capacitive buttons turning off too quickly is actually far worse for a newbie than on screen buttons occasionally disappearing in a few apps like Photos.I recently watched an iPhone convert basically never use back or the app switcher on his SGS5 because since he seldom saw them light up he never got in the habit. Basically worked it like an iPhone and pressed home for everything...
Thank God Samsung gives you the option to leave the capacitive button LEDs on, once I changed that it was a total revelation for the guy...
PubFiction - Wednesday, September 10, 2014 - link
Then why don't you be a nice person and take 15 seconds to show the iphone convert how to go into the settings and set the capacitive buttons to always on. Then they are always on if the screen is on.The beauty of the better android makers and options is they are not forced upon you. They decide on a basic set of defaults but give you the option to change them. In addition I wouldn't say he got in the habit when he always had that habit right?
batongxue - Monday, September 8, 2014 - link
You should get an iPhone for your father. Maybe the larger screen version this month.jjj - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
The bezels are going away , if they get stuck with the button (like Apple) it becomes more and more of a problem.Most Android phones with buttons have capacitive buttons anyway , it's the same technology to detect touch as on screen so if there is a difference it's either a bad implementation or just a matter of perception.
In pure theory they could have physical buttons under a flexible screen soon, guess that might make some happy but we won't get that all that soon.
The shrinking of the bezels is a certainty and they have to keep up (they are bleeding share as it is) so they got to find alternatives. The fingerprint sensor is also a problem but they can put it on the back or on the side and in a few years it will be integrated in the screen.
Flunk - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
Get used to it, all devices are going to have no bezels or physical buttons very soon.seamonkey79 - Monday, September 8, 2014 - link
I just don't like the kludge of a combination of a physical button and capacitive buttons. One or the other, on screen or 'off screen' capacitive or physical (I like the S-series 'Active' versions)FITCamaro - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
I disagree. I find the button quite useful on my Note 2.DanNeely - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
I think it should be all or nothing. If you're taking the bezel space to fit a button, put all 3 there. Otherwise just use onscreen buttons and either make the screen bigger or the device smaller. (Or steal a page from HTC's book and put a better speaker into the space I suppose.)JeffFlanagan - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
>Or steal a page from HTC's book and put a better speaker into the space I supposeThis is why I have no problem switching to on-screen buttons. It's totally worth it for the high-quality stereo audio from my HTC One M8.
GTRagnarok - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
Except they didn't have to go to on-screen buttons to accommodate the speakers, as their own One M7 would show. Now there's just a blank space for the logo. Why did they take a step back here?Impulses - Saturday, September 6, 2014 - link
And the speakers aren't creating any sort of true stereo separation anyway (physically impossible), so there's basically two for extra loudnessmadwolfa - Saturday, September 6, 2014 - link
Sorry, but you obviously haven't heard it in person. As impossible as it sounds (pun intended), there's actually an audible stereo effect.nirwander - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
>> They also need to get rid of the home button, it's wasting too much space.Their home button is the reason to choose Samsung (for myself at least).
nerd1 - Saturday, September 6, 2014 - link
NO WAY. On screen buttons are eating away valuable screen estate, essentially making 5.2" screen 5.1". Just check the bezel sizes of samsung devices and other devices. Samsung actually have failly small bottom bezel, even with physical buttons.ddriver - Sunday, September 7, 2014 - link
The problem is not with the button per se, as you see there is enough room for 3 buttons, they can easily cut on the empty space below and above the button and make the device 1 cm shorter.Connoisseur - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
First grammar correction post ever but "more older devices" is a redundant phrase. It should just be "older devices."hughlle - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
Don't forget "and no is longer" from the same sentence ;)jjj - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
Take it easy, he's (very likely) not a native English speaker.Alexey291 - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
and that's why there should be an editor correcting him. Seriously he's getting paid to do this.StormyParis - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
I actually prefer plastic, using metal on a phone makes no sesne to me (heavier, easier to mark, antenna issues...). Also, because the Note has hardware buttons, while the Huawei loses some of its screen to those buttons, in the end screen size is probably the same (except when you're hiding the soft buttons, which in my experience is only when playing long movies, ie, rare).I bought a Mate 1 because it was significantly cheaper than a Note. I'm a lot less convinced this time around.
willis936 - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
Not all plastics are created equal. Maybe metal isn't perfect but it's a huge step up from what Samsung uses. Old HTC phones used to have excellent plastic. Also metal bodies are a double edged sword when it comes to RF. You can have larger apertures than plastic phones if you're clever. Also they act as a better heat sink so peak power can be higher (not necessarily a good thing). Above all else even scuffed and dented metal feels better to hold than cheap plastic.siberstorm - Sunday, September 7, 2014 - link
The all metal mate 7, as well as devices like the ipad air, already prove metal doesnt have to be heavy. They are some of the lightest devices in their size category. Reception will actually be better with dual external antenna designs like the mate 7.FITCamaro - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
I have a Note 2 and I can't imagine handling a phone that's even bigger. And I have big hands.jjj - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
Aren't you just lying to yourself? You can handle a tablet and tablets are just big phones. Sure pocket size is a problem and voice calls can be ridiculous but voice is more and more of a vestigial feature for many.5.7 inch is so widespread now that it's borderline not even a phablet anymore.When the Droid X came out with 4.3 inch few could imagine such a huge device , when the first Note launched most thought it won't sell at all. The limit is the size of the pocket not the hand.
lilmoe - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
That's the thing, the Note 4 isn't any larger than the Note 2. It's just a bit taller, but narrower and thinner. Samsung managed to increase the screen size while reducing the overall size of the phone.Note 2: 151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4 mm
Note 4: 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm
(numbers courtesy of GsmArena)
If anything, the Note 4 should be easier to handle since it's thinner, narrower and more grippy. It just looks larger because the design is more squared off. Unless you're talking about the Mate 7, which I also believe is too big for a "phone", but others obviously disagree.
Red Storm - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
That Ascend 7 sure is pretty, but I imagine it's not coming over to the states?ncage - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
On the Note 4. Though the design seems kind of nice and i love the big screen its definitely a no for me. I will see what apple releases next Tuesday (if they release a 5.5 iphone then thats what i will be getting) but i will never get a Samsung android phone. Touchjunk is to heavy and bloated. My wife has the note 2 and i so much hate the interface. Also after you buy the phone samsung seems to forget about you as far as updates (yes its better since google pulled a lot of pieces into the google app store but its not good enough). I'f i'm not happy with what apple is offering then i will most likely get the just released motox (assuming its supported on verizon) though i do admit i would have to have a 5.7 phone with an S-Penncage - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
like to have a 5.7in screen with an s-pen that islilmoe - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
"Samsung seems to forget about you as far as updates "Actually, Samsung is doing the best job in updates as far as Android OEMs are concerned. My wife's Note 2 got updated to the latest Android version (4.4.2) via OTA, and the phone feels significantly faster with better battery life. Are you sure you have updates enabled?
sweenish - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
Samsung is not the best by a long shot. Motorola is the best, and arstechnica shows it with data.http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/08/the-state-o...
Friendly0Fire - Sunday, September 7, 2014 - link
That's a bit of an unfair comparison though because the Moto X was released during Moto's stint as a Google property. Having Motorola not release timely updates for their phones during that time would've been really weird.We shouldn't assume that they'll stay that way now that they're under Lenovo, therefore those stats are no longer representative. This'd put HTC as the next best thing, which sounds pretty accurate.
lilmoe - Friday, September 5, 2014 - link
"but it seems that this display employs one of the newer generation PenTile matrices and it was not as visible as I thought it would be"See buddy? It's not all about the resolution ;) There's still room for lots of improvements even on the Alpha's screen.
I bet this phone will be the best performing <5" screen Android smartphone for a good time to come with the Exynos 5430 pushing a 720p screen, and even more so with the next update to Android L. I'm really interested about battery life and can't wait to read an in-depth review.
That said, here's to hoping the GS6 stays on 1080p with an even more improved display along with a 64bit Exynos :)
ps: I just realized this article was authored by Andre. Keep up the good work, and don't mind them grammar Nazis. Your work precedes you.
mohsin1994 - Sunday, September 7, 2014 - link
mate 7 will be much better than the note 4.....samsung is getting older they r not even changing their UI..huh touchwiz :/
http://gadgetsalert.com/
SanX - Tuesday, September 9, 2014 - link
"...The difference in resolution between 1080p vs 1440p was quite noticeable to me..."Remind us since we stopped to worry too much about pentile/not_pentile issue lately, is 1440 display pentile? If yes then there us no difference with 1080. And if no then you can not see the difference without 3+ glasses to keep the phone at 12-15 cm anyway. What, are you eagleeyed or brainwashed by the Samsung logo? You can see the difference with 1080 pentile screen but I doubt Mate 7 is pentile. I write this message from 6" 1080 phone and use 3+ glasses for convenience AND, watch my lips, **I don't see damn pixels**. The only who benefit from 1440 are those who write with hierogliphes and virtual reality people. VR needs twice more, even more then 4k
SanX - Tuesday, September 9, 2014 - link
And who made these dull, washed out color pictures, worst among all tech sites which review Mate 7? Take a noticemuhammadsiddique - Wednesday, October 8, 2014 - link
It seems like you are a fan of SAMSUNG and i think thats wrong and not fair for HUAWEI because AnandTech meant to give the job to someone who is not fan to neither and hoNEST. nOT TRYING TO BE ABUSIVE BUT I HAVEN'T YET SEEN ANY SAYING OF ADVANTAGES OF MATE 7 INSTEAD ALL ABOUT NOTE 4