Database Info

Samsung did the curved screen

IT'S OFFICIAL
SAMSUNG GODDAMN DID IT
2 NOTES THIS YEAR, THE NORMAL NOTE 4
AND THE
GALAXY NOTE EDGE
*end rant*
Had to do it in caps.
TouchWiz devs, I wish you happy modding with two more sides of a screen.

Omg
All totally disappointing. If you own note 3 compare to what you pay for so little.
Edge was ugly as hell. And what it is useful for? Another gimmick that dies soon.

kenny1991 said:
Omg
All totally disappointing. If you own note 3 compare to what you pay for so little.
Edge was ugly as hell. And what it is useful for? Another gimmick that dies soon.
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Click to collapse
All true, it will be some time before I change my Nope 3 and it won't be for a Nope 4.
Gonna wait for the Nope 5, or the first graphene smartphone.

pretty cool, in to minds weither to get the note 4 i have the 3 and its a freaking awesome phone

kenny1991 said:
Omg
All totally disappointing. If you own note 3 compare to what you pay for so little.
Edge was ugly as hell. And what it is useful for? Another gimmick that dies soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not about usefulness. Samsung incorporated it as the very first company, meaning everyone after this will not be able to claim 'innovation'.
Nobody thought 5.5" on a Note 1 would be useful, either. Nor when the first smartphone came out, for that matter. And look where we are today.
No, this little edge may not have much use. (On that I agree)
However, this is just the first step. Someone had to be the first, and now it opens the door for other designs, with dual-side screens and full-wrist smart watches a future possibility. Now that, I can see being.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk 2

What bothers me is the two step forward, one step backwards approach. They claim no one used USB 3 so back to USB2, how about fixing stupid USB3 so it's autodetecting, not obscure cumbersome manual menu switch that expires as implemented on Note3? Especially now that more computers actually have USB3. And how come GS5 is waterproof and Note 4 not, is Note 4 not expensive enough to be worth protecting from accidental water damage? If the edge screen is properly implemented it could become standard in the future, but I keep on thinking how do you pick up and hold the phone without accidently activating any of the menus there.
Well, time will tell, I'll check it in the store when available but doubt I will be getting it.

pete4k said:
What bothers me is the two step forward, one step backwards approach. They claim no one used USB 3 so back to USB2, how about fixing stupid USB3 so it's autodetecting, not obscure cumbersome manual menu switch that expires as implemented on Note3? Especially now that more computers actually have USB3. And how come GS5 is waterproof and Note 4 not, is Note 4 not expensive enough to be worth protecting from accidental water damage? If the edge screen is properly implemented it could become standard in the future, but I keep on thinking how do you pick up and hold the phone without accidently activating any of the menus there.
Well, time will tell, I'll check it in the store when available but doubt I will be getting it.
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Still don't see why people want their phones waterproof that badly;
The costs are just alot higher, cause the design needs to be smart enough for it.
To test the ip standards seems to be expensive two..
For me;
I am not planning to swim with my phone, The phone is to big to drop into the toilet, I don't need a stupid thing to close down my micro usb port.
Therefor, My Note 3 has been wet from the rain already like 3-4 times. No problem(So did my gear which hadn't have any problems as well).
Okay, if you can have it; a waterproof phone is awesome, but it just ruins the design.
If you are using such expensive phone, be carefull with it. I never have had a phone with a broken display.. Let me say it better; I never had a phone with scratches that came within my usage. Not even the chrome stripe that comes around the note 3 is damaged.. Just use the proper case and tempered glass..
If you are in need of a phone that needs to be dustproof, waterproof, shockproof; This is not the device you are searching for..
To tell you another story;
I have just bought a One M8 because the build quality is superb, I absolutely love the metal.. Now the story continues and I am using that stupid case that got with it, and it gives protection.. but the build is gone.. I can't go without the case, but I also can't go with something around my phone that ruins that beautiful build. Thats why I have decided to sell my one m8 again(lol). I am just way too carefull with the things I appreciate.

Waterproofing doesn't ruin the design, it should be invisible on the outside, (how Sony Z series or GS5 design is ruined by waterproofing?) which is kind of moot point for you (and me) anyhow since you're using case.
If your phone was wet 3-4 times already (especially that you claim to be so careful with it), you're just lucky, my friends Note 3 stopped working first time he got caught in heavy rain. After 5 days of drying it, it seems to work again but just luck something didn't got burn and he was without a phone for 5 days, since at the beginning it wouldn't even boot. USB port doesn't have to have cover, it could be sealed inside with contacts exposed.
I guess everybody has it's own vision of what his/her perfect phone should be, I'm missing waterproofing the most, as the Note3 meets all my other expectations. I bet your change your mind about waterproofing the first time your expensive phone gets water damage.
We even had a guy on this forums dropping his 2 weeks old Note3 into Jet A fuel tank so things happen when you least expect it.
Don't misunderstand me, Note4 is very nice phone, but would I really see much difference between CPU running 2.3GHz and 2.7 GHz or higher screen resolution? GPU needs to be faster just to keep up with larger number of pixels on screen. Waterproofing would give me piece of mind every time I take my kids to waterpark, beach or just get stuck outside in bad weather.
If it wasn't for S-pen I would look for new phone elsewhere, but there is really no alternative if you want s-pen.
Armazia said:
Still don't see why people want their phones waterproof that badly;
The costs are just alot higher, cause the design needs to be smart enough for it.
To test the ip standards seems to be expensive two..
For me;
I am not planning to swim with my phone, The phone is to big to drop into the toilet, I don't need a stupid thing to close down my micro usb port.
Therefor, My Note 3 has been wet from the rain already like 3-4 times. No problem(So did my gear which hadn't have any problems as well).
Okay, if you can have it; a waterproof phone is awesome, but it just ruins the design.
If you are using such expensive phone, be carefull with it. I never have had a phone with a broken display.. Let me say it better; I never had a phone with scratches that came within my usage. Not even the chrome stripe that comes around the note 3 is damaged.. Just use the proper case and tempered glass..
If you are in need of a phone that needs to be dustproof, waterproof, shockproof; This is not the device you are searching for..
To tell you another story;
I have just bought a One M8 because the build quality is superb, I absolutely love the metal.. Now the story continues and I am using that stupid case that got with it, and it gives protection.. but the build is gone.. I can't go without the case, but I also can't go with something around my phone that ruins that beautiful build. Thats why I have decided to sell my one m8 again(lol). I am just way too carefull with the things I appreciate.
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Click to collapse

What next? - Moving on

My edge is serving my for almost 2 years now - time for every geek to start looking for a new piece of technology!
So i ask for your opinion for an successor of our nice little phone.
What will / did U buy next: S7(edge), Sony, HTC, Honor .. ?
A screen rather big, a living developer community, maybe water resistance - this is my desire..
a pen, edge screen? - i didn´t use them to often..

S7 Edge, if you wait longer s8
Sent from my tblte using XDA Labs

S7 or S7 Edge is a great choice since you don't need the pen
I wouldn't go to other companies since most of them are not water proof like the S7
Or wait for the S8 like @Aimara said

I don't see a real reason to move from this phone.. I have not seen any relevant update in the latest smartphones.
Yes, you get a slightly faster processor -in real life usage, insignificant improvement- and a barely upgraded camera.. So unless you are just bored of the phone there isn't something really interesting out there.. The s7 edge? is basically this phone with a smaller form factor and edges that doesn't have any sort of special functionality.
For me, smartphones have been basically the same since the iphone 5s- galaxy s4- lg G2 -note 3 generation .. all the new stuff are just gimmicks and performance in real life barely improves at all, because the things that you can do with a phone are limited by the form factor and the small screen and companies have not been creative enough to deliver software that actually can take advantage of the increase in processing power and ram memory.
This phone had the potential to do a lot more stuff than it actually does.. for example: when you open windows in the browser the tabs should be located in the curved panel so you can switch between them easily (like in a desktop).. sadly companies don't give a sh*t about exploiting the potential of their phones a few months after you bought it.. you will get 1 or two updates that change a little bit the look of the notification bar and icons and that's it.. People should stop buying new phones that doesn't do anything new or better than their current phone. We are basically telling companies that we will buy any crap they release even if it barely have any advantage over a 3 years old phone.
Ridiculous high resolution? you have it (1080p was already crisp enough!)
Good camera? you have it
some curve? you have it
Marshmallow? you have it
Nougat? most note edge have an unlocked bootloader now, so eventually you'll have it
A note 7 edge is like us600 you can get a note edge on ebay for us200! it is ridiculous.

rodmc123 said:
I don't see a real reason to move from this phone.. I have not seen any relevant update in the latest smartphones.
Yes, you get a slightly faster processor -in real life usage, insignificant improvement- and a barely upgraded camera.. So unless you are just bored of the phone there isn't something really interesting out there.. The s7 edge? is basically this phone with a smaller form factor and edges that doesn't have any sort of special functionality.
For me, smartphones have been basically the same since the iphone 5s- galaxy s4- lg G2 -note 3 generation .. all the new stuff are just gimmicks and performance in real life barely improves at all, because the things that you can do with a phone are limited by the form factor and the small screen and companies have not been creative enough to deliver software that actually can take advantage of the increase in processing power and ram memory.
This phone had the potential to do a lot more stuff than it actually does.. for example: when you open windows in the browser the tabs should be located in the curved panel so you can switch between them easily (like in a desktop).. sadly companies don't give a sh*t about exploiting the potential of their phones a few months after you bought it.. you will get 1 or two updates that change a little bit the look of the notification bar and icons and that's it.. People should stop buying new phones that doesn't do anything new or better than their current phone. We are basically telling companies that we will buy any crap they release even if it barely have any advantage over a 3 years old phone.
Ridiculous high resolution? you have it (1080p was already crisp enough!)
Good camera? you have it
some curve? you have it
Marshmallow? you have it
Nougat? most note edge have an unlocked bootloader now, so eventually you'll have it
A note 7 edge is like us600 you can get a note edge on ebay for us200! it is ridiculous.
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Click to collapse
I agree with all your points. The only thing bad about this phone is the battery. It's cancer. It barely lasts for more than 4 hrs wih max sot of 1.5 hrs. Has to be on a ventilator(readowerbank) for most of the day. And the worst part? Samsung India seems to have branded this device as "obsolete" as Im not able to get an OEM battery from the various Service Centers that i have tried.
This device had the potential to be much much more. Poor dev support(no offence to the few lovely devs we have) , sub par battery is what limited its future prospects:crying::crying::crying:

Root the sucker and get a proper O/S.
Ebay for a battery and don't look back.
From what I've seen,most hardware upgrades are accompanied by more bloated "operating systems".
Why?
So they can sell you a new phone that's already out of date when it's released.
That's the way the computer business works.
Sent from my SM-N915W8 using XDA-Developers mobile app

well, these thoughs crossed my mind as well.
it has been the same since my last smartphones: is there anything really better than my device? Anything i can really crave for / at least look forward to?
Our edge is performing fine (even battery) so there is no real need. But hey, i want a new toy! (I deserve a new toy?!)
Please dont tell my to be happy with my edge and better invest the money in a holyday

Try an new operating system .... it'll feel like a new phone.

any good link for battery ?thinking of getting anker brand since oem sucks ?

zuz242 said:
well, these thoughs crossed my mind as well.
it has been the same since my last smartphones: is there anything really better than my device? Anything i can really crave for / at least look forward to?
Our edge is performing fine (even battery) so there is no real need. But hey, i want a new toy! (I deserve a new toy?!)
Please dont tell my to be happy with my edge and better invest the money in a holyday
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Click to collapse
Well, in that case just get a nexus or a one plus whatever.. atleast with those you can try a bunch of different roms and mods to keep you entertained. Everyone is talking about the Google Pixel now.. but it looks ugly and boring as hell, for me it looks like a cheap Chinese phone with really cheap paint or an HTC from like 6 years ago.. if it wasn't a "google phone" nobody would even look at that thing.
If you get another phone be careful, it seems those days only T-MO is not blocking the bootloader.. get a phone that is confirmed to receive the new OS soon.. the last thing you want is to get a phone and be stuck in the same OS as your current phone for 6 months.

Within the last 10 days i have purchased a Axon 7 and got a LG V20 today. Gonna sell my Note Edge to a friend. I am currently leaning towards the V20 but the Axon 7 is putting up a dam good fight. Either phone would be a worthy upgrade for different reasons, sans the S-pen imo.

Don't see any reason to upgrade. .. maybe I will root. ..but i use skygo frequently...

rodmc123 said:
Well, in that case just get a nexus or a one plus whatever.. atleast with those you can try a bunch of different roms and mods to keep you entertained. Everyone is talking about the Google Pixel now.. but it looks ugly and boring as hell, for me it looks like a cheap Chinese phone with really cheap paint or an HTC from like 6 years ago.. if it wasn't a "google phone" nobody would even look at that thing.
If you get another phone be careful, it seems those days only T-MO is not blocking the bootloader.. get a phone that is confirmed to receive the new OS soon.. the last thing you want is to get a phone and be stuck in the same OS as your current phone for 6 months.
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Click to collapse
T-Mobile still has NEW Note Edge phones at some stores around Atlanta. I am waiting on a warranty replacement for my Note 4, then I might jump to a Note Edge. I just don't feel like keeping a refurbished unit unless it's as good as what I had before. The one that died was in beautiful shape, I kept it in a bumper with a tempered glass screen protector.

I'd keep the Note Edge
*Omnipresent* said:
Within the last 10 days i have purchased a Axon 7 and got a LG V20 today. Gonna sell my Note Edge to a friend. I am currently leaning towards the V20 but the Axon 7 is putting up a dam good fight. Either phone would be a worthy upgrade for different reasons, sans the S-pen imo.
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Click to collapse
It could be worth something one day, not many made and the curiosity of it could be a collectors item in the future.

I'm thinking of waiting for the Note 8 Edge, it's gunna have QualComm Quick Charge 4.0 and so just 5 minutes of charging will get ya 5 hours of battery life, along with much better battery safety and protection.

Anybody know where I can get a good battery?
n1nj4Lo said:
I'm thinking of waiting for the Note 8 Edge, it's gunna have QualComm Quick Charge 4.0 and so just 5 minutes of charging will get ya 5 hours of battery life, along with much better battery safety and protection.
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Click to collapse
Did you ever figure out how to put the Camera button back on the edge screen?

rodmc123 said:
I don't see a real reason to move from this phone.. I have not seen any relevant update in the latest smartphones.
Yes, you get a slightly faster processor -in real life usage, insignificant improvement- and a barely upgraded camera.. So unless you are just bored of the phone there isn't something really interesting out there.. The s7 edge? is basically this phone with a smaller form factor and edges that doesn't have any sort of special functionality.
For me, smartphones have been basically the same since the iphone 5s- galaxy s4- lg G2 -note 3 generation .. all the new stuff are just gimmicks and performance in real life barely improves at all, because the things that you can do with a phone are limited by the form factor and the small screen and companies have not been creative enough to deliver software that actually can take advantage of the increase in processing power and ram memory.
This phone had the potential to do a lot more stuff than it actually does.. for example: when you open windows in the browser the tabs should be located in the curved panel so you can switch between them easily (like in a desktop).. sadly companies don't give a sh*t about exploiting the potential of their phones a few months after you bought it.. you will get 1 or two updates that change a little bit the look of the notification bar and icons and that's it.. People should stop buying new phones that doesn't do anything new or better than their current phone. We are basically telling companies that we will buy any crap they release even if it barely have any advantage over a 3 years old phone.
Ridiculous high resolution? you have it (1080p was already crisp enough!)
Good camera? you have it
some curve? you have it
Marshmallow? you have it
Nougat? most note edge have an unlocked bootloader now, so eventually you'll have it
A note 7 edge is like us600 you can get a note edge on ebay for us200! it is ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said !.

edo101 said:
Did you ever figure out how to put the Camera button back on the edge screen?
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Click to collapse
Nope not yet and IDK what's happening with EHZ Studio who said they were working on making one.
You can message them from their facebook page and ask too to see whats up with it
https://www.facebook.com/EHZStudio/ and https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=EHZ+Studios
Sent from my SM-N915T using Tapatalk

edo101 said:
Anybody know where I can get a good battery?
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Click to collapse
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ZeroLemon-G...669122?hash=item1a064a1942:g:4XMAAOSwVL1V-wmO ZeroLemon 9000mah but around xda users have reported problems with some batteries only lasting a few months and then it dying and rapidly discharging after so, it's a real gamble I guess. $59.95
http://www.ebay.com/itm/7200mAh-Ext...221215?hash=item4b0ba9bf9f:g:2eIAAOSwHMJYHaks TOTHL 7200mah, have one myself but can't fairly judge, as I've been using my ZeroLemon all the time, nice two layer case 1 hard plastic back and 1 rubber overlay back, definitely worth the bang for it's buck though. $23.30
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Extende...363235?hash=item280e491863:g:CpMAAOSwZ1lWekYX Black Label Brand 8550mah, don't have one, can't judge, but at the price it'd be worth the gamble, if it really is only 50mah's less than the ZeroLemon's size at half the price. $24.58
http://www.ebay.com/itm/7350mAh-Ext...245439?hash=item2a7045bebf:g:1UQAAOSwOdpXznjt Best4Power 7350mah, unknown again, can't fairly judge. $24.58
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Note-Edge-B...660894?hash=item3f70d0a25e:g:fa4AAOSwj85YRfhm YISHDA 6500mah, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, at this sounding like the more/most realistic reasonable battery capacity for it's size, nice two layer case 1 hard plastic back and 1 rubber overlay back. $44.75
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mugen-Power...hash=item54400a1fe0:m:mTl97i6XR1J83fcek8GleJA Mugen 6000mah, only down side I saw on xda user reviews is the metal kickstand gets hot and it covers up the speaker, hell though a kickstand and who can't go wrong with Mugen??? $89.95
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PowerBear-S...900748?hash=item46594c90cc:g:iT4AAOSwx2dYDAKR PowerBear 6800mah up and coming new battery star company, I just recently heard of them a month ago or so when I searched for extended Note Edge batteries and they had solid good reviews, nice two layer case 1 hard plastic back and 1 rubber overlay back. $35.99 These same guys also make Note Edge Slim batteries, I'd trust them over anyone if getting a slim battery and never fall for that doubly extended slim size battery capacity, it's a proven lie if not alone by physics, if ya want double or triple the capacity you'll need double or triple the size.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...+note+.TRS0&_nkw=powerbear+note+edge&_sacat=0 All PowerBear Note Edge Batteries and Cases, Slim, Extended, PowerBank Case
_
Review Results: ZeroLemon and Mugen tied in 1st place, I'd put ZeroLemon at 2nd for their mess up on the rapid discharge but it's the biggest if ya get lucky on one that ain't defective, then I'd also give Mugen a 2nd place rating cause of their being the highest priced so this ranking it's a fair placement and I'd place PowerBear at a firm, solid and steady 3rd, newcomers always get it the hardest... LoL! The same size as Mugen for the price of Zerolemon(Or less) though! But watch this review super detailed on the Note 4 7500mah PowerBear battery

n1nj4Lo said:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ZeroLemon-G...669122?hash=item1a064a1942:g:4XMAAOSwVL1V-wmO ZeroLemon
Review Results: ZeroLemon and Mugen tied in 1st place, I'd put ZeroLemon at 2nd for their mess up on the rapid discharge but then I'd also give Mugen a 2nd place rating cause of their high price so this ranking is fair and I'd place PowerBear at a firm and steady 3rd, newcomers always get it the hardest... LoL! The same size as Mugen for the price of Zerolemon(Or less) though! But watch this review super detailed on the Note 4 7500mah PowerBear battery
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the exhaustive list. I'll look into it

[Review] Oppo Ace2 and Red Magic 5G Initial Impressions

Thought I'd share my initial impressions on the Oppo Ace2 since it has not gotten much coverage. I also owned the Red Magic 5G for a week before selling it.
I'm coming from a Oneplus 6 and have owned a lot of other Android devices, off the top of my head these include the Nexus 4, OnePlus One, Asus Nexus 7, Samsung Tab Pro 8.4, Galaxy S7 Edge, Huawei Nexus 6P, LG v20, Lenovo ZUK Z2, Mediapad T5, Red Magic 5g etc.
Let's start with the Red Magic 5G. I ordered this a few months ago off tradingshenzhen, it got to me fast enough and the price was fair, but their customer support was not very good (I will not be ordering from them again cause of this https://i.imgur.com/2qd4zPM.jpg). They'll get your phone to you and offer one year warranty but don't expect them to be nice or helpful in the event you dont like your phone or have any issues.
Either way, here my notes on the phone:
Software
I got the Chinese version of the phone. I found the software experience to actually be very good despite this, ignoring the fact that there were some chinese apps that I didnt understand. I'm sure if I removed these few apps I would have had a very good software experience. The software felt very smooth and stable. There were some pretty cool features, but not a ton. Experience felt close to stock android, but lightly skinned with the right theme after some setting up. It didnt come with play store, I just had to install the playstore from apk, chrome and google keyboard then I had an experience not all that different from my OnePlus 6. My red magic 5g got a lot of updates in the time I had it, with big change logs, I'm not sure if global rom users will get that same experience since these types of phones seem to get better support in China.
Display and Body
This is where my mind was blown. That 144hz screen is beautiful and smooth. This was definitely what I loved about the phone most. However, I had my gripes with this screen. For one the, bezels were huge, and the corners were too rounded (meaning less screen). They were so rounded that it was distracting to me, almost as much as having a notch.. This might be a gross exaggeration but I hope it gets my point across. As for the large bezels, it feels like they used the "gaming phone" identity as an excuse to cut corners here with bezel size. It bothered me that there's so much potential screen space being wasted with those large unused bezels. Now the body has very nice comfortable shape, so I don't have anything against that, but it is kind of big, and it is pretty heavy. It felt very premium and nice in hand, but at the same time, it was not comfortable to one hand for long periods of time, it's size and heft also made it a little unwieldy for one handing. This is the main reason I ended up selling this phone. I would often find myself going back to my oneplus 6 instead of using my new phone cause it was just way more comfortable to use with one hand.
Battery and Misc
Microphone was good according to those that I called, speakers sounded fine to me, werent bad at all. They were stereo speakers, one bottom firing and one in the ear piece, which was nice. Battery was meh. For a 4500mah battery phone, it died very fast. Battery felt about the same as my much older oneplus 6 in it's current state.. Around 6-7 hours of screen on time with regular use (not gaming). With gaming I got around a little more than half that. It charged at a decent speed, not slow but not astonishingly fast. My Red magic 5g benchmarked around 595k on Antutu, so it was very fast. The fan was barely audible in it's intelligent mode or whatever it's called. Personally I think the fan is pointless, and that good thermal design makes a much bigger difference. I loved having the shoulder triggers for gaming. playing games like codm, pubg, etc were great experiences. I sunk hours into these games even though I dont tend to really do any smartphone gaming. I don't really like that manufacturers are trying so hard to make phones into "gaming phones" cause they are still just phones at the end of the day. If anything I would like to have a good value flagship (or flagship killer) with shoulder triggers, it doesn't need to be a "gaming phone". For instance, I think the oneplus 8 (or pro) but with a flat screen + shoulder triggers would be the perfect and ideal phone for me.
I also ordered the Realme X2 Pro but the seller (realme's aliexpress store) cancelled this order due to shipping issues. Then I ordered the Poco F2 Pro but GearBest hadn't shipped it out even after 3 weeks so I cancelled the order. Finally I ordered the Ace2 off Giztop and this was a much better experience. Order placed Friday, shipped out Monday, then received next week Monday (today). The Ace2 was discounted to $589.99 and I got a further 4% discount with the GTRE4 code. Shipping was $30 (DHL) and duties/brokerage was $37, so I paid a grand total of around (roughly) $632. Not bad. The shipping, handling, duties and fees all together were still less than Canadian tax (13%). Canadian retailers sell phones like the Poco F2 pro for around $580 (USD), after taxes that's $655, not even including shipping costs. Much better to wait a little for longer shipping and buy from outside of Canada it seems. So let's talk about this phone.
First and foremost, I'd like to note I do get buyer's remorse (like I did with my red magic 5g), but I've never had any issues post-purchase rationalization. If I don't like something, I don't try to justify it, especially where phones are concerned and having owned so many different devices, both good and bad. For example, the LG V20 was my most expensive purchase and easily the phone I hated most out of all the devices I've owned. I had already paid for it, so I stuck with it even though I hated it for at least a year, before finally getting my current oneplus 6. The LG V20 was so bad that I thought my much older nexus 6p was wayyy better, I wanted to go back to it so bad but I had already handed it down to my mom. While I liked the red magic 5g, I didn't like it enough to keep it and ended up selling it at a loss. My point here is, that these are just my opinions, but I do try to be as unbiased as I can be. I bought the Ace2 knowing that I would sell or return it if I didnt like it, like I did with my Red Magic 5g, so I didnt have my hopes high or any plans to keep it if I wasnt happy with it.
Setup
The unboxing experience was very basic, like any other Chinese smartphone so I will skip this part, but it does come with a pre-applied screen protector and a surprisingly nice clear case. I thought it would be a cheap clear case that looked nasty on the phone.
First thing I did was update the phone's firmware, then do a full factory reset. I set it up fresh, uninstalled what chinese bloat I could (there was a lot), installed playstore with the first apk I found, then using that I installed chrome + google keyboard. After turning on the app drawer, and dark mode I felt I had a very usable experience similar to what I had on my oneplus 6. I hate migrating phones, but the experience here wasnt too bad, I downloaded and used oppo's phone clone app from my oneplus 6, it connected the two phones with direct wifi and copied 30 gigs of data over in around 15min. I did not get much control in what gets copied over but it was still a very simple and hassle free process that I could appreciate.
Software
I'm going to start with this phone's biggest weakness. So the software is.. a mixed bag. Say what you will about the design, but ColorOS and oppo launcher are really well optimized. ColorOS has really come a long way from what it used to be. I tested a bunch of different launchers on this phone but I ended up going back to the oppo launcher cause it was just wayyy smoother and responsive. I wish that's all I had to say about the software but there's a lot more to say.. like how bloated this phone comes. Just random chinese apps everywhere. Most of them can be uninstalled off the bat, but the rest need a little more work to get rid of, including ADB and a little research. I actually think I would have liked coloros a bit more than oxygenos had this been a global version and came with less bloat. It's just a big hassle that I'm sure nobody wants to deal with after getting a new phone. The software experience here is great- if you're chinese. If you're not, you have a whole lot of work to do to get it somewhere good. On the other hand, I thought coming from oxygenos I thought this would be a complete downgrade, but much to my surprise there are a lot of things it actually does better. There are way more features, yes I mean useful ones, it feels smoother and more responsive for some reason (the animations are way quicker and smoother). I think ColorOS isn't actually that bloated once you get rid of the apps you don't need (using ADB where you need to). OxygenOS is great and used to be way ahead of it's time, but I feel the other choices available have caught up while OxygenOS hasn't really gone anywhere. My OnePlus 6 barely gets updates and is slow to get them when it ever even gets any. I've noticed that's a common occurrence with OnePlus devices, you get a lot of quick updates when your device is still a new release, but then it gets put on the backburner as new devices come out.
Display
This display is amazing, it's breathtaking. Side by side with my oneplus 6 it looks and feels like an upgrade in every way. The colors are better, and the smoothness is so satisfying, every bit as much as the 144hz display I had on my red magic 5g, which further leads me to believe anything above 90hz isn't really worth the price premium and battery cost. The punch hole was a little distracting at first since I wasnt used to it, but I quickly got used to it and dont even notice anymore. It's a very small punchole and is a nice upgrade from the big notch my oneplus 6 had. I would rather have this punch hole then the huge top bezel (and lost screen space) the red magic 5g had any day. I didn't realize this until I had the red magic 5g in my hand and wish I realized this sooner. The whole point of notches and punch hole I think is to give us more screen where we used to have bezel, and this is something I appreciate a lot more now. One of the biggest things for me here is that the screen is flat. I'm soo glad that I didn't have to compromise with curved edges. After owned an s7 edge, I never want to deal with that again. I know they aren't as bad as they used to be, but I still think it's silly to have to compromise with how the light reflects off of curved edges, the accidental touches or touch rejection, finding screen protectors that work, etc. If flat screens are cheaper I dont see why more manufacturers dont choose to go this route on their budget flagships at least (looking at you mi 10 non pro and oneplus 8 non pro).
Body
This phone is very solid and quality feeling. It doesn't have any super outstanding premium feeling that a higher end flagship might give you, but it does not feel cheap at all. The body is your typical metal frame, gorilla glass 5 sandwhich build. I have to say though, I love this two tone color on the back. It's like a black/navy type color that looks really elegant and sexy in my opinion. I hate oreo shaped camera modules but this is the one phone that I think it actually looks good on because of it's simple minimalist design. My favorite part of this phone is the weight and size. It's almost the same as my oneplus 6, in both weight and size, but has a larger screen. To me, that's amazing, because looking at all the new SD865 phones released this year it felt like I was going to have to give up the light weight and compact size of the oneplus 6 to upgrade to a "better" phone. It's one of the smallest and lightest Snapdragon 865 phones available and it IS the smallest and lightest one available with a flat screen, which exactly what I wanted. It just feels soooo comfortable in hand compared to anything else I've recently used. They really nailed the comfort aspect with this phone. I had no idea this was going to matter so much to me until I used the red magic 5g for a week (which isnt even that big or heavy for a gaming phone, there are worse offenders out there like the black shark 3). I can see why some people really want smaller phones now. For me, I like having a big screen, so it's not smaller phones that I want, but phones that have better screen to body and weight ratios.
Sound
Now here's where I found a nice surprise. Good stereo speakers. Never thought I would ever care about having this. I'm a headphone guy, and phone speakers always suck anyways so why would I care (so I thought). These are by far the best phone speakers I've ever heard, and they somehow blew me away even though I've never cared about how good the speakers on a phone were. They get very loud, and they sound very full. Even at the loudest volume setting where I expected the fidelity to deteriorate, it still had nice clear, smooth, full sounding stereo audio. I saw someone on reddit asking for a phone recommendation with good stereo speakers, apparently it was a must for him, and I didn't get why until now. I no longer feel the need to grab my headphones when I want to watch a youtube video, the stereo experience on this is just much better. There is still a con to be talked about however, no headphone jack. Having a headphone jack would have been nice, and even cooler if the phone came with a nice DAC (pretty much the only thing LG does right in their phones). Not a huge deal for me, I would be using bluetooth or a USB DAC anyways if it didnt come with a good internal DAC but it does make things less convenient in a pinch.
Battery and Performance
Well, it has a snapdragon 865, haven't had a single hiccup yet. Phone is blazing fast as expected. Coloros is well optimized too. Battery is good too, I will report screen on times soon. Much better than my red magic 5g so far from what I can tell. The main star of this show though is that 40w wireless charging and 65w wired charging. Charging cable that it came with is kind of short but the phone charges so fast I don't think it matters. 4000mah might seem small compared to alternatives, but coloros is surprisingly very efficient with it, even with 90hz on and all the chinese bloat it came with. Im surprised they managed to fit a battery this size and a 40w wireless charging coil in such a compact and light phone (relative to similar spec phones).
Closing thoughts
I think this is what the OnePlus 8 should have been, and I hope for others that this is what the Realme X3 pro is going to be if not better. There are a lot of things more expensive oneplus 8 is missing out on here, like the 65w charging, wireless charging, flat screen, etc. The only thing I think it has going for it is that it seems like a nicer build/quality phone with better software. I think the Poco F2 pro on the other hand is a solid contender because it actually comes with global software, has a huge battery + great screen on time, has a decent camera and will have a big developer community. I ultimately ended up passing up on this phone because it doesnt have 90hz, wireless charging, 65w charging, doesnt support very many frequencies, has a slower face unlock and cause its a pretty heavy phone (so not as comfortable), but this phone will make sense as a better choice for many others that have different priorities. Pick what suits you and your needs best. All in all, this is a very underrated phone that doesn't get talked enough about outside of Asia. I think if you're interested in the Ace2, feel it fits what you want well at a price that you think is good that you shouldn't be afraid to buy it. It's a great phone and it's worth it. Just note that you may need to do some extra work to make the software experience good for you because of the chinese bloat (as you would need to with any chinese rom phone anyways). Not to say that the software is bad, it's very good software that's just marred by all the extra chinese stuff it comes with that most of us probably dont want or need.
If there's anything more you guys would like to know about any of the phones that I own or have owned please let me know. I'll try to answer them the best I can. Would love to see some form of an Ace2 community grow but I won't be surprised if it's just me even months later.

Inspiring
I think that based on your detailed review (That I read before on reddit) I’m convinced to purchase this phone, the only android experience I’ve had was an old samsung s7 edge so I’m convinced that the ace 2 will be smooth, so one question: can you guide me on how to debloat the phone once I get it?

Thinking about selling my z fold 2(not a sale post)

I love this device . Best phone I ever owned . opening up to a tablet still feels like magic after months of owning it .but I'm thinking about selling it .why you ask ? Because I just had to pay 150 to get the inside screen replaced . I opened it up a week ago with a crack going down the left side of the screen .no issues with the lcd just the thin glass was cracked .I baby this phone .I don't take it out the house often .never gave dropped it or abused it in any way . And honestly would have felt better about the crack if I knew how it happened . But there it was and a week later I'm getting my fold 2 back tommorow . Now what to do ? Keep using it for who knows just for it to" magically "crack again and have to pay over 500 dollars to get it fixed again . I'm tempted to just trade it to someone for another phone plus cash . thoughts ??

I fully understand your thoughts. I think the novelty and excitement of having big screen at hand anytime I want is now gone. I am finding myself cleaning the inside screen every night, even if I didn't open the screen at all that day, I am just paranoid just to see the dust sitting on it. And there is dust all the time. The constant cleaning of fingerprints makes me mad. I did dropped my phone already when I had it for just 2 weeks, from about 2 feet to carpet floor!!! and the front screen cracked in the corner immediately. I have dropped my phones from that height before and nothing ever happened. Samsung replaced the screen next day for $130.00. I have owned every single Note phone from Note 1 and never was so scared about dropping the phone, scratches on the body or dust on the screen. I am really getting tired of it. Right before the Z Fold I bought Note 20 Ultra that I still keep just in case. I do compare the 2 phones often, and I do miss the S pen a lot. So, I think of selling the Z Fold as well. On top of this, there is no good protective case for the Fold at this time and given the design, I don't see good working functional case in the future. I am using Leather Flip Cover now, it's ok, but not perfect.
I have Book cover on the Note and it works much better. The size of the screen on Note 20 Ultra is not that much smaller than opened Z fold screen anyway. And the seam in the middle of the inner screen has now developed 2 weird bumps that starts to bother me. Well, tough decisions, since it looks like Samsung will probably kill the Note line in the future and go the Fold way anyway..

Update . Traded my z fold for a OnePlus 8 pro and a iPhone 12 pro max today so far no regrets and I'll get another fold one day . Fun device while I had it

Very difficult to go back to the regular screen for me personally
Me using 12 pro max too. So dont regret anything

juggamonkey said:
Update . Traded my z fold for a OnePlus 8 pro and a iPhone 12 pro max today so far no regrets and I'll get another fold one day . Fun device while I had it
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The oneplus 8 pro is the bomb. I've had one for a while and keep going back to it over my Note 20 Ultra. I've just recently re-entered the Fold 2 community because samsung is offering $1000 for my old Note 10 plus. Couldn't turn it down, lol.

juggamonkey said:
Update . Traded my z fold for a OnePlus 8 pro and a iPhone 12 pro max today so far no regrets and I'll get another fold one day . Fun device while I had it
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Hope you adapt to and enjoy your new device.
The Sammy Fold series continues to be a disaster. Betaware that forces the customer to suck up Samsung prototyping experimental issues of their imperfect folding technology.
Plus no SD card support, not water or dust proof and as a bonus it spontaneously self destructs, a real masterpiece (as Pappy Boyington would have said).
I don't fault you one bit for bailing; a wise move.

carlitos66 said:
I fully understand your thoughts. I think the novelty and excitement of having big screen at hand anytime I want is now gone. I am finding myself cleaning the inside screen every night, even if I didn't open the screen at all that day, I am just paranoid just to see the dust sitting on it. And there is dust all the time. The constant cleaning of fingerprints makes me mad. I did dropped my phone already when I had it for just 2 weeks, from about 2 feet to carpet floor!!! and the front screen cracked in the corner immediately. I have dropped my phones from that height before and nothing ever happened. Samsung replaced the screen next day for $130.00. I have owned every single Note phone from Note 1 and never was so scared about dropping the phone, scratches on the body or dust on the screen. I am really getting tired of it. Right before the Z Fold I bought Note 20 Ultra that I still keep just in case. I do compare the 2 phones often, and I do miss the S pen a lot. So, I think of selling the Z Fold as well. On top of this, there is no good protective case for the Fold at this time and given the design, I don't see good working functional case in the future. I am using Leather Flip Cover now, it's ok, but not perfect.
I have Book cover on the Note and it works much better. The size of the screen on Note 20 Ultra is not that much smaller than opened Z fold screen anyway. And the seam in the middle of the inner screen has now developed 2 weird bumps that starts to bother me. Well, tough decisions, since it looks like Samsung will probably kill the Note line in the future and go the Fold way anyway..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im using Spigen thin armor pro for protection... best case i had so far and super sturdy... costs $90 tho.

I have a a Note 9 and I've been spending a lot of time debating the Note 20 Ultra vs the Fold 2 but can't make my mind up, I'm not considering the S21 since it loses micro SD and integrated S-pen but doesn't have anything like the folding screen to make up for it. Some users seem to find the appeal of the Fold 2 wears off but others find they can't go back to normal phones.
I've always loved the idea of the Fold and can live with the higher cost if I like the phone but it makes it pricey if I change my mind plus I lose the sd slot and spen and I am concerned about durability as there's a few posts about damaged screens like this one. I do appreciate that problems on forums are going to be exaggerated though.
I'm keen to hear on any other Fold 2 experiences.

Johnmcl7 said:
I have a a Note 9 and I've been spending a lot of time debating the Note 20 Ultra vs the Fold 2 but can't make my mind up, I'm not considering the S21 since it loses micro SD and integrated S-pen but doesn't have anything like the folding screen to make up for it. Some users seem to find the appeal of the Fold 2 wears off but others find they can't go back to normal phones.
I've always loved the idea of the Fold and can live with the higher cost if I like the phone but it makes it pricey if I change my mind plus I lose the sd slot and spen and I am concerned about durability as there's a few posts about damaged screens like this one. I do appreciate that problems on forums are going to be exaggerated though.
I'm keen to hear on any other Fold 2 experiences.
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Click to collapse
The Note 9 is a good phone; I'm considering getting one.
The whole Fold series is problematic at best; born to die for sure.
The technology is far from where it needs to be.
A pretty thing if you can afford it and the high maintenance it will incur plus the sad lack of the SD card slot.
The 10+ running on Pie was Samsung's last good Note offering. The 512/12 4G is a rock solid platform with good battery life.
Problem is they're hard to come by and holding their value a bit too well.
At first I was irritated by the fixed 60hz display but now feel it is a blessing as the display is huge, drop dead gorgeous and as easy on the battery as a display this size can be.
I find no worrh while incentive to upgrade in hardware or firmware for the foreseeable future.
Pie is superior to Q in a number of ways. Both 10 and 11 are Android platforms I wish to avoid.
I'm not willing to take the performance hit or part with some of my favorite overlay apks.
Screw 10 and 11... and as for Goggle I want to deep six ditch them worse than FB.

Johnmcl7 said:
I have a a Note 9 and I've been spending a lot of time debating the Note 20 Ultra vs the Fold 2 but can't make my mind up, I'm not considering the S21 since it loses micro SD and integrated S-pen but doesn't have anything like the folding screen to make up for it. Some users seem to find the appeal of the Fold 2 wears off but others find they can't go back to normal phones.
I've always loved the idea of the Fold and can live with the higher cost if I like the phone but it makes it pricey if I change my mind plus I lose the sd slot and spen and I am concerned about durability as there's a few posts about damaged screens like this one. I do appreciate that problems on forums are going to be exaggerated though.
I'm keen to hear on any other Fold 2 experiences.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can only tell you from my experience, the fold 2 is a terrific phone IF:
- You are OK with dealing with a thick device
- You will need a case. Its glass and expensive, and with a lot of actual opening and closing maneuvers there is always a chance of slipping out of hand (well only happened twice for me, but still)
- Formfactor hinders case designs, I am using the slim armor pro which has awesome protection rating but 2 main Issues. One, it's expensive and difficult to find in my country and 2, it makes the phone bulky still.
- front screen is narrow but then that makes it easy to reach with one hand. I really don't have a problem here.
- no SD card support, I used to use a 400Gb card with my note 20 ultra, to store pics and videos. But with fold 2, I just realised I have almost 140GB free from a total of 256GB. No gimmicky 8k Video here (I never really enjoyed it in note 20 U, 4k with stabilisation was far superior). I also used to offload apps onto the micro SD card but each time the app updated, I had to manually move the apps again. I think 512GB Would suffice if you really need an sd card. It's my use case and yours could obviously be different.
But all things said, I love the phone. Every single person notices it and goes "WHAAAAATT??? AWESOME"... Some relate it to the Nokia communicators though (being narrow and thick)
About the fragility of the phone, well after I have started using the slim armor I have never babied the phone... heck I even dropped it more than a couple of times (in closed position). I have realised that the phone really isn't that flimsy... may be I got one from a good batch coz I hear horror stores, but that's where the warranty comes in ( well in my country samsung warranty is a lengthy process BTW).
Foldables and rollables will be a thing soon but they will remain top of the line for a few years.
I am an artist myself, I use the S pen to sketch and draw and for me spen is super useful, it's a shame that fold 2 can't use it. But I have a Samsung tab s4 just for that (was cheap and serves my purpose). IF you can wait for a few more months, I hear the fold 3 will support spen and if s pen is really important to you, why not get the note 20u now (prices have dropped) and get the fold 3 later? You could be saving quite a bit.

For what it's worth:
I was uncomfortable foraging into experimental phones again as I had the Note Edge. Tons of "nay sayers" then and it transformed future phones...
I am pleased I own this device!
There have always been voices against innovation as it begins its assent until it proves worthy in their personal experience.Same with the Z Fold 2...
Yes it's an expensive device, not as fragile as expected, bulky and heavier than my N10+, no "attached" Spen, though an absolute joy to use as it fits my needs: leaving ALL devices behind save this one for business and pleasure.
It's been in the 2-piece best designed case i could find since I pulled it out of the box (heard good things about Spigen though didn't want m o r e bulk) and have been using a wonderful stylus that duplicates most of the Spen without the cool tricks. I use a ring holder device stuck to the back which absolutely helps with weight and balance. Don't miss the SD card as got weened off dependancy owning a Note 5; great for convenience though many solutions abound (using a 1TB external drive). Since enrolling in Samsung's Device Buy Back Program this phone is more of a "lease" until the Z Fold 3.
Maybe I am blessed with no issues in the first month of ownership though most issues with phones are "operator errors" I've found in my experience owning mobile phones since 1991. Your mileage may vary... good luck. Peace

Thanks for posting your thoughts.
I can manage without an SD card and an S-pen but they are handy features and I have to accept I'll lose the notification light and headphone socket but it makes paying a good chunk of money for a new phone a bit less desirable when losing these. I'm generally happy with the Note 9 and the reason I'm considering these phones is to get the ultrawide lens, I was about to buy one for my camera at around £1300 but then started thinking maybe the money would be better spent on a phone with an ultrawide lens instead. I tend to find I like to leave the super telephoto lens on the camera and then just use the phone for normal wide angle shots since they tend not to benefit so much from the dedicated camera and I have a slightly older ultrawide setup I can use for property shoots or whatever.

Johnmcl7 said:
Thanks for posting your thoughts.
I can manage without an SD card and an S-pen but they are handy features and I have to accept I'll lose the notification light and headphone socket but it makes paying a good chunk of money for a new phone a bit less desirable when losing these. I'm generally happy with the Note 9 and the reason I'm considering these phones is to get the ultrawide lens, I was about to buy one for my camera at around £1300 but then started thinking maybe the money would be better spent on a phone with an ultrawide lens instead. I tend to find I like to leave the super telephoto lens on the camera and then just use the phone for normal wide angle shots since they tend not to benefit so much from the dedicated camera and I have a slightly older ultrawide setup I can use for property shoots or whatever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey man... the cameras on this device are good though the Note 10+
Johnmcl7 said:
Thanks for posting your thoughts.
I can manage without an SD card and an S-pen but they are handy features and I have to accept I'll lose the notification light and headphone socket but it makes paying a good chunk of money for a new phone a bit less desirable when losing these. I'm generally happy with the Note 9 and the reason I'm considering these phones is to get the ultrawide lens, I was about to buy one for my camera at around £1300 but then started thinking maybe the money would be better spent on a phone with an ultrawide lens instead. I tend to find I like to leave the super telephoto lens on the camera and then just use the phone for normal wide angle shots since they tend not to benefit so much from the dedicated camera and I have a slightly older ultrawide setup I can use for property shoots or whatever.
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Click to collapse
Hey man, here's hoping you create the perfect lens set up for yourself! ;-) I don't know if it's my eye or the zf2 camera specs, seems my N10+ was a better shooter. Oh well...
BTW, I had spoken with ZF2 concierge regarding Edge Lighting +, (Good Lock and selfie camera light notifications), and he said with the new update coming it would be turned on for the unlocked Samsung devices. Hmm. We'll see. Peace

From what I've read that sounds right about the Fold 2's camera not being quite as good which also should really point me more towards the N20 Ultra.

Johnmcl7 said:
From what I've read that sounds right about the Fold 2's camera not being quite as good which also should really point me more towards the N20 Ultra.
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Click to collapse
I have both note 20 U and zf2, I don't know why people think note 20 ultras cameras are better, quality wise?.. IMHO, they both are neck and neck.. ofcourse you miss 5x zoom, totally useless 24fps 8k and the ever so lovely DOF from the 108mp camera but that's it... quality wise they are both great... you would find it difficult to vote one over the other in a blind test..
Here, have attached few pics from one of my vacation trip recently taken with zf2.. the pickup one, increase brightness and go into a dark room... look at the stars.. I think these are good results..what do you think?

The Note 20 Ultra has better camera sensors than the Z Fold 2, I assume it was one of the compromises made on the Fold to keep the already high cost down. The dark shots posted don't really show much as they're severely underexposed which avoids using a higher iso setting which is an area the Note 20 is better at.

Johnmcl7 said:
The Note 20 Ultra has better camera sensors than the Z Fold 2, I assume it was one of the compromises made on the Fold to keep the already high cost down. The dark shots posted don't really show much as they're severely underexposed which avoids using a higher iso setting which is an area the Note 20 is better at.
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Dark shot wasn't shot in night mode, I used pro mode. I opted for that look. Yes you are correct n20U has bigger sensor but I don't care about the technicalities here. As a user who owns both (uses both with no partiality AT ALL, After all I paid for both), I don't see any perceivable difference except for the ones I mentioned in my previous post. All I am trying to say here is, if camera quality is your criteria then let it not be. There are other things I noticed while using both. One, the fold is a thick boy and you will notice it
in your pocket. And the weight is also much more than note 20U (your pinky finger will feel it on extended use when closed).. but the inner screen kind of makes up for it. Second, there is always this thought of fragility associated with fold2. I mean I know by now that it is pretty robust, still if I am passing it to a friend to look at, I tell them to be careful with the inner screen. Third, the cases for the zf2 are very very limited, I didn't have a case for 2 months and I can't tell you how scared and careful I was. and lastly, not many people will tell you this, but if you are watching anything more wider than 16:9, note 20 has the bigger picture than zf2 as note 20 u is taller than zf2 so in landscape mode, the almost square zf2 is restricted by the screen width in the x axis.
I use both the phones on a daily basis, and Let me tell you my honest opinion, as a phone n20u is awesome, but the moment you open the zf2 you are in bliss.

OP I respect the fact that you sold your phone and got a device that made you feel more comfortable. For anyone else interested, I'm coming from the OG Fold that I babied for months until I got comfortable with it. After having for almost a year, I was using Dex and upon disconnecting the HDMI cable the edge hit my screen and killed a few pixels. I should have had it folded shut and it never would have happened. I ended up getting it replaced under warranty as there was no other damage to the phone. They concluded it was just some dead pixels even though I told them what happened.
So now I've had my Fold 2 for a month. I love it even more and I do not set it down unless it's folded! But I will keep the insurance on my phone for the first time in many years. This is one of the few phones that it may actually be worth carrying the insurance, and that, along with the durability of the first Fold for over a year of use, gives me the piece of mind to carry this phone as a daily driver.

Johnmcl7 said:
I have a a Note 9 and I've been spending a lot of time debating the Note 20 Ultra vs the Fold 2 but can't make my mind up, I'm not considering the S21 since it loses micro SD and integrated S-pen but doesn't have anything like the folding screen to make up for it. Some users seem to find the appeal of the Fold 2 wears off but others find they can't go back to normal phones.
I've always loved the idea of the Fold and can live with the higher cost if I like the phone but it makes it pricey if I change my mind plus I lose the sd slot and spen and I am concerned about durability as there's a few posts about damaged screens like this one. I do appreciate that problems on forums are going to be exaggerated though.
I'm keen to hear on any other Fold 2 experiences.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've owned both, N20U and Fold2 at the same time. I traded in my Note 9 for an N20U. At the time, I was daily driving my Note 10 Plus. I traded in my Note 10 Plus for my Fold2. The battery life on my N20U was actually shorter than my Note 10 Plus. Disappointingly so. At 1440 or 1080 with adaptive, I was averaging 4.5H of SOT whereas I was averaging 6H on my Note 10 Plus. Anyhow, I ended up buying a Fold 2 for the novelty of it.
Pros
The folding and unfolding does not get old. It is magic each and every time.
Battery endurance (I'm averaging 5.5 to 6.5H of SOT at 1440 adaptive within 20-24H of usage in between charges).
Camera's are good.
Cons
Inner display cover is gross. It almost feels like you are using an old Windows phone with a resistive touch screen.
Camera's are not Sammy's best (N20U) and for the cost of the Fold, you want the best camera possible.
Dumb aspect ratios.
Fragility of design will always plague your mind.
I gave my N20U to my wife and she loves it as much as I love my Fold2. It is far from perfect, however it works for me and I am genuinely pleased with my overall experience.
I daily my Fold2. I've dropped it face down, closed and onto my hardwood floor without injury. I put it into my linty jean pockets with no issues. I'm not careless with it, however I've stopped babying it weeks ago and it is holding up just fine.
Hope this helps

I spotted a good deal on a brand new fold 2 and decided to give it a go, so far I absolutely love it. I'm still getting the hang of using apps on the outside and inside but it's such a lovely device to use when it's open it's worth the compromises.
Thanks for posting all your opinions on the two devices.

Question Another (yet, a bit different) screen protector question

Hi Guys,
So, my original screen protector that came with the phone developed a crack right in the middle of the hinge (surprise surprise) after about 4 months of use.
I contacted Samsung here in Israel, and asked about getting an OEM replacement (paying for it was ok for me).
The answer i received was that they don't replace the screen protector with the OEM one, since these only go on new screens that are replaced for customers.
They can install a screen protector with one of those machines they have in stores that laser-cut a blank piece of TPU protector to the size of any Samsung device, but after trying that (left the phone unfolded for 24 hours as suggested) a day after the installation a "rainbow-effect" line appeared across the crease.
So, my current situation is:
A. They cannot offer an OEM screen protector (which will obviously be the best fit)
B. I, officially, cannot replace the screen protector myself since it will void the warranty (and we all know that a good 3rd party protector is hard to find if any)
C. The alternative they somewhat offer is not suitable for a folding phone (even the sales reps I talked to confirm this)
Is anyone else in the same situation?
Are there Samsung retailers in other geographies that do offer OEM screen replacements?
It honestly feels as if I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place with no viable alternative to go for.

Samsung knew delamination and cracking would plague this design. The plastics and adhesives aren't up to the task. Leonardo da Vinci and Nicola Tesla had similar problems of inventing devices decades, centuries before there was the proper material technology to build them.
You can live with it as is.
Bug Samsung to replace the protector until you break them.
Use no protector which will invariably lead to scratches.
Try a hydrocell wet apply protector like Gorilla IQ Sheild if they exist for that device. They may well fail too at the fold seam but are cheap, easy to repair and replace.
This -is- Samsung's fault... make them own it.

blackhawk said:
Samsung knew delamination and cracking would plague this design. The plastics and adhesives aren't up to the task. Leonardo da Vinci and Nicola Tesla had similar problems of inventing devices decades, centuries before there was the proper material technology to build them.
You can live with it as is.
Bug Samsung to replace the protector until you break them.
Use no protector which will invariably lead to scratches.
Try a hydrocell wet apply protector like Gorilla IQ Sheild if they exist for that device. They may well fail too at the fold seam but are cheap, easy to repair and replace.
This -is- Samsung's fault... make them own it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
since this screen is really just two tiny screems connected at the center by a tiny sliver of screen, they ideally could have made the sliver more easilty replaceable, and the two screens more robust, but we know that will never happen cuz these corporations salivate like pavlovs dog.at the sound of phones dropping, screens cracking, hearts breaking.

If that ever happened to me I would probably try the 'new premium Dome Silk film' apparently it's very good and fairly priced and hope that nobody would notice (or care) if it ever had to go in for repairs!
Thinking of getting one myself even though there's nothing really wrong with my OEM screen protector except for that plasticity feel.
The best screen protector secured at last!
After many months of scouring the internet and more money spent than I'd like to admit, I have finally found what I would consider a better screen protector than even the OEM installed one from Samsung. I have tried close to 10 different...
forum.xda-developers.com

Blob Blobbed said:
since this screen is really just two tiny screems connected at the center by a tiny sliver of screen, they ideally could have made the sliver more easilty replaceable, and the two screens more robust, but we know that will never happen cuz these corporations salivate like pavlovs dog.at the sound of phones dropping, screens cracking, hearts breaking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could custom fit 2 protectors but that may prove annoying. Wet apply hydrocell protectors are easy to align. Cut a sharp razor and straight egde without stretching the plastic at all. Any stretching will cause the application to fail.
The paradox is that the thicker the flexible plastic is the more likely it is to fail at the bend.
Some say the Fold holds up well to drops, don't know and wouldn't care to test that. Guess you could take the approach with the displays that I take with batteries; they are a maintenance item you know will need replaced. A backup phone be good to have to take off the pressure of repair.
In my case I got a 2nd N10+ a couple months ago.
In the last 2 years Samsung hasn't released anything I want. Still happy with my N10+'s.
Samsung has invested very heavily in developing this technology at the cost to their other flagship phones. Someone should remind Samsung what the definition for insanity is...
Planned obsolescence, one thing Samsung is trying to accomplish is this. 70 years ago GMC did it with their cars, different colors and of course style every year to entice customers to buy a new one. This is a benign planned obsolescence. When the device in question literally falls apart or fails to function then it turns into forced obsolescence.
Apple pioneered this 20 years ago with the $240 replacement battery and deliberately making device updates that crippled older iPhones. Samsung seems to be following Apple's lead like a lost puppy. First the 3.5mm jack, the SD card and Samsung's none Apple innovation, the Fold that literally comes apart at the seems.

There are third party replacements out there that will "work" until (read: if) they come through and start replacing the protectors officially.
The ones that worked best applied from the center. Get two. Possibly even get three. The first time is going to come out terrible and the center will bubble. That's the learning curve (no pun intended) for getting used to how the crease changes the application.
Having thrown that one away, the second one should be much easier. The protectors I tried had a center patch you put on first. It goes right in the crease. Make sure it is smooth and straight before you start applying the rest. That is what keeps it from bubbling up.
After that's on, slowly peel back a side and smooth it on. I use one of the old rubber applicators from the Zagg protectors. It's one of the ones that feels like it could be a full size eraser, not the newer cheap ones. Go slow and make sure you rolled the protector into the crease before moving outward.
Once it's on, leave the device open for an hour or two. Close it slowly and leave it closed for an hour or two. Open and close it somewhat carefully for the next day. After that, it should be good to return to normal.
The reality is that you just need "something" to keep the screen from getting all scratched up. Samsung openly admits the screen is weaker so it will flex. It's not some Mel Gibson "the government is siphoning my Corn Flakes" conspiracy. It's the properties of glass vs plastic.

blackhawk said:
You could custom fit 2 protectors but that may prove annoying. Wet apply hydrocell protectors are easy to align. Cut a sharp razor and straight egde without stretching the plastic at all. Any stretching will cause the application to fail.
The paradox is that the thicker the flexible plastic is the more likely it is to fail at the bend.
Some say the Fold holds up well to drops, don't know and wouldn't care to test that. Guess you could take the approach with the displays that I take with batteries; they are a maintenance item you know will need replaced. A backup phone be good to have to take off the pressure of repair.
In my case I got a 2nd N10+ a couple months ago.
In the last 2 years Samsung hasn't released anything I want. Still happy with my N10+'s.
Samsung has invested very heavily in developing this technology at the cost to their other flagship phones. Someone should remind Samsung what the definition for insanity is...
Planned obsolescence, one thing Samsung is trying to accomplish is this. 70 years ago GMC did it with their cars, different colors and of course style every year to entice customers to buy a new one. This is a benign planned obsolescence. When the device in question literally falls apart or fails to function then it turns into forced obsolescence.
Apple pioneered this 20 years ago with the $240 replacement battery and deliberately making device updates that crippled older iPhones. Samsung seems to be following Apple's lead like a lost puppy. First the 3.5mm jack, the SD card and Samsung's none Apple innovation, the Fold that literally comes apart at the seems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And yet we still buy their intentionally nowhere-near-as-good-as-it-could-be products. Why? Because we're idiot consumers wired for instant gratification. We do it to ourselves. We stink.

Blob Blobbed said:
And yet we still buy their intentionally nowhere-near-as-good-as-it-could-be products. Why? Because we're idiot consumers wired for instant gratification. We do it to ourselves. We stink.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got lucky when I bought my first N10+ right out of the gate. Samsung hasn't released anything that beats it in display/build quality, form factor, usability and functionality. If Samsung had released a better flagship it be in my hands right now. Buying the second one about 4 months ago however was a very deliberate and calculated purchase. That how much I like this phone... and there's nothing in the pipeline to supersede it.
I've had it with Samsung's bs. Acting like a brat child not listening to its parents.
If they don't clean up their act in 2-4 years, I'll migrate to a different company. Samsung has left the door open to their competitors, if they can get enough rubber on the asphalt. Until then I'll keep using my 2 N10+'s. They are easily capable of lasting that long.

blackhawk said:
I got lucky when I bought my first N10+ right out of the gate. Samsung hasn't released anything that beats it in display/build quality, form factor, usability and functionality. If Samsung had released a better flagship it be in my hands right now. Buying the second one about 4 months ago however was a very deliberate and calculated purchase. That how much I like this phone... and there's nothing in the pipeline to supersede it.
I've had it with Samsung's bs. Acting like a brat child not listening to its parents.
If they don't clean up their act in 2-4 years, I'll migrate to a different company. Samsung has left the door open to their competitors, if they can get enough rubber on the asphalt. Until then I'll keep using my 2 N10+'s. They are easily capable of lasting that long.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had same feelings about note 8 (awful) after note 4 (totally ruled).
proof:
Would you recommend a Galaxy Note 8 in 2020 vs current mid-range phones?
Hey all, It's been a while since I was active on XDA, but I'd like some advice from Note 8 owners. I used to buy Samsung Notes back in the day when they dropped in price a bit, but I haven't had one since the Note 4. I currently have an Umidigi...
forum.xda-developers.com
Overall love
Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is an incredible...
forum.xda-developers.com
YET HERE I AM 4 YEARS LATER

Blob Blobbed said:
I had same feelings about note 8 (awful) after note 4 (totally ruled).
proof:
Would you recommend a Galaxy Note 8 in 2020 vs current mid-range phones?
Hey all, It's been a while since I was active on XDA, but I'd like some advice from Note 8 owners. I used to buy Samsung Notes back in the day when they dropped in price a bit, but I haven't had one since the Note 4. I currently have an Umidigi...
forum.xda-developers.com
Overall love
Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is an incredible...
forum.xda-developers.com
YET HERE I AM 4 YEARS LATER
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I wanted the N4 for years. With Samsung it was always hit or miss. Over the last 7 years I rejected multiple new models because of no SD card slot.
Just chintzy of them. Was it worth the loss sales Sammy? Suck it up...
Comply or you're dead to me

Appreciate your comments.
I guess i just have to get several protectors from Amazon and do some trial & error until i find the right one.
Bring an early-adopter is certainly no picnic...